Rakuen no Tobira

When Stars Collide

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:22:46 GMT

Hey.
This is especially for sempai. Happy birthday, baby. :3
I did promise I'd try to write this, so here it is... didn't particularly turn out the way I planned, and I think there's some characterization issues, but humour me... I'm months outta practice. X3 Hope ya have a wonderful birthday, k? And can't wait to see you back here soon. ;)

Talks Over Whisky

He smiled as the bartender cocked an eyebrow.
'Can I have a shot of whisky, please. Suntory Hibiki, 30 years old, straight up.'
His grin widened as the bartender immediately turned to get a shot glass. He'd been mildly worried that the place wouldn't have any of it, and wasn't too keen on anything else at the moment. After all, ever since his first visit to New York, he'd figured he'd have to start things off with a nice, stiff drink if he wished to maintain whatever little sanity he still possessed.
He nodded lightly in acknowledgement as the bartender placed the shot glass before him, then proceeded, while sipping, to the huge gothic windows that lined the upscale penthouse club. Not to say that it was pretentious. Far from it, in fact. The muted designs and color palette paid generous tribute to the architecture, and enhanced the dark mood it possessed, as did the strange musical arrangement of Albinoni and Rachmaninoff.
Smiling to himself, he leaned against a pillar as he stared out at the city spread out below him. Strangely enough, Bruce Wayne felt right at home.
Taking another pull from his shot, he stared at the sea of blinking lights, wondering whether his leads were worth his trouble. The news that Dent has resurfaced here, of all places, made little sense, and his supposed plans at weapons acquisition were even more ridiculous. They could've been taken care of just as easily in Gotham, without any need for the long travail to this city, but...
He couldn't leave the rumours alone. Harvey had become more and more erratic in his actions ever since his accident, and the last thing he wanted was to leave something to chance that might end up with dire consequences. Especially since Gotham was getting messier as time went by, and he hadn't been too keen on leaving things unmonitored.
'Nice out there, isn't it? It's a beautiful city at night, when you can't see everything too clearly.'
Bruce winced a little. He wasn't sure when he'd let his guard down, but apparently, it'd been enough for him not to steer clear of present company, who he usually avoided like the plague. The gentleman who'd joined him was jarringly irritating. Everything about him screamed 'look at me', from the flashy Versace suit with no tie and undone cuffs, to the shot glass of Islay whisky he was swirling, to the lopsided, almost predatory, grin on his goateed face. To say he looked out of place in the quiet club they were in was a gross understatement.
'Tony,' the man said, extended his right hand. 'Tony Stark, of Stark Enterprises. Never thought I'd see the illustrious Bruce Wayne come over to a hovel like New York though. Comes as quite a surprise.'
Controlling an abrupt need to crush Stark's hand between his fingers, Bruce smiled and shook his hand.
'Charmed, I'm sure. Some personal affairs require my presence here for a while. And what gives me the honor of speaking to Iron Man?' True to form, Stark had brazenly announced his alter ego to the world at a press conference. Granted, he was well-placed enough for it not to have any major effect on his business and holdings, or on him proper, given his lack of enemies at the time, but the reckless disregard for himself and those around him irked him mightily. Then again, I'm sure Alfred has a lot to say about me too...
Stark grinned his megawatt grin as he puffed up and preened himself a little. Bruce wondered if the electromagnet in his chest was contributing to how bright his smile was - it was near blinding.
Still, it was obvious by his gaze that Stark was no fool. He'd managed to locate him and get physically close to him, bespeaking not only intelligence and resourcefulness, but also a fair amount of physical prowess. Now all that remained was to ascertain what he was here for.
'Look, let's cut the chatter and get down to business,' Stark said, making Bruce blink at the sudden change in his demeanour. 'You know who I am. Almost everyone does nowadays. What I want to know is who you are, and why you're here."
"Your company profile is amazingly neutral, meaning you've sunk your fingers into so many pies no one really knows what to make of your investments in general. The only thing you haven't done so far is to go overtly into military tech, which I'm sure you're into on the sly. Who isn't, right?"
Bruce shrugged his shoulders non-commitally. He'd been forced to, but it did have its rewards. While he contributed armour and devices and vehicle designs to ensure personal safety, he'd been able to upgrade his own equipment. It was either that, or he rely solely on his skills and prayer, and prayer didn't stop bullets.
"Now what I want to know is why you're here in New York, attending a military tech conference, and why it is that there have suddenly been sightings of the Batman around these parts all of a sudden."
Bruce found no difficulty maintainking his mask of composure. Apparently the folks in New York were more alert, or at least more outspoken than their Gotham brethren. "I'm not sure I get what you mean, Mr Stark-"
"Tony. Please."
"Tony, then. I'm not sure what you're getting at."
Stark leaned in a little closer, making Bruce lean back just a fraction. He was starting to get impressed with this strange man. It was the first time in a long time he'd actually felt as if he was being backed into a corner, and this by a shorter, almost slightly built man.
"Don't play coy with me, Wayne. I'm not stupid, and I entertained the idea of being my own bodyguard before. I don't know and I don't care if you're the Batman, or if he's in your employ. Just make sure the Bat doesn't tread on any toes here. This is my city, and if he wants to start one of his little wars here, like you've had in Gotham, I will personally pin his wings before I decimate whichever hobo he's chosen to come after. Are we clear on this?"
Bruce smiled and raised his eyebrows.
"Well... I'll try to let him know? Though I must say you've got a rather overactive imagination there. I don't know who he is, and I've always thought vigilanteism was too... vulgar for words."
Stark stared intently at him, almost as if he were tempted to hack into his brain, then shrugged.
"Just tell him," he said as he turned to leave. "I'm a territorial man, and I like my city the way it is. Please don't make me have to sweep up afterwards, or I'll be very, very annoyed."
Bruce smiled and turned back to stare out the window again as he listened to the sound of Stark's Ferragamos against the black marble floor fade.
Things were going to be interesting.

Random Shiate.

Fri, 16 May 2008 17:26:31 GMT

Pilot
~Matthias Vogt Trio

He's living next (to) the rails
He can tell you things of different cars and trains
Now he's trying the whole day
To switch off time by causing train delay(s)

Could be enough
If only he's the pilot once a day
Could be enough
If only he's the pilot once a day

Not a word to compensate
Not a sentence to describe this desperate state
Not a picture to compare
We step into a room of old black air

Could be enough
If only we are pilots once a day
Could be enough
If only we are pilots once a day

*bridge*
Could be enough
If only we are pilots once a day
Could be enough
If only we are pilots once a day, once a day

Could be enough
If only we are pilots once a day
Could be enough
If only we are pilots once a day

Looking for Places to Hide.

Sat, 11 Aug 2007 06:31:32 GMT

They were... irritating.

To one as used to the hardship and rigeurs of warfare as he was, he was actually mildly surprised that he could be this... unsettled... at such trivialities, but the fleshlings were slowly but steadily driving him insane.

Then again, the way things stood, they were probably not fully to blame.

Sitting next to his brightly colored and mildly annoying comrade, he glared sullenly at the fleshling children as they boarded him and drove off on their usual daily trip to... wherever it was they went. He didn't really care. He was actually rather fond of... Sam, his name was, after the fiasco with the Decepticons. He'd proven his mettle, Bumblebee was fond of him, and while he WAS rather highly strung, he generally left him alone most of the time, so things were nice and civil for all concerned. Mikaela was also generally... civil. Though she did seem a tad too fascinated with his guns and what was under his hood on occasion. It made him slightly uncomfortable to have her lean into him quite that much, but he was thankful she didn't generate the same effect on him that she did on Sam. He looked occasionally as if he was on the verge of a processor meltdown.

Sam's parents, however, were a far different story.

He grumbled to himself a little, a black pickup truck with what sounded like an idling engine.

He'd probably been associating with Ratchet a tad too much, given the 'bot's tendencies to rationalize and analyze. They were starting to rub off on him, and it was getting rather... irritating. For lack of a better word. As things were, he was already so disgruntled his logic centers were barely in harmonic oscillation.

