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 4

The annoying ring of the cell phone on the nightstand woke him up. He very much wanted to ignore it, but Cagalli's groans prevented him from doing so. Reluctantly, he stretched one hand out from under the warm covers and managed to pick up his cell, almost dropping it in the process.

'Athrun Zala.'

'I take it I got you at a wrong time?'

'Dearka?' Athrun widened his eyes slightly and rubbed his forehead. He wanted to sit up but Cagalli was lying on his chest and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

'Yeah, it's me.' Dearka said on the other end.

'For God's sake, it's six in the morning.' Athrun groaned, glancing at the digital clock on the nightstand.

'Who is it?' Cagalli murmured against the ear Athrun was holding the phone to.

'I definitely caught you at a wrong time.' Dearka said dryly.

'Go to sleep.' Athrun whispered softly down to Cagalli, caressing her soft cheeks with his fingers briefly before switching ears. 'Wait a minute Dearka.' Sitting up, he stuffed a cushion between Cagalli's arms and pulled on his boxers.

'I didn't wake up your princess, did I?' Dearka asked, snickering.

'She goes back to sleep easily, don't worry about it.' Athrun said, sliding the doors to the balcony open.

'Still the gentleman I see.' Dearka smirked.

Athrun just shook his head at the comment. 'Is something wrong? You haven't contacted me in person for a long time. Where are you?'

'It's nothing.' Dearka said quickly. 'I'm just at Orb now; got a two-week leave and decided to treat myself to a vacation and go to that thing Cagalli invited me to.'

Athrun raised his eyebrows. 'Yzak gave you a two-week leave? You've got to be kidding me.'

'Two-week paid leave.' Dearka added smugly. 'I threatened him.'

'Still the same old cunning Dearka Elthman, I see.' Athrun commented.

'Of course, I don't get paid to give people a good time.' Dearka snorted. 'Anyway, I was wondering, if you had time, I want to go to the cemetery but I don't really know the way.'

'Fllaga?' Athrun guessed.

'Yeah.'

'I'm actually free until two this afternoon; tell me where you're staying, I'll come get you.' Athrun suggested. Dearka gave the name of the hotel he was staying at.

'I actually rented a car, but sure.' Dearka shrugged. 'It's not that far is it?'

'Not really, near the coast though.' Athrun replied. 'I'll see you at ten then.'

'Thanks, see you then.'

Athrun walked back into the room and placed his cell phone down and sat on the bed.

'Who was it?' Cagalli asked sleepily, looking up.

'Did I wake you up?' Athrun smiled gently, watching as Cagalli sat up and reached out her arms. She looked like a doll.

'I was already a little awake.' Cagalli murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck.

'It was Dearka.' Athrun said, seating them more comfortably while pulling the sheets up to keep their bare skin from getting cold. 'He's at Orb.'

'Really?' Cagalli opened her eyes and cocked her head. 'On holiday?'

Athrun nodded. 'I'm taking him to the cemetery this morning.'

'Do you need flowers?' Cagalli asked. 'You can get them from Mana. Are lilies okay?'

'Lilies are fine.' Athrun said, wrapping his arms around her waist. 'Cagalli.'

'Hmm?' Cagalli looked up at him, touching his face gently. 'Is something wrong?'

Athrun looked down at her briefly before shaking his head. 'Nothing, it's just … Can you come and visit my mother with me sometime? At PLANT.'

Cagalli nodded her head and leaned against him. 'Your mother and father.'

Athrun watched as Cagalli drifted back to sleep. Although she sometimes seemed rough and temperamental, she was actually very understanding and soft, especially when it came to his feelings. She was genuinely a sensitive person and he loved her for that.

After breakfast, Cagalli handed Athrun two bouquets of lilies. 'One's okay,' He said, but she shook her head.

'Don't forget Miriallia's boyfriend, you know, the one you – ' Cagalli broke off abruptly, looking down.

Athrun gave her a small smile and kissed her on the forehead. 'I'll be back at around one.'

The hotel Dearka was staying at was one of the famous five star hotels in the city center of Orb. Dearka came from a fairly well-off family and his father was in the senior council at ZAFT. Dearka was never arrogant though, just cynical. He would point out anything wrong instantly or wouldn't say anything at all. Personally, he thought Dearka would make a better councilor than Yzak.

'Athrun.' Dearka, waiting in front of the hotel lobby, greeted his former comrade and got into Athrun's car .

'I see you're in a good mood.' Athrun commented as he gunned the engine.

'Better than usual.' Dearka said absently, looking out as the wind whipped through his unruly hair. 'This is a beautiful country.'

'Better than PLANT?' Athrun asked.

Dearka shook his head. 'A different kind of beauty; it's hard to explain -- earth isn't the same as space.'

