Cass: Aiee.... time for the disclaimers, warnings, etc... I don't own Garu, Ernest, and/or other Megami Kouhosei characters (or Megami Kouhosei, for that matter). They all belong to Yukiru Sugisaki. "Iris" is by The Goo Goo Dolls, by the way..

Hiead: Thank the Goddesses...

Cass: What's THAT supposed to mean?! _" Oh, and don't forget the shonen- ai! GaruxErnest, everybody..*bricked* Ow... My first fic... don't be too mean.. THAT MEANS YOU, CHRIS. _

-----------------------------------------Iris------------------------------- ----------

And I'd give up forever to touch you

'Cause I know that you feel me somehow

You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be

And I don't want to go home right now...

Garu flopped onto the grass next to Ernest. He yawned. Ernest looked up at him and smiled. "You idiot.... what were you thinking, putting food poisoning in Rioroute's (Cass: Sorry..I couldn't resist. ^^;) food...?" Garu grinned, his eyes closed. "He needed it. He was gonna get fat..." Ernest chuckled softly. "Whatever.." he muttered.

Garu opened his eyes and blinked. Once. Twice. Then he looked at Ernest. He had to stifle a smile. He was so cute when he slept. He was torn between annoying the hell out of Ernest by waking him up, or by savoring the moment by letting him sleep. He decided to choose the first option.

Garu moved slowly towards Ernest. He reached out a hand, and prodded the shorter boy on his nose. Nothing. He prodded him again. STILL nothing. Then, he grabbed a stick and poked him. The blonde boy jolted awake. Garu grinned mischeviously at Ernest, his earrings falling onto his cheek. Ernest glared a little, but then his expression softened.

He lightly brushed Garu's earrings away from his cheek, then he turned his back to the green-haired candidate. "You look better that way," he muttered, dozing off again..

And all I can taste is this moment

And all I can breathe is your life

'Cause sooner or later it's over

I just don't want to miss you tonight..

Garu ran down the hall, knocking over people in his midst. He had just been promoted to a pilot, and he was rushing off to tell his best friend the good news. He bumped into his repairer, Leena, and he fell backwards. "Owww..." she grumbled, sitting up. "Sorry! I! Have! To tell! Ernest!" Garu said, gasping and rushing off again. Leena grinned a little and got up. She crossed her arms and watched her partner run down the hall, knocking down even more people. "He must have had WAY too much sugar," she said under her breath, resuming her walk to her room..

Garu burst into Ernest's quarters without even knocking. "ERNEST!!!!!!" he yelled, tackling the other boy, pinning him down on the bed. "GUESS WHAT!?!?!" Ernest, looking alarmed, said softly, "I can't begin to imagine..." Garu grinned. "I'M A PILOT!!!!!!!!!!!" It took Ernest a while to register that in his brain, but, after a few seconds, he smiled. "That's...That's great, Garu!!!!" he said. Garu grinned again. "Isn't it!? I get my own Ingrid and everything!!" Ernest raised an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah. That's what happens when you're promoted to a pilot," Garu smiled sheepishly. "I knew that. But, anyway, hurry up and become a pilot! I can't wait for you forever, you know!"

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am...

Ernest watched as Garu and Rio chugged down the bottles of beer. He blinked. "Another one!" Garu half-yelled, his eyes heavy-lidded. Rio looked over at him. "I surrender! You win!!! Please, no more...." the sandy-haired pilot sobbed. Garu hiccupped. "Y..Ya coulda'... stopped a..*hic!* long time ago..." Rio glared. "I'm not going to lose so easily to YOU, Gareas Elidd! I'll have you know, that I'm--..." suddenly, he dropped off to sleep right then and there. Ernest blinked again. They were celebrating his promotion to the pilot of the Luhma Klein, but the party turned out to be just him and Yu watch Garu and Rio have a drinking contest.

Yu, finding all of this quite barbaric, had left early. Which left Ernest alone to fend for himself. Which, with a drunk Garu, is never a good thing. Rio stumbled out of the room, mouthing gibberish that Ernest could hardly understand. He made out the words, "I haffa go to da baffroom.." and he left it at that. There was silence in the room, which was only broken by the hiccups of the drunken Garu. Suddenly, Garu stood and walked over to Ernest. Ernest looked up at the taller man. Garu looked him straight in the eye and said, "...Did I ever tell you... That I think you're the most beautiful person alive...?" he swayed on his feet slightly.

