DISCLAIMER: I don't own Gundam Seed, but I do own the perfect grade Wing Zero custom perching on top of my PC. Now that's out of the way…
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Well, it's been awhile since I wrote stories here at fanfiction (if my memory serves, there are 2 of them and they are Evangelion fics) and I don't know how to continue them, maybe some other day. But the main reason is that I suddenly decided to write… err… type a story all of a sudden is that after watching this great Gundam Seed, I had a sudden feeling that I can make a story out of this as well. Oh well, read and review before I'll explain a couple of things in the next chapter.
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM SEED:
Fate
On a room without its lights on, two young people, a male and female are huddled together. From a commoner's viewpoint, it would appear that they had had made love and was now enjoying each other's warmth under the sheet, hugging. One might be bothered, seeing that their respective ages are not yet "appropriate" enough to do what they both have done.
"Yesterday… it was very enjoyable" the girl said.
"Yeah… do you know what I overheard from a bystander?" the boy replied.
"What?"
"He never thought that the war would end and now this…"
"Hmm…"
"By the way… why… didn't you come to the celebration? All of our friends and even Captain Murrue Ramius and her officers came too…"
"Well… I've been busy talking with my relatives. And… I got to sort some things out… there's too much things that papa had left"
"I see…"
"Will this peace would last?"
"Well… I hope though… that this peace would last. Too many lives has been lost in that useless war"
The female then idly traced the male's fine chest outline, and then said "So many things have happened Kira, that I remembered all of them like it happened yesterday…"
"I see"
"Aren't you still bothered by the fact?"
"About what?"
"That I used you, even to the point that I urged you to kill those bastards, that I've made you believe that I truly love you when in fact I want you to die fighting together with them, the Coordinators who killed papa?"
Kira casts his eyes downward, his expression as that of a saddened one "I don't care… it's just that… I have a feeling that I need to protect you as well as others. Naturals or Coordinators alike, I would protect someone that I care for"
"You're so kind… that's why… that's why…"
Tears then began to form on the female's eyes before she abruptly cried, burying her face on Kira's neck and sobbing.
"Hush… it's okay" he said, comforting her.
"During the war…" she began "during the war… as time passes little by little I slowly realized that I'm… falling in love with you. Even though I always think that I'm only using you, my feelings are telling me otherwise. When you went MIA I was affected deeply but still refused to believe that I really cared until after Sai said something that hit me hard… really hard…"
"What did he said?"
"When I told him that I didn't really have feelings for you all along, he didn't believed me, and retorted that I really like you and the reason why I like you is because of your kindness… because you are what you are!"
Kira didn't say anything and instead mussed his female companion's hair. She continued to speak.
"Are you sure that you have made the right choice… between us? I haven't even apologized to her yet for saying things that had hurt her the first time we've met"
"Whose us?"
"Me… and her…"
"You mean Lacus… Fllay?"
"Yes"
"I'm… not sure. Honestly I'm not really sure… seriously, I do also have feelings for her but…"
"But…?"
"But you're the only one whom I first fell in love with. Because of you I have the desire to protect the ones I care…" Kira said, smiling.
Fllay looked at him, her eyes glimmering with affection and desire.
"Kira…"
She then drew Kira close to her before capturing his lips, tears flowing in her cheeks as she was assured of acceptance in Kira's heart.
PHASE 01: The Dimming Light
Two months later… March 15 CE72.
At the undisclosed facility somewhere in another colony under Orb named Kamiapolis, where the negotiations for peace treaty had happened, there is undergoing session that aims to shed light regarding several things.
"Before this session started" the newly appointed United Emirates of Orb representative Cagalli Yula Attha said "I would like to inform all of you that everything you will say in this meeting would be recorded so please refrain yourselves from venting out your personal vendettas"
"Tchh… Just what does she mean by that?" Yzak Jule said after snorting mildly while watching the live audio and video feed in another room.
"Yzak…" Athrun said, casting him a sharp glance. Yzak just shrugged it away.
