In an Era of Peace: An Uncertain Future

Prologue: A Playless Boy & An Anniversary

*** April 17, 74 C.E. ***

He leaned against the fence and watched the new recruits train. They seemed so young. Of course they were no younger than he was when he first joined. He had just barely turned 16 back then. He thought he knew everything. Looking back now he realized how little he really knew.

They were just a bunch of teenagers sent to fight in a war they didn't truly understand. Hormonal and hotheaded, given weapons that could end hundreds of lives with a flip of a switch. It was scary to think about the power he held at his fingertips back in those days.

He was now 20 years old. Life was so different now... He was so different. Back then he thought naturals were weaklings. Now he knew just how strong they really could be. He use to be full of hate and anger. Now he was filled with a calm he never knew possible. Sarcasm and humour used to be a weapon to hurt others, now it was something to make them smile. It was the little things that changed, but they made all the difference in who he was. Even his relationships with woman had changed.

"You look good in the new uniform Commander Elsman" a young female said seductively.

He looked over to the woman who had approached him. She was gorgeous. Her long navy hair was pulled back in a tight high pony tail. Her eyes were a pale icy blue. She wore a green ZAFT uniform that was tightly fitted. The skirt was hemmed much higher than the standard uniform to show off her sexy long legs. Dearka looked at her a few seconds before looking back towards the troops training. "Private Sato, nice to see you"

"How many times do I have to tell you, call me Bree. That is my name after all" She leaned against the fence making sure to be close to him. "Why are you watching the trainees"

"Do you remember when you first trained?"

She looked at him strange "Of course I do. It was only a year ago. You?"

"It was a little over four years ago for me. I was only 16. I had my whole life ahead of me. A million possibilities of who I could have been and I chose soldier. I thought it was the right thing to do. I thought ZAFT was fighting for all the right things. But it turned out we were fighting for the elimination of the naturals."

"Survival of the fittest. Eventually coordinators will dominate the population of the naturals."

"But that doesn't mean we should have tried to help things along. I believed we were fighting to protect the coordinators right to exist. That never meant killing all naturals."

"Is that why you defected in the first war?" She questioned. Dearka's eyes glared at her she could tell he didn't want to answer. So she decided to change the subject. "Hey why don't we get out of here?" She leaned in and whispered in his ear "I'd love to see your new room"

Dearka smirked a devilish smirk he was so famous for. He pushed himself off the fence and started to walk away seeing she wasn't following he turned back to look at her. "Coming Private Sato?" She smiled and began to follow. It didn't take long before they were in his room.

As soon as his door closed it began. She kissed him deeply and he returned it. He leaned against the door as they continued to make out. Soon they became warm from the intensity and began to undress. Sloppily they made their way to the bed, clothes falling to the floor as they did so. They were desperate for one another. It wasn't long until they were down to just their underwear.

She could feel that he wanted her. She wanted him too. She pushed him down on his back, sitting on his lower half she began kissing his neck. She smiled at him devilishly. Slowly she began to trace her finger down the muscles on his arms making sure to avoid his chest. It was still very bruised. In the last battle of the war he broke several ribs. It was taking an impossibly long time to heal, mostly because he never bothered to rest.

She moved her hand down toward the piece of his body she really wanted to touch. The piece every girl he brought back to his room begged for. She placed both her hand on his boxers ready to pull them down. He looked at her longingly he wanted her so bad but "Wait… Bree… I can't" He said gently pushing her off him. He sat up and looked at the door.

"You've got to be kidding me! Again! Dearka this is ridiculous. We've been fooling around for almost two months and still you won't have sex with me. What the hell is wrong! Am I not good enough for the great Dearka Elsman"

"Bree, it has nothing to do with you" He said sadly.

"Oh my god" she said in a worried tone. "It's true isn't it. You're in love with… a natural." She said.

"Where the hell did you hear something crazy like that" he snapped looking at her angry.

"The same place that I heard you were celibate. I thought it was crazy then. The playboy Dearka Elsman holding out on sex. But here you are refusing me again. Telling me it has nothing to do with me. So maybe the other rumours about you were true too." she said in disgust.

"What exactly are these so called rumours" he asked turning away from the girl again.

