It's great to see you all again. I'm so happy to see the turn-out for the first chapter of this story. Thanks to that I've been able to get some inspiration by going through some ideas and watching more Gundam Seed. I already know the beginning plans for how I want to handle certain situations in the plot so the next chapter should be under way soon.
Disclaimer: No, I don't own any of the characters or mobile suit creations in this series. If I did I would gladly make this story a reality instead of what it now is.
Italics = thoughts or flashbacks
Gundam Seed: New Genesis
Chapter 2: Returning Home
It had been a day since the war ended and by now everyone has been relocated to their homes either in Orb or in the space colonies. After a day of celebration and rest, everyone was ready to start getting back to normal life and their families. Many still had issues to overcome depending on whether they lost loved ones in battle or suffered severe injuries themselves. In either case, the main objective was to get their minds as far away from the fighting that took place as possible. This didn't prove easy for some but they already knew that it would be a gradual process before they finally started to accept that the war was finally over.
(Athha Mansion: Midnight)
"And that's the last of it." Kira said as he placed the last of his suitcases in his room. When the Archangel had finally landed in Orb to disembark all of its staff and pilots, Kira had been one of the first to head out and begin setting up his living space. Despite his reluctance, he knew that if he didn't go through with his agreed decision that he would have a furious blonde after him no matter where he was. This was the reason why he is currently in his new room inside the Athha Mansion, home to the late Usumi Athha and his new housemate Cagalli.
Now that his luggage was move and ready to unpack, the young pilot took some time to relax on his king sized bed for a bit. It wasn't until earlier that he felt a familiar sense of exhaustion that he realized he had been unconsciously holding back, no doubt due to the exertion of piloting his mobile suit for a long time. Closing his eyes, he started to take in his situation.
The battle between the Earth Alliance and ZAFT is finally over, but no doubt there are still going to be conflicts. It's not going to be easy to create stability and peace after the vicious attacks and methods that were used during the war. It's understandable why both sides would feel fear of each other. ZAFT constructed the monstrous weapon GENESIS and the Earth Alliance had thrown away the agreement to not use nuclear weapons on the PLANTS. But with the help of Cagalli and Lacus, I'm sure we'll be able to find a way to settle it so that we won't have any more wars.
The name of his blonde female friend brought back memories of his time during the skirmish in space and the horrors he had discovered. There was so much that he wanted to find out and mysterious that were gnawing at the back of his head whenever he thought about them. The image of his masked enemy came to mind for a minute.
*flashback*
"You are the dream of humanity. The Ultimate Coordinator!" Rau Le Creuset pointed a gun at the two intruders who had stumbled upon him. "It was for that reason that Dr. Hibiki created the artificial womb. However, for that result, a large number of your siblings were sacrificed."
*end flashback*
That was the last thing he heard before Le Creuset began firing at him and Mu La Flaga. In the same room where the battle took place, there was an exact replica of the picture that Uzumi Athha had given his daughter Cagalli before his death. These moments only brought him more confusion because deep down he found it preposterous these turns of events were. His parents weren't his real parents despite the fact that they raised him since he was a baby. He had always been a little awkward as he got older and began to wonder why his parents made him a coordinator, with both being naturals. He assumed that it had been done so that he would live a better lifestyle due to having a better construct to do things most normal people wouldn't be able to do without a large amount of effort. Now, he finally realizes that it wasn't their fault that he was what he was. He would never fully say that being a coordinator was a curse because thanks to that he had been able to save so many lives with his abilities. But it had also brought him some sorrow since there were times where he felt ostracized and ridiculed for being something he had no control over.
"I know I have to face them eventually, but I need some time before I can ask these difficult questions." He said as he opened his eyes once again and began unpacking his clothes to go to bed.
For some strange reason, he didn't feel too worried about the possibility that he was related to Cagalli. He was sure that anyone else would've been fully convinced with the facts at hand, but something told him that there were secrets that even those who knew the truth about the two didn't know. And being a coordinator, his genetic and physical construct was so far different that they would almost have no relation to each other even under a microscope. In all honesty, he really didn't care about that since Cagalli was one of his closest friends and she seemed to be more convinced than him that all of this was just a big scam that was played on her father and his parents.
