Previously on Gundam Seed : The Story Begins

" Great. Just great. This certainly certifies that I'm nuts."

"Come in." Cagalli called out impatiently, but slightly thankful for the distraction, she needed time to compose herself as she was feeling incredibly uncomfortable right now, the bile that she had forcefully swallowed making it's way through once again up her trachea. However her day seemed to be taking an unexpected turn for the worse when the door opened to reveal who it was.

" You…"

Miri caught up with the two laughing boys and found that Yzak was no longer in a foul mood. She sighed as she had long before accepted the fact that Yzak mood could swing from one extreme to the other and it was a constant running joke between the three of them. She soon joined in the laughter and words as they walked back to where they had their hideout as the sun set, throwing it's last yellow rays before finally resting for the day. Neither one of them noticed the pair of eyes that followed the three nor the young teenager that stepped out of the shadows long after they were gone, his face expressionless with his eyes shielded by the dark glasses that he was currently sporting.

" Found them." He said under his breath before vanishing once again into the dark shadows.

" As you wish sir, but when would you like me to bring my 'brothers' back?"

Gundam Seed : Chapter One

The Unfolding Story

by : frost2light

It was an understatement to say that Cagalli Yula Athha was not pleased at the arrival of the person in front of her and even more displeased as she was at the moment, she was extremely annoyed that her secretary had decided to go against her orders for them to be left alone during the meeting, as irritating and taxing on the nerves as it was. The more she thought, the more annoyed she felt and the fact that she was trying hard to prevent herself from embarrassing herself by puking in front of the council, she now had to act as if she welcomed the person that was standing in front of her with that all seeing grey eyes of hers.

" You." Cagalli muttered one simple word which elicited a small smile from the pink haired teenager before turning to glare at her cowering secretary whom knew perfectly clear that she was in deep trouble by Cagalli's death glare.

" I thought that I had given you specific orders that we were not to be disturbed, and if it was extremely important, you would situate that particular person in the VIP guestroom and to tell me through the normal channels. I hope that this would not happen again." Cagalli said coldly before waving her hand to show that the secretary's presence was no longer needed.

" I'm sorry." Her secretary managed to squeak out before she all but turned tail and ran out of the tension filled room with thirteen pair of eyes watching her like a hawk, relieved that she was able to get off the hook with simply a slight reprimand.

Cagalli watched frowning as her secretary escaped the room, half wishing that she could do the same, her mind whirling at the possible reasons why her current visitor was here before snapping back to the present and clearing her throat to regain the others attention.

" I'm sorry for the unfortunate disturbance but due to these circumstances, I'm afraid the meeting would have to be adjourned for the time being. All of you would be contacted in the next few days about the following meeting and I hope that all of you would at least prepare for it. Those who have a say in anything, prepare a proposal and we would discuss it in the meeting to come. Thank you."

Murmurings filled the room as all twelve council members packed and got ready to leave, all nodding in respect as they passed the pink haired teenager who stood there by the door with a boy whom none of them recognized. They knew her by name and by rank and that she was extremely important to Orb's financial situation being the president of the Clyne company, but other than that she was still very much the enigma. Even after the war, even after being in the limelight for so long, her private life, her records, not even a speck of dirt could be unearthed about her and that made the council members very uneasy. They were not used to be kept in a dark about someone, when and what they needed to know, they knew. It was not that they have not tried to dig deeper into her roots, both out of curiosity and need, but for all their efforts all that they got was an extremely big blank wall. Lacus Clyne, successor of the Clyne company and a person that holds much military power in Plant was the mystery everyone in Orb wanted to know about.

Lacus could feel their eyes on her, know without a doubt what those members were thinking but she could not have cared less, she was used to those probing eyes, both back in Plant and in Orb. She smiled as each of them passed before seating herself in one of the chairs that had been filled before and smiled placating at Cagalli who was still frowning.

" You shouldn't look so fierce, you'll scare off everyone." She said, her voice lilting and sweet as her gray eyes danced with humour and amusement.

" I'm sorry for that impolite treatment my secretary just provided, I think we would all be more comfortable if we were elsewhere instead of this stuffy boardroom, don't you think? I propose that we move to somewhere better, perhaps my office?" Cagalli ignored Lacus's playful nudge, knowing better than to think Lacus was all looks and no brains.

