Disclaimer: I don't own any Sakura Wars characters, even thought I want to. However, I do own Pavlov. This is just a fanfic and please don't take it seriously.

Author's notes: Great thanks to Linn-san. I would not have picked up the courage to post this without your support. Also, thank you dillian-san for you continuous review, douzo yoroshiku. I won't forget, of course, Maria, my dearest beta! Doumo arigatou, minna-san! I'll continue to work hard!


Chapter3 Confession to Confrontation

Maria hesitated. She has not thought about that yet. How can I answer him? God! What can I say? Wait.. "Mr. Hippolyte Pavlov, won't you just stop invading my privacy? I really hate that you're interfering my private affairs. If there is another time of it, I won't stand that. Good night."

Maria walked quickly away from Pavlov. However, Pavlov followed her close behind. "What now! Can't you just stop following me?" Maria was quite impatient then. She stopped and turned, facing Pavlov.

Pavlov held up his hands to ask her to calm down. "I haven't said what I want to say, Maria." He was blushing. He did not want Maria to see it so he lowered his head. Maria frowned. She already knew what he wanted to say. "Maria, ya tibya lyublyu, aishiteru." Pavlov said.

He must have misunderstood the meaning of the phase. Of course! He doesn't know Japanese. Before Maria could react, he kissed softly on her forehead. He.. He.. kissed me.. He kissed me? He kissed me! How can he.. Taichou.. Pavlov was waiting for her reply but Maria did not make any reply. Neither did she escape from him.

"Maria?" Pavlov called out softly. He was afraid that she would shoot him again. Am I obliged to make a reply? Of course not! Just walk away, Maria Tachibana! Come on, before he does the same thing again! Go before you shoot him to death! Maria failed to react as her heart told her to. She rubbed her forehead as if she was a child. She could not stop herself. Pavlov grasped her arms to stop her but she pushed him away. "You know, you don't need to say twice the same thing," She found her voice finally.

"I think you will feel much more familiar if I say in these two languages," he replied.

"When did you learn that?" Maria asked. She did not really want to ask him this. She just wanted to avoid answering him.

"It's not this that matters. It's your reply that really matters, Maria," Pavlov pleaded as he was eager to know her reply.

"I think you should have known my answer. I can't accept that, Pavlov," She said in a sobbing voice.

"Why not? I thought you know my attitude to you."

"There's no connection whether or not I knew it before," she replied coldly.

"But we've been living together since we came here.." Pavlov tried to make up a reason to make Maria accept him.

"Wait.. Mr Pavlov. We're just living in the same house."

"Then why? Is it that you just despise me because I'm not as good as you are?" Now he just wanted to tease her.

"I don't have any prejudice on you except you are a little bit naive."

"I don't understand. You can't even give yourself a good reason to reject me, can you? You don't have a reason of rejecting me!"

"Da! Da! Da! Ya znat'! Ya imet'! Ya imet'," Maria shouted aloud. All of a sudden, she became silent. Her lips were shaking, even her hands. It's been like this since his dead whenever she is in the state of hysteria. She raised her head. Her emerald eyes were glittering. "Taichou.. I can never forget him.." she muttered as if she was in a dream.

"Yuri? He's died for more than a year! You can't accept me just because of him? That's not.."

"Stop it, Pavlov. Have respect on him! I wish he had never died. Don't you understand? He will forever be in my heart.." Maria could not hold her tears anymore. She turned away from him.

"Wait, Maria. I.." Pavlov tried to stop her but he could not. Maria could no longer hear his voice because another voice was ringing in her heart. She ran faster and faster up the stairs.

"We'll forever be the best partners!" Maria could still remember Yuri holding her hands before he died. She felt as though her heart was going fall apart. How come? She thought that they would be together. All these were only her wish.. Now she had come here all by her own.. No family.. No even.. Love that had died long ago. She believed that she was incapable to have any feelings again until..

"After all, I'm no match with a dead man," Pavlov grinned dryly to himself.

