Summary: The final battle has ended and the war achieved nothing. Somehow, the SEED intervenes and causes the timeline to warp. Armed with knowledge of what the future holds, two young men will defy fate as they fight to change the nightmare their future has become.
A/N: Anyone who has even peeked at my Profile will know that I love alternate realities. I have always wanted to create an AU for GS canon but have never had any original ideas until now, so this is my attempt at a canon AU, hoping it is not as clichéd as it seems and that it turns out well.
Other Themes/Warnings: Warping of canon events and a severe twisting of the timeline. Other characters (Oc's),Hurt/comfort, violence (i.e. death, abuse, torture or graphic scenes). Sexual content (implied, referenced or otherwise), self-abuse (possible), yaoi/yuri (slash), language, mentioned or implied substance abuse…And just about anything else, you can possibly think of, which should constitute as a warning. Consider yourselves warned.
Pairings: Kira/Lacus, Athrun/Cagalli, Mu/Murrue, Tolle/Miriallia, Sai/Flay and Oc/Oc…There will also be other possible, one-sided, implied or non-consensual pairings. All pairings are subject to change at any possible moment, except for first three.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything in relation to Gundam SEED or Gundam SEED Destiny. Nor do I own anything quoted or used from other materials, e.g. songs, song titles, lines or extracts…So do not sue me, for I have nothing and only the lawyers will benefit from the ordeal. I own only my Oc's, self-created mobile suits and the plot. Standard disclaimer applies for every chapter.
***Story has no beta so feel free to inform me of any errors.
Gundam SEED: The Veiled Light
Phase 00: "Where Destiny Ends..."
C.E 71- Battle at Jachin Due
Devastation. That is all there was left. It hung around him like some kind of horrid, floating cloud consisting of twisted metal and debris; a grim mixture of mobile suits, discarded weaponry and warships respectively.
A mass grave, his mind whispered…For that is what it was. Just as Junius Seven haunted space, so too would this battlefield.
The dusky black background was still and silent, whereas just moments ago it had been alight in a torrent of vivid beams, flashing erratically, while explosions shook the atmosphere, the resulting shrapnel and molten steel almost as deadly as the barrage that had presided before it.
He would take the frightening cacophony of combat over this stark stretch of quiet.
It had been a desperate fight right from the start, each passing second, each prolonged minute, as unpredictable as the one before, with the casualties quickly rising in number on both sides and no end to the carnage in sight. What had begun as a struggle between two opposing beliefs and the neutralists who stood between them, had swiftly and easily descended into an immense bloodbath of sheer discord and confusion, only to now become…No more?
Shielded within the scarred remnants of the Freedom (the faithful machine just barely holding together), Kira Yamato- average civilian turned ace pilot- sat in shocked disbelief as he stared into the distance, a feeling of vast emptiness drowning him and all sense of time completely beyond his current reasoning.
What had gone wrong for it to end this way? He wondered numbly. How was it, that the war they had fought so long in, the war they had all sacrificed so much for had no apparent victor and only thousands of victims? Tears ran unbidden from glazed purple eyes, blending with sweat-soaked, bruised skin and warm compared to the all-encompassing cold that seemed to cover his entire body.
GENESIS. That one simple word was the only answer his thoughts could offer, and even then, the answer gave him nothing.
The giant laser had exploded for some reason that was unknown to the brunet, but the aftermath had been as clear as a day in summer and there was no denying how fatal the occurring blast had been.
...heat and fire and shredded metal...bodies and blood and scraps of wreckage.
Kira choked on a sob.
"Why?" He uttered softly, unable to wrap his mind around the situation. "I don't...I can't..."
No one had survived, that much he knew. Time spent calling- begging- over different comm. lines for someone, anyone to answer him, had more than proven that he was all alone.
Alone...The word caused his heart to beat unnaturally fast. A speed unlike any he had ever felt before; erratic as if absorbed in the intoxicating rush of adrenaline, but also constricting and somewhat cold like when beset by heart wrenching sorrow that stole the very oxygen from every cell in your being.
All gone...all alone. You have no one.
