Return to Macross
A sequel to Earth Wanderers
chapter 5
He awoke from dreaming.
Hikaru... Hikaru...
He'd been having that dream for years. The voice was his mother's: he could always remember the sound of her voice. And he could also hear the ocean, crashing on a high cliff below his feet. It was in summer.
She, his mother, had deep blue eyes like his. He had no memory of anything else, and even in his dreams she never showed her face.
Hikaru lifted up his eyelids. It took a while to get used to the dark. The tiny pilot's room was plunged into the dimness. He felt the left side of his body tingle from the unnatural position on that cramped bed. Then he realized that she was there
Misa...
His heart pounded with happiness, as if seeing her for the first time after the long exhausting battle.
But how...
Soon the memories came back. The argument with Misa and then the red alert. Kakizaki's death, Max disappearing into the void as if he had vanished into hyperspace. The retreat, him hitting the wall. He looked at the knuckles of his hands. He felt a dull ache but could see nothing.
He felt that she was there, could sense her physical presence. He slowly reached out a hand and rested it on her hip.
She had always been a silent sleeper. He recalled that he could barely hear her breathing in the tent during their wanderings on earth.
A burst of tenderness overcame him. His hand traveled down the line of her back and through her hair. He stroked the nape of her neck carefully until he reached her tiny ears with his fingertips.
Maybe Hirai is right. A girl like Misa would never get involved with an ordinary valkyrie pilot... an ordinary pilot who just might die at any moment.
Yet Misa was there, he just can' t deny it. She was there with him in his own little room. In his bed. She had not faltered for a moment, she had run to him right after the battle.
I was so afraid of losing you...
He vividly recalled her words, her voice frayed with tears.
Hikaru stopped breathing. In that moment he realized that maybe, maybe he really did love her.
-Mmh
A senseless mumble escaped her lips. Misa shrugged her shoulders, still deep in sleep, and cuddled up to herself as if in a cocoon. Her eyelids trembled, then silence.
Hikaru watched over her sleep for a few minutes more while the first hints of dawn started to seep in from underneath the thick curtains.
He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost 5:30 in the morning.
He felt quite uncomfortable, lying on one side and still wearing the bottom of his tight flight suit, but he didn't dare to move: she seemed to be sleeping so peacefully.
He wondered what would happen next. He was alone. He had lost his mother and father, and then Roy...Minmay...and later Max and Kakizaki, but Misa, Misa was still there, with him. Instantly he felt a sudden urge to take her in his arms and run away from that place, it was an absurd urge, he knew, yet he would just turn his back to the ship, to Macross, to be somewhere quiet, far from the war, with her.
But there's nowhere left on earth to go...and Misa would never... go.
He sighed
She is a soldier and will never leave the people of Macross.
Hikaru took a strand of her honey-brown hair in his wounded, callusy fingers.
Misa...what should I do?
As if his thinking could make a noise, Misa's sleep suddenly shattered. Her green eyes, swollen from crying, widened in the half-light.
For a moment she didn't realize where she was either.
Macross
Her shoulders jerked and the skin of her back filled with goosebumps.
-Macross...
she whispered with a dull voice
-Hikaru...
He responded
-I'm here.
Misa sat up and turned to face him: in the darkness he could only discern the outline of her face. The curve of her cheeks and the tip of her small nose. Her hair slid unshaped over her shoulders.
-Misa... are you okay?
A small affirmative sound escaped her lips, then she nodded quietly.
-Misa...
-I...
Then she realized she was in his room, in the pilots' dorms, still fully dressed in her uniform. She grabbed a fistful of sheets and twisted it as if to verify that she was right there.
-I am...I... for a moment...
She looked ahead and she couldn't make out much of him too, except for the outline of his head and his messy hair. His firm shoulders stood out against the window where it was starting to dawn.
-Oh Hikaru...
Misa was confused. The battle had been hard. And then the Meltrandi troops had retired by fold. The Valkyries... several pilots had fallen... then she had run to look for him and...
Misa blushed remembering her behavior the night before. How could she have run into the hangars and -even worse- walked into the men's dorms like a rampage and banged on his door as if she had completely lost her mind?
It was because she loved him
That's why ...
-I... I'm sorry for showing up in your room like this, and... oh, I'm sorry...
