This is my first story in Fire Emblem, hope you like it. Just so you know, this happens after the battle with Ashera and before Ike leaves. Enjoy.

"It's almost Christmas and I still haven't decided on what gifts to give to the girls." The young commander thought as he ate breakfast. It was tradition that the girls give the guys presents, and the guys give the girls presents. "Maybe I should ask Oscar, he should know what to do."

"Good morning Oscar." Ike greeted the green-haired knight. "You've really outdone yourself this time."

"Good morning." Oscar said as he wore the usual smile. "And what help do you need today?"

"Well, I haven't gotten Mia or Mist a present for Christmas, and I need help deciding. What did you get them?" Ike asked the knight.

"I'm sure that they would love anything you would get them, as long as it came from the heart." Oscar said knowingly.

"I don't know what a girl would like though." Ike said in a sad tone.

"Don't you know what your sister would like?"

"…" Ike hesitated. "Father always gave the presents, he said that children needed to receive presents, not give them, and since he is dead I need to give Mist her presents." Ike said sadly. "I haven't been able to, because of the war, but I need to."

"I see." Oscar said as he took gave Ike his water.

"Thank you." Ike said briefly. "I know it sounds bad, but… I was trained to just be a mercenary, not anything about this present giving."

"Yes, but what did Commander Greil give you?" Oscar asked as he sat down, waiting for everyone to come, Mia swimming, and the rest were sleeping.

"He always gave me a heavier Trainer and more training for the year." Ike said calmly.

"I…see." Oscar said, surprised at the late commander's 'gifts.' "Well… what did he give Mist?"

"… I don't know… I think he gave her new shoes or something like that." Ike said after pulling back memories.

"Then why don't you give her clothes, or a staff?" Oscar suggested.

"Maybe I will, but what about Mia?" Ike asked.

"I think she would like a sword, she always admired your skill with a blade, so maybe it would mean a lot too her." Oscar suggested.

"That might work." Ike said. "Thank you Oscar. And that really was a good meal.

"No problem." Oscar said as he went back to the kitchen as Mia came inside the dining hall.

"Hey Boss!" Mia said in her usual cheery voice.

"Hello Mia." Ike greeted in his calm voice. "How was your swim?"

"It was good." Mia said, faltering a little.

"Is something wrong?" Ike asked, worried for his friend.

"O-Oh, n-nothing." She said, with a light blush on her face.

"Are you sure? You can tell me if something is wrong." Ike stood up, and walked towards her, she side-stepped around him. "Mia?" He walked towards her again, but she side-stepped him again.

"It's nothing, Boss." Mia said with a shaky voice.

"You are a really bad liar." Ike said as he ran his hand through his hair. "Tell me the problem, or I can't help you."

"I just need to go to my room." Mia said, desperate to get away from Ike.

"Very well then." Ike went out of the way and Mia went past him, her back away from him and her hands behind her. "Did you receive a tear in your skirt after swimming, so you're embarrassed and don't want me to see?" Ike asked.

"W-What?!" Mia asked, she almost fell over, but quickly recovered. "Y-You got me." Mia stuck her tongue out in a silly fashion. "I should have known better than to think I can trick you, former general of the Crimea Army." Mia removed one hand and knocked on the side of her head, giving him a very cute expression, while sticking her tongue out.

"You should have told me, I would have stopped and turned away." Ike said with a rare smile. "Feel free to leave." Ike turned away from her.

"Thanks Boss." She then rushed to her room.

"I should ask Boyd about what I should get them. Maybe Mia would like a sword." Ike thought as he set of to look for Boyd.

(Mia)

"Thank Ashera, Ike didn't realize what I had." Mia thought as she barricaded her door and put the item on her bed. "But…did he have to think my skirt was torn, if Gatrie was there the cover would be blown." Mia flopped down onto her bed. "But he really is slow, or dense. Terribly dense." Mia fell asleep with a smile on her face.

(Christmas Day)

"Boss!!" Mia screamed as she pounded on Ike's door. "Boss!! It's Christmas! Come on!"

Ike was rolling over in bed, pulling his pillow over his head, but the noise did not cease.

"Boss! Boss, come on…" Mia started, but suddenly the door opened, revealing Ike, whose hair was ruffled, and was only wearing his pants. "Boss."

"Mia… Stop that, I'll be ready in a little bit." That was all Ike said before he closed the door in her face to get prepared.

"S-Sure." Mia said a little red after seeing her boss's bare-chest like that.

Mia then went down to where they were going to celebrate and saw everyone was already there. "Where's Ike?" Mist asked.

"Sorry for being late." Ike said as he came down in his usual wear.

