DEARKA'S PERSONAL BATTLE – by: LadyAduka02
Summary: They met as enemies – and reunited as persons trying to mend their broken hearts. The time has come for Dearka to make his move…but it seemed that Miriallia's still bound to the past…now he's fighting a battle where he may – or may not – win.
Author's notes: Oh my God…that was my first reaction when I saw the no. of reviews that DPB has received so far…it's past the 60 review mark! And that's for only 7 chapters! You guys are so great! (nn) Thank you very much for reviewing the past chappy and all my previous chappies…you just don't know how you made this poor little girl so happy! T.T (blows nose)
So without further ado, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
-CHAPTER EIGHT-
"What am I going to do with you?" Miriallia asked the unconscious Dearka, kneeling beside him. She was trying to wake him up for the past 5 minutes by trying various methods – inflicting physical pain, yelling into his ears, pinching him, etc…but all didn't work. It was getting cold already, but not as much as before – the snowfall has stopped along with the winds…
Feeling tired herself, she sat on the now snow-covered ground, contemplating on the perfect solution to her problem. His moans got her attention, and she took the time to look at him carefully. Not much has changed…except that he looked more matured than he was 5 years ago.
"But why is he on Earth?" she asked herself. Just then, something fell out of Dearka's pocket, and Miriallia recognized it as his wallet.
Conquered by her curiosity, she took a peek inside…
Dearka Elsman…
"…diplomat of PLANTS!" she exclaimed. Miriallia was all wide-eyed; she couldn't believe her eyes! She looked from the ID to its owner, who is still snoozing on the snow-covered ground. Funny, he doesn't look like one, she told herself.
"Nevertheless, you should be taken out of this horrible weather. Sigh…another burden to carry home…as if my groceries aren't a burden." Miriallia sighed, turning to her groceries with bags counting up to ten in all, a faint smile on her face.
ooOOOoo
"…"
"…wha…where am I?...That smell…"
Dearka slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the bright light above him. He got up, and cringed at the headache which was obviously a hangover from all the beer that he drank last night. The guy observed his surroundings…a cozy bedroom all coated with pink paint and stuff…a girl's room?
Frantic, he looked down at his clothing. The girl seemed to change his clothes as well; he was wearing an oversized blue cotton shirt and baggy white pants with blue spots all over. "Oh my God…" he gasped. "If I'm dressed like this, then…"
"Don't worry I wasn't peeking when I changed your attire," came a woman's voice…a very familiar one to Dearka's ears. Miriallia was standing in the doorway holding a tray of food. "I don't have any intention of seeing a man's body while he's unconscious. I'm not that desperate, you know."
"Oh." was all Dearka could muster at the moment. For some time he couldn't take his eyes off the girl…
The woman looks a lot like Miriallia…and her voice…
Sigh…"Thank you."
Miriallia placed the tray down on the bed in front of him, making sure that it won't spill.
"Eat up, you need the energy."
He was happy to oblige, and his stomach seemed to welcome the delicious treat. The woman was watching him with interest, and this caught his attention.
"How did I land him, by the way?"
Miriallia raised an eyebrow. "You mean you don't remember anything that happened last night?" A clueless look on his face proved her right. "You were drunk last night and bumped into me. You even mistook me for a slut."
"I did?" he squeaked, and Milly nodded. "Hehe…I'm sorry. I'm a jerk when I'm drunk. By the way, my name's Dearka. What's yours?"
She already knew his name…
"I'm…" but she was cut short by the kettle whistling down the kitchen. "I'll be right back. Call me if you're done." With that, she walked out of the room. Ever the pervert, Dearka was eyeing her rear with interest until…
"I know you're staring at my behind and I advise you to quit it before I throw you out."
"Oops." He smirked. "She's cute…not to mention she's got a nice butt. But her voice and her face…she looks kinda familiar…"
ooOOOoo
Meanwhile, Miriallia was tending to the stove, and remembered her guest's focus on her rear. If she wasn't mistaken, he was practically drooling. She shook her head. "Men and their hormones…"
ooOOOoo
"Man, that was delicious. I should bring these down myself." Dearka rose from the bed, taking the tray with him and was about to go out when he heard his cell phone ringing. It was placed on the desk beside the table lamp, and the LCD showed the caller's name: Yzak.
I think I know why he's calling me... "Hello?"
"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, DEARKA ELSMAN? HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT WE HAVE AN IMPORTANT MEETING WITH CAGALLIYULA ATTHA TODAY!" Yzak was screaming at the receiver, and the blond had to get the phone away from his ears in fear that his eardrums would explode. "Do you have any idea on what time it is now?"
He looked at the Hello Kitty wall clock above the bed. "Uh…7:30 am…oh shit! The meeting's in 30 minutes!"
"'Oh shit' is right! Now if you don't get your ass here within 30 minutes, I'll send you packing for the PLANTS!" With that, the line went dead. Dearka closed the phone (think Samsung models) and immediately removed his sleeping attire. He was removing his shirt when Miriallia went back to check if he finished his meal and saw him half-naked. "Eeek!"
"What the – Ah!"
"I'm sorry!" She immediately closed the door, leaning on its smooth finish. Milly could just imagine how red her cheeks are, and tried to erase the memory off her mind. "I should've knocked, I should've knocked, I SHOULD'VE KNOCKED! What's wrong with me..!" Immediately, she made her way downstairs to give her guest some privacy.
And yet, she couldn't stop thinking of how gorgeous he was…and this sent a bright red blush onto her cheeks…
Dearka was done changing his clothes, already reverting back to the attire he was wearing last night. The clock ticked 7:45; now he's got 15 minutes to make it to the prime minister's building. He immediately went downstairs and looked for his savior, and found her washing the dishes.