Hikaru smiled quietly
-It's ok. I did it with you too, didn't I?
They still sat in front of each other in the dark not daring to touch.
-I know, but...
-Misa...
Hikaru shifted a little bit forward, making the mattress squeak.
-You can come here whenever you want
-But...
-I am serious... but next time don't come knocking like crazy!
Hikaru searched for her hand on the sheets. He gently turned her palm upside down and placed it on his left hand. With the index finger he started to write in invisible ink on her soft skin.
-Four...eleven...
Muttered Misa as he traced his fingertip
-It's the key to access...and it's my birth date too
Hikaru let go a giggle
- I admit it's a very difficult code to break.
Misa chuckled slightly as well, and instinctively clasped her hand over his. That so innocent touch made them shiver to the very core of their bodies. Hikaru was crossed by an electric charge that filled him with energy and heat. Misa's center melted like ice in the hot sun and she felt there her whole being. Desire was running through her veins and it was strong.
In the end she hadn't been able to tell him that she loved him but...she could prove it. Hikaru grabbed her small hand and gently pulled her to his side. Misa found herself surrounded by his arms. She almost couldn't breathe in that needful embrace.
-Misa... I missed you so much
He whispered as he blindly searched for her lips.
It had only been a few hours since they have loved each other among the silky sheets of that love hotel, but now everything was different.
A new awareness had replaced that tender confusion.
War had exploded on earth once again. There were no more certainties in their lives.
Except maybe one... love.
Despite this, neither of them could utter those simple words. Maybe it was too soon or maybe it was just too hard.
He quickly unfastened Misa's uniform leaving her shaking body exposed. Then he slid out of his flight suit and when their burning skins touched, they both felt an unbearable excitement. Hikaru gasped as he ran his palms all over her body, his heart pounding wildly in his throat. She instinctively replicated his moves, exploring his most sensitive spots, caressing him with her hands and lips. When he finally entered her and their bodies became one Misa was stabbed by a sudden memory, like a flash of lightning ripping through the sky.
Minmay's song.
It was not a dream, she had heard Minmay's voice a few hours earlier as she was falling asleep.
No...it can't be, Minmay...she can't be alive...
Hikaru quickly realised that Misa's body had turned numb and was covering in a chill sweat.
-Misa...
He stroked her forehead and cheeks, carefully brushing her hair over her temples.
-Misa does it hurt?
Misa squinted her eyes in the dark and vigorously shook her head.
No, Minmay cannot be alive...
She clung to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
-No... go on...please...
A drop of sweat rolled down Hikaru's back as he rocked rhythmically on top of her, making her wince at every thrust. Some time had passed... 15, 20 minutes? Still he wished it would never end.
Silence was only broken by the mattress squeaking and Misa's sighing.
Time and again Hikaru had pressed his large hand to her half-parted lips. He was afraid the other pilots in the neighboring would be able to hear them.
-Shhh
he had whispered gently in her ear: Misa's voice was his alone...
But then a sharp unpleasant sound made them freeze:
DDDRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
It was the Intercom.
For long moments the phone kept ringing, filling the room with its deafening noise. Hikaru stopped moving and Misa got paralysed. They just kept listening to that sound as if an intruder had walked through the door to disrupt their close encounter.
-Hikaru... you are supposed to answer
He let go a snort
-To the hell with it...let it ring
He grabbed Misa by the waist and picked up where he left off.
Misa gasped in surprise
-but... hey!
Hikaru grinned
The phone silenced for a few minutes, then just as Hikaru was about to climax, the intercom restarted ringing, violently filling the room. The sunshine had slipped through the curtains and Misa grinned too at seeing a frown distorting the young pilot's features.
-Oh damn!
he sighed in annoyance.
At last Hikaru gave up. With a leap, he jumped out of bed and crossed the room completely naked to take the call
-Ichijo...
Misa blushed as she traced the lines of his body, in the dimness she could spot some bruises and scratches that dotted the perfect texture of his skin. His skin was perfect...his body was perfect... Her heart fluttered hard.
Then Hikaru's voice pulled her out of her reverie.
-Uh, ehr yes, of course she is, ma'am... she's here!
Misa looked at him quizzically as Hikaru glared at her handing her the phone with a half guilty, half appalled look.
Misa frowned.
