H.O.P.E.
Written by Termony
Dislcaimer: I do NOT own any part of Gundam SEED or Gundam SEED Destiny.
HOPE: Prologue
"I'm home!" a figure adorned in green yelled, opening the front door of a house that she had missed for the past seven weeks. She had a suitcase full of her belongings in the left hand and a satchel over her right shoulder. Her magenta hair stood out like the only rose in a garden of bushes besides her.
The house she entered was painted pale yellow. It was two floored with a basement. The garden she walked in had a simple design. It is planted with small bushes and there were florets planted around the house. Between the two, white lilies were planted. They were carefully taken care of. Stones were used to mark the boundaries of the grass and the soil area where the flourished plants were. A stone paved pathway was also part of the garden. It was paved with colourful stones in square shape and went in a wavy line which led from the garden gate to the house entrance.
Lilies, the figure whispered in her mind when she paced upon the garden. She was completely exhausted. Yet, she magically stopped, resisting the temptation of the comfort of indoor and glanced into the pure petals that reflected the glowing sun's beam.
She stoned herself and kept her line of vision on the flowers as she remembered the first time that she saw the house…
"Luna," a woman in white called out to a little girl beside her. They were in front of a newly built house. "This will be our new home."
"Our…new home?" the little girl repeated what her mother had said. She tilted her head and blinked. "What about our home in-"
"That," her mother interrupted, "will still be our home. However," the woman's lips turned into a beauteous curve, "it would only be our home of the past. This one,"—she pointed to the house—"will be our home of the future."
"Our home of the past…our home of the future?" little Luna looked to the direction of the house through her amethyst eyes. Then, she released her mother's hand and ran through the front gate…then to the house front door and pushed it open—
"Anyone home?" she called out again, closing the entrance door behind her.
"So…it's only me then," She sighed and added, "Some friends I had." She emphasized on the word 'had', indicating the lowering status of her friends due to her disappointment.
She took off her runners and stepped into the bear slippers that she received as a birthday present two years ago from her father when she was fourteen.
"Ouch," she whined, as she moved further into the house. The weights on her had become burdens, "My back!"
She moved her paining body and dropped the unnecessary masses. She sat down pushing herself against the corridor wall. She looked up and saw a painting familiar—
"Luna, Luna! Look at this!" a girl shorter than Luna pulled Luna's sleeve and half-dragged her across the windy sidewalk to a glass wall where a white lilies painting was inside. "Isn't this beautiful?"
Luna nodded in agreement.
Their mother came beside the girls and asked, "Why do you two like this painting?"
"Huh? What do you mean? We need a reason to like things?" the girl asked, she inherited the same curious eyes from her mother.
Luna silently gazed at the two who were in converse.
"Perhaps," the woman gave a vague answer, sweetly smiling, and pulled her magenta hair off her oval face. "I am just wondering, sweetie, because mommy likes it too."
"Really…? Then, mommy, are you planning on buying the painting?"
"Yup," the woman looked at Luna. "Do you agree with mommy and sis, honey?"
"Yup, mommy," little Luna smiled, "Can we have real life ones too? I think they would cheer up our days."
The woman smiled, "Just as honey says, we'll do that."
Luna shook her head and brought herself back to the present. She once again examined the picture brought at the time when they first moved into their present home.
The painting portrayed numbers of lilies at their blooming season. The darkened lighting had yet unable to conceal the glowing petals of the lilies, but to contrast them and prove them to be more realistic than they are. The artist used a technique that gave the paint with a blended colouring and at the same time with a detailed portrait.
Luna looked onto the floor and pulled her wallet out of her bag. She opened it and gazed upon a photograph. She smiled. Then she carefully slipped her fingers behind the first photograph and slowly pulled another one out. On the second photograph, two girls were seated happily beside each other. The picture was taken during the first few weeks when they had moved into their new home. Both of them put their arms that were closed to one another to wrap around each other's shoulders. They were smiling cheerfully at the Camera.
Tears flowed from Luna's eyes and ran down onto her cheeks then onto her sleeves, deepening the colours of the fresh green into navy green.
Sister…Luna bent her body forward, embracing herself. I've…I've found someone…a special someone…who can…also make me to be carefree…
-/-
"Why hasn't Luna step into the damn living room!" a boy whispered whiningly.
"Shinn," one of his friends retorted. "We're all sitting on awkward positions here." His orange brands stood out as Shinn's crimson eyes do.
"So what?" Shinn whined timidly.
They had been hiding behind the living room furniture for two hours. They stuffed most of the spaces with materials to surprise Luna with after she came into the room and left only small spaces for them. They crouched and stayed in awkward positions that needed as less room as possible.