(Athha Mansion: Second Floor)
At the same time, a certain blonde princess was also dwelling on the same issue that her housemate was. Cagalli had just finished getting ready for bed and was now lying on her bed thinking about issues that she had to take care of. Many were political meetings and various diplomatic issues that were necessary to keep the stability that they had achieved by ending the war. But personally, she was more concerned about unraveling the mysteries behind her and a certain brunette male downstairs.
The young woman was a princess in name but her personality was one of a spite-fire with the attitude that one should state their mind on a matter that they felt was right. However, she was also prone to not being honest with herself in matter that concerned emotions and personal feelings. Those close to her were able to tell when she was using small violence or outbursts to mask her times of embarrassment, happiness, or sorrow. But there were many times where she took a step back and acknowledged what she was feeling deep down and made a point to not avoid those emotions.
This was one of those times, as she gazed out the window and examined her thoughts. The young man who had become her friend was thankfully very dense and innocent to the feelings of women, although she had yet to question him on his relationship with his former love interest who had died. They say girls mature faster than boys and in this situation Cagalli was definitely more aware of her feelings than him. Either that or he had yet to see her as someone in a romantic light.
Yes, she had finally come to admit that she was quite fond of the person who was now staying with her. At first, they were mere acquaintances who happened to meet in very strange circumstances, but later they gradually grew to be close friends. It was briefly before they had arrived in Orb that the blonde had started to grow a crush on Kira due to his warm personality and sense of responsibility to his friends. This wasn't a complication but it did make matters a bit frustrating seeing the red-haired girl practically flaunting her sexuality at him all the time. She had been there to see that, despite his innocence, Kira did in fact have feelings of attraction and romance when it came to his love for Flay Allster. He had confronted his friend Sai, Flay's former fiancé, and basically made it known that he and the red-head were now together.
She didn't really mind the fact that he was taken since in her eyes the relationship was unhealthy due to Flay basically keeping Kira on a leash with her womanly figure and using his feelings for her to get him to fight. Cagalli was confident that in the future Kira would be forced to see the red-head for who she really was and, when that happened, their relationship would end. It was a natural cycle since the coordinator-hater was digging her own grave with her devolving personality. The blonde princess wouldn't use any tricks or do anything underhanded since she wasn't that kind of person. She knew that if she showed her true self to the pilot that maybe he would start to see her the way she was starting to see him.
Sure enough, a short time later, Kira broke things off with Flay after she regressed back into her bitchy attitude and began ridiculing him for trying to support her emotionally. Once that had happened, Cagalli had managed to be there a bit for him and Kira gradually started to open up to her more. Her hope of letting these feelings develop between them was cut short, however, due to the Archangel needing to depart to Alaska. It was with a heavy heart that the princess embraced her friend, now one-sided love-interest, before he took up his task to once again pilot the Strike Gundam and face ZAFT.
The next time she would see her love was after she had experienced the feeling of utter loss once she had discovered the remains of his mobile suit and the man who had fought him, Athrun. Had she been anyone else, she would have gladly sought revenge for the death of the boy who won her heart but knew that he would never want this. She also knew that the act of revenge would solve nothing as it was only fueling the war that was now engulfing the entire world. She had cried herself to sleep a few times thinking that he was dead, but the Archangel's return with the Freedom Gundam and its pilot made her love grow even stronger. To see Kira alive was almost enough to cause her to faint, which would have been one of the most embarrassing moments over her life.
Now here she is with said love interest only a floor away in her own home and barely anyone keeping her from enjoying these precious moments. The only problem would be that she needed to confirm that the photo her father gave her was indeed a misunderstanding or at least not what it meant. Cagalli wasn't one to accept everything that she was told as truth until she had seen the proof for herself, and this matter was no different.
