Chapter II: An Opportunity of a Lifetime

It had been four months since the war had ended and almost three since anyone had heard from Dearka Elsman. It was like he was a ghost. There had been no reports of him being sited anywheres. It was what he wanted though. He needed to escape not only his feelings for Miriallia but also the obligations that awaited him if he ever returned to the PLANTs.

Miriallia used to from time to time ask if anyone had heard from him. But after being told no so many times she gave up and moved on. She had finally moved on from it all, Tolle, the war and even him. It was all behind her and she was now looking towards the future. She had finished her photography course which much to her surprise she excelled in. Her instructor told her that a good photographer captures the emotion of the scene but a great photographer makes you feel those emotions. According to him she was one of the greats.

An amazing photography job had become available. It was in a far off country but it was an opportunity of a lifetime. Her instructor greatly urged her to apply telling her that her picture of the destruction in Orb would be the perfect pieces to submit.

Flashback

"Sir are you sure that I'm ready for a job like this? Shouldn't I work as an apprentice first or something?"

"Miriallia you have two choices in life. You can either play it safe and miss the great opportunities that come your way or..."

"Or what?"

"Or you can grab life by the balls and tell it how you want to live. You can't always play life safe. You were a soldier once. That life couldn't have been easy. You had no training and yet here you are. You survived so what makes you think you can't do this?"

"That was different I had other soldiers to teach me what to do"

"But you have already learned all I or anyone can teach you. The rest will come as you experience life. That is how a photojournalist really develops their skills, by simply living what they are capturing. I can't think of anyone better for this job"

Miriallia looked at him. She couldn't understand why he believed in her so much. She had doubts about it but she knew he was right. And she needed this. Her parents still looked at her like a puppy that had been kicked one too many times. She was tired of the pity. She was tired of living in the shadow of who she once was. She was ready to really get her after war life started. "Where do I have to fly for the interview?"

"I thought you would never ask" He said with a big smile. "You'll be flying to Paris. There is a magazine there very interested in hiring a photographer that's a former soldier, and one as talented as you makes it even better."

"I hope you didn't brag me up too much. I wouldn't want the image you created to get in my way."

"Don't worry I know you got this" he said giving her a thumbs up.

End of Flashback

Miriallia went home that day and packed her bags. She didn't tell her parents she was leaving. She was afraid if they tried to talk her out of it she would have listened. She needed this and more than anything she wanted this. Since her first photography classes she knew that this was what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. She wanted to preserve the memories of the world whether they be good ones or bad.

When the plane landed she checked into the hotel. She quickly changed into a modest light blue sundress and headed off to her interview.

"Hi! I'm Miriallia Haww. I'm the photographer from Orb here for an interview with the special projects division." The receptionist looked her up and down with a confused look on her face.

"Are you sure honey? Didn't they tell you what this project involves?" She questioned "I think it might be smart you hit the pavement now before they laugh you out of the room"

"With all due respect madam I came a long way for this interview and I have no intentions of leaving empty handed." She said firmly

"Fine if you insist. Go down that hall. It's room 642" She said pointing down the right corridor.

"Thank you."

Miriallia walked down the hall and entered the room. Inside was 4 or 5 other photographers. All of them were extremely tough looking men who looked at her like she was a piece of meat. Miriallia sat down away from all of them as she waited for the interview to start. After about 20 minutes a man walked in the room. He looked around the room counting the bodies to make sure they were all there before speaking.

"Good now that you are all here we can begin. My name is Frederic Bedeau" He stated as he began to give them all a good look over before stopping and staring at Miriallia "I'm sorry little girl I think you might have the wrong room. The writing interns are suppose to met of floor 5 not 6 in room 542. I can see your confusion." The other men in the room began to roar with laughter. It boomed and echoed throughout the room.

She stood up in anger "What the hell is everyone's problem!?" They all looked at her in shock as the room became silent. "My name is Miriallia Haww. I was referred to this job by my teacher Mr. Tomo. According to him you were very eager to met me. Or was that a lie" she said half disgusted with how she was being treated.

Frederic continued to look at the young girl. She couldn't be any older than 16 he thought. But there was something in her eyes. He could see she had lived through things no one her age ever should have. "I'm sorry miss. Yes we were informed of you. I just never imaged that you would be so young after hearing the stories of your adventures."

"You can live through tragedies at any age Sir"

"True. But I'm sorry but your teacher should have known we can't possible hire someone so young for a job this dangerous"

"It can't possible be more dangerous than what I've already been through I stared death in the face more times than I care to remember. I witnessed first hand the final battle of the war where both GENESIS and nuclear warfare plagued the battlefield. Not only am I experience with the dangers of a battlefield but I'm also a talented photographer. You can hire one of these men if you like but truth be told you'll be missing out on a great opportunity. One that will only come around once in your lifetime."