'How've you been?' Athrun asked a while later, driving into the highway.

'Can't complain.' Dearka looked out at the sea, watching cars pass by them. It was going to be another busy day, another peaceful day. 'Except for the ass-kicking from Yzak.' He turned and smirked at Athrun.

Athrun laughed, looking at the rear mirror. 'Still don't want a promotion?'

'Hell no.' Dearka waved his hand in the air. 'It would probably be the worst punishment in the world. I don't want to marry my work, for God's sake; please, I just want to die peacefully and not with curses on my lips.' He shook his head. 'I bet Hahnenfuss is cursing me right now.'

'And you?' Athrun asked.

'Me? I'm just enlisted, a Sergeant Major, but Yzak makes me do stuff similar to Hahnenfuss so there really isn't that much of a difference, except for paper work.' Dearka turned his head slightly. 'How about you?'

'Good, good.' Athrun replied, cutting a line. 'I mean, work is different at Orb and you might think its crazy but protecting Cagalli puts me under more pressure than when I was in ZAFT.'

Dearka raised his eyebrows. 'Really, even more than wartime?'

Athrun nodded, pushing his shades up. 'The peace is not stable and there have been assassination attempts. In war, you deal with open fire, but now, its terrorism. Believe me, it's more stressing because you don't know when they'll attack, and it just gets worse. Intelligence is hard to get now with terrorist groups.'

'Right.' Dearka tilted his head. 'And the fact that the lady under protection is the love of your life doubles the shit.'

Athrun smiled. 'I wouldn't call it shit.'

'Yeah.'

'And you? Anything going on?' Athrun asked, leaving the highway.

Dearka snorted. 'I want to, but no.'

'Not even with your little cousin?' Athrun raised his eyebrows.

'How did you know?' Dearka turned his head sharply, taken aback.

Athrun shrugged. 'I have my sources.'

'Yzak.' Dearka muttered, clenching his teeth. 'You know, I'll kill that guy one day, seriously.'

'If people knew the real Yzak, they wouldn't say he's the most eligible man in PLANT.' Athrun laughed.

'You bet.' Dearka snorted.

Athrun laughed. 'How long will you be staying?'

Dearka shrugged. 'Depends.' Athrun parked his convertible in the cemetery's visitor lot.

'This is it,' Athrun said, getting out. Slamming the door shut, he auto-locked his car, unthinkingly, leaving Dearka inside. Looking up at him with raised eyebrows, Dearka merely jumped out of the convertible, dusting himself off.

Athrun smiled sheepishly at Dearka. 'Sorry, habit.'

Dearka smirked at his rare lapse and looked at the backseat. 'You got flowers.'

'Yeah, Cagalli arranged them for me.' Athrun said, reaching for them. 'Lilies okay?'

'Yeah, I don't really have a preference.' Dearka said, putting his hands in his pockets.

It was a long walk, but it was comfortable. The air was fresh and the sea provided a spectacular view. The graves were placed in rows all over the hills.

'Here we are.' Athrun stopped and handed Dearka a bouquet. Nodding, he placed it gently on the gravestone that read 'Mwu La Fllaga C.E. 43-71'.

'You were on good terms with him, right?' Athrun asked after they bowed.

Dearka nodded. 'Yeah, we were sort of partners. He was a good fighter; we kicked each other's asses when we were still enemies,' he joked. 'I can imagine how depressed Captain Ramius was, watching him die right in front of her.'

'She's okay now.' Athrun said. 'She's a strong person; she pulled through.'

Dearka sighed. 'I never got to know him better, you know. We could have been great friends.'

They were both silent for a while before Athrun spoke. 'Have you visited Nicol and the others?'

Dearka closed his eyes. 'Not in almost a year.'

'First Rusty, then Miguel, and after him, Nicol.' Athrun sighed. 'Sometimes I wonder if we were simply lucky that we survived the war.'

'Maybe we are.' Dearka opened his eyes and looked down at the flowers in Athrun's arms. 'Who are those for?'

'Tolle Koeing.' Athrun replied.

Dearka widened his eyes. 'The one you…?'

Athrun nodded, taking a deep breath. 'Yeah, the one I killed, Miriallia Haww's boyfriend, if I'm not wrong.' He looked at Dearka. 'It won't take long, it's close.'

Dearka nodded, feeling his throat dry up. He never expected himself to visit the grave of Miriallia's boyfriend. Swallowing down a lump, they walked in silence up the path for the next ten minutes.

'We're almost there.' Athrun said.

Dearka said nothing and continued up the path, blinking when he caught a glimpse of someone else walking up the path from the opposite direction.

It was Miriallia.

