Chapter One
Beta-Posted: 06/26/2007
Author's Note
Hoshi no Koe (Voices of a Distant Star) was Makoto Shinkai's second work and in my opinion, his best. Despite it's short 25-minute length and how it was originally produced by Mr. Shinkai alone, Hoshi no Koe proves to be a masterpiece that overwhelms you with emotion and by the time you finish, you would most likely find tears in your eyes. The film has so many underlying feelings of love, loneliness, and regret that you would truly wonder how the director fit it all so perfectly in under half an hour.
To the readers of this fanfiction, I hope most of you have seen the Hoshi no Koe and enjoyed it as much as I had. The idea of this fanfiction has been brewing in my head ever since I've seen the movie with its open ending. Drawn by curiousity, I delved deeper looking for a more definite ending and found the manga. After reading it, the ending was more definite but still inconclusive, leaving me wanting for more. Sometime later, I found a brief summary about the novelization of the story. Finally, I was content with the ending to this wonderful masterpiece, piecing together each translated part with imaginated scenes until the finale.
And so, I was so inspired by the story that I wished to write my own version of it, complete from the beginning to end. Mind you, I am not copying it. The ending that I will eventually make and post will be made by my own thoughts. However, the parts leading up to that will be strongly influenced by the manga version of the series so if you only seen the movie, you may find some differences.
Without further ado, I hope you would enjoy this reading and if you would be so kind, leave your opinions with a review. Thanks.
- Free Corp Knight -
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- Chapter 1 -
- - - - - - - - - -
Month: November Year: 2046
'To calculate the hypotenuse of the right triangle given that the base is seven meters and...'
A young boy was sitting under a tree, an opened book sitting in his lap. Nearby, other textbooks were in a stack, waiting for their turn to be read. Scratching his head, he stared at the text, hoping that the tactic would somehow help him understand math better. After a few minutes, a scratching sound could be heard as he took more notes.
The boy was Noboru Terao, a third-year at junior high. Currently, he was studying for his entrance exams, aiming to attend Jouhoku High School. His target was a high-level school, one that was more selective due to its high standards. Yet, he didn't want to go to Jouhoku just because of its prestige. There was another reason why he was so determined to attend that particular school...
Blink. Blink. Blink. A small flashing light from his cell phone caught Noborou's eye. Picking it up, he opened it to find a new e-mail. 'Nagamine...'
Noboru
On Mars, it was training the whole time. Even here, I am a Select Member
so my scores were pretty good you know. I totally went sightseeing too!
I've seen Mt. Olympus and the Mariner's Valley. Of course, I went to the
Tarsian Ruins. It has a view I'd seen many times in textbooks but I feel kind
of like, I can't believe that I saw the real thing. I thought, "The solar system
really isn't just for humans."
Mikako
Noboru smiled after reading the message, glad to know that she was enjoying her time on the other planet. Yet, he could not understand why there was a small pain in his chest when he thought of the distance between them. Ignoring it, he went back to his studies with a smile on his face.
- - -
The following day, Noboru and his homeroom had morning classes cancelled for a conference. Instead of giving lessons, their teacher spoke of life after junior high, talking about the next step in eduation with high school and also places where they could find work. The elderly instructor stressed the importance of their studies and how it would have a great impact on their life. He spoke some more about making the family proud of their accomplishments before taking a break, planning to answer questions for the remainder of the morning.
Noboru joined his friends during the intermission. He talked with his friends about his own plan for the future, being a student of Jouhoku High School. A couple teased him in a lighthearted manner, joking that he was a nerd by studying so hard. One of them said that he might have chosen that school in particular due to a girl, making him blush. Noticing, they laughed at his reaction. After enduring the embarassment, he asked them about their plans. Most wanted to apply for a high-level school like Jouhoku though realistically, they would get into one of the more mediocre schools. Eventually the question went around to the last person. He first told them all how stupid he thought the talk was, hating it since it didn't apply to him at all. For him, he would inherit his family's business, a petite restaurant located in the business district. "I wish I could be like Nagamine and fly in space." He sighed, envious of Mikako's position as a Tracer pilot. His friends nodded in agreement and gave exaggerated comments of what their classmate might be doing at the present moment.
