Preface

Hi Everyone! I just want to thank all the readers out there. FFnet keeps some stats on visitors and one of them is the reader's country of origin. The largest group of readers is from the US and Canada. The next largest group is from Europe with a good number of visitors from France. Merci beaucoup! Among the Asian countries, there's quite a bit of readers from Japan. I'd like to give special thanks to the Japanese fans out there, especially the artists who've created hundreds of She/Ran fanart! Domo arigatou gozaimashita!

A lot of the scenes in my fic was inspired by fanart and I've included the art in the html version of this fic which is posted on my homepage. If you are the artist or if you know the artist, please let me know and I will credit the art. For the html version, please see my profile for the link and She/Ran fanart.

Frontier Generations chronicles the lives of the Macross Frontier cast as they try to make a life on the Vajra Homeworld. It's written in a slice of life format which is why it has more detail and therefore longer.

FG: Wings is a companion story to this fic. Each fic can be read separately, but together, they make a more complete story. FG: Wings is about Sheryl's pilot boot camp while this fic is about Ranka's music camp. In a sense, it follows the Macross formula of a daredevil pilot and an enchanting singer. There are other ways in which the two fics are related and I'll explain it when the last chapter is released.

Without further ado, may I present Frontier Generations: Serenade.

Mvmt I. Da Capo (From the beginning)

Ranka sat in front of the mirror in her St. Maria's uniform. She picked up a makeup brush and carefully spread some eye shadow on her eyelid. When she opened her eye, her eyelid sparkled like tiny stars. Suddenly, the mirror lit up and her hair rose in surprise. Shimmering light coalesced into Sheryl's face. The room began to dissolve and she floated off her chair. Meanwhile, Sheryl reached out from the mirror and grabbed her hand. As the Galaxy Fairy pulled her away from the chair, her clothes morphed into her yellow and orange concert dress. Together, they floated over the Frontier colony and sang into the starry night sky.

Guided by the constellations, our eyes met.

As they sang that line, they reached for each other, sunset-hued eyes mirrored on sky blue ones. Ranka would have continued singing but she felt a tap on her shoulder. To her horror, Sheryl was devoured by a large green salamander that was held by a giant Ai.

"WAKE NOW!" thundered Ai.

Ranka woke with a start. Next to her bed, Ai held her wriggling phone which was playing Lion as a wake-up tone. A small video of Sheryl played on its light projected screen. She drowsily took the phone from Ai and squeezed it silent. "A few more minutes..." she pleaded.

"No! You say, then say again. Up now!" cajoled Ai who yanked on her arm. "If late, teacher mad! Stand outside again!"

"Ok... ok..." With a yawn and a stretch, the green-haired girl lurched away from her bed and grabbed a bathrobe and a towel. When she walked out into the hallway, sounds of activity came from the kitchen. Brera beat her to making breakfast. Another yawn escaped and she plodded her way toward the bathroom.

As warm drops of water rinsed her skin, she sighed contentedly and shampooed her hair with Meltene ProZ. Since she did that commercial for the manufacturer, she received a year's supply of the shampoo.

Her thoughts went back to that dream. "Camp hasn't even started and I miss her already..." she mused. That particular dream often reoccured, especially when they were busy with school and work and did not have time for dates. However, it was a nice dream and one that she did not mind having again.

After showering, she wiped her body and wore her bathrobe. Then she sat in front of the mirror and began to dry her hair with the towel. It was then that she noticed those daring eyes and mischievous smile which were printed on the fabric. That the smile was only inches away from her cheek. Slowly, her hand moved to close the distance and the soft fabric caressed her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into it, imagining the real Sheryl instead. Warmth rose to her cheeks as her imagination went overboard. A knock on the door interrupted her daydream.

"Ranka done?" asked Ai.

"Ah! Yes... just a minute!" Ranka grabbed the hair dryer and brush. She opened the door. "I'm done, go ahead."

"Ok." Ai went into the shower.

"Don't forget to close the door!" said Ranka and closed the bathroom door. Despite all her explanations, Ai still did not grasp the notions of propriety.

"Sorry!"

When they were ready, they went downstairs for breakfast. Brera had already prepared some sausage links, egg and pancakes. Each plate had two symmetrical pancakes of about the same size, two sausages browned evenly, two scoops of scrambled egg and two square slices of butter. The sausages and egg scoops were neatly arranged on the pancakes while the slices of butter were carefully stacked on top of each other. As Ranka surveyed the identical portions, she grinned in amusement at her brother's precision cooking style.

After breakfast, Brera's drove them to school in his Subaru Impreza WRX. As they walked to the auditorium, they passed the lines of pilots in the parking lot. Ranka craned her neck and her face brightened when she spotted Sheryl. She was about to get her attention when an instructor spoke into the mic. Disappointed, she turned away.

"It's ok..." she consoled herself. "I'll try the link later."

At the auditorium, they met up with Nanase and waited with the rest of the Performance Arts students who passed the requirements for boot camp. Including themselves, there were about fourty students in the auditorium. A few minutes later, the director of Fine Arts and Performance Arts, Roy Roverock, walked onto the stage and spoke into the mic.

"Good morning, everyone! How's everybody feeling today?" greeted Mr. Roverock with his usual flamboyant style.

The students cheered in response.

He acted disappointed. "Are you still asleep? I thought all of you were looking forward to camp!" His voice rose in challenge and he punched his fist into the air. "DO YOU WANT TO GO?!"

