Gundam SEED: Journey
Phase One
The False Peace
It is the year 70 of the Cosmic Era, and tensions are rising between Earth and the ZAFT organization. Due to the Bloody Valentine Tragedy, these tensions exploded into an all-out war. It seemed a foregone conclusion that the Earth Alliance, with it's superior numbers, would be victorious. However, these initial assessments proved false. Almost eleven months have passed since the conflict began, with no end in sight...
The Space Colony of Heliopolis
It was, as usual, warm and sunny in the park near the high school, and students walked the paths, played games, or simply lay sprawled in the grass, talking gossiping cheerfully back and forth. Some, pleasantly tired from their antics, crawled under shady trees and napped comfortably, alone or with their significant others for company. Laughter and cheering permeated the warm air, adding a sense of carefree joy to the air, the kind that will sneak up on you and bring a smile to your face with ease and without warning. Over them all soared a small, green robotic bird, the head of which was slowly turning back and forth as it scanned the people on the ground, clearly looking for someone. Apparently seeing who it was looking for, it dived, zeroing in on one of the many gazebos that were scattered about on the park. Back-winging, it settled onto the top of a laptop computer. The aforementioned laptop belonged to one Kira Yamato, a tall 15 year old, who was dressed in a black shirt and pale green pants. Relatively long brunette hair didn't hide his amethyst eyes, but was just long enough to get in the way as he tried to type. Beside him sat another teen, a beautiful young woman with gold-honey colored skin and blond hair which partially hid her pale purple eyes. Both of them were focused on their work, on hand holding a sheaf of papers while the other danced across their keyboards in a rapid and steady tempo. She was dressed in blue jeans and a vibrant tie-dye T-shirt. Both teens chatted easily and relaxed, not getting distracted from their work in the least by any discussion.
"Heyyy! Kirrraaaaa!" a youthful male voice yelled. "Sephiiiriaaaa!"
Both teens looked up and spotted two other teens coming towards them across the grass.
"Hey Tolle, Mir. What are you guys up too?" the brunette, one Kira Yamato, asked as he smiled up at his friends. Tolle Koenig and Miriallia Haw had been together since the sixth grade, and it didn't seem likely for anything to change. Moreover, it had been Tolle and Mir who had gotten Kira and Sephiria Custos (Kira's companion in the Gazebo) to realize their mutual attraction to one another and actually helped prod them into a relationship. Long story short, Kira had been pocked and prodded incessantly by his friends, Tolle and Mir the most, into asking her out, but he had hemmed and hawed for so long that they had decided to...manipulate circumstances to give him a little help. All or Kira's friends loved him dearly. He was kind, smart, and always willing to do anything for a friend, no matter how risky, but he was shy and pessimistic when it came to people he didn't know. Finally, Tolle and Mir had faked a pair of love letters, forging Kira's and Sephiria's handwriting, and placed them in the pair's lockers. When they had met, each thinking it was the other's idea, and figured out what had happened, they had been highly embarrassed. Kira had attempted to flee immediately, but Sephiria had grabbed him and kissed him. Needless to say, Kira slowed way down long enough for Sephiria to tell him that she really did like him. They had started dating, and the first thing they did was plot revenge on Tolle and Mir, a cause in which they succeeded in brilliantly. While they had been embarrassed and exacted their revenge, they had secretly thanked their friends for helping them to break the ice. That had been almost sixth months ago, and now Sephiria, or "Seph", was a welcome and integrated member of what had now become known as The Gang.
"Oh, Professor Kato is looking for you again. He told us to bring you two too him right away." Tolle replied easily, looking at a newsreel on Kira's screen. "Something on the war?"
"Yeah, Taiwan, apparently." Kira said maximizing the screen. A man in a suit with a microphone stood in a city. Two GINNs were in the background, with gunshots and screams that were easily audible in the distance.
"I am within7 kilometers of Kaohsiung, where the sounds of fierce combat continue to echo!" the reporter said over the din.
"If this is footage from last week, they may have already taken over Kaohsiung!" Tolle said, and Kira nodded.
"Yeah…" he said, closing his laptop and starting to pack up.
"Kaohsiung isn't very far from us, is it? Will the Homeland be alright?" Mir asked, sounding worried.
"Birdy!" said the green robotic bird, taking off from Kira's shoulder.
"Sure!" Tolle said, smiling reassuringly at his girlfriend. "There is nothing to worry about! Oh, they're close by, but our nation is neutral. Can't see Orb turning into a warzone!"
"Really? Then…I guess we're okay." Mir said slowly, sounding somewhat reassured.
Kira watched Birdy fly in circle's, waiting for him, and remembered when he had gotten it…
Start of Flashback
Kira and Athrun stood on a path through a park, cherry blossoms blowing past in the brisk wind.
"The PLANTS and Earth will see eye to eye." Athrun had said confidently. "There will be no war." Athrun held out his hands to Kira, who returned the gesture. A small, green robotic bird jumped from Athrun's palms to Kira's. "The evacuation doesn't mean a thing. You'll join me later at the PLANTs, right Kira?"
End of Flashback
Athrun, how wrong you were. Where are you know, how are you, and what are you doing? Kira thought, still watching Birdy.
"Kira?" said Tolle, sticking his face in front of Kira's with a look that said he had been trying to get Kira's attention for a while and was trying to decide if Kira had fallen asleep or something.
"Waugh!" Kira cried, flailing backwards from his friends suddenly close face.
"Seriously, what's up with you anyway?" Tolle asked, rolling his eyes as he straightened up while Sephiria and Mir giggled at Kira's antics. "Let's go."
"Uh, yeah, sure." Kira said, finishing packing Sephiria's things as well as his.
"Kira, I'm perfectly capable of getting my own stuff, you know!" she said, the mock severity of her tone ruined by the smile on her face.
Kira just smiled a little shyly at her and held out his hand to here in a mixed offering for her to take it and for her to join them. Smiling easily back at him, Sephiria reached out to take his hand, but stopped when a beeping sound was heard. All four teens automatically checked their phones. Tolle, Mir, and Kira put theirs away, all declaring it wasn't them, but Sephiria was staring at her phone in appalled shock.
"Seph? What's wrong?" Kira said instantly, seeing the look on his girlfriends face. He started towards her, but she stepped away rapidly, shaking her head hard.
"N...nothing." she said, although it was obvious that something was wrong. "Listen, umm…I need to go make a call." She continued, turning and running the other way, yelling over her shoulder that she would catch up later. The three teens that she had left behind looked after her, confused and deeply concerned.
"Is it just me, or did she look scared?" Kira murmured, eyes following her until she was out of sight.
"Yeah, but you know her, Kira. She is best left alone at first when she is like this." Mir said gently, and Kira nodded in reluctant agreement. He had plenty of experience with his girlfriends sporadic and sometimes worrying bouts of isolationism.
"Okay, let's head over to the Proff's. I'm late as it is." he said finally, leading his friends to the taxi stop.
Meanwhile, Sephiria had found a secluded spot in the forested section of the park. Reaching into her bag, she took out a small case, containing a small screen and camera, which she opened and placed on the ground, after flipping a small power switch inside of it. Pulling out her phone, she flipped it open and entered a few numbers before putting it to her ear. The screen in the box flashed to life, showing a young man.
"Code in, please." His voice said from her phone, and Sephiria, now no longer sounding like a carefree and happy student with a boyfriend, spoke in cold, hard tones.
"Coding in. I.D. number ZF-1183XV41Z. ZAFT Special Agent…Sephiria Elsman, reporting in." she said, saluting.