Kira acutely felt the despair rage inside of him, so strong that it seemed to tear his very insides apart, ripping through him mercilessly, but that distress was morphing, changing over into a burning anger that held no restrictions. His hand clenched tightly and he slammed them upon the Freedoms controls, ignoring the stinging sensation followed, as well as the crimson that then seeped through his gloved hands.
"WHY! DAMN YOU WHY?"
His screams echoed throughout the non-existent battlefield, lingering and meaningless considering there was no one left to hear the words.
"It wasn't meant to end this way!"
The only reason he had survived was his fight with Le Creuset, which had taken them far beyond the reach of the super weapon and yet his survival...His survival meant he was the only one left. All his friends and loved ones were gone and he had been unable to save any of them.
"What did they do to deserve this! Why are they gone?"
He could not save Flay when Le Creuset shot down her escape pod.
(The conflict and slight enmity between them, there would be no way to put it to rest now.)
He could not save Athrun and Cagalli as the Strike Rouge was the first to disintegrate in the blast.
(His best friend and newly found sister...To have reformed that fragile bond and to have discovered his twin, only to lose them both.)
Captain Murrue and the crew of the Archangel, Kusanagi and Eternal.
(People he had spent months and lived through endless tragedies with.)
Lacus...
(He could still hear her screams.)
"We were fighting for a better future."
They were all gone along with so many other nameless faces that would never see another day. More victims of a war that had held no worth, with more families that would never see or hold loved ones again.
"Why am I still here..."
A silver ring attached to a matching chain, floated into Kira's line of sight suspended by gravity and glinting slightly, and the brunet found he could no longer do anything to hold back his mounting agony.
"Damnit!"
The tears ran freely.
The pain was too much, too soon and his anger to great to contain. Rage, misery and guilt boiled and lashed violently within like a furious storm. It left him trembling, frozen and gasping for air, desperate to breathe but wanting it all to end.
Just take it away...
The world was closing in around him, constricting the little space he had left and then his vision was turning inward, dissipating before he was lost to an endless abyss of black.
Why...Why couldn't it have been different? Why had it ended this way...Why did he have to be alone?
There was an abrupt burst of bright amethyst light and a strange warm sensation was taking over the icy chill, with streaks of emerald green shooting through the showers of violet and washing over the despair with a startling sense of calm.
It was an end with no meaning.
The co-ordinator's last conscious thought, was that if given the chance, if allowed to do things over again...He would change the outcome.
The rays of light pulsed brightly, almost caressing him.
He would do anything; give everything, to prevent this kind of horror.
Colour merged with darkness and then he knew know more. No more pain...No more suffering...Just the endless calm of nothing.
-O-
The beeping sound was insistent and annoying, similar almost to the distinctive red-alert signal when a battle ship entered into a dangerous situation. A sound he had become intimately familiar with given his time on the Archangel, Kusanagi and Eternal.
It was a noise that instantly had Kira's eyes snapping open despite the heavy feeling in his limbs and the numbing pain in his head, amethyst depths clouded with agitation and unchecked confusion as they blinked to clear away the fog.
Eyes met the white expanse of ceiling before moving to take in the rest of the room, simple oak furniture, soft yellow curtains and before Kira knew it he was on his feet and backing into the nearest corner, hands curling into brown locks as he slid to the floor with his back pressed against the wall, his body trembling. His insides lurched sickeningly and he fought to shake off the sudden dizziness, absently noting that the ringing noise was from a small, black alarm that rested innocently upon the bedside table.
Kira glanced at it, took in the room once more and then closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to calm his now frantically pounding heart. He resolutely ignored the curious chirps of the green and white robotic bird perched upon a small stand, because there was no way it was there- a justifiable thought he reckoned, seeing as Torii had been destroyed along with Lacus and the Eternal.
He was dreaming...He had to be.
In his fury and anguish, he'd most likely lost consciousness and was now hallucinating- after all, fevers from extreme stress were not unheard of?- while trapped in the carcass of the Freedom, all alone and stranded upon a deserted, ghostly battlefield.
There was absolutely no way he could be in his bedroom on Heliopolis. His mind wasn't that sadistic.
Kira allowed his eyes to open briefly before they snapped shut just as quickly.
Yes, there was just no way...