Hearing ridiculous talk of how she might be killing Tarsians in the hundreds, Noboru didn't bother to give his input and stayed quiet. He knew that Mikako was working hard, undergoing intense training in preparation for the deep space survey. She was probably going through simulations instead of actually fighting the enemy. Since the annihilation of first manned Mars investigation party in 2041, there was no sign of the alien lifeform. Named after the Tarsis Plateau, the Tarsians seemed to have vanished. Yet, admist the ruin of the NASA-sponsored expedition, they found advanced technology of inhuman creation. After conducting some research on their discovery, the international U.N. Space Agency quickly incorporated the new technology with their own and produced new crafts more capable of traveling in space. One of these crafts was the Tracer, a large humanoid robot operated with an internal pilot. Mikako's job as a Tracer pilot was for reconaissance and defend the fleet if any threat appears, to risk her life in combat.
Still, despite how serious her duty was and the dangers involved, Noboru couldn't help feel trapped like his friends. Here he was, earthbound while his friend was making history, traveling into places man had never been to.
- - -
Noboru walked home alone. Earlier in the year, he would accompany Mikako home even though he lived in the opposite direction. Looking up, he spotted a spaceship.
"Lysithea?" He wondered, remembering the large flagship that he and Mikako saw one summer day. Looking harder, he soon realized that it was not the same ship nor was it the same class. The ship he saw was too small, probably acting as an escort ship. Still, the sight brought back memories of that fateful day when Mikako told him that she was leaving for space.
x x x
Month: July Year: 2046
"Wait Noboru!"
The said boy turned his head, watching Mikako as she quickly flew down the steps. "Nagamine..." He smiled when she caught up with him. "Nagamine, how was your exam?"
"My exam was perfect." She replied, proud of her achievement.
"Then the same high school?" Noboru asked. The two of them planned to attend Jouhoku High School together.
"Do you think we can go? Probably..." Mikako wondered if their grades would be acceptable.
"Yeah." Noboru replied, confident at the time that the two would be together for the next four years.
- - -
"Noboru! Look! There's a spaceship!" Mikako pointed out the sleek form cutting through the clouds.
"Yeah, that's the Cosmonaut ship Lysithea, isn't it? It belongs to the U.N. Space Force." Noboru identified. "I wonder if there were any from this town too... Select Members." He clarified, refering to the people chosen to travel on the spaceship. Still watching the Lysithea, he missed the Mikako's change of mood.
"Yeah..." She mumbled, not so interested anymore.
"That ship will travel beyond the solar system." He said.
"Yeah..." She mumbled again.
"They're going after the aliens that attacked Mars, right?" He asked Mikako.
"Yeah..." She silently wished that he would stop talking about space.
"Those Tarsians, I wonder where they came from..."
"Yeah..." She really wanted to change the topic.
"Nagamine, you're not interested? Noboru finally noticed her depressed mood.
"Yeah..." Mikako then realized that she might be offending him and tried to correct herself. "Maybe..."
"Well, let's stop by the convenience store, okay?" He asked, pointing to a nearby shop. He known her long enough to realize that something was troubling her mind. Mentally shrugging, Noboru decided to confront her later.
- - -
"Where should we eat?" Mikako asked while trying not to shiver. While they got their snacks, it started raining outside. Figuring that it would end soon, the two decided to run for it, not knowing that it would turn into a downpour.
"Let's head toward the bus stop." Noboru said while he pedaled forward. Arriving at the small wooden shelter, the two took off their shoes and socks, airing them out to dry. As for their wet clothes, they could do nothing about it for now but let their body heat dry them out. They ate in silence until Noboru asked, "Nagamine, are you going to take kendo in high school?"