"That you weren't really on the ETERNAL after you defected. In fact they say you never stepped foot on that ship. You stayed on the ARCHANGEL even after they imprisoned you. They say you fell in love with a young girl there… a natural. And she was the whole reason you defected and not because you believed ZAFT was fighting for the wrong things. And that year you were missing after the war you were with her. That's why you are celibate now. Because you are still in love with a woman you can never have."

"None of that is tr-"

"Bullshit!" She interrupted angrily. "If none of that is true then throw me on this bed and take me!" He looked at her a for a minute before turning his head. He put his feet down on the floor turning away from her. He placed his elbows on his knees resting his head on his hands. He was so confused, he didn't know what to do. "Grow up! How many girls over the past year have you dragged back here to just disappoint all because you're in love with a stupid natural." She yelled. "You are a soldier of ZAFT what hell is wrong with you! Answer me Dearka!" She was so angry.

He stood up angry now too. He turned and looked at her and in a calm tone replied. "Get dressed and leave now"

"You're joking right?" She said surprised with tears in her eyes. Seeing he wasn't she started to get dressed. When finished she walked over to the door and looked back at him. "Maybe you're not in love with a natural. But something happened to you after that first war. You're not the same Dearka. And that not a rumour but a fact." She said sadly before leaving.

He laid back on the bed putting his hands behind his head. He watched the ceiling fan slowly wurl around. In love with a natural. Why was that rumour circulating he thought. He moved his left hand up and traced the scars under his hair. Most coordinators would get their scars removed, and for the most part he did. All except these two. One was the scar she gave him, the other was from the last battle of the first war. Two memories he couldn't escape.

For the past year he had tried to forget her. Forget every moment they spent together. But it was proving impossible. If he had a choice he wouldn't even be thinking about her now. She broke his heart. But with this rumour going around he couldn't help it. His mind began to wander. He started to think about the last time he saw her. And their last kiss. The kiss he wished would last forever.

He closed his eyes. It was hard to even remember her voice now. Even her face was becoming a blur to him. But he would never forget her eyes, her beautiful teal eyes. He opened his. He wished so much that he could look into them again. But that would never happen. He would always be a coordinator and she would always be a natural. There was still no place in the Cosmic Era for them.

He got up from his bed. He needed to walk around and try to clear his head. Try to forget about her. It was too hard knowing he had to live without her. It was funny. For a long time he fought back his feelings for her. He thought that they were wrong. Naturals and coordinators couldn't be together. Finally decided that his feelings for her were too strong and gave in. He had never been so happy in his life. He dated the young natural but she later broke both their hearts. Now he was fighting his feelings for her again. But this time he was fighting to stop it from hurting so much.

Still in a daze he wondered into the wreck room of the Academy. Everyone saluted him as he entered. He saluted back and told them to go back to relaxing. He walked over to one of the couches. He looked down at the stack of magazines. He picked up on of the female swimsuit magazines. He remembered back before he ever stepped foot on the ARCHANGEL it use to be his go to. They weren't allowed porn on the ships but this wasn't porn. He seemed to get the same kind of enjoyment out of it though. Whether it was woman in lingerie or swimsuits it didn't matter they were still showing skin. He flipped through the pages quickly. He couldn't believe how much time he used to spend looking through crap like that.

He tossed it back on the pile causing it to topple over revealing a magazine he never expected to see there of all places. A special edition of L'Aventure et Vie. It was a photographic journal of the most iconic and memorable battlefields from the first war. He picked it up. His eyes focused on the cover. The cover was a photo of a snow covered battlefield. Damage and devastation could been seen poking through the snow. But perhaps the thing that stood out the most was the person that was in the distance of the picture. He was kneeling down placing flowers on the remains of a GINN. There was no defining details that could be seen on this person but he knew exactly who it was. It was a picture of him in Alaska.

He never knew she had taken it. Then again it didn't surprise him either. For months she was glued to that camera. It was her job to be, just like it was his job to protect her. They both succeeded. He looked through the book of images she created. They were beautiful and full of memories. He started to feel those nervous butterflies he used to feel for her. Those only increased when he came across her bio page.

