A Christmas Rebound

As she wandered through the crowded streets of Tokyo she listened to the Christmas carols playing loudly. She was alone and far from home. It was how she wanted it. She used to love Christmas. She used to love the idea of spending the holidays with the people she cared for most. But this year… this year was different. This year she was terrified to spend time with her family. She didn't want to feel pitied or hear more condolences.

It was her first Christmas without him, without the boy she cared so much for… maybe even loved. Tolle Koenig had been killed during a terrible war that had only finished a few months before. When she was finally discharged from the military herself and returned home she was flooded with the condolences from all the people she knew. They all pitied her for being so young and to have lost someone she cared so much for. All their sympathy only seemed to make it more difficult for her to move on.

Fearing all this she asked her parents for only one thing for Christmas, to let her escape it all. She wanted to be far away from Orb… from everyone. She wanted a chance to find peace with all that had happened to her. To move on from Tolle in her own way. She knew it would take time no matter where she was but she was enjoying the change of scenery. This however didn't stop her mother from checking in on her at least once a day over the phone.

"So you're still ok with your decision?"

"Of course Mom." She replied trying to reassure her that she was happy. "I know you and Dad wanted me there, but… I just needed this."

"Do you really think being alone is the answer? I know it's hard Miriallia, but that doesn't mean running away from your life is going to make the pain go away. You still have people who love and care about you, and they are all here in Orb"

Orb… were all the people who cared about her really there. Were they the only ones who did? She quickly shook the thought of sudden disappointment from her mind. Truth was there was someone out there that she couldn't help but wonder if they cared. He left her life almost as quickly and unexpectedly as he came, leaving her with three simple words to remember him by: 'Don't forget me'. She knew she never would. She hated him at first but in the end seemed to admire him and even think of him as kind of her hero.

"I know they are" She finally answered. "But I hope they can all understand that this is just something I need right now. Say hello to Grammy and Grampy for me"

"It's not too late for you to come home you know. Then you could say hello yourself."

"I haven't been to half the places on my list to see yet. But I promise I'll be home early in the new year." she stopped in front of a restaurant. Feeling her stomach growling she thought it was time to grab a bite to eat. "I should probably go. I'm starving."

"Okay honey. Call me when you have time tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you too, bye." Hanging up the phone she headed into the restaurant.

After sitting at a table and ordering some soup she decided to look at some of the pictures she had taken over the past few days. Pulling out her camera and laptop she uploaded the pictures to her computer. She had taken so many that all her attention was lost on them. Even when the waiter came with her food she continued to sort through them. She rejected and deleted the bad or blurry ones while saving the good, great and amazing. She even began editing a few. It wasn't until a waiter joked that she would want her dinner to get cold that she finally pulled herself out of her little photography world a bit and began to eat.

As the night went on she continued to sit there, even after she finished eating. She found herself researching about photography. She had really been enjoying her time as a tourist, mostly because she was loving the feeling of a camera in her hands. She was so distracted by what she was doing that when the waiter came over to her she nearly jumped out of her skin.

She looked at him strange as he offered her the drink that was on his tray. "I didn't order this" She informed him.

"It's from the gentlemen sitting at the bar." It seemed like such a cliche. A man sees a pretty girl and buys her a drink as a meet cute. She always thought it was cheesy in movies and tv. Mostly because the guy who would do that was usual a total self centered jerk. "He told me to tell you if you accept the drink he will take that as an invitation to join you. If you send it back then he won't bother you."

Curious Miriallia slowly lowered her computer screen to get a look at who this guy was. As soon as she looked towards the bar her eyes met with someone else's. In that second, in that quick little moment she knew it was him who sent her the drink. She couldn't believe who she was looking at. "It can't be" she thought to herself. But looking into his eyes, he bright violet eyes, she knew it was him. She felt frozen in her spot as they looked at one another. Finally after a few seconds that felt like forever, she turned to the waiter and said "Thank you for the drink" She picked it up off the tray and set it down on the table in front of her. The waiter nodded and walked away.

Seeing this the young man began to make his way over as she packed away her laptop and camera. She wanted to focus on him and the conversation. For the first time in a long while she didn't think she needed a distraction from reality. "I didn't know if you would accepted." The young man said as he took a seat at the table.

"Guess I was curious what you are doing here."

"I could ask you the same thing. I thought Orb was your home. Are you visiting family or something?"

