Chapter 2...


Chapter 1: A Threat

Peace… There are two definitions; 1. A condition in which there is no war, violence, or disorder. 2. Quietness… calm. But peace seems subjective to me now, although all that is around me seems peaceful and calm there is always a threat lurking out there. People who would fight against peaceful life that the majority of people would thrive upon. People who enjoy the notions of making others suffer. People who want to play god… Since the war ended, people have enjoyed a small time of peace, but memories cannot be erased, and the pain is still fresh. We all fought in the war, we all survived, and we all now deal with the pain that comes from seeing that kind of death and destruction. Why is it that the good, cherished memories we want to remember fade, and the horrid ones that we want to forget remain as clear as glass?

"Kira?" I was dragged from my musings by the tentative voice of Athrun; my childhood friend and short time enemy through the war. Turning to look upon his face I couldn't stop the brief flashback, the way his face was twisted in pain and anger… all directed at me as we fought to kill each other. All for revenge for our respective friends that fell beneath the others onslaught.

"Yeah?" I answered, forcing the unpleasant memories back and focusing on the good memories; such as our time as kids playing happily together and being totally naïve about the world.

"It's time to go; we need to get back to the house before dark." Athrun explained. I focused on the setting sun and saw that he was correct. We had come into town to get supplies for the house, and had decided to stop at the grave memorial for those who had died in the various fights.

I nodded to Athrun and followed silently to the car.

Once home we went about our tasks of unloading while talking quietly about small things that came to mind. Afterwards we sat at the table in silence for a while, both deep in thought.

We looked up at the sound of the front door closing and I noticed Athrun tense up on instinct, but soon the telltale footsteps of Andrew Waltfeld sounded down the small hall and he relaxed. I looked over at Athrun and caught the end of a silent sigh,

"Will I ever find it Kira?" he asked out of the blue. I already knew what he was talking about so I didn't need to ask.

"I don't know for sure, but we will try." I said.

"How did you find the answer?" He asked. The answer of which he spoke was what I fought for, what I used to determine if my actions were the right ones. The decision that meant I wouldn't do anything just because I was told. It hadn't been an instantaneous finding though; there were so many things that had led to it. When Athrun and I had first spoken after I came back with the Freedom, I had asked him what he was fighting for, and found that he wasn't very sure. So now we searched for the answer for him, together.

"It's… hard to explain. It was slow, for so long it just edged on my mind but I couldn't grasp it. Then slowly I did begin to get it, one small bit at a time until it was complete." I explained hesitantly, it was hard to talk of anything that related to the war. Athrun seemed thoughtful of this and soon we lapsed into silence again.

"Thank you." The two small words from Athrun surprised and confused me.

"What for?" I questioned.

"Everything; it's scary to think of where I might be now if not for you."

"It wasn't me Athrun, I just asked the question. You chose to pursue the answer."

"I know but-"

Whatever he had been about to say was interrupted by the door to the kitchen opening abruptly. We turned to see Andrew in the door way, looking unusually flustered. We both picked up on the mood and stood from the table.

"Andrew? What's wrong?" I asked, working to keep the sudden uneasiness out of my voice.

"I just got a call from Cagalli, some things happened and she needs you there. Now." He replied, his deep voice taking on the military tone he had once used. I stole a quick glance at the clock; it was nearly 10pm.

"I'm on my way." I said headed immediately for the door.

The cold night air nipped at my bare arms as I hurried to the car, I had left my jacket inside but I felt that I didn't have the time to get it. If Cagalli needed me this late then it was very important.

I had just reversed the car around to face the road when Athrun's voice reached my ears,

"Kira! Wait!" I halted the car and turned to see him descending the steps from the front door, two small bundles visible in his arms. He ran around the car and leapt into the car with amazing agility. The car we owned had no roof, and was flame red. I had never been sure why Athrun had wanted it but in the end he won out and we got it. But right now it was fast, and that was what I needed.

"Here, you forgot this." He stated handing me my jacket.

"Thanks."

I paused only long enough to slide into my jacket before we were speeding down the road towards Orb capital.

Cagalli Yula Athha, my twin sister and the leader of the Orb government. She had hefty responsibilities for someone her age, but the man she had regarded as her father had believed in her, otherwise he would not have left Orb to her. We reached the edge of the city within 20 minutes and soon we were twisting through the now familiar streets towards the mansion she inherited.