"It isn't the secretary's fault that I'm here, I convinced her to let me in, and I hope that she would not get into trouble on my behalf. This is fine, but by the way, I think you are the one who would be more comfortable if you were somewhere else instead of here. You are looking extremely pale. Are you all right?"

Cagalli froze at Lacus's words and cursed her luck that today was the day that everything had to happen all at once, she had forgotten about Lacus's perceptiveness, something that she should not have, but she regained her composure and forced herself to smile for the umpteenth time since the beginning of the day and said, " That would be unnecessary, I'm fine, maybe I was being cooped up for too long in this room. Let's get down to business now shall we?"

" If you insist."

Lacus's expression immediately turned serious, even predatory as she waved the boy who was standing behind her quietly forward. He obeyed instantly and laid the briefcase that was in his hands on the table before flipping it open and turning it towards Cagalli. Cagalli's eyes opened wide in surprise as she stared at the contents in the briefcase before her expression changed into one of anger.

" What is the meaning of this?" She questioned, her voice strained while her amber eyes probed at the other's face, searching for the reason why she was here.

" I think it is quite evident, you do still remember the offer that I had made in the beginning right? I hope that you do, as I hate to repeat myself over and over again, I think that would be rather ungainly of me, don't you agree?" Lacus said.

" Do you think that you could buy Orb's neutrality? Did you think that we would be that easy to be bought off? How could you do what you are doing right now when you knew how much my father fought to keep this nation on neutral grounds. You were the one who killed him even if he died by Plant's hands because he wanted to stay that way, because you encouraged him to stay true to his beliefs. Did you think that I would allow you to this! You of all people who advocated peace, what do you think you are doing now? Frankly I do not understand you intentions."

" Your father was a true hero…" Lacus trailed off as she remembered the distinguished man, the man who had been so passionate, so dead set on peace before snapping out of her reverie and continuing her sentence, " But even heroes die and he died a honourable death, you should be thankful that he was not labelled a traitor by Plant."

" What the hell are you talking about! Traitor by Plant! He had no ties to Plant, no ties to even you except that he was unfortunate enough to have known you." Cagalli fumed, unable to believe what she was hearing at this moment.

" Oh Cagalli, how naïve can you be? But, do not worry, I shall tell you everything and then you shall understand the whole situation. Maybe then you would change your mind." Lacus said as she smiled pityingly at the blonde haired girl that was seated in front of her.

"Uzumi Nara Athha was once a council member of Plant before he got sent here to this place, to this country. Did you not know that Orb was at first under Plant's rule? Your father was supposed to be their spokesperson but somehow somewhere he took it upon himself that he was the leader of Orb and soon, he wanted more than being a spokesperson. I think he really fell in love with this country and by doing so, your father nearly caused a war between Plant and Orb because he wanted to release Orb from Plant. With much discussion, Plant agreed to let go and they agreed to this preposterous idea of his because they thought that by doing so, they could control Orb even by being at the sidelines, maybe they had thought that Uzumi would soon come running back to them when he realises what a burden it was to run his own country."

"But they were wrong, they miscalculated, underestimated your father's will. Your father I must admit is one of the most brilliant businessman and ruler that I have met. They should have known that Uzumi was not a man who went to war without a plan, and with that they completely fell into his trap, but Plant is not one to give up so easily too. They too have backup plans and by implementing one of them, they succeeded in getting rid of one large brick wall. I do think it was such a shame that he had to die so soon, but if he was out of the way then Orb would once again fall back into Plant's arms. It had been decided long time ago."

" You were their backup plan, am I not right?" Cagalli asked, coldly, her amber eyes narrowed.

" No, I wasn't. The Earth Alliance was."

" What do you mean by that?" Cagalli questioned, more confused than ever.

" Murata Azrael, the leader of the Blue Scorpions, we knew how he would think when he was desperate, we anticipated his decision and we just directed him to that conclusion and Panama was the best choice."

" What are you trying to say?" Cagalli asked, her expression one of horror, she did not want to hear what Lacus had to say next yet she was curious, her need to know more powerful than the need to stay alive.