She too was shocked to see him and Athrun and Dearka could see her tremble visibly, her hands gripping her bouquet of flowers so tightly her knuckles turned white. She never expected to see him again was the grim observation that came to Dearka's mind.

'Mo- Good morning.' Miriallia stammered breathlessly, looking down at the daisies she had brought.

'Miss Haww, is it?' Athrun asked uncertainly, looking away. 'I didn't know…'

Miriallia managed a smile and knelt down, setting the flowers onto Tolle's marker.

Shooting Dearka a glance, Athrun set his flowers down as well. The three of them bowed at the grave silently. It was an awkward silence and Miriallia was getting uncomfortable. Although it seemed unusual, she had never actually been in Athrun's company before, even though she was good friends with Cagalli and Lacus. Seeing him again just reminded her that he was Tolle's killer, and Dearka…

'. It was Athrun who finally broke the silence. 'It might not mean anything to you, especially now after all this time, but I am truly sorry.'

Miriallia shook her head, trying to pull herself together mentally. ' It was war, and I've seen much of death and destruction these past two years. Don't be sorry.'

Athrun could only nod. 'Do you need a ride?' he asked a moment later.

'I drove in today.' Miriallia said, looking down. 'It's okay.'

Silent all the while, Dearka now frowned, realizing that Miriallia was avoiding his eyes. Clenching his teeth, he turned to Athrun. 'Let's go.'

Miriallia looked up for a split second. 'I better get going, too. I parked my car at the east gate.'

Athrun nodded. 'We'll see you at the banquet then.'

'Right.' Giving them a smile small, she bowed her head and turned, barely refraining from sprinting away.

'You okay?' Athrun asked as they walked down the path towards the west gate, noticing that Dearka and Miriallia hadn't exchanged any words in the unexpected encounter. 'I thought you two were friends on Archangel, back then.'

'We weren't.' Dearka muttered, tightening his fist in his pocket. 'I don't know what we are, so don't ask.'

Looking at him sideways, he only nodded and unlocked his car with the remote. Listening to the engine roar to life, Dearka sighed and leaned back, closing his eyes.

Damn it.

'You ran into Miriallia.' Kira Yamato stared at Athrun through the mirror, his hands stopping at his bowtie.

'Uh-huh.' Athrun said absently.

'While visiting Tolle's grave.' Kira continued, blinking.

'Yeah.' Athrun brought his glass of water to his lips.

'With Dearka?' Kira concluded.

Athrun nodded.

Shaking his head, Kira turned, still pulling at his bowtie. 'That must have been awkward.'

'It was.' Athrun turned in his seat, eyeing Kira. 'I mean, we barely exchanged three sentences.'

Kira shook his head. 'You know, sometimes things simply change after war, and it goes for everyone. Miriallia has changed a great deal, having been forced into a war, witnessing death, experiencing near-death, losing her boyfriend and of course betrayal. I'm still a little surprised Milly decided to become a photographer; I never expected her to choose such a physically and mentally demanding career.'

'I wonder what's with her and Dearka.' Athrun said, turning back to the laptop he was working on.

'What do you mean?' Kira sat down beside him. They were in one of the waiting room. The girls were still changing and the two friends had only to wait. Athrun took that time to go over the security plans of Uzumi Memorial Hall, where the night's banquet would be held. They were scheduled to leave in an hour, in time for the banquet's commencement at seven.

'They didn't say a word to each other at the cemetery.' Athrun said, typing away. 'I thought they were friends back at Archangel.'

Kira shrugged. 'Who knows? I heard from Ssigh that she'd tried to stab him.' Athrun looked up briefly, startled by that. Kira only shook his head and stared off into the distance.

They'd all been preoccupied during the war, everyone had their own problems; the sad truth was that they'd become mere strangers, even though they saw each other everyday. They had split off into separate duties: if it wasn't the bridge, it was the hanger, and if it wasn't battle, it was somewhere or something else. It was depressing to think back on how their once close-knit group from Heliopolis had utterly fallen apart after the war and was never truly mended.

'Athrun, Kira!' Cagalli threw the door open and rushed towards the two.

Athrun blinked and stared, transfixed. 'You – you're really Cagalli, right?'

Cagalli raised a fist, her eyebrows twitching. She shot a glare at Kira who'd coughed loudly, trying to cover a laugh.

'Is something wrong?' Athrun asked, snapping out of it and standing up.

'Miriallia said she wouldn't be able to come.' Lacus said, a red evening gown in her arms.

'What do you mean she won't come?' Kira stood up. He took the phone from Cagalli and pressed a few buttons. 'She was at home.'

Cagalli shrugged. 'She said she couldn't make it.' Athrun looked away.

Shaking his head, Kira pressed the callback button and waited until the phone was answered. 'Miriallia.'