"He's not my brother, I just know it." She looked at the photo on her desk once more. "You don't have feelings like this for a person who is family no matter if you've been separated at birth or not." It was true for her since some of her friends had lived distant lives from siblings that they never knew yet they never felt any romantic feelings for them at any point, saying that before they even found out the truth they could never see them in a romantic light for some reason. There were small misunderstandings that played out differently but Cagalli had a feeling and hope that her love would prevail.
Turning out the lights and covering up, the Orb princess went to bed but not before taking one last glance at the open doorway that led to the stairs. "Goodnight, you dummy….my dummy." She mumbled before she drifted off to sleep.
(Orphanage Outside of Orb)
As children were put to bed after a long day of running around and lessons, Reverend Malchio and his two new assistants set to work on cleaning up the house. Since the end of the war, Lacus Clyne had decided to make a brief visit to her friend's orphanage to lend a hand before heading to the PLANTS and beginning her delegation to facilitate peace talks between the two factions. Athrun had decided to follow along since he didn't see it as fair for her to be doing so much by herself before heading back to work. She had graciously accepted the help and was actually surprised that he had volunteered to come along with her. Ever since their engagement, both had spent so much time with their duties to either ZAFT or the Clyne Faction and rarely had open time to spend with each other. Lacus knew that deep down her fiancé was a kind person who hated war but was dedicated to helping ZAFT end the violence that he saw as mainly the Naturals' fault. There was also the fact that he had become rather distant from his father since the latter was so focused on destroying and dominating the Earth for what had been done to his wife. Lacus could see that Athrun wanted nothing more than to share a relationship with the only family he had left but instead was torn between serving under his father's command as a soldier or as his son.
After meeting Kira Yamato, the pink-haired idol began to take an interest in this young man who reminded her so much of the man to whom she had been betrothed. Surprisingly enough, Kira happened to be a childhood friend of Athrun but, due to circumstances, was thrust into this conflict that pitted them against one another. Seeing such a tragic thing happened, Lacus decided that she would need to do something whenever she got back to the PLANTS since she was now aboard the Archangel. And just like Athrun, Kira went and risked punishment in order to safely return her to his friend. In return, she had used her position to order Rau Le Creuset to stand down before the ZAFT commander tried to destroy Kira in his mobile suit in a sneak attack. Afterwards, she had talked with Athrun and made him see that his friend wasn't being used by the Naturals as he thought but that he had an obligation to protect his friends that were aboard the ship. This incident had served to help her learn more and more about Athrun and his past that she never knew until now.
Growing up under her loving father, Lacus had learned to love everyone no matter their upbringing or situation. She was a source of inspiration to those in the war and frequently sang and danced in order to raise the spirits of those who were fighting on the front lines. When she was told of her engagement to Athrun Zala, she had been surprised and perplexed but ultimately trust her father's judgment and agreed. Her father had told her that she still had options for her future but that for now she was to be engaged for reasons that the other party, Patrick Zala, had pushed. It was understandable since both their fathers represented key positions within the colonies and ZAFT. The main obstacle was the fact that both sides were working for different goals. Her father, Seigel Clyne, was a pacifist who had been openly pushing both coordinators and naturals to live in peace together, meanwhile, Patrick Zala, was for the utter destruction of the naturals and the Earth Alliance.
At first, the pink-haired beauty had been afraid to even be in the same room as her fiancé's parent, believing him to be very confrontational. This went on for a while until she had had a brief meeting with Athrun to speak about their future. The quiet pilot gave off the feeling of pain and sorrow deep in his eyes, which caused Lacus to become more curious. She had expected this man to be similar to his father in demeanor, but in fact it was the total opposite. After talking for a while, he had told her that he understood her awkwardness towards his father, but asked that she look past it since his current persona was due to a trauma that they had both sustained. Lacus was shocked to hear about the death of the ZAFT soldier's mother during the Junius Seven catastrophe, and began to realize how much both had been affected.