" The saying curiosity kills the cat does apply very much in this situation." Lacus joked before her grey eyes narrowed and she got back down to business. " What I'm implying right now is that you let go of Orb and that I would let you live. The money here is enough for you to retire and live comfortably like queen until the day you die. Isn't that enough? I understand that you hate being bound to this country, to being it's leader, don't you think you should be living a better life? A freer life where you are no longer chained by dress codes, by the things you say or the judging eyes of those people who wished that they could be rid of you? You must admit that this offer is rather tempting."

" They killed my father because they wanted Orb back? What role are you playing in this? The damsel in distress from ago, was it just an act?"

" No and yes. There are many things that you have no idea about, Cagalli. The damsel in distress, that was in the past, why should we talk about it now? Plant wants Orb back and I as one of their people would do my best to get it back for them."

" Why does Plant want it back? Who is your immediate superior? Why are you following what they say so much? What happened to the Lacus who did not care about power or fame, just peace?" Cagalli forced the anger back down as she tried to find out more.

" Don't be that inquisitive Cagalli, you just have to think about the now and not the future, because the future of Orb does not include you."

" What if I refuse?"

" Then you would realize the futility of going against me, against Plant. Can you imagine this country without the Clyne Company as it's financial supporter? People would be out of jobs, out of work, inflation would occur, prices rise, more and more people would be angered, at loss at what to do, soon internal small civil wars would be waged and sooner or later everything would just blow up in your face. Do you want that to happen? After what your father had worked so hard to achieve? Orb is a peaceful country that none of us want to destroy."

" Then what the hell are you doing? By buying off Orb and retuning it to Plant, don't you think that Orb would be once again forced to play a role in things that they do not want a part of? I know that Plant have never been satisfied by the outcome of the war, the people there still want revenge for what happened at Heliopolis, for Junius Seven, I have heard rumours that all of you are planning the second war between Naturals and Coordinators, but why! Why after all your hard work to make peace? You fought so hard the last time, why now? Why of all times are you doing what your father thought was wrong?"

" There are things that change with time and human's thoughts and feelings are one of them. My father was a fool, I see that now. Do not think that you know me Cagalli, you certainly don't, I shall give you yet another week to think about my offer before I go ahead with what I had just told you. Be warned that I'm definitely not a person to be crossed and I mean what I say."

Lacus got up smoothly from where she had been sitting after finishing that last sentence and left the room leaving a shocked and furious Cagalli behind staring at her leaving back with tightly clenched fists.

" Please consider what Miss Lacus has to offer, she does not want more deaths on her hands, please understand what you don't see doesn't mean it doesn't exist." The boy who had been silent the whole time while Lacus had been speaking spoke before exiting the room, too fast and sudden for Cagalli to even respond.

Cagalli sighed heavily, closing her eyes. And inside, her mind struggled on what to do, she could not deny the fact that what Lacus had offered her was attractive, the freedom that came with the release, yet on the other hand, she had a job to do, as much as she hated the responsibility, she knew that she could not give it up just like that. There were endless reasons why she should not leave Orb's leadership as her mind pointed out to her and the first was her responsibility as her father's daughter. Bringing Orb back to where it once was before the war was yet another reason why she could not just let go as the fate of the whole nation depended on her. Being selfish was simply something that she could not have the liberty to be doing.

" For peace Cagalli, fight for peace."

Cagalli's mouth quirked up into a bitter smile as she recalled that one particular scene where Lacus had been her friend, had been her comrade in a war that was too hard and too long. Both of them had been together all the while, trying to survive, her father as Orb's representative and her as his daughter while Lacus had been Plant's spokesperson. Lacus had escaped the danger there back in Plant before regrouping her resources and launching her plan from Orb. The Lacus Cagalli had known then was nothing like the girl she had just met just now, nor the girl whom had three years ago sat upon the seat of President of the Clyne company. That girl was ruthless, cold and calculating, following only Plant's orders and nobody else's, the kindness that was in her grey eyes three years ago during the war nowhere to be seen.

"People change with time."

Lacus had said that before Cagalli remembered, but, her mind told her that something had to be up, but she couldn't put a finger on it. Not yet, not at this moment, there were still too many unsolved riddles and too many questions than answers.

