Hello everyone, Gregor here! This time I'm trying out something new: historical drama mixed with Vocaloids! I'm planning on writing more chapters, so keep up with reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Vocaloid!

Enjoy!


1941, Japan, Hamamatsu Air Base, Imperial Japanese Navy Flock

The 76th Nakajima Fighter Platoon arrived early in the afternoon. The first to land was Capt. Shion Kaito, leader of the squad. His A6M Zero was shining; it was like it has never seen battle. Compared to that, Private Kagamine Len's fighter was a wreck.

Private Kagamine Len was the last one to land at Hamamatsu at 14:32. His Zero had bullet-holes all around the cockpit, as well as the plane's back. Len himself wasn't in much better state: a ricocheted bullet bounced right through the window and hit his left arm, which was bleeding heavily. Despite that - thanks to his excellent flying skills - Private Len kept fighting in the frontline, shooting down enemies until nobody remained.

Not that he wanted to take all the credit. He was just following his orders.

Private Len clumsily got out of his plane and jumped down. He immediately regretted it, as the wound re-opened and started bleeding again. Len grabbed his pilot helmet and put it over the wound to catch up as much blood as he could.

'Good job, Private Kagamine' said Capt. Shion.

'Not at all' bowed Private Len. 'I could have done much better.'

'Standby until your plane gets repaired' ordered Capt. Shion. 'Meanwhile, check in the medic tent. Have the nurses take care of your wound.'

'Yes, sir!' Private Len bowed and hurried away.

Private Len left his Zero at the hands of the maintenance staff and through the airport he headed to the green tent. His helmet was soaked by blood, but he didn't care about it. A helmet can be replaced. An arm cannot.

By the time he got to the tent, he was feeling fuzzy, slowly losing balance from the blood loss. A nurse with teal hair and blue eyes caught him, and - not wanting to show any weakness - Private Len quickly stood up on his own.

'Welcome, Kagamine Len-san' said Miku. 'Injured again?'

Private Len didn't even nod. He was just staring at the depths of the tent where the dirty white beds were lined up, obviously searching for someone. Miku didn't have to think for too long to understand the longing behind his gaze.

'Shall I get you Rin-cha-, Nurse Rin-san?' Miku asked.

Private Len looked at Miku and nodded. Miku sat him down on a bed and rushed away. Private Len looked after the teal hair until it disappeared in the crowd of nurses. The tent was full of wounded soldiers, moaning, screaming and crying in pain. Private Len was the only one who didn't feel pain anymore. A soldier doesn't need that sense. In his credo, it only slows them down in completing orders.

'You again?!' Private Len heard a girl's voice from behind his back.

He turned around to see the blonde nurse he was secretely waiting for. Her white nurse dress was dirty, her apron had dried blood on it, but her hands were shining clean and her cerulean eyes were full of life and determination. When she saw Private Len, she rapidly approached him and immediately started searching for bandages.

'Take off your shirt' she ordered without even looking up from her doctor's bag.

Private Len just went along. Many upper-class leaders didn't like that Nurse Rin had such strong masculine character, but Private Len was different. He wasn't annoyed by her bossy attitude the least. There was something unexplainable in her voice that made Private Len obey her without thinking twice.

After Private Len placed the blood-soaked shirt on the bed, he exposed his wound. When she looked at his unclothed chest, Nurse Rin's cheeks flushed for a split moment, but she quickly shook it off. She sprayed some disinfectant on a paper towel and started cleaning the wound. Private Len was just sitting on the bed without a word, gazing at the blonde nurse's troubled face.

'Why do you have to always come back in pieces?' Nurse Rin mumbled under her nose. 'And your fighter is in an even worse state!'

When Private Len didn't answer, Nurse Rin threw the bloodied piece of cloth away with an annoyed huff.

'Why can't you just take better care of yourself?' Nurse Rin mumbled quietly.

'...I always came back, didn't I?' asked Private Len.

'And do you think that's enough?!' Nurse Rin was almost yelling. 'Do you have any idea how it feels day by day to keep treating your wounds, knowing that tomorrow you'll come back with new ones?'

Private Len fell silent, earning an annoyed sigh from the blonde nurse. Out of all the soldiers and injured Nurse Rin treated, Private Len grew the closest to her heart. For some reason, when she was thinking about the private not coming back anymore, her knees felt like shaking... Nurse Rin quickly shook off the frightening thought and finished bandaging the private.

'Done' she said. 'Let me check your other wounds.'

