Congregation of the Heart Chapter 1 – Reflection

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Seed/Gundam Seed Destiny. I am not compensated in any way for my work other than in the enjoyment that my readers experience from it.

A/N: To those of you that have read crystal heart of ruby love's "I will not let your suffer, Kira," you will recognize the following story. It follows the same storyline, more or less; however, there will be many significant differences so that it does not simply present itself as a rewritten repeat of the original. Of course, to those of you that read the last chapter of the original will know, I have gained complete permission to write this story. To those of you that still have some doubts, you are certainly free to PM Ruby and have her tell you this herself.

Now then, with all of that serious stuff out of the way, let us move on to the actual story. Although this first chapter is short, I believe it sets a strong foundation for what I have planned. Please do let me know what you think of it. And as always, send me a review if you can spare a few moments.

…Was it simply too much to ask for?

After having fought so very hard to bring an end to the wars that had brought to so many people so much suffering and regret, all we had wished for was the opportunity to live in seclusion and peace; to be together with one another… to share those precious moments of happiness day after day.

…And yet now, I cannot help but question the very nature of our struggle as the times have once again brought us to the brink of heartbreak.

Upon having lost my mother when I was still but a little child, my young heart was quickly taught the cruel and harsh lesson of just how suddenly even the most absolute happiness could turn into sorrow. In spite of this however; she, who never uttered so much as a single complaint nor frowned when in front of me or father, merely smiled. And even as the last of her life was drained from her frail body… the illustrious light that had once filled her gaze fading unto nothingness; she bequeathed unto me one of her most precious possessions… her ring.

Father would often refer to her as a hopeless romantic. There would be several occasions when I would gaze upon her, secluded in the darkness of our library, with naught but the seemingly ethereal glow of the fireplace to shed any light. …All the while her eyes would be lost in the prism of light that reflected off of her ring, as though she were able to see something that others could not.

…As I think back to those times; though I was then unable to understand, one thing that stuck with me was that there had been few moments when I would see such a look of serenity upon my mother's face. And so… I simply could not find it within myself to refuse her dying request of me. With my mind all a jumble, fresh tears streaming down my cheeks, I shakily took her most precious memento into my hands.

Almost immediately after… my mother was taken from me, the last of her strength fading from her body.

Never before nor in any time since had I ever thought of parting with my mother's ring. It was a symbol of not only the connection that existed between us, but was the very embodiment of our feelings… our faith. Not until I had met him…

We had met by a sheer coincidence of fate. He, a thoughtful young man whom you wouldn't think of as someone who should, was a mobile suit pilot aboard the Earth Forces' new battleship, the Archangel. Upon saving me as I drifted along the depths of space in a life pod, we met for the very first time. At that moment… there was something about him that caught my attention. Clearly, he was of very strong character; but there was something more… something that couldn't quite be put into words that had me wishing to know more about him.

Curious though I was in my desire, it was clear to me that he was not the kind to be approached without care and concern. Having been thrust into the midst of war, made to fight against his own people, his heart was deeply troubled… torn between the need to protect his friends and his solitary wish to live in peace. Regardless, strongly as I may have wished to be able to make a difference in both his and the ship's 'fate'… there was simply nothing I could've done at the time. I could only sit back and watch as the cruel hands of time continued to weave their incessant 'webs' of tragedy and despair…

Truly… the inability to even do anything is a suffering far beyond what people would think of it.

As the tides of time continued to turn, our paths would once again find themselves intertwined. Upon having been found injured and unconscious outside the house of a dear friend of mine, he was brought back to the PLANTS, back to my personal estate; a fact which I took selfish enjoyment in.

…After I had heard what had happened to him during the time in which we had been apart, I slowly came to the realization just how many trials and ordeals that he had been made to go through; perhaps the most severe of which had been his fight against his best friend, and my current fiancée at the time, Athrun Zala. It had been their last fight, one in which they had given everything they had to try and kill each other, that had by coincidence brought him to me.

I could clearly see the immense sadness that lurked within his beautiful amethyst eyes as he reflected, countless times over, how much his life had changed over the past few months. Having been turned into a soldier, made to fight again and again against his own people… many of whom he respected and perhaps could have even come to love, the entirety of the world that he had once known had been turned completely upside down. Surely, no one could truly comprehend the suffering that enveloped his still young heart. …Regardless, now that he was away from all that, I wanted to do everything in my power to try and give some small comfort to him. If nothing else, I wished to see a smile upon his beautiful face… just a single sign that the innocent young boy that I had first met was still in there somewhere.

Much as I would've wished it otherwise, our reunion was to be cut short. The course of the Bloody Valentine War was to continue; and he knew that. Upon learning about the distressing situation on Earth, I took him to a Z.A.F.T. military base and bequeathed unto him a new 'sword', the Z.G.M.F. X10A Freedom; a powerful new mobile suit constructed from the stolen technology of the Earth Forces' new mobile suits, one which he so appropriately called "Gundam". With but a wave of my hand and a fair smile to send him off, I watched him soar into the heavens and back to the battlefield which awaited him.

Not long after, I too made my appearance on the battlefield. With the help of Mr. Waltfeld, a dear friend of mine, I stole Z.A.F.T.'s new warship, Eternal, and left my homeland. Aboard the ship was Athrun as well, whose resolution over his position in the war had finally let him settle his battle with Kira and come over to our side as a much-welcomed ally.

Near immediately after our escape however, Z.A.F.T. was quick to send its own forces to deal with us. Much to our surprise, mine especially, he once again came to lend his aid. After quickly dispatching Z.A.F.T.'s forces with ease, I once again had the chance to gaze into those beautiful amethyst eyes.

Happy though I was to see him… the loss of my father, a truth which I had not long ago come to know, soon overcame me. With naught but the silence around us to impede it, I threw my tear-stained face into his awaiting arms. For what felt like both the longest and shortest time to me, I sought the warmth of his body to ease away the sorrow that ate at my heart…

Later, as we fought our way through many difficult battles and confrontations, the time for our final venture appeared before us. With the lives of not only those living in the PLANTS, but for those on Earth as well, it was to fall upon us to lead the way and put an end to the cycle of hatred between Coordinators and humans. Before we were to do this though… there was one thing that I needed to do.

As I've repeated to myself time and time again, there has never been a time when I have honestly thought of giving my mother's memento to anyone… no one. How could there be, I would ask myself. …But, in the short time that he and I had come to know one another… while, perhaps, I meant nothing more to him then a friend who had been there to comfort him, that was not how I felt. He had become an important person… my important person; one whom I wished to entrust my feelings and my hope to.

And so, with a look of shock apparent on his face, I gave him my mother's ring… the earnest look which existed in my gaze speaking clear of what my words could not.

With naught but the promise that he would return to me, he left… my mother's ring… and my heart as well, in his very hand.

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But now… as I look back upon those memories, ones filled with both sadness and happiness, I feel as though I can no longer depend on the promise made… those brilliant eyes, glimmering with confidence that he would indeed return.

Time has passed once again… and once again the hands of 'fate' have reared their malicious intent to try and steal my happiness away from me once more.

Kira…