Disclaimer: Don't own it. If I did, I wouldn't have left the ending so open.
FTPFTPFTPFTP
Ranka was confused. Why was it that she could deal with a sleeping Sheryl grabbing her bum and not freak out, but when Alto kissed her she practically went into shock? It annoyed her to no end, especially when she heard Sheryl ask him about "Sleeping Beauty". Was she so predictable? Wasn't predictable boring? She knew one of the things that attracted Alto to Sheryl was her impulsiveness and her mercurial temperament. She, however, was fairly even tempered, and feared that she was boring Alto.
What had happened to the Ranka that jumped into a fighter with Brera on a completely ridiculous mission to take Ai-kun home? She knew the mission was ridiculous now that she could look back on it; she was amazed that they had managed to find the Vajra home planet through dead reckoning and following Ai-kun's instincts. She wasn't interested in being a pilot like Alto or Sheryl, but she had learned enough of the math from them and from school to realize that she and Brera had beaten ridiculous odds accomplishing what they did. Maybe she had been lucky, but in the past year, her luck had been, for the most part, excellent.
She had met a man to love. She had been reunited with her brother. She had remembered her brother, and indeed her whole past. She had been in a movie (and her song had recently been nominated for an award!) and that had spun into a whole singing career. She had only lost one friend to the war, when so many people lost so many. She had stopped a plot to take over the whole galaxy with just the power of Sheryl and her singing. All this had happened so fast, sometimes it seemed like a dream. No, her luck had been amazing recently.
Maybe this whole idea of sharing Alto was her luck happening again?
She knew that Alto loved both of them. She also feared that he loved Sheryl more. And she hated that she couldn't hate either of them for it. She knew she was naïve, but she wasn't completely stupid. Something had happened between the two of them while she was gone, and it had brought them closer. She knew that something like that might happen, but she still believed she had made the right choice. And Sheryl had given her another chance with Alto, despite everything that happened. That was why she couldn't hate her, because she had supported her time after time after time. Ranka had idolized Sheryl, had wanted to be like her, and she had helped her reach that goal.
Maybe there was something to that. Be like Sheryl. No, she couldn't do that, not really. She was much too shy and reserved, and she didn't have the body or the confidence to do some of the things that the Galactic Fairy would do. But maybe…maybe she should try to think a little more like her? Try to be a little more spontaneous?
If only she had some time! She was so busy and so tired all the time. If it wasn't something for school, it was something for the government. If it wasn't something for the government, it was an appearance or a promotion or a rehearsal.
The thought hit her with an almost physical force. What would Sheryl do if she was in this situation? She'd run off for a few hours, or completely disrupt the school with some crazy idea that generally killed two birds with one stone, or she'd say she had enough and cancel anything that didn't have her interacting directly with her fans. Sheryl never disappointed her fans. She did everything for the people.
For the people. Ranka's eyes went wide, as realization crashed in on her. She had vaguely heard Alto and Sheryl talking in the next room, and the words "poster children" had stuck in her mind in the background as something to ask them about once she got dressed. She had seen how the government had used her, used her image and her song, telling her about duty and how she was the only one. The might have been right, but they had manipulated her, and it was something she watched out for very carefully now. It was one area that her naivety had left her. And now they were doing it again. And as much as she hated being manipulated, another part of her didn't care, because all she wanted was to be with Alto forever.
She unconsciously echoed Sheryl's earlier sentiment. They really needed to talk.
FTPFTPFTPFTP
Sheryl Nome was not the same woman who had arrived on Frontier all those months ago. She would freely admit that, at first, she had been teasing Saotome Alto, greatly enjoying his reactions to her flirtations and taunts. The first time she kissed him was purely a lark; if pressed she would admit that she had actually done it more for Ranka than anything, hoping to prod the girl into action by taking on the role of Mao. She found it extremely odd that she had prompted Ranka to play her grandmother, Mao Nome, but no more odd than the fact that she had since learned that her grandmother and Ranka's mother had been colleagues. And that Grace (that bitch!) had worked with them as well.