"Cool it guys, we're here to watch them and hear what they would say" Dearka Elthman reminded them.
"Yeah right, we're here to observe"
Eerie silence fell upon them for a moment before Athrun decided to speak again "Hey Yzak…"
"What?"
"Thanks"
Yzak looked at him with a brow raised "For what?"
"For saving her"
Again the silver haired pilot snorted, remembering the battle where he saved an M1 Astray mobile suit from being destroyed by a bastard piloting one of the Earth's newest mobile suit, the model GAT-X252 aptly codenamed Forbidden Gundam.
"Tch… well pay me back later, in battle that is… if there's another one"
"There wouldn't be another one Yzak" Dearka mildly objected.
"But how can you be so sure that there wouldn't be another battle Dearka?"
"At least I think so"
Yzak was about to say something when suddenly he decided to shut his mouth and think of another conversation. He then picked a different subject that was bothering him, even after the war.
"Come to think of it, I had yet to see that former Strike and Freedom pilot's face, after months had past since we first engaged at him during the battle"
"Still thinking about your scar hmm?" Dearka sarcastically asked.
"Do you know why?"
"What?"
"Because every time it hurts, I remember that someone"
Athrun asked, frowning "What do you plan to do then?"
"Nothing, don't worry I won't kill your best friend. Maybe I was back then but—"
"—you lose interest huh?" the blonde pilot of Buster butted in.
"You can say that…"
Yzak then looked at Dearka and said "I only shoot at enemies"
"He was back then" the blonde pilot said.
The silver haired pilot became silent. Dearka shrugged and then watched the live video, knowing all too well that Yzak, although he's not admitting it, he now realized what he would and must fight for.
Athrun smiled inwardly, pleased by the fact that his comrade in arms had changed for the better.
As his deceased father had put it, to attain the true meaning of "freedom" and "justice", one must fight to assert what he would believe in.
OOOOOOOOOO
"Projects Liberty and Prejudice is at 67 and 66 percent complete" a man dressed in researcher's clothes and with glasses said, reporting to a lady dressed in black dress. They are in a room lighted eerily from the monitor behind the black suited person, their features hided by shadows.
"I see… how about the Operation Dinner Out?"
"Going as planned"
"Excellent"
"I would also like to report that the intelligence regarding another revolutionary group is planning to take over the Earth Alliance reformed government is at the works"
"It seemed that those suited guys from Blue Cosmos are at it again, tsk… what about from the other side?"
"Leftist factions who believes Raww le Klueze's ideals about the ultimate Coordinator rule are also planning, exactly like that of Blue Cosmos"
"Can you monitor their movements?"
"Unfortunately no. Agents cannot exactly watch their movements because they are damn good at hiding them"
The lady sighed "So it is a matter of time before another war dawned on them"
"In my opinion, I believe so"
"Although, I would like to help both sides now, the Naturals and the Coordinators" the lady said "I could not. We, the Alliance of NACO must work under cover until that time comes"
The researcher nodded.
OOOOOOOOOO
"—this is preposterous!" an Earth Alliance commander representative retorted "We together with the Atlantic Federation have never been the ones to start the war!"
"What about that Bloody Valentine incident? Isn't you together with your forces have launched that nuclear weapon against us and destroyed Unius 7?" a ZAFT representative said coolly "In effect, we have retaliated by dropping hundreds of Neutron Jammer Cancellers on Earth"
"If we have decided to replace Neutron Jammer Cancellers with nukes, the Earth wouldn't be there already"
"Well… that is excusable" another Earth Alliance representative butted in sarcastically "But how will you explain the attacking of Heliopolis? Isn't that a neutral colony?"
"Why call Heliopolis a neutral colony if it was all along secretly developing those new mobile suits?"
The Earth Alliance representative was stupefied and was about to retort when Cagalli raised her hand, silencing him "It was true that the Heliopolis colony was in fact neutral but was secretly developing those GATX series. I don't know how the ZAFT acquired the intelligence but in the end, ZAFT military actions against the Heliopolis was justified… it was war then"
The ZAFT representative smiled triumphantly.