"More like avoiding my family" She admitted. He gave her a strange look, as if he was confused by her confession. She decided maybe she should explain. "It's my first Christmas since well… you know." She didn't want to say it but luckily by the sympathetic look on his face she knew he understood what she meant. "And… what about you Dearka?" She questioned. "Why are you here on Earth. Don't tell me you're avoiding your family too." she joked.

"I don't really have any family to avoid." He informed her in a serious tone as he played with the label on his beer bottle.

"I...I'm sorry, I didn't know" She felt bad for him. She didn't know what to say.

"It's okay. It's just not exactly something I talk about ever. But my mother died when I was little. I know what happened to her, my father never wanted to talk about it. All I know is one day she was gone. After her funeral my father told me that that was the last time I was to cry for her. From that point on I had to be brave, and so I was."

She couldn't help but feel bad for the young coordinator. He seemed more real to her then ever before. "What happened with your father? Did you lose him too?" She asked curious.

He took a long sip of his drink before answering. "He's alive but in prison." She was a little surprised by this. "He was a member of the PLANTs Supreme Council. He was arrested during the ceasefire along with the other members who supported Patrick Zala."

"I guess we both have things we want to run away from here."

"Yeah I guess we do" They sat there in awkward silence for a while while they sipped away at their drinks. "So… why Japan?" he finally asked.

"I don't know. It was somewhere Tolle had never been. Seemed like a good place to try and forget him."

"Doesn't sound like it's working" She glared at him as if offended. "I don't mean any offence by it, it's just if you're trying to go somewhere just because he's never been here then maybe your not over him at all"

"I… I am over him!" She blurted. "I moved on. I have."

"Are you sure?" He questioned skeptically.

"Can we change the subject?" She asked beggingly.

"Of course."

"What about you? Why are you here?"

"Well I've been to most of the PLANTs. They all just seemed like more of the same. So I decided to try visiting places on Earth. I didn't really chose Japan for any other reason then it was the next flight leaving when I got to the airport."

"You just got on whatever flight was available?" She questioned intrigued at his spontaneity.

"Yeah. I thought I would let fate decide where I go. It's seemed to work out pretty well so far." He replied smirking at her. She felt strangely nervous all of a sudden with him looking at her like that. She had seen him smile before but somehow being in a foreign country where all they knew was each other brought a certain magic to his face. "So… why don't we start over?"

"Start over?" She was confused about what he meant by that until he reached his hand over to shake hers.

"My name is Dearka Elsman" He informed her as if her was introducing himself for the first time.

She smiled at him and shook his hand while introducing herself. "Miriallia Haww"

"Miriallia… that's a really beautiful name. You don't mind if I call you by your name do you?" He asked in a husky tone.

She laughed a little at his question, although she knew where it was coming from. It was because the first time she told him her name she spat at him that he couldn't say it. "Of course you can call me by my name… or… you could call me Mir."

"Mir?" He repeated frowning slightly.

She tucked her hair behind her ear and replied "It's what my friends call me."

"Friends?" he smile grew a little bigger hearing her say this.

"F-friends, family, old comrades, associates, acquaintances… they all just call me Mir. Miriallia is just a long name to say you know" She was a little embarrassed that she had just call him a friend. Afterall with their explosive first meeting friends was the last thing anyone would think they would become.

"Guess I do fit at least one of those" He looked over at her bag that was laying on the table. "So what were you so focused on earlier. I walked past you a while ago and you didn't even notice me"

"Awe, did I bruise your ego?" She joked.

"Well woman do normally have a hard time not noticing me. But I was more curious because I've never seen you look so happy before."

"You met me during a tough time in my life. Of course you've never seen me happy"

"You have a point. Still…" He said trying to get her to answer.

She took a deep breath and answered "I was looking at some of the pictures I took. I'm thinking about maybe… possibly… someday… " She didn't know why she had such trouble saying the words out loud. Maybe it was because Dearka was the first person she was ever telling. "Becoming a photographer."

"Sounds like more than just a maybe. If it makes you half as happy as you looked today then it is worth pursuing. You should go for it." He was so encouraging, it was strange. She never thought he would ever be like this outside in the real World.

"Maybe I will someday. But for now I just want to get my life back together."

"I get that. The war really messed things up…" He replied before he stood up suddenly. She looked at him funny. "Why don't we get out of here?" He suggested. "There's supposed to be this big fireworks display in the park a couple blocks from here. It's starting in a little bit. Did you want to go with me?"