There was, first, the planet. A small world, third in the young solar system in a young nebula. Primitive peoples, primitive technologies, and so much water it made his metal skin crawl. The humidity was generally within acceptable limits, but there were days when the condensation was so bad, he felt his paint was going to be permanently stained and eaten through. He already looked a little the worse for wear, and the last thing he wanted was to start looking like Bumblebee had when he first infilitrated the humans and their cities, all rust-eaten and weather-beaten and looking like a scrap yard escapee. The poor soul.

Then there was the matter of Sam's... rodent. While the boy had called the thing a chihuahua, a canis subspecies, the overanxious, almost hysterical, constantly yapping thing seemed more rodent than dog. He still hadn't completely... forgiven, the human word was... the little mutt for lubricating his foot. True enough to his fears, the patch HAD rusted, no thanks to the little rodent's highly acidic urine. Add that to the fact that the nervous little rat had a tendency to pee on anything whenever it felt threatened... and the thing it peed on tended to be his tyres... He was generally rather pissed. And while he realized that there was a horrendous pun, he couldn't find it in him to be amused...

And lastly, but far from the least, THEM.

Sam's parents.

A more irritating pair of beings he had never encountered. In all the millenia he had been online, he had never come across anything that came remotely close to the sheer frustration of having to interact with this infuriating pair. The first encounter with them had already been highly taxing, and he'd not totally been jesting when he mentioned that taking them out as an option. He'd actually felt a twinge of regret when Prime went ape on him and demanded to know what had scrambled his processors. Not so much because his fearless leader had been angry, but more because he had said no.

And now that they were attempting to live in hiding amongst humans, and given that Bumblebee had elected to stay with Sam...

He cursed Ratchet for having the foresight of choosing a search and rescue vehicle that could not be driven by civilians. He cursed Prime, though not quite as vehemently, for choosing his rig. Prime didn't really have a choice, given his overall size and stature. You could hardly expect the leader of the autobots to choose a Choro QQ or a Mitsubishi i as an alt mode after all. But most of all, he cursed himself for the sheer stupidity in choosing an alt mode that was so... family friendly.

And speaking of family friendly, THEY were here.

The sound of their bickering as they yapped about the humdrum details of their miserable little lives in technicolor detail. The way their banter fell on his audio sensors made him wish that Prime hadn't warned him, in no uncertain terms, that if he were to attempt to kill, harm, hurt, or even lightly singe them, he would dismantle him personally and reassemble him so his head would come out partway out his posterior.

It was just so tempting.

And the worst thing of it was... the mother was carrying the rodent. And they were both headed towards him in an unmistakable fashion.

Too late, he contemplated revving his engine and tearing out into the street at full speed, claiming there was an emergency and that the Decepticons had returned. In the nanoseconds he took to compute the possibilities of that particular tactic being successful, a manicured hand had pulled open his passenger seat door, while a familiar greasy weight was settling into his driver's seat.

What are you doing, may I ask? he growled sullenly, wondering to himself what would happen if he transformed right now with them inside.

"We need to go shopping at the mall, you silly thing," thrilled the mother, her free hand flapping around ecstatically. "Sam just called and said that he wanted us to join him and Mikaela for lunch! Those sweet young things... I'm sure it was Mikaela's idea, you know, Sam is hardly EVER this thoughtful..."

"But he did get you that nice set of earrings on your last birthday," chimed in the father, shifting his ponderous behind against Ironhide's poor deformed leather seat. "You can't deny that..."

"But he did that after Mikaela suggested that! Remember how he was telling us that she'd dragged him to the store when she found out it was my birthday and..."

"Don't talk bad about your own son, eh? He's a goo..."

Ironhide revved his engine loudly, distracting them.

Might I enquire... why are you asking me to drive you there? You DO have your own vehicle.

"Oh Hide-y, don't be such a spoilsport. It's just to the mall, and you're so much more comfortable than that cheap piece of trash that HE drives."

"Hey! I resent that! It's a classic vehicle!"

Holding back a frustrated sob, Ironhide ground his gears together for a while before finally, reluctantly, starting his engine. It was only a short drive to the mall anyway. The faster he moved, the less he would have to put up with this idiocy.

Then he felt a warm wetness on his back seat, accompanied by a series of yips.

"BAD MOJO!"

He contemplated suicide at that point. Maybe Jazz HAD gone on to a better place. Any place was probably better than this.

Resisting the urge to test his hypothesis about whether he could function as a meat grinder if he transformed now, he pulled out of the driveway slowly, the mother apologising profusely as she ingrained the rodent's urine deeper into his leather seats.

It was going to be another of those days.

Chronological Master List - Dearka x Millie fics [for 30_kisses]

Tue, 26 Apr 2005 15:30:54 GMT

Gundam Seed

1.Surprises
#5. "ano sa" ("hey, you know....")
Author: ataiki

2a.Invincible (part 1)
2b.Unrivaled (part 2)
16. invincible; unrivaled
Author: hemlocke

The Interval

3.Tunnel Vision
#1. look over here
#11. gardenia
Author: hemlocke

4.The Wind in Her Hair, The Sun in her Smile
#3. jolt!
#19. red
#29. the sound of waves
Author: ataiki

5.Good Night
#24. good night
Author: ataiki

Gundam Seed Destiny, and Beyond...

6.Calling Earth
#4. our distance and that person
#10. #10
Author: ataiki

7.You Don't Have to be a Superstar
#7. superstar
Author: ataiki

8/Crash Landing
#9. dash
#15. perfect blue
Author: hemlocke

9.Bad Mood
#12. in a good mood
Author: hemlocke

10.Fools Rush In
#6. the space between dream and reality
Author: ataiki

11.Come Clean
#2. news; letter
Author: hemlocke

12.Not Mine to Own
#17. kHz (kilohertz)
#26. if only I could make you mine
Author: hemlocke

13.Lies
Author: hemlocke

14/Lead Me To Your Door
#14. radio-cassette player
#20. the road home
Author: ataiki

15.First and Last
#30. kiss
Author: hemlocke

16.Just Desserts
#23. candy
Author: hemlocke

17.Piracy on the High Seas
#21. violence; pillage/plunder; extortion
Author: hemlocke

18.Whoops
#8. our own world
#22. cradle
Author: ataiki

19.Be My Baby
#13. excessive chain
#28. Wada Calcium CD3
Author: hemlocke

20.Gurgle
#18. "say ahh...." ("a~n" is also something really smug guys say, like, "I look really hot tonight, a~n?"... having the question mark in there makes it difficult to know which one is meant, so either interpretation is ok)
#27. overflow
Author: ataiki

21.Quiet Days
#25. fence
Author: ataiki

And while we're done with the themes, this isn't over yet. ;)

Fools Rush In

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 16:01:20 GMT

For 30_kisses
Title: Fools Rush In
Author/Artist: Veldspar aka Ataiki
Pairing: Dearka Elthman x Miriallia Haww
Fandom: Gundam SEED / Gundam SEED DESTINY
Theme: #6 (the space between dream and reality)
Disclaimer: Gundam SEED and its characters belong to Sunrise and Bandai. Please don't sue.