"Don't worry." Mist said. "Let's start opening the presents." Mist said with a smile.

Rolf, Mia, and Boyd went for the presents, before getting stopped by Ike, and Oscar. "Patience." Ike said as he pulled on Mia's collar and knocked Boyd into the ground with his other hand, while Oscar stopped Rolf in a far more peaceful way.

"The first shall be last and the last shall be first." Oscar said to Rolf. "Now let's give out the presents." Oscar and Ike picked up some of the presents and started distributing them, while Mia was rubbing her neck, Rolf was standing near mist, and Boyd was on the ground, trying to recover after Ike hit him so hard.

"Where are Shinon and Gatrie?" Ike asked Mist.

"They said that they would go…" Mist's face was bright red.

"I see…" Ike said.

"Have you opened your presents yet?" Mia asked, even happier since it was Christmas.

"No, I'm still handing out presents." Ike said as he pulled out a gift. "From me to you… what a weird tag." Ike said as he handed he the box.

She all but snatched the gift from him and tore it open.

"Calm down." Ike said to Mia. "The gift won't fight back." Ike teased, causing Mia to glare at him.

"Fine, why don't you open your gift?" Mia asked him.

"Very well." Ike said as he held Mia's gift. It was a box of some sort and had a lot of wait to it. "What is this?"

"Open it and find out." Mia said with a grin.

"Hmm… not now, you should open your present first." Ike said as he nudged at her gift.

"Sure!" Mia said in a rush as she opened the box. She wondered what her boss would get her for Christmas, but when she reached the gift, she stopped, and pulled it out. "B-Boss!" She was bright pink when she held a teddy bear wearing a sweater that said, I wuv you. "Why did you get me a stuffed bear?!" She screamed, her face scarlet.

"I thought you would like." Ike asked, wearing a confused expression. "Am I wrong?'"

"Where did you get the idea that I would like…this?" Mia asked pointing to the teddy bear.

"I remember that Father usually got Mist things like that, so I thought I would give you it." Ike said as he looked away.

"Boss!!!" Mia screamed. "This stuff is for little girls, not a mercenary!!!"

"Sorry, I think I put the actual gift somewhere here." Ike said as he looked around. "Here it is." Ike handed her the gift.

"Really?" Mia asked with a surprised look on her face. "You didn't have to…"

"Well, you didn't like that present, so here is this one." Ike gave her the box, it was quite long. "Open it." Ike ordered her.

"Thanks, Boss." Mia seemed to have lost most of her energy as she went to open the box. "W-Wha…" Mia started as she pulled the item out. It was a bunny…suit…kind of…partial…not really…exposing…suit…yeah. It was a two piece bunny suit that was really revealing and seductive.

Ike's jaw dropped, and turned red after his imagination went too far. "That shouldn't have been it!" Ike took the box and dug around and pulled something from it. "Here it… IS?!" He pulled out a…cat suit, revealing, but now it's a p…cat, with the words 'Lick me clean, Master,' on the top. "I'm sorry, /'I don't know how it got there… I…" Ike tried to explain to Mia, whose eyes were wide and her face was a type of red that should not have been possible. "I-I'm sorry." Ike offered weakly as Boyd started laughing up a storm.

(Five minutes later)

"She showed you!" Boyd screamed as he was rolling on the floor laughing, while clutching at his sided.

"Shut up." Ike said there was a red hand print on Ike's face, showing where Mia slapped him, hard. "Get up!" Ike ordered.

"C-Can't… s-s-s-stop laughing…" Boyd said, rolling on the ground, the girls already left, they were disgusted at what Ike gave Mia, and the guys didn't want to be involved with this.

"Shut up." Ike said as he slammed a pillar of wood onto Boyd. "That was an order." Ike said as he left the unconscious warrior on the ground, he opened the gift.

(Mia)

"But it was so embarrassing!" Mia screamed. "I expected something else, not something… childish or perverted!"

"But Ike made the bear." Mist said softly. "I helped him learn to make it; he really put his heart into it, just for you." Mist said sadly, with a tear on her face. "HE tried so hard, only to get screamed at and slapped." A tear fell onto the floor. "I didn't know you were so heartless."

"Okay, I'm sorry." The true blade told the cleric. "I didn't know how much work he put into it, but he put down, 'I…w-wuv you?'" Mia said as she threw her hands up, but she then put them down. "What did he get you?" The true blade asked, with her head down.

"He gave me Ettard." The Mist said sheepishly.

"What?!" Mia's head shot up.

"He said that he wanted me to have it." Mist said. "And that I could do whatever I wanted with it."

"Then why did he give me a stuffed bear?!" Mia asked.