With practiced hands Nurse Rin unwrapped the dirty bandages. She quickly cleaned up the dried blood and put on some fresh bandages. When she was done, she stepped back and gladly eyed her good work.

'Try not to get injured, okay?' Nurse Rin lectured the private. 'Also, I'd like to check how your wounds are healing, so be sure to come back tomorrow, okay?'

Private Len nodded and pulled on his shirt. Nurse Rin turned away and proceeded to go and treat other patients. She however was stopped by a palm firmly placed on her shoulder. She spun around, only to find herself binded in the gaze of two cerulean orbs.

'W-what is it?' she asked, silently cursing herself for stuttering. She never ever stuttered in front of anyone, so why did she stutter in front of a simple soldier?

With his unharmed arm Private Len reached into his back pocket. For a moment Nurse Rin thought that he was reaching for his handgun, but no... Private Len pulled out something ball-shaped wrapped in white kerchief and put it into the surprised nurse's hand, which smelled like chlorine.

'Take this as my thanks' Private Len said, gazing at the blonde nurse's cerulean eyes. 'For always healing me.'

Before Nurse Rin had any chance to say anything, Private Len turned around and rapidly left the medic tent. Nurse Rin curiously opened the kerchief a bit, but immediately closed it back when she saw a glimpse of orange and the sour scent of citrus hit her nose.

'Where did Len get this?' Nurse Rin asked from herself in thought.

'Rin-chan!' Miku's voice was calling her. 'We have a patient with legs broken at three places! Help me out a bit!'

'Yes!' Nurse Rin slipped the orange in the purse of her belt. 'I'm coming!'

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

'But still, breaking the embargo was quite the feat, Private' said Kaito.

The evening quickly came. Most of the pilots of the 76th Nakajima Fighter Platoon were either in bed or were about to go to bed. The only exceptions were Capt. Shion and Private Len. Despite the eventful day, none of them felt tired, and now they were sitting behind the barrack. Kaito was drinking cheap sake from a metal bottle, while Private Len was gazing up the night sky.

'What else could I have done?' asked the private. 'Asides orange and peace, I have no idea what Rin-san likes.'

'And you cannot give her peace' nodded Kaito.

'Not now, at least' corrected Private Len his superior insolently. 'I'll work hard so that she... I mean everyone can live in peace.'

'You really love her, don't you?' emptied Kaito the metal flask.

Private Len didn't say anything. True; from the moment he saw the blonde haired, blue-eyed nurse at the day before Japan launched its first attack, he knew that he was feeling something he's never felt before. This naturally excluded the possibility of him falling in love with her because she was nursing him. At least, that was what the private believed. And he was right.

'I see' said Kaito, reading the meaning behind the silence. 'I wish you'd just ask her out.'

'You know it isn't that simple' said Private Len. 'I shouldn't confess her before the war ends. If she really feels something towards me and we get together, if I die it'll scar her for a life.'

'At least you could spend some time together' pointed out Kaito. 'If you're really planning on dying.'

'I don't want to die' said the private darkly. 'But without my Zero and the army, I'm just a nobody from Kyoto.'

'Without the nurse uniform, Kagamine-san is also just a nobody from Tokyo' said Kaito, and when he saw Private Len opening his mouth he quickly added: 'Without the captain uniform, I'm just a simple nobody from Nagano. Everyone is the same here. This is a land of nobodies, private.'

After this statement both of the soldiers fell in silence. Gazing at the black night sky, Private Len remembered Nurse Rin's cerulean eyes. In sunlight, the pair of orbs had exactly the color of the endless sky. When he first looked into them, Private Len felt like he way flying on the real sky. This was a feeling Private Len never wanted to forget.

Private Len was determined to protect the wearer of the cerulean eyes more than anything.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

The night shift came, and both Nurse Miku and Nurse Rin made their escape from the green tent. Sadly, because of the lack of fresh water (and because they were girls) they didn't have the chance to take a shower. Instead, they put water on a few towels and with a piece of washing soap they helped each other scrape away the dirt from their bodies.

'Len-san came in injured today as well, didn't he?' asked Miku, washing Rin's back with a towel.

'He did!' exclaimed the blonde nurse. 'Even if I warned him yesterday that I won't treat him next time he comes in trashed, he still did!'

'And you still treated him' Miku said, making Rin pout.

'Of course I did!' Nurse Rin was almost shouting. 'Do you think I'd let him die?'