-What is it?
she whispered
Then she pulled out of bed wrapping in the sheets and took the phone with shaky hands.
she said only
-Hello?
A familiar voice answered from the other side
-Oh God, I can't believe Captain Global was right, I mean, he's almost always right, but not about...? This!?
Misa's eyes widened and she blushed up to the tip of her hair.
-Claudia?!
She hopelessly reached for Hikaru's gaze. Her face was so embarrassed and so terrified that he couldn't hold back a giggle.
-But how?
she mouthed
-Hey just be thankful it was me and not him to make this call... that would ve been weird, wouldnt'it?
Claudia let go a little chuckle
-Hurry up, we're waiting for you on the bridge. Me and the Captain.
-Yes I ...
mumbled Misa
-hey Misa...
-Y... yes?
-You'll be telling me all about it, will you?
-Su..sure...
Misa hung up as she pressed the red button on the handset, then wrapped herself even tighter in the rough sheets of UN Spacy.
Hikaru was still standing in front of her, rather comfortable for being completely naked.
Sunlight had filtered into the pilot's room, now it was easy to see clearly.
Misa sighed and tried to fix her gaze far away, on a spot on the wall.
-I have to... I have to go
she said rather hesitantly.
Hikaru huffed noisily as he walked over and held her in his arms.
-I figured it out
Misa glanced at him shyly
-I wonder what happened, it's so... so early...
Hikaru gently stroked her spine with his fingertips and squeezed her closer to him. He rested his chin on her forehead as he breathed in the delicate scent of her hair.
-This is so embarrassing...
she said, tightening her eyes
Hikaru slid a hand under her hair until it reached the nape of her neck. He cupped it possessively as he brushed his lips over the sensitive skin of her cheek.
-What could have happened?
Misa lifted her face up and met his blue eyes that sparkled in the new daylight.
-The truth is that yesterday Captain Global sent me to rest because... because on the bridge, I lost my head...
She narrowed her eyes even tighter, hiding her head in the crease of his neck.
-I'm afraid he has a punishment in mind for me.
-Don't talk nonsense. You are the best tactical officer Macross could ever have.
He replied, unconsciously repeating Hirai's words.
Misa made a cheerful sound and smiled.
-Global should clone you, I mean he should use that Zentraedi technology! Yeah, not to mention that while your clones are at work you'd have much more time for me!
Misa burst out laughing. Her green eyes shone with delight.
Hikaru looked at her tenderly
-I'm sorry for yelling at you and all... seriously I...
Misa sighed
-In spite of my job I didn't do my best with communication either. I...we...will we be able to stop fighting...or at least not as often? I...I will try...
Hikaru nodded. He didn't really want to let her go... but he tried to be acquiescent, to act like an adult
-Sure, I promise. Cross my heart. Seriously and ehr... Misa...I'll see you later? Just don't forget that we have some unfinished business!
He took her by the waist and started kissing her jaw and neck.
Misa's thin skin turned immediately red.
She weakly fought him off by pushing her palms down on his smooth, muscular chest.
-Oh ... you're awful... you know that?
If there were an Olympics for the sprint to a Space Battleship's bridge, I would win it hands down.
Misa walked into the elevator on her way to the bridge: with one hand she neatly brushed a lock of hair behind her shoulder as she checked her reflection in the mirror. She wore no makeup and yet her face was a glow. Her eyes sparkled. She didn't really think about what Claudia's call might be about. In fact, she couldn't think coherently, was still drunk from his kisses... She blushed as she reconsidered the fact that the call had actually come to Ichijo's room...
Well I'll find out soon, anyway...
The sliding doors opened. Claudia and Global were seated at their stations. The lighting, except for the emergency ones, was off.
-Good morning... Hayase-kun*
Misa's eyes grew very wide.
-A truce call?
Misa said it twice, while alternately switching from Claudia's face to Global's and vice versa
The captain kept fiddling with his pipe.
-Last night around 10 pm we had the first contact. We took the civvies to the shelters to prevent them from finding this sight in the morning.
Claudia pressed a button and the huge central monitor shrank showing the iron bulkheads that opened outwards
Misa couldn't believe her eyes.
A colossal Zentraedi fortress stood countless kilometers high and wide, lying on the ocean right in front of the Alien city. It was enormously large and peculiarly shaped: it looked like a great monstrous eye: around the mother ship countless other vessels stood slung over the water skimming the face of the water. Waiting.