"However, ZAFT military cruelty doesn't give you an excuse that you are the victims in this recent war"
"What?"
Cagalli explained "ZAFT forces firing on the surrendering soldiers, shooting down retreating ships, even Naturals civilians. Is that war supposed to be?"
Silence met her as she continued.
"And then while doing it they said to themselves that their actions are justified? Just because killing is reasonable because someone killed their friends, co-soldiers, or family? And then when someone killed you, someone else will kill because you've been killed? Don't you people realize this simple chain of events that lead to destruction of yourselves?"
Silence met her again until someone spoke, from the ZAFT side.
"But then the Earth Alliance stated the war wasn't it? Hatred, enviousness, persecution and discrimination to the "filths of the blue and pure world" that are us, the Coordinators" another ZAFT representative commented.
"This war had happened while the humanity progressed…"
"Is that why killing Coordinators is because they want the world to be blue and pure?"
"But then, who would resort to such military cruelty to attain their objectives? Who would resort to trickery, cowardice and false spreading of information so that in the end you will win?" an Earth Alliance representative said, sneering.
"Why you—"
Murmurs and shouts filled the whole room as representatives from both sides vented out their reasons and excuses to each other while Cagalli looked on, looking tired, until she raised her hand again and beckoned them to silence.
"We cannot deny the fact that the start of war had happened during the progress of humanity. As said by a couple of ZAFT representatives, it happened because of envy that Coordinators are better than that, better than this…"
"But resorting to extreme measures such as war" she continued "doesn't give Coordinators the right to just wipe out all of Naturals, especially the innocent ones involved in this mess"
Colonel Edneil Kisaka approached Cagalli behind and whispered something to her ear. Through Cagalli's sudden frown it appears that it is urgent. She then stood up.
"It appears that all of the issues pertaining Cosmic Era 70 war had dragged on for almost four hours and should be resolved next meeting… on Friday. The meeting today is adjourned"
She then left the council rather abruptly as representatives noisily said this and that.
"It appears that they still disagree with each other" Kisaka commented, pressing the elevator recall button that would take them above to the helipad.
"It seemed so, right back at the council although some who agreed that peace must now reign between Naturals and Coordinators, there are still others who disagrees, even though peace negotiations are now on due process"
The elevator then opened and both entered. The elevator doors then closed behind them and then rose upward.
Cagalli then asked "What's the urgent matter you would like to discuss about?"
"Not here, but in other place. Orb government is requesting you to be back in a jiffy" Kisaka replied.
She frowned "Geez, what do they want with me now?"
"They didn't told me…"
Cagalli sighed, then remembered something "Where's Athrun and others?"
"He together with Second Lieutenants Dearka and Yzak went away"
"You should have told them to come"
"Major Athrun told me that he would catch up later"
The elevator then stopped and then they were about to alight from it when suddenly someone roughly barked.
"Put your hands up in the air when I can see them"
Cagalli and Kisaka gasped, they were being held at gunpoint by a couple of armed men. The colonel noted that they are equipped with M4A6 rifles; rifles that have variance settings that could not kill to could kill.
Without thinking, Kisaka pushed Cagalli back to the elevator and jammed his hand to close the doors.
BRATATATATATAT!!
Shots are fired and he took the hit, badly.
They are set to kill…
"Kisaka!" Cagalli exclaimed, and she saw blood while the colonel pulled his handgun out.
OOOOOOOOOO
"Someone is attacking the Orb representative!?" Yzak exclaimed over to his radio while gunshots are now seemingly everywhere. He was running in the corridor along with Dearka and Athrun, all guns up. Each of them has USP Variance handguns that have non-lethal to man-killer settings.
All of their handguns are set to kill.
"Yes sir! Currently she is at the elevator 3 descending down to your current floor. And now there's another group attacking at the front and behind of the facility" one of the facility guards replied on the radio.