'Of course I don't, silly' Miku tried calming down her friend. 'You love him, after all.'

Nurse Rin didn't answer. It was difficult for her to determine what kind of relationship she has with the blond ace pilot. True, they saw each other on the first day she arrived, but they didn't even exchange words, only made eye contract...

Nurse Rin felt her face heating up at the thought of the private's cerulean eyes. It could have hardly been coincidence that a boy identical to her in appearance was working at the same air base as she did. Nurse Rin didn't believe in fate, but she believed in coincidences even less.

She was also an intelligent person, always trying to build up a clear picture about herself in her mind. This is why when she realized she has feelings for the blond private, she brought up the possibility of those feelings being the result of the Florence Nightingale effect. This theory was quickly left abandoned. Her heart was jumping on the first day she saw him. She couldn't have fallen for him because she was taking care of him!

'Lost in thought again, I see' said Miku. 'Why don't you just make the first move?'

'T-that isn't something I can do!' Nurse Rin exclaimed, with her ears being red. 'Len... Len-san seems to be a traditional person. If I made the first move, he'd dump me in an instant!'

'That said, I've never seen you caring about tradition before' said Miku. 'I mean, the way you stood up in front of the council about the doctor who was stealing painkillers... you have to admit that it was anything but traditional.'

Miku chuckled at her best friend's bright red face. In her eyes, Nurse Rin was a woman of outstanding character. She stood up for her justice, even if it meant offending higher-ups and respected men. Sure, she got in trouble because of that, but in the end, she was always right. All Nurse Rin really wanted was to help everyone survive the war - something Miku could relate to.

'Miku-chan?' Rin's voice felt distant for Miku. 'Are you thinking about Mikuo-san?'

Miku shook her head to chase away the thoughts. She quickly brushed off the single tear on her cheek and smiled at the worried-looking blonde nurse.

'There's no point in grieving over the dead' said Miku. 'My brother was a brave person and an honest fool. Bad combination - especially on the battlefield.'

Miku stood up, dried herself and threw on the used clothes. She combed her back in two twintails and walked to the exit.

'I have something to do' she said. 'I'll be back by midnignt.'

With that, Miku was gone. Nurse Rin knew exactly where she was going; the slowly blooming romance between Head Nurse Miku and Capt. Shion Kaito was a popular gossip between the nurses. Well, except that nobody had the guts to mention it when Miku was present.

Nurse Rin also dried herself and put on her uniform. After a while, she got used to sleeping in it. At home, she usually slept naked, but in the air base, with lots of sudden emergencies, sleeping in her uniform was more practical. Not to mention that this way she didn't have soldiers spying at her through the window anymore. Especially since Nurse Rin once came out in the middle of the night with a large scissor in her hand, threatening them that she'll cut off their manhood if they keep spying at her.

When she made sure nobody was watching her, Nurse Rin carefully pulled out the kerchief-covered orb and unwrapped the paper. She was staring at the small orange for a while, then - without even peeling it - she ate the whole orange. It was her favorite fruit, but she haven't eaten one since she was a child. She thought that oranges couldn't even be bought in Japan anymore. She had no idea how Private Len got one.

The orange was gone, and Nurse Rin was staring at the kerchief for a while. She then brought her fingers to her nose and deeply inhaled the sour scent. Then, she went to the sink, grabbed a piece of soap and made sure that not even a trace of the orange scent remained. Private Len could've gotten in trouble if others got to know about this.

Nurse Rin then blew out the faint flame of the oil lamp, laid down the bed and wrapped the thin blanket around her body. She closed her eyes and like she was praying, she whispered:

'Be safe, Len.'

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

1943, New Guinea, Madang Air Base

The 76th Nakajima Fighter Platoon was quickly approaching the American convoy. The alert only arrived twelve minutes ago, and Capt. Shion Kaito immediately ordered his platoon to attack. Alongside them, the 65th and 82nd Nakajima Fighter Platoons were flying as well, fully armed, ready to bomb the whole convoy.

Private Kagamine Len was flying in the frontline of the formation, and was the first to make visual contract with the enemy. Six ships (two ammunation carriers and four light crusiers) were sailing towards a group of small islands. Those islands were key strategic points for both Japan and the USA in the marine war. Capt. Shion Kaito was informed about the possibility of an incoming Americam attack, but he didn't think they'd arrive this soon.

'Message... pincer attack... aim the carriers... hail the emperor...' Kaito's message sounded through the pilots' radios.

