A one shot set around teh theme of 'summer'. It's an Athrun/Kira centred fic. No pairings. Enjoy!
Summary: Set after Kira and Athrun think they have killed each other on an island on Earth, the two friends remember their last summer together before they said goodbye.
Our Last Summer
Kira had never been to PLANT before and he had never thought that he would ever actually see it and be inside of it, but here he was, recovering from his numerous injuries under the care of Lacus at her mansion that overlooked the glistening blue ocean.
He had never expected to wake up. He could only remember little flashes of the battle and when he had stumbled in pain outside the only house on the island. He had felt at peace in the darkness and when he had opened his eyes he had not expected it. He had not even expected to see Lacus' smiling face asking if he was okay.
He had forgotten about the previous battle at first, his mind still swimming in a mist as he got used to the fact that he was awake and very much alive. It was only when Rev Malchio had told him how he had been found that the painful memories had all come back.
"Athrun," he whispered, his voice being carried away by the artificial wind that felt real.
Their determined eyes, their minds in seed mode: raring to go, raring to kill. Equally matched. Not stopping. Their Gundams being destroyed. And then the final trigger: the explosions that had clouded and burned Kira's eyes.
It wasn't supposed to have got that far.
'I wonder if Athrun's okay,' he wondered, 'Was…he hurt too? He must be dead…'
Kira didn't want to fight him: he didn't want to fight him any of those times. But…he had too. Because neither of them had stopped or had had the courage to stop and actually listen to each other. They had talked with their Gundams, but not face to face.
"We are not enemies! You are a co-ordinator like me! Why are you fighting for the Naturals?"
"I'm not fighting on their side! My friends are on that ship! Didn't you say that war wasn't a good thing? Why are you with ZAFT?"
He closed his eyes.
"I just feel so empty now…" he mumbled, 'not like then…'
Not like then. If it ever came to one time that I will always cherish, it will be that last few good times of summer on the moon before you left. The last summer we ever spent together. Those last few days of warmth on our skin.
That summer, we laughed and we cried. We felt alive.
We were always together: we were hardly ever separate. You were a brother to me. You always looked after me because you were the stronger one.
You'd always be at our house. Mum would make your favourite dish: wrapped cabbage with rice and vegetables and you always had a smile on your face. During those summer months, we'd always play together. We'd go to the park and swing on the swings until dusk and then we'd chase the butterflies that hovered around the pond. We'd buy ice cream and see who would be first to get brain freeze.
We had a few assignments during the summer and you'd always help me, Athrun. You were always good with microchips while I was better at programming. We used our skills to help each other.
That last day of summer, when it was hot and the sun scorched the backs of our necks, we didn't care as we wrote our names in the sand. We'd always be friends, we said.
"What about now?" mumbled Kira as his mind was once again focused on the blue intensity of the lake of water, his eyes pricking with tears. Would Athrun still be friends with him within his spirit?
Something's always last.
Athrun knew that he shouldn't be alive. He was in bed in the ZAFT hospital at the Gibraltar Base, recovering from his numerous injuries.
He never expected to wake up. Their battle had been fierce and both of them had had the intent to kill.
Athrun fisted his fingers, 'I had to kill him…he…he killed Nichol…"
"Kill because someone got killed and be killed because of killing…will this really bring about peace in the end?"
"Cagalli…"
Athrun did not understand. His and Kira's battle had been brutal and fought with their hearts. He had wanted to kill Kira. The same way that Kira wanted to kill him. Athrun closed his eyes. Their determined eyes, their minds in seed mode: raring to go, raring to kill. Equally matched. Not stopping. Their Gundams being destroyed. And then the final trigger when he had self-destructed his Gundam.
It had happened in a blink and Athrun was sure that neither of them had actually thought about what they were doing.
'I shouldn't be alive…' he thought. He had never expected to recover and open his eyes to the war-torn world he had lived in for the past couple of years. He had detonated his Gundam with the clear intention of killing both of them. He felt his throat tighten.
'I…I didn't want to kill Kira…' he finally realised, 'he…he was my best friend…he…'
Athrun had tried to make Kira understand that he was fighting for the wrong side: that he was a co-ordinator, but he had refused to move.
"We are not enemies! You are a co-ordinator like me! Why are you fighting for the Naturals?"
"I'm not fighting on their side! My friends are on that ship! Didn't you say that war wasn't a good thing? Why are you with ZAFT?"
"Kira…killed by your best friend…it…it shouldn't have ever got this far. But what can I do? You're…gone…"
He closed his eyes once more. Kira was the same person that he had been when he was younger. He hadn't changed at all.
'You're just like I remember you in that last summer…'
If it ever came to one time that I will always cherish, it will be that last few good times of summer on the moon before I left. The last summer we ever spent together. Those last few days of warmth on our skin.
That summer, we laughed and we cried. We felt alive.
Your Mother and mine were great friends so we naturally bonded. We were always together and people said we were like brothers. I felt that way too.
You were so selfless: a crybaby who always needed my help. I always helped you. I remember that time when you were so amazed at my skills with microchips that you said that I could probably write a sentence on a grain of rice. You were carefree and always made me laugh.
That summer, we'd play together for endless hours as if it was an endless summer. We didn't want it to ever end. We would play together from dawn until dusk and then we would beg our parents to let us have sleepovers so that we could play on the games console until the early morning hours.
I remember one of our school summer assignments. You wanted to make a robotic bird as big as your palm that would sit on your shoulder, shake its head, sing and even fly! I knew that you wouldn't be able to make it in time. You were always better than me at programming anyway. I thought that I could make it for you much quicker.
That last day of summer, when it was hot and the sun scorched the backs of our necks, we didn't care as we wrote our names in the sand. We'd always be friends, we said.
"What about now?" whispered Athrun as his mind was brought back into the hospital ward. Would Kira still be friends with him within his spirit?
Something's always last.
The sakura blossoms fell slowly onto the floor around the blue-haired, green-eyed boy as he outstretched his palm to the brunette, amethyst-eyed boy opposite him.
"It's for you," said Athrun, "It can shake his head, sing, sit on your shoulder and even fly!"
"Athrun…"
"Kira, your family will come to PLANT soon, right?"
Back then, when we were separated, we thought that we'd meet each other again in PLANT and that we'd visit each other again just like it had always been. We didn't think that there would be war. It was just you and I.
Kira sighed as he raked his eyes once more over the blue lake in front of him and Athrun breathed deeply as he looked out at the sunset from his hospital window, back in the world where war was a reality.
It's far from what it was like back then. Something's last. Something's always last.
But will our friendship?
Sometime later, they were reunited and fought for the same side, finding an end to the war.
It did last, just like they had predicted during that last summer when they had written their names in the sand.
Please review!. Some parts are inspired and are from the 'Athrun x Kira drama (manga)' from Suit CD 1. Check out my other Gundam SEED fanfiction!