Having changed her outlook on both gentlemen, the young girl put even more effort to facilitate peace and encourage the generation to move towards that goal. As time went on, both she and Athrun had gotten more accustomed to being seen together and playing their parts as the future couple that represented the shining light for coordinators. Her fiancé was rather hesitant about such social matters since he wasn't so used to being in the spotlight, but in a way she found it rather cute. The princess could tell that, unlike her, he was still having trouble deciding whether this arranged marriage was one that he could manage. However, she had decided not to force the issue, silently agreeing that normally these kinds of arrangements didn't bring about true happiness. Deep down, she had come to accept and cherish the man that she would one day be marrying, and was thankful that, out of most men that could be in this situation, he was not someone who would take advantage of her.
She had been happy to see that the blue-haired pilot had been worried about her during the time she spent on the Archangel. It had made her feel special knowing that despite his quiet and calm attitude he had expressed fear for her safety at the hands of his enemies. After her departure back to the PLANTS, she had made sure to thank him personally before saying her goodbyes for a bit, knowing her schedule was going to be busy once she returned. Her father had been overjoyed to see her again and she returned the same feelings, but she knew that she had to work hard with him in order to prevent this war from continuing. It was during her time at Reverend Malchio's that he later again encountered the injured Kira Yamato and brought him back to space once he had recovered. Knowing the kindness and selfless desire to protect that Kira possessed, Lacus made the decision to give him the power he needed in the form of the top secret Freedom Gundam. The pink-haired girl knew it would be a cost if anyone found out but knew that without Kira and Athrun the war would never be put to an end.
Her thoughts were true as eventually the escalating conflict between the Earth Alliance and ZAFT reached a point to where Patrick Zala had ordered the murder of her father, Seigel. The death of her loving family was a tragic moment in her life and she lamented internally many times, but resolved herself to fight on to succeed in her father's goals. She managed to find people that were still loyal to her father and took the ship, Eternal, in hopes of meeting up with more allies later on. It was a short time later that Lacus once again met Kira, Athrun, Cagalli, and the Archangel before the Three Ships Alliance was formed.
Now that the conflict had ended, it was up to her to fulfill her father's dying wish that everyone live in peace and harmony. It would be a difficult and long task but she knew that she had many allies whom she could count on. Cagalli was also a diplomatic force as one of the new leaders or Orb and she found the blonde princess very intriguing. There was a time where she had experienced a brief form of jealousy towards the rash girl after seeing the way Athrun had looked upon her at times. But she trusted her fiancé deeply and had begun to see that the blonde had someone else that she seemed to fancy.
Kira held a special place in her heart due to his kindness and innocence. It was thanks to him that she could understand where her azure-haired partner was coming from in regards to the fiery princess. Lacus had more than once pictured a fantasy where she shared a life with the brunette pilot, but quickly brushed them away for fear being overtaken by temptation. Now, however, she had come to see Kira as a best friend and confidant. Seeing how Cagalli looked at her fiancé's friend, she could tell that the blonde held deep feelings for the boy, and there were times where the pink princess had caught hints of reciprocation from him as well.
"I wonder what they're doing now?" Lacus said aloud as she finished cleaning up the living room and sat down to rest, causing her cleaning partner to glance her way.
"Wonder who is doing what now?" Athrun joined her on the couch, eager to relax.
"Nothing really. I was just thinking about Kira and Cagalli. I wonder how they're doing right about now. They left awful early the last time we saw them, don't you think?" The young woman smiled innocently.
"True, they didn't really leave us much time to say goodbye before heading back to the city. I kinda wonder how they're doing too. I heard from Sai that they are both living together now at Cagalli's mansion." As he looked towards his pink-haired companion he was met with one of her rare surprised expressions.
"Oh my." Lacus's eyes were very wide at hearing such news. "Now that sounds very interesting. I wonder how that happened?"
"I have no idea. But considering the possibilities, I'm willing to bet that Cagalli muscled Kira into agreeing to stay with her because of some problem he was having." The azure pilot chuckled a bit.