A request for a ceasefire... and moreover from that terrible enemy that had annihilated planet Earth.
-This means that the space war has finally come to an end...
Global muttered something indefinite while sinking in his chair
-Ehr... Misa, there is something else... The Zentraedis... the supreme Zentraedis leader has a specific request in exchange for the hostages release... well as he calls them... Micronians.
Misa felt a chill run down her spine, and Claudia could see a flash of terror crossing her eyes
-Yes Misa... the hostages are... Lynn Kaifun and Minmay... Kaifun and Minmay are alive...
All of a sudden Claudia's voice became muffled and the floor began to swirl. Misa felt like losing her grip and being tossed around like a raft adrift.
Minmay is alive...
Immediately, inevitably, her mind went to Hikaru.
-What... what we gonna do?
Global looked carefully at her face: it showed great apprehension.
-We have no choice but to accept Bodolzaa's terms. Golg Boddole Zer... this is his name...
-And... and what is this about?
said Misa in a huff
-Well... ehr... it's about a song
-A song?
-So it seems...
Misa got sent off to get dressed: her high-ranking uniform had just been delivered to her room. She had declined a stylist for makeup and hair despite Hirai's insistence. Yep: the dreadful Hirai had shown up a few hours later on the bridge, already buzzing about the "ceremony" he was personally setting up for that very morning.
-Why wait?
Miss Minmay and Lynn Kaifun had been medically checked out on Macross and aside from some weight loss, have been found to be in fairly good health.
The Zentraedi diplomats were already micronized and had just landed on Macross. They were three ranking officers from commander Britai Kridanik 7018 fleet.
-D' you think we can talk to them?
sighed Shammy, crossing her hands to her chin in delight.
Misa nervously glanced at the girls on the bridge who were relaxing with a cup of coffee and some chit chat; she abruptly set down her console with the terminal open for Shammy and ran hastily towards the door.
-I salute you.
Claudia didn't miss Misa's long face. She imagined that Minmay's return must have been a hard knock for her. She set her coffee down on the desk and followed
-Misa... Misa, wait!
She turned around. Their eyes met and Claudia could read a sort of tired despair in her eyes.
-Misa...
she said in a lower voice
-Hey, you want to talk?
Misa stood silent, then her lips parted, but no sound came out.
-ehr I... I don't... maybe later, okay?
She turned on her heel and disappeared into the hallway.
In the meantime the terrible trio continued to chat amiably
-Oh Shammy, cut it out! After all, we all know how good you are at deciphering Zentraedi language.
laughed Kim
-I'm on to it!
-Yeah sure! Sometimes I wonder how you can replace Major Hayase when you got half of her skills!
replied Vanessa
Shammy got angry and slammed her feet on the depressurized floor.
-You two are just jealous! Isn't it, Claudia?
Claudia had finished drinking her coffee
-Well... Misa is really exceptionally good at deciphering the titans' language!
Shammy sighed
-Yeah...Major Hayase is really so...perfect, she's so pretty and smart!
Claudia and the girls giggled
-What a pity we can't be at the ceremony tonight...she will definitely look beautiful in her class uniform!
-somebody has to stay on the bridge!
said Claudia, but she was a bit disappointed too
-Yeah...
huffed Kim
-Plus I'm too curious to see Kaifun and Minmay! I wonder how they became after a whole month or so with the aliens? if they got brainwashed or what?
-Girls ...
proposes Claudia
-We could still take a look on TV, shall we?
The bridge bunnies jumped up and started giggling and clapping their hands
-Oh yeah! that' d be great!
-Thanks Claudia!
Their cheerful laughter filled the vast room.
Hikaru Ichijo got the orders over the intercom.
It hadn't been long since Misa had left, leaving a trail of feminine scent in the air, when the phone rang again.
Hikaru frowned at Hirai's unpleasant voice.
-I hope I didn't wake you up, Ichijo-chuii**.
-No... I was awake
he replied dryly
-Excellent. Then Lieutenant Ichijo, do as I tell you, open the bulkheads in your window.
-The... bulkheads?
-Exactly
-But...
-Ichijo! Just do it!
