DISCLAIMER: 'Rebound'' is a story based on characters and situations from Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed which is a property of Sotsu Agency, Bandai Studios and TV Asashi. This work is non profited and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Unless specified, all materials in the web is work done by HERMIT JUNCTION. Please do not use without permission any text or artwork.
WARNING: Text and all related materials are rated PG13/T and may mild strong language, violence and suggestive adult themes unless otherwise stated. Please do not read if you are underage or maybe offended by such material. Spoilers for Gundam Seed.
NOTE: This fanfiction disregards the plotline of the original series' sequel Gundam Seed Destiny. Please see author's page for the site hosting of this fanfiction.
Gseed Aftermath Trilogy I:
REBOUND
a hermit junction project
Chapter 3
'You've got to be kidding me, Dearka.' Yzak looked at him as if he had grown two heads.
'I'm not,' Dearka replied seriously, sitting down on the sofa in Yzak's PLANT office.
'Well, I can tell you that there's no way you can get two weeks off, so forget it.' Yzak gruffed, slamming a pile of files onto his desk. 'You're out of your mind, Dearka. You know this shit isn't going to end anytime soon.'
'Colonel Jule, Major Hahnenfuss is here to report.' Yzak's secretary said through the communicator.
'Send her in.' Yzak eyed Dearka. 'See? You barge in here, when I've got a scheduled meeting with Hahnenfuss, to demand a two-week holiday? You're nuts, Dearka. I've got so much on my plate right now and there's no way I can afford to have one of my subordinates gone, even temporarily!'
The door to Yzak's office opened and Shiho Hahnenfuss came in. Stepping forward, Shiho saluted Yzak. 'Major Hahnenfuss, reporting.'
'Right on time.' Yzak muttered, motioning his head towards Dearka.
Shiho looked at the both of them. 'What's up, children?'
Yzak threw his hands in the air. 'This idiot here wants a two-week leave; tell him, Hahnenfuss.'
Shiho's jaw dropped open. 'No…'
Yzak raised his eyebrows. 'See?'
'No way!' Shiho said firmly, eyeing Yzak. 'There's too much! I've already sweated my guts on L4 and if anyone should get a two-weeker it should be me!'
Glaring now at Shiho, Yzak fumed, 'Don't even count on it!'
Shiho laughed. 'Let's just hear the poor guy out.'
'No!' Yzak insisted. 'There's no way I'm going to let him off!'
'Fine.' Dearka shrugged, reaching into his uniform. 'It's either you give me a two-week holiday, or I quit right now.'
Shiho arched her eyebrows and watched Dearka stand up. 'You're serious.'
Yzak narrowed his eyes to slits and watched as Dearka stepped forward, waving an envelope between his fingers. '…Are you threatening me?'
'No, I'm asking you, but doing this makes things much easier for me.' Dearka replied, sitting down again.
'What's going on?' Yzak asked, leaning back in his chair. 'It's not like you to come charging in after a mission and asking, no, scratch that, threatening me to let you off.'
'I need a break.' Dearka said vaguely, crossing his arms with the letter sticking out of his grasp.
'Who doesn't?' Shiho muttered, throwing herself onto the sofa, tossing her file onto the empty space beside her.
'Is it because of that Terrenus photographer you met at Carpentaria?' Yzak asked.
Dearka looked up, eyebrows furrowed. 'Were you putting me under surveillance?'
'I have everyone under surveillance.' Yzak replied shortly.
'True story there.' Shiho muttered, crossing her legs.
'And besides,' Yzak gave Shiho a glare, 'I get reports directly from Carpentaria, do you think I'm stupid enough to not observe the slightest details? Come on, I've known you for more than a decade. You've done nothing but work your ass off for the last two years, and frankly, I don't see you having a very healthy personal life either.'
Dearka snorted. 'You're one to talk.'
'Who is this girl?' Yzak opened a file. '"Miriallia Haww."'
'What do you not know about her?' Dearka asked sarcastically. He knew that ZAFT would've definitely checked the publisher before they let the media get their hands on the program.
