Part 2: A Coronation and a Temporary Parting

Lacus sat and waited as the elevator took her, the other supreme members of the PLANT council and a few members of the ZAFT military down towards the big waiting room, just in front of where the ceremony is to be held. She looked forward to being the chairwoman of PLANTS; she knew that under her supervision and rule (along with Cagalli's influence in ORB and on Earth), a peaceful future between Coordinators and Naturals is well on its way and is soon to be a reality. All the work to end both wars in the past is about to be rewarded in the form of a peaceful future. Once the elevator stopped moving and the doors opened, Lacus stepped out and waited for her other invited guests.


Once Kira and Athrun walked inside the building where the ceremony was to be held, they were immediately greeted by a magenta-headed girl.

"Athrun!" she yelled happily and hugged him.

Athrun laughed a little.

"It's nice to see you too, Lunamaria," he said calmly as he gently pushed her off him.

Kira chuckled lightly as Athrun shot him a glare.

A black-headed, red-eyed ZAFT soldier came up shortly and saluted.

"Shinn Asuka," he replied, "good to see you again Athrun, Kira."

Athrun and Kira smiled and nodded. Shinn nodded and then glared at Lunamaria.

"What was that earlier?" he asked, rather sternly.

"What?" Lunamaria replied innocently, "can't I say hi to an old friend?"

"Like that?" Shinn asked cooly, trying to hide his jealousy.

"What? You jealous?" Lunamaria teased.

Shinn blushed.

"What?! N-no…I'm not jealous!" Shinn replied quickly.

"Right..." Lunamaria replied and winked at Shinn as Kira and Athrun laughed.

"Is this everyone that's coming to Lacus' ceremony?" Kira asked after a while.

Lunamaria shook her head.

"Nope, Meyrin and a few others will be coming as well. We'll see them shortly. We should probably start heading up towards the waiting room. I think

Ms. Lacus is already waiting for us," she said and winked at Kira.

Kira blushed slightly and followed Lunamaria. Athrun and Shinn laughed and followed. They rarely saw the "ultimate coodinator" blush.

Athrun, Kira, Shinn and Lunamaria stepped into the elevator and were about to head up, when a familiar voice caught their attention.

"Luna! Wait!" a red-headed pig-tailed girl shouted as she ran into the soon-to-be departing elevator.

Lunamaria sighed and held the door open a little longer until her younger sister entered the elevator.

"Meyrin, what took you so long?" Lunamaria asked, "you're rarely ever late."

"I'm sorry," Meyrin replied, while catching her breath, "I was doing some CIC related stuff on the new ship. It sure is something though, it's better than the last-"

Meyrin stopped and noticed that there were two other people with Lunamaria, besides the usual Shinn.

"M-M-Mr. Athrun!" Meyrin shouted excitedly, "what are you doing here?"

"I'm just accompanying Kira to Lacus' ceremony," Athrun said as Kira nodded.

"Oh I see," Meyrin replied as she looked around; she paused before continuing, "where's Ms. Cagalli?"

"She's back on Earth, in ORB," Athrun replied flatly, "there's a lot to do after all the damage that's been done; she's too busy to come to Lacus' ceremony."

Meyrin could tell that Athrun missed Cagalli, but she knew that there isn't anything she could do to cheer Athrun up.

"Oh…I see…well...I-I'm sure she's fine...but...when you see her again, give her my best wishes..." Meyrin said as she took a seat next to her sister and began to talk to her.

Athrun smiled and nodded as he continued talking to Kira. The elevator doors shut and they all headed up towards the waiting room.


A few minutes later, they arrived at the waiting room. As Kira, Athrun, Shinn, Lunamaria and Meyrin stepped out of the elevator, they saw Lacus standing across from them in front of the people who accompanied her. She smiled as she saw the others exit the elevator. She tilted her head slightly to get a good look at Kira in his new ZAFT uniform and immediately ran towards him, while Kira ran towards her. They met in the middle of the room, entangled in a heartwarming embrace. Many people in the room smiled, while a few were confused and surprised by this public display of affection.

"I'm really happy to see you Kira," Lacus said as they both let each other go.

"Same to you," Kira replied and smiled.

Lacus told the people who accompanied her to go on ahead and she'll see them when the ceremony begins. After the members of the PLANT council and the ZAFT military who had accompanied her left, Lacus immediately went to welcome the others who had come with Kira.

"It's nice to see you all again," Lacus said and smiled, "I trust you're all doing well?"

Everyone nodded.

"Are all the preparations for your ceremony complete, Ms. Lacus?" asked Lunamaria.

"Yes, all that's left is the ceremony," Lacus replied as she looked around, "where's Cagalli?"