The mug made a rather resounding thwack as it slammed onto the surface of the bar counter. The normally unflappable bartender winced a little at the sound, and winced a little more at the small cracks that had started appearing at the bottom of the mug, and around the handle.
Millie couldn't care less. She was pissed off, and was determined to get pissed drunk as well.
Of all the nerve. What do you know, blondes really DO have the IQ of a decapitated turtle, no matter what se... gender they are. She leaned back as she took another swig. Stupid, pigheaded, idiotic twit. Can't think of anyone but himself can he?
She sighed, though it came out more like a growl, and hunched down over the bar counter, glaring at her beer. It wasn't working quite as well as she'd wanted it to, and it was already her fourteenth mug. She was still sober and fresh as a daisy though, and it was not helping her mood one bit.
Bloody ungrateful bastard. After all I've done for him, does he think one bit about what I want? Go back to ZAFT, I said. Get your affairs in order, I said. Go sort out your life, I said. And when I told him I want to be a war photojournalist, what DOES he say? The prick! She grabbed the mug and finished off the beer in one quick chug before slamming it back down on the counter and motioning for a refill.
"Easy on the hardware eh, lady?" breathed the bartender in a husky voice. It wasn't surprising to see why he had it. There was a huge mass of scar tissue over the front of his neck, which probably involved the insides of it as well. Millie cocked an irritated eyebrow, and waved him off as she hunched over her newfound best friend.
He's worried about me, he said. War's a dangerous thing, he said. As if I didn't already know. I mean... She shook her head as images of Tolle rose unbidden in her mind, and the abyss of depression loomed below her, waiting for her to take the plunge. Ah, screw this. I served on the Archangel. I was nearly killed so many times I've lost count. So has HE, for that matter, and while he spouted all that nonsense, he was STILL going out there. And he's got the CHEEK to tell me that he wants me safe on PLANT with him, away from war, while he goes out to stick his neck into the middle of it. NO BLOODY WAY! I'm NOT gonna be some silly demure housewife sitting at home with some tear-drenched hankie waiting for my man to come home!
She took another violent swig, but put the mug down rather more gently this time, earning a relieved smile from the bartender. She stared at the contents of her mug again. It was already half empty. She sighed and hunched over the bar counter again, puffing her cheeks out as she contemplated chewing on the sleeves of her jacket in sheer frustration.
Ignorant, chauvanistic PIG. I should've known he was too good to be true. Coming in on me all suave and sexy and like he's all that. Like some kinght on a charger out of some kid's dream. Gods, reality took a big bite outta me with that one. There I was thinking I'd met the perfect guy, and he turns out to be the galaxy's biggest thickhead. What was I THINKING?!
Almost as if they'd had a mind of their own, her eyes grew wet, much to her shock. Maybe she was less sober than she'd thought.
No. NO. There's NO way in hell I'm gonna be caught crying. Not here. Not like this. This is so STUPID! I REFUSE to cry over someone like that idiotic blonde AIRHEAD.
Huffing, she ran her sleeve over her eyes, rubbing a little to clear the moisture. Not that it seemed to be working.
"Errr... Hello?"
"What?!" she snapped as she spun around.
She was met by the sight of a thin, pale man with ash-brown hair, wearing orange tinted shades. He looked dizzily happy, and a little shocked, possibly a bit concerned.
"Millie?"

Quiet Days

Sun, 24 Apr 2005 16:24:53 GMT

For 30_kisses
Title: Quiet Days
Author/Artist: Veldspar aka Ataiki
Pairing: Dearka Elthman x Miriallia Haww
Fandom: Gundam SEED / Gundam SEED DESTINY
Theme: #25 (fence)
Disclaimer: Gundam SEED and its characters belong to Sunrise and Bandai. Please don't sue.

"Hello there, neighbour."
Dearka opened his eyes, then blinked. He'd been dozing while propped up against his fence, and hadn't expected to be woken for at least another half hour at least. And above him, there was something above the top of the fence.
Wincing as he stood to the merry crackling of stiff joints, he turned to locate the source of the greeting. It was readily apparent, actually. There was a hat sticking out over the top of the light blue fence that seperated the houses. The compounds, rather. After all, when one was the son of a member of the ZAFT Supreme Council, it was rather difficult not to own an estate that wasn't the size of... well. The last time he checked, it was about 3 football fields or so. Or maybe 4. He couldn't remember. Whatever it was, it was easy enough to hide in the estate, at least, and it ensured the kids had plenty of space to play in. It also made hide and seek murder - a fact he was thankful for at the moment, since that was exactly what he was doing.
However, he had been found, somehow, by some strange cosmic coincidence, and thankfully, not by someone in the family, who would promptly drag him back to the mansion and insist that he supervise the kids in some way. Or do housework. Something along those lines, anyway.
Now, he just had to figure out who it was.
"Hey there," he ventured tentatively, waving.
The hat raised a hand and waved back. "You doing ok? Don't usually see people skulking against fences like that"
"Yeah," he replied, feeling rather sheepish. "Sorry bout that. Needed to get away."
Dearka watched, bemused, as the hat bobbed up and down as if it was nodding. Or at least, the head it was on was nodding. "Yeah, we all get times like that. Family getting a bit too much to handle?"
"Yeah, kinda. I mean, one son, one daughter, and a pair of twins which make it TWO sons and TWO daughters... egads, it's enough to drive someone crazy."
"Holy... You must REALLY love your wife!"
Dearka laughed. "More than she'll ever know. Hang on, wait a minute. Who are you?"
"Ah, sorry bout that. The name's Gordon. I just moved in here not too long ago."
"Ah, hi Gordon. Name's Dearka."
"Oh my, an ace pilot in the flesh. Really?"
"Nah, not really. I didn't really do much anyhow."
"You're too modest, really."
Dearka grinned a little, then his brow creased. Why am I talking to someone I don't even know? He scratched his head a little in confusion, then shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't like talking to a neighbour would kill him, and it'd be nice to establish some nice friendly ties amongst the neighbours. Surely Millie wouldn't object to that. "So, Mr Gordon, you just moved in huh? Where're you from?"
"Down the street really. I moved exactly three houses down after the last family here moved. The place was bigger and such."
"Ah. I see. Kinda, anyway."
There was a long silence as he tried to think of something to say.
"So, Gordon, what're you doing over there anyway?"
"Some gardening. I find it rather therapeutic. And it keeps me away from the wifey when my ears need to take a break."
"You too, eh?"
"We all need a break sometime, yeah."
"Glad I'm not the only one then."
They both chuckled. Suddenly curious, Dearka went on tiptoe and leaned forward against the fence.
"Whoa there!" said Gordon as he turned around.
Dearka arched an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"
"Sorry," replied Gordon as he cleared his throat. "Shy, I guess. Don't like people seeing my face. You're ok with that right?"
"Yeah, I'm cool."
There was a another long, strange silence, and Dearka suddenly felt a strange urge to, well, confide. His eyebrow twitched as he wondered why. "So..."
"Heh, yeah. The allure of talking to a stranger is kinda interesting, isn't it?"
"What are you? Psychic?" Dearka asked in some alarm.
Gordon laughed. "Nah, not in the slightest. Used to have a neighbour like you once before, kinda. Some guy called Tim. He had the occasional spat with the wifey sometimes, and the occasional kid problem, and he always used to walk right up to the fence and start talking to me about it. It was kinda weird, but kinda comforting too. Nice to know that I ain't the only one with the problems, and problems are smaller when shared."
"I guess," Dearka replied tentatively, rubbing the back of his neck in uncertainty. It WOULD be good to have someone to chat with, about things in general. Especially since Yzak had up and shacked up with that quiet woman... she was the sister to the pilot of that Red Zaku Warrior... ah yes. Hawke, was it? Meiri? Meirin? Something like that. Yeah. Ever since Yzak and Meirin had gotten married and moved, he'd been feeling rather overwhelmed. One pretty wife and four beautiful children, all stubborn, strong-willed and manipulative as hell.
He shuddered a little as he remembered how his daughters had pulled their teary-eyed gazes on him on so many occasions to get dolls, then dresses, then miscellaneous accessories and jewelry, especially the elder one. And the boys weren't much better either. They'd perfected their puppy dog eyes, and it was all he and Millie could do not to cave in. Given the sheer number of girls they had chasing after them [not counting those impudent whippersnappers that even dared to breathe near his girls], they were a testament to good genes leading to good progeny. And TERRIFYING progeny as well.
There were plenty of times he would've killed to get away though, when things got tough, and the tension in the house was so thick you would've had problems cutting it with a beam saber. And ever since Yzak had left, and with Athrun and Kira being so busy with THEIR women, he'd been dying for someone to talk to. Especially someone who WASN'T part of la familia.
Still, he couldn't take chances. He'd have to run a full background check on this Gordon before he'd even think of talking of anything beyond the mundane things like the weather. The last thing he needed was his private life splattered over some tabloid for the entertainment of the masses, like that small fiasco with Athrun and Cagalli during their honeymoon. Granted, Cagalli DID look like a boy, but calling Athrun a closet gay pedophile and Cagalli a dyke was just low. She LIKED wearing caps, jackets and pants. What was wrong with that?
It was tempting though, and an option he might look into. Having a new friend, a sane one who'd offer some good ideas out of some of the horrors his family could come up would be nice.
"We'll see, eh, Gordon? We'll see. Now excuse me a second."
"Alright then. See you around, neighbour."
Dearka smiled and waved back as Gordon waved and the hat bobbed away from the fence, backing up into the bushes behind him. Reaching down, he twisted and yanked with both his hands, eliciting loud yelps of protest from his twins.
"HEY! LEGGO!!!" wailed Darienne as she stood up shakily as Dearka pulled at her long blonde hair, looking paler than her usual fair complexion.
"YOU should talk, he's got my EAR!" whined Myca as his fingers clawed the air ineffectually while his father quickly changed his grip to grab his auburn hair instead, his mocha skin a few shades paler through the pain.
"Didn't I tell you kids never to eavesdrop? And never to try to sneak up on me?" Dearka said, an evil smile on his face as he wiggled his hands around a bit, much to their consternation. 'Come on, back to the mansion. I think your mother and I have something to say to you."
Their wails faded in the distance as they made their way back home.