But the kiss had been no more than a game to her. She had kissed actors before, and none had really impacted her. Indeed, if she had left Frontier as she was supposed to have, she would likely have forgotten about Alto, although forgetting Ranka in such circumstances would have been less likely, as the girl's musical career would have soon equaled hers.
Then she had learned of the attack on Galaxy, and her whole life had changed.
She had selfishly drawn on Alto's strength in those first few days. He was there, and he was willing to be strong for her. She had drawn on him, and then teased him mercilessly. Her initial trip to Mihoshi had been whimsy, as well, something to pass the time, although the idea of having friendly faces around appealed to her and she probably would have stayed no matter what.
And then they had gone flying. Forget the whole panty incident; it was well worth every gram of trouble for those moments in Alto's arms, flying. She had fallen in love with flying right then and there, the wind in her face, the feeling of being free from gravity, looking out over everything from on high. Sharing that feeling with Alto was really what started her falling for him, although she hadn't recognized it right away. She had begun to realize that there was something to the boy, and she was selfish again, and wanted to keep him close. That kiss she had shared with him started to linger in her mind, for while she had kissed more than one handsome boy on a whim or for a role, she didn't stay around to grow attached to them. Suddenly, things had started to change.
And then there was that horrid trip, that relief concert to Galia 4. It had started out so well for her, offering Alto a chance to fly in a real sky, giving him a gift that no one else could. Then things fell apart. Falling ill as Grace began shorting her medication. Being held hostage, then being rescued, then evacuating with Michel as the planet disappeared behind them. Fearing for Ranka's life. She hadn't even had time to be worried about Alto before he was coming to her rescue again.
The hospital had been the turning point, she knew. Singing for Alto, competing with Ranka…that had been the moment, truly, that she had decided to claim him. Even through her illness, as she got worse and worse, that had been her bright point, remembering the look on Alto's face. It was that moment that Saotome Alto was off the market, and it was going to be either herself or Ranka that won him.
Now there was a chance that they both could win, though. Sheryl knew she wasn't going to lose. He would have said the words, and meant them, before riding off to that last, desperate battle, but she hadn't let him. She knew what he would have said. She thought that it was incentive for him to come back, to find a way to live, if only to not let her have the last word. And as far as she was concerned, it had worked. She just hadn't quite expected Ranka Lee to come storming back onto the scene.
She also honestly hadn't expected to still be alive at this point. Knowing she was dying had caused her to rethink her whole life, and she didn't want to die without being hopelessly, completely, ridiculously in love. She had thrown away her barriers and embraced loving Alto, tempered only by her desire not to hurt him with her death. She had kept him at arms length while she wanted nothing more than to throw herself at him and hold him forever.
Ranka had saved her life, but her heart was already lost. She had given it fully to Alto, and it was a mixture of confidence, gratitude, and adrenaline that had her agreeing to compete with Ranka for Alto's love. She probably had been celebrating a little too much when they decided to live together, all three of them. She was also surprised that neither of them had taken him to bed in the aftermath of the victory. Despite her words to Klan, she had considered it more that a few times, and only Alto's sense of honor had stopped them at one point.
And now here they were, the three of them, sitting on a bench behind the concert hall. It was inevitable that they would go someplace that had significance to Alto and Ranka, as most of the spots she and Alto found special were gone with Island 3, and the few that remained in Frontier City were very public. She was feeling more than a little put out, but the concert hall was special to her too, because Alto had brought her earring back to her there (even if he had lost it!). Next time they needed to talk, though, she swore they were going to go to that emergency shelter.
FTPFTPFTPFTP
Alto stood, his back against one of the rails, looking at his loves. He had continued to think about what Commander Lee and Lt. Commander Klan had said, and had focused on the girls as they walked through the city to their destination.
Of course, the three of them walking anywhere attracted attention, and after a few blocks a little girl had stepped up and asked for an autograph – from all three of them! After the first, quite a few people had stepped up, asking for autographs, or pictures, and after about five minutes, Klan had showed up with a micronized Nene in tow and had quickly corralled the crowd and allowed the three to hop a taxi to continue on their way.
