February 14, C.E. 75. The significance of the day was not lost on Kira Yamato. The Junius 7 incident five years ago was the straw which broke the backs of most Coordinators; the wars that happened after that... He tried not to think about it.
Ever since the war's end, he had thought about his future. For a teenager not yet 20, he had done a lot of extraordinary things; now, he wanted a more average lifestyle. He had divided his time between helping out at the orphanage (as he did during the interlude between the wars) and hanging out in the library, where he read up on history (He reasoned that to help protect his world, he had to understand how it came to this.) All this, on top of his duties as an admiral (part time, due to his studies)... so much for a more average life.
Though technically an admiral, Kira was not involved in the day-to-day running of the military. He had no time for such things, given his other commitments. Also, the rest of the top brass knew that he's still a teenager. Though his performance during the wars had been nothing short of amazing, leaving big decisions in the hands of a 19 year old during times of peace isn't exactly a comforting thought...
Today was a special day. Normally, he and Athrun would head for the classrooms and lecture halls. After that, he will visit the Orb armoury for the odd tinkering (or if he felt like it, a trip to Lacus's mansion) while Athrun returns to the dorm for self revision. But not today; he, Athrun and Lacus will leave for Aprilius One. The 5th anniversary of the Bloody Valentine incident will be remembered at a ceremony on the PLANT. Kira knew that this will be one of the few times that Athrun had managed to take part in the mourning. Personally, he had little recollection of Lenore Zala. He merely remembers a smiling woman standing beside his foster mother, watching while the two young boys played together...
5 years. It's been 5 years since his best friend lost his mother. Kira knew Athrun still missed his mother; he's been acting weirdly the whole week. Even Lacus wasn't exactly herself during his visits. The Bloody Valentine attack must have been a great blow to Coordinators... and here he was, remembering it as the spark which ignited the passions of Coordinators for an all-out war, not as a terrorist attack which killed scores of innocent people. Kira almost felt guilty of not being sad...
Athrun and Lacus were waiting for him at the armoury. Being senior officers of Orb, they had obtained permission from the Chairman of the PLANT Supreme Council to pilot their Mobile Suits to Aprilius One. The Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice roared to life as they carried their pilots and the Songstress (who's in the Strike Freedom) into space...
"Miss Lacus, Colonel Zala, Admiral Yamato, I'm glad that you three have been able to attend the ceremony," greeted Eileen Canaver as the three entered her office. The 2 officers saluted while Lacus bowed.
Eileen sighed as she looked at her guests. She had thought that Gilbert Durandal was an able Chairman; she was shocked when Durandal revealed his Destiny plan. With his death, the Supreme Council wished for her to serve at least one last term, until another successor could be found. Seeing that the Coordinators needed a respected moderate as their Chairman, Eileen agreed...
Kira and Athrun had both changed into their Orb uniforms, which befitted the occasion. There were still Coordinators on Earth, and some representatives will make the ceremony a complete one, for the Bloody Valentine incident affected every Coordinator, regardless of where they lived.
"It's about time," reminded the Chairman.
"The both of you had best make your way to the seats. I need to prepare," said Lacus.
Nodding, the 2 officers took their leave.
"Do you think Lunamaria and Shinn would be here," asked Kira as he took off his cap.
"Possibly. I'm sure you've heard of the changes in ZAFT," replied Athrun as he did the same.
As the duo made their way to the concert hall, discussing the overhaul in ZAFT, they noticed several ZAFT officers staring at them. Others were pointing and whispering.
"Well, it seems that I shouldn't be here," sighed Kira.
"They're most probably refering to me. Don't forget, I'm a 'traitor' here as well," said Athrun with a resigned tone.
"Kira! Athrun!" shouted a young man from behind.
Knowing who it was, the duo turned around. Shinn, together with Lunamaria, ran towards them.
"Glad that you two could make it," said Lunamaria in an even tone.
Kira and Athrun were mildly surprised at how much the two ZAFT captains had matured since their last meeting.
As the four chatted, some of the other officers started their sarcasm.
"Hey look, it's the 2 turncoats!"