"Send out the guards and get ready for close combat!"
"Roger that!"
Yzak then turned to others "The Orb representative is at the elevator 3! We must hurry!"
They ran towards the bank of elevators, one of which was labeled 1.
"What floor are they now!?" Athrun steely asked, worried.
"10th floor and descending!"
Explosions suddenly occur as the wall just two meters away from them was destroyed and more armed med came spilling, shooting at them. Another group then came behind them a block away.
Yzak and Athrun took cover at a pillar nearby while Dearka dashed towards to another pillar to cover their back.
"Geez! Are they that desperate to assassinate the Orb representative!?" Dearka exclaimed, shooting back.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
"What are they!? From Blue Cosmos!?" Yzak shouted, also firing away.
"Beats me!"
Athrun seethed, firing and managed to take out two terrorists before ejecting the clip and slamming a new one to his gun.
"What floor are they now!?"
"6th floor!" Dearka shouted back.
"Where our reinforcements!? We're outnumbered here!"
"Coming! ETA 2 minutes because of resistance!" Yzak exclaimed.
"Grr… we might not last for two minutes!"
A moment later and another explosion passed before the elevator stopped with a ping and then the doors opened. They then saw Cagalli assisting Kisaka and saw that he was badly wounded.
"Get her…" Kisaka painfully said "…away from here"
"I understand" Athrun said, firing "But how about you…?"
"Don't mind me…" he said, sliding into crouching position and firing away before pausing "…just go!"
Athrun frowned, then gave orders anyway "Yzak, assist Colonel Kisaka! Dearka provide cover fire!"
He then turned to Cagalli and handed her a spare handgun "You, stay at my side"
Cagalli cocked the gun and nodded, then fired away.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
OOOOOOOOOO
Kira, unaware of what is happening at the Kamiapolis colony, is busy listening to the old professor in quantum physics and tapping down notes in his laptop in a prominent college in Orb.
Since after the treaty, both governments then halted the entire mobile suit productions and diverted all the funds for their development into the peace building process. The mobile suits forces are placed on a permanent alert to seek out the remnants of the Blue Cosmos who are now operating through terrorism means and the deceased Klueze's supporters who believed in his ultimate Coordinator rule ideals.
Klueze… the man with a white mask…
Kira frowned at that thought, couldn't believed that that man's features were awfully similar to Mwu La Flagga. He said about being a clone of his father Ariga Flagga right?
"Kira… Kira…"
Back to the reality because someone was gently tapping his shoulder, Kira turned to see Fllay.
"Hey, classes are now over. Don't you hear the bell?"
"Ah, sorry"
Hastily fixing up his things, he then went together with Fllay in the hallway, another subject of his recent musings. Fllay, he doesn't know why but he had this feeling to protect her along with others, but protecting her seemed suddenly to be a high priority over others. It's not because she kissed him or because she said that she loved him, it's just that the need to protect her was something that came from him.
That's why he managed to shield the lifeboat where she was in together with the crew of the Dominion battleship from Klueze's beam attack from the Providence Gundam. He doesn't know why the hell did that masked man attacked the lifeboat, but he managed to protect the lifeboat though.
But one of those fin funnels targeted the lifeboat, and Kira realized that it would be too late when it suddenly disengaged.
He doesn't know why Klueze did not shot down the lifeboat again when he had the chance, but secretly, he was very thankful for it.
Kira wondered, what is he doing now?
"Hey Kira!"
Snapped out from his own induced reverie, Kira replied "Yeah Fllay?
"Check this out!" Fllay enthusiastically said, literally showing him a fashion magazine of some sort in his face. Reading the contents for a moment, he blushed.
"Fllay… uh…"
"I want you to try this out to me" Fllay frankly pointed.
"But Fllay, a week ago…"
She laughed "I know that! So in other day I mean"
"Well… this was new to me…"
"New to you!? Don't you watch porn or something?"
