Author: I don't know if anyone else noticed, but my writing was getting more and more pathetic. I noticed it… and I apologize because I though no one else would notice. I must have made a dunce of myself this time. Haha…

Was I challenged?

YES! I am praying that this two shot is not as pathetic as my last oneshot, so I hope you like it!

Am I mad?

Hahaha… definitely not. I knew I needed that… a big kick in the butt to get the brain to do something better. Hehehe… Please tell me if I got better or a lot worse. It would really be appreciated.

Notes: I had originally wanted this to be a oneshot but in the end I was not able to put everything I wanted to write in one chapter. I think the best I can do is to make this into a twoshot instead. This was supposed to be Fluff but came out as General instead. Go figure...

"The Forgotten Instrument"

By Tsubame Ongaku

Part 1: Nicol's Last Requiem

" I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen the dead in the mud. I have seen cities destroyed. I have seen children starving. I have seen the agony of mothers and wives. I hate war." By Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Athrun closed the book he was reading and leaned back on his reclining chair of his temporary office. He was in the PLANTS and thousands of miles from Orb, the place where now considered his home. It had been two years since the last war and he was turning twenty in a few more months. He couldn't believe that two years had already passed. It didn't seem that long ago that Rusty Mackenzie was laughing at his own joke before training or Heine Westenfluss was ordering him to not address him so formally.

He didn't know that he'd been gone from the place of his birth for two long years. He did keep communication lines open with his old friends, Dearka Elsman and Yzak Joule. They were busy with their own lives and advancing in ranks.

Beside him, sat his briefcase. It contained many sheaf of paper for his meetings for the next few days. Athrun hadn't returned for a simple pleasure trip. He was around for a peace convention being held by the government of PLANTs.

But that wasn't the only reason though.

He took his briefcase and began to sort through it. There were a lot of papers in it. He sorted through it until he finally found the folder he was looking for. With trembling fingers, he took it out and opened it, sending a wave of nostalgia through him.

It was Nicol Amarfi's birthday in a few days.

Inside the folder were sheaf of music that Athrun received from Nicol's parents only a few days ago. He was shocked when his assistant had brought it to his office in Orb. He had given that folder to the Amarfis after Nicol's death four years before. There was only a note attached to it. It was from Nicol's mother.

It said:

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to let go of this. I think my Nicol would have wanted you to have these. He had put his heart and soul into his music. He loved his piano more than anything and would play it as much as he could. I kept this until now because I find it so hard to let go of my son. I still couldn't accept that he is gone. He is my only son. It didn't seem possible that he could be gone so young

But now, it is time for me to move on. My husband has accepted a position on Earth. I want to start over. I'm already three months pregnant and I want my baby to grow up in a peaceful environment without the threat of wars.

Athrun, I want to thank you for taking care of my son in those days. I want you to know that he was happy to be around you and all his other friends. You all were like family to him.

Take care, Athrun Zala."

Days later, he received the invitation to return and accepted it. He didn't tell either Kira or Cagalli where he was going. He didn't want Kira to feel the guilt by visiting the friend that he had killed.

And Cagalli?

He hadn't spoken to her in a while, that wasn't business. There wasn't a day since they had parted the day before they left for the final battle that he didn't think of her. Everyday he asked himself if she was eating well, or if she's overexerting again. Once in a while, he would glance at his phone and wonder if she was thinking of him too.

He had been working under the Orb Military for the last two years as an Admiral but still he rarely saw her. She was always trapped between meetings and interviews.

For a while, he had gone out with Meyrin Hawke, one of the Hawke sisters. It didn't last long because Meyrin noticed that whenever they were together, all he had ever talked about was Cagalli Yula Athha. She finally broke it off and moved on with another guy, Cam Sinclair. The couple now had been dating for a year and still very much in love.

Athrun is often entertained whenever the couple fought, which was basically on a daily basis but they always kissed and made up in the end. Often times, they made up in front of him and left Athrun in a semi-awkward situation. Athrun and the redhead were still friends and he was happy for her.