'Nothing other than that she's a war photographer. Her past is blank here.' Yzak said, closing the file. 'But I heard that you know her; don't tell me you met her during the war?'
'ZAFT couldn't find her information?' Dearka raised his eyebrows. 'Is that even possible?'
'Who is she?' Yzak repeated. 'Look, I'm just asking as a friend since this obviously has something to do with your personal life.'
'This does not concern her.' Dearka insisted. 'I just want a break from this shit, so either give me what I want or let me quit.'
'Dearka…' Yzak shot a glance at Shiho, who shrugged.
'Fine.' Dearka muttered, pursing his lips. 'She was a member of Archangel, I met her there when I was imprisoned. Satisfied?'
Yzak looked up at him for a second before smirking. 'There's more to it than that.'
'What do you want?' Dearka growled, glaring at him.
Yzak shrugged. 'If you give me a good reason, I might consider letting you off.'
Dearka grunted, acquiesced. 'She was a mobile suits controller. Remember when Athrun self-detonated Aegis? During that battle, her boyfriend was killed, by Athrun.'
Yzak raised his eyebrows.
'She tried to kill me that day when I was in their infirmary,' Dearka continued, closing his eyes. 'Came after me with a knife, almost got me. I was thrown into the cell after that and somehow she ended up freeing me before the battle between OMNI and Orb started.'
'…Impressive…' Shiho murmured, idly playing with her fingers.
'You were friends with her?' It sounded more like a statement than a question from Yzak's mouth.
Dearka shook his head. 'I don't know what we are. One day she would be colder than ice and the next day she'd actually come and ask me how I was doing. It was weird; I really didn't know how to put our "relationship."'
'You slept with her.' It was definitely a statement.
Shiho nearly choked on her saliva.
Dearka opened his eyes and looked at steadily at Yzak. 'You do have excellent targeting instincts, Commander Jule, but sometimes it is not appreciated.'
Yzak ignored that. 'What do you want to do?'
'Nothing.' Dearka replied shortly. 'Like I said, I just want a break.'
'Okay.' Yzak said, a bit too quickly, much to Dearka's surprise. Shaking her head, Shiho crossed her arms.
'You sure?' Dearka asked carefully.
Yzak shrugged. 'Two weeks, right?' He scribbled something on a piece of paper and called in his secretary. 'Send this to personnel, Major Elthman will take a two-week leave of absence; make sure personnel approves it, direct orders from Commander Jules.'
'Yes, Colonel.'
'Let's just say you owe me one, okay.' Yzak said after his secretary left the room.
'I owe you one, big time.' Dearka muttered, standing up.
'Be careful Dearka.' Yzak warned. 'Don't forget you have your cousin to worry about.'
Dearka rolled his eyes. 'There's nothing between me and Eneta, how many times do I have to repeat myself…"
Yzak shrugged. 'That's what your Father says in the council.'
'Tell him to shut up then.' Dearka snapped.
'Say hi to the little lady for me champ.' Shiho joked when Dearka passed by her, giving him a playful wink.
'There's nothing.' Dearka hissed, glaring down at her. Shiho just shrugged.
'Dearka.' Yzak looked up from his desk before Dearka stepped out of his office. He had been pondering on this question for a long time now, two years to be exact, but he still couldn't figure it out.
'What?' Dearka asked impatiently.
'Did you join Archangel because of her?' Yzak asked, looking steadily at him.
Dearka paused for a moment before he shook his head. 'No; you think too much.'
'No?' Shiho smirked when the door clicked shut beside her. Standing up, she walked towards Yzak's desk.
'Really, he should be honest with himself. I really don't care if he lies to me.' Yzak muttered, sitting back. 'He really shouldn't lie to himself, I mean, look at him!'
'Give the dude a break.' Shiho said, tossing the file she'd been holding onto Yzak's desk.
'What's the shit this time?' Yzak asked, eyeing the file as if it were poison.
Shiho sighed and sat down. 'Big shit.'