Yet another photo stood out to him. The one of her. She was looking away from the camera in the picture. She seemed lost in thought. Serious and troubled. He remembered this photo clearly. It was the one he took of her when he was testing her camera after fixing it. It was taken the day after she fell off the cliff into the water. He thought she was going to die that day. It was a pain only matched by their break up. He closed the book and set it aside. She still seemed to be everywhere. No matter how much he tried to forget her she was still completely on his mind. The rumours weren't helping.

Hearing laughter he looked over. Of course it had to be Bree. The girl he was suppose to be dating now. The truth was even with her being a bit promiscuous she was still a better girl to bring home then his previous girl. She was a coordinator like him. She was from a wealthy family that was part of the same high society his family was. And she was a respected ZAFT soldier. As for his ex she was a natural. The rest didn't matter. It never would. Not to his father. He was a fool to think they could have ever been more than a photographer and her bodyguard. Maybe it was time for him to stop fooling himself and go after the right girl.

He stood up walked towards the young girl. "Private Sato" He said breaking her from her conversation with her two female friends.

"C-Commandar Elsman." She replied saluting quickly. "What can I help you with"

"I was actually hoping you would go to dinner with me tomorrow night" She couldn't believe her ears. They had been sneaking around since shortly before the signing of the peace treaty but never had they been on a real date. Never had they ever told anyone that they were see each other. Her two friends were so shocked and couldn't believe how lucky Bree was having him even ask.

"Are you sure you want to go on a date with me? There is no one else you rather be with"

"No. No one comes to mind. So Bree what do you say?" He looked over to the two girls practically passing out from jealousy "I'm sure I could find someone else if you don't want to" He said seductively.

"If that is really what you want… then yeah. Dinner. Tomorrow."

"Great. I'll pick you up here at 1900 hours" He smirked devilishly and walked towards the door. It was time he started a healthy relationship. Time he moved on.

Meanwhile in Orb

She walked through the large cemetery. So many tombstones flooded the field. It was a civilian cemetery. A place he didn't belong. He deserved a proper military burial but his parents wouldn't have it. They were devastated by his death. They blamed the military for his loss and refused to believe he wanted to part of it. So here his body was. Six feet under in a grave that ignored all he died for.

She stood in front of his tombstone reading the words over and over again. She set the bouquet of wildflowers down before sitting. The words on the stone still clouding her mind . It read 'Tolle Koenig ~ Loving Son ~ April 11, 55 CE - April 17, 71 CE.' He had barely made it to 16. His life was stolen from him. He deserved so much more. He deserved to have lived, to return to Orb in triumph not a body bag.

"I can't believe it's been three years." She said finally to the cold stone in front of her face. "I never thought I would be able to breath with ease again after I lost you. You meant the world to me. You were my best friend. You died trying to protect us. I can never thank you enough for your sacrifice… But I couldn't hold onto that pain forever. I'll never fully move on from you. You will always be a part of my past. But I needed to accept that you will never be apart of my future. I… dated someone for a while a few months after the war ended. I don't know if I was ready yet but… he made happy. For the first time since I lost you I was happy. He made me laugh and smile. He made every day worth waking up to. But it's been over with him for a while now. I feel like I've been stumbling around in the dark since he left. The last year has been a blur." She paused for a minute and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and opened them. "I honestly don't know why I'm telling you all this. It's not like you can hear me, maybe it's because you were alway the person I could tell everything to. And I need that right now. I need someone who will just listen. I feel so alone in the world. I'm surround by people but I feel alone without… without Dearka" She couldn't believe she let that slip out. Here she was at Tolle's grave admitting how much she missed another man.

She sat there for a while. Feeling the breeze blow through her hair. She couldn't believe how much she had changed in the last three years. She use to be a quiet mousy girl. Now she wasn't afraid to speak her mind, she was often referred to as a little spitfire. Before being involved in the war she was filled with happiness all the time. Now she sometimes struggled to find that. But some things never changed. She had never had any issues with coordinators. And now she had even dated one. But her life was seemed to be spinning out of control lately. Maybe it was because of what happened at the peace treaty signing a couple months before.

Flashback

It was hard to believe it was happening again, but it was a positive thing. A second peace treaty was being signed. Not only that but she was part of the press covering it. It was an amazing feeling. She flashed her camera over and over again. Taking picture after picture. The fighting was finished once again. But it wasn't without tragedies. So many lives had been lost. It really started to put things into perspective. She started to realize what was really important to her.