He skimmed through the sheets of music again. Athrun had studied piano when he was younger. He had not been as dedicated or as talented as Nicol but he could at least he could read the notes. It didn't take a musical master to understand the genius of Nicol's work.

"Nicol, you were amazing," he muttered. He browsed through various titles and one had caught his eye. He ran his fingers through the title, The Last Requiem. "What is this?" It was only then did he notice a piece of paper inserted in between two pages of the piece. It was from Nicol…

Hey, Athrun,

If you are reading this, I guess it is safe to say that… I'm not in this life anymore. I know this is stupid but I had always dreamed on composing my own requiem. I guess you think that I'm weird now, huh? I don't blame you. What normal person does this sort of thing?

I know this is a selfish request but, Athrun, could you play this piece at my funeral? You told me before that you could read notes. My last request is that to have a dear friend plays this piece for me. I know what you are thinking, I did not plan this. I did not plan on dying. I wanted to live and be with my parents… and my piano again. I understand if it was just not meant to be. At least, I wanted to be alive through my music.

Please do this for me, so that even for a moment I could be alive in your hearts again.

Nicol

At the bottom of the page was a quote that Nicol had always written in all his letters without fail. It had been his favorite and it was like his signature.

A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. Leopold Stokowski

Athrun couldn't say anything at all at first. With trembling hands, he crumpled the note in his hands. "Idiot, you're always alive in our hearts!" He slipped the note in the envelope and began to read "The Last Requiem." He began to play it in his head but nearing the end… he noticed something.

It was missing an ending.

"So, Nicol, you were not able to finish this." He returned the music back to the envelope. He was now uncertain of what to do. Nicol had wanted him to play it during his funeral two years ago but his mother had been suffering from denial hadn't given it to him until that moment. He could only hope to play it during Nicol's birthday.

But there was another problem that came in the form of an unfinished piece. He couldn't do it… and where in the world was he going to find someone who could?

"Is this all that is left?"

The landlord nodded. He fiddled with the keys in his hands as he began to follow Athrun around the room. "They took everything… except that." He pointed at a grand piano in the middle of the room. It was a beautiful instrument with a fine sound and the color of onyx.

He knew instantly that it Nicol's beloved piano. Nicol had talked a lot about his piano when they were still going through training. He bent down to search under the piano. Nicol had told him that he had left his mark on his piano. It didn't take long for him to find it.

Nicol had carved an N. A. his initials, under his piano.

"Why didn't the Amarfis take this with them?" he wondered. He tested the keys of the piano and it made a good sound. Why would they leave behind such a well-tuned instrument? It was still as beautiful as Nicol had described it with pride.

"I guess they didn't want to bring such a big reminder of their dead son. They wanted to forget about this beautiful instrument," the landlord replied sadly. He sat down on the floor. There was no other furniture around except the piano and its stool. "I used to visit here all the time and watch little Nicol tinker with his piano." He looked up to see Athrun listening to him intently. "He was such a good boy. It was such a big blow on the family when they received the telegram. Mrs. Amarfi took it the hardest."

Athrun nodded, understanding. Moments later, the landlord excused himself to busy himself with other matters. He was finally left alone. He took out his briefcase and got out Nicol's requiem. Carefully, he began to play and memorize it. The problem was when he got near the end…

The end was still missing.

He sighed and dropped his hands of the piano keys, sending out and noisy echo throughout the room. It wasn't working. The magic that Nicol was trying to portray was incomplete. He was clueless when it came to composing.

An idea suddenly popped in his mind. "Cagalli!" He reached out for his cellphone but then froze. What was he doing? Was he out of his mind? He stared at his phone for a long time, unable to press the call button.

Cagalli had studied piano since she was three years old. She did a bit of composing before. Athrun had heard her play her works a few times before and they were almost as good as Nicol's, despite being a Natural. It was only normal to think of calling her, right? He was still unable to press the call button though.

Little by little he began to feel pathetic. Why should he call Cagalli anyway? She had a country to run. It wasn't like she could just toss out her responsibilities and spirit away to enemy territory. There were some people in the PLANTs that wanted Cagalli dead. Bringing Cagalli there was suicide in her part. He finally put down his phone and this time stared at the piano.