Gurgle.

Sat, 23 Apr 2005 17:16:13 GMT

For 30_kisses
Title: Gurgle.
Author/Artist: Veldspar aka Ataiki
Pairing: Dearka Elthman x Miriallia Haww
Fandom: Gundam SEED / Gundam SEED DESTINY
Theme: #18 ("say ahh....") and #27 (overflow)
Disclaimer: Gundam SEED and its characters belong to Sunrise and Bandai. Please don't sue.

He wanted to cry.
That was the foremost thing on his mind as he resisted the urge to take his head and drive it through a wall. Repeatedly. Behind him came the joyous sound of a two year old screaming with laughter as he pelted his merry way through the house, waving a rattle like it was a sword as he chased after the yowling family cat, a battle-scarred grey furred tom that had seen better days.
Before him sat a bundle of giggles. A very hyperactive one as well. A very porridge splattered hyperactive one. He groaned as his cat and his kid hurtled past again, squeezing his temples as the worst headache of his life [over the last fifteen minutes anyway] threatened to beat his brains out of his skull. With a warhammer.
Feeling horrified, yet numb, he looked at himself. Once, he was a elite pilot for the ZAFT forces. Once, he had been the pilot of the Buster Gundam. He had survived the battle of Yakin Due. He had survived countless battles before and after that, even after they'd taken the Buster for research and shoved him into a crappy Zaku Gunner. And now...
He was wearing an apron. A porridge splattered apron. Porridge was in his hair as well. On his face too. On his arms. On the tiled floor. In short, everywhere. He looked a mess, just like his house. Having two children was taking its bloody toll on him, as was the thought of the one on the way.
He sighed. This is all MILLIE'S fault...
And while she was off doing... whatever it was that editors do in her posh office where Lacus had gotten her a job with some top notch news firm, where she also doubled up as her personal agent, he, the much decorated illustrious former ace warrior was now reduced to doing housework.
He hadn't complained when peace had come, no. He'd welcomed it. After all, that gave him and Millie a well-earned chance to finally settle down. She had looked so radiant on their wedding day. Even more so on their wedding night. And in ten short months, their first child arrived. He'd been so happy that day, he felt he could burst with all the joy he was filled to overflowing with. Needless to say, all hell broke loose in no time. The advent of their second progeny made things moderately worse, and now that a third was on the way, he was really REALLY beginning to dread staying home. After all, it made him do crazy things, like praying for a war to break out. Or piracy. Or a minor border skirmish. ANYTHING to get him out of the house.
She laughed, gurgling cutely as she patted him on the head with one chubby hand, squealing with delight as her brother made another pass through the battlefield that used to be a kitchen.
He sighed. Like it or not, I have to get her to finish this. She'll never grow up right, otherwise. Smiling, he stirred the porridge, took a small spoonful, and lifted it up. "Aeroplane's coming in now, baby. Say ahhhhhhh~~~"
She obliged, laughing. And when the spoon was mere millimeters from her face, she batted it away, sending the porridge splattering onto his face.
"Millie, where ARE YOU?!?!" he wailed.
Nearby, as if by some cosmic joke, the kettle whistled its merriment and the clogged sink decided to do some overflowing of its own.

Whoops.

Fri, 22 Apr 2005 08:50:52 GMT

For 30_kisses
Title: Whoops.
Author/Artist: Veldspar aka Ataiki
Pairing: Dearka Elthman x Miriallia Haww
Fandom: Gundam SEED / Gundam SEED DESTINY
Theme: #8 (our own world) and #22 (cradle)
Disclaimer: Gundam SEED and its characters belong to Sunrise and Bandai. Please don't sue. I'll give ya candy?...

Dearka blinked, and he could definitely feel his jaw going slack.
"Wha?..."
Millie sighed. "A cradle. Yes. We need one of those. Together with a coupla sets of baby clothes and booties. Pairs of em. I'm guessing one blue and one pink should do."
She looked up from the list she was making and stared exasperatedly at his face. It had the distinct look of someone where the lights were on, but no one was home. Irrationally, she contemplated knocking on his forehead to check if his head was hollow, but decided against it. At the moment, it just might be.
"Hello? Dee? Can we get back to business here?"
Dearka started. "Huh? Oh yeah. Right. Business. What did you call me here for again? You said you needed me to help buy some things. What were they again?"
Another gusty sigh escaped Millie's lips as she sagged visibly. This had been going on for almost fifteen minutes.
"CU. RAY. DAH. UL. As in, the thing you stick babies in so they can sleep. And we need to get baby clothes and stuff as well. And it's kinda early, but we probably need to think about infant formulas and whatnot."
She winced as she took another look at his face. His jaw had sagged visibly open, and there was a look of utter and total incomprehension. Mixed in with equal parts horror and sillyness, judging by the goofy upturn to the edges of his mouth. She had a feeling that if she sat him down next to a stunned herring and a worm and made them do an IQ test, the stunned herring would win. The worm might still lose.
"Wha?..."
Okay, the worm would win hands down too. She rolled her eyes. It was time for some decisive action.
Walking up to him, and amazed that he barely noticed, she slid both hands to the open lapels of his jacket, took firm hold, and started shaking him. "GET A GRIP, YOU LAMEBRAIN! It was BOUND to happen sooner or later!"
Her eyebrow twitched twice in quick succession as she realized that his overall lack of motor response, in other words, his general floppiness, was probably a good indication that his brain had shut down. It had probably been the word 'babies'. Why was it that men tended to go brain-dead at the mention of progeny? They WERE a natural outcome of a relationship that involved marriage after all. After all, what did they want their own little world for if they were the only two people in it? It'd get boring. The sex may be good, but...
Oh for Pete's sake...
She smacked both her palms against his cheeks, finally getting a stunned grrrnk out of him, and dragged his face so their noses were touching.
"Now listen carefully, Dee. As much as I wish it were so, we're buying these things for LACUS and KIRA. Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?! LACUS and KIRA. She's THREE MONTHS pregnant, and it appears that Kira's genes pulled through, cuz their doctor is willing to stake his money that they have TWINS."
"Eh?" Dearka shook his head. "So you're?..."
"Not me, you ninny. LACUS."
Dearka sagged. She couldn't really tell if it was with relief or whether he was crestfallen, but she fancied the latter. "So you're..."
She rolled her eyes heavenward and smacked him between the eyes.
"OW!!!"
"Gods, I married a moron."
Holding the bridge of his nose, Dearka protested, in muffled tones. "HEY! It's not BY fault! Yoo dook be by surbrise!"
"And you don't want kids, is that it?"
"OF COURSE I want kids! Just didn't expect em quite this early. We've only been married like..."
Millie arched an eyebrow. "Right, and when you take into account the number of times we've..."
"Good point." Dearka turned a brilliant scarlet, which she still found amusing. It was amazing how easy it was to embarass him, even now.
"Ah well," she sighed as she leaned in closer. "That means we just need to try harder now, don't we?"
He never thought it'd be possible, but he was quite sure that he turned redder.