'Kira? What's going on?' Miriallia asked on the other line.

'Why aren't you coming?' Kira asked. 'A lot of the people from Archangel want to see you. You haven't met up with them for a long time.'

'I – I'm busy…' Miriallia stammered.

Kira raised his eyebrows. 'Come on, just for one night. It's been hard to track you down the past two years; you wouldn't want to disappoint everyone, would you?'

'No – I – '

'Not even Ssigh has seen you since you've come back to Orb.' Kira continued, shooting Lacus a glance. 'How about we come to your place and get you, your dress is still with us.'

'No, really, Kira – '

'It's me or Athrun.' Kira threatened, shooting an apologetic glance at Athrun, whose eyebrows furrowed. Cagalli gave him a pat on the shoulder.

'Fine.' Miriallia said reluctantly.

'We'll be there in twenty minutes.' With that, Kira cut the connection. 'Sorry.'

'I take that the threat worked.' Athrun said dryly. 'I'll take Cagalli to the hall first then.'

Kira nodded. Smiling, Lacus watched Haro bounce into Kira's hands. 'We'll try to be there on time, okay?'

Miriallia didn't want to go at all, not with Dearka around. Staring blankly at her apartment door, she nearly jumped from her seat when the doorbell rang twenty minutes later. Dragging her feet towards the door and opening it, she smiled weakly at Kira and Lacus.

'I'm sorry you had to come, I really am.' Miriallia apologized, letting them in.

'Don't be.' Lacus said, holding the box in her hands.

'Really, you didn't need to come.' Miriallia continued. 'Do you want anything to drink?'

Kira looked at her with raised eyebrows. 'I don't think we're here for tea.'

'Kira, maybe you should wait at the car, its better that we change here since there's no room.' Lacus suggested, putting the box on the counter.

'No, really, I can just change in the bathroom!' Miriallia protested.

'It's okay.' Kira headed for the door. 'How much time do you need?'

Lacus looked at the clock on the wall. 'Around thirty minutes, is that okay?' Kira nodded and was about to open the door when Lacus stopped him. 'Your bowtie, here, let me help you.'

Miriallia stared at the two with raised eyebrows. When Lacus was finished, she gave Kira kiss on the cheek and let him out. Turning, she smiled at Miriallia. 'Are we ready?'

Miriallia exhaled loudly. 'There really is no way out is there?'

Lacus laughed softly and shook her head. 'Come on, let's get you into this lovely evening gown.'

Opening the box, Lacus took out lovely ankle-length evening gown. Miriallia's eyes widened. 'This is my dress?'

Lacus smiled. 'Of course, you just didn't pay attention to the back; the seamstress did some adjustments to the style too.' It was a silky red gown with a stylish corset lace-up job at the back, giving people a glimpse of the wearer's back. 'Come on, try it on.'

Sighing, Miriallia started taking off her clothes and took the dress from Lacus, who helped her into it. Miriallia gasped when Lacus pulled on the corset strings hard. 'Gods you're strong.'

'I'm sorry, did I hurt you?' Lacus asked, looking over Miriallia's shoulder.

'No, just took me by surprise.' Miriallia said, pulling at the front. Looking at herself in the mirror, she took a deep breath. 'You're expecting me to walk out this building with this dress on?'

'Why not?' Lacus asked innocently. 'It's simple yet elegant.' She put both hands on her bare shoulders in encouragement. 'You won't have to shave your legs either.' She added, winking.

Miriallia couldn't help but laugh. 'But I haven't worn dresses in a long time, and I'll definitely trip in those heels.' She motioned at the black four inch heels. Though thin straps held the dress in place, Miriallia still thought it a little too low cut. 'I'm going to be cold.'

'No need to worry.' Lacus reached for a matching silk pashmina and draped it around her shoulders. 'There you go. Do you have make-up? We need to do something with your hair, too…'

'Uh, not much, at my dresser.' Miriallia sat down and opened the drawer, taking out a few tubes of lipstick, foundation and a compact. 'I'm not much of a make up person.'

'That's okay.' Lucas walked into the washroom and took out a spray. 'I'm not too good with hair but since it's short, I'll just make it simple, okay?'

Miriallia nodded and closed her eyes, sitting still as Lucas hummed to herself, spraying Miriallia's hair. She really had the voice of an angel and she felt it a slight pity that she decided to quit her career. Whenever she sang, Miriallia would relax unconsciously.

Opening her eyes again, she saw that Lucas had gelled her hair to one side, simple yet bold. She then continued with her face, applying light makeup, fiddling with her compact. Miriallia had a sneaking suspicion that the compact had already expired. She had left everything girly back at home for the last two years.