He had less than a week to make a miracle. He had to finish "The Last Requiem" by Nicol's birthday. That was his challenge. He flexed his fingers and began to play Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, "Pathétique." As his fingers moved through the piano, he noticed that he couldn't feel it. He tried to imitate how Nicol played when he heard him during his concert. It was no use. He couldn't feel the magic.

It was sad that the Amarfis had left that instrument to be forgotten and rot. It seemed surreal. Mrs. Amarfi had said that she wanted to start over on Earth. He was sincerely happy or her. She was trying her best but it would take her more time to completely get over Nicol. He was willing to bet that in her heart, she couldn't bear music anymore. Maybe that was why they left behind such as exquisite piano.

If Nicol was alive, he'd probably be so unhappy. Athrun could only pray now that someday Mrs. Amarfi would find it in her heart to love music again. Nicol had told him that his mother was the one that first taught him how to play. If he found out that he made his mother hate the thing they both loved, he'd be heartbroken.

Did he know anybody else that played the piano?

Dearka? Giving him a piano was like giving a monkey a keyboard. He was utterly clueless. Yzak,'s knowledge about playing an instrument was as much as he knew how to play football, which was completely zilch. Kira was busy with matters concerning Lacus Clyne's and his sister's safety.

Ever since the war ended, Lacus acted as the Chief Mediator between Earth and the PLANTs. Kira Yamato was her trusted bodyguard and was always around during all her meetings. The retired songstress was in constant danger everyday. Kira had his hands full. He also had his sister to worry about too.

His sister, being the Chief Representative of Orb was a possible target too. Cagalli Yula Athha, his biological sister, was the only family Kira knew and didn't plan on losing her anytime soon.

In the end, there was nobody left to call. He sighed with frustration and plopped himself on the floor. He didn't have much time left. What was he going to do? He took a peek at the time on his watch He had two hours more before the convention began. He stood up but then suddenly heard his stomach growl. He remembered that he hadn't eaten yet.

He groaned, deciding that maybe he should eat before going to the convention. The convention should run for at least three hours. He didn't think that his hunger could hold out that long. Suddenly, his phone rang. He wasn't really expecting a call.

He was shocked to see Dearka's number listed.

He answered it. "Dearka?"

The first thing he heard was Dearka's laugh. Athrun hadn't heard from his old team mate for a long time. Dearka still called him once in a while but calls from PLANTs to Earth were expensive. "So, is it true that you're in the PLANTs?"

Athrun's sweat dropped. "Hello to you too, Dearka." He had expected a better greeting that that. They hadn't seen one another for a long time.

"So is it?" Dearka was even more persistent than usual.

"Yeah, I'm in the PLANTs," Athrun replied. There was no point over something like that. He was a clueless guy. "How about you? Is it your day off? I was on my way to have lunch. Do you want to come along? I'll treat you."

"I think I'll pass." It was unlike Dearka to turn down a chance to get free food. "The fare going back will kill me."

"Go---going back?" Athrun eyes bulged open. "Elsman, where in the world are you?"

"I'm on Earth, dork!" Dearka laughed louder. "And to think that I was looking for you here… I had to hear from your assistant that you went to the PLANTs for some convention."

Athrun was shocked to say the least. "Dearka, what are you doing on Earth? Did you get transferred there?"

"No, I have a one month vacation and decided to come to Earth. You know… to see how things are doing here."

Athrun was not convinced that it was the only reason though. "Is that the only reason? I'm not convinced."

Dearka chuckled. "Drat, you know me too well." There was a sudden change in the Dearka's mood. He became serious and somewhat sad. "I'm here to give it a try with Miri again." Then he suddenly groaned. "But I expected you to be here! Now I have to do this alone!"

Athrun knew who Miri was. Miriallia Haww, Dearka's ex-girlfriend before she finally broke up with him with reasons unknown to anyone but the two o them. Miriallia Haww was also the same girl whose boyfriend he'd killed.

