Title: In the End

Author: Illusive

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed, every episode makes me cry anyways so I think it's better if I didn't own it.

Pairings: None

Summary: If Athrun and Kira hadn't met again and joined to fight the war their own way then somewhere only the timeline of the war they would've met and battled again. What would happen during the course of this battle?

Warnings: AU

Author's Note: Okay, I have this weird fetish for writing Gundam Seed drabbles when I should be finish up my chapter fic.

Drabble

"So," Kira panted as he parried an attack from his ex-best friend, "after this war, if you survive, what will you have left?" He grunted as he was pushed away after trying to lay an attack on AEGIS. Deciding to change his strategy, he went in for another attack expecting Athrun to block it easily, which he did, and forced himself away by pushing against the other mobile suit. He fired off a few missiles which were dodged easy but used that time Athrun needed to regain his stability to get in close again.

Athrun dodged with amazing speed since he didn't have time to deflect Kira's attack, "What are you talking about?" He growled out irritably. He found an opening when Kira missed him and immediately moved in to strike Kira's gundam.

Kira twisted out of Athrun's reach with practiced ease but did not escape all damages. A warning flashed inside his cockpit which he took heed of but knew that he would have to fight on. There was no time to return to the Archangel to have repairs done. Either way, he could no longer see the ship anymore and it didn't help that they were in foreign land on Earth. He was sure that his friends inside the Archangel were keeping the other gundam pilots busy while he was here battling Athrun, "I mean that when I had killed your friend during that conflict before, you had retaliated by killing my friend, Tolle. Now, if you kill me I'm sure that my friends would like to avenge me. Would you like to pay the price of killing me by being killed yourself or watching another one of your friends die? What is there to gain from all fighting and killing?"

Athrun was silent as he remembered what had happened to Nicol. Nicol who was so kind-hearted and only wished to be in the war because he wanted to defend his home. He now attacked Kira with a new-found rage, "You're one to talk! Why did you join this war if not to fight! You killed Nicol without much of a thought and I know you've killed many more."

Kira was taken aback at those words. He never knew that Athrun would ever think about him that way. It hurt that, even though they weren't friends anymore, the person who was probably the most precious person to him would think that he would kill in cold blood. He reacted the only way he could think of at the moment, "Then kill me. Would that justify all my actions to you?" Kira stood still in the sky waiting for the fatal the blow that would tear his soul from his body and let him be atoned for the blood he had shed.

"Fight me! Fight me like you said you would; like how you vowed to strike me down!" Athrun used his sword to swipe at Kira but switched his attack to miss when he saw that Kira was not going to do anything to stop him. Enraged, the ZAFT soldier laid a punch on the Strike which gave a jolt to the pilot inside. Athrun threw a few more fatal hits at Kira all which were pulled back last minute to be replaced by a harsh, yet not lethal, blow. Kira took each hit without so much of a word. Athrun stopped his flurry of blows, panting hard and anger evident in his eyes, "Damn it! Why won't you fight me?"

"Because," Kira whispered though he knew that the pilot of the AEGIS could still hear him, "Because Athrun." He lowered his eyes after using the other pilot's name for the first time since the battle started

"Because what?" Athrun bit out impatiently. They hovered there for a few seconds, silence covering them. Then without warning, Kira landed on the island that they were near and Athrun was forced to follow.

"Because…" Kira trailed off and Athrun strained to listen but no more words came out of the brown-haired teen's mouth. Instead, Athrun could only watch Kira step out of the Strike as the cockpit slowly opened after a few min. He watched, almost curiously, as Kira seemed to stare straight at him and then with a sad smile start to speak. Athrun missed the first part but he scrambled out of his gundam fast enough to catch most of it. "… I used to have a friend who would do anything for me, someone precious that would defend me even when I was the one who was wrong. He was everything to me and he thought the same of me as well. He was the one who made me smile when I thought that I couldn't stop crying. He gave me reason to live but then one day he left with only a goodbye and a parting gift. After that I couldn't stop thinking about him and wondering whether or not he was well. The gift I had received has been my best source of comfort throughout the years. Whenever I see it I remember how kind he had been to me and how he would protect me. He never raised a hand against me, not even when he was mad. He loved me too much to even consider it. But now… now I am forced to listen to him tell me to attack my best friend who has never lost that position in my heart over these years. So how do I explain that I would never be able to truly fight against him? And that I rather kill myself than kill him or have him regret killing me because I know… I know that you still see me as that little boy who you had to protect from the bullies and help when his school marks were down; you still see me as your best friend and you could never hurt me but now you're fighting against yourself because you have been ordered to kill me by your superiors! I'll help you this time, Athrun, like all the times that you've helped me."

Athrun watched spellbound as Kira poured out his heart. He couldn't understand why Kira was telling him all of this. Were they not sworn enemies from the day they had met again? As Kira went on, he realized what was exactly going on. Kira wasn't just telling him about how he felt, he was making sure that Athrun knew what he was feeling himself so he could go on without regret, but without regret from what? Then he saw it, that resignation in Kira's eyes, Now you're fighting against yourself because you have been ordered to kill me by your superiors. I'll help you this time. Help? Help how? The only way Kira could help his job was if he joined ZAFT, which he wouldn't because he would never abandon his other friends to be where he 'rightfully' belonged, or if he was killed… Athrun's eyes widened, "Kira! No!"

"Sorry.." Kira whispered mournfully.

Athrun leaped across the distance between the AEGIS and the Strike and grabbed hold of Kira who was trying to push him away, "Kira! Stop it, you can't do this." He heard the familiar warning sounds coming from the Strike and held onto Kira tightly before jumping away from the strike then landing on the soft sand beach. Kira had been fighting back the whole time but Athrun was still stronger. The navy-haired soldier gasped out in pain as he landed on his back with Kira on top of him. He instinctively rolled away from the gundams now and then covered Kira's body with his own when the Strike self-destructed.

They were tossed a couple more meters before everything was silent again and Athrun felt like every part of his body was in pain. He lay beside Kira breathless while listening to his best friend's haggard breathing. With every breath he took, he felt his lungs burn as if they were on fire but was glad that Kira didn't seem to sustain any serious injuries since he was still conscious and didn't seem to be suppressing any pain. He gave a shuddering breath before speaking with a raspy voice, "If I had let you died or had killed you… in the end, I would have nothing. If I had killed you, the only punishment that would affect me is the regret. In the end, I would have nothing but now I still have you and we're not at the end of all of this. "

Kira turned his head slightly and smiled at Athrun, "If this was the end, would you regret anything?"

"I would regret not being there for you during this war." Athrun replied truthfully as he clasped his hand with Kira's.

"Then that means you regret nothing because you were with me throughout this whole war." Kira choked out a laugh as the very thing that he was referring to appeared above their heads. They watched as the mechanical bird flew through the air, "They're looking for us. Now the end of this war depends on who finds us first. If the Archangel comes, what will you do? If your ZAFT teammates find us first, what will I do?"

"I don't know what you will do but I will stay by your side and help you find a way to end this war." Athrun squeezed Kira's hand and felt a squeeze back.

"You know that, that may be impossible." Kira breathed out but with a pained smile.

"We're Coordinators, we're meant to do the impossible."