It surprised Alto occasionally to see little Klan take charge like that, but with the rather intimidating Nene (and thank you for small favors that the shy meltran hadn't actually had to do anything except stand there and look tall) and the SMS jacket Klan wore (with the name Braun still on the pocket), the pair did quite well. SMS carried a lot of weight in Frontier City right now, and Klan had mentioned as they climbed into the taxi that SMS was expanding to capitalize on that fact.
That was good, because since in the eyes of the people SMS could do no wrong, the government was leaning heavily on SMS to do more than their fair share. It was one of the things that ate up so much of Alto's time, and he was either on duty or on call so often that he hadn't had a drink since the celebration after the victory over Galaxy. He wasn't a heavy drinker by any stretch of the imagination, but there were a few times he could have used a little relaxing, and unfortunately since he could be needed to fly at almost any moment, drinking was out.
He realized his mind was wandering, and he looked at Sheryl and Ranka again, and his heart, not for the first time, almost skipped a beat. They were both so beautiful. Sheryl was classically pretty, but Ranka had such a good heart that it transformed her and made her cute into stunning in his eyes. He had made up his mind what he wanted to do, but as Klan had said, it was up to the girls.
"Sheryl," he said, and she looked into his eyes. "Ranka," he said, and she followed suit. "I'm not always good at talking about my feelings. It's easy to say things in the midst of battle, or getting ready to ride off to battle, and you don't want to hold anything back for fear of never getting to say something." Both girls nodded in agreement, they understood the feeling well. "I've been thinking about things over the last day, ever since I heard about this idea the government has." He took a deep breath. "I don't care what they want from us; I don't really need or want their approval. I'd live with you both forever, if that was the only way we could be together." He watched as both girls gasped, and their eyes went wide. "I love you both, and I don't want to try and choose between you. Maybe that's a bit of cowardice on my part, but I don't want to hurt either one of you, and choosing will hurt both of you, because you both care so much for each other. I can't do that to you. So I leave it up to you. Both of you need to think, because I know that it's harder to be in your position than mine. Some people may look down on you for our relationship. We'll be used as symbols. There are people who will think that the whole thing is unfair to both of you. I'm willing to face all that, because I don't care what the people say. I live my life in my way." He took another deep breath. "I can only ask you to consider all this, and decide if you can live with a marriage between the three of us. It doesn't mean we'll get married tomorrow, or even in the next month, but that we'll stop dancing around each other and decide the direction we'll take, one way or another." Both girls seemed to be near tears, and Alto felt more than a little drained. He stood up straight, and walked over to where they were sitting, then leaned down between then and kissed Ranka on the cheek, and then Sheryl. "I'm going to take a walk around the forest loop, and give you a little time to think, and then both of you can say what you think. Okay?" He straightened back up, and Ranka dabbed at her eyes while Sheryl blinked rapidly to clean her own tears, refusing to be seen crying even by them. It was a silly thing, but one of the things he loved about her. They both finally nodded, and he walked off into the forest to give them a chance to think, and maybe to talk.
FTPFTPFTPFTP
Sheryl sat watching Alto walk away, before the cleaning lapsed into silence and the two of them sat there, thoughts whirling, although neither said anything. She was impressed by Alto's willingness to speak his mind and let them know where he stood. It was mostly what she had expected, but to actually hear him say it was something else entirely. Finally, she said the only thing that came to mind.
"Wow."
Ranka's head spun toward her, her hair flying up in that adorable way it had when the girl was surprised, and Sheryl looked toward her. There was confusion in the vernette's eyes, and something else…maybe hope? She had one of those moments of clarity and realized that Ranka knew, just as well as she did, just as well as Alto did, that if it had come down to a choice up until right now, Sheryl would win. Of course, nothing was that simple, and Sheryl had a feeling that if she forced the matter after Alto's most recent revelation that she, not Ranka, would lose. Whoever forced the choice would be making him hurt them, and that would tip the balance. She had a feeling that Ranka understood this as well; she knew that she and Alto had talked about her running away and her apparent betrayal of everyone, and how he felt about betrayal. This would be just a different form of it, and they all knew how he would react.