'Dearka Elthman, is it?'
Dearka looked up and saw Mwu La Fllaga floating in front of him. He was doing some adjustments after talking to Murdock and his fingers were flying across the keyboard in Buster's cockpit. It had been three days since they're arrival in space and he had been busy with the last adjustments of his Mobile Suits. He was rather depending on it for survival.
'Yeah.' Dearka said, stopping. 'Is something wrong?'
Mwu shrugged, putting his hands behind his head. 'Just wanted to get to know the guy whose ass I kept kicking during the previous battles.'
'Hey!' Dearka pointed a finger at him. 'I was kicking your ass, not you kicking mine.'
'Right.' Mwu smirked, looking up.
Dearka snorted. 'What do you want?'
'I'm just going to be straight here.' Mwu said, stepping his foot down and crossing his arms. 'It's hard for us to trust you if you don't declare your stand. You are, after all, from ZAFT.'
Dearka stared at him for a second before looking down again. Sighing, he leaned back and put his hands behind his head. 'You know, I've been avoiding that question. When we were still at Orb, the enemy was OMNI so I didn't really care, they are, after all, ZAFT's enemy so I thought it was the same. Now, I'm not so sure.'
'There's a big chance your going to fight ZAFT or even your former comrades.' Mwu said seriously. 'I want to trust you; I want the whole crew to trust you, so you better decide for yourself. I really don't care what uniform you wear, all I care is what your mind tells you.'
'Care to give me some guidance?' Dearka asked dryly.
Mwu shrugged and sat down with his legs crossed. 'You had a chance to leave Orb before the fight started, why didn't you leave?'
Dearka's eyes widened slightly. He looked down at his hands and bit his lower lip. 'I don't know.'
'Come on.' Mwu cajoled. 'There's got to be something that made you fight with Archangel. You had a chance to leave, and if you were an absolutely loyal ZAFT soldier then you would have headed back to Carpentaria with or without Buster. You had another chance to do so before we headed for space, but instead you followed us. There's got to be a reason.'
He had a reason, but he didn't want to admit it to himself, let alone admit it to Mwu La Fllaga, a total stranger.
He had been pondering on this question for the past three days and had not yet come to a full conclusion. When he finally had the chance to sit down and let his mind run through the past events, things started to look a little twisted.
He first surrendered to Archangel, was almost killed by one if its privates then thrown into a prison cell for three weeks, feeling nothing but the impacts resulting from Archangel's vigorous battles. He was later released and yet he decided against going back to ZAFT and broke into Morgenroete, looting Buster. He'd helped Archangel, defending it from lethal attacks; the same Archangel he had initially tried to shoot down.
It didn't really make sense that he, a ZAFT soldier, would fight alongside with Orb, a neutral country, let alone Archangel, a former OMNI craft. So technically the two were neutral now, but was he? He was, after all, still a ZAFT soldier and a PLANT affiliate. He'd decided to join ZAFT because he wanted to protect PLANT from the Earth Alliance; killing was his ultimate mission and he had to kill in order to survive. He realized that it had come to a point where it seemed to be just killing, period, and he had lost track of the real intentions.
Now, he had time to reorganize his thoughts. Archangel's participation in the battle against OMNI on the side of Orb told him that death was inevitable and even simple-minded naturals like Miriallia Haww fought under commands and strived to protect what she believed in. What did he believe in then?
He had to sort this out, and he had an innate gut feeling that he'd be fighting Yzak in the near future, something he dreaded.
What he did know was, he didn't want Miriallia to die. He really couldn't and wouldn't. It may be an impulsive feeling, but it was strong. She was a simple girl who had a simple life but was drawn into war. It all started because of their raid at Heliopolis. She lost her home, her ordinary life and even her boyfriend. He wouldn't let her lose her life if he could help it.
'There's someone I want to protect.' Dearka finally said.
Mwu's eyebrows furrowed. 'Someone besides PLANT? That's weird; you know anyone here?'
Dearka glared at him. 'I prefer not to answer that question.'
