Memories of the Past; Lead to a Brighter Future (Pirvate: Canaan and Maria)

"Well, if you say so Maria, it must be true" Canaan replied to Maria's exclamation, both her tone and expression still relatively flat; though that faint smile had returned to her lips. To be honest, Canaan never really paid any mind to, well, just how expressionless she actually was. As Maria would have undoubtedly known, her lack of strong emotions didn't mean that she wasn't enjoying every second she got to spend with her, but still, others might find it a little odd. Then again, given her past, and the fact that Siam had trained her to be a mercenary and not an ordinary girl, there was a good chance that any emotions she actually had were all repressed deep down; but now was not the time to dwell on this. No matter how emotionally damaged she might be, nothing could ruin her mood as long as she got to be with Maria. Of course, all of that being said, there was one thing that managed to leave quite an impression on Canaan; that being Maria's next words.

While Canaan had become accustomed to others confusing her for a male before, thanks mainly to her underdeveloped features; it was different to hear it from Maria. The words didn't hurt at all or anything, just, however when Maria mentioned it, she did think about it a bit... or at least she would have had Maria not continued. As soon as the words "you're so pretty" left Maria's lips, Canaan felt her face getting a little hot, and despite her lack of expression, a very faint blush managed to snake its way across her cheeks at Maria's compliment. While there were many words that Canaan might have used to describe herself, "pretty" or any variation of the word was definitely not one of them. Now, this wasn't to say that the girl hated her body or anything, as her relatively small stature did make some of her assignments a bit easier (though she also wouldn't have complained about actually having to wear a bra either), Canaan had never seen herself as pretty. "...if anything, I'm jealous of how pretty you are..." she mumbled, her inner thoughts forcing themselves out through her speech. Luckily, said confession had been rather quiet, and had been timed perfectly with Maria picking up her spoon, so hopefully it would have gone unnoticed.

Quickly picking up her spoon, Canaan was rather eager, at least for her, to dig into her ice cream in hopes that the cold treat would help to cool her down. Although her expressions may not have been showing it much, Canaan was actually beginning to feel a bit embarrassed, though not because she did not like the situation. If anything, she rather enjoyed it when Maria complimented her, just... there seemed to be something odd with her today, and for the life of her Canaan did not know what. Either way, Canaan was soon scooping up a portion of her sundae, only to be interrupted by Maria grabbing her free hand and bringing it up to her face. Still having not taken care of her slight blush from earlier, this sudden action by Maria, coupled with her words, did nothing to help get rid of it. Because of this, Canaan actually found herself immobile for a few seconds, her face feeling a bit hotter as Maria awaited her response. "...um, yes, if things keep going as they are, then I will be able to stay here in Karakura permanently" she replied, her tone still flat, but her delivery had been a bit slower than her usual speech.

Seeing as Maria had finally released her hand, Canaan quickly brought up the ice cream on her spoon to her mouth, trying to focus on the cold, sweet taste to clear her thoughts. Thankfully, Maria had done so too, and as she commented about how good it was, Canaan managed to smile softly and nod in agreement, before going in for another bite. As she brought her second bite of ice cream up to her mouth, she was stopped once again as Maria began to speak, looking at the other girl with the slightest hint of curiosity in her eyes. While her earlier taste of sundae had helped to cool her down, Canaan once again found her cheeks heating up as Maria asked her if she wanted to live with her. Seeing as, at the moment, she was only staying at a very cheap hotel with a cot barely big enough for even her, there was no reason for her to answer no. That being said, Canaan had become accustomed to such living conditions, so as Maria finished her proposal, there was only one reason she had to agree. Dropping her spoon and grabbing Maria's hands this time, Canaan looked her directly in the eyes as she spoke. "Nothing would make me happier than to get to live with you Maria; I would love to" she replied, accepting Maria's offer; though ironically her tone was still more on the flat side, though there was actually a slightly stronger hint of happiness to it this time. Of course, being slightly lost in the moment, Canaan did not release Maria's hands after accepting her proposal; pretty much cementing in everyone's mind there that they were a true couple.

The moment Canaan uttered her answer, Maria’s universe ascended into the plane of the ethereal universe known as heaven. Lights shined from the sky, stars illuminated all darkness. The Angels sang a melodious tune of harmony, while rainbows filled the sky with ever colorful grace. The grandeur of this moment would remain timeless for all eternity. No matter what happened today, nothing – absolutely nothing would succeed in taking this moment away from her. In her jubilation, Maria released her hands from Canaan’s, only to envelope the young woman within her arms, kissing her cheek as though she had just been on the receiving end of a successful marriage proposal.

Smiling with enough happiness to devour the universe itself, Maria pulled away, accepting the wonderful reality, piece by piece. There were so many thoughts racing through her mind; Maria wanted to show Canaan so much. Embarrassed at her animated reaction, Maria apologized. “S-sorry… I’m just so happy you said yes. I will make sure the time you spend here will be the most wonderful times of your life! Mark my words! “ Maria wanted to repeat the same process of kissing her cheek and hugging her, but seeing as the waiter had already mistaken the two for a couple – compounded by the fact that quite a few people were staring, Maria didn’t want to make too much of a scene. Still, happiness shined from her lovely face.

Canaan would be living with her and her father! She could just imagine it now; Canaan, Maria, and her father, all in one wonderful house! What else could make this day better? What else!? Giggling with a giddy expression on her face, she returned to eating her ice cream, eating it with a speed that should make one warn her to slow down. Of course, the brain freeze she experienced during her speedy journey towards finishing the ice cream caused her to calm down, if ever so slightly.


“O-o-ow! I guess I got carried away there. Sorry about that. Again, though, I’m so…. Happy! “Maria was never the greatest at hiding her emotions. If she was happy, it was as clear a sign as the blue sky. If she was sad, she would always emit an aura of gloom no matter where she went. But, no, no, no, no, she was not sad! Not at all! Maria was as happy as she had ever been in the last four years. And nothing was going to take that away from her. But still, she couldn’t quite help but feel she was forgetting something…