So she could drop out of the race, or accept Ranka as part of the deal. The only other alternative was that Ranka couldn't deal with the concept of sharing him forever, and dropped out herself.
Her mind whirled with the possibilities. If Ranka left, that would likely be the end of her career. At this juncture of her life, Ranka sang for Alto, and losing him would cripple her ability. She would recover, with time, but Sheryl thought that it would take longer than the fickle public would remember, although she could be mistaken. She understood motivation, and despite the comparisons, Ranka was no Lynn Minmay. That luminary had been well known for love of a pilot (why else write a song about it?) but had survived him choosing another and had done well for herself for quite a few years. Ranka would come apart, and putting the pieces back together would be a long, drawn out affair.
If Sheryl dropped out of the race…she'd have to leave. Everything about Frontier reminded her of Alto, and only by going far, far away did she stand a chance of getting it back together. Where would she go, though? Earth, maybe? That would be a horribly long fold, until they got the Vajra-fold drives fully up and running. She wasn't really up on all of the colonial fleets; the only think she could remember off the top of her head was that Macross 11 spoke English, so that wasn't a viable choice, as her music would be marginalized there, if she could bring herself to sing.
She didn't want to leave. She loved Frontier, she loved the people; all her real friends, the people who cared about Sheryl, not Sheryl Nome, were here. This was her home, more than Galaxy ever had been.
She looked at Ranka, and realized once more that she had enjoyed holding the smaller girl in her arms. She wasn't sure if that meant that she liked girls, or just liked Ranka, but if she went forward with this, it didn't matter. Sheryl Nome did nothing by half measures, and if she was going to love Ranka Lee and Saotome Alto, she would love the both with every fiber of her being.
Looking at it that way, the decision really wasn't hard at all.
FTPFTPFTPFTP
Ranka stared at Sheryl after her exclamation, but no further words were forthcoming. She knew she must look like a mess, eyes full of tears and her lips trembling. She wasn't sure what she was feeling, as her heart swirled with joy, fear, hope, relief, worry, and a host of other emotions.
Alto loved both of them.
He had said it before, of course, but this was truly the first time that the reality of it hit Ranka. He was willing to marry either of them, or both of them. For a girl just shy of her seventeenth birthday, that was heady knowledge. Someone felt so strongly for her that they were ready to spend a lifetime with her.
Of course, it wasn't so simple. She could have everything she wanted, but she had to share it. She had talked a lot with Alto about her time away from Frontier, and she understood how he felt about it. This was an all or nothing situation. She could have Alto and Sheryl, or nothing at all.
Ranka was accused more than once of being an idealist. She saw the best in people, but in this case it was tempered with reality. Alto was stubborn and shy, and he was on occasion arrogant. Sheryl was very arrogant, although she could back it up most of the time, and was wildly impulsive, as well. She knew what both of them were like, but she thought that being around them made her a better person. She wanted both of them in her life.
Could she share Alto? It was a simple idea, but the doing would be so much harder. It would push her in new directions, and probably stress the heck out of her at times. But if she didn't share him, she would be giving up…everything. Alto was her courage, and she needed him like…that wasn't quite right. Without him, the world would be dark and grey. He was the color, the joy in her life.
Ranka wasn't sure she really had a choice. Her lot was cast from the moment she had met Saotome Alto. She would just have to find a way to make this work.
FTPFTPFTPFTP
Nene Rora was worried about her commanding officer. Was that even the proper term for Lt. Commander Klan anymore? They hadn't actually been on a mission together since planetfall, and Klan had transferred to Valkyries. That was one of the more troubling factors right now. Klan had flown Mikhael's fighter during the last part of the final battle after her Queadlunn-Rau was smashed (again), and she had pretty much stuck to flying it since. It had taken some damage in the battle, but her commander had insisted that the blue G-model VF-25 be completely repaired. Since then, Klan had been steadily growing a little more obsessive with each passing week.