"You may be right. It seems Cagalli can be very assertive when it comes to things she wants, right?" She began to giggle mischievously.
"And if what she wants is Kira, then I'm afraid this is one battle he'll never be able to win." Chuckling he leaned back. "I kinda worry if what Waltfield was saying might come true." This gained the attention of the girl sitting next to him as she leaned in further for him to explain in more detail.
"Oh, what did Mr. Waltfield say exactly?"
"Let's just say that it involved the notion that some women can be scary when their patience begins to run thin." Athrun blushed a bit in embarrassment, trying to ensure his fiancé wouldn't be negatively influenced by the conversation he had been having with the former Desert Tiger.
(Athha Mansion: Morning)
"Lady Cagalli, it's time to get up." One of the maids, Romana, knocked on her mistress's door three times. It was customary to do so despite the common knowledge that the Orb princess was a heavy sleeper. Lord Uzumi, her former master, had at times wondered how his daughter planned to eventually find a man if she persisted with her tomboyish antics. Many of the household caretakers had similar thoughts as they all saw the young girl as their own family and wished to see her happy.
"Yes, yes, Romana. I hear you." Yawning for a second, the golden-haired ruler made her way towards the bathroom for her shower. Although she didn't see the point of it, she had grown accustomed to letting her maid prepare her clothes for the day, as most of the time she would forget to wear customary uniforms for important meetings. She never really felt the need to dress up for political matters, but her father had always told her that it was for the best.
I wonder what's going to be happening today. I doubt that there will be any immediate council or peace talk meetings since the war had just barely ended recently. It would also feel really good to have a day to enjoy myself before I get swamped with work. She began washing her body thoroughly while contemplating her thoughts. Suddenly, the image of Kira made its way into her mind. I wonder what Kira is going to be doing. I know he agreed to stay here while he sorted out his affairs, but I have no idea what his plans are. I offered to have him stay here but, now that I think about it, he has no obligation to me when it comes to his free time. Turning the water off and grabbing her towel, she headed towards the mirror that was within the bathroom. Dropping her towel for a moment, she began examining herself from different angles. I mean, he might have other obligations besides meeting with his friends and parents. He doesn't have to spend it with me but…
Sighing, she wrapped the towel again around her waist and opened the door to her bedroom. Still in her thoughts, she didn't realize the clothes she was putting on until she almost put on her…dress? The blonde princess was in utter confusion upon gazing at the green dress in her hands. Looking at her maid, she decided to inquire about the situation.
"Um, Romana?" The young maid gave her attention to her mistress with a smile on her face.
"Yea, Lady Cagalli, what seems to be the matter?"
"This is a dress, right?" For some reason, she had a feeling the situation was intentional, but wanted to confirm her suspicions first.
"Yes, I do believe that is the dress that I picked out for you to wear today. Is something the matter?" Cagalli could tell that both women weren't on the same page so she decided to just come out and explain it slowly.
"I can see that you picked out this dress for me and it's lovely indeed…but why a dress for today? Is there something I'm supposed to attend that I don't know about?" The Lioness of Orb was beginning to question whether she had indeed managed to forget an important engagement for the day while preparing.
"No, I don't believe so. In fact, I would say that your schedule is entirely open today."
"Then, why the dress, Romana?" For the life of her, she could not figure out why the older girl decided on this particular style on a day where she had nothing to do. Almost everyone in the staff knew that the fiery princess didn't like to wear dresses unless absolutely necessary, which is why this situation made no sense.
"Forgive me if I made a mistake, Lady Cagalli, but my assessment was that this form of wear would be best for you today." This caused said 'mistress' to stare at the older girl in confusion again.
"And why exactly would this be best for me to wear today exactly?"
"Well, I was thinking that perhaps you would prefer to wear something that would attract more attention." Cagalli remained silent to hear out Romana before she began expressing her opinion. "I mean, Lady Cagalli, has not had many opportunities to show off her feminine charms and in the past there were not many chances for you to meet any possible suitors."