You Don't Have To Be A Superstar

Thu, 21 Apr 2005 16:42:34 GMT

For 30_kisses
Title: You Don't Have To Be A Superstar
Author/Artist: Veldspar aka Ataiki
Pairing: Dearka Elthman x Miriallia Haww
Fandom: Gundam SEED / Gundam SEED DESTINY
Theme: #7 (superstar)
Disclaimer: Gundam SEED and its characters belong to Sunrise and Bandai. Please don't sue. PURISU!

[Millie dials Dearka's number on her handphone.]
Millie: [muttering to herself] Hope he's home, the silly boy, he forgot to give me his handphone number. After he changed it again. How many times has he changed it now? Thrice in two months? Overly fashion conscious...
Dearka: [sleepily] gnnnh... urgh. Hello?
Millie: ... whoops. Did I wake you?
Dearka: [stares at clock] It's... oh man, it's 3 in the morning over here.
Millie: The time differential shifted again? It's only midnight over here.
Dearka: I don't know, really... [stifles yawn]... may be something to do with the orbit or whatever. It's been getting more and more outta sync with Earth time. Maybe the weather center coms just need to be reset or something. Or maybe it could just be cuz of where you are. I dunno. Too sleepy to care. [gives up and yawns] What's up? Why're you calling at midnight anyway? Shouldn't you be asleep?
Millie: No rest for the wicked, I'm afraid...
Dearka: Which you are in spades, you evil woman.
Millie: Of course.
Dearka: ... ok, what're you working on so late anyhow? Not like you to be up this late unless you're rushing something.
Millie: Heh. You know me too well, Dee.
Dearka: You know I hate it when you call me that...
Millie: Which is EXACTLY why I call you that.
Dearka: [groans] Oh fine, whatever. [yawns again as he settles on his back] So what's this major scoop that's keeping my baby up all night?
Millie: You won't believe this.

[silence]

Dearka: I'm waiting...
Millie: Imagine... A Zaku descending from the sky...
Dearka: ... and...
Millie: Painted all in pink. Flanked by some garish orange painted suit that looks like it wants to be related to a carrot.
Dearka: Oh. You were at THAT base.
Millie: Yeah.
Dearka: That was likely to be a Gouf Ignited, by the way. Probably Commander Heine Westenfluss. I heard he was on special assignment, but I never expected him to get this kinda half-assed job.
Millie: Who cares what that thing is called. It's ugly. Just like the PINK ZAKU. Gods. What person in his right mind wants to paint a Zaku PINK?!... and there's someone out there called HEINE-Y?!
Dearka: Her right mind, actually. It was... 'Lacus'... who ordered it painted pink. And yes. Heine. He's an ace-ranked pilot, apparently. Stupid name aside.

[silence]

Millie: You DO know that's not OUR Lacus, right?
Dearka: Of course I do.
Millie: Just checking.
Dearka: Hey, gimme a little credit here. We know that Lacus is with Kira... wherever they are now...
Millie: Beats me where they are. They kinda kidnapped Cagalli, and I doubt they'd want to stay on the radar after a stunt like that...
Dearka: Heh. Kira's changed quite a bit, hasn't he?
Millie: Haven't we all?
Dearka: Point taken. [stretches] So you're staying up to do the report on Lacus Version 2.0?
Millie: Like I have a choice... and the worst thing about it...
Dearka: What?
Millie: I had to hear her SING.

[long silence, cut short when Dearka bursts out laughing]

Millie Hey! HEY! Stop laughing!

[Dearka continues laughing. It's not like he doesn't want to stop, but he can't help himself.]

Millie: Oh come on! This is SO not funny!
Dearka: Don't you love what's she's done to Lacus' music?
Millie: Oh, I simply adore it. [makes gagging noises, much to Dearka's amusement] Gods, I'm surprised Lacus can just sit there and listen to it. If it were me, I woulda gotten Kira to fly over there and STEP on her or something.
Dearka: Be glad, woman. You only had to listen to that crack remix once. They blare it over the radios here pretty damn often. Granted it was kinda amusing at first...
Millie: AMUSING?! WHAT KINDA SICK PUPPY ARE YOU!?
Dearka: Beats me. I never even knew I was a puppy, and I feel perfectly fine.
Millie: Oh, you KNOW what I...
Dearka: Of course I do. But yeah. It's starting to get mighty irritating at times. I've been entertaining thoughts of bashing in the speakers in the corridor outside my room, for starters. And if they start using it as the wake up call, I swear I'm gonna have puppies.

[Millie laughs hysterically]

Dearka: And NOW who's laughing?
Millie: hahahahahahahahahsorrrhahahahahahrrruuuurrrrhurrrhurrhurrrhreeeeeeeeehehehehehehehehehehehehe...

[Dearka listens as she probably falls off her chair, judging by the yelp and the accompanying thud.]

Dearka: You ok?
Millie: Yeah. Nothing hurt but my pride, really. But gods...
Dearka: Yeah...
Millie: Yeah...

[silence]

Dearka: [stifles another yawn] You almost done yet though?
Millie: Yeah, almost. Got the pictures ready already, it's mainly thinking of what to say that's such a bitch.
Dearka: Heh. Keep at it eh? I'm sure you'll manage.
Millie: And when have I not?
Dearka: See what I mean?

[they laugh]

Millie: Seriously though.
Dearka: Yeah?
Millie: Why did you choose to end up with a girl like me? I mean... I'm not that good looking, and I'm not rich, and not some superstar. You're ZAFT Elite right? Wouldn't they expect that of you? Instead of me... I mean... I'm just a Natural...
Dearka: Ah, they can shove it up their asses for all I care. And if they need some more conviction, I could always threaten to step on them.
Millie: You wouldn't...
Dearka: Ah, but they don't know for sure now, do they?...
Millie: You joke too much sometimes, you know that?
Dearka: Heh. It's the way I am. 'sides... you really have nothing to worry about. I ain't the kind to go after girls for money or fame or anything. I already got that in droves. What would I want more for? And there's no way in hell I'm going after a superstar... I mean, take fake Lacus for example... they make rather bad conversationalists when they mainly talk about themselves, ya know. And their clothes. And their hair. And... gods know what else.

[Millie giggles]

Dearka: Besides... why would I need to look for anything else when I already have everything I want? And everything I need?
Millie: Really? And what would that be?
Dearka: You.

[silence]

Millie: Gods, I wish I was there to kiss you senseless.
Dearka: It worked then, heh.
Millie: It was just a LINE?!
Dearka: Of course not, you worrywart. But I DO miss you a lot. And I REALLY wish you were here right now. After all, those kisses seem to have some rather fascinating accompaniments...

[silence]

Dearka: Millie?
Millie: [mock threatening voice] You are SO gonna get it from me when I see you again...
Dearka: And I'll be looking forward to every minute of it. You done yet?
Millie: Yeah, pretty much. As much as I want to, anyway. If I check through this one more time, I'm gonna go cross-eyed.
Dearka: Then go sleep then. I do NOT want those pretty eyes crossed.
Millie: Flatterer.
Dearka: And don't you know it.

[silence]

Millie: Night, Dee.
Dearka: Nights, sweetie.

[end call]

Surprises

Wed, 20 Apr 2005 16:11:20 GMT

For 30_kisses
Title: Surprises
Author/Artist: Veldspar aka Ataiki
Pairing: Dearka Elthman x Miriallia Haww
Fandom: Gundam SEED / Gundam SEED DESTINY
Theme: #5 ("ano sa" ("hey, you know...."))
Disclaimer: Gundam SEED and its characters belong to Sunrise and Bandai. Please don't sue. I'm already poor... don't make it worse... ;_; PLEASE! /cries...