" A week huh." She mumbled under her breath, her thoughts jumbled up.

Orb falling.

Lacus smiling surrounded by raging flames, " Thank you"..

A brown haired boy bleeding to death with hands outstretched," Help me".

And Cagalli felt herself falling, succumbing to the darkness that had tried to consume her before. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Kira Yamato roamed the streets aimlessly, his hands stuck in his pockets as he hunched against the cold biting wind that threatened to blow him off his feet as he tried to recall the way to Nicol's house but failing miserably to do so. Kira heaved a sigh as he was forced to admit that he was rather geographically challenged, he was good, no excellent in other aspects, soaking up knowledge like a sponge to water but throw him somewhere with no map and no guide, he was doomed, like how he is right now.

" Kuso! This is definitely not how I thought I would die." Kira said as he cursed under his breath as yet another blast of cold wind left him shivering and he reacted instinctively by pulling his jacket closer to his body, willing it to provide more warmth as he trudged down yet another street.

" Damn it, where the hell is your house!" He muttered, continuing his journey, squinting at the road signs, trying to figure out where the hell he was, all the while ignoring the signals of hunger that his stomach was sending to his brain. His cell phone beeped once then twice signaling that there was an incoming call prompting Kira to reach into his pocket, fumbling once, twice, before his fingers, numb from the cold, was able to grasp the cell phone successfully, and to pull it out of the confines his pocket in order to flip it open to answer.

" Yeah." Kira grunted into the phone, having no mood at all for niceties.

" Is that the way you talk to a person who saves your life every time?" The caller on the other end said, chuckling.

" Nicol!" Kira exclaimed, his features brightening instantly, " Where the hell is your house? I'm freezing in this weather and please tell me you are home."

Nicol chuckled again before answering, his gentle voice soothing, " Just turn left where you are right now and go up the stairs, why is it that you keep getting lost at this point I have no idea."

" Turn left, turn left. Why is it that you live in such a secluded place when you know that I have trouble even finding my way in my own apartment I have no idea." Kira kidded back as he followed Nicol's instructions and was greeted by the teenager himself at the front door.

" Because I like the privacy, after all, people don't take kindly to me." Nicol said matter a fact as he opened the door for Kira to come in. " Why are you here anyways? Don't tell me your supply of medicine had already finished? Or is it not working anymore?"

Nicol's expression was serious when he said the latter and Kira shook his head to dispel that thought immediately, knowing Nicol would certainly worry too much or assume that he was hiding something from him if he had even answered as much as a fraction later.

" No. Just that I had a few funny images that came with the pain." Kira said trying to sound flippant about the whole thing, trying his best to make light of the whole situation when he himself was uneasy, knowing extremely well how Nicol would react when he had heard the news, and his expectation was not wrong when he could hear Nicol suck in a deep breath, his eyes widening before looking at Kira in concern.

" What images. Come." Nicol beckoned for Kira to walk towards him and Kira knew better than to disobey his friend, he sat down onto the chair that Nicol had placed for him and closed his eyes, wanting everything to be over with. " Just relax." Nicol said, sitting opposite Kira before he too shut his eyes and concentrated on 'seeing' what was wrong with Kira.

Minutes passed and a green glow emanated from Nicol's hands as he cupped them together before pressing them over Kira's forehead and concentrated. Nicol's brow creased with the effort as Kira sat before him quietly and not long after the green glow from Nicol's fingers dissipated, he opened his eyes.

" Is this the first time?" He asked softly, knowing that speaking loudly now would surprise the other younger boy.

" Hmm." Kira nodded, " So what's wrong?"

Nicol did not bother to reply as he got up from his chair and walked towards the small kitchen opening his mouth only to ask if Kira had eaten. Already knowing the answer, he did not wait for Kira to speak and busied himself by opening a can of soup and his refrigerator to see whether there was anything he could use to prepare dinner for Kira.

" You should take care of yourself better." Nicol reprimanded softly, not looking back as he emptied the can of soup into the pot and stirred the contents before letting it simmer by itself. That done, he walked back towards where Kira was sitting and sat down in front of him once again, all the while as if lost in thought.

