Remember 16
Chapter 2
“Here we are.” Vicky said, as the cab pulled up to an old house. “How’s your leg doing?” 
“Okay.” Basara muttered. “Damn! Now where do I get the money to pay for my stitches?! 
“The hospital gave you a one month extension, you should be able to earn some money by then.” Vicky said optimistically. 
“But that means I’d have to get a job!” Basara cried. “And I’ll tell you now, I’m not the best employee in the world.”
“Well, if you find a job that you like,” Vicky said, as she helped him out of the car, “You can have fun and earn money at the same time.”
“There is no such thing as a ‘fun job’.” Basara grumbled. 
“I wouldn’t be so sure…,” Vicky said with a smile. “Watch that step there.”
Basara took his steps carefully. His wound was not hurting so much anymore, but it wasn’t all that better either. He waited as Vicky unlocked the door. “Come on in.” She said.

Inside the house was not very fancy or anything. But it was warm and comforting. Basara had not been in a house for a long time, especially a really warm and cozy one, so he was really enjoying it.

“Welcome!” A voice came from behind him, shocking him so much he almost jumped out of his skin.
Basara turned and saw a kind looking old man siting in a wheel chair, smiling up at him. 
“Dinner will be ready soon!” Vicky poked her head out of the kitchen and said. She saw the two and smiled. “Basara, meet Granmps. Grandpa, this is Basara.”
“So, my little Victoria,” Grandpa said with a smile, “Scooped yourself a boyfriend today huh?” 
Vicky looked a bit embarrassed. “Grandpa! He was hurt. I couldn’t just leave him.”
Her grandpa only smiled. He wheeled his way back over to Basara and said, “You can stay in the spare room. Just hope you don’t mind Victoria. She always tries to take care of anything that is hurt…Just like her mother……”
Basara saw the old man’s face grow dark. He turned around to look at Vicky, only to see her disappearing into the kitchen.
Poor girl. He thought. She must really miss her parents, even though she acts as if their death was nothing.
Basara decided that he should go comfort her. 
She helped more than once already, He thought. The least I can do is cheer her up.
He made his way to the kitchen.
As soon as he entered it, a mouth-watering aroma surrounded him. Then he realized how hungry he really was. 
I don’t even remember when was the last time I had a decent meal. He thought.
Vicky was bent over the stove, stirring something in a pot. Basara walked up to her. “What cha cooking?” He asked, as he breathed in the wonderful aroma coming from the pot.
“Here, try it.” Vicky turned to him, holding up a spoonful of the liquid from the pot. “Oh yeah, be careful! It’s…”
Too late. Basara took a huge sip, then his eyes bugged out, and he turned bright red.
“…hot.” Vicky finished. Basara was already running around the room, flapping his arms around like crazy, yelling, “HOT!HOT!HOT!!!”
Then Basara stepped into a pot, and it got stuck on his foot. So now he was hopping around on one foot, trying to get the pot off him, and calming his burnt tongue at the same time.
Vicky couldn’t help herself from laughing. She laughed and laughed until her side ached and tears were starting to appear at the corner of her eye.
Basara finally stopped running around like a headless chicken, and looked at her.
“Ha…ha…I’m..I’m sorry! It’s just…ha,ha… you look… so..funny! Ha..Ha.Ha!!”
He pretended to look like she hurt his feelings.
Vicky, still laughing uncontrollably, tried to apologize to him. But all she could get out of her mouth was “Ha!Ha!Ha!”
Basara scrunched up his face. “Fine. Laugh at me. I don’t care!”
With that he turned to leave the kitchen, but he slipped on the mat, and with a *THUD!* So loud it could be heard outside the fleet, he fell face first onto the floor. 

That was too much for Vicky. 
She bursted out with laughter and God knows when she’d be able to stop.
Basara couldn’t help himself anymore either. He started laughing with her. It felt good. He hadn’t laughed so hard in such a long time.
“Ha…ha..Oh my God…Basara, you are too much!” Vicky said between giggles.“I’d probably end up in the hospital for laughing too hard!”
“I’m usually not like this!” Basara protested as he tried to get up, but slipped again!
The both of them tumbled over, laughing.
“Hurry up and eat up.” Vicky said after she finally stopped. “I got a surprise for you!” 
“What surprise?” He asked.
“You’ll see.” Vicky said with a grin.
 Basara looked at her, and thought, well, things didn’t work the way I planned, but at least I cheered her up!
*****************

“Do you have anymore food left?” Basara asked as he put down another empty bowl.
Vicky was standing behind him; there was a big drop of sweat on her forehead. “Well… there’s no more in the fridge that’s for sure… I’ll… go cheek in the basement. 
She looked at him. There was huge pile of empty plates to his right and another pile equally as huge to his left. She herself was carrying another pile.
“You haven’t ate in a long time, have you?” She asked him.
“Nope! Heck, I’ve forgotten what real food tastes like!” He answered has he munched down on what use to be a whole chicken.
She smiled and headed down for the basement. 