Mwu frowned. 'This person gives you every reason to fight against ZAFT, against PLANT?'
Dearka shrugged. 'Maybe. Look, all I know is, I can't fight with people who just kill and that's what I see in both OMNI and ZAFT.'
'True story.' Mwu's lips then curved into a smirk as he floated into Buster's cockpit and put one hand on his shoulder, much to Dearka's surprise. 'Is Miriallia by any chance the one you want to protect?'
Dearka felt his face heat up as he stared at Mwu's smug face. 'Who gave you that impression?'
'I heard she had sent you meals.' Mwu said, his eyes narrowing.
'No.' Dearka denied, looking down at his keyboard. 'Now get out.'
'Lieutenant!' Dearka's heart skipped a beat at the voice and almost jumped out of his seat.
Mwu merely laughed and shook Dearka's shoulder. 'I don't mind you lying to me, fellow, but don't lie to yourself, okay?'
Biting his lip, Dearka watched Mwu float away, meeting Miriallia in mid-air.
'Captain Ramius wants to see you at the bridge.' Miriallia said, saluting him.
Mwu frowned. 'Why didn't she just use the communicator?'
'I volunteered since I'm off duty for the next eight hours.' Miriallia replied. 'Besides, Captain Ramius said it wasn't really that urgent.'
'Okey-doke.' Mwu gave her shoulder a friendly pat. 'Get some sleep, okay, we don't know when we have to fight.'
'Yes, sir.' Miriallia saluted him with a sweet smile. Watching him float down towards the entrance, she turned and looked at Dearka, who blinked, then looked down, typing away furiously. Snorting, Miriallia was about to turn around and leave but stopped and looked down. Sighing, she took a chocolate bar out of her pocket and floated towards Buster's cockpit.
'What is this?' Dearka looked down at Miriallia's hand.
'A chocolate bar.' Miriallia said impatiently, letting it go. 'I get that you haven't eaten anything since lunch, I don't want a hungry soldier defending Archangel, so here.'
At the word 'chocolate', Dearka's eyes nearly lit up. 'Thank you.'
Pursing her lips, Miriallia turned and pushed her feet against the rim of the cockpit. Dearka's eyes followed until she disappeared through the gate of the hanger. Shaking his head, he ripped open the chocolate bar, realizing that he was indeed hungry.
'What are you eating over there, kid?' Murdock asked as he floated by, pulling a keyboard behind him.
'Chocolate bar.' Dearka said with his mouth full.
'Sweet?' Merdock asked, winking.
Dearka gave him a thumbs-up, winking back. 'Very.'
'Cagalli, this is really more than I can stand.' Miriallia complained as the seamstress almost pricked her ankle.
'Hey! I'm pretty much in the same situation!' Cagalli Yula Athha grunted as another seamstress told her to hold still.
'I'm so glad I brought my own clothes.' Lucas Clyne smiled as Haro flipped around beside her.
Miriallia sighed and pursed her lips. 'I would if I had the money, but unfortunately I don't. And I promised to come because Cagalli said there would be free clothes!'
'And not because you haven't seen your friends in over a year?' Cagalli said in mock disbelief. 'I can't believe it!'
'And because of that too.' Miriallia said quickly. 'But still, this is just--ouch!'
'I'm sorry.' The seamstress murmured. 'Lucky this dress is red!'
Miriallia rolled her eyes and made a face at Cagalli and Lucas, who both laughed out loud.
Miriallia hadn't exactly been friends with the two girls back at Archangel, especially Cagalli. She had always been very rough which, at that time, scared her. During their time at Orb when Archangel was in for repairs the first time at Morgenroete, they had sort of got to know each other more. After Archangel left Orb, a lot of things had happened and they both had their own problems to deal with after that.
She had met Lacus the first time when her lifepod was dragged back to Archangel by Kira at the Junius 7 site. Knowing that Fllay refused to spend time with her, Ssigh and Kira had asked her to keep Lacus company since she wasn't as busy as the others. During that short period of time, Miriallia had gotten to know Lacus better.