'Miriallia, why didn't you want to come?' Lucas suddenly asked, brushing some of Miriallia's hair back around her ears. Miriallia blinked at the question, caught by surprise. 'It's nothing, I just hope it isn't because of Athrun.'

'No, it isn't.' Miriallia said quickly, turning in her seat. 'It's just… I was busy with the drafting of my collection, so…'

Lucas smiled. 'I'm sure it is.'

Biting her lower lip, she watched Lucas walk to the bathroom again. She really knew how to read through ones mind and this made Miriallia a little uncomfortable whenever they were alone.

'Let's go then.' Lucas said, looking at the clock. 'Half an hour, I hope Kira's still downstairs.'

Sighing, Miriallia stood up, being extra careful that she didn't trip and fall. Holding her gown up, she slipped into the heels, wincing at how tight they were in the front. Lucas took out a matching purse. 'Here you go, you'd like to put you're compact in as well?'

'Uh, yeah, and some tissue.' Miriallia rummaged through the white box that was lying on the counter while Lucas reached for the compact. Unhooking the keys from the wall, she motioned for the door and closed it when they stepped out of the apartment. 'How do you walk in cloths like these?'

Lucas gave her a smile. 'I just got use to it. I had to wear cloths like these when I held concerts back at PLANT.' She was wearing a simple white strapless gown and had matching white heels on her feet.

When they got to the car, Kira opened the backdoor for Miriallia. 'Thank you.'

They rode in silence as the sun started to set. Clutching the red purse tightly, she frowned.

She was more shocked to find Dearka than Athrun at the cemetery. She knew that he'd visit Mwu La Fllaga's grave but never did she expect it to be this soon, let alone bumping into him at Tolle's grave. She was shocked to find that he was here at all since he mentioned being very busy a few weeks ago when they met at Carpentaria.

Get a grip, Miriallia Haww. She kicked herself mentally. Don't make a fool out of yourself; remember, be cool.

Stepping out of the car, she took out her invitation and handed it to the servants when she walked up the long steps of the entrance. Uzumi Memorial Hall was a newly-built hall, an addendum of Orb's reconstruction project in memory of Cagalli's father, the late Uzumi Yula Attha.

'Enjoy.' The servant said, bowing.

'Has it started yet?' The three heard a lady who was giving her invitation to another servant ask. She had long silky black hair and bright amber eyes.

'Yes, the speeches are almost over, Miss,' the servant replied, bowing slightly.

The woman sighed. 'Oh well.'

The speeches are over. Miriallia thought in relief as they entered the hall. She always hated those boring openings.

'Miriallia, it's been a long time.' Murrue Ramius rushed forward to greet them, a glass of champagne in her hands.

'It has been, Captain Ramius.' Miriallia said, hugging the older woman.

'Please.' Murrue looked around, smiling. 'No captains here.'

'I thought you two lovebirds would just skip the party all together.' Andrew Bartfeld joked, walking towards.

'Mr. Bartfeld!' Kira blushed slightly while Lucas coughed. A servant came up to them and asked for their purses.

'Miriallia!' At the familiar voices, Miriallia turned and found Kuzzy Buskirk and Ssigh Argyle rushing forward. She threw her arms around Ssigh and gave him a big hug.

'I've missed you two so much!' Miriallia cried, pulling away from them. 'How long has it been, a year?'

'Well, you're the one to blame.' Ssigh accused jokingly. 'You look beautiful.'

'Thanks.' Miriallia looked down. 'My feet are killing me though.'

'You know, I just don't understand how girl's sacrifice body comfort to be pretty.' Kuzzey muttered, pulling at his tie. 'This tie alone is already killing me.'

'How long will you stay?' Murrue asked.

'About three months.' Miriallia said. 'I have to finish with the details of my photo collection.'

'You, are going to be a millionaire lady.' Kojiro Murdock said, walking up to them.

'Please.' Jackie Tonomura rolled his eyes.

'Where's Athrun and Cagalli?' Kira suddenly asked, looking around.

'Cagalli's over there, talking to some of the council members.' Tonomura said, motioning his head towards the far end.

'Where's Athrun?' Lucas asked, looking around, wrapping her arm around Kira's.

'Athrun!' Murdock waved his hand as he walked towards the crowd. 'What's up?'

'Have you people seen Dearka?' Athrun asked, looking around.

'Dearka?' Murdock's eyes lit up. 'He's here? Oh I got to see him.'

'Why? You love him?' Tonomura teased, nudging him in the ribs.

'Shut up!'

'Dearka's here at Orb?' Murrue looked at Athrun. 'We haven't seen him for a very long time, ever since his discharge two years ago.'

'He was with me a few minutes ago but I lost him.' Athrun said, then shrugged. 'Oh well.' He gave Miriallia a polite nod.