Hikaru, still completely naked, draped a towel round his hips and triggered the automatic curtains. The window swung wide open, letting in the blinding light of the sun. The sight that came to his eyes was the same one that Misa had seen a few minutes before from the bridge, though from a slightly different angle: the entire monstrous enemy fleet was motionless in front of the Macross, waiting mute and silent on the ocean surface.
-But how?
Hikaru was genuinely stunned.
-Don't ask me why, you know very well Ichijo-chuii that under normal conditions I wouldn't have bothered to warn you that the zentraedi have sent a truce call but...
-A truce... call ?
Hirai sighed
-Shut up and let me talk!
Hikaru squeezed his eyes and swallowed a curse.
-Okay... okay speak up!
-What did you just said?
-Hu... erh, I said ... aye... aye sir!
Misa walked into her room. It had only been a few hours since she and Hikaru had promised each other to be honest and try not to fight, and now this incredible revelation was putting everything into question again. She couldn't just hide behind an alibi. She had to tell Hikaru that Minmay was still alive, that she was back on Macross.
Misa dropped down on the bed, after the adrenaline rush she had experienced just before... her strength had once again failed
I... I... how can I tell him something like that? But what if he finds out I hid it from him? He'll think I'm a despicable person, that I...
In her self-defeating way Misa was still believing that Hikaru, on seeing Minmay, would immediately completely forget about her and run into her perfect, beautiful arms. Hirai had said it too, they were meant to be together.
Misa stifled a yell and grabbed the new uniform covered in a heavy cellophane coating. Then in a burst of anger she crumpled it in her hands, digging nails hard into the plastic.
A tear crossed her face, sliding down her chin and slightly soaking into the collar.
She took her head in her hands feeling like she was losing her mind
-But... what 's wrong with me?
She had fallen in love for the first time in her life and she didn't even know how to behave. Yes, she thought she had loved Riber but she hadn't felt even the slightest bit of what was now shaking her whole body and mind.
That's why I have to tell him...
Misa picked up the phone and with no hesitation logged on to the pilots' dorms.
-No, Lieutenant Ichijo is not here, ma'am no...he didn't leave word where he going...
Misa stood still, pensively, with the phone in her hands. Soon a heavy layer of sweat covered the base of her neck and spine.
It would be a very long day. But civilians could not be held for more than 12 hours in the shelters: Macross staff and crews had suffered heavy losses and it was not possible to provide assistance to nearly 70,000 people for long periods. So Global decided that the announcement would be made during the late morning via MBS*** channel. In this way Macross citizens would know their fate. Global cast a long pensive glance toward the enormous Zentraedi fortress that loomed on the horizon. In comparison, Macross was just a wretched piece of metal floating in the vast universe.
Yet we got something they don't...
-Captain... anytime, we're ready.
Hirai showed up behind him dressed in high uniform.
-Hmh..
muttered Global
-Aye... I'm coming...
The Plenary Council Chamber originally designated for briefings with the UEG had been decorated with some pomp and pageantry. All officers, excluding those on active defense shift, were standing in the front lines dressing class uniforms.
Dr. Gina Bartlow walked through the doorway in wonder.
-Man, I haven't seen this place in the nine months of being on Macross!
the Chief engineer glanced around in amazement.
-It really is huge...
-Well, at this point I hope they put us in the front row...
chuckled the young scientist.
-Though I don't think anyone will be watching the show from home!
The Chief Engineer couldn't help but sneer at his colleague's black humor
-That's it.
He replied as he sat down.
The crowd rumbled as the spotlights on the stage turned on and Commodore Global appeared at the ceremonial podium in full uniform. At his sides Maistroff and Hirai and a bunch of other officers. Official Macross speaker George Sullivan**** briefly introduced to the civvies in the room and the to TV audience what the landmark peace treaty was all about. The white truce flag waved in both English and Zentraedi's language. Then he left the floor to Captain Global.
The old seaman cleared his throat in front of the mic.
-Today on September 11, 2009, at 11 am the SDF1 Macross of the UN Spacy has signed a peace treaty with the 425th Golg Boddole ZerPrimary Zentraedi Fleet!
The audience started to clamor loudly and the cameras' flashes lit up the stage like bolts of lightning in the rain.