Maria reached the door of her bedroom. She quickly took out her keys to unlock the door as if somebody was chasing her. She nervously tried all the keys but none of them seemed to fit the lock. She threw the keys on the floor. "Proklyat'e!"

I must have looked pathetic in front of him. God! Why can't I control my tears? It's so dreadful to cry in front of him! Oh, what a bastard he is! Yes, he's so much of nonsense. He's always like that. All the things he said are rubbish! Yes, he must have been kidding. Why on earth would anyone love me? What am I? I'm just a bloody, spiteful assassin! Using blood in exchange for money? She smiled bitterly. And what is he? A wolf in sheep's clothing..

Slowly, she bent down to pick up her keys. She opened the door to her bedroom and slammed it. She leaned down on her bed. Why am I so nervous? I nearly lost myself. She tried to laugh at herself but she could not. As she gradually quiet down, she became much calmer. Different thoughts began to form in her head.

Fixing her jade eyes at on the ceiling, her tears forced their way out again. She closed her eyes and sighed. She counted how many times had she been crying in this room. Maybe Ayame is right! I should not be here. Taichou would not want to see me cry. I know he doesn't. Why not leave here? But then I have to leave our promise. What can I do? Taichou.. I'll leave it to you. No, you have left me already. What can I do? If only I had followed you.. Why am I always lack of this kind of courage? "Because you're too weak.."

KNOCK! KNOCK! "Maria.." the dreadful voice of Pavlov have again disturbed Maria in the midst of her thoughts. Wouldn't he just give me a moment of silence? That's what I shall call a disgusting man.

"Give me a break, Pavlov." Maria sighed.

"Please, please, let me have my last words." Pavlov pleaded.

"You're invading my privacy again! Don't push me.. You'll be sorry for that."

"Please Maria, just open the door." Pavlov knocked several times on the door.

She took a piece of tissue to wipe off all her tears and took in a deep breath. She put her right hand in her pocket while using her left hand to open the door. Pavlov's dreadful face was just in front of her. Pavlov waved his hand.

"Don't even think about it," Maria said. She pulled her revolver out from her pocket. His face went white, as white as a sheet. Her emerald cold eyes stared at him in disgust. She raised her revolver so that the muzzle touched his forehead. "Ty sprashibaete eda," she muttered.

"Bang!"It seemed that time had stopped. A few pieces of hair fell on the ground. Yes, she shot him for the second time of the day. "You should thank him that you're still alive. Otherwise, you would have been with him already." Maria gave Pavlov the last stare and slammed the door.

Pavlov thought that a hole was going to be drilled on his head. Now with Maria gone, he was still standing at the door. In fact, he was so frightened that he just stood there without blinking his eyes.

Maria, on the other hand, felt much relieved as she returned to her room. She had a shower and put on her nightwear. She opened her locket and put it on the table. With a wry smile, she took out a bottle of vodka from under her bed, pouring out a glassful of vodka. "Ula!" she raised the glass to the picture of her beloved captain. That was just the same thing that she did with her comrades after they won in their wars.

She sipped a little bit of the wine in the glass. What if one day I lost all my memories? Would it be much happier? But what about my memories with him, our promise and his.. "Cough.. cough.. Oh, what am I thinking about? Come on! Stop all these thoughts, Maria Tachibana! I must be drunk." she snapped her own thoughts. She washed the remainder down her stomach. After putting back her vodka, she lied down on bed."Ya tibya lyublyu, Kapitan." She muttered as she grasped her pillow and dropped asleep. It was he whom she could never forget.


Author's notes:

Aishiteru(Jap) - I love you

Ya tibya lyublyu (Rus) - I love you

Da (Rus) -yes

Ya imet'(Rus) - I have

Proklyat'e (Rus) - damn it

Vi svolagivoegyt eda (Rus) - You ask for it

Ula (Rus) - cheers

Kapitan (Rus) - captain

Maria wore nightwear? No! She wore nothing when she slept. (From episode 3 of ST1 when she woke up from her nightmare.) (Maria: How dare you go into my room when I'm sleeping?!)