The rhythm of hurried footsteps broke through his quiet mental struggle and had him instinctively tensing; months of constant threats making the reaction seem natural. The rattle of the door's handle and raised voices had him getting to his feet, heart pumping wildly and the blood roaring in his ears.
"...and the alarm has been going for the past three minutes. I'm telling you now, there's something wrong Hiruma."
"It's the last few days of the school holiday Caridad; maybe he's just trying to sleep in?"
No, it's impossible...Kira thought, eyes widening as the door swung open.
"Kira, is everything alright sweetheart?" Caridad Yamato asked as she walked into the room with her husband Hiruma following closely behind, a clearly exasperated look on his face as he smiled fondly at his overly concerned wife.
"Mum...Dad..."
Caridad smiled warmly and Kira felt himself freeze with the onset of shock.
"No..."
The brunet was not even surprised when his vision faded and the last thing he heard was his mothers alarmed shout before descending once again into blessed darkness.
...Excruciating pain was all he knew. Burning, twisted agony that seemed to stab every fibre and nerve, but that couldn't be right, could it? He was supposed to be dead. Had he not died?
Memories of emerald green light and blinding purple flashes...Sorrow mixed with guilt and a strained, abnormal sort of hope that yearned for change.
...He found he did not understand.
Green eyes opened wearily after a moments struggle, to find a world filled with white, so much white that it made his vision blur with irritation.
Where am I? Athrun wondered even with his mind and thoughts foggy with pained exhaustion. He blearily noticed that his right arm and part of his chest were bandaged heavily, that some kind of machine stood next to the bedside and that a needle protruded from his left hand, but otherwise, the room was bare.
Athrun frowned. This didn't make sense.
The last clear thing he recalled was the battle at Jachin Due, his decision to set off Justice's self-destruct within GENESIS and watching his father die. Cagalli stopping him from sacrificing his life needlessly. Their escape in the Rouge.
...and then it all went wrong.
The mixture of both mobile suit and the lasers advanced technology, proved a deadly combination that resulted in a devastatingly large-ranged explosion of nuclear energy and sheer heated pressure. They never saw it coming.
He could remember Cagalli's amber eyes widening in horror, could hear her scream merge with his and could feel the searing pain as the explosion washed over them.
He had died.
Athrun did not notice that he had pushed his battered body into an upright position. He did not hear the machines begin to beep loudly. He could not feel the pain. There was only confusion and panic.
He had died...So why was he here? Why was he clearly living, breathing...alive?
The door of the room opened and people rushed in, but the emerald-eyed teen saw none of it, his eyes shut as his mind tried, (failed) to understand what was going on. Voices broke though his haze like a knife, some unforgettable and distinct, while others were only mildly familiar but no less haunting.
"Athrun..."
"You're finally awake...Gods, you scared us."
"What are you doing up like that?"
"We were so worried."
"Should we call Doctor Hue?"
"No, remember what happened the last time. The bastard will just kick us out..."
Athrun let his eyes open and stared at the people standing around him in a morbid silence, faintly aware that someone was touching his shoulder. He tilted his head to see who it was and felt his breath hitch when they met with Miguel Aiman's warm honey-toned eyes, so different from the arrogant expression the blond usually wore.
"Hey." He greeted softly. "You feel alright?"
No, Athrun thought numbly. He wasn't alright. In fact, he was sure he had completely lost whatever sanity he had left.
"You scared the shit out of us, you know." A voice commented to his right, which had Athrun turning to face the speaker and eyes widening as they met Dearka Elsman's twinkling lavender orbs. Next to the tanned blond, Yzak Joule scoffed and glared his way with those impressively cold blue eyes.
"Speak for yourself moron."
"Oh shut up Yzak. Just because you have the emotional range of a needle eye..." A redhead piped up with a mischievous shine in his aquamarine eyes. "...Doesn't mean any of us have problems with expressing concern over a friend's injury."
Athrun turned to gape at Rusty Mackenzie in silent doubt while Yzak sent a chilling glare the redhead's way, opening his mouth to retort but...
"Don't even start." A voice interjected sternly. "We don't need to be banned from the infirmary again because of you two and your childish squabbles."
Tarin Drake?
Athrun turned his gaze once again, meeting the guarded grey eyes of a person he hadn't seen since his graduation from the ZAFT Academy. The golden-haired young man met his eyes with a wry smile.