*Claps* *Claps*

Both Frederic and Miriallia turned to see a new gentleman had entered the room. "Mr. Richard! I didn't know you were going to be making an appearance today. I thought you were only going to meet with the final photographer"

"That was the plan." He looked over at Miriallia and smiled "Your instructor told me you were a little spit fire but his description did not do you justice" he looked over to the other men in the room "You may all go you services will not be needed"

"But SIR she is just a little girl"

"Frederic! She is not some helpless little girl. She is a war veteran and is is about time you start treating her with the respect someone of her stature commands!" As the other men left the room he turned his attention to Miriallia. "If you want it the job it's yours. But before you accept it's only right that you know the full details of the assignment. Follow me to my office we can talk there" she nodded and began to follow. "Frederic can you inform our other new hire to come to my office as well. I'd rather not have to explain twice."

Miriallia followed Mr. Richard to his office. He took a seat in his large luxurious chair and motioned for her to sit across from him, her back to the door. "How much did you teacher tell you of this assignment"

"He told me it was going to be a huge undertaking. Possibly dangerous but in the end rewarding."

"Do you have any idea of what it is we wish you to photograph?"

"Judging by what he had me submit for a portfolio entry I can only assume that you want me to go to old battlefields"

"Are you prepared to do something like that? There is a great possibility that we will be asking you to go to battlefields that you yourself fought at. Will you be able to put your feelings aside and take the necessary photos?"

"Before I answer that, can you tell me something. What exactly do you want these photos for?"

She was both suspicious and curious. What good could come out of this? "It will take time but we want to publish a book featuring all the great battlefields on Earth from this past war. As a reminder of the devastation. So no one will forget"

Miriallia looked him in the eyes. She could tell he was speaking the truth. She smiled back at him "Then… I'm the photographer for the job!"

"Excellent you won't regret this!" He said standing up to shake her hand. She stood up to met his hand shaking it firmly to show she was not some weak little girl. Not anymore at least "Ah there you are Derrick!" He said looking towards the the door "Miriallia Haww I would like you to met Derrick Eastman. He will be your bodyguard during your assignment. He is a former EAF soldier like yourself, he fought defending the desert during the war."

Miriallia turned to look at the young man. The young man she would be spending every night and day with for the foreseeable future. When their eyes met she could see shock written all over his face. But of course she couldn't blame him. In fact she was almost positive it was the same look plastered across her face. In front of her stood a tall tanned young man around the age of 17-18. He had blonde wavy locks and the most emotion filled amethyst eyes. This wasn't Derrick Eastman no this was someone else entirely. "Dearka Elsman?" She thought to herself.

Dearka finally broke out of his trance to put his hand forward. "Derrick Eastman nice to met you." Miriallia was shocked that he would continue with the rouse that wasn't fooling her. Deciding to go along with it she reached out and shook his hand. She could feel butterflies envelope her stomach. She had longed for his touch, a touch she never thought she would feel again.

"Like wise" She replied.

"So you're the photographer they hired. I was almost expecting and arrogant old man" he joked.

"No, you'll have to deal with an opinionated young woman instead" she joked back.

"Glad to see you are both getting along already why don't you both have a seat and we can get started." They both sat down and he hand them a list. "These are the coordinates of the battlefields we would like you to take photos of. The one with stars next to them are the ones you need to hit first. They have reconstruction projects already plan for them and if you are going to get any images you need to get them ASAP." He could see them both looking over the list with sorrow in their eyes. They never knew there were some many major ones. To see it listed out was hard to take. "Is there anything wrong"

Dearka looked over at Mirallia. He knew what she was thinking. She couldn't just read coordinates and know where the place was. She felt terrified thinking what if they had to go there? To the sight when the skygrasper fell? Could she handle it? "No there's nothing wrong. Everything on this list is acceptable." Dearka made sure to emphasis that so that Miriallia knew she wouldn't have to go back there.

"Great. This project will not be without it's challenges. It will take you up to a year to complete. You will not be able to see your families or friends. Hotels may even be a luxury in some cases. You'll be camping out in the wilderness sometimes even close to the battlefields themselves. With the only company being each other. Do you still wish to undertake this"

Miriallia and Dearka looked at each other. Dearka still couldn't believe she was right.

Flashback

"You say you're going to travel the world, but what are you looking for if not an escape. Believe me I understand wanting to escape. Having the feeling of everything closing in around you." Dearka could hear the pain in her words "But you can't run away. Maybe not today maybe not tomorrow but someday whatever you are running away from with catch up to you"

End of Flashback

He never thought here of all places he would run into her. Not only that but be stuck alone with her for up to a year. "YES SIR" They both replied in unison.

"Then it looks like we have some paperwork to fill out" he said passover some files.

They finished filling out the large amount of paperwork. After that they started planning out the order of their destinations with the help of Frederic. The planning took a few hours but in the long run they knew it would be worth it. Once finished Miriallia and 'Derrick' decided to headed off to their hotels. They walked out of the magazine's office building and before they went their separate ways Dearka decided to ask the question he had been dying to ask since he saw her in the office.