Suddenly the air around him felt thick. Athrun saw her a few times a year but it was hard to say whether she had moved on or not. She always seemed fine when they talked. They both avoided the topic of the first war as much as possible though. She definitely didn't want to talk about Tolle Koenig.

Atrhun had done his research about the man he'd killed after the war. Tolle Koenig had been just an ordinary citizen before everything had happened. He was a classmate of Kira that had nothing to do with the war. Athrun didn't tell Kira about his investigating. He didn't even understand why he did it. He had understood even then that he was just looking for a reason to feel guilty and miserable.

"Someone's killed for killing another, but then that guy is killed for killing him!? How is that twisted kind of thinking ever gonna bring us peace?"

Athrun didn't know why but suddenly Cagalli's words swam in his head.

"Stop running! The hardest battle is to keep living!"

Athrun tried to shake his head to clear it. What was he thinking at a time like this?

"What about Joule?"

Athrun could tell that Dearka was rolling his eye over the phone. "As if he'd really drop all his responsibilities to come to Earth to chase after a pathetic Natural." There was a sudden interference in the background. "I got to go Athrun. I'm on my way to Miri's and we're going into a tunnel."

"Wait! Dearka!"

"Bye, Athrun. I'll see y----." Then the line went dead.

Athrun tossed his phone into his bag. He was going to have to eat alone. He picked up his bag on the floor and walked towards the exit. He remembered passing a little café on the way there. Judging from the growl in his stomach, he couldn't go very far.

With one last look at the room… and the piano, Athrun returned to the outside. He walked in the direction of the café. "I know that that I saw it here somewhere." He found it all right but got shocked at what he saw. He saw Yzak Joule drinking tea as if it was the most normal thing in the world. But that was not the shocking part.

The shocking part was that he was with a girl.

The silver-haired newly-appointed Council Member looked up from his tea. Seeing Athrun, he gave a surprised look on his face. He faced the girl beside him then Athrun. The girl was too engrossed in reading her newspaper. He then grabbed her newspaper and hid his face behind it.

"Hey!" Athrun could hear the girl call out. She finally looked up and saw Athrun. She seemed to have recognized him because she stood up and saluted. Athrun nodded, she then kicked Yzak to show his respect.

"Shiho!" Yzak hissed but she gave him a poisonous look. He had no choice but to stand up and salute. The young girl smiled with satisfaction, while Yzak frowned and sat down angrily.

"Do you care to sit down, Admiral Zala?" She invited him, annoying Yzak even further.

Athrun did. "Please call me Athrun, Miss… umm…"

"Shiho… Shiho Hahnenfuss," she replied. "Pardon, Mr. Joule at the moment. He's just angry because I kicked his butt in playing video games."

"I am not!" He denied. "Besides, who cares about a game of Tekken anyway?" His cheeks were flushed pink, despite his proclamation.

"You lost twenty straight games…"

"Shut up."

Athrun watched them sadly. Somehow he was feeling like he was missing something and at the same time envious. He hadn't had an argument like they were having at that moment for almost three years, since Cagalli…

"Oi, Zala. What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be at Orb?" It was accompanied by a yelp of pain. Shiho had stepped on his foot for being "disrespectful." They began to argue again and forgetting his presence altogether.

Athrun took a good look at the young girl arguing with one of his trusted friends. Athrun was surprised, realizing that he had seen this girl before. She was always behind Yzak.

She was really cute. She was a brunette with long, brown hair up to her waist and pretty, dark, almond-shaped eyes. Yzak had done well for himself in finally finding a girlfriend. Shiho looked like a girl that could keep up with Yzak's explosive behavior. She also had a fire in her eyes that reminded him of his beloved Cagalli.

Shiho seemed like quite a tomboyish girl too. Athrun noticed that she never seemed to wear skirts. At that moment, she was dressed in casual jeans and shirt. It was perfect for going out to have fun, while Yzak was wearing one of his suits. Shiho was carrying a black backpack and Yzak was carrying a briefcase. It still surprised Athrun how they could get along so well despite their obvious differences.