"Ano sa..."
"Hmmm?"
"Why are you following me around?" Millie asked, an irritated look upon her face. Actually, to say she was irritated was an understatement - she was just about ready to kill the blonde idiot if he kept this up. She HAD tried before, and sometimes, she wondered why she had stopped Flay from putting a cap in his head.
"Me?" he asked, an innocent look on his face, pretending to look at the ceiling as he slouched. "Nah, I'm not following you. Just heading in the same direction.'
She narrowed her eyes and glared at him, but go no further reaction out of him as he plastered a just-passing-through-don't-mind-me look on his face. What the hell is he thinking? And why, of all people, is he following ME around?
Huffing, she spun around and stalked off towards the mess hall, glowering as she realized she could still hear his footsteps not too far behind.
She stormed into the mess, automatically earning averted gazes and a lot of personal space as the Archangel's crew slowly sidestepped away from her in what they hoped was an unobtrusive fashion. And she could still hear him behind. He might as well have been whistling.
Ignore. He's just here for the food. He's just here for the food.
She took a deep breath as she placed her orders, and hurried to a table with her tray of food. Sai was on duty, and Tolle... She bit her lip as she tried to fight back sudden tears. Dammit, I WILL not cry. Not here. Not in public. ESPECIALLY not while that blonde excuse for a jackass is around. Somehow, she managed to get herself under control, and began to eat. Never mind that she looked like she was tearing raw flesh off a carcass as she wolfed down her lunch.
"Is this seat taken?"
"Go a..."
She glanced up, back at her food, then glared at Dearka with a look that would've left him as nothing but smouldering boots if she'd had her way. He grinned at her in an almost goofy way that made her want to smack him. Hard. Anything to get that smile off his face.
Admittedly, he wasn't QUITE as bad as she first thought, but he was still a ZAFT pilot. And as far as she cared, all ZAFT pilots belonged in the sun where they could burn for eternity.
She ground her teeth together as he sat down in that smooth way of his. It was almost feline. He shot her another million megawatt grin, which fell rather flat, together with his face. Apparently, he wasn't used to not having a girl swoon and fall into his arms when he exercised his charm.
She closed her eyes for a second as he dug into his food, then pushed herself rather violently away from the table, sadistically happy that he scrambled to right his glass of water and his small bowl of soup. "I'm not hungry," she said loudly, as she grabbed the tray, with most of the food still on it, and stalked off, shoving the tray and its contents into a recycle point on the way out of the mess hall.
He shrugged and laughed nervously as the others stared at him, then after her. Suddenly embarassed, he tucked into his food a little faster than usual, quickly finishing it off, and dumping the tray in the recycle bin as he beat a hasty retreat.
He sighed as the door sighed closed behind him, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to figure out where she'd gone now.
Still, he guess she'd be easy to find.
He never expected to be grabbed by his arm and slammed into a wall as he turned a corner though.
"Why the HELL are you following me?" Millie growled as she tightened the hold on his arm, twisting it in a way he found distinctly uncomfortable. He was tempted to slap the wall in surrender, but she'd probably twist harder.
"Talk!"
He yelped a little, wondering why, as a Coordinator, he couldn't just shrug out of the grip and pin HER instead... then again, dislocating his shoulder seemed a tad too drastic for that.
"Errrrr... Let me go first?"
She twisted a little.
"OK! OK! Jeez, woman!"
"Why have you been following me around these last couple of days?"
"I... Errrrr..."
"Well?"
"I... I..."
She twisted harder.
"OK! I LIKE you, OK?! NOW LEGGO MY ARM!!!"
She blinked, and he slid out of her grip as her hands involuntarily went slack. "What did you say?"
"Nothing," he replied as he fought to keep his face blank. He figured it wasn't working from the way his cheeks were burning, but he had to try. ... Ah, screw this.
Turning as quickly as he could so she couldn't see him turn the colour of a tomato under his tan, he walked away down the corridor, leaving Millie stunned.
Did... Did he just?... She blinked again. What on earth was that?!
Shaking her head, she began the walk back to her quarters, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Watching her as she walked away as he peeked from the end of the corridor, that was exactly what he was thinking. He wasn't sure what on earth he was thinking or doing either, and that... sudden outburst was just as unexpected for him as it was for her. Shaking his head, he started down the corridor to his quarters.
He needed to think. He really needed to think.

Calling Earth

Tue, 19 Apr 2005 14:13:12 GMT

[sound of phone ringing. there's a click as someone picks up the phone]

Operator: Operator speaking. Can I help you?
Dearka: Hi. I'd like to speak with Milliaria Haww please.
Operator: Do you know her number?
Dearka: Sorry, not really, no. She's lost her mobile recently, and she doesn't really have a fixed address.
Operator: Do you have any idea where she may be at the moment? It's going to be difficult to put you through to her without a number.
Dearka: Well, she's on Earth. The last time I spoke to her was when she was around Egypt, near the Suez canal. I think she should still be around there. Can you help me check?
Operator: Who do you think I am? God?
Dearka: I'd worship you like you were God if you could put me through to her. I'm counting on you. Please?

[sudden silence]

Dearka: Hello?
Operator: [flustered sounding] Ah, um, well... ahahaha... just hang on a moment. I'll help you run a search to see if she's listed again. What was her name again?
Dearka: Milliaria Haww. That's Haww as in H-A-W-W.
Operator: That's an uncommon surname. I'll run a check then. Please wait for a few minutes. You are?...
Dearka: Dearka. My surname's Elthman.

[Dearka winces as there is a not-very-well-disguised squeal before the canned music kicks in. Apparently, his reputation preceded him in the strangest of circles. He drums his fingers against the wall as he waits, listening to a very strange version of Shizukana Yoruni that sounds very upbeat, chipper, and unbelievably genki. He feels like chewing through the phone cord, but he restrains himself.]

Operator: Hello, Mr Elthman?
Dearka: Yeah. I'm here.
Operator: We've managed to find a number listed to a Miss M. Haww. She appears to be the only one with that surname in Egypt at the moment, so I guess we were lucky, eh? [nervous tittering] The call's going to have a couple of seconds delay, yeah, cuz of the distance.
Dearka: Yeah, I guess.
Operator: Yeah, we WERE lucky, weren't we, and...
Dearka: Ermmm... excuse me, miss, but...
Operator: OMG sorry! Hang on a minute, I'll put you through, it's just that i never expected to...

[Dearka sighs with relief as he finally hears the sound of connection to an Earth based line.]

Millie: Hello? Speak.
Dearka: It's nice to hear your voice too, Millie.

[silence]

Millie: ... Dearka?
Dearka: Yeah. How ya been doing?
Millie: Good, good... and you?
Dearka: Same old, same old, I guess. After Junius 7, I've been running guard duty on PLANT since. You? I heard that you took some pictures over in Suez, and that Kira's back in business again.
Millie: Yeah, you could say that. Archangel popped out of nowhere in the middle of a battle, and apparently the rumours were true, Cagalli WAS with them... and ORB went apeshit on her and tried to shoot her down.
Dearka: What?!
Millie: Yeah, I was surprised too. But yeah, Kira was around, so she's ok. Can't say the same for the others in the battle though. They were all rapidly Freedom-ed.
Dearka: [winces] Egads, you're STILL using that term?
Millie: What else would you call it?
Dearka: ... good point.
Millie: Some poor guy in an orange Gouf bought it though.
Dearka: ... Orange Gouf?... Commander Westenfluss got taken down?...
Millie: To say the least. Wait.. wasn't he supposed to be some kinda ace pilot to you guys?
Dearka: Yeah, he was a FAITH member.
Millie: Mustn't've been very good, if he got taken down accidentally by that black dog thing... the Gaia?...
Dearka: Ouch.
Millie: But well. You can say that he's out on his Heine-y now...
Dearka: Awwww man...

[nervous laughter, quickly subsides.]