Oh my gosh, is she thinking what I think she's thinking? The royal princess was beginning to feel her face heat up each second.
"But now all that has changed since you have decided to bring home a suitable young man on your own accord." Romana made a loud 'kyahh' as she blushed, causing the other girl to blush even more. "So in order to help my mistress, I decided that the best way to begin your path to happiness was to first wear something that would definitely catch the attention of Mr. Yamato." The maid's eyes were practically sparkling with passion and determination that it made the blonde feel a little overwhelmed.
"Ahem. While I appreciate your thoughtfulness, I think this might be a bit extreme for the time being. Kira Yamato is my friend and with his personality I doubt he would even acknowledge the fact that I'm wearing it. He just has a lot of things going through his mind at the moment and I don't want to cause any more distractions. I do appreciate your choice though." She turned to see her maid with a slight grin on her face.
"Lady…'for the time being'…'don't want to cause any more distractions'…" Romana once again made a screeching noise with her hands on her cheeks and shaking her head back and forth. "Oh my, our dear young princess has grown up and already started thinking about boys. Your father would be so proud to see the woman you have become."
Damn, I need to get ready and leave before this gets even more out of hand. Quickly changing into something more casual, she headed downstairs while the young maid was fantasizing. While heading down, she ran into Kira, who was on his way up.
"Is there something wrong? I heard a bunch of screaming and noises upstairs and I was going to come check on you." The brunette coordinator found himself immediately pulled behind the young girl as they made their way outside.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." She said while trying to hide her burning cheeks. I'm so glad he didn't get to hear our conversation. If he had it would've been very difficult to salvage our friendship much less my own feelings. After they had traveled enough distance from the mansion, they sat down to rest on a bench in a nearby park. "Sorry, about dragging you out here with me. I just felt the need to get away for a bit."
"It's fine. I was actually going to see you and find out what you were going to do today. But considering your position, I'm sure you're pretty busy now." He smiled towards her.
"Actually, I'm free today and I have nothing important for the week I think." She eyed him before continuing. "I actually wanted to ask you what your plans were for today. I remembered you have some things you wanted to take care of." Her companion scratched the back of his head as if pondering his choices.
"Well, I would really like to get some things over with but for now I think they can wait." Cagalli gained a hopeful look on her face, though she masked it from him. "I want to sort out what I want to say before I meet my family again and I think letting my friends have time to themselves would be best. So if it's alright with you, maybe we could do something since we're both free?"
Cagalli on the outside was fighting back the smile that was threatening to come out at his proposal. And internally her heart was beating many times faster than it had during her conversation with Romana. Quickly gaining control of herself, she smiled brightly at him. "Yea, that sounds good to me."
Unbeknownst to her, the young man's heart skipped a beat at her expression and he suddenly started to feel his temperature go up a bit. I've seen her smile before, but that one just now was one I hadn't seen before. He cut his thoughts off noticing his friend staring at him like there was something wrong with him. Thinking how he must look, he quickly stood up and motioned for them to head out.
-End-
And that about wraps it up for this chapter. For those who are wondering, these first two chapter are more for background and buildup in case there are new fans who have not yet completed the original series. I want all the readers to get the four main characters' individual thoughts and development before we really get the show going. In the next chapter, I plan on moving forward with more interaction between the characters and more dialogue. I did manage to add some humor between Cagalli and her maid for some more entertainment.
I'd also like to thank everyone for continuing to read this story and showing their support. Thank you, "inuyasha112", for your review and hard work in your story. I'd like to see more chapters when you can. I also continue to encourage more fans of this pairing to try their hands at making their own stories about this pairing. The show may have ended but we can keep it going by doing our own take on it. Who knows, maybe there will be a different adaptation made in the future due to requests from the fan base. I mean, they've been doing different routes for stories like Fate/Stay Live with the Unlimited Blade Works version. Never know what might happen years down the road. Well, that's all for now so until then stay tuned for chapter three.
