Disclaimer: I do not own Odin Sphere and the characters.

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The Long-Awaited Rendezvous

The last thing she could remember was the sight of her forest, blazing brightly into ashes, the defeated figure of Onyx, and his body, lying lifelessly on the scorching land. She couldn't really remember what happened after that. She was rather uncertain of what she saw. It feels like she was in such a long slumber, having a very peaceful dream. A warm and pleasant dream where she reunited with her mother and her people.

She was happy. She didn't care even if it was only a dream. So she continued her long slumber blissfully.

And she remembered a voice, a gentle, kind voice. A voice so small she had thought it was her own mind whispering to her. An honest voice that had brought her back.

Are you happy?

Of course I'm happy.

Are you satisfied?

Of course I am.

Are you sure?

Of course...

Don't you have another wish?

....I do.

Have it come true?

No...

So, are you happy?

...no..

Then go make that wish come true.

But it would be selfish of me...

You, my dear, have all the right in the world to be selfish just this once.

...can I...really...?

Yes. And now, say what you wish for.

...I..

"I want to meet him again."

A strange, yet honest, small conversation. And before she realized it, she was enveloped in a warm light. The bright light filled her vision, and she closed her eyes as she felt the warm light embracing her. And when she opened her eyes, she knew that she was no longer dreaming.

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She looked around, not recognizing her surroundings. A forest, a very familiar looking forest stood tall around her. No, it can't be... She was sure her forest was burnt into ashes by the flame of Onyx, and her along with it... Was she still dreaming after all?

Unsure of her own consciousness, she brought her hands to her face. She felt her cheeks. Warm. She pinched them. It hurt. She breathed in deeply, inhaling the fresh air of the forest, and then she knew. She was back. And she was not alone.

Could it be? It couldn't be possible. She still remembered his dead body. She remembered so well how cold his hands were when she touched them last time... It couldn't be... It's just not possible...

He was so close... And yet she was too afraid to do anything. She tried so hard to hold the urge to just jump straight to him, afraid that she was just being delusional and the vision of him might just disappear... But she had to make sure. She just had to. Please... Just once, let her call his name again...

"Ingway..."

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He was astonished by the unique being before him. The figure almost looked like a normal human girl, except for the small pair of wings on her back, and her pointy ears. And—he wasn't sure whether he was just imagining it or not—even though very faint, he could see that she was gleaming with a dim light. And hearing his name came from the unknown creature made him even more astounded. Yet somehow, it sounded very nostalgic to his ears.

"Do I...know you?" is all he could manage to say in-between his amazement.

The girl looked confused after hearing his response for a bit. And after a moment of silence, her expression changed. He studied her expression after the shock had subsided. Was that sadness he just saw?

"Um... Could you be, a Fairy?" He asked, his curiosity get the best of him. And to his surprise, her expression saddened even more. He was taken aback as he saw tears started to build up in her eyes. Had he just offended her with his simple question?

"Don't you... remember me?" Her voice was very small he could hardly hear her. He could see how she was trying so hard to hold back her tears. A twinge of pain struck his heart as he watched her saddened face.

"I'm sorry... have we met before?" He asked, unsure of what to do. He was sure that he had never saw a fairy in his life, if she really was a fairy. But the more he gazed at her garnet eyes, the nostalgic feeling that he felt kept getting stronger and stronger. And yet, he just can't find her in his memories.

"So you really... don't remember about me..." She said, her face down. A pang of guilt struck him.

"Even though I always thought of you, always wishing to meet you again..." Her voice now shaking, her shoulder trembled. Seeing this heartbreaking sight, his feet unconsciously stepped forward.

"And now that we've actually met... you forget about me just like that..." He couldn't take it anymore. He reached his hands to her, the urge to hold her trembling body overwhelming him.

"How could you... you...!" He stood before her, hands ready to pull her into his embrace.

"You stupid frog!!" And she punched him on the jaw.

His vision blacked out for a second. Even though the punch itself wasn't very powerful, it was very accurate that he could almost feel his brain shift a bit.

"What the..?!" He almost snapped at the hit as he recovered from the shock. But he stopped as he felt another hit, much weaker this time, on his chest.

"Stupid...stupid frog..." She kept saying as she continued to hit his chest weakly, tears flowing from her eyes. "Stupid... Stupid..." He stayed silent, not knowing of what to do. He just watched as she continued.. He looked at her teary face, as she kept hitting him. A twinge of stronger pain struck his heart. No... Don't cry... Don't be like this....

"Don't cry anymore, Mercedes...." And before he realized what he was doing, he warped his arms around her small shoulders, pulling her into his embrace. Their eyes widen in surprise, both his and hers. Her, surprised at the sudden embrace, and him, surprised by his own words. They stayed like that for a while, both still shocked by his action and words. He didn't even realize what he had just said. The words had just slipped out his mouth faster than his thought. Did he just call her Mercedes?

"Ingway...?"

Her voice brought his mind back. He quickly pulled away and jumped back. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..! I was... I mean..." He fluttered embarrassedly, realizing his sudden intimate action. He looked at her, afraid that he had just offended her. To his relief, she had stopped crying, confuse now tinted on her eyes.

He turned his gaze from hers, hesitating before finally opened his mouth again. "I am very certain that this is our very first meeting. I am very sorry, but I just couldn't find you in my memory. But—" His words were cut as he heard a gentle fluttering sound. He quickly looked her way only to see that she was already midair, ready to fly away.

"You...You can't just hold someone and call their name and then say you don't know them, you stupid frog!" She shouted before turning away and flew deeper into the forest, away from him.

He stood still, amazed at her very sudden change of spirit. "What the...? Hey wait!!" It took him a few seconds before he finally snapped out of it and run after her.

He ran as fast as he could, chasing down the faint light of the Fairy's radiance. A lot of thoughts ran through his mind as he chase after her. How she just suddenly showed up in front of him... How she just suddenly hit him, cried on him, and left him angrily... How she kept calling him stupid frog... Stupid frog... He wondered why she kept calling him a frog...

He was so engulfed in his own thought while his eyes was fixed at the fairy's flying away figure that he failed to see that the ground was no more. When he realized it, his feet had already run through the edge of the cliff he had failed to spot. And the last thing he remembered was hearing her shouting his name...

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A.N: Okay... so cheesy and crappy... Yes, just go on and tell me how miserable I do it this time. Seriously. Just tell me which part you hate it the most. The way I turned Mercedes into such a crybaby? The way I brought her back? The way I made Ingway into such an idiot that he'd jumped right into a cliff? Your pick. I'm happy enough just being able to write about some sweet moments of theirs, no matter how small it could be. And yes, I failed to end the story at this chapter. Please don't kill me for that. More fluffy chapter won't hurt. ...right? Anyway thanks for keep reading 'till now. And please, never forget that the cute little review button will always be waiting for your click. ;D