Along with the crowd, Ranka and Ai imitated him and answered. The auditorium echoed with their enthusiasm. "YES!!!"

"Alright! That's more like it! We've got an awesome three weeks lined up for all of you. Follow your homeroom teacher to the buses outside. We'll give you more details along the way." His arms spread out in a welcoming gesture. "Let's go play!"

The students cheered wildly. As they made their way to the buses, Ranka was high with euphoria. A quick glance at her classmates indicated that they were feeling the same way. It was as if a current of excitement was running through the students. At that moment, she felt so happy to be in the PA course at Mihoshi.

While they rode the bus, their homeroom teacher, Mrs. Veffidas, explained the boot camp format. She handed a stack of folders to the students at the first row of the bus. "Camp runs from 7 to 6 PM. Workshops are two hours long and are led by a guest instructor. Here's the workshop schedule. Take one and pass it along. Sign up for as many as you want."

Ranka received a folder and found the schedule. She began marking off classes. Singing and acting were automatically added. To her disappointment, the piano workshop did not start until the second week. She signed up for it anyway and decided to take scriptwriting during the first week. After checking her free time, she looked over the list and decided to include modern dance and composition classes.

Once satisfied with the time slots, she helped Ai pick hers. When Ai first started drawing, she asked her why she liked it.

Ai replied, "Humans not like Vajra. I see, you not see. So draw. Ranka see drawing."

Ranka understood. Drawing and painting were other ways that Ai could communicate with other humans. Those classes were added to her list along with singing. Ranka left gaps in her schedule to give her extra time to work on her classes. Although Ai was considered a student, the teachers were aware that she was Vajra and was not at the same level as other students. Instead of a letter grade, they awarded pass or fail. Furthermore, since Ai was there to learn about human culture, the director made an exception for her to be in boot camp.

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Nanase from the seat behind them. "Andrea Lohraw is teaching the photography workshop!"

Ranka leaned over the aisle to look at her. "Who?"

Nanase pointed to a picture. "Andrea Lohraw! She's a famous photographer! I can't believe she's a guest instructor." The finger moved down the page. "Oh! Oh! Howie Zakimia is teaching film!"

Her eyes went round at the familiar name. Zakimia directed an academy award winning movie, The Flying Castle. "Where did you find this information?"

Her best friend flipped to the front cover. "I found it in the folder. It lists the instructors for each class."

Ranka found the booklet and her jaw dropped in surprise when she saw the instructor for singing. "Megan Knackegymma..." Megan was recently inducted to the Entertainers Hall of Fame and had several platinum albums. She scanned through the rest of her instructors. When she finally put the booklet down, she realized what the director meant. It was a really awesome lineup.

The surprises did not end there. Her jaw dropped once more when the bus dropped them off in front of a large Victorian mansion. Once there, the students separated by gender and an instructor led the girls to their rooms in the North wing while the boys went to the East wing. Along the way, they gazed in awe at the wide courtyards and marble halls.

Ranka entered the room that she would share with Ai. For several seconds, she just stood there and marvelled at the elegant furnishings and the canopied bed which Ai was already bouncing on.

"Is nice!" remarked Ai with delight.

"Be careful, Ai-chan!" warned Ranka with alarm when she noticed that the bedposts shook with each bounce. "It's an antique!"

"Ant, tick?" repeated Ai with confusion.

"Not insects. I mean... it's old, so you have to be careful. You might break it."

"Then throw away. Use new one."

As usual, Ai's perception about human culture made her think twice about things that she took forgranted. However, Ranka did not want to spend time explaining why people kept antiques at the moment. "Just don't bounce on it, ok? We're just borrowing it for three weeks."

"Ok."

After putting their luggage away, they met with their homeroom teacher in the courtyard. Mrs. Veffidas handed out a map of the mansion and gave a tour of its various facilities. Except for Brera who maintained his customary aloof expression, everyone was obviously bubbling with excitement. The first set of workshops started after lunch.

As they walked through the main courtyard, several buses drove up to the mansion. Mrs. Veffidas stopped and gestured at the students coming out of the buses. "By the way, we'll be sharing the mansion with the students from the Frontier Academy of Arts and Performance. Please get along with them."

Immediately, a sense of apprehension swept through her classmates. In many competitions, FAAP students often vied for first place against Mihoshi. The apprehension carried over during lunch when the Mihoshi and FAAP students sat facing each other in the long dining tables. Any attempt at conversation was limited to the weather and how nice the mansion was.

After lunch, Ranka checked the map to find out where the singing workshop was held. The booklet listed the room as 'The Serene Song of the Seductive Sea Siren'. She giggled and looked at the names of the other rooms. The rooms were workshops were held had interesting names. The room next to the singing workshop was called 'Stillness on a Golden Canvas'. A quick check of the class schedule revealed that the painting workshop was held there.

Ranka walked excitedly to the singing workshop. Before she entered, she noticed a sign above the door. 'The Serene Song of the Seductive Sea Siren' was printed on it in blue cursive text and embellished with gold foil. She giggled again.

When she opened the door, she immediately stopped in her tracks when she recognized a student in a FAAP uniform. The student recognized her as well.

"Why, hello, Ranka. Fancy meeting you here," greeted Miranda Melin.