This was what Private Len was waiting for. The formation dissolved, and Private Len joined the middle wing to execute a diversion attack. When the crusiers opened fire from their cannons, every pilot of the middle wing executed an evasive maneuver and without responding the fire they slowly flew closer to the crusiers.

At first, the plan seemed successful. While the crusiers' heavy cannons were occupied with the middle wing, the left and right wings encircled around them and fired their torpedoes at the carriers. Both of them took heavy hits, and by the time it was Private Len's time to attack, the smaller carrier has already found its underwater grave.

'Left wing... join... middle wing attack... target the bridge...' sounded Kaito's next orders.

Private Len left his beloved sky and flew low above the sea, followed by the rest of the middle wing. Some of them were shot down by the crusier cannons during the diversion attack, but after one of Private Len's gun strikes hit a communication tower, the crusier's left side fell in silence. Private Len approached the back of the crusier and together with a few pilots he shot his torpedoes at the stern.

The back of the crusier was engulfed by flames. With a smile, Private Len changed direction and flew high, ready to land the next attack on the last crusier. Because of this, he was along the first to see the mission's failure.

'Ambush... from the East... numbers around three hundred... abort mission... repeat, abort mission' Kaito sent his orders through the radio.

Private Len looked around. A fleet of shining metal planes were approaching the battlefield rapidly, obviously targeting the Nakajima Fighter Platoons. Their first victims were the pilots of the back wing, whose planes fell into the sea one by one, covered in flames and smoke.

A line of bullets barreled next to Private Len's Zero, almost hitting one of his comrades. The private immediately changed direction and quickly took down two attackers. This however caused many other enemy pilots to target him. Private Len dodged the next shots and flew low, tailing as much pilots as he could.

'Private Len... retreat... order...' Kaito sent his instructions through the radio.

'Buying time... tailing enemy pilots... end transmission...' sounded Private Len's answer.

As the remaining Japanese pilots were slowly getting further and further, chased by the gunfire of U.S. pilots, Private Len turned around and shot down the two closest fighters. Their attention again shifted towards the Private, who wasn't giving up yet.

Even against the superior numbers, Private Len was able to hold his own. His talent and skill of flying was shining blindingly even at the American pilots, who fell down from the sky one by one after the shots released by the blonde master pilot. Private Len didn't take his eyes off his enemies, not even for a second, constantly monitoring the whole battlefield. He suddenly lifted up the nose of his Zero, flying straight up and getting behind his chasers with a loop.

Five more enemy pilots became the victim of Private Len's deadly aim in their back. His beloved cerulean skies were now completely covered by black smoke, left by the planes which will never land on a carrier again. A group of jungle islands appeared on the edge of the horizon...

Disaster came after another disaster. A high-pitched beeping noise filled the cockpit, signaling the dangerously low fuel level. In the long chase, Private Len got too far and wasted too much fuel. Even if he wasn't originally planning on returning, the noise was enough to distract him for a second.

Even a delay of one second can decide between life and death.

The whole Zero shook as flames bursted out of the wings. A moment later Private Len was able to make out a Grumman F6F Hellcat, which miraculously was able to remain in his blind spot until it opened fire at him. Private Len firmly grabbed the joystick, regained control over his Zero as much as it was possible and turned around to counter-attack. As he got closer to the Hellcat, he noticed the many black marks on the side of the plane, becoming incredibly furious.

The two master-pilots crashed in the air. Bullets flew in straight trajectories towards the planes, most of them missed, but a few reached the targets. The opposing planes weren't equal: the Zero had tougher armor and better guns, but the Hellcat was superior in terms of movability and speed. When for a moment the planes crossed next to each other, Private Len was able to make out a glimpse of silver hair and a single blue eye...

The Zero shook once again as bullets found their way in the cockpit. Private Len looked around and clenched his teeth in anger. He was taken away by the pace of the duel so much that he forgot to keep an eye at the other pilots. Two American aircrafts were approaching him quickly, releasing their deadly hell of lead. As much as he could, Private Len evaded the bullets and turned his plane towards the islands, trying to make up a new plan...

Hell broke loose as more bullets hit the wing of the Zero. Private Len increased the speed, not even caring about the lack of fuel anymore. All he wanted was to get as close to the island as possible, in case he has to execute an emergency landing... The whole Zero cracked as the American master pilot's bullets tore down the left wing.

The last thing Private Len remembered before he lost consciousness was Nurse Rin's cerulean eyes.