She looked over the blunette as they walked through the city, taking their time returning from a 'rescue Ranka and Sheryl' trip. It was almost funny; usually Klan didn't have to be on bodyguard duty while the two were with Alto, since he was SMS personnel as well, but apparently he had garnered a few fans and had had just as much attention as the other two. Nene supposed that if you were the person who fired the shot that ended the threat of the Galaxy conspiracy, you might be a little popular. She didn't usually worry about things like that; it wasn't really her lot in life. Actually, she was usually the one that people worried about; she wasn't exactly the most skilled or outgoing person, which was why it was strange for her to be worried about Klan. But she was, and for good reason. Klan was changing herself to fill a Michel-shaped hole in her life, and it wasn't healthy. She looked at Klan again and shook her head at the manner in which she was dressed.
Cutoff, oversized uniform pants from Mihoshi Academy, held up with a purple belt, a royal blue t-shirt with pink neck ribbing and a vertical bar of pink offset to the right side of the shirt, her standard headband, a pair of broken glasses hanging from a necklace, and Mikhael Braun's SMS jacket. Nene knew she had gotten the pants from Alto, who had retrieved them from Mikhael's effects.
The rosette understood Klan's feelings, and her desire to not let the memory of the man she loved die, but she thought that her friend and commander was taking it too far. Klan was a proud meltran warrior. She was a fantastic pilot and had risen quickly through the ranks despite the fact that neither of her parents were particularly exceptional people. Her mother was a navigator on one of the big battleships and her father an operator for an assault carrier before they joined a colony and had Klan, and neither had come from a distinguished bloodline. Nene herself was from a much more prominent family; her grandmother had come from the Fallyna crèche, had been in the same training cadre as the famous Miria Fallyna Jenius, and had flown with her during the Zentran-Human war. Nene knew she was a disappointment to her family line, but she wasn't really cut out to be a warrior. She had a meeting with Commander Lee later on in the day on that topic, and Klan had been hinting that he had a big idea. She hoped so, she wanted to stay near Klan, especially if she continued down this troublesome path, but she wasn't cut out for Valkyries; only the superior control and maneuvering systems of the Queadlunn had allowed her to survive the war.
She sighed as she trooped after Klan, who was extremely hyper for some reason, probably because some busybody plan was going well. Sometimes, her commander drove her crazy.
FTPFTPFTPFTP
"I'm not giving him up."
Ranka's words brought Sheryl out of her musings. She had been thinking about the song she was working on earlier, and thought she might have an idea for the melodic line. She stored the idea, figuring that if the melody was compelling enough to sell, then it would be compelling enough for her to remember. Besides, this was more important.
She put one of her best 'playful Sheryl' faces on and faced Ranka. "Ah, I thought you might say that. I guess the thought of having us both must have been too much for you to turn down. Please be gentle with me." She batted her eyes at Ranka and watch as the girl's face turned an alarming shade of red.
"EHHHHHHHHHHH?!?" Ranka sputtered for a moment, seemingly flustered beyond words. "Mouuuuu…Sheryl, that was not a nice thing to say!"
She laughed freely, the sounds of her amusement ringing like little bells. "I'm sorry Ranka-chan, I couldn't help it. You look so cute when you get flustered!"
Ranka's face wore a pout. "I don't think it's funny. I've been worried over here, and you…you're just playing around!"
Sheryl's expression changed to a much more serious one instantly. "I'm not playing, Ranka. I love Alto. I'd do anything for him, because he's all that I have. I thought that teasing you would make you a little more at ease. I know that we're dealing with something that's serious, but it's also something we should try to have fun with. That's what love is all about, after all."
The vernette nodded. "I know, I know. I've just so nervous. If someone told me a year ago that I'd be thinking about marriage by now, I'd have blushed and giggled and said they were crazy. If someone told me that I'd be sitting with Sheryl Nome, talking about marriage and boys and love, I'd have said it would never happen. That I'm here, talking with you about sharing a husband? I keep thinking it's got to be some strange dream. Sometimes everything from that day in Formo seems like a wonderful fantasy…except for all the parts that were a nightmare."
Sheryl nodded. "I feel similar. If you told me that I would be thinking about settling down and getting married, instead of being on tour and reaching for the next goal…I'd have laughed. I wasn't interested in settling. Now I am."