"He wanted to give you a gift from the heart, not something he could buy." Mist said. "He thought it wouldn't mean anything."

"…" Mia had nothing to say.

"Maybe you should get some sleep, and then meet up with Ike in the morning." Mist suggested.

Mia nodded and then walked to her room to get some sleep.

"Maybe I did overreact, but how could he give me something like… that?" Mia then opened her door and flopped down onto her bed, but let soft scream as her head hit something hard. "Ow. What's this?" Mia pulled the covers off her bed to reveal the sacred blade Ragnell. "Don't tell me I'm in Boss's room." Mia thought as she panicked, but she noticed a letter on the blade addressed to her. "Boss, what are you doing?" Mia got of the bed and lit a candle. There was a box under Ragnell, but she paid no attention to it as she read the letter.

Mia,

I'm sorry about the clothes, Boyd put that there in place of what it was, and I beat him up for it. I'm sorry I embarrassed you, but I thought that you would like it, Father always got Mist stuffed animals and she loved them, but she was five years old. But I wanted to give your real gift, Ragnell, it is what I got you, no one knows about it, but I'm leaving to find another world, so I wanted to give you Ragnell to remember me by, and the gift in the box. So I'm sorry and good-bye. I hope to see you again, if I ever come back, but don't die, Mia… my love. Oh, and by the way, you shouldn't worry about me being weaponless, Boyd gave me Urvan as a parting gift, and I have your blessed Vague Katti that you now gave me.

From: Ike, Former Commander of the Greil Mercenaries

Mia shook massively as she finished the letter; she brought a hand to her mouth and found that her face was moist with tears. "Ike…" Mia then realized that he didn't mean to get that gift, and opened the box to find out what the real one was. I was a beautiful sapphire gown, it was long and flowing, but it was simple and elegant. I had no embroidery, but was made in a way that left little to desire. Mia clutched the gown and broke down with tears. "Boss, why did you leave? Why…" Mia stood up and went back to the letter. "He must have written this just a few hours ago, maybe I can still make it and stop him."

Mia grabbed Ragnell and ran to the dock. "Please have him still be here, please." Mia thought as she sprinted to the dock, with the full moon behind her.

When she made it to the dock she immediately started asking people if they saw a blue-haired man with a giant black axe.

It was an hour later and Mia gave up and sat with her back to a tree and her knees pulled up to her chest and cried herself to sleep.

"Mia. Wake up…" Mia then found herself falling out of her bed and onto the floor of her room.

"An attack!" She looked up and tried to reach for her sword, but it wasn't on her belt.

"Usually you are up before the sun is, how disappointing." She looked up and saw the vanguard standing in front of her with a grin on his face.

"Boss!" Mia said blushing bright red because she was still in her shift. "W-What are you doing here?!"

"Waking you up. It's past noon already and you were still asleep, I'm surprised that you slept in today." He said wearing a rare grin. "I'll leave you to get dressed." His eyes widened as he felt Mia embrace him from behind.

"I'm glad you're okay, Ike." Mia said with tears running down her face.

"Are you okay Mia?" He seemed to notice her using his name, but decided to ignore it.

Mia just cried into his shoulder and held him tighter.

Ike then turned in her grasp, carried her, and sat down on her bed with her on his lap. She was surprised by this action, Ike was never a man for such things, yet she was sitting on Ike's lap like a child as he was rocking her back and forth trying to calm her crying. Mia looked at Ike with tears in her eyes. "Feel better?"

The Trueblade has never seen her boss like this, he was usually a serious man ready to fight, but here he seemed like a gentle father taking care of his…daughter.

"Mia?" Ike had a worried expression, one that she rarely saw.

"Y-Yeah! O-Of course I'm fine!" Mia said, really embarrassed at the situation.

"I'm glad." He smiled at her and Mia knew her face would have been an even brighter red than before, if that was possible. "Don't be afraid to talk to me, I may not be able to speak to you about those girl things, but I'll always lend an ear if you need one." He then lifted her effortlessly and set her on the bed. "Remember that." He kissed her forehead and headed to the door.

"I-Boss!" Mia called out to Ike, causing him to stop and look back at her with a charming smile on his face.

"Yes?"

"Would you… ever…leave me?" Mia asked sheepishly.

Ike seemed surprised for a second, but he smiled. "Not even if my life depended on it." He hugged her. "Is that what you were crying about?" Mia hesitated, but nodded. "I'll always be with you Mia."

Mia embraced him back and started crying as her head rested on his chest. "I-Ike…" Mia said as she raised her head up.

"Mia." Ike responded with a smile.

"Halt! You are under arrest!!!" The door was broken down and soldiers rushed in and surrounded Ike as the separated the two.