"Looks like they're doing well with the Naturals."
"If I remebered correctly, Captain Hawke's sister was with them."
The four stiffened. All of them knew that something needed to be done. But violence is out of the question; it will land all of them in trouble.
Suddenly, Kira put on his officer cap.
"I'm Admiral Kira Yamato of the Orb military. I was the destroyer of the Mobile Space Fortress Messiah," declared Kira with a firm voice.
Realising what his best friend was up to, Athrun decided to play around.
"I'm Colonel Athrun Zala of the Orb military, formerly a Red Coat of ZAFT. I was the one who destroyed GENESIS," said Athrun as he donned his cap.
The officers who had taunted the quartet clearly didn't expect the two Orb officers to mock ZAFT instead. Several of them moved menancingly towards the group.
"If you guys want a fight, get your Mobile Suits and we'll gladly show you what we're capable of," said Kira with a soft but dangerous voice.
"We didn't get our ranks without any killing, you know," added Athrun.
Those who advanced quickly backed down. Just as the duo thought, they were officers who didn't see action in the wars.
"Believe me, you do not want to get into an MS battle with them, especially him," said Shinn, pointing towards Athrun. "If not for his mercy, I wouldn't be alive today."
As the duo continued on their way, Kira gave a parting shot.
"Before you guys ever picked fights with anyone again, make sure you know who you're picking on."
"That was an awesome rebuttal," said Lunamaria. The pair had followed after Kira and Athrun.
"I'm sorry, Shinn," apologised Kira. He knew that Stellar's death had affected him deeply.
"It's...ok. I've gotten over it," replied Shinn as he held Lunamaria's hand.
Kira was a bit surprised but Athrun knew better; the significance of Lunamaria piloting the Impulse had not been lost on him.
The quartet made their way to the concert hall.
"I hope we're not late," deadpanned Kira.
As it turned out, they were just in time. As soon as they settled down in their seats, Chairman Canaver went on stage to deliver her message. It was a relatively short one; the grief did not have to be said out. Many of those present had lost relatives, even whole families in the tragedy. The tone of the message was an even one; the Chairman knew that her guest's father had used the incident to incite hatred against Naturals. She was determined not to do the same.
After the message, it was Lacus's turn to take the stage. As she sang her song, many in the audience were clearly moved. The ladies cried openly; the gents bowed their heads or looked away. Kira could sense that his friend was trying hard to hold back his tears. Over at where the ZAFT officers were seated, Shinn and Lunamaria could see many of their fellow officers in tears. Though they had not suffered the loss of relatives in the incident, the two bowed in respect.
With the end of her song, Lacus then asked the audience to stand and observe a minute of silence for the lives lost. As they stood up, the officers put on their caps and saluted. Kira and Athrun did the same, although Athrun's hand was obviously shaking...
It was the end of the ceremony; as the crowd made their way out of the hall, Shinn and Lunamaria made their way to the front.
"So, when will you two be back again," asked Shinn.
"Well, I hope it wouldn't be next year," quipped Lunamaria.
"Seriously, we have no idea. We are so busy, we need 48 hours in a day instead of 24," admitted Kira.
Lacus joined the little group. Lunamaria couldn't help but compare her with the late Meer Campbell (in her mind, of course); they looked and sounded so alike. But, Lunamaria thought of Lacus as a more dignified figure; she was, after all, the daughter of their late chairman, Siegel Clyne.
"Well, we should be going," said Athrun in a soft voice. He turned towards the doors.
"I'm sorry. Athrun lost his mother during the incident," apologised Lacus as Kira caught up with his friend. The two Orb officers then headed for the hangar together. The Songstress decided to walk alone behind the duo...
As the pilots prepared to launch their MSes, Kira was worried about Athrun. Will he be alright?
"Don't worry about Athrun, Kira. He's much tougher than he looks," replied Lacus, as if she had known his doubts.
Giving Lacus a grin, Kira took the Strike Freedom into space. The Infinite Justice followed behind it on the journey back to Orb...
Atogaki (Afterthoughts)
- Hope you all enjoyed it. Please RnR!