"Hello, Miranda," replied Ranka calmly as she took a chair with a fair distance from her fellow actress. During the filming of Bird Human, Miranda acted as tempermental as the actor who played Shin Kudo. She was not in good terms with many members of the production crew. Ranka never forgot the unkind words that Miranda said before the director cast her as Mao.

"And who might this be? Your sister?" Miranda walked over, her bulging chest jiggling slightly with each step.

Ai offered her hand. "I'm Ai," responded the Vajra with practiced ease.

"My cousin," explained Ranka while Ai and Miranda shook hands.

"I hope she doesn't sing as well as you. Otherwise, I'm in for some stiff competition," said Miranda jokingly.

"She's ok. You can judge for yourself later."

"Speaking of judging, I hope Megan's a fair judge. Then at least, my talents can be recognized properly."

At that moment, Ms. Knackegymma came in. Everyone took their seats with great anticipation.

"Good afternoon, everyone. I'll be your instructor for the singing workshop. Since we'll be working together for the next two weeks, I'd like to know you better. Please introduce yourself to the class and say a little bit about yourself. It'll help me remember. Anyway, I'll start. I'm Megan Knackegymma. Call me Megan. I usually sing mezzo-soprano but I can sing contralto as well. I like strawberry covered donuts and milk tea." She gestured to a boy on the first row farthest from her. "Would you like to continue?"

The boy stood up and cleared his throat. "I'm Sam Pheaze, a second-year. I'm a tenor and I play guitar and drums. My favorite singer is Nekki Basara."

One by one, each student introduced himself or herself. Then Miranda's turn came. She stood up, flicked her curly locks with her right hand and greeted the class with a charming smile.

"Good afternoon. I'm Miranda Melin, as all of you know, of course. I'm a soprano. Even though I was nominated for the leading actress award and am the current Miss Macross, I still think that I have a long way to go. I hope to learn as much as I can from Ms. Knackegymma."

Their instructor said nothing and just nodded slightly. Finally, it was Ranka's turn.

"Um... Hi everyone. My name is Ranka Lee and I love to sing. Oh, I'm a mezzo-soprano. I like children and cute animals."

She sat down and immediately opened her mind to Ai to make sure that she did not reveal her Vajra nature during her introduction.

Ai stood up. "Hello. I am Ai Lee. I am a soprano. I like flowers." She sat down quickly.

Ranka exhaled with relief. Her heart almost stopped when Ai mentioned flowers. Ai always said how much she enjoyed eating the wriggling blossoms, so the green-haired girl was grateful that her charge did not elaborate why she liked flowers.

"Are you two related?" asked the famous singer.

"She's my cousin," replied Ranka.

After the introductions, Ranka was surprised at the number of other idols studying at FAAP. Mihoshi had a lot of competition aside from Miranda. At least, Sheryl was on her side.

Meanwhile, Megan handed out sheet music transcribed for their voice range and sat down in the front row. One by one, she asked each student to sing. As Ranka examined the music, she noticed that there were no terms at the bottom of the measures to indicate expression. Megan did not give any instructions to the students who finished singing either. She just wrote on her digipad.

When her turn came, she imagined what the notes and lyrics were trying to convey and sang.

The flower which you threw to me
In my prison stayed with me.
Though withered and dry, this flower
Kept its sweet fragrance.
From this fragrance
I became intoxicated
and during the night, I saw you!
I became accustomed to cursing you,
To detest you, to say to myself
Why did destiny have to put you there, in my path?

After she sang, she took a step towards her seat, but Megan's question stopped her in her tracks.

"What were you thinking when you sang this?"

Ranka swallowed nervously. She did not expect her to ask, so she said the first thing that came to mind. "Well... I just thought that the singer was sad to be in prison. But flower was a reminder of the giver, and it gave him or her some hope."

"Are you sure? The singer is cursing the giver of the flower in the last set of lyrics."

"Ummm... it's probably just me... but the music sounded like... the singer missed the giver of the flower."

Megan nodded and made more notes before asking for the next student to sing. It was Ai's turn and note for note, she sang it exactly as Ranka had done. After Ai finished, their teacher just sat there with her mouth agape for a few moments. Then she regained her composure.

"Next please."

The super-dimensional Cinderella paled. Since Ai had not mastered sight reading, she just copied Ranka's singing. Most people did not have the skill or talent to realize how well Ai could reproduce any song. However, based on her reaction, Megan was good enough to notice that Ai matched every note and pitch perfectly. Since she asked whether they were related, she probably did not know that Ai was Vajra.

Over the link, the green-haired girl told her charge to vary the tempo and pitch whenever she imitated a song. For the moment, Ranka hoped that the famous singer would not be suspicious of Ai.

Finally, the last student sang. Megan finished her notes and stood up to address them.

"Thank you for singing. By the way, the music is an excerpt from the Flower Aria in the opera, Carmen. For your first homework, look it up and prepare to sing it tomorrow. Our next exercise is a group one. I'll put you into combinations of soprano, contralto, tenor, baritone and bass. Each group will try to harmonize as best as they can a capella."

Ranka was paired with a tenor and bass while Ai was grouped with a contralto and baritone. Meanwhile, the tenor and baritone in Miranda's group fawned over her.

Each group had to sing the same song. After the first few groups, it was obvious that it was difficult to harmonize properly without any prior practice. Despite her nervousness, Ranka chuckled when some groups were way out of tune. Miranda's was especially amusing since her voice drowned out the tenor and baritone. It was as if she did not want them to be heard.

