Author Notes: Hello, here is a new chapter! I was really happy that many people like my first chapter! This one is longer, and I hope you'll like it! Enjoy!

Rating: T / PG-13

Summary: AU after episode 34 of GSD. What if Kira wasn't found on that fateful day by Cagalli? How will Athrun, Cagalli, Lacus and the other react to his death? But...is he really? Gilbert Dullindal's chess game is changing as a new fate awaits the Ultimate coordinator.

Main Characters: mainly focused on Kira and Athrun, but also Cagalli, Lacus, Dullindal...

Pairing(s): none yet.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny.

Big thanks to my beta Dragon Agility!

Gundam Seed: Another Path, Another Destiny

Phase two: Reflexions and doubts

Chairman Dullindal sat pensively on his armchair in his study in the Gibraltar base, thinking of the surprising turn of events and how to take the better advantage to it. He had previously planed to meet with Shinn Asuka and Athrun Zala, and show them their two new units, but now he wasn't sure anymore. Who knew how Athrun would react to his best friend supposed death? And if he was to turn his back on him, then it would be a great disadvantage to show him Destiny and Legend.

Another one of his problems was Kira Yamato. That boy had miraculously survived again from such an explosion, even though he was greatly injured. It was so surprising, that Gilbert wondered if he was immortal. But ultimate coordinator or not, the boy was just a human being, and therefore mortal. He had yet to meet with the doctor to know of his condition, and then only he would decide what to do.

The sound of a door opening stopped him in his musing. He raised his gaze to meet the newcomer, and smiled as Rey Za Burrel saluted him.

"Rey, how have you been?" he asked softly, his eyes concerned, "Is your health alright?"

"Yes," Rey answered with a small smile, and sat down. He was always touched by how soft and concerned Gil could be.

"I heard you had a difficult time at the lab in Lodonia...It was my fault..." he sighed.

"No, it wasn't," Rey protested gently. There was no way he was going to let Gil blame himself! "I'm fine," he repeated as he looked down guiltily, "and it was my fault. Even I didn't expect myself to react like this...I was surprised."

There was a short silence of understanding. They both knew about their past.

Suddenly Dullindal stood up, a hand under his chin as if he was contemplating what to say. Rey looked up, his blue eyes a little surprised and wondering what was on Gil's mind. Finally the Chairman asked him with an absent face:

"Tell me, Rey," he began slowly, "how has Athrun reacted to the recent events?"

He immediately knew what he was referring to. The Archangel and the Freedom.

"Well...He was very startled, and to say that he is angry, is an understatement. I fear he won't understand why we had to shoot them down. Especially his friend. He even punched Shinn for having killed Kira Yamato," he answered while shrugging slightly at the last part.

"I see...so it was a good decision not to let him see the two new units...He was and still is much too influenced by his friends. We can not trust him anymore. What a shame; with that much potential, why won't he understand that his place is only one of a soldier?" Gilbert said shaking his head slightly with disappointment, "Is it Kira Yamato's fault? Was it a misfortune for Athrun to have met him?" he asked half to himself with a small wondering smile. He was always fascinated by fate.

"Maybe..." Rey nodded, "and moreover, even if Yamato is dead, he will always live within his heart."

"That's true and very troublesome."

And then Gilbert Dullindal laughed as Rey looked at him troubled by this sudden reaction.

"Kira Yamato..." he muttered still smiling.

"Gil?" Rey asked, his eyebrows slightly frowned.

Dullindal ignored him and instead walked to his desk, and activated the big screen. Rey's eyes widened into two big balls and he stood up when he saw a hospital room. But what really started him was the young man lying in the bed. He had messy brown haired, tanned skin, and he had many bandages revealing how hurt he was. That man was unmistakably Kira Yamato. How could he forget the face of the Ultimate Coordinator? Of that dream which needed to be found, and resulted into cloning; into him?

"G...Gil?" he repeated, "What's the meaning of this? He's supposed to be dead!"

"While sending the order to shoot down the Archangel and Freedom, I also asked for a secret restricted unit to inspect everything to see if they were effectively destroyed. I ordered them to directly contact myself if they found anyone." Dullindal explained, "and indeed, they found someone quite interesting," he smirked slightly.