When we arrived we were both out of the car quickly and headed for the front door at a brisk pace. I raised my hand to knock when the door was opened and one of the young staff stood there.

"Mr. Yamato, thank you for coming. Lady Cagalli is in the upstairs study." She said in a pleasant voice. She would have been no more than 15, only four years younger than myself, but her cyan eyes suggested that she had seen her share of war as well.

I nodded to her and moved past her with Athrun close in tow. As we ascended the stairs I studied the area around me, I hadn't been here many times and those had been close after the war so I was quite preoccupied. The walls were a simple but elegant peach and cream colour and the cornices were engraved with a long, simple pattern.

As we moved through the house the house to the study I found myself growing more and more anxious. I couldn't place why I had the feeling but I did, and from past experience I had learned to be cautious with these feelings.

We reached the study and I looked at Athrun, he gave me a nod of encouragement and a faint smile. With that I knocked softly on the door and waited. A second later Cagalli's voice could be heard,

"Come in."

We entered. Cagalli was sitting on a large sofa faced away from the door, looking out the window on the far side of the room. The room –true to its name- had book cases lining the wall, filled with various books. There were several desks in the room as well as a good number of the sofas like Cagalli was seated.

I moved to stand behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder; she was shaking.

"Cagalli… What happened?" I spoke softly, so as not to alarm her.

She quietly passed me a small sheet of paper, I took it from her hesitantly. Cagalli had seen a lot and been through a lot, it was quite unnerving to see her this way.

I stole a quick glance at Athrun; he was scanning the room as if a threat lurked behind every object. With a soft sigh I opened the paper, the knot in my stomach slowly increasing the whole time I read;

Cagalli Yula Athha.

We have in our custody the five recently orphaned children. Our demands are simple, however if they are not met within a week the consequences will be severe. We will contact you later tonight with the conditions of their release.

The note consisted of tiny letters that had been cut out of a book or magazine. It seemed quite old fashioned in this day and age but it was effective nonetheless; it gave no clue as to who wrote and sent it. It caused my blood to run cold. Those children had all lost their parents in a recent shuttle crash, Cagalli had made sure all of them had a place to stay and food to eat. She had spent a lot of time with them and had become quite fond of them; and that explained her reaction to the note.

I handed the note out to Athrun to read; he had much more experience in these matters. He came over silently and took the note and read over it. His face had already been hard with the tension in the room, but now his features radiated anger.

I moved around the sofa to sit next to Cagalli and drew her into an embrace, not long after I felt her shoulders shudder with the quiet tears that fell. Athrun began pacing the room soon enough but soon settled for looking out the window.

"Cagalli." I said, gently grasping her shoulders and pulling away to look at her face. She looked haggard and tired. "When did you get this?"

"It was here when I got home today..." She said forlornly. She looked away, focusing on the floor instead of me. Cagalli always hated to cry, especially in front of others.

"Did you or the staff see anyone strange around here?" Athrun piped in.

"No, I asked all the staff soon after I found the note." She replied.

"How do you think they will try to contact Cagalli?" I asked, focusing my question to Athrun.

"I'm not sure..." He admitted.

With that we lapsed into silence for a while, after a while Cagalli stopped crying and simply sat there. Athrun would sporadically pace the room, but he would always return to the window to survey the dark grounds beyond.

I found it hard to sit there doing nothing and eventually decided to go and see if I could find out anything from the staff that was still working.

"I'll be back soon." I explained to Athrun and Cagalli as I stood up. Cagalli just sat there and Athrun gave a small nod of acknowledgement.

The halls were eerily silent as I walked through them. The house was huge and I ended up heading for the back of the house, hoping that would be where the staff would be.

I figured that someone would be in the kitchen but when I arrived, the room was empty. I sighed as I looked around the quiet room. Cagalli was suppose to have staff 24 hours a day, so the fact that I couldn't find them was starting to tug at my worries. I began wandering around the house again, looking onto various rooms and occasionally calling out but receiving no answer. I was ready to give up when I heard footsteps behind me. Acting on feeling I kept walking as though I hadn't noticed anything, I kept walking and turned the corner into the next hall.