In Ai's case, she did not know the song beforehand, so she just listened for each note from the contralto and sang it. As a result, she sang the contralto part and was always half a beat behind.

When Ranka's turn came, her eyes swept across the expectant audience. As the soprano, the melody rested on her. The tenor and bass would follow her lead. She drew a deep breath and instead of singing, she clapped.

1 2 3 4, 1 2 3...

Then she sang. The tenor and bass joined in. It was a nice melody. Compared to the wistful longing of the Flower Aria, it was light and cheerful. Ranka listened to the flowing notes of the tenor and the rhythmic harmony from the bass. She tried her best to match their pace, but after a few measures, she realized that their bass was keeping time with the tempo that she set by clapping. Using him as a beat reference, she relaxed into the song, relishing the vibrant melody of arpeggios with the tenor.

After they sang, they bowed. Then Ai clapped. She clapped by herself for a few moments until Sam Pheaze followed her lead. Soon, several people joined in applause while they made their way to their seats. Megan did not say anything. Instead, she scribbled into her digipad.

As the class went through each exercise, Ranka had the feeling that their teacher was trying to gauge their abilities in different aspects of singing. Her suspicious were confirmed by the end of the two hour class.

"That's it for now. This gives me an idea of what we should cover," said the famous singer. "Please practice and I'll see everyone tomorrow."

Ranka and Ai turned to leave, but the teacher called Ai.

"What is it, Ms. Knackegymma?" asked Ranka.

"Megan's fine. Anyway, you don't have to stay. I just want to talk to Ai."

Ranka tensed up. She did not want to leave Ai alone with her. "Is it alright if I stayed? Ai-chan doesn't like it when I'm not around." "Then please sit down." She gestured to two nearby chairs. After they were seated, she spoke to Ai. "How well can you sightread?"

"Not good," admitted Ai.

"To be honest, that's a big handicap and I don't know how you can get the most out of my workshop."

"Please let her stay!" implored Ranka. "I'll help her so she'll keep up!"

"What about you? She'll hold you back."

She shook her head. "It's fine. We've been taking classes together."

Megan leaned back and regarded them. "You have a lot of talent, so I want to see how far you can go. I'll only be teaching you for two weeks. Are you really sure about this?"

"Yes," replied Ranka confidently.

"I see. By the way, what gave you the idea to clap?"

"Oh... that..." Ranka bowed her head in embarrassment and twiddled her index fingers as she revealed the reason. "It sorta was a habit... whenever I sang with the children, I'd clap at the beginning of the song so that we can all start at the same time."

"Children?"

"Umm... I volunteer at an orphanage."

Their teacher smiled warmly. "That's kind of you."

Ranka exhaled with relief. At least, Megan did not scold her for doing something immature in front of the class. However, she was curious, so she gathered her courage. "Did we... sound ok?"

Megan nodded approvingly. "It was a shaky beginning, but your group harmonized well in the end."

Her verdant locks bounced up. "Thank you for the feedback! I was really nervous!"

"Try not to be. Just sing your all." Then her hazel eyes shifted to Ai. "As for you... in a way, you have talent too. But... it's a very different kind of talent. I've never seen anyone do what you did today!" She let out a small laugh. "Perhaps, this is an opportunity for me to challenge my own teaching skills."

Ranka brightened. "Then she can stay?"

The famous singer nodded. "Yes. But be warned. It's extra work for you and me."

She stood up and bowed in gratitude. "Thank you very much!"

At that moment, the door opened to admit the next set of students. Megan stood up hastily. "Oops, looks like I kept you too long. Sorry about that... I'll see both of you tomorrow."

"Goodbye!" Ranka and Ai waved and hurried to their next class. The quarter-meltran dropped off her charge at the drawing class with Nanase. Then she hurried to her acting class. To her great chagrin, Miranda was there too. At least, Brera was there so she sat with him.

Deja vu visted her again when Miranda arrived in her composition class.

"My! Are you following me?" asked Miranda with a sarcastic tone.

Ranka forced a friendly smile. "I could say the same for you."

"Is anyone sitting here?" asked the contralto who sang with Ai. She pointed to a chair next to Ranka.

"I haven't seen anyone sit in it since I came," replied Ranka, eager to avoid sitting next to Miranda. "Please have a seat." After she said that, Miranda walked away and sat in the last empty chair in the back of the room.

"Thanks," said the contralto as she sat down. "Your cousin is really strange. What was she thinking? Copying me note for note... I mean, she sings pretty well, so she didn't have to do that."

Her heart skipped a beat at her response. She began to wonder how many students could tell what Ai did. "I'm sorry, she can't sightread very well."

At her response, her classmate arched her eyebrows. "Why're you apologizing for her? It's not your fault."

"Well... she's new to Mihoshi, so I watch out for her." She decided to change the topic from Ai. "But you sang pretty well."

The contralto looked incredulous. "Me? You've got to be kidding. Didn't you hear me? I was all over the place! My voice has no depth. Yours on the other hand, has a pleasant timbre, like a bell chime on a winter's day. And then there's..."

Ranka listened in amazement as she compared their performances. Her opinions gave her a different perspective on how to analyze music. However, she felt a little sad whenever her classmate criticized her own singing harshly.