Kira noticed the change in his friend and a part of him panicked.

" You talk as if I'm about to die." He joked, but his eyes held no mirth as he gazed up earnestly at Nicol, willing him to tell him that everything would be all right and that whatever that had happened previously was only in his head, that it was just in his imagination running rampant.

Nicol Amalfi, nineteen years of age, appointed guardian of Kira since the death of the man who had been there for the both of them and a teenager who had the ability to heal sighed as he looked at Kira's face.

" You are definitely not about to die that I can guarantee, but I think it is time to tell you what happened twenty five years ago, what had brought both of us here and what we were destined to do, that would explain better the things that are happening to you."

" What do you mean? You are scaring me, Nicol." Kira said, his expression wary as his instincts told him that what he was about to hear was about to change his life, for better or worse, he still did not know but right now, all he wanted to do was to fill his stomach and be able to get down to finish up his assignments and lab reports. Things other than that could wait for all he cared, yet the expression on Nicol's face did not allow him to express his thoughts, his feelings and he resigned to the fact that he was to hear what he did not want to hear.

" Kira Yamato, you are the Ultimate Coordinator."

And, once again his premonition was absolutely right on.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Yzak Joule flipped onto his side, unable to sleep, as he lay on the insect infested mattress that was his bed and cursed his life vehemently. Nineteen years old with no job, no money and not even a simple education, he hated his life, the place he lived in, and the only thing that was worth his time were his two companions. His harsh expression softened as he looked at the two sleeping faces that slept beside him, their features depicted clearly by the moonlight that streamed in through the window before it hardened again. He had mixed feelings about the both of them, they were his companions, people that he cared about, yet ironically, they were his chains, the ropes that were responsible to tie him down, that prevented him from reaching for things, for something that he knew that he was destined to be. He had to be more than what he is right now, he believed that there was more to his life than being a street urchin, he was not going to die an unknown nobody. He couldn't, his pride would not allow him to.

Yzak sighed, realising that his fists were clenched tightly before relaxing their grip, as he quietly slipped away from the sleeping bodies, needing some time alone and some fresh air, tip toeing softly across the small basement room that they occupied before easing the door open and climbing the stairs that was directly outside the door that led to the roof. Being somewhere high calmed his nerves, easing the tension that he was filled with constantly during the day. If forced, Yzak would reluctantly consider himself to be lucky, extremely lucky actually that he was able to escape detection for so long, he had escaped from that horrible place five years ago, where tubes and needles were stuck into his body and he was forced to do all those tests, those endless tests that confused him, irked him to no end, but he had been defenceless to do anything but comply. Those people had prodded and poked at him, feeding him with unknown substances that was forced down his throat if he ever refused to swallow, that life still gave him nightmares every time he closed his eyes, that was why he rarely was able to sleep peacefully at night and tonight was yet another one of those days where the memory was still fresh in his mind.

" Can't sleep?"

Yzak's head whipped backward surprised that he was not alone." What are you doing up here? Weren't you asleep just now?"

Dearkka Elsman grinned before shrugging, " You were as loud as an elephant."

" I was not." Yzak snarled, fists clenching and unclenching once again.

" Just joking, you should lighten up a bit." Dearkka said while he sat down beside Yzak, his eyes straying above the rooftops and beyond that. " So why are you not asleep?" He asked again.

" None of your business." Yzak snapped, wanting very much to stand up and walk away but a part of him did not want to and he curbed the feeling of running away, away from this yellow sun and as much as he hated to admit it, he enjoyed the other boy's presence. He could not deny that his presence did indeed comfort him, made him feel safe, as absurd as it sounds. Being with Dearkka enabled him to forget his past and to focus on the present, it was the second thing other than being on a high place that calmed him.

" Having nightmares again?" Dearkka asked quietly, his eyes not once looking at the silver haired teenager beside him, knowing that confronting him head on would only injure his overwhelming pride and make him run away but at this point, he had to risk it. The black eye circles that were under his eyes, made more evident by Yzak's pale skin was saying much more than Yzak would ever tell anybody.

" What!" Yzak spluttered, surprised that the blonde haired boy noticed that much. He had underestimated Dearkka's power of observation.

