( Hi :waves like an idiot: Here I am again! )
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It was blisteringly hot. People wandered the streets of the city, shopping, window-browsing, or just walking with someone, but a lot of the ones out on that day sat under shade in streetside cafes, or under parasols, as protection against the sun's heat.
Murrue was one of these people. She was sitting at a cafe's outdoor table, a cold drink in front of her, surrounded by shopping bags. Baby Stellar slept in her carrier on a chair by her mother's side, protected both by the parasol and the suncream she wore. If Murrue had known it was going to be so hot, she would have left the baby home with her father. Mwu at the moment was inside the cafe, buying ice cream. But the queues were pretty long today, so she guessed he might be a while.
"Is this seat taken?" Murrue spun around in shock at the voice, and smiled in happiness at the one before her.
"Michael...is that you? How are you? It's been so long!"
The man smiled sadly, and sat down on the empty seat across from the woman. "It has...it's been five years now.."
Murrue looked stricken for a moment, then focused on her drink. "Has...has it really?"
The man, Michael, noticed her sadness, and forced his smile to be a little brighter.
"So, what are you doing these days, Murrue-san?"
She pushed a hand through her thick auburn hair. "I work at Morgenroete now."
"That's great! You always were the best engineer I knew, you deserve a job like that."
"Thanks..." Embarrassed, Murrue pushed her left hand through her hair again. The rings on the third finger caught the light and glittered, bringing them to Michael's attention.
"You're...married now?"
The woman flushed and looked at her drink again. "For two years. This is my daughter." she muttered, gesturing to the infant sleeping beside her.
The man leaned over the table to gaze at Stellar, a smile on his face. "She's a cutie. So who did you end up marrying? You, the one who swore never to fall in love again?"
"I...I...you'll see..he'll be back in a few minutes..."
"What's with the hesitation? Don't tell me he's another pilot. Not after what you said before..."
"It...it just kinda..happened.."
The pair talked for several more minutes, until Mwu arrived with the ice cream he had queued so long to get.
Seeing his wife talking with a man he didn't recognise, he frowned a little, and, walking over to where they sat, placed a protective hand on her shoulder. Murrue jumped a little in surprise, then looked up at Mwu and smiled.
"Oh, hi, honey." Turning to Michael, she indicated the man behind her. "Michael, this is my husband, Mwu La Fllaga."
Michael looked surprised, but held out his hand to Mwu, who shook it without a word.
"I've heard of you...you're the Hawk of Endymion, right?" He looked to Murrue and raised an eyebrow.
"Another MA pilot, huh? And an ace at that. What did you do, decide to trade up?"
Murrue twitched as if in pain, and tears began to brim in her marigold eyes. "I...I..."
Mwu's hand tightened on her shoulder, and he glowered at the other man, his eyes dark with anger.
Michael looked apologetic, and stood up to leave. "I'm..I'm sorry, Murrue-san..I didn't mean to make you upset. I'll see you tomorrow?"
She nodded, not saying anything. Michael apologised once more, and left.
"Who was he?" asked Mwu softly, sitting down beside his wife. She smiled, and brushed the tears from her eyes.
"An old friend. Someone I knew a long time ago, before I was transferred to Archangel."
"How come you agreed to meet him tomorrow?"
"There's...there's something important I need to do. Something I'd forgotten.."
That was all she would say, and he didn't press her for answers. This man's appearance had clearly shaken her, and although Mwu was slightly jealous that this man seemed to know her so well, and for longer than he had, he let it go.
"Come on, princess," he said, finishing his ice cream and picking up the baby carrier. "Let's go home, okay?"
That night, she didn't eat much, seeming lost in thought, or perhaps memories, and she looked very sad and a little wistful. Later, as they lay trying to get to sleep, Mwu very carefully slipped an arm around her, not sure what her reaction would be. Murrue sighed, the sound almost like a sob, and snuggled close to him, as close as she could get, despite the oppressive warmth of the night.
"Are you going to be all right?" he asked quietly, stroking her dark hair to try and soothe her. She didn't answer, just nodded, and held onto him tightly, as if she was afraid he would disappear.
The next evening, as the sun was setting over the sea, Murrue stood on the beach with an armful of roses she had taken from the garden. Mwu stood a little off to the side, holding their daughter, his mind spinning in confusion.
What's she doing?
"I'm sorry about yesterday.." came a voice, and the man from the cafe, Michael, came and stood beside him.
Mwu frowned. "Who are you, anyway?"
The other man sighed. "I'm a friend of Murrue-san's, someone she knew before she moved to that Archangel ship. That's where she met you, I'm guessing."
At Mwu's nod, he smiled ruefully. "Yeah, I thought so. You've seen the locket she has, right? The one with the rose on the front? Well, the man who gave that to her was my best friend. We all used to hang out together, and I couldn't have been happier when those two fell in love. My friend...we flew in the same squad together, and he told me one day that he planned to ask Murrue-san to marry him when the war was over. Hell, he even asked me if I'd be his best man. And..and I was the one who had to tell Murrue-san that he'd been killed in action..."
Mwu looked at his feet, finally understanding. "So that's why she's been so..."
Michael smiled sadly. "I was happy when she was transferred away. Our ship held too many memories for her, and she needed to get away from them. I hoped that one day Murrue-san would find happiness, but she said that no matter what, she'd never fall in love with another soldier again. But...she found you. I couldn't help but be a little angry at her for that, I think maybe part of me hoped she'd stay loyal to my friend's memory forever. But that was selfish of me.
And now...it's five years to the day since he died..."
Murrue stepped forward to the ocean's waves, and placed the roses into the receding tide, where they were washed away into the sea. Then she stepped back, and bowed her head. Michael smiled.
"Before I found out who you were, I...she told me all about your life together, and the baby, and how happy she was now. I have to admit, I think that he'd be jealous if he knew, as the way she spoke of you, and the way she smiled when she did...I think that she loves you more now than she loved him."
Mwu beamed in delight, and looked across at his wife, and then down at his daughter. Stellar was awake, and her large blue eyes were full of smiles. She reached out with her chubby hand, and tried to tug at her father's long blonde hair, but the wind kept blowing it out of her reach. Michael smiled again, and looked out over the ocean.
"That's why I suggested this. What she's doing now...this is goodbye. Closure, I suppose. She has a new life now, and this..this is..she's finally letting him go, and moving on. I doubt she'll ever forget him, but no-one can stay in the past." Patting Mwu's shoulder, the man turned to walk away.
"You're very lucky. She's a great person, and my friend really loved her. Please take care of her..."
A few moments later, Murrue walked back from the sea, wiping away a few tears. She smiled at her husband, and tickled Stellar's feet, making the baby giggle. Kissing Mwu's cheek lightly, she took his hand.
"Come on, let's go home.."
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( Hmm...:thinks:...Nope, I don't know where this one came from.
I'd planned to write teh Super Angst, but for some reason, this story was in my head when I woke up. I think I might have dreamed it...
You never hear anything else about this other guy after Murrue-san and Mwu get together in Seed, and it made me wonder what they might have been like together...
Please read and review! )