"She shouldn't be so hard on herself..." thought Ranka. Up close, the contralto's hair was actually a dark shade of purple instead of black. Her bangs parted in the middle and spiked up over her forehead. She had slanted brown eyes and a few freckles on her cheeks. A comparison of their skin tones showed that she had paler skin.

Her classmate only stopped talking after the instructor came in. Ranka took the opportunity to ask her. "I'm really sorry, but I don't remember your name."

The girl sighed defeatedly. "Don't worry about it. Nobody usually does." She extended her hand. "Robin Guvriel. I'm in class 2D."

She shook her hand. "Ranka Lee. I'm in 2B."

They turned their attention to the instructor. By the time the class ended, Ranka was even more amazed at Robin. Compared to her, the contralto was more knowledgeable in set theory and harmonic analysis.

Her stomach grumbled. Ranka checked her watch. 6:39 PM. When she looked up, Robin was walking towards the door.

"Hey, Robin! Do you want to have dinner together?"

"I don't think you should. I'm very boring company."

There it was again, that self-deprecating behavior. At that moment, Ranka wanted to stop her negative thinking. With the friendliest smile on her face, she replied, "Not at all! I learned a lot from listening to you." She grabbed her hand and tugged slightly. "C'mon!"

"Is it okay? You're a star and all. I might ruin your image."

"It's fine!" assured Ranka as she began to walk to the door with Robin in tow. "Let's go! I'm hungry!"

They joined Brera, Nanase and Ai at the dining hall. Ranka introduced the contralto. "On-- ahem... Brera, Nanase, Ai, this is Robin. She's in my singing and composition workshops. Robin, this is my best friend, Nanase. And this is Brera. Of course, you've already met my cousin, Ai-chan."

Brera preferred to keep their sibling relationship a secret. He claimed that the anonymity was useful in catching people who talked behind her back. Ranka did not mind, but since he was so insistent on it, she avoided calling him brother when other students were around.

Robin shook their hands in turn. "Pleased to meet you."

Dinner was served buffet style. After claiming their seats, they went to the serving tables.

"By the way, how was Ai?" asked Ranka in a low voice as she walked with Nanase to the entree table.

"Don't worry. Nothing weird happened in class," replied Nanase.

"Thank space!" said Ranka with relief. "How about you?"

"Zakimia's brilliant! I can't believe he's teaching us!"

"I can relate to that feeling. My instructors have been awesome so far! Anyway, did he give you a project?"

"Yup. We have to shoot a 15 minute skit. I figure, I can use what I learn in scriptwriting class and carry it over to his."

"That certainly would help," agreed Ranka.

"How about you? Did you get projects too?"

"I'll have to compose something by the end of the week."

They talked about their classes during dinner. After eating, they gathered in Ranka's room to do their homework.

Ranka logged into the Mihoshi Library Network and found information about the Flower Aria. It was originally written for a tenor and was in French. She took out the sheet music that Megan gave and compared it with the translated original.

The flower which you threw to me
In my prison stayed with me.
Withered and dried, this flower
Kept always its sweet odor
And during all of the hours,
Over my eyes closed my eyelids,
From this fragrance I became intoxicated
And during the night, I saw you!
I became accustomed to cursing you,
To detest you, to say to myself
Why is it necessary for destiny
To put herself there on my path?
Then I accused myself of blasphemy
And I didn't feel but in myself
I didn't feel but one desire
A sole desire, a sole hope
To see you again, oh Carmen, to see you again!
For you had only to appear
Only to toss a glance towards me
In order to take a hold of all my being Oh my Carmen
And I was yours Carmen, I love you!

Ranka's music was translated and arranged for soprano while Robin's was for contralto. The lyrics were edited to make the singer's gender ambiguous. Furthermore, some stanzas were missing, particularly, Don Jose's declaration of love.

Robin noticed it as well. "No wonder it seemed strange... the lyrics have no references to Carmen, and some stanzas were removed to make it sound like he hated her. That's why everyone... except you, of course... sang it with anger and frustration."

"Without the terms for expression, you'd only have the lyrics to go by. When I read the melody, I took a chance with my own interpretation. I wonder why she did this?"

The contralto shrugged. "Who knows. In any case, we should probably add in the missing measures and terms if she wants us to sing it properly tomorrow." She reached into her bag and offered the green-haired girl some composition sheets.

"Thanks," said Ranka as she took a sheet.

When their homework was done, they bid each other good night and prepared for bed. Just before she lay down to sleep, Ranka carefully removed the poster from its protective hardcase. With some sticky putty, she tacked Sheryl's poster on the wall near the bed. Then she stepped back to admire her. How she loved waking up to the Fairy's face in the morning!

"Why bring? Just see Sheryl," said Ai who was already under the covers.

"That's right! I'll do just that!" Ranka turned off the light and slipped into bed. Then she tried the link.

"Sheryl..."

After a few attempts, Sheryl answered.

"May I come in?" asked Ranka shyly.

"Yes, of course!"

She hugged her Galaxy Fairy. Even in the link, Sheryl felt so warm in her arms. "How's camp?"

That beautiful face grimaced. "Horrible. Dirt's stuck under my fingernails from digging and I had to eat this nasty lizard. Right now, I'm sleeping on a pile of leaves with only this flimsy solar blanket for warmth."

She kissed her. "Oh my poor Galaxy Fairy! You really should've transferred to PA. We're in this beautiful Victorian mansion on a hill. There are fountains in the courtyard and musical instruments and paintings in each room."