Returning the nod, Miriallia headed to the tables with Ssigh and Kuzzey, listening as they caught up with their recent lives. She was very excited to meet up with old friends and was glad that Kira had made her come. However, as the night went on, she felt her mind wander off, wondering if Dearka was avoiding her. If he was, she deserved it.

'I'm sorry.'

Dearka looked up from his glass of wine and stared into the starry sky at the voice. Turning his head slightly, he looked at Miriallia who was standing in front of the balcony doors, her hands clutching her long silky gown. She looked breathtaking and bold, she looked so far away, only to be seen and never touched by Dearka Elthman.

'What are you sorry for?' Dearka asked, leaning against the balcony, turning his back to her.

Miriallia only had herself to blame for his coldness. 'I'm sorry that I spoiled your evening.'

'Don't be, you didn't.' Was all Dearka said. Silence fell upon them and Miriallia shifted her weight from either foot nervously. Sighing, Dearka finally turned around again, startling Miriallia. Dearka raised his eyebrows. 'You seemed to be scared.'

'I'm not.' Miriallia countered. 'It's just - I just wanted to apologize for what happened before, at Carpentaria and the cemetery. It's been such a long time.'

'Yeah.' Dearka said bitterly. 'Long enough.'

'Can't we at least be friends?' Miriallia asked in a pleading voice, taking one step forward. 'I mean – '

'I don't think we can be friends.' Dearka said quietly, looking away. 'There's too much between us, we'll never be "just friends"'.

Miriallia swallowed hard. 'Why? Everyone has a past! Why can't we just put it – '

'Can you do it? Can you put your past behind you?' Dearka interrupted, looking straight in Miriallia's eyes. She could see pain in his violet orbs, pain caused by her. Wasn't this what she wanted? She wanted him to hate her because of this pain and she had succeeded, hadn't she? It was in turn killing her.

He had avoided her the whole evening and she had finally managed to locate him at the balcony, doors closed, blocking all the merriment inside. She had looked at his back for at least ten minutes through the glass doors before she'd summoned all her courage to open them. He was in emotional pain; she could see and feel it.

Why did she have to do this? Why couldn't she put the past behind her and look forward? She couldn't and Dearka knew it, the past was in between them and they were both struggling.

'You can't.' Dearka answered for her, crossing his arms. 'You can't and won't.'

'I'm sorry.' Miriallia whispered, looking down, the toes of her pointed heels visible as the evening breeze swept her silky dress up slightly.

'I'm tired of your apologies.' Dearka muttered, running one hand through his unruly hair. 'You know, there's nothing to apologize and nothing to be sorry for, except for the past.' He sighed.

He should have known better than to force Miriallia into such a situation. He had made a very bad decision, coming to Orb in hopes of meeting Miriallia again. Who was he kidding, she would never give up the past for him. The situation was complicated and the past wouldn't go away like snap. Why couldn't have he just moved on and forget about what had happened between them? So she left after they fucked for the first time, big deal, it meant nothing, right?

Even if it meant something, he had to pretend that it didn't because there was no future in store for them. That one night was a start and an end. There was no tomorrow; he should have known that, minded his own goddamn business and let different woman fuck himself to death!

'I'm taking off.' Dearka muttered, draining the last of his champagne. He didn't mean to make Miriallia feel bad but he just couldn't take it anymore. If he saw her any longer, he'd fall again, and he didn't want to experience that kind of heartbreak one more time.

Looking down the whole time, Miriallia's vision blurred when Dearka set his glass down on the balcony. Closing her eyes, she felt him pass by her and she turned around. Why did she have to do this? Why did she have to screw up everything?

'Deark – ' Miriallia made a move to step forward but tripped. When she looked up again, she was shocked to find a bullet hole lodged in the glass door directly in front of her. Dearka too stared at it in horror, then in the next moment all hell broke loose when another shot fired and shattered the glass doors.

Seeing that the bullets were coming from one of the buildings across the street, Dearka lunged forward and wrapped Miriallia into his arms, covering her ears as five consecutive shots were fired. Inside, people were screaming and running around in shock, trying to get out of the building.

'You okay?' Dearka looked down at Miriallia who had her eyes wide open. Looking up, he saw that Cagalli was being pulled away by Athrun into the back doors.

'What's going on?' Miriallia cried, grabbing Dearka's forearm. 'What the hell happened?'

'It's a sniper.' Dearka said breathlessly, pulling her up by the arm. 'Let's go.' They stepped over the shattered glass and Dearka pulled her into the hall. 'We have to get out of here, we - look out!' Dearka pushed Miriallia down as another shot was fired, barely missing them and shattered one of the ornaments on the wall.

'Dearka!' Athrun shouted from the hallway, gun in hand. 'Get over here fast!'