"I have to go now, thanks for all of your help." Miriallia looked at him and nodded in response.
"It was nothing, really. But next time, do slow down on the alcohol, okay?"
Dearka laughed a bit, and nodded. "Okay…thanks again. Goodbye."
The young woman closed the faucet; her task is finished. She was drying her hands with a towel when she heard the doors softly closed, and sighed inwardly. She didn't know if she should feel mad or glad seeing him again…
…he forgot to ask her name…
"…guess he never remembered what I looked like before."
Yzak literally gave him a good scolding as soon as Dearka went back to the hotel for being 5 minutes late. The two had to bark at the limousine driver to step on the gas pedal – literally – to be able to reach the meeting in time before Cagalli yells at them.
The doors burst open, and they were just in time. Dearka and Yzak made themselves presentable as Cagalli walked inside the room to start the meeting. Behind her are her two bodyguards and comrades – Kisaka and Athrun, now assuming a new identity (A/N: Athrun became Cagalli's personal bodyguard after the series, and he's using another name, which I never knew! Anybody? Thanks a lot!).
"It's a great honor to meet you again, Prime Minister Attha." Yzak addressed the blonde ruler, and she nodded as acknowledgement. "We're from the PLANTS on a task to strengthen the bond between the Earth and the colonies; between the Coordinators and the Naturals."
"Yes, it has come to my knowledge that you're here at Orb for that purpose, and I'm personally very happy that there's finally a way to make our two races come together. At last we can make the dreams of those who died in the war come to a reality." Cagalli looked wistful for a while; she remembered all of her friends who died just to achieve what she said.
"The main problem of our world is the existing discrimination between the Coordinators and the Naturals," she explained. "One just cannot accept the existence of the other, and vice versa, for so many reasons: that the other is far more superior than the other, that the other just has more abilities…the list goes on and on."
Dearka remembered the first encounter that he had with the Naturals up close – the time when Miriallia tried to stab him to death. Her reason wasn't because of her insecurity and envy towards his own kind, after all she's friends with Kira even though he's a Coordinator. It was because…
"Tolle's gone, and he's never coming back..!"
Never coming back…
…coming back…
"Coordinators or Naturals, we have to make them understand that they are still of the same kind, as human beings," he told the people present at the meeting. "We may have differences, but we are the same when it comes to wishing for a peaceful world to live in. If we can just make our people accept the fact that we need each other to survive and live happily in this life, the world that those soldiers fought for, that the people died for and sacrificed for – will be in our reach."
"That's the thing that is lacking among our two races…" Cagalli smiled, impressed by Dearka's speech. "Unity and acceptance."
ooOOOoo
It was a breezy pre-Christmas afternoon, and Miriallia was making herself beautiful.
Applying just light makeup and cherry lipgloss, she gave herself a final look before she can go out. She let her hair down and smiled at herself – he's surely gonna like her look.
She's changed from the little-girl-look of 5 years ago to a matured and intelligent woman…
"Wait for me…" she whispered.
ooOOOoo
The meeting was over, with Cagalli promising that her government will do everything it can to support Yzak's and Dearka's goal.
Right now, their limousine is taking them back to the hotel, speeding along the city's highway. The Christmas lights are starting to fill the city streets with their vibrant colors, and their radiance is reflected on the tinted windows of the vehicle.
"The people of Earth can still celebrate the Yuletide season despite problems," Yzak remarked. "They're trying to forget the pain of the past war by immersing themselves in the effect of the holiday spirit."
"Mmm." Dearka hummed in agreement, staring at the window. After a few minutes they found themselves in the middle of a long traffic. Yzak was starting to get impatient, and tried to pass the time away by tapping his fingers onto the leather fabric of the backseat. His companion was still silent…
…until…
"It's her!" he suddenly exclaimed, which startled his friend. Dearka's face showed total excitement; he looked like a kid…
"Who's her?" Yzak interrogated. "Dearka!"
"The woman I told you about! Wait here!" and he got out of the vehicle, and raced after her.
Yzak watched Dearka squeeze between the cars, ran past a few pedestrians before disappearing out of sight range. "What's the matter with him?"
The crowd was thick, but the blond Coordinator still managed to track down Miriallia in the middle of them all. He was wondering where she was headed, and about her outfit…she was wearing an all-black ensemble. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, and she was carrying a bouquet of white roses.
"Is she going to some kind of a funeral?" he asked herself.
A guy bumped into him, and he was immediately swept by the people going on the opposite way. It took him a while to get out of them all, and when he did…she was gone.
"I'm here," Miriallia told a gray tombstone in front of her, none other than Tolle's tombstone. She placed the roses before it, stood up and said a silent prayer…
The winds were gentle that time of the day, it seems like Tolle's spirit appreciated her presence. When she finished praying, Miriallia was already crying.
"This is the 5th Christmas season that we haven't celebrated together," she began, thinking that the boy was standing before her. "So much has changed, Tolle. And I know that you know what those changes are." Leaves flew gracefully with the winds, and the tears that escaped the corners of her eyes flew along with them. "It has been so lonely without you…and I don't think I can live my life like the way it was before…I love you so much, Tolle…"
Footsteps were heard from behind, and she turned around. Dearka was standing a few meters away, looking at her with surprise. The winds ceased to blow, and silence fell among the place…
He recognized those tear-streaked eyes…he has seen her cry a lot of times aboard the Archangel…and the name that she mention…he's not mistaken…
He knew who she was…
"M-Miriallia…Miriallia Haww…"
And that's the eight chapter! Hope you enjoyed that one, and sorry for the long update! Exam's a pain…(groans) See y'all in chapter nine-Dylan