Dearka: So what happened? I was so worried when I called your mobile and it said you weren't available.
Millie: Mmmm? Oh, that. Nothing much really. I mean, being on a cliff taking pictures of a battle means I gotta run around like a madwoman. I think I dropped the damn thing. Had to buy a new one, and there goes my hard-earned paycheck, boo-hoo.
Dearka: Ah well. These things happen, I guess. Glad to hear you're ok.
Millie: My camera lens wasn't so lucky though... it cracked...

[silence]

Dearka: Ok, fine, I'll get you a new one. Which one you want?
Millie: [cooing] Oh, you know me so well, you lovely boy. Can I mail you the details later?
Dearka: [shrugs. and wonders why he's shrugging when she can't see it.] Yeah, why not? I just got my paycheck, and it's not like I have a lot to use it on at the moment.
Millie: Life been ok so far? I mean...
Dearka: Yeah, life under Yzak kinda sucks. I mean, the guy's so inept as a pilot sometimes I wonder how he sur... why are you laughing?
Millie: [laughs]
Dearka: Some things never change I see. I'm not under him THAT way. Or over him. Gods. I'm just his subcommander, and we are SO not ghei...
Millie: [still laughing] right...
Dearka: Oh gods, woman, I'm serious. Who on EARTH would want to be gay if there's someone like you around?
Millie: Oh you flatterer.
Dearka: I only speak the truth. Cross my heart and hope to die.

[silence]

Dearka: Millie?
Millie: [coughs slightly] Gods, you are such a sweet-talker.
Dearka: Only to you. Heh.
Millie: Right. And how many girls have you used THAT line on?
Dearka: Oh... let's see... nine... you should be the tenth one, I guess.
Millie: [growls]
Dearka: Oh, you KNOW I'm kidding right?... you're the only one for me. Now and always.
Millie: [sounds a bit more placated] Where would you be without me anyway?
Dearka: Yeah... so why don't you come over here? We could be together.

[silence]

Dearka: Millie?
Millie: You know I can't.
Dearka: Yeah, I know. Neutrality and all that. And the job.
Millie: Something like that, yeah.
Dearka: Yeah...

[silence]

Millie: You could always leave ZAFT. I mean, Athrun did for a while.
Dearka: I can't.
Millie: Yzak?
Dearka: Well, not completely because of him, but... yeah. Who'd save his ass if I wasn't there? I don't want another friend to die, if I can help it. Not after what happened to Nichol. It's too painful.
Millie: Yeah...
Dearka: Sorry.
Millie: It's ok.
Dearka: I didn't mean to bring that up in conver...
Millie: I said it's ok. Really. Besides, he's gone now, and no amount of our bellyaching or apologizing will ever bring him back now will it?
Dearka: No, I guess not.
Millie: Yeah.
Dearka: Yeah.

[silence]

Dearka: I got some shore leave to clear soon.
Millie: Really?
Dearka: Yeah. About a week or so, in a week's time.
Millie: Cool.
Dearka: Where will you be around then?
Millie: Honey, I'm a war journalist. How am I supposed to know?
Dearka: I see your point. Ah well. I'll call you a coupla days beforehand?
Millie: Yeah, that works.

[silence]

Dearka: Gods, I hate being so far from you.
Millie: Why? Feeling lonely already?
Dearka: You know it. It's been a while already.
Millie: Yeah.
Dearka: ... I really hope that this will all be over soon.
Millie: Yeah. Then we wouldn't have to keep shuttling around like this.
Dearka: ME shuttling, you mean. I'm the one that ends up paying the tickets to Earth all the time.
Millie: You complaining, mister?
Dearka: No?
Millie: You don't want to see me, huh?
Dearka: Of course not! You KNOW I want to see you!

[silence]

Millie: Oh, relax, you big lunk, I was just kidding. For someone that's supposed to be a smooth operator, you're kinda easy to jerk around, you know that?
Dearka: I think it's just you.
Millie: Heh. I know. Anyway, I gotta go. It's kinda late where I am, so I'm gonna go catch some sleep. Got an assignment, and I need to be up by the unholy hour of 5.
Dearka: Whoa. That IS unholy.
Millie: Heh. Yeah. But it's the job.
Dearka: Yeah.
Millie: Anyhow, nites, loverboy. Don't stay up to late.
Dearka: Yeah. And Millie?
Millie: Hmmm?
Dearka: I love you.

[silence]

Millie: I love you too. Nites, loverboy.
Dearka: Nite, sweetheart.

[end call]

For 30_kisses
Title: Calling Earth
Author/Artist: Veldspar aka Ataiki
Pairing: Dearka Elthman x Miriallia Haww
Fandom: Gundam SEED / Gundam SEED DESTINY
Theme: #4 (our distance and that person) and #10 (#10)
Disclaimer: Gundam SEED and its characters belong to Sunrise and Bandai. Please don't sue. Pretty please with a cherry on top and lots of sugah EVERYWHEAAHHHH~~~

The Wind in Her Hair, The Sun in Her Smile

Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:38:04 GMT

She was laughing as she ran along the beach, feet slapping the sand in a wet staccatto as the waves chased after her futilely. Spinning around, she called him to join her before laughing and pelting off further down the shore, the sea rumbling and hissing in protest.
He smiled. He had to. It was hard not to when she was like this. With the way she looked and acted now, like a schoolgirl who'd just realized the summer holidays were upon her, he couldn't help but feel like he was a schoolboy again as well. So, as he watched her run, her short auburn hair blown straight out behind her in the wind, it was all he could do not to go after her. After all, he had an image to maintain. He was an elite soldier, he was the best of the best, he was...
He was still a teenager.
Ah what the heck...
With a gleeful bellow, he abandoned his sedate swagger and sprinted after her, making her laugh even harder as she accelerated. He couldn't be bothered that Kira and Lacus were staring at him from the patio of the orphanage. They could stare all they wanted for all he cared.
The physical training he'd had, and his innate ability as a Coordinator meant it was no time at all before he caught up with her and tackled her, the two of them rolling like children in the sand, hooting and screaming and giggling like they were ten years old all over again.
"GAH! There's SAND in my hair! My beautiful hair!" she exclaimed, pouting, an evil glint in her eyes as she suddenly shook herself violently like a wet puppy and sending sand flying everywhere, much to his chagrin as he coughed and spat.
"Why you little..." he coughed.
She squealed in protest, then in horror, as he tackled her again and started tickling her with a vengeance.
"STOP! STOP! I GIVE UP! I GIVE UP!!!"
He tickled her for a few more minutes as she squealed and struggled till, suddenly exhausted, he collapsed onto his back in the sand, panting from all the laughing. Still laughing, she shakily got to her feet, staggered a few steps, and collapsed by his side.
"Gods, I hate you," she panted.
Suddenly worried, he stole a glance at her face, but the breathless smile plastered over it reassured him that she wasn't serious. Not that she didn't have valid reason to, but it was nice to know that she didn't hate him. Especially since, for the first time in his life, things had all seemed right when he'd met her. Well, after the initial... unpleasantries. Still. With her, he'd found his center, and no small measure of peace. To say he'd hate to lose that would be a rather gross understatement.
Grinning, he brushed loose strands of brownish-red hair out of her eyes as she cuddled closer, a blissful expression on her face. She was almost like a cat sometimes when she was like this, and he was suddenly tempted to stroke her. Though not quite in that fashion.
She sighed as she lay her head on his chest, and they both stared into the deep azure sky. So much had happened, and so many things had turned out in an unexpected fashion, but he was glad she was with him. Ecstatic, even, in his own quiet way, but he'd be damned if he'd show it.
The waves lapped gently on the shore, whispering softly as they lay there, conscious only of their quiet breathing and the beating of their hearts. He wasn't certain why, but he suddenly felt like he was blushing, and the air was beginning to take on a certain intensity that he wasn't quite sure how to interpret.
He started a little as she moved, and their eyes met with what he could only describe as a sudden jolt, almost like getting hit by lightning, and his blood felt like liquid flame. The fact that the sun was setting was not helping him much. He watched almost helplessly, drowing in the feeling as the sky turned from blue to orange to a flaming red that suddenly seemed to match the colour of her hair and make her seem so much more... real than she'd ever felt before.
His eyes flashed quickly in the direction of the orphanage. Thankfully, it wasn't visible, which meant that no one could see them either. Though, with that excuse out of the way, he had no idea how to stop what was to come. And suddenly, he found himself wondering why he wanted to.
She edged forward, and he could only watch as she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his, setting his soul on fire.
It was strange. This wasn't their first kiss, not by far, but the moment felt so right and so real that, for a second, he was beginning to doubt if this was happening to him, or wonder if he was in some other world.
In spite of himself, though something in him was screaming that he was losing control, he gave himself up to it. Closing his eyes, he kissed her back gently.
At least for now, all was right with the world.