She sighed…I gotta stop doing this! She thought. If I take home every person that’s hurt, I’ll go bankrupt!…It’s not like I have much money anyway…

She searched around the basement. 
Holly crap! She thought. He finished all the food in the house!!
She looked around some more. There was no sign of any food. Not even caned ones.
Well, so much for saving food up for winter. She thought.

She turned around, and her eyes caught on something. Something big.
She smiled a bright smile. Her eyes, however, were filled with sadness.
“Soon…” She whispered. “Soon…You’ll fly again. I promise.”

When Vicky came back upstairs, Basara was finishing up the last chicken leg.
“You finished the whole chicken?!” She exclaimed.
“Well…your grandpa helped a bit!” He looked across the table to Vicky’s grandfather, who was holding his stomach. “Right, granmps?”
“Ooh……” Was grandpa’s only reply.
“Thanks for the meal, Vicky.” He said. “I’ll find a way to pay you back. I swear.”
“You just worry about your own problems now.” Vicky said motioning to his wound.
“I’ll think of something…” Basara said.
Vicky just smiled.
“So…are you done?” She asked him. 
“Oh yeah. This should last me a couple of weeks.” Basara patted his belly. Then he looked at her. “So! What is this surprise you were telling me about?”
“Huh? Oh! Oh yeah…” Vicky took a deep breath. Hope I don’t regret this… “Here…put this on.”
Basara caught the thing Vicky threw at him. “Blindfolds?!”
Vicky looked at him. “What’s the point of a surprise if you see it before you get it? Now put those on.”
Basara did as he was told. What kind of a surprise is this? He wondered. More food?
As if Vicky read his mind she said, “Don’t think it’s more food, because there are none left in the house. And besides, why would I tell you to put on blindfolds if I was just gonna give you more food?”
True. He thought. Then what is the surprise?!

Vicky lead him down some stairs, then helped him get into something. Okay…He thought, we’re in a car. She gonna take me somewhere?
True enough, there was a sound of a starting engine, then they began to move.
“You taking me someplace?” He asked her.
“Sort of.” Vicky answered.
“Is this gonna be a long drive?” He asked again.
Vicky giggled. “You have no patience do you?”
“Seldom, if ever.” He replied with a smile.
Vicky giggled again. She liked being around this guy…she felt comfortable and relaxed. those were feelings she rarely has.
Basara was thinking along the same lines. This girl seemed to understand him. No one has ever been able to do that before, especially a girl. Even though he’s only met her for a few hours, he felt like he finally found a friend.

“Okay…!” Vicky said. “We’re here!”
Basara eagerly took off the blindfolds.

Then, for the first time of his life…He was completely surprised.
His heart literally skipped a beat. 
There before him was his all time dream!!
Billions and billions of bright stars surrounded them!! He looked down and saw the Macross 7 fleet floating beneath them.
“We’re in space!!” He bursted out excitingly. “I’ve always dreamed of what it would feel like, and now I’m here!!”
“So what does it feel like?” Vicky asked with a smile.
“WONDERFULL!! MAGNIFICENT!! ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!!”
Vicky just smiled.
Basara was looking out the window like a child seeing snow for the first time.
“Well, now that you’re here,” Vicky said, “might as well complete your dream, huh?”
He turned around, and his eyes lit up with amazement. Vicky was holding a weird looking guitar that seemed to be attacked to her seat.
“What the…?” He stared at the guitar. It seemed like a normal guitar, except it had buttons and switches all over it.
“The valkery that we’re in is controlled by the guitar stick.” Vicky explained. “So you can sing and fly at the same time!” 
“Cool!” Basara’s eye was now glued to the guitar.
“Here…” Vicky got out of the pilot seat and handed him the guitar. “Play it like a normal guitar. Just don’t push any buttons.”
Basara got into the pilot seat. There were windows all around him, and he could see the stars in all directions. He felt like he could do anything. 

He started to sing. 
He sang with every bit of his soul, and every beat of his heart. He never thought he would be able to do this…but he was here!! For the first time, the first time, in his whole entire life, he was truly happy.
Vicky sat in the back seat and listened to him sing. He has a beautiful voice. She thought. Listening to him sing, aroused her own desires of wanting to sing. 
but no matter how much she loved…how much she yearned……no matter how much she wanted to move the world with her music…she couldn’t. 
She just couldn’t…… 


Basara sang and sang until his voice nearly died out. He still couldn’t believe it.
He owed this all to her.
He turned around to face to Vicky. “How can I ever repay you?” He asked. 
Vicky chuckled. “Well, you could start by washing all the dishes you used when we get back!!”
“I’m serious.” Basara said, and Vicky could tell now, that he was. “I owe you too much now. I have to repay you some how.” 
Vicky scratched her head. “Hum…I really don’t think I need anything, you know…”
“The world could use a lot more people like you.” Basara said.
“Why, thank you.” Vicky smiled. “Stick around.” She said. “Maybe I’ll need you. And you need someone to take care of you’re wound.”
“No problem!” He said “I’ll do anything you want me to. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it for you.”