"I-I uh… well..." She stuttered nervously.

"As acquaintances… friends, or whatever you want to call the two of us. You could take some pictures on that camera of yours."

"Alright, fine. It will be nice to do something with someone."

They left the restaurant together and walked down the street. It was dark, only the street lights and passing cars to light their way. Dearka walked slightly in front of her with his hands nonchalantly in his pockets. She couldn't help but think how normal he seemed. He wasn't at all who she thought he was.

Noticing she was lagging behind he turned to look at her. "Is everything okay?" He asked as he walked back towards her.

"Yeah…" She looked up into his eyes. They were only inches away from one another. "... I'm fine"

"Are you sure?" He asked, his voice sounding a bit seductive. She could swear he was almost leaning in a bit. She didn't know what to do or say when truck came whizzing by. As it passed it drove through a large puddle of water and slush sending it flying towards the young pair. Seeing the wave of cold, wet, dirty slush coming towards them he stepped in the way getting drenched head to toe.

"Oh my god!" Mir screamed in surprise. She looked at Dearka, he was soaked. "Dearka… " she was about to ask if he was okay when he suddenly started laughing as he wiped off the excess slush. It was a full body happy laugh. When he turned to look at her he had a huge happy smile on his face. Hearing him laugh and seeing him smile she felt something strange. Something that made her remember a conversation she had with a friend a long time ago.

Flashback

"Sai what were you thinking" Miriallia said sympathetically as she sat down next to him on the rock. He was trying to avoid everyone. He had just embarrassed himself for what seemed like nothing. "Kira's your friend why would you attack him like that?" She asked.

"Friend?" He repeated angry. "Like I could consider him a friend after what he's done. He took away the woman I love" He spat.

"Love? You and Flay barely spent any time together what makes you think it's love?"

He looked up at her and said "I know what falling in love feels like, just like I'm sure you are."

"And how exactly does it feel? How do you know" She asked skeptical.

"You know you're falling in love when you lose your breath and your heart beats like crazy when they enter the room. When they smile or laugh it makes your skin tingle. It's the best feeling in the world and I feel it for Fllay, but Kira's taken her away from me."

"Sai… I hate to say it but if she loves you the way you love her, there would be nothing Kira could do to steal her away. Maybe you should just move on."

"Moving on from someone you love feels impossible."

End of Flashback

She looked at the blond coordinator laughing and smiling in front of her. She felt breathless. Her heart was beating fast then ever before. Her skin tingling like crazy. She was lost in his eyes almost scared. Was she falling for him? Was hearing his laugh causing her to have feelings for him? She ignored this feeling and said "You're soaked."

"Yeah… guess I am." He looked up and her and saw he didn't block as much slush as he hoped he would. "You look pretty drenched yourself." He said reaching up and tucking her wet hair behind her ear. "You should probably get changed out of those wet clothes."

"Right" She said reaching in her pocket to get her cell phone.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I wondered pretty far from my hotel today. I kind of need a cab to get back there." she admitted.

"You'll catch a cold before you get there" He replied sounding almost worried. "My hotel is less than a block away. You can change into some of my clothes to warm up." She looked at him surprised. She didn't know how to answer. "Come on, what can it hurt?" He asked.

"Yeah, ok. Let's go." What could it really hurt she thought. These feelings inside were nothing. Afterall she still was hung up on Tolle, right?

They walked together through the hallway of what Miriallia could only describe as the fanciest hotel she had ever been in. They had just taken an elevator to one of the top floors. "Who is this guy?" she wondered to herself as she walked. Finally he stopped in front of a door and pulled out a key card. Unlocking it he invited her in. When she went through the door she saw the most amazing room. There was a king size bed, small kitchenette, hot tub and a bathroom more extravagant than any she had ever seen. She was so amazed she couldn't help but say "Just how rich are you?"

He snickered at her comment. "Let's just say I'm comfortable. But money isn't everything, trust me. Like they say money can't buy you happiness."

"But it can buy you something amazing" She remarked looking out the large glass windows.

He walked passed her and over to the dresser. Pulling out a t-shirt and pajamas pants he handed them to her. "You should go get changed. I hear you naturals catch colds pretty easy." He said it so sweetly she ignored his natural comment. Nodding she walked off to get changed. When she emerged from the bathroom she saw he was struggling to get his wet shirt off. It was clinging to his perfectly sculpted muscles. Going over to him she grabbed hold of the bottom edges and helped him pull it off. As it fell to the floor they just stared at one another. She blushed at him looking at his shirtless body, while he was speechless seeing her in his clothes. "I… I should get changed…" he whispered not noticing himself lean in a bit.