Ernest felt the blood pool in his cheeks. "Th....Thank you.....I think.." Garu then leaned down, his breath smelling of booze. His face inches away from Ernest's, he mumbled, "Have I ever told you that I..." he paused. Ernest was tempted to scream, 'WHAT!? WHAT IS IT?! TELL ME, YOU DRUNKEN IDIOT!!!!!!' but he restrained himself. Garu grinned dopily. "That I.." he fell onto Ernest, his breath sounding in his ear. Ernest had to use all of his strength to keep from yelling, 'WHAT?!!?!?! IS IT THAT YOU LOVE ME?! If that's the case, then I...' his train of thought stopped, but resumed shortly after. 'I feel the same way..'

Garu grinned. "T..That I.." Ernest lost his temper, which is very rare of him. "Spit it out!!" he cried, the suspense killing him. Garu muttered, "That I have green hair..." Ernest nearly fell over. "IS THAT IT!?!?!?" he cried. Garu said nothing. "...Garu..?" Ernest said, lightly prying the limp Garu from his shoulder. He looked at his friend, and a gentle snore issued from his mouth. Ernest chuckled softly and laid his friend on the couch.

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming

Or the moment of truth in your lies

When everything feels like the movies

Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive..

"ERNEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" Garu cried, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. The Victim dispersed into the darkness of space like the cowards they were. The battered Luhma Klein limply floated in space, the pilot inside having died instantly. The Errn Laties watched the whole thing from a distance, it's pilot completely unphased. Garu cursed under his breath, sobbing quietly. "Return to GIS.." Teela said evenly. Garu felt his throat tighten. He hated Teela in that instant, but said nothing, and returned to GIS.

Back at GIS, the Pilots and Repairers were assembled at the paddock. "Repairer. Damage report," Teela said, so calm it was as if what just happened did not affect her at all. "The pilot..." Tune, Ernest's repairer started, "Is deemed useless. Priority...Given to the airframe.." she said through a rush of tears. That's when Garu just stopped listening. 'How the hell can she be so calm?!' he thought, trying to fight back the tears. "....You will begin repairs on the Luhma Klein immediately," Teela finished, turning and walking out of the paddock. Garu could stand it no longer. "Wait, Number One!" he called to Teela's retreating form. "You don't have to make her do it now..." he trailed off. Teela looked over her shoulder, at Garu.

"Duty takes precedence over everything else," she stated calmly. Inside, Garu raged. "But why right now..?" he asked. "Victim is not going to wait," Teela replied, and continued walking out. "SO THAT'S THE WAY IT GOES!?!?!?!" Garu screamed, tears falling down his cheeks.

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am..

Garu stood next to Ernest's casket, his head bowed low. His bangs obscured his tear-stained face. "..Ernest..." he said softly. He looked at the body in the casket. "Why'd you do it?" he asked. His throat tightened. Before he knew what he was doing, he had grabbed onto the sides of the casket and was shaking them violently. "WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO IT!? WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!!?!?!" he drew a shuddering breath, stopped shaking the casket, and started sobbing. "Why.....why did you have to die....?"

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken..

After the wake, Garu walked into his room. He sat on the bed, his hands on his knees, holding his head. He was so numb from sadness that he couldn't and wouldn't speak to anyone. He remembered just before leaving his Ingrid that Elia had wrapped his arms around him in a way to comfort him, and she had muttered, "I'll do what I can.." Garu had been sobbing so hard that he hadn't even noticed it and brushed her off. Only now he realized what she had said.

A voice echoed through his mind. It was a warm, familliar voice, filled with kindness and sadness at the same time. ::Garu..:: It echoed. Garu lifted his head. "Who is it..?" he muttered under his breath. ::You don't recognize my voice....? I'm ashamed. I've only been dead for two days.:: Then Garu realized. "...Ernest!?" If you could hear someone telepathically smile, Garu would have heard him. ::Yes, you baka,:: Ernest said. Then Garu had a crazy idea. 'Wait... if he's talking to me...that must mean....he's alive?!' his eyes widened like a little child who was opening a present on Christmas day and had just gotten what they had wanted the most. There was silence, but Ernest said, gently and sadly, ::...Not quite....:: "Then how...-" Garu began confusedly.

::I can't explain it myself...:: Ernest interrupted. ::I only have a limited time left...Garu...... take care...:: then, the telepathic whisp retreated, the warm light fading in Garu's mind. "Ernest......" Garu muttered. No reply. "ERNEST!!!!!" Still none. The light was gone. Garu glared. "Why do you always leave me, Ernest...?" he muttered. Not for the first time, Garu started crying again. The tears stained his bedsheets. "I can't...I can't take it anymore.....Ernest...." he sharply inhaled. "I didn't get to tell you.......that I loved you...." He said, sobbing.

I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am...

~FIN~

Cass: Well.......what'd you think...? Don't be too harsh...