Pulling Miriallia by the hand, Dearka made a move to pull Miriallia up to her feet again but she didn't budge. 'Miriallia! Get going!'

'Wait.' Miriallia stared up at the hall's dark indoor balconies, squinting her eyes at one with the curtains closed. Widening her eyes, she grabbed a gun, one likely dropped by security during the chaos, pointed it at that balcony just as a gun barrel appeared through the closed curtains, and without hesitation…pulled the trigger.

Time stopped as the others who'd retreated to the entrances stared at her. Dearka, too, had his mouth open as a small figure dressed in black fell from the closed curtains, his head banging on the railing before sliding down to the floor.

'Please tell me you're okay Miriallia.' Ssigh said, handing her a cup of steaming water.

'I'm okay, really.' Miriallia looked up and gave Ssigh a weak smile. 'I'm just a little tired.'

'It's alright.' Ssigh squeezed her shoulder in support. 'everything's going to be alright.'

'How did you know someone was behind that curtain?' Kuzzey asked.

'I – ' Miriallia looked away. She had just given a verbal record to the police and didn't really want to repeat herself. During her two years of traveling, she had encountered a few terrorist attacks. Assassination attempts were the most frequent and she was familiar with this particular way of assassination.

A sniper would attack what appeared to be the target from afar, shooting consecutive shots, sending the crowd into chaos, then another assassin would get the target without others noticing and it was usually in short range. The sniper would create a diversion for the shooter to do the job, that way, both of them would get out as quickly as possible without people noticing.

She had done some research on this during her trips and she had come to know that this particular terrorist group had a codename 'Ness'.

'How did you learn how to shoot like that?' Cagalli asked, walking towards her. 'One clean shot, I thought you never pulled a trigger during the war.'

Miriallia exhaled loudly. 'I had to learn, sooner or later.' She looked up at Cagalli. 'Can you do me a favor?'

'Anything.' Cagalli said softly.

'I don't want the press to know about this, you know, me firing a shot.' Miriallia said. 'I take that this is a big deal but I just don't want my name or my pictures to go to the public, is that possible?'

Cagalli nodded. 'Consider it done, I'll work on it.'

'Miss Haww, you can go.' The sergeant said, giving her a nod.

'I'll get you home then.' Ssigh offered, holding his hand out. Miriallia nodded and was about to take it when a jacket dropped onto her shoulders. Turning, Miriallia found that Dearka was standing behind her.

'I'll take her home.' Dearka said shortly.

'Are you sure?' Ssigh said uncertainly, looking at him. 'I mean, you wouldn't want to give Miriallia's family a fright, maybe it's better that I – '

'I'll make sure that Miriallia gets home safely.' Dearka said curtly, glaring at Ssigh. Turning, he took Miriallia's hand and pulled her away from the crowd, not giving Miriallia a chance to protest.

'What's with those two?' Tonomura asked, walking up to them.

Kuzzey shrugged. 'I don't know.' Ssigh frowned.

'What's with those two has been a mystery.' Murdock said, motioning his head towards them, shaking it when they disappeared through the doors. 'We've been betting in the hanger back at Archangel.'

'No...' Tonomura stared at Murdock. 'Did you win?'

Outside, Miriallia shivered at the nocturnal breeze, pulling Dearka's jacket closer around her while clutching her purse. It didn't make walking easier since Dearka was holding onto her hand, pulling her towards his car. He walked so fast she bumped into a fellow late departer. .

'Sorry!' Miriallia apologized quickly but Dearka pulled her along before she could hear a response. Miriallia winced at his strength, wondering if he was mad.

Unlocking the car, Dearka pushed her into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. Pausing for a second, he walked around the car from the back and stepped into the drivers' seat. Without another word, he gunned the engine and steered out of the parking lot into the main road.

Dead silence reigned during the short drive, the only sounds being the hum of the engine. When Dearka parked beside her building, Miriallia didn't even want to know how he'd figured out where she lived.

Killing the engine, Dearka undid his seatbelt. Miriallia thought he would leave the car but he didn't. Instead, he just sat there, one wrist propped on the steering wheel, staring into the air in front of him. Miriallia didn't dare look at him and kept her eyes cast down.

Taking a deep breath, Dearka managed to keep his cool and opened the door, stepping out. At this, Miriallia looked up, her eyes following him as he walked around the front of the car and opened the door for her. Staring at the opened door, she paused for a moment before she undid her seatbelt and climbed out of the car, careful that Dearka's jacket didn't slide off her shoulders.

'It's really okay, I can go up myself, than– ' Miriallia said quickly, trying to stop him from taking another step but Dearka just glanced at her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards entrance of her building. Towing her into the elevator, he pressed her floor, and the they both waited. The silence was beginning to suffocate Miriallia.

