All Haros' Eve
A Gundam SEED fanfiction by Mettool
NOTE: I do not own any of the characters, places, or other pre-existing material in Gundam SEED. This is a story based off of the aforementioned material.
Prelude
It is Year 71 of the Cosmic Era. The long and truly gruesome Bloody Valentine War had finally come to a welcome end thanks to the efforts of war heroes such as Kira Yamato and Athrun Zala. Millions of lives were lost over the course of a year, and many more were wounded and crippled for life. Never in the course of human history had such a vile, bloody war claimed the lives of millions and irresponsibly squandered precious resources. At last, the galaxy has been blessed with a short era of respite. As negotiations between the Earth Forces and the Zaft Organization continue, civil movements to end the discrimination between naturals and coordinators march forth in success. As the two races begin to understand and accept one another a new, unsuspecting faction is rising: a faction which does not discriminate by any means…
Chapter 1: "There is problem!"
The Clyne mansion is enjoying yet another peaceful day in the Plants' artificial sunshine. The garden is especially tranquil, with bluebirds singing their alluring elegies and the angel-white rhododendrons offering their petals as shelter for busy bees in the morning mist. In a nearby flowerbed under the white, woven archway, a goddess-like figure is kneeling down. Her peach-pink hair tussles in the breeze as she rests her hand on her blue skirt. She is sporting a white bolero and silver necklaces of many shapes and lengths: quite unusual attire for someone who is watering the foliage.
"Oh my! You guys are especially thirsty today, aren't you?" she asks the flowers. "Well I'll make sure you stay nice and healthy!"
A young, blue-haired boy in a red Zaft pilot's uniform approaches her her behind. "You're always tending to your garden, aren't you?" he asks with a smug attitude. "Don't you want to come relax and enjoy the sunshine with me? We do have a gardener for this kind of thing, Lacus."
"Oh Athrun!" Lacus exclaims alarmingly, yet maintaining an innocent smile. "But you know how I enjoy gardening! I feel so much more connected with nature when I'm watering the flowers. In this day and age when so many things are artificial and formulated, it's important to appreciate what came before mankind! And besides, the gardener is probably too busy with the repairs on the house!"
"Nature? But the Plants are artificial… We're living in a man-made environment!"
"Oh, you're such a pessimist, Athrun!" she said, raising her voice ever so slightly. She pouted with the plam of her hand onto the pavement she was kneeling upon. "I wish you could see things for their beauty!"
"I really don't think of these things. I mean, there's really no reason to be such a sissy about some weeds…" Athrun said disapprovingly. He adjusted the collar on his uniform.
Lacus looked down at the ground, clenching her fist. "You always were that way… but I guess I can't really change that. I mean, you still wear that uniform. You still have the battle-hardened mind of a soldier. The war's been over for almost two months now, Athrun." She began to smile at him. "Please… come sit with me and relax a little. It worries me so much when you're so tense and serious."
Athrun grunted under his breath. He tightly clenched his fist inside of his glove. He could feel the sweat drizzling down his pores into the palm of his hand. He began to think to himself: Even though the war was over, he still felt it was his duty to uphold the laws of being a soldier. Athrun continued to don the insignia of Zaft each and every day, and felt he was obligated to do so. There was no "Time of peace" to Athrun: there was always a reason to be on guard and to be alert. With his father dead, he felt it was his duty to protect the people of the Plants, as to never allow such a prejudicial tragedy ever happen again. However, he could not adequately express these reasons to Lacus through the art of language. Frustrated, he turned around with a sigh and walked away, towards to back door of the mansion.
"That man… always living his life following what he believes," she said with a heavy sigh. "But least I can count on you, Mr. Pink!"
At that moment, a pink Haro rolled out from a nearby bush, dusted lightly with soil and sprinkled with dew. He smelled of cedar and wood shavings. "Happy! So Happy!" he chirped in an electronic voice.
"What do you think, Mr. Pink? Do you think he'll ever change?" asked Lacus.
"Noooo problem!" he replied, flapping his ears.
Lacus picked up Mr. Pink in her hands. "Well I think you're just agreeing with me, aren't you? Well, that's why I can always count on you, Mr. Pink!"
Mr. Pink looked at Athrun as he walked into the mansion's back door. He hopped out of Lacus' hands to do a quick somersault.
"Oh, but how I wish he would change… I want him to relax and be happy. Athrun should see the world for how beautiful it is: not for its imperfections! I really want him to change. He seems so miserable. I want to change him," Lacus said with a wishful tone. She looked puzzled for a moment, for she heard a "click" sound from below not too long after.
Later that night at dinner, Lacus and Athrun were enjoying a supper of swordfish with a ginger garnish. The silence was only interrupted by the clicks and clatters of eating utensils against the porcelain china. The two do not exchange words: only quick glances. Lacus passed a friendly smile to Athrun. He merely returned with a brief, emotionless smirk, avoiding eye contact. She finally decided to break the silence.
"Has everything been okay lately, Athrun?" she asked. Her voice was filled was concern and doubt.
Athrun opened his eyes and put down his fork. He stared for a moment and then grunted. "Everything is fine," he said quickly and returned to his meal.
"Are you sure? You seem very… tense lately," she pressed further.
"I said everything is fine!" he raised his voice to her. "Can't we enjoy one dinner in peace and quiet for a change?"
Lacus looked down at her plate and sobbed under her breath.
Athrun continued: "Why have you been so bothersome in my personal life lately? Just leave well enough alone, alright?!"
Lacus began to raise her voice as well. "I'm not trying to be bothersome! I'm sorry if it seems that way, but I'm just worried about you is all. I don't like it when you're unhappy because then I feel unhappy!"
Athrun lowered his voice a bit, and seemed a bit more tolerant. "Well, I'm sorry you feel that way. But this is just who I am… I can never take it easy. And that is because life is not to be taken easy. I hope you can understand my point of view, Lacus."
Just then, Mr. Pink rolled in from the living room and bounced in front of Athrun. "Problem! Problem! There is problem!"
Athrun violently emerged from his seat and stared down at Mr. Pink, his face filled with rage.
"Happy! Be Happy! Problem! Be Happy!" said Mr. Pink, rolling back and forth. He then made a "click" noise, and played the following in Lacus' voice: "Oh, but how I wish he would change… I want him to relax and be happy. Athrun should see the world for how beautiful it is: not for its imperfections! I really want him to change. He seems so miserable. I want to change him."
Athrun grabbed his hair and made a loud, frustrated cry. "So you want to CHANGE me?!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. He then swooped Mr. Pink off of the floor and kicked him with the full force of his muscle behind him. Mr. Pink slammed into the wall with a crack, leaving a huge crack in the plaster. He ricocheted off and landed across the room. Athrun picked him up again.
"Athrun! Stop!" Lacus screamed.
"Stop?! Why should I stop! This is who I am and you can't do a goddamn thing to change it!" He brought Mr. Pink over to the table and drenched him in the gravy bowl made of fine glass. He then violently flipped over the bowl over Mr. Pink and pile-drove it with his elbow. He ran out of the dining room, yelling at the top of his lungs and slammed the door behind him, shattering its glass window. Lacus subsequently ran in the opposite direction towards her bedroom, her face red and crying.
Mr. Pink, seemingly unharmed, rolled down off of the table and onto the floor, staring at the glass door that Athrun shattered. He stared for quite a while, rolling back and forth very slightly, humming.
"There is problem," he said, his eyes glowing red. He opened his mouth and bore his sharp teeth. "Must fix."