I quickly crouched and waited, surely enough someone rounded the corner soon after me. He was obviously male, but he wore loose, over-large clothing and had a mask on his face. I stood and faced him.

"Who are you?" I demanded getting huffed at in reply.

"That does not matter. Where is Cagalli Yula Athha?" His voice was deep and menacing, but I gave none of my feeling away; keeping my face blank.

"If you want to see Cagalli, you tell me who you are." I replied curtly, portraying a confidence I didn't really feel. The man was buff and a lot larger than me; he gave off the very air of calm and confident. He seemed to take the time to study me now, and I'm not sure what he saw but when he replied this time he was more polite, but the threat still lingered,

"I am a contact and I should be expected."

"Wait here." I said. We now stood outside the study, but I was not about to just let this guy waltz into the room, possibly putting Cagalli and Athrun in danger.

"Whatever." He replied nonchalantly.

I opened the door just enough for me to slide through and closed the door quickly behind me. Cagalli still sat on the sofa, practically the same way as when I left. Athrun turned to face me as I came in and instantly picked up on my behaviour.

"What happened?" He asked standing up. At the strange question Cagalli also turned to look at me.

"We have a... Guest." I explained.

I had thought Athrun looked alert before, but now I wasn't so sure; I had forgotten just how hard Athrun's usually soft eyes could turn at the presence of a threat.

"Who?" he demanded, voice hard. I stole a look at Cagalli before speaking.

"Apparently... He is the contact we have been waiting for."

"Any name?"

"No, not that I could get out of him anyway." I said.

"Let him in..." We both turned to Cagalli at the sound of her soft voice. She was looking out the window with a rather faraway look to her eyes.

"But-" Athrun objected.

"If it means those kids will be safe, then I don't care about anything else."

It looked as though Athrun was about to object again, but I knew Cagalli was right so I spoke up to back her up.

"Athrun, we will both be in here the whole time. And Cagalli is right, we cant risk those kids." Athrun opened his mouth again, but then promptly closed it, admitting that there was nothing else he could do to change our minds.

I turned and opened the door, he man was leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the hall, once again displaying an eerie confidence. He looked up when I opened the door, then stood up straighter.

I opted not to say anything, instead deciding to simply open the door wide and move aside. He took the hint and moved in, with me closing the door after him.

Athrun was back at his position near the window, but now his attention was focused inside, I just stood by the door, ready to stop him if needed. Cagalli stood from where she had been sitting and offered the man her hand in greeting.

The man ignored the offered hand and sprawled himself on the sofa. Cagalli stood there for a moment longer before pulling up a seat opposite him.

"So..." Cagalli began, plainly nervous in the man's company.

"The Ultimate Coordinator." The man stated. My blood froze.

"Wh-What?" Cagalli asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"That is our one and only demand; we want the Ultimate Coordinator."

My mind spun, I had never told anyone about what I had found out from Rau Le Creuset during the war, the only other person who had known was Mwu La Flaga. And he was gone.

"I... I don't understand." Cagalli seemed lost.

"You need to find out who the Ultimate Coordinator is, catch him or her, and bring 'em to us. In exchange the kids will be given to you. You have one week before we start cutting the kids up and sending them back in pieces."

"But... How... How will I find them?"

The man laughed at her question, but the laugh was not a pleasant one; it was deep and guttural, causing an unpleasant shiver to run down my spine.

"That is for you to find out girly." He said, "Nice doing business with you."

The man stood and I noticed Athrun take a cautionary step forward, the man looked over at him and laughed again. He spun around and headed towards me, or more accurately the door behind me. I froze up for a moment but managed to recover quickly and step aside. The man stopped before leaving and looked at me. I felt too exposed under the stare but I stood my ground and didn't show intimidation. Then he was gone, and we were all frozen to the spot; each with our respective thoughts. Quite suddenly I felt dizzy, and leaned on the wall for support.

"Kira? Are you ok?" Athrun's voice seemed distant. A part of me wondered why I was feeling like this; it wasn't like it was the first time I had faced someone who knew about me. But then again, they weren't holding five innocent kids hostage to get me.

I needed time to think, the room seemed to constricting right now. So I done the only thing I could have then, I ran from the room, ignoring Athrun's shouts behind me.


Well, getting straight into it I guess, hope you liked it :)