'Open the door.' Dearka said in a quiet but firm voice as they approached her apartment door.

Fed up with his silent attitude, Miriallia pursed her lips and rummaged through her small purse, taking out her keys. Opening the door, she turned and blocked the entrance with both hands on the sides of the door frame and glared up at him. 'What's this all about?' she demanded.

Dearka scowled. Miriallia was no match for Dearka in terms of strength and he easily grabbed her and pulled her away from the door frame, slamming the door behind him.

Watching Miriallia wince at the loud bang, Dearka let go of her roughly and crossed his arms. He really wanted to keep his cool but he was quickly loosing it. She had almost died a while ago; he didn't really know what he was mad about, the fact that he let a bullet shoot through her hair or witnessing Miriallia fire a shot in a highly dangerous situation where she could have been easily killed.

He really didn't know. Complicated emotions were welling up inside him and he could only deal with them in silence.

'You're crazy.' Dearka finally said, glaring at her. 'You're absolutely crazy.'

'What do you mean?' Miriallia demanded, her fingers tightly fisted. 'I take responsibility for what I do and I didn't do anything to aggravate the situation!'

'How did you learn to shoot like that?' Dearka asked in a low voice.

'I had to learn.' Miriallia said tiredly, sitting down on the bed. Dearka could see that she was exhausted even with the lights out and only the moonlight seeping into the huge studio.

'What do you mean by that?' Dearka asked, eyebrows drawing together.

Miriallia sighed, knowing that he wouldn't take 'I don't know' for an answer. Dearka Elthman had a knack for getting information. Taking his coat off, she laid it down on the bed with trembling fingers, her head so low Dearka could barely see her face.

'I'm a war photographer.' Miriallia said, closing her eyes. 'The world's not as peaceful as you think and there's a lot of warfare going on in different parts of the world, guerilla warfare. There are times when I'm bound to get caught in the middle of everything and I don't want to die, so I pull the trigger. Satisfied?'

Dearka stared at the top of her head with dark eyes and didn't respond.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked down at her hands as if she saw blood on them. 'I'm not surprised if I've killed people during these two years but I keep convincing myself that it's for self defense only. What is self-defense after all?' She wrapped her fingers into a fist and felt the tears splash onto it. 'I didn't realize how normal it felt to pull that trigger until now.'

Kneeling down on one knee in front of her, he put one hand on her wet fist. 'It's okay.'

Miriallia shook her head violently, tears streaming down her cheeks. 'No, its not! The last thing this world needs is people like me firing a gun! I've traveled around the world capturing the aftermath of war, the consequence of killing! I should know better than to do the same thing!'

'There's no absolute peace Miriallia, it's an idyllic dream for ideal people in a perfect world; impossible.' Dearka said, looking at her. 'What you did was crazy, but it was right.'

'It scares me, Dearka.' Miriallia whispered, lifting her eyes to look at him. 'It really scares me. I don't want to be a person who'd kill without even knowing what it's for. I've seen too much, and it's horrifying.'

War makes the ones involved fear the past and present. The peace achieved since has always been a shaky one and people are still walking on thin ice. One shot and all hell would break loose, like tonight.

Dearka knew that Miriallia was forced into the war two years ago and had gone through a lot. From Kira, he came to know that Miriallia Haww was once a cheerful girl, always positive and willing to try and do her best. Because of this optimism and willingness, she volunteered to enlist and stayed with Archangel when OMNI hit Orb.

Till now, she was still doubting, still not sure, unlike him. Dearka Elthman may have hesitated and doubted his motivation in Archangel, but he knew what was going on and knew the consequences. He knew and was familiar with the consequences of killing: his job was to kill, to pull that trigger.

But no one was sure of everything; not her, not even him.

Reaching out one hand, Dearka brushed the tears away from Miriallia's cheeks with his thumb and caressed it, his touch soft. He was trying to comfort her, Miriallia knew that he was trying to comfort her like two years ago onboard Archangel. She still remembered his soft, subtle touch.

'Who am I?' Dearka whispered, placing his hand on her neck. He was an idiot for even thinking that anything would happen, but he had to ask, had to know. This was either going to save him or kill him.

Raising one hand, Miriallia brushed some of Dearka's unruly blonde locks back and looked into his pained eyes. She knew what he wanted, knew why he was asking. She'd made a mistake two years ago; could she afford to make another one now? The same one?

'Miriallia?'

Dearka's eyes were violent, a stunning shade of violet in the moonlight. Biting her lower lip, Miriallia traced her finger down the side of his face and touched his thin lips. She'd never forgotten how soft those lips were.

'You're Dearka. Dearka Elthman.'

End of Chapter 4
Next update: 13/06/2005