Vicky smiled.
Basara looked at her. “Oh yeah, I’ve been wanting to ask. How come you have a valkery?”
“It was my parents. They were in the army.”
“Oh.” Basara said. “Uh… This is… probably not appropriate to ask, but how…”
“How did they die?” Vicky asked.
“How come you always know what I’m gonna say?!” Basara asked.
Vicky shrugged. 
“They died out in the battle field. Doing what they most believed in.”
“What’s that?” Basara asked.
“Singing.” Vicky replied in a rasp voice. “Mom and dad loved singing. They always thought the battle was useless, and that they could move people with their song. Just like Lin Minmei. I was brought up thinking the same thing too. My dream was to follow my parents foot prints and become a great pilot, and move people with song.”
She stopped and sighed.
“But my parents were wrong. In the end, violence and corruption still won over song. Mom and dad were killed. I was thirteen years old. When my dad was about to die, he made me promise him that I’ll never sing again.”
“What?!” Basara cried.
“He didn’t want me to die. He didn’t want me to fight all my life for something that will never come true. He said there was so much in the world that he did not get to see and do because he did what he did. Same went for mom. He wanted me to live a good life before I die. He wanted me to promise him …… He was dying… I had to….”
“But you told me to always keep my dreams alive!” Basara said.
“Promises are different. If I promise I’ll do something, then I’ll do it. I never sang after my parents death.”
Vicky looked very upset.
“You know… it may feel a bit better if you just cry it out.” Basara said, trying to make it easy for her.
“Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.” Vicky said. “The past is the past. There’s nothing you can do to change it.”

Basara looked at Vicky. Who would have ever thought this pretty, bright looking girl had such a sad past? He felt very sorry for her.

“Tell you what,” Vicky said. “I’ll give you piloting lessons on how to fly a valkery.”
“Really?!” Basara couldn’t believe his luck.
“Yup. You’ll have to help me with stuff around the house though.”
“Deal.” Basara said. Then he looked serious again.
“How do you do it?” He asked her.
“Do what?”
“Not sing! It all what my life’s about, and I just can’t imagine how you can not sing.”
“A promise is a promise.” Vicky said. “It was very hard at the beginning though… I felt like I could just die. But then I slowly got use to it.
Then Basara realized that he had been singing all night, and how bad that must have made her feel.
“I’m sorry.” He said. “I never would have thought…”
“It’s okay!” Vicky said. 
Basara didn’t know what to say.
“You’re a really strong girl, you know that.”
“I don’t know…I seem a bit skinny…” She joked.
“Not physically!” He said. “Mentally. You’re the strongest girl I’ve ever met.”
Vicky gave him a warm smile. “You’re all right, Basara. You’re all right.”
Basara smiled back.
“I like your singing.” Vicky said. “Sing.”
“Does it not upset you…?” He asked.
“No…!”
“Really?” He didn’t believe her.
“Yes!”

Basara took a deep breath.
He wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do.
“Well?” Vicky asked.

Basara took another deep breath, and started singing.
Vicky listened with her heart. She could almost see herself in him. The little girl that used to fly out into space with her patents, and sing to the stars. 
She could spend days doing that.

But that little girl was gone. She had died along with her parents.
The past is the past. She reminded herself. No use fusing over something that cannot be changed… 

Basara sang all the way back to Vicky’s house.
He was so tired that he had trouble getting out of the valkery.

When Vicky showed him to his room, he lied down on the bed and went right to Lala land. Vicky smiled as she watched the boy sleep. He was not like any one else she has met before.
He reminded her too much of…of…who she used to be. 
Carefree, without a worry in the world.
She sighed. “Sweet dreams, Basara…” She whispered, as she turned of the lights, and walked out of the room. 

The dark sky loomed over the fleet, and the whole city slept…
Except one girl….

one girl who stayed up all night, thinking about the dream she use to have…
A dream that meant so much to her…
A dream she wanted so much to complete…
                A dream that will never come true……
******************************************
Mylene listened as Basara finished his last sentence.
“Wow. She helped you complete your dream…” Mylene whispered.
“Oh, she did more than that…” Basara replied. “…She made me who I am.”
Mylene just nodded. “She really promised her dad to never sing again?”
“She was never one to break promises……” Basara’s eyes grew dark.
Mylene however, did not notice. “How can she do that? She had such a bad past, and still she faces tomorrow as if nothing had happened…I admire people like that…” Mylene exclaimed. “I wish I could met her.” She looked hopefully at Basara.
He shook his head.
Oh yeah! She left him. I don’t think he knows where she is…Mylene realized.                        

Basara didn’t say anything for a while.
“What happed next?” Mylene asked.
“Well…” He started slowly. “I stayed at her house, and tried to help her as much as I could. I felt like I owe the whole world to her……I still do.”
“Did you ever found a job to pay for your stitches?” Mylene asked.
“Yes. Vicky got me a job. Singing at a pub. It was hard at first…but soon, I got use to it…”                         End of chapter 2