"What should I do? Are you Noboru?" She replied, letting him answer first.
"Yeah, I am. You should continue too since you are strong." He tried to get a definite answer from her.
"So you say, but you really just want to join the same club as me, right?." She dodged the question.
"What are you saying?" Noboru was suddenly on the defensive. Changing the topic, he asked, "Shouldn't we be going home soon?"
"Yeah... It stopped raining, hasn't it? The two looked out to see that the rain indeed had stopped.
- - -
Again, Mikako was riding on Noboru's bike, her hands on his shoulders as she raised herself to enjoy the view. "Wah!" She exclaimed, seeing the mryaid of colors of the sunset sky. Noboru stopped, letting her enjoy the scenery for a little longer.
Behind them, a formation of tracers flew by, racing off toward the sun. Mikako noticed them first. "Hey look! The sky! It's a Tracer. It's pretty, isn't it?"
"Yeah..." Noboru said, admiring how their contrails painted white lines in the red-orange sky.
"Say Noboru..." Mikako leaned closer to his ear, finally ready to tell her secret. "You know... I..."
He felt as if each word she spoke was in slow motion, as if each carried a huge weight.
"I'm... I'm going to be aboard that." She finished, waiting for some reaction.
Noboru's mind shut down as he processed the new information. Mikako was a Select Member and she was going to pilot a Tracer. She was going away, leaving Earth.
The two walked together for the last time, an uneasy silence between them.
x x x
Month: November Year: 2046
"Are you sure Noboru?" His teacher looked at him questionably. Today was another day without morning classes but instead of an open discussion, the teacher would now speak to them one-to-one about their plans for the future. "The only school you want to attend is Jouhoku High School."
Noboru nodded in reply. He didn't have any secondary or safety schools if he were to be refused. That was the reason for the apprehension.
"Sensei? Do you know... how Nagamine got to be a Select Member?" He had thought about it for a long time and asked Mikako a number of times. Each time, she refused to answer.
"Hmmm... I don't know her too well but I believe that she was inducted many years before. The U.N. probably called her for duty once she got old enough." He speculated. "Didn't your generation take a test when you were a baby? That might have been the test to be a Select Member..."
Noboru accepted the reasoning and bowed his thanks. Once back in the classroom, he decided to reply to Nagamine's email from yesterday. Compared to Mikako's, his was boring, talking about the snowfall and his mundane life. At the very end, he added a question in the end, "Go to the same high school with me?" Somewhat satisfied with the message, he sent it.
- - -
Mikako closed her eyes, waiting for an alarm to go off.
Beep!
A blue bolt of energy came from above but her Tracer dodged to the side, the pilot given sufficient time with the warning.
"Found it!" She said while launching her missiles at her enemy. Eight missiles streaked upwards at the U.N. practice drone. Using evasive manuevering, the machine dodged all of them, narrowly escaping their explosions.
Mikako used her thrusters to gain more attitude. Aiming her arm at the Tarsian replica, she readied the attached machine gun. "Please hit!" She prayed before firing several shots. The first two missed but each successive bullet found its mark. Soon, the drone exploded harmlessly in orbit. Breathing deeply, she slowly relaxed her body.
"Mikako Nagamine, you passed your exam."
- - -
During her free time, Mikako checked her mail. Browsing through his message, her eyes lingered the most on the last few words. "Go to the same high school with me?" She read out loud. Mikako thought for a moment before replying to his message with one single word.
Noboru,
Yes...
Mikako
- - -
Yet, in the spring of 2047, Noboru Terao went to Jouhoku High School alone...
Meanwhile, Mikako Nagamine was assigned to the Lysithea and the Tarsian expedition was underway. The flagship moved with three other sister ships (the Himalia, Leda, and Elara) to a base near Jupiter.