Both girls intimidated Miriallia because they were more or less nobles and she was just an ordinary student from Heliopolis. She was happy that Cagalli had taken the time to visit her the first month after she was discharged from Archangel, but she'd never told anyone what happened that night.
'Cagalli, do you know where Lieutenant Fllaga's grave is?' Miriallia suddenly asked. They had retired to the den of Cagalli's mansion.
Cagalli cocked her head. 'At Orb, Unass Memorial Cemetary. Why?'
'Nothing, I was just curious.' Miriallia said, looking down at her cup of tea.
'I don't know exactly where, you'll have to ask Murrue,' Cagalli said. 'Haro! Stop getting into my face!'
'Haro really likes you.' Lucas smiled.
'More like it hates me.' Cagalli complained. 'It gets in my face every time I want to eat!'
Miriallia smiled, watching as a bunch of Haros bounced around the den. She had arrived about two and a half weeks ago and it had been an added week before since her meeting with Dearka. She hadn't seen him again after their little chat at the coffee house and she was lying if she didn't wonder why. But then again, she wouldn't know what to say or how to act if he had found her again after that. There was already too much embarrassment and awkwardness between them.
After her trip to Carpentaria, she had immediately returned home and was greeted with a very worried mother, a happy father, an angry sister and a frowning twin brother. It had been eight months since she'd left home and her mother had insisted that she live at their place. She had not had the time to go check on her own apartment and she reckoned that it was covered with dust already.
The past two weeks have been fairly relaxing for her compared to her constant traveling. She had caught up with her friends and had a few meetings with her editor. Besides that, she would be found either doing her work for the collection at her parents' house or helping her mother n the kitchen despite being a cooking idiot. She had missed her mother's cooking very much
'It's getting late, I have to go.' Miriallia said as the sun started to set, the dim glow of the sun diffusing softly into the room.
The two girls walked her to the door. 'Take care, don't forget to come early so that we can get you dressed up, a privilege for friends only.' Cagalli said, winking.
'Do you two have plans for the night?' Miriallia asked, checking to see that she had her wallet.
'Kira's picking me up for dinner with his parents.' Lucas said while Haro flew around her shoulders.
'His parents live quite far.' Miriallia commented. 'How about you, Cagalli?'
Cagalli looked away, blushing slightly. 'Nothing really.'
'Athrun's coming over tonight.' Lucas whispered, a surprisingly naughty twinkle in her eyes. 'They're going on a date.'
'Lacus!' Cagalli cried.
'I get it.' Miriallia smirked, patting Cagalli on the shoulder. 'Happy humping.'
'Miriallia!' Steam came out of Cagalli's ears and her face flamed to match the color Strike Rouge.
Laughing, Miriallia stepped out of the mansion. Cagalli was still a little girl despite her important position in Orb. She and Athrun made a very happy and adorable couple.
Walking down the pathway, Miriallia decided to go back to her apartment. She was going to move back there anyway and she needed to make sure that it was still on one piece.
While on the train, Miriallia looked out the window, watching as the unfamiliar scenery passed by her. Orb had changed a lot during her absence. The war had destroyed almost half of what Orb used to be; the reconstruction project set in motion since its end, although nearly complete, it now left Orb's landscape altered beyond her recognition.
Things really have changed. She had learned to be less emotional during the last two years. She remembered shooting an outdoor hospital of a war zone for the first time and could not stop crying that night when she looked at her shots again. The repercussions of war were devastating and at one point she'd seriously considered quitting the job. It was, for the most part, a matter of getting use to it, and she'd become proud of the career she chose and the high emotional tolerance she had unconsciously gained.
War did change one's values and belief. She had never imagined being a soldier and fighting in one of history's most ferocious battles. She had lost a lot, and in the end gained a lot, too. Her war experience helped mold her into a more mature and emotionally detached person. She was no longer the young girl who cried whenever a tough situation came, no longer dependant on the people around her, her family, her best friends, her boyfriend The war had told her the importance of trusting herself and depending on herself to survive. Thus far, she had done a good job, and she was going to go on.