-...And upon investigating the ancient city ruins we have landed on... we've found that the aliens who built this city were descendants of a race called... the Protoculture, an intergalactic culture that flourished over 500.000 years ago. We... the Earthlings, the Zentraedis and the female troops Meltrandis... all of our genetics are derived from the same root, the Protoculture.
Misa pushed open the door to the small lounge that served as a waiting room. A few paintings of former presidents of the United Earth loomed above the small white leather couches, carefully arranged around a table, also white: there, a small porcelain pitcher with two cups of coffee. One of the couches was already taken.
Misa stepped in with her head down and when she met his eyes staring at her, she felt a shiver.
The Captain's voice, boosted by the massive amplification felt fuzzy and distorted in the small sitting room.
Hikaru had raised a hand to his forehead and looked at her, in a mixture of wonder and admiration
Maybe he already knows?
But his eyes were full of anticipation.
-Major Hayase!
-Lie...Lieutenant Ichijo...
She whispered in a thin voice.
-At ease...
He was simply perfect in his tall uniform and Misa blushed slightly. His eyes had taken on an almost violet hue, enhanced by the colors of the uniform. The visor of his hat was so shiny that it reflected his features in reverse. The medals pinned to his chest were glinting like gemstones. Hikaru lowered his arm and let it fall along his side. He relaxed his shoulders, then opened his mouth and his bright white teeth flashed against the cherry flesh of his lips.
-Misa... you are... beautiful
Misa could feel her heart exploding
Is it possible he still don't know anything?
In the small room the voice of Captain Global kept on coming, muffled, distant.
-Zentraedis and Meltradis have been created by Protoculturian amazing technology, by manipulating their genes... take a look...
Misa walked over to the couch and just stood in front of him.
Hikaru looked at her several times from head to toe. Misa's uniform was completely white: the shirt, with UN Spacy embroidery on the heart side, seemed to have been sewn directly onto her small torso. The fabric was as white as her skin. Only her green, sad eyes, and her lips barely tinged with a light lipstick would stand out in all that white. The lipstick and her ethereal appearance discouraged Hikaru from kissing her. Instead, he took her hand and guided her to sit down.
-Would you like some coffee?
His smile was tender, loving.
It was like he didn't know Minmay was behind that wall. Or did he just know and not care? Misa couldn't stall.
-What up, are you nervous?
He asked as he handed her the coffee cup.
She kept still. She felt that if she had taken that small porcelain shell in her hands she would have spilled it all over her skirt.
-No I...
She said, nervously fixing her hair behind her shoulders.
-Could you leave it on the table? Please...
Hikaru did as he was told.
-It seems that Captain Global quit talking? But this voice... who?
Hikaru listened towards the door
-I think I recognize this voice... it isn't Hirai, that's for sure.
Hikaru took a sip of coffee. Misa looked at him and at her cup, alternately.
The voice went on speaking:
-The Zentraedis wish to ally with us humans! Right now, we are in the position to help them. Investigation and research into them and us, that is, Zentraedis and humans, has revealed a shocking fact: anatomically, Aliens and Earthlings are the same. Our genes and chromosomes are identical.
The auditorium burst into exclamations of shock and wonder. The man speaking on stage was Lynn Kaifun.
-Hey, everybody calm down!
He was almost inebriated with the gravity of the task he had undertaken.
-Please be quiet! As the captain said, there was originally a race who created a vast interstellar civilization. But now, their men and women have split up and have been carrying on their fight against each other for five hundred thousand years! The Zentradeis and the Meltrandis do nothing but war with each other. All culture has been lost, and their unhappy existence is full of only with thoughts of fighting and bloodshed.
He paused for effect, then continued.
-However! Now, the Zentraedis here have been undergoing a slow and gradual awakening. Now, they see that they can put an end to the conflict they thought was endless!
Hikaru had listened to that pacifist tirade enough to understand. He turned to Misa with a sudden realization, but at that very moment the door swung open and a MBS engineer leaned in the doorway.
-Major Hayase, Lieutenant Ichijo, it's your turn soon.
As if driven by a higher force Misa lifted her weak body upright and walked towards the door. Hikaru gasped and instinctively fixed the hat on his forehead. The staircase was dark. Only five steps to climb to find themselves on the stage.