Kira looked around to see many interested glances from students, Fllay noticed also and her cheeks reddened. She then grabbed Kira's hand and stormed away together.
When they are now outside and settled down in a nearby cafeteria, Kira laughed.
"What?" Fllay asked, obviously annoyed while still blushing.
"Well… at least check your voice. It was always too loud that many people would be very interested on what you will say just like moments ago"
She glared at him while smirking "But you're turned on of what you've read Kira, I'm sure of it"
"Ah… well…"
"Well… well… well…"
Kira and Fllay turned around to see someone female with flowing red hair and wearing an extremely snug skirt with matching tight blue shirt and leather boots and walking towards them. She then sat with them and to Fllay's female intuition; she is dangerously close to Kira.
Fllay smirked "Well, it's the infamous Ms. Toshiko Sohryu. What brings you here may I ask?"
"Nothing, it's just that I spotted this guy here and to me he's cute"
Kira, being gullible as he was, just smiled.
Fllay was beginning to get irritated at Toshiko "And so…?"
"Just interested to know him more better"
She then turned to Kira "You are Kira Yamato right? You're quite famous around this campus"
"Is that so?" Kira asked.
"Yup. Heard that you are one of the topnotchers in Mr. Rondalla's exam. On top of that, you excel in athletics and sports. I also heard that you defeated someone named Kosher Matsudai in hand-to-hand combat when he was "interested" to Ms. Allster. Of course you always opted not to fight, but when he started to put some moves on your girlfriend… hmm, how could I say this? Ah, Matsudai got what he deserved"
Kira frowned.
Toshiko then turned to Fllay "You were lucky to have him Fllay, although it's quite unnatural for a Natural to have a relationship with a Coordinator"
"So what if he is a Coordinator?" Fllay retorted, beginning to notice that this is going out of hand.
"I'm a Natural myself… so I wonder… how it feels to have someone like him and then use him"
"Your bitchiness is surfacing from you again Toshiko"
"Well, I'm like you, a bitch yourself"
Sparks fly and Kira finally realized that they would fight. As he had known Fllay, she wouldn't back down as simple as that.
"Come to think of it, we might as well go home now Fllay" he said, smiling although forcibly "Thank you Ms. Sohryu for your time"
That did well. Fllay stood up and went with Kira but not before she gave Toshiko a subtle glare.
Toshiko observed at their retreating backs especially Kira's before she licks her lips and smiled.
OOOOOOOOOO
"Who is she? I mean… why you two aren't on the best of terms?" Kira asked Fllay, breaking the tension between them while waiting for an automated ride on the sidewalk.
"Well… she is a bitch personified" Fllay replied.
"Have you known her?"
"Well… since first year back at Heliopolis…"
"Oh… so why is she…?"
"She is famous for getting what she wanted, especially boys who are too gullible enough. You should stay away from her"
OOOOOOOOOO
"—this is beginning to get irritating!" Cagalli seethed after taking out a terrorist on point blank range and snatching his assault rifle "Where's the LZ for evac!?"
"Just beyond that—" Yzak started, and then suddenly frowned.
"What is it?" Dearka asked.
Yzak merely pointed at the boy dressed in white trenchcoat. His features are awfully familiar, similar to that of green haired youth.
"Nicol…?" Athrun said, frowning.
The boy looks amazingly like Nicol Amarfi, their former co-pilot, except for his eyes, they are golden. Because of his youthful features, one would surmise that he is perfectly not dangerous except that he is wielding what looked like a samurai sword.
"Hand over the Orb representative, and you will live" the boy said monotonously.
Yzak retorted while he let go of Kisaka and left him propped in the wall "Your condition isn't as simple as that you idiot!"
"Then you die"
The boy moved and Yzak started to shoot.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
"Graaakk!!"
Yzak dropped his gun and coughed blood as the boy had literally dug his fingers to his side and violently pulled away a rib before slapping him away to the ground with his sword. Yzak then begun to bled profusely before losing consciousness
Cagalli could only say "Oh my god" as she together with others saw what the boy had done. Somehow he unbelievably moved fast than anyone could comprehend and caused Yzak to miss him entirely.