"Are you crazy?" He asked obviously trying to suppress his anger "Are naturals really this stupid or is it just you?"

"What is your problem?" she snapped back.

"I thought you becoming a photographer meant you were going to be staying out of danger. Instead you seem to be diving right into it"

"If you had such a problem with it why didn't you say anything in there Dearka or Derrick or whatever you are going by now. What is with the name change anyways? And why do they seem to think you're a natural?"

"If I said anything then they would know that we knew each other, and that would have ruined everything. From now on in public call me Derrick. That is my name to everyone."

"Why?"

"Because that is the best way to disappear. Dearka Elsman is a wanted war criminal in the PLANTs. I wanted a chance to be free for a while before turning myself in. There no better way to do that then to pretend you're something you're not."

"Listen I didn't expect to ever see you again, and I certainly didn't expect to be travelling around the world with you. But can we at least make the best of this? For the next year it is just you and me."

"Fine. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. I'm your bodyguard which means I'll protect you. That is it. Don't expect anything more to come of this."

"Ditto" She replied.

"So I'll meet you tomorrow morning at the military base."

"Right Mr. Eastman. I'll see you there" She waved goodbye and they headed their separate ways. She knew this journey was going to be a crazy adventure. She didn't know yet if Dearka being with her was good or bad. But she knew life was never going to be the same.

Dearka arrived back at his tiny hotel room a few minutes later. It was so much smaller than anything he was use to growing up. His family was very wealthy which meant he wanted for nothing. Anything he could ever dream of he could have. His hotel rooms were never small one bed. They were large luxurious suites on the top floors. But… he didn't want that life anymore. After everything he experienced during and after the war he wanted something more simple. A tiny hotel room was perfect.

He opened the door to his room. He was lost in thought. He was still fuming that Miriallia was the photographer he would need to protect. "What the hell is this girl thinking? Is she really trying to get herself killed… I guess there really is no escaping her" he thought to himself. Slowly he walked in sliding his bag off his shoulder and onto the floor. It had been a long exhausting day. His interview was tough. He had to prove he was the best out of the seven men there all while trying to maintain the rouse that he was a natural. As it turned out it was a lot harder than he thought. Pretending he was something he was no was extremely difficult. "At least with Miriallia I can just be me"

He started to notice how really beat he was when he finally realized he wasn't the only one in the room. There standing by the window was a young man. Not just any man but one with icy blue eyes and silver hair. "About time you got here. I was getting sick of being in this shit hole" the man snapped.

"Y-Yzak… what are you doing here?"

"I've come to bring you back to the PLANTs you moron! What did you think? Did you really believe I was just going to let you roam around Earth for the rest of your life? You are still my friend you know."

"I'm not going back to the PLANTs. I have a job now that I have no intentions of leaving until my contact is done" He said as he threw his keys on the table by the entry.

"You're Dearka Elsman. You don't need a job. All you need is a passtime. Like become a soldier again" He replied.

"I'm a wanted war criminal remember. I deserted ZAFT. Are you really that insane to think that I would ever be let back in"

"There was a commander in ZAFT who fought hard not only to have your desertion expunged from your record but to have you as their first lieutenant. You'll have to wear a green uniform but you'll still be a respected soldier."

"And what idiot commander would have fought for me?" He asked in confusion.

"Me" He replied proudly smirking.

"Y-you! You're a commander now?" he said in shock before regaining enough composure to be serious. "Even so… That doesn't change things. I'm not going back to ZAFT. I have something here that I need to do."

"She a natural" He said in a serious tone.

"She's… Just a co-worker, a girl I've be assigned to protect while she on assignment."

"She's that same girl from the ARCHANGEL. That CIC"

"I didn't have any clue she would be the one. I thought it would be some guy. I left Orb to get away from her. But she is here now. We both signed contracts, and I promised her I would protect her"

"You mean Derrick Eastman did. You signed it as him. You made the promise as him. Look at this piece of shit place you're staying in. Is this really what you want? The life of this 'natural' persona you've created"

"I don't expect you to understand. I know you never will. But this is what I want."

Yzak walk up to his former comrade and pulled out a piece of paper. "Here take this" he said sadly.

Dearka reached out his hand and took it. "What is it?"

"A voucher for a ticket to the PLANTs. There is no date it needs to be used by. Take your year if that is what you need. But I know that someday you'll use that. And when you do the position will be waiting for you"

"You may be waiting the rest of your life"

"Someday Dearka we will fight alongside one another. I promise you that" He said before walking out the door. Dearka looked down at the voucher. He was about to rip it up when he hesitated. This was to go to the PLANTs… not back to ZAFT. Someday if he did chose to use it it never meant he needed to be a military dog again. He decided instead to throw it next to his keys. Maybe someday he would use it.