" Miri told me about it, she did not want to talk to you, knowing that you had not much patience for girls, so she insisted that I confront you. So shoot, what's happening in that brain of yours?"

" Miri?" Yzak said unbelievingly. " She knew too?"

" Is that so surprising? You would wake up even the dead with that groaning and whimpering of yours."

" I do not…"

" Yes you do, is it so hard to admit that you are not invisible?"

Yzak turned his head away, refusing to acknowledge Dearkka's last question, knowing full well that he knew that he was not invisible, that it was just his pride which refused to let him admit it and get help. What could he say about his nightmares without bringing up his past that he wanted to keep hidden? That he had been a freak that was born out of a test tube? A person who had been able to control water, to make it attack a person? He had killed once before, not out of his own will, circumstances had not allowed him to go against them, yet remorse had filled him and that had prompted him to escape that hell. What would telling another person about his past help? It would definitely not help ease the pain that had already been deeply imbedded into him nor help ease the guilt that was gnawing at his soul. Telling another person would not let it go away, what had happened had already happened, there was no point in bringing it up once again, yet he was grateful that there were people who still cared about him. A warm fuzzy feeling filled Yzak's heart as he realised that point and both boys sat silently like they did once five years ago under that bridge, providing each other with support until one of them got up.

Yzak brushed his jeans and started back towards the door but Dearkka's voice halted him and he could feel tears gather in his eyes as his brain processed what Dearkka just said.

" You are not alone, if you want to fly, we'll fly together."

Thank you. Yzak whispered in his heart as a response but in reality he merely nodded to show that he heard before his footsteps resounded loudly on the metal steps that led from the roof top to the basement. Dearkka smiled to himself understanding what Yzak left unspoken, before he too got up and walked away from the cold night.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Find him.

He holds the key.

To be free.

Athrun Zala awoke with barely a gasp, head snapping up from the position that he was in , before regaining his composure within a fraction of a second, yet those who were perceptive enough could still see that his eyes were wild and his shirt was damp, soaked thoroughly by his sweat.

It was that voice again, that cursed voice that was barely above a whisper that had haunted his dreams every night, he had no inkling as to who it was nor what he or she meant by repeating those three sentences over and over again. He had tried to see through the darkness, tried to figure out who had spoken but all he could see in his dream was that silhouette of a slim figure, he could not even tell if that person was male or female. Athrun combed his blue black hair back and got up impatiently onto his feet, cursing himself for falling asleep at a time like this, he had work to do, he had things to research and plan before he was able to retrieve back his 'brothers'. Patrick Zala, his so called father had implied that much, he was not ready, he was not yet fully equipped to go against the two of them.

" I will be ready." Athrun said under his breath as he once again turned on his laptop and typed furiously on the keyboard, pounding away his frustrations, venting it on the keypads as his eyes concentrated on the screen and the information as he scrolled down page after page of words. He had to figure out a plan, an offer that both of them could not resist, how could he go up to them and say you are my brothers, you are supposed to aid me to conquer the world and to prove that my father, our father is the best among the best. Patrick Zala was right, they would laugh him off and beat the crap out of him, he knew that he was able to go up against the two of them if needed to, especially when he had that one advantage he knew that both of them did not, but he did not want to face that trouble, he did not want to get his hands dirty, but most importantly, he knew that Patrick would be extremely unhappy if he damaged either one of them.

" Would you be jealous if I treated one of them better than you?"

" No."

" Good boy, but don't worry, they can never take your place."

Athrun shook his head to clear those thoughts and focused his attention on the task on hand, he had to do what he had to do to achieve what his father wanted, that much was obvious. And, maybe when he had he could be free, free from Patrick and his ambition, free so that he could embark on his own journey to find out why he had those dreams. Personally, he had no idea why he was feeling this way, had no idea when the urge to be free had been implanted into his consciousness, but he knew for a fact that he would never be able to tell Patrick how he felt, not now, not ever.

" It can wait." He whispered, " Yes it can wait." He repeated once again with conviction and started his furious typing once again with renewed zeal.


Author's note :Hope all of you enjoyed the update.Feel free to comment and criticise if need be, but please give the whole story a chance, ne?