For 30_kisses
Title: The Wind in Her Hair, The Sun in Her Smile
Author/Artist: Veldspar aka Ataiki
Pairing: Dearka Elthman x Miriallia Haww
Fandom: Gundam SEED / Gundam SEED DESTINY
Theme: #3 (jolt!), #19 (red) and #29 (the sound of waves)
Disclaimer: Gundam SEED and its characters belong to Sunrise and Bandai. Please don't sue. I'm harmless!!! *makes hamster noises*...

Lead Me To Your Door

Mon, 18 Apr 2005 17:58:20 GMT

He sighed and stretched a little, trying to work out the kinks in his neck as he adjusted the straps of his bag. It wasn't often that he got shore leave, and he intended to make good use of it.
Shore leave. He smirked a little at that. It was an archaic term for when ships sailed the seas, and not the reaches of space between Earth and PLANT. Still, speaking of archaic...
Pulling out a small brick made of silver plastic, he stared at it in bemusement. He'd heard of these before - some kind of music player. The round scroll dial surrounding a central play button was amusing, in a sense, but he'd run a check on it, and the memory storage space was pathetic. It was like a small brick, and still played magnetic cassette tapes. As it was, he was amazed that it hadn't succumbed to mold, but... Something that size would've stored far more than just sixty minutes of analog sound with current technology.
Still... she HAD sent it to him, and the reason was rather obvious in her cryptic, but concise, note.
Plug the earphones in and have a listen.
He chuckled to himself. He had no intention of arguing with this lady. She'd skewer him and roast him alive for dinner.
The earphones looked rather old, but they didn't look like they'd come apart, or as if they'd carried some kind of disease, so, eyebrows raised in resignation, he slid them snugly into his ears and hit the play button as he began to walk down the exit ramp of the shuttle.
The guitar intro wasn't really his kinda thing, but it was decent enough. Then the words started.

I'm so sick and tired of all these things that drag me down
I've got no where to go
they say that life is in these hands
you give everything
you give yourself away
you give and still you choke
and find yourself running for the door

He blinked in surprise. He hadn't been expecting music.

come and take me home
lead me to your door
take me where you are
lead me to your door
at least just for a while

He shrugged again under the weight of his bag. He'd always known she was forward. And strong-minded. They'd gotten close during the wars, true, and even closer after Yakin Due, but when his obligations finally forced him to return to ZAFT, she'd said no. She wouldn't go with him. He had seen no point in pushing the issue since he'd seen for himself, on more than one occasion, that it was bloody impossible to change her mind once she'd made it up.
This was a surprise though. She'd sent him the occasional present since, and he'd reciprocated. Little things, mainly, like postcards and souvenirs from their travels. Naturally, hers had been more... exotic. He'd barely had time to go shopping, after all, being stuck in the cockpit of a Zaku after his Buster had been taken for research. This was strange, though, even for her. These old players were murder to find, for one, and to find one with music from that era in it...
And it played on.

its some kind of life - forever days
we're in the cold and unfamiliar way
so take this fear and fade it out
it won't make me sad
cause I get sentimental, Lord, in other ways
and I don't want to let me down here anymore

Again he blinked. It was strange that the words mirrored what he'd been thinking for a while now. Maybe there was more to this than just coincidence. He'd used to scoff at the strange nebulous entity called fate before, but given how his life had changed, he'd always wondered. Maybe it was the same for this song too. It was amazing that she'd found it to begin with. Maybe there was something about what it held as well.

so come and take me home
lead me to your door
take me where you are
lead me to your door

A small smile began to play over his lips as his thoughts began to take some interesting new directions.

and let me in
just let me in
and let me leave
just let me leave this world
come on now let me leave this world
at least just for a while

His grin widened now as he adjusted his bag as he walked. It HAD been a while since they'd last met. It was high time that they should see each other again. He couldn't help but whistle as he made his way out of the port. Somewhere out there, she was waiting for him. Somewhere out there, he'd find her, and the heart that he'd given to her not too long ago.
And when he'd found her, it'd be the end of his long road home.

For 30_kisses
Title: Lead Me To Your Door
Author/Artist: Veldspar aka Ataiki
Pairing: Dearka Elthman x Miriallia Haww
Fandom: Gundam SEED / Gundam SEED DESTINY
Theme: #14 (radio-cassette player) and #20 (the road home)
Disclaimer: Gundam SEED and its characters belong to Sunrise and Bandai. Please don't sue. I can barely pay for my food as it is... and apologies to Dishwalla for using their song Home.

Good Night

Sun, 17 Apr 2005 14:44:26 GMT

It was a soft rustle and a slight movement that woke him.
It was at times like these that he cursed his military training. Waking at the slightest provocation was an advantage in the field, yes, but it was a real bother when it was only the one beside him moving in her sleep. Still, it wasn't that bad. He got an excuse to look at her while she slept at least.
He still couldn't believe it. The fiasco at Yakin Due had only been over for a few days and things were in a complete mess, but still... he was glad. The war was over, and for the first time in a very long while he could wake up at leisure in the mornings, no sirens screaming the approach of an enemy, surrounded by a feeling of peace and quiet. And the sounds of her soft breathing.
Smiling slightly bemusedly to himself, he turned slightly to look at her. He still couldn't believe it. She had tried to kill him not long after they'd first met, but he'd understood after a while. She'd lost the one she loved at the hands of one of his comrades-in-arms. If things had been turned around, she may have been growing cold on the floor before he'd realize that it didn't change matters one whit. And he would have the blood of one more innocent on his hands.
He shuddered a little at that realization, and thanked whatever higher powers there were that things had turned out the way they had. She may have hated him in the beginning - the gods know he wasn't taking to kindly to her at first, with her being one of the enemy - but... well. He'd learned that she was human. Natural or Coordinator, it made no difference. A striking realization, but one he was glad he'd made, for with it came the fact that, strange beginnings aside, he was growing to love her. To love her like no other.
A small frown creased his brow though, as he realized something wasn't quite right. Even as she slept, she trembled ever so slightly, her breath broken as silver tears slid painfully slowly down her cheeks in the pale light of the moon.
He felt suddenly awkward. She'd never have let herself be seen like this if she had been awake, and she'd been on the verge of clobbering him the last time he'd happened upon her, red-eyed in her room, as he came in to check on her after a battle where the Archangel had sustained substantial damage. To see her like this now, so suddenly vulnerable felt like he was invading her privacy, and, just like he was a schoolboy again, he had no idea how to deal with this.
Then again, maybe he did.
Well, I'm not Tolle, and I guess I never will be, but...
Moving carefully, tired joints creaking with the strain, he slid his arm under her pillow, and from there, down to below her neck. Running his other hand lightly through her tousled red hair once, he let it settle on her shoulder as he leaned in close. She'd stopped sobbing, at least, so that was better than nothing.
He sighed quietly in relief as she moaned softly and curled up a little more, breathing heavier like a sleeping kitten. He'd never be able to replace what she'd lost, but at least he could try to make her happy, with what they'd found.
Good night, Millie.

For 30_kisses
Title: Good Night.
Author/Artist: Veldspar aka Ataiki
Pairing: Dearka Elthman x Miriallia Haww
Fandom: Gundam SEED / Gundam SEED DESTINY
Theme: #24 (good night)
Disclaimer: Gundam SEED and its characters belong to Sunrise and Bandai. Please don't sue. I couldn't even pay for the entry fees to the toilet in the Supreme Court.