Rey sat down wearily again on his chair, a hand in his blond hair, and muttered more to himself than anyone: "So...you had expected something like that to happen..."

"Not really," he said with a shrug, "I honestly didn't think they would find someone, or something, and least of all him. But I wanted to take some measures, just in case. It is better to plan everything in advance, Rey, so that you won't miss any opportunity. And I was right," he added with an all knowing smile.

Rey pondered this new revelation, before another fact struck him: "That's also why you ordered for the Minerva to retreat immediately!"

He nodded and said with kind eyes, as if he was praising his favourite pupil: "Right. I couldn't afford to let too many people there, after finding out about him. Nobody beside you and me know of his true identity, the less know the better. And most of all, Athrun Zala must not hear about this."

Rey nodded and then remained quiet, lost in his thoughts. He didn't know what Gil was planning for Kira Yamato, but he honestly wished he wouldn't have to meet him. But knowing Gil, that would inevitably happen. And then, what would he do? He had always felt resentment towards that boy, for being the Ultimate Coordinator, for having killed his other self...and indirectly it was his fault he had to live a live like that. A false life... he was nothing but a dead living. And he hated that. With that last thought, Rey knew that if he was to meet him, then...

"I know what you're thinking, Rey," Gil said interrupting his musing, "But you can't. At least not yet."

In one of the many rooms of the Gibraltar base, a young blue haired man was sitting on his bed, his eyes unfocused, and half closed. Athrun still couldn't register what had happened not more than half a day ago. He thought back about his last talk with Kira at Crete, and couldn't help but feel even more miserable. On that twilight day, he had met with Cagalli, Miriallia and Kira, talking about their actions, and he had said some pretty horrible things.

"Your hands are also stained with the blood of those you had killed!" Athrun shuddered as he recalled his own words. The older boy violet eyes were then glassy as tears threatened to roll down his cheeks. But he didn't cry, even though those words hurt him to no length, and Athrun knew. He knew Kira still suffered from the last war, of those lives he had taken. Some scars ran just too deep to heal, and it pained him too to see his friend in this state.

"I don't want to fight...please, don't make me…"

Kira...

Why didn't Kira listen to him? He thought bitterly, while shaking his head. Why? If he had, he wouldn't be...no...he refused to think about that word. He still hoped and believed that the Archangel had managed to escape, and rescue his best friend. After all Kira had always survived, even to myself...

Nevertheless, he was still feeling guilty, and he wondered about the rightness of the Chairman's words, and Kira's distrustful behaviour toward him. The meeting he had just had with Chairman Dullindal only increased his doubts. Indeed not long after arriving at the Gibraltar Base, Athrun had been summoned to his office, as a member of Faith to make his report.

Flashback

"Ah, Athrun, I'm so glad you're alright," Dullindal said smiling as he mentioned for him to sit down. "It is really sad that we all have to fight...if only people could all live in peace," he sighed softly.

The latter remained quiet. A question was nagging his mind, and before he could stop himself he said in a harsh tone: "But why them?"

"Athrun..." Dullindal frowned slightly. Of course he knew who the boy was referring to, but he decided to let him talk, intently studying his behaviour. After his previous talk with Rey, his worries about Athrun's loyalty were confirmed. Now he would see if he would change his mind or not.

Athrun, seeing that the Chairman refused to elaborate, went on in a calm tone, even though his thoughts were twirling furiously: "The Archangel and the Freedom, why did you order to destroy them before having the chance to talk to them? It's true that they made the battlefield unnecessarily chaotic, but they shared the same wish as ours! That we want to stop this war! That we are tired of all of this nonsense!"

The Chairman's stare made him feel uneasy. He stayed quiet for a moment, as if carefully choosing his words.

"But then, tell me, why didn't they join us? If they indeed as you said, shared the same wishes, then why didn't they come to our side? They had the opportunity to, you can not deny that," He said in a stern voice.

Green eyes widened slightly; he didn't know how to respond to that accusation, as he, himself, had thought the same thing. But, still it was not a sufficient reason! Shoot down someone just because they didn't join you wasn't justice.