She looked up at the soldiers standing guard. There in the background in a green ZAFT uniform was Dearka. He looked so serious, not at all like the real Dearka she had gotten to know. She started to miss him. Maybe it was time? It had been a year after all. Maybe now he could answer the important questions she needed answered. She needed to know if it ever came down to it would he chose being with her over living in the PLANTs? Would he regret it? Was there really anything left for them?

She waited until the ceremony was over. Seeing him exit the stage and head towards the back of one of the buildings she began to follow. She wanted to yell his name to get him to stop but she didn't want to draw attention to herself. He walked around the corner. She was losing him, he was walking too fast. She took a deep breath and picked up the pace. She rounded the corner but no sign of him. She could hear voices, laughs and giggles. Slowly she walked to the end of the building. There was Dearka standing with a beautiful green uniformed ZAFT girl. Her hair was long and navy. She was gorgeous.

The girl was laughing. It was obvious that Dearka was flirting with her. "Dearka stop it" She giggled. Mir felt her stomach turn hearing this. "You were really great up there you know." She said seductively tracing her finger lightly on his chest.

"And you looked really great down there." He said looking her up and down before pulling her in for a passionate kiss. Miriallia couldn't believe her eyes. She took a few steps back from shock. She stood there for a moment frozen with shock just looking at them. Finally, gaining control over her body and she ran in the opposite direction. She didn't need to ask anymore. She knew the real answer. The PLANTs would always be his home. And this girl… she was better for him than she could ever be.

End of Flashback

She pulled her knees in close. She was so lost in thoughts about the two men who were once part of her life. They were both gone. Tolle to death while Dearka was lost to another woman. Maybe she was destined to be alone forever? After all it was her fault it didn't work out between her and Dearka. She dumped him. All because she thought he need to go home to see his family, something he would never do attached to her. She needed to know he would chose her without regrets.

"He was young" someone said from behind her. She was so surprised she jumped and almost fell flat on the ground. "So-sorry I didn't mean to scare you" She looked up at the person. He was handsome. He looked to be about 20, he had short sandy blond hair, deep blue eyes and a complexion similar to hers.

"No it's fine" She said trying to get up. Seeing her struggle slightly he reached his hand down to help her up. She smiled at him and accepted. He pulled her to her feet and they stared at each other for a minute still holding each others hand. She blushed a bit. She felt nervous looking into his eyes. "I'm Miriallia… Miriallia Haww"

"Davis Vanhorn." He replied. He started to shake her hand that was already in his. They laughed slightly before letting go. "So… was he a friend of yours?" He asked looking at Tolle headstone.

"Yes… and no" He looked at her confused. "He was my boyfriend. But he was my friend first"

"I'm sorry you lost him"

"It's the price of war and being a soldier"

"Soldier? But this isn't a military cemetery."

"It's complicated. His family wanted it this way"

"And you never fought it?"

"I was still in the military when he was buried. I didn't really have much of a say. Not that I would have argued. I… I just wanted to be as far away from the idea of his death as I could be at the time."

"You're still morning even after all this time?"

"His death will always make me sad but that doesn't mean I've never moved on. I've dated since him, even though that didn't end the best either."

"Don't tell me the guy dumped a beautiful girl like you"

She blushed at him calling her beautiful. It had been a long time since anyone had called her that. "No. I dumped him. I thought it would maybe be more of a temporary thing, now it seems it's permanent. I guess I just have no luck in that department" She joked.

He smiled at her. They stood there in silence for a few minutes looking down at the headstone. After sometime he decided to speak again. "I hope you don't think I'm too forward in asking this but… would you like to get coffee with me sometime… or maybe dinner? How about tomorrow. If it's not too weird. A guy you just met asking you out in a graveyard and all"

She looked at him surprised. She didn't really know what to say. But not wanting to turn down a polite attractive guy she decided to say yes. After all Dearka had obviously moved on. "I… uh… yeah dinner sounds great. I have an appointment to take care of tomorrow afternoon but I can be ready around 7. You can pick me up outside the Athha Mansion."

"The Athha Mansion?"

"It's where my appointment is. I'm a photographer and I was hired for a small job."

"Then Miriallia, tomorrow at 7:00. I look forward to it." They shook hands and he walked away.

"I'll see you then Davis"