"You son of a bitch!!!" Dearka shouted, but before he can shoot him the boy sped towards him and stabbed him below his right shoulder. Blood splattered behind him and he seethed and aimed his handgun directly at the boy's face when the boy brought the sword violently upward.
A blizzard of pain shook Dearka as a fountain of blood spurted up from his right shoulder before also losing consciousness.
Oshitoshitoshitoshitoshit!!
Athrun could only stare in horror as he shoots and the boy nimbly dodging bullets and then moved towards him so fast that he only had a scant second to react to block the sword the boy heaving it toward him.
What the—?
CRAAAKKKK!!!
Athrun managed to block the blow with his handgun, the sword being blocked at the front of the trigger guard.
"You…!!"
The boy simply moved his sword to his right side, sliding the blade in Athrun's handgun's trigger guard and moved in 360 degree in supersonic speed.
I got you now you—
--what!?
Athrun had just draw a knife he hid behind him and was about to stab the boy when he felt his foothold going away and felt his body moving toward the boy. Surprised about how the hell he was floating in midair, he then closed his eyes and expected his world to disappear right now.
Cagalli—
--I won't die just yet!
Too late, the blade had struck him in his side and before his surroundings blacken, he managed to look at the boy's weapon.
It was a reverse-edged sword…
Athrun was violently thrown to the wall before he loses consciousness.
"Oh my god…" Cagalli said as horror dawned upon her face before pointing her gun to the boy "JUST WHAT ARE YOU!?"
The boy didn't answered and he moved. Cagalli fired.
BAM!
"Uhhg…"
Cagalli dropped her handgun and lose consciousness because the boy simply punched her gut and gently caught her before she fell.
Kisaka could only look on helplessly as the boy went away without a trace, except for the ones who are sprawled to the floor, two bleeding and all unconscious.
"And yet he didn't kill all of us… he lied"Kisaka could only say before he also lose consciousness because of his bleeding.
OOOOOOOOOO
At the medical unit, the former major and captain of the Archangel and now an Admiral of the Peacekeeping Forces Unit 7, Murrue Ramius could only frown as she took a sip of coffee while listening to the debriefing of what had happened to the Kamiapolis, particularly the incident. She had just arrived at the Kamiapolis colony after learning that the incident had happened.
"All of the perpetrators except for the seventy-five men they left for dead escaped and managed to kidnap the Orb representative" a soldier reported.
Murrue looked at the bedridden pilots and the guardian of the Orb representative "I see, what about that message stating that the Orb representative's presence is required at the Orb immediately?"
"According to the Orb government, they stated that they didn't send a message requesting the representative's presence"
"So the message is a hoax and Colonel Kisaka fell for it… what about the pursuit team? Have they come up with results?"
"No ma'am, they reported that the unknown group escaped on what seems to be a high mobile transport ship… the pursuit team is currently triangulating the movements of the terrorists and their ship"
"Are there any casualties on our side?"
"Two are dead and seventeen men wounded"
Murrue wondered why there are only two dead but was relieved anyway "How so?"
"Bullets found on the scene were found to be real ones but…"
"You mean the kind of weapon they have used against the guards?"
"Precisely ma'am. The weapons we have recovered from the dead terrorists are M4A6s and USP Variances, those with non-lethal to man-killer settings. Some weapons we have found are set to non-lethal while others—"
"I know, same weapons like ours, I see… continue your duty captain"
"Yes ma'am"
The soldier then left.
Murrue then rubbed her forehead absently as she waited for the others to arrive.
OOOOOOOOOO
Yamato Residence…
Kira went towards his room after dropping Fllay at her place and the first person he saw inside is Lacus Clyne.
"Lacus?"
Lacus turned around and greeted him "Hello Kira, it's been awhile…"
Kira was about to say something when Lacus abruptly kissed him.
TO BE CONTINUED