Ranka nodded. "Things have changed so much." She seemed to shift mental gears. "Did I tell you I got a letter yesterday? They gave it to me when they picked me up after school, and I read it on the way to my first meeting."
"A letter? An actual paper letter?" Sheryl was surprised, sending actual mail was almost prohibitively expensive; almost all communications were by electronic file these days. For someone to have sent a letter was extraordinary.
"Yes, it came all the way from Eden!" Ranka blushed. "The end of our 'concert' during the last battle could be picked up by anyone with a fold-com system, apparently anywhere in the galaxy." Shock crossed Sheryl's face. "We were linked into the Vajra network, canceling out Grace's influence…in any case, I got a request from Eden for a copy of a complete recording of us singing, along with anything else we're willing to send."
The rosette cocked an eyebrow. "And who would send us a letter to request that?"
"A lady named Myung Dyson…I think she used to be Myung Fang Lone."
Sheryl had heard the expression 'you could knock me over with a feather' before, but had never actually felt that way, until now. The heart behind Sharon Apple, one of her biggest musical influences, listened to her music? And wanted to hear more of it?
"Did she say anything else?"
Ranka nodded. "She said it was the first time she had gotten her husband to listen to anything beside Fire Bomber in years…apparently he decided that anyone who flew a VF-19 and played music had to be the greatest musician ever, whatever that means. And she can't stand Basara Nekki. Her letter was overflowing with thanks; I can let you read it later if you want."
"Yes, please."
FTPFTPFTPFTP
Ranka had regained her mental footing. She stood up, moving to face her fellow singer. "Sheryl, I know I'm young and silly sometimes. I know things will be hard some days. But we've had so much fun together, too. And together, there's nothing that we can't do!" She leaned down and wrapped her arms around Sheryl's shoulders, hugging the girl gently. "You're one of the best friends I could ask for. You've done so much for me. I loved Sheryl Nome from the first time I heard you sing, but I learned to love who you really are. I…I don't know if I can love a woman. I don't know how that whole part of it will work out. But…but I want to try…I don't just want it to be Alto and his two wives. If this is going to work, it needs to be Ranka and her husband and wife, and Sheryl and her husband and wife, too!"
Sheryl raised her hands and wrapped them around Ranka. "Oh, Ranka, you may be young and silly sometimes, but your heart is so big. Thank you for giving me a place in it. Maybe Alto isn't all I have. I have you, too."
The two girls basked in the moment, letting the quiet surround them for a little while. Then Sheryl started to chuckle, and Ranka opened her eyes and stepped back, letting her arms fall, and looked at the rosette.
"What are you laughing at?" she asked, and Sheryl raised her hand and pointed up in the air. A paper airplane of a familiar style was flying on the breeze, and Ranka had to giggle as well. "Where does he find the paper half the time?"
Sheryl shook her head. "No idea. But I think that's a sign that he's bored. Come on, Ranka, let's go find our man and tell him he's stuck with both of us."
Ranka smiled a brilliant smile, her whole body feeling light and overjoyed. "'Kay!"
FTPFTPFTPFTP
Authors Notes:
I have a hard time writing slang and onomatopoeia for this story, because I can 'hear' the Japanese slang in my head. I couldn't find anything that worked other than "Mouuu" at one point, and I really, really wanted to use "Un!" at the end of the chapter. I've been running into this issue to a lesser extent in my original work, and haven't found a good way around it. I don't want to throw tons of Japanese into this story, as it's not written in Japanese (last chapter's T-shirt being a notable exception). It will pop up from time to time though; its not like you watched an English language version of this, so you should know a little of what to expect.
I love Klan as a character; she's one of my favorites. I love the dichotomy of her physical existence, and it has to affect her mental state as well. Read "Klan's Curse", my drabble fic, for a little better insight into how and why I'm writing her as I am. She's definitely troubled, stuck somewhere in the 'denial' phase of grief.
I'm sticking to 5-6000 word chapters for now. No idea how many chapters this will be, just yet. Just because they have come to some kind of understanding doesn't mean they are out of the woods just yet. More drama yet to come.