Kaifun continued:
-And how will we end this great galactic war, and restore peace? Well we still possess the culture! And the key to bring back peace is one of the greatest symbols of culture: music! This has been accomplished through the thinking of an extraordinary young woman who was able to speak to the hearts of the Zentraedis... The greatest superstar of this century, Lynn Minmay!
Suddenly a gentle melody played by a distant piano surrounded the audience. The crowd broke into cries of jubilation and wonder. However, the stage was still cloaked by darkness.
-The music you are listening to now...was decoded by a memory plate that the Zentraedis kept for eons... unfortunately this plate has not the lyrics of the song.
Hikaru winced and his shoulders shuddered: was that possible? That ... that was the voice of Minmay!
Misa sensed his shock and took his hand, well aware that he might reject it, but Hikaru squeezed it in the darkness, squeezed it as if his whole life depended on that grip. Misa held his hand the same way, desperately proving how much she loved him.
-... and make peace with the Meltrandis as well, and rebuild a brand new world, free from wars...
Hikaru swallowed hard, awaiting in the dark.
His heart was happy. A great weight had been removed from her shoulders.
Minmay... Minmay is alive...
In the hustle of the last few minutes, Misa didn't realize that George Sullivan had picked up the microphone again and was summoning them on stage.
The engineer from just before pushed them forward slightly with a tap on their backs .
The singer's voice boomed in her ears as she and Hikaru, in a martial stance, entered the cone of light cast on the catwalk.
- ...we have endured sad and painful days at war... but now I present you two brave soldiers who were prisoners and made a miracolous return. Young soldiers who fought and won! It's a moment of joyous reunion! The people who Lynn Minmay has been waiting for so long... UN Spacy chief operator Major Hayase Misa and ace pilot of Valkyrie Skull Squadron Lieutenant Ichijo Hikaru!
A roar spread through the crowd as Minmay's tiny figure crossed the stage in a desperate run. The spotlight followed her as she let the mic slip from her hands; it dropped, making a loud feedback sound.
The light now enfolded the three of them: they were finally facing each other.
Hikaru's eyes opened wide as Minmay threw her arms around him, holding him tightly, in tears.
-Oh Hikaru...Hikaru...Hikaru!
Misa's face turned into a mask of ice.
The public was clapping madly, dropping and sending up shouts and whistles of appreciation. At that very moment Hikaru looked at her: his gaze was confused, desperate, he seemed to beg for help.
But there was Minmay in his arms. His face fell.
-Hikaru? Whats wrong?
said Minmay noticing his frown. And then she finally saw Misa who just s lowered her gaze, sadly.
He's really in love with her
she thought.
She felt useless and unwanted. Unable to bear it, she turned and ran away. As a trail of tears ran relentlessly under her lashes she heard voices calling her
-Major Hayase!
-Major Hayase, wait!
Then the buzz of the crowd, the music Minmay had brought back with her, everything faded away as she fled.
I have to leave...
she though
But there was nowhere left to go.
to be continued
Hello everyone! Here I am back after the summer breaks/holidays!
I apologize for the (more than a month!) delay but now that I have finished some work I have more free time to write! I hope you like this chapter 5, I really wanted to thank you for the kind reviews to this fic and also to my other one, To the stars and beyond... You know, that story is nothing more than a draft of a screenwriting assignment I did in Cinema School 2 years ago or so, but after working on Karl Riber's chapters I though I could publish it here.
I would like to thank Eva who wrote me a nice review and I promise I will pick it up soon. It's a bit hard because there are so many characters in this Robotech Universe (that I really love and) I would like to explore!
Finally I really wanted Misa Ichijyo and Kitty Mills to come back round here, I'm anxiously waiting for them to resume their fics! I miss reading them a lot!
Well I hope to hear asap from all of you! thank you for being here :)))
See you soon
Love,
Mao
notes
*Hayase-kun = literally young Hayase in japanese
** Ichijo-chuii = Lieutenant Ichijo in japanese
*** MBS = Macross Broadcast System. In the Macross official timeline was a tv onboard the SDF-1 and on the post-reconstruction Earth.
**** George Sullivan is a character from the series SD Calvary Southern Cross (1984). Obviously it has nothing to do with Macross but it is actually part of the 2nd generation of Robotech (in English also known as The Masters) well I always thought the guy who is hosting the show on Macross DYRL looks a lot like him! It's a little freebie nothing more hehe