"Yo, Athrun."

Athrun woke up from his daydream, finding himself with the couple again. "Yeah?"

"So, what are you doing here? I thought you made permanent residence at Orb." Yzak was well aware on on-goings at Orb. He had made it his business to know.

"Yeah, I'm just here for a few days to attend a Peace Convention sponsored by the PLANTs." The waiter arrived to take his order. Athrun took a few minutes to say his order before continuing, "I was invited. What about you, Yzak? Aren't you supposed to go? You are one of the council members."

"I won't be attending today because Shiho here," pointing to the girl beside him. "… Just won't keep quiet about it. She keeps complaining that it was one of the rare times that we had a break together and she didn't want to spend it still working."

Athrun nodded. "I hate to say it, Joule, but she's right. You work too much anyway."

Yzak rolled his eyes. "Why am not surprised? Sure, take the lady's side of the argument. I don't work for fun, you know. I work for the good of the PLANTs."

Athrun's brow propped up. "Really? Don't work for fun? Sometimes I doubt that, Joule." He leaned against the table, looking knowingly at the platinum blonde male. "Sometimes I wonder if you really did work for fun even though you're always complaining. You always liked being in charge."

"Stop talking like you know me so well!" Yzak was aggravated. It was such a bother for him to talk to two such irritating people.

Athrun grew serious. "Yzak, it is almost his birthday, you know?"

Yzak too had grown silent. He knew exactly who he was talking about. He had been thinking about Nicol Amarfi, the music brat, for the past few days too. "Yeah, I remember. I already planned on going to visit him on that day." He sighed. "Four years… who would have though that it had been four years already since then…"

There was a pregnant pause. Even Shiho had nothing to say. She had know the boy called Nicol from when the academy. She was not a member of Yzak's team back then… but she had known from watching him for a long time that Nicol had meant something to their team. Back then, she remembered a sweet little boy with such innocent eyes. He didn't look like the type of person that would hurt anyone.

"By the way, Zala," Yzak needed to break the ice. The silence was staggering. "Doesn't bother you to be here? I mean… I would have thought that you'd have wanted to help with the search."

Athrun made a bewildered look. What was Yzak talking about? "Search? What search?"

This time it was both Yzak and Shiho who were bewildered. Shiho rested a hand on his shoulder. "You mean… you haven't heard the news? I thought for sure that you'd be the first one to know."

The couple was looking at each other in shock, Athrun felt left out. He knew that was missing something. Was there something that he should know about? "Guys, am I missing something here?" Before they could respond, Athrun phone rang. He answered the call, knowing that the conversation had to be saved for later. "Hello?"

"Athrun? It is Kira. How have you been?"

Athrun shrugged. "I'm fine. The convention starts in a couple of hours. I'm having lunch with Joule and his girlfriend right now."

Shiho and Yzak both blushed. "Yo—you idiot! Who told you she's my girlfriend?" Yzak exclaimed at the same time stealing glances at Shiho. Shiho was currently at a stat of utter embarrassment and couldn't seem to say anything to the blue-haired Admiral without wanting to scream out something disrespectful.

The line suddenly went silent. Kira was acting strange all of a sudden.

"Kira?" Athrun finally realized that it was unusual for him to get a call from him. Before Athrun left, he was pretty sure that Kira had his hands full with Lacus's safety when she visits the New Earth Alliance Council. That wasn't all that was unsual. Kira sounded kind of frantic, like he'd just run a marathon. "Kira, you sound strange. Is there something wrong?"

Kira coughed and tried to sound normal. "Nothing is wrong, Athrun. Whatever gave you that idea? Everything is fine. Lacus says hi, by the way." But it was too late because Athrun could already sense that something was wrong. Kira was rarely nervous. Even when they were about to plunge into battle Kira was never nervous. Athrun had known Kira since they were kids and the only time he was ever nervous was when…

"All right, Kira, stop beating around the bush… don't lie to me. The only time you're ever like this was when you lie!"

Status: Part one complete