"W-What?" Mia was shocked, embarrassed, and mad. "What are you doing?!"

"This man is a criminal! He's going to be executed." One of the soldiers said gruffly.

"Do you know who you're talking about?! General Ike of the Greil Mercenaries! He's a hero!!!" Mia shouted.

"He's a criminal!" The soldier said. "And he renounced all titles, so he's nothing but a mercenary."

Another soldier spoke up. "He is tried for grand treason against Crimea."

"That can't be, Elincia would never stand for this!" Mia shouted.

"Too bad." The soldier smirked. "Her head will be on the pike next to his. Now run away if you don't want to die."

Mia stood her ground and was about to fight, even though their spears were dangerously close to her. "Mia!!! Stay back!!!" Ike shouted. "Stay out of this. Go back and lay low for a time, I will return." Ike said, she could feel the steel in his voice and she couldn't move as the guards lead her boss out to get executed.

Days pass, but Ike never returned, and with each new day, Mia's despair grew deeper. She barely did anything, she didn't train, slept in, barely ate, she wouldn't have eaten if it weren't for Oscar coming in and shoving food down her throat, and she just sat there with a dead face.

"Mia. You won't get better if you sulk around." Titania told the trueblade.

"…"

"Fine." Titania sighed. "Here's the food, eat it when you want." Then she left.

"Ike…where are you?" Mia thought as she broke into tears once again.

"Greil Mercenaries!!! This is your punishment!" Mia was shocked at this and ran to the window and looked outside.

"No…" Outside, Ike's head was on a pike with soldiers standing around. "I-I-Ikeeeeeeeeeee!!!"

Mia shot up from her position in cold sweat. She was trying to catch her breath and slow down her heart, until she noticed a shadow standing near her, she quickly unsheathed Ragnell and pointed it at the person's neck, but the person wasn't even fazed. "Stop!" Mia screamed, she was trembling and could barely keep her sword up. "I'll…I'll kill you!" But the person still refused to stop. "I'll…I'll…" Her words were cut off as the person embraced her.

"I'm sorry…for the pain I put you through…and the pain I'm going to have to put you through…my darling Mia." The man whispered as he brought her into a rib crushing embrace. "But I don't expect you to forgive me… but…I'm sorry."

"I-Ike…" Mia said as she cried into his shoulder. "Why…do…you…have to leave?!" Mia said through tears.

"I…can't answer that, forgive me… but trust me…please… I'll see you again." Ike said as he tightened his embrace on the trueblade. "But for now…I'll stay with you until the sun rises."

"Promise?" Mia asked while her head rested on his chest.

"Yes, now sheathe Ragnell… I already said I was staying, no need to hold me at sword point." Ike said with mock fear.

Mia blushed and mumbled an apology and she put the sacred blade in its scabbard.

"The moon is really beautiful." Ike said with a smiled as he leaned against the tree with Mia in his arms. "So close that it feels like you can touch it, but so far and unreachable."

Mia looked at the tree and smiled. "Yes."

"But not nearly as beautiful as you." Ike said as he kissed her forehead.

She blushed. "Y-You're just saying that, aren't you?"

Ike laughed. "I love you, Mia…more than anything in the world."

"Ike…I love you, too." Mia said sadly. "But won't you…" Mia said as she was cut off.

"No…I cannot." Ike said with an unreadable face. "I'm sorry, but I can only stay with you…"

"Until sunrise." Mia said sadly, but with a playful expression.

"Until sunrise." Ike said with a grin full of sorrow. "But…for now I am at your mercy." Ike said smugly.

"This isn't a dream…is it?" Mia asked with a smirk on her face.

"Does it matter?" Ike asked as he wrapped his arms around her.

"No…" Mia said as they pulled into a kiss.

Mia woke up with her back leaning against the tree she was leaning on yesterday. "Don't tell me…that was a dream…wasn't it?" Mia thought as she brought her head into her hands. "Ike…" She looked down and saw he white headband on the ground. "How did that get there?" Mia picked up her headband and tried to remember her dream, and blushed. "H-How could I have a dream like that?! I-I know I-B-Boss is…h-handsome…but to dream…like that…" The trueblade was mortified, but she took her headband and put it the right way in her head. "What's this?" Mia pulled something out of her hair. Mia laughed a little. "Boss…such a trickster." Mia smiled and let her tears fall.

Mia then came to the Greil Mercenaries' fort and soon after left to travel the land, knowing that Ike would be with her, with Ragnell and Alondite, and that she would be with Ike, with her Vague Katti.

Hope you liked it, please tell me what you think about it, whether good or bad, see you later.