With the link at her disposal, the super-dimensional Cinderella formed an image of the mansion in her mind and projected it. It was a trick that she learned from the Vajra queen. When Sheryl's face filled with awe, she knew that it worked. Eager to cheer her beloved up, she grabbed her hand. "C'mon. I'll give you the virtual tour!"

But Sheryl shook her head. "I'd love to, Ranka, but I'm really tired right now and the captain wants us up at dawn."

"Oh..." However, after seeing that haggard face, she wanted to do something to make Sheryl feel better, so she sat down and patted her lap. "In that case, let me sing you a lullaby."

After Sheryl complied, she gathered all the memories from her childhood and replaced the image.

"Where's this?" asked Sheryl, her eyes full of wonder.

"The meadow behind the lab in the 117th fleet. My mother would often sing me to sleep here," replied Ranka as she stroked those golden-coral tresses. How she loved the feel of that silky hair between her fingers!

With a deep breath, she sang for Sheryl until the link began to weaken. Quickly, she bent down and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Good night, my sweet Fairy."

Ai's voice surprised her. "Sheryl ok?"

"Yes," replied Ranka. After a few moments, she added, "Were you eavesdropping?"

"No. You too loud sometimes," replied Ai.

Ranka sighed. The flow link was accessible to any Vajra who cared to listen. At least, she was able to talk to Sheryl. In due time and practice, she hoped that she would have enough control to avoid disturbing other Vajra. However, that could be tackled at a later time. Right now, the day's activities had worn her out. With a yawn, she surrendered to sleep.

With the sun shining brightly, the next day promised more excitement. After breakfast, Nanase and Ranka accompanied Ai to the painting class. Thankfully, Vanessa, who taught Ai how to paint, was there and they asked her to watch over Ai. Then they went to the scriptwriting class. Ranka prayed that Miranda would not show up. Luck was with her and Miranda did not come.

Nanase preferred working behind the scenes while Ranka took to the stage. As a result, their regular classes did not overlap. So when Nanase signed up for the scriptwriting workshop, Ranka was overjoyed to have a class with her best friend.

Her next class after scriptwriting was modern dance. Ranka quickly changed into a leotard. As she stretched and warmed up near the balance bars along the wall, a girl with braided wintergreen hair danced slowly in the middle of the room. Her long, slender limbs moved with effortless grace. She seemed to step so lightly that the hardwood floor whispered when her feet touched down. However, what intrigued Ranka the most was the serene expression on the girl's face. Her eyes were partly closed and her lips curved to a slight smile, as if she was remembering a pleasant dream.
During introductions, Ranka learned that the dancer's name was Chloe Lamis. Like her, she was a quarter meltran. When class was over, Ranka walked over while Chloe towelled off the sweat from her brow.

"That was a really nice dance you did in the beginning, Chloe."

Chloe looked startled and the towel fell from her hands. She leaned down and picked it up. "Oh... thank you. That's nice to hear coming from the Cinderella."

Her hair bounced a little at her words. "What kind of style is it?"

"Style? It doesn't really have a style, at least, not yet."

"Oh? You made it up yourself?"

The dancer shook her head and closed her eyes. "No... there's a melody that makes me want to dance."

Her answer piqued her curiosity. "What does it sound like?"

"It's..." She hummed a little and then opened her pale emerald eyes. "I'm sorry... I really can't sing it at all. Besides... it's not even complete."

Just then, Ai's voice echoed in her mind. "Ranka, Nana-chan want food now."

"I'll be right over," replied Ranka in the link.

"Chloe, if you ever finish the dance, I'd love to see it."

"Well... it's not really up to me. But if I do, I'll dance for you!"

"Thanks! See you tomorrow!" waved Ranka as she headed out. After a quick shower, she joined her brother, Nanase and Ai for lunch. Then she and Ai went to their singing class while Nanase went to the photography class and Brera went to the guitar class. Along the way, they met Sharin McIntosh, an FAAP student and a new idol who released a single last month.

"Good afternoon, Ranka," greeted Sharin as she approached the door to the salon where they held the singing class.

"Good afternoon, Sharin."

"Here, let me get the door." Sharin opened it.

As soon as Ranka tried to enter, someone bumped into her on the way out. She stumbled and fell onto her behind. Her folder of sheet music scattered into the hallway.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I should've been more careful! Here, let me help you."

Shivers went up her spine when she recognized that pretentious voice. However, she was surprised that Miranda even apologized and offered to help. "Thanks..." said Ranka politely as she took the actress' offered hand. Meanwhile, Ai, Sharin and another female FAAP student gathered her sheet music.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" asked Miranda.

Ranka patted her behind. "No... I'm fine."

Sharin handed her the folder. "I think we got everything. Oh dear, we better get in. Megan's here."

Ranka turned around to see Megan walking down the hallway. They quickly entered the room and took their seats. For their first exercise, Megan asked them to sing the original Flower Aria with their voice range taken into account. Ranka glanced at Robin who gave a thumbs up sign. Ranka returned it. They were prepared for it and she even coached Ai on singing.

The quarter-meltran shifted through her disorganized sheet music and found the Flower Aria. Megan called on Robin and Ai before calling her. She walked to the front of the room, placed the music on the stand and sang. After singing, she chanced a quick glance at Megan for any sign of approval, but the expression on her face seemed more like disappointment.

Except for that, the rest of the exercises went well and Megan even gave her a compliment on her breathing control. At the end of class, Robin led her out of earshot.