Yes, she was going to go on - no matter what.
'Miss Haww, you're finally back!' Ports, the guard of the building she lived in, greeted her while opening the door . The publisher had given her this place as part of her benefit though she barely lived here. It was a nice studio apartment, located at the city center of Orb. She couldn't care less about its price because she didn't have to pay, all she was concerned about was whether it was close to where she worked, because, let's face it, coming home meant working at the office, or at least more frequently that usual.
'Thank you.' Miriallia smiled.
'How long will you be staying?' Ports asked.
'At least three months.' Miriallia said. 'My apartment's still in one piece, right?'
'With me around? Of course!' Ports took his hat off and bowed. 'Have a nice day.'
'You too.' Miriallia responded before entering the lift. At least the guard didn't change much, the old man was still his cheerful self.
Rummaging through her bag, Miriallia managed to locate her keys and opened the door. She winced at the squeaking sound the joints made and coughed when she was greeted with dust in the dark studio.
'I should really just move back home.' Miriallia grumbled, wiping one finger across her kitchen counter. She frowned at the thick coating of dust stuck to her finger and shook her head. 'Ugh, every time.'
Throwing her heavy bag onto the sofa across from her bed, she dragged herself towards the bathroom. Despite being tired from her visit at Cagalli's, she had to clean up her apartment before she could actually work. She'd be in Orb until her collection was complete and she anticipated at least three weeks of work at the table.
Throwing the cupboard doors open after changing into old work clothes, she pulled out the long-abandoned vacuum and turned it on. It was the least amount she could do since she hated mopping around the house. Besides, the noise made a very good distraction.
For the next hour, she did nothing but vacuum the place and wipe the dusty furniture. She also changed her bed sheets and cleaned her fridge out. She didn't need to do much dishwashing because she hardly ate at home. Tolle had always complained that her cooking was horrible despite people saying that she'd make a very good housewife.
'Guess they were wrong.' Miriallia smiled faintly, looking down at the photo placed on her nightstand. Shaking her head, she briskly patted her face with both hands. She needed to get things done and sitting around thinking about the past was not going to do her any good.
She had to let go, or at least learn how to.
'Miriallia, dear, are you sure you're okay?' Mrs. Haww called through the door, knocking on it softly. As usual, there was no answer from the wooden door, not even a sound.
'Give up Ma, when she's over the whole thing she'll come out.' Narlea Haww, Miriallia's older sister muttered as she passed by. 'Serves her right to stay in the war; she's got to deal with it on her own if she doesn't want to talk about it with us. If Tolle hadn't insisted on staying on that god damn ship, then nothing would have happened and he wouldn't have died, leaving Miriallia like this.'
'Shut up Narlea!' Rafe Haww, their little brother said, nudging her in the ribs. 'She can hear!'
She could hear, because frankly, they were nothing if not loud, especially her big sister. Miriallia hated to admit, as blunt as her words were, Narlea was beyond right.
It wasn't all because of Tolle, although a part of her hadn't wanted to be separated from him. They had been going out for almost a year before the fall of Heliopolis and she'd found herself falling more and more in love with him. She wanted to be as courageous as him and Ssigh and do something for her country. It never occurred to her that being neutral would make things worse; people thought you only cared about yourselves.
When she came back from Archangel, her sister had refused to talk to her. She had blamed her for letting her parents worry. She hadn't understood why she'd had to fight such a dangerous war when she had a chance to leave the ship. Miriallia had tried to convince herself that she wanted to protect her homeland, but at the back of her mind she knew it was more than that.
She knew that if she came home, she'd think of nothing but Tolle. Fighting in the war had trained her mind to be more focused on the situation before her, and surprisingly, she hadn't felt that scared when that beam laser had pointed directly at the bridge during that fateful moment at Josh-a. What had scared her was the thought that if she was shot, she'd be with Tolle again. That thought had truly frightened her.