Surprisingly, the Chairman chuckled a little and said:

"But...I can understand your resentment."

Eh? What the hell is he saying! How can he understand how I feel!

"Why did things turn out this way?" he continued as if he was also talking to himself, ignoring Athrun's surprise, "Why doesn't everything go like we want? It is frustrating. But to put it bluntly that's what our life is now. We are all clueless of what we should do, of our true purpose. People live just being tossed around by time."

Athrun gasped slightly. The chairman's words were confusing him to no end. What did he really mean? Of course people can't know the future; nobody has a determined place in life! We are our own master.

"If I were to take an example, your friend, Kira Yamato, is the perfect one," the Chairman explained with a casual voice. He had to be careful and act as if the boy was dead. "Well...I personally feel sorry for him as he was rather unfortunate."

"Unfortunate?" Athrun repeated in a startled voice.

"His potentials were far beyond what everyone thought. With that much power, he was above all meant to be a soldier. In a mobile suit, he would be unsurpassed. But he, himself, didn't know of his potential, so he just lived being toss around, and suffered. We couldn't even fathom how much he could have done if he had put his powers to proper use..." "But maybe we can now," Dullindal added mentally with a smile.

Athrun's eyes widened at those words with shock and anger. How dare he talk as if he knew Kira! Kira wasn't meant to be a soldier! Kira was everything but that! Kira was gentle, sweet, and caring... he should never have had to kill, to touch to any weapon!

He clenched his fists, and tried to calm down, as the Chairman continued his demonstration.

"His power was unpredictable and I couldn't afford to let it roam freely. You must understand that. That's why I ordered them to be destroyed."

Athrun couldn't deny the logic in the Chairman's words, but he knew it was still wrong. A short silenced ensued before he added with a smile:

"He was really unfortunate... if he had known his place like you, he wouldn't had to have suffered, and would have lived happily. If everyone knew about their place, there would be no war, and the world would be free and happy. I truly wish for that world, where there would be no war. "

After that, the young boy was rendered speechless, and so didn't protest anymore.

End of Flashback

Athrun passed a hand through his hair, confused. No the chairman is wrong, he thought. If he had reenlisted on that day it wasn't because he was only a soldier. He wanted power to protect those he loved: Cagalli, the Archangel's crew, Kira... And he had failed, miserably. What the chairman wished for, the world he wished for, wasn't the same as his. True, he wished for the fighting to stop, but he didn't believe in the other words the Chairman had said. A picture of Lacus appeared in his mind; when he had met her in the previous war, when she was branded by his own father as a traitor.

"What are you fighting for?" she had said. "Is it for the medals? Your father's orders? Then if I were your enemy, would you shoot me, Athrun Zala of ZAFT?"

"We are ZAFT after all, and we have to obey to the chairman's orders," Rey's voice echoed in his head.

With a muffled cry of frustration, Athrun shook his head, and got up. He had made his decision. He would know the truth, and find the Archangel.

But first of all, Athrun Zala needed to get out of here.

Gilbert Dullindal smiled, or rather grinned, as he looked at his chess board. He had just met with the doctor, and had very good reason to be happy. Things were taking indeed a very interesting turn; and it was time to prove, or rather experience one of his many theories. But he had to play very carefully in order to achieve his plans. He looked almost fondly at his chess game, the white king between two of his fingers.

"Yes...the king was indeed a great enemy...but very powerful too," he thought as his lips turned into a smirk.

A young man, looking no older than 18, with brown messy hair was lying in his bed, as his eyes began to stir slightly. He felt numb, as if he hadn't moved a single muscle for weeks, and every movement hurt him. Slowly, very slowly; his eyelids opened, revealing beautiful, but exhausted violet eyes. His mind was a mess, everything was so hazy. He tried to slightly turn his head and realised that someone was in the room.

"Good morning, Kira-kun."

To be continued...

A new chapter finished! Sorry there still wasn't a lot of Kira in that chapter, I realised that I first needed to deal with Athrun and Dullindal...

Anyway, in the next chapter, there will be with no doubts Kira, and Athrun's escape.

Reviews are always welcomed!