"You sang in the wrong key! Did you copy it right?"

Ranka pulled out the Flower Aria sheet. Robin pointed to a smudge.

"Did you mistake this for a flat?"

She touched it and dust stuck to her finger tip. "I don't think so... it's b minor right?"

"Yes, but... you sang in e minor."

"I did?" Her verdant eyebrows scrunched up as she tried to remember. If she really did, then that was probably why Megan looked disappointed.

"Ai sang in b minor all the way. You didn't. Anyway, I've got to go to conducting class. See you later."

For several moments, Ranka stared at the smudge before putting the sheet in her bag. Her next class was acting. She hurried to the auditorium for a joint class with the theatre workshop. The students for theatre were doing stage management exercises and they needed actors to practice on. In exchange, the students prepared the costumes, props and lighting for the actors.

Already, the props were ready for the Hamlet and Ophelia scene. Ranka went over her lines while Emma, one of the theatre workshop students, adjusted her dress.

Miranda and Sharin passed by. They were already in costume.

Sharin looked her over. "The dress complements her hair nicely. But the heels..."

"If it's tacky, just say it's tacky," said Miranda.

The idol waved her hand. "No... no... it's not that tacky. I just think that something yellowish would be better. Under the spotlights, it'll look like gold."

Miranda put an arm around her shoulders and led her away. "That's enough from you. You shouldn't do someone else's job."

After they left, Emma said, "Let me get you some other heels to try."

Even though she hurried away, Ranka could tell that her cheeks were flushed. A few minutes later, Emma returned with two pairs of heels. Ranka tried them on and only the light yellow pair with orange leather straps fit. To complete her outfit, Emma drapped a yellow silk shawl over her shoulders.

Brera was playing Hamlet. Although he delivered his lines so stoically, Ranka tried to imagine the sting in his words. So when he advanced toward her, she retreated backwards as if his words were too painful to bear.

I have heard of your paintings too, well enough;
God has given you one face,
and you make yourselves another:
you jig, you amble, and you lisp,
and nick-name God's creatures,
and make your wantonness your ignorance.
Go to, I'll no more on't; it hath made me mad.

When she stepped back with her left foot and put weight on her heel, her ankle buckled and she fell sideways.

"Ah!"

Brera caught her. "Are you alright?"

Instead of replying, she quickly sat down and cupped his cheek.

O, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!
The courtier's, soldier's, scholar's, eye, tongue, sword;
The expectancy and rose of the fair state,
The glass of fashion and the mould of form,
The observed of all observers, quite, quite down!

Ranka continued until the end of the scene. When she was done, the acting instructor, Mr. Granger, rose from his seat and walked onto the stage.

"What happened?"

Ranka checked her left foot. The slender heel had broken off from the sole.

"Are you ok?" asked Mr. Granger.

Leaning on Brera, she stood up. "Yes, I'm fine, thanks to Brera."

"Looks like you better show that to your costume assistant. Anyway, that was a good adlib, Ranka. And a good catch too, Brera. Now Ranka, your reaction to Hamlet was pretty good, but please watch your step. While I talk to Brera, please go and change."

He turned to her brother. "Brera, you need to put yourself into Hamlet's shoes. Imagine his train of thought when he's saying those lines. For example..."

By the time Ranka limped to the exit of the stage, Emma was waiting by the door. She helped her to a bench and examined the shoe.

"I'm really, really sorry about this, Ranka!" Emma bowed low before her.

"Don't worry. These things happen."

Emma took the heels. "I'll be right back!"

She returned with the original pair that she selected. Ranka put them on and deliberately shifted more weight on the heel. Once satisfied, she thanked Emma and went back to the stage. As she walked up the stairs, she noticed Miranda and Sharin giggling nearby. They were trying out a pair of opera glasses. Brera and Mr. Granger were onstage.

"For a prop, this works pretty well," said Sharin.

"My! He looks like a girl in that frilly shirt!" said Miranda.

"Definitely too skinny for a zentraedi. I wonder if he swings that way..."

Ranka ignored their comments and concentrated on the lesson. After the workshop ended, Ranka received a lot of interesting feedback from Mr. Granger and his critique was unique compared to the Mihoshi instructors. The next class was composition. The theory made her head spin, but with Robin's help, she was slowly understanding the concepts.

Once again, she invited Robin to dinner. Robin made her usual weak excuses but joined them in the end. In the few days that she had known her, the contralto did not mention any friends and often stared out the window in singing class.

"Say, Ranka! Guess what!" exclaimed Nanase brightly.

"What?"

"There's an orchard behind the mansion!"

Her verdant hair bobbed up in curiosity. "Really?"

Nanase nodded. "Before it gets too dark, wanna take a stroll? I'll show you where I took some pictures today!"

"Sure!"

When they were finished, Nanase led them to the back of the mansion. They walked through the flower maze and through a fruit orchard. Ranka reached out and picked a cherry from a branch.

"Hey! You're stealing!" teased Nanase.

"Ah! We can't have any?"

She shook her head. "We're not supposed to." Then she winked. "But I won't tell. Go ahead. Try it. It's really sweet."

Ranka did and she was right. Even though the cherry was sweet, there was a slight sour taste that tickled her tongue. Just then, she realized something. "Wait a second, if you're not supposed to eat any, how do you know?"