Looking up, Miriallia felt the tears stream down her cheeks again at the framed photo seated on the coffee table of her room. Seated at the foot of her bed, she pulled her knees tightly to her chest and buried her face. Why, of all people, did Tolle have to die?
'I don't get it! Tolle's already dead! He's dead! Gone! Why is he still here? Why?'
If Tolle shouldn't have died, then who should have? Him?
Miriallia shook her head and hugged her legs closer. It was probably fate that Tolle had to die, or probably because he hadn't had enough combat experience to survive such fierce warfare. She'd have been lying if she'd said she hadn't been worried when Tolle had decided to fly Skygrasper II, and the sight of him being killed before her eyes was more than she could bear. She still had nightmares and found tears streaming down her tears, dampening her pillow.
She hated crying, but somehow, her tears just kept on falling.
One person managed to make her feel slightly better, and for this, she hated herself even more.
Dearka. Sniffing, she leaned onto her side and stared into space. She hated herself for using him, hated herself for letting Tolle flash through her mind when Dearka touched her, hated herself for imagining Tolle lips on hers when Dearka had kissed her. She saw Tolle's face when Dearka laid down beside her, soothing the pain that shot through her the first time. Tears fell from her cheeks when Dearka fell asleep and she was too ashamed to face him.
So she'd left, and wanted to hide herself from everyone. She felt terrible for doing such a thing to him. Dearka was a good person despite being a coordinator and their former enemy. There was something special between them, although she couldn't really tell what it was. The feeling was different from any other boy she met, including Ssigh, Kira and Kuzzey. At the same time, she wasn't so sure about its difference from Tolle.
She wanted Dearka to hate her for leaving, she wanted him to hate her and to never want to see her again. He had every right to, and if he did, she'd feel better.
She was pathetic.
'You're pathetic, Miriallia Haww,' she whispered, leaning closer into the coarsely carpeted floor. 'Absolutely pathetic.'
'Miriallia.' The door opened and Narlea found her sister staring into the air, lying on the floor. It was already two in the morning and it made her heart break to see her sister in this state. Despite her harsh words, she still loved her little sister and didn't want her to break down because of the stupid war.
'Get up.' Narlea commanded, pulling Miriallia up.
'Leave me alone.' Miriallia muttered, looking down.
'You've been like this for over a week; enough is enough!' Narlea snapped. 'The war is over and what you need to do is start a new life. The world is not going to stop turning because of someone's death, and you have to move on whether you like it not. With or without Tolle, you still have a life to live! Stop doing this to yourself! Stop it, for the love of God!'
Miriallia looked up and found her sister in tears. 'Why are you crying?'
'You're killing yourself Miriallia.' Narlea cried, throwing her arms around her sister's wilted form. 'You're killing yourself and this is the last thing we want to see!'
At one point, Miriallia had purposefully considered killing herself.
'Where's the positive sister I had before the war started?' Narlea was whispering now, her wild anger abruptly spent. 'She was a cheerful girl who wouldn't lose faith in what she believed in; isn't this why you stuck with Archangel? Stuck by Tolle?'
'I'm not like that.' Miriallia said softly, pushing her sister away gently. 'I'm not what you think, Narlea, not anymore.'
'Tolle wouldn't want to see you like this!' Narlea argued. Turning, she grabbed the dog tag that was lying on the coffee table beside the photograph. 'You were brave enough to fight in the godforsaken bloody war with Archangel, why can't you face the truth and reality? What you're doing now is self destruction!'
'I'm not what you think! I'm not what Tolle thinks!' Miriallia shouted, pushing Narlea away forcefully, standing up. 'I betrayed him! I wanted to die when he said I had to survive no matter what! I slept with another man while thinking about him! I'm not who everyone thinks I am! I'm a two-timer! I'm a betrayer!'
Narlea watched the tears stream down her sister's cheeks. '…You slept with someone else?'
'I'm already guilty as it is.' Miriallia whispered, turning her back to her sister.
'But – '
'Just go Narlea. I'm not worth it.'
End of Chapter 3
Next update: 03/06/2005