"Nice to see you're on the mend, Zala."
On the mend from what? Athrun mentally questioned. Insanity? Hallucinations? For he was positive that seeing dead people, could be considered being psychologically imbalanced.
"Is something wrong Athrun?"
The familiar soft, melodic voice had him stiffening and then turning his head so fast Athrun was sure he got whiplash, bright topaz coloured eyes meeting his own.
-The Blitz burst into fragments before his eyes, with the Strike's sword still jutting from its torso. A scream ripping through the air, then nothing-
"Nicol?"
His voice sounded far away, harsh and raspy. A hand was the feeling his forehead.
"You still have a fever." Miguel stated. "Normal considering what happened when your CGUE overheated."
"Exposure to harsh temperatures...Wasn't that what Hue said was the result?" Tarin asked.
Athrun blinked.
"What?"
He wasn't even aware he had spoken aloud until five pairs of eyes turned towards him at the same time.
"Don't you remember?" Rusty asked with his head tilted slightly to show his confusion. The other group members exchanged mildly concerned looks. "We were completing Colonel Avery's simulation test on team strategy. We had gotten all the way through to level twelve when your CGUE suddenly malfunctioned..."
"The mechanics and tech support think the system short-circuited...might have been after that particularly nasty bludgeon you received from the BuCUE that blindsided us on level 8." Tarin added levelly.
"Blindsided all of you, is what you mean." Yzak scoffed.
The group bickered while Athrun's thoughts raced.
Colonel Avery's simulation test?
...But that had been almost six months before their graduation. He recalled being injured during the exercise and having to spend two weeks in the infirmary for severe burns and a high fever.
This was not possible...He was dreaming, right?
He had died...with Cagalli.
...and what had happened after the fatal explosion? Were Lacus, Kira and so many of his other friends dead? Had they shared a similar fate?
So what did he call this?
What was happening to him?
Athrun did not notice his increase in breathing. He did not see his friend's argument instantly cease as they watched his hands clench tightly into the bed sheets.
"Athrun!"
The emerald-eyed teen was shaken from his panic by Nicol's sharp exclamation and the others shocked gasps, their eyes fixed in horror at something on his chest. He glanced down and stared listlessly at the deep crimson that stood out upon the stark white bandages, a terrible ache making itself aware in the back of his mind.
Right, I'm injured...He thought dully. But it didn't matter...He'd seen more blood then this.
"Call Doctor Hue." Dearka was saying and Nicol fled the room while Miguel and Tarin both worked together to get him to lie back down.
Athrun felt disconnected from his own body, as his thoughts remained impartial and once again turned inwards.
Was this his punishment for every sin he had ever committed? To be trapped in memories of the past.
His vision was turning hazy and Athrun sense of consciousness was waning. His world went black just as a tall, balding man entered the room with Nicol close behind.
-O-
The transformation was monumental, rippling across the universe like a gentle wave but powerful all the same in its change of what had once been. Yet, no matter the greatness of this alteration, it went unnoticed by all...
All except for two young men, who when they woke once again and grew accustomed to the difference, would find they had been given a gift.
The gift of a second chance.
A/N: Anyone going WTF? I know I did when this idea hit me.
Lol, I did warn you that I was going to warp canon so if you missed that in the warnings above, I suggest you return to top and reread that section.
My AU reasoning for the outcome of Athrun detonating Justice within GENESIS is what I consider a worst-case scenario situation. Think about it, the laser is a powerful piece of technology and weaponry combined together, so if both explode, I think the consequences would have been a little more disastrous (not that they were not bad in canon).
Thus, the result is my Armageddon version of canon and then the SEED intervening to cause time travel...Not sure if I'm going to expand on that one but this is a WIP, so who knows what the future holds.
Any opinions would be appreciated.
Extra facts/Info: Concerning my self-created mobile suits (when they are unveiled), I am going to take the time to apologize now if there is little originality when it comes to their designs. My story is based on plot and character growth, and while the suits are important, they are not the focus.
Well, that was the prologue. I hope everyone enjoyed. Updates will depend on when I have time. Unfortunately (because even though I love the idea), this story is not my top priority but that does not mean it will be neglected.