His lips hovered so close to hers their noses were near touching. In his mind he was fighting the urge to lean in anymore. It was a battle that had been going on for so long.

Flashback

He stood looking at the shuttle. Taking a deep breath he was ready to board. As he was about to walk forward he saw a strange look come across his friend's face. Turning he looked back to see the young natural girl. He was confused at what she was even doing there.

"You're leaving?" She asked barely able to look at him.

"Yeah… the PLANTs are my home." He replied. "I need to go back."

"Then I guess this is goodbye."

"Yeah it is" he rubbed the back of his neck nervously before saying "Don't forget me… okay?" She simply nodded in response.

He soon boarded the shuttle, with Yzak close behind. They sat down and were silent. This silence only lasted so long before his friend couldn't hold back the question that was floating in his mind. "Who the hell is she?"

"Huh? Who?" He asked genuinely sounding confused.

"Don't play dumb with me Elsman!" he spat. "Don't tell me she's the reason you did all this! You risked everything."

"It's not like that Yzak" He argued.

"You have feeling for her don't you" He said accusingly.

Dearka knew he couldn't hide it from him, Yzak sometimes knew him better than he knew himself. "It means nothing. It's just a stupid little crush, an infatuation really. It's not like I ever acted on it or would ever. Besides I'm never going to see that girl again so just forget about it."

End of Flashback

Being with her now, alone, far away from the military and all who knew them somehow made her even more irresistible. He was trying his hardest to fight the urge to crash his lips against hers when suddenly she pushed herself up and kissed him. His opened his eyes in surprise before he closed them and returning her kiss.

Miriallia couldn't believe what she was doing. She was kissing Dearka Elsman… no… not just that, she was kissing someone who wasn't Tolle. Maybe what surprised her the most was how right it all felt. She touched her hands on his chest and move them up around his neck. He picked her up and set her on the dresser as their kisses became more and more passionate. She tangled her fingers up into her blond locks while he grabbed her lower back pulling her in closer.

The rest of the night seemed a blur. No words were exchanged even though their mouths were busy most of the night. They woke up the next morning cuddled up in the large bed together. As the sunlight filled the room they remained quiet. Neither of them knew what to say. They didn't expect what happened to happen.

Dearka pulled her in close and kissed her neck. She turned in his arms and to look at him. He could tell she didn't know what to say. "Don't worry. I know what this was."

"Huh?" She frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You're not over him." He said sadly, almost disappointed. "I know I'm just a rebound."

"Dearka…"

"It's ok, really it is" He tried to assure her. "I just hope you don't regret it."

"No, I don't" She replied honestly. Truth was in all the time since leaving the military it was the first time she felt really happy. The first time she felt like she could move on from Tolle. "I think… I think I needed this."

"Do know what you also need?"

"What?"

"You need to go home, be with your family."

"Huh?"

He reached out and tucked her hair lovingly behind her ear. "You're going to regret it if you're not there for the holidays. If you leave today you can make it home in time for Christmas Eve."

"Dearka… I can't… I don't wa-"

"Their pity?" He questioned. She nodded. "At least you have people in your life to pity you" She could hear a tinge of sadness in his voice when he said this. "The holiday's are about spending time with your family and those who love you. Your's spent months this past year wondering if they would ever see you again. The best gift you can give them is going home and being with all of them just like you always have been."

She knew he was right, even if she didn't want him to be. "And what about you? You'll be all alone"

"I'll be fine. I promise."

She stood outside her grandmother's house her hand hovering in front of the door in a fist. She was scared, but remembering Dearka's words she knew it was something she had to do. She knocked on the door and waited nervously. Soon it opened and she saw her mother's surprised face.

"Miriallia!" She leaped forward and hugged her tightly. "What are you doing here?"

"I just couldn't stay away"

"Come on in, everyone with be so happy to see you."

Before walking in the house she looked back at the sky. Looking at the silhouettes of the PLANTs couldn't help but think of Dearka. He was right. Being home was what she needed. After all she had been through, after all she lost she needed her family. She also knew she needed to see him again. Part of her wondered if she ever would. But in her heart she knew that their destinies were intertwined and that fate would someday bring them back together. Because he wasn't a rebound, she knew Dearka Elsman was something else entirely.