"I can't breathe anymore!"
Just as Shinn was about to blow up, Luna peeked into the living room and looked around. The boy immediately grabbed Shinn around his neck and stopped him from making any sound.
"Did I hear something?" Luna spoke to herself. "Hmm…"
The crew had hold their breath and prepared to jump up and yell. However, Luna turned back to the hallway as they nearly jumped.
"I am hungry. I should go to the kitchen first…Shit, it's so hot inside."
She took off her jacket on her way out. An object was dropped from her jacket pocket and rolled into the living room.
She searched for the lighting switch and turned it on—
"Surprised!" everyone jumped.
Luna startled, catching her breath from being spooked out.
"Well, Luna, I suppose we are better friends than you think!" Shinn yelled. "Weren't you scared?"
Luna exhaled a big breath.
"Shut up Shinn," a tanned skin boy said. "You almost screw us up!"
"So what?" Shinn looked into his eyes with a semi-insolent attitude. "Yolant?"
"Be quiet," a blond hair boy snapped. "I think Luna's exhausted enough already."
"Rey…"
"Hah! You see," Yolant made a face. "Even Rey is calling you annoying!"
"What?" Shinn exclaimed. "What are you—"
The two carried on their argument and their friends ignored them and started to do their tasks on setting the room up.
"Hi, Luna," the one who wrapped Shinn around his neck when they were about to be discovered by Luna, said. "Long time no see," he had the same lilac eyes as Luna. "Sorry about the late decoration, but we practised many times before so it won't take long," he said.
"Thank you, Vino."
"Don't worry, just give me your cake," Vino chuckled, and then said: "Just kidding! I better help them out." After that, he went to his hiding place and pulled out a gigantic bag of almost his size and started pulling out accessories.
"Rey," Luna noticed her blond friend was still beside her. "You…don't need to accompany me. I will just go up and take a shower." She tittered.
She reached down for her luggage, but Rey was faster than her.
"I will carry them for you," he said, noting the fatigued look on her.
"Thank you."
They started to step out of the living room and headed for the stairs.
"So, how was camp?" Rey asked when they reached Luna's room.
"It was…interesting," Luna replied, holding her bedroom door for Rey to come in.
"I see," Rey said, putting down the masses onto the floor. "I should be going now…"
"No," Luna grabbed his arm. "Don't, at least not now."
"Luna?"
Luna continued to hold onto his arm and buried her forehead onto his back.
"Something really good happened. In fact, it's fantastic." Luna spoke, after a silence. "But it's so good, that I am starting to be scared that it would be nothing but an illusion. I seem to be losing grip of it every second. So," she tightened her grip, "Don't leave."
"Luna…" Rey whispered.
The two were stoned and stood beside the door way. After a long silence, a voice came from downstairs.
"Rey, are you up there?" the voice belonged to Vino, "Apparently, we don't have enough forks. Can you go to the corner store and pick some up?" Vino continued as some 'bang' noises came from the kitchen: "Shinn! Stop dropping the plates! Just get out of the kitchen if you can't stop dropping them!" The scream then turned into a whine: "It looks like we need to add another item on the list along our apology card to Aunt Andrea..."
"I better go," Rey spoke softly.
"Right," Luna replied, releasing her grip. She looked up into his azure eyes as he was looking into hers. "Thank you."
Rey nodded at Luna as they gradually parted. He hurried himself after 'Bang' happened again.
Luna stepped forward and closed the door behind him. She lost support from her legs and collapsed onto the floor. A light shined into her eyes when she looked up. It was an object reflecting the light came through the window.
"That is…" Luna crawled to her writing desk and glanced at the object, and then she moved onto the bigger one beside it. "My dairy…" She blinked; it resembled her fourteenth birthday present, which was now put on her bookshelf because she had fully written in it. "It shouldn't be…"
The dairy was green with a golden ribbon attached at the end of the aliment of it. It is neatly put on the middle of the desk with a silver pen beside.
She climbed up and sat onto the chair that she had long departed. Carefully, she turned the cover and to the first page, which says:
To: Honey
For your 16th Birthday
From: Gummy
Luna smiled. She turned to the next page and began scribbling down the events of her summer while they were still fresh in her mind…
A/N: It's been a while since this was first written. Way back when! I never uploaded the full story online on Fanfiction. I'm just wanting to write all the things there is for this. I'll work on more of this story soon. Of course, I wonder how many people actually have seen this story before. Also, the chapters might get shorter and shorter...I just can't write long stories anymore...lol
Nevertheless, thanks for reading this far!:)