Nanase stuck her tongue out. "Oops... busted..." Then she laughed. "C'mon... there's a place you have to see before it gets dark."
They followed Nanase across the orchard. Then the trees gave way to a sloping hillside. They walked up a short flight of stairs. At the top, they stood in awe at the breathtaking view of the suburbs and the city.

"This is the overlook," explained Nanase.

"Wow..." whispered Ranka as her eyes swept across the scenery.

Robin walked up to the safety rail and looked down. There was a narrow road about fifty feet below. "Yow... it's a long way down from here." She saw a sign that said: Do not lean on rail. She immediately backed off. "I gotta say, this is a pretty awesome place. Mr. Roverock must have connections to get this."

"He has a lot of friends in entertainment," replied Brera.

The contralto raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

"It's there if you know where to look."

"And you know where?"

Brera drew a rare smile on his face. "I have my own connections."

Ranka cleared her throat. Given a chance, her brother could hack into any computer system. Before Robin could ask any more questions, she decided to change the topic.

"Is this where you took pictures, Nana-chan?"

"Everywhere! We had two hours to play with and I filled all my memory cards!"

Before the sun went down, Nanase quickly showed them where she shot her pictures. Then they went to the overlook again to see the sunset. With the waning light of day, they hurried back to the mansion.

As they exited the flower maze, they ran into Miranda and Sharin. Miranda had a bunch of flowers in her hands.

"Hey, we're not supposed to pick that!" said Nanase.

"I'm sure he won't mind if it's me. The owner of this mansion provided the flower arrangements in my parade. YOU better not pick any," replied Miranda coolly.

Nanase fumed silently and grabbed Ranka's hand. "Excuse us, we have homework to do."

When they were a good distance away, Nanase muttered, "I don't know how you managed to put up with her during the movie."

"It wasn't easy," admitted Ranka glumly. "And everyone didn't like her either."

They worked on their homework as usual and finished before 11 PM. Then everyone got ready for bed. As she lay in bed, Ranka checked on Sheryl. To her horror, her beloved had a really bad day. The Galaxy Fairy got injured while trying to rescue another team.

"Oh no!" cried Ranka as she stared at the injured shoulder. "Does it hurt a lot?"

Despite her evident pain, that beautiful face forced a smile. "It's just sore. The captain said not to put weight on it."

Ranka hugged her carefully. "Are you going to be ok?"

"I'll be fine. The captain's a good shot and there's tough fighters on our team."

"I wish there was something I could do."

Sheryl kissed her. When she drew back, her eyes gazed at her adoringly. "There is... and only you could do it."

Her verdant locks bounced up when she realized what Sheryl meant. She patted her lap and her Fairy obediently laid her head on it. Then she sang until her beloved drifted off to sleep. After the link broke, Ranka slept as well.

Soon she found herself flying naked in link space. There was a flash by her side, and Sheryl appeared in a nimbus of silver light. That daring smile flashed across the Fairy's face and Ranka reached out to hold her hand. A globe of pink light grew around them and flared into an incandescent stream. Together, they flew faster and faster, into the realm of dreams.

The next day proceeded like usual. However, when Ranka went to the drawing class with Ai, Nanase was very upset.

"That Miranda! She must've ratted on us!"

"What happened?"

"The owner claimed that several of his trees were disturbed. Then Ms. Lohraw got the idea that I might've done it with you guys yesterday, so she scolded me."

Ranka turned to Ai. "Did you eat any?"

"No."

"Onii-chan wouldn't either."

Nanase sighed. "I'm not blaming any of you. I'm just... a little upset..." The charcoal pencil in her hand snapped in two when she squeezed her fist tightly. "Ah! Damn..." She bent down to pick up the pieces.

"I'm sorry that you got in trouble. Can we talk later, I've got to get to class."

"Yeah... sorry for ranting..."

Ranka hurried to acting class where she found Emma mending a rip in her costume. She did not remember seeing the rip yesterday.

"Please wait a bit," said Emma apologetically.

"Take your time. I'll just ask Mr. Granger to work with the other students."

Emma bowed gratefully. "Thank you. I'm sorry for troubling you."

"Don't worry about it. I should be the one thanking you for your support. Anyway, I'll be right back after I talk to Mr. Granger."

Meanwhile, the prop manager was running around and checking off props. He asked Emma, "You have the opera glasses?"

"No."

He checked off Emma's props and asked another student. The rest of the class proceeded without any other costume mishaps. Both she and Brera received positive feedback on their performance with Mr. Granger. Her good mood was evident in composition class and she joined the theoretical discussions with more confidence.

At the end of class, a Mihoshi student handed her a note. It read:

Ranka,
Please meet me at the overlook before dinner. I have a favor to ask.
-Nanase

Ranka hurried to the orchard. She was near the stairs to the overlook when she heard rustling sounds behind her.

"Nana--- EEEEE!!!" Ranka backed away.

"Don't scream, or I'll kill you..." threatened a stocky man with a shaved head and matching gray shirt and pants. In his hands, he gripped a hoe.

In her panic, Ranka screamed anyway and ran.

Continued in Mvmt. II. Affannoso (With Anxiety)

Notable References:

Serenade: A composition performed for a lover, friend, or other person to be honored. See more details in Wikipedia.

Da Capo: A musical term in Italian, meaning from the beginning (literally from the head). See more details in Wikipedia.

The first paragraph describes the opening for episodes 18 and later.