"She's back in ORB. There's a lot she has to do, so she couldn't come with us," Athrun replied.

"I see," Lacus replied, "so I guess you're representing ORB in her place then?"

Athrun nodded and he said, "She really did want to come, but since her country needed her more, she had no choice but to remain on Earth, but she wishes you all the best."

"That's good to hear," Lacus replied and smiled as she turned to go, "we should get going now; it's not polite if the chairwoman keeps her guests waiting."

Everyone nodded. Lacus, Kira and Athrun went ahead, while Shinn, Lunamaria and Meyrin followed after.

"So by the looks of things, you'll be going back to ORB after this?" Lacus asked Athrun as they were walking.

Shinn, Lunamaria and Meyrin stopped.

"What?!" they all asked in unison, making the three war veterans turn around.

"Y-you're going back to ORB?!" Shinn asked, somewhat angered by this fact.

Athrun nodded.

"But why?" Lunamaria asked, "your home is here, on PLANTS. You're one of us, Athrun. You belong here."

Shinn and Lunamaria stared at Athrun, demanding an answer for his decision. However, Kira and Lacus knew why Athrun was going back to ORB; Meyrin had a slight idea as to why Athrun was doing this.

"Let's just say…" Athrun began, "that...there's something I need to sort out back on ORB."

"That's not a valid reason!" Lunamaria said, "you-"

"Now, now," Kira said, "that's enough questions for Athrun. This is your first order from your supreme commander."

"B-but-" Lunamaria and Shinn said.

"This is Athrun's choice. I'm sure we'll be seeing him again in the future," Kira said.

Lunamaria pouted.

"Fine," she said stubbornly, "let's go Meyrin; we should go make sure everything's ready for Ms. Lacus' ceremony."

"Hm? Oh, uh...yeah," Meyrin said quickly as she left with her sister, "it was nice to see you again Mr. Athrun! Good luck!"

"Thanks Meyrin," Athrun shouted as he watched the two sisters run off.

"I still don't understand why you're going back to ORB," Shinn said, with a hint of disappointment and confusion in his voice.

He saluted everyone and ran after the Hawke sisters. Athrun watched as Shinn disappeared and sighed. He turned to Kira and Lacus.

"Thanks for the save, Kira," Athrun said, grateful for what his friend had done.

"No problem," Kira said as they entered the big coronation hall.


The ceremony that stated Lacus as the new chairwoman went by smoothly, with no interruptions whatsoever. Everyone on the PLANT supreme council, the ZAFT military and even the citizens of PLANTS (who were watching the entire coronation on television) welcomed Lacus with open arms. They were all glad that their pink-haired princess has finally returned to PLANTS. Everyone was looking forward to a peaceful future between Naturals and Coordinators, with no war in sight. After the ceremony, the three friends headed to the spaceport to see Athrun off. Shinn, Lunamaria and Meyrin came along as well.

"So, this is it," Lacus said to Athrun, "take care. I wish you all the best, both you and Cagalli. Make sure you two come by for a visit."

Athrun nodded as he hugged Lacus, "Same to you, make sure you come by ORB sometime. Take care of yourself Lacus and good luck."

"Take care of Cagalli, alright," Kira said, "if you make her cry…well...make sure you say your prayers."

Athrun laughed, "Don't worry Kira, I won't make Cagalli cry again; you can count on it. Besides, I know what will happen if I do...If Cagalli can't finish me off, you'll be next in line to do so."

Kira laughed as he and Athrun shook hands. Athrun turned and walked towards Shinn, Lunamaria and Meyrin, who were standing far from Kira and Lacus.

"You all take care now and good luck," Athrun said as he shook each of their hands, "and Meyrin, thank you again."

"I-it was nothing, really, Mr. Athrun," Meyrin said, a little embarassed, "take care of yourself...and good luck."

Athrun nodded as he turned to leave. He picked up his briefcase, gave a quick nod to Kira and Lacus and floated off towards the spaceship that was heading to ORB. Kira and Lacus watched Athrun leave, smiling, while Shinn, Lunamaria and Meyrin were saddened with Athrun's sudden departure.

"I still don't understand why he's going back to ORB," Shinn said.

"I know," Lunamaria said as Kira and Lacus headed back to the car.

"Hey, you three," Kira yelled, "we'll leave without you if you don't hurry up."

"Oh! Uh…We'll be there in a few minutes sir!" Shinn yelled back to Kira as he turned to the Hawke sisters, "you coming?"

Lunamaria laughed at Shinn's reaction to Kira's "order".

"Yeah, we'll catch up in a minute, I need to talk to Meyrin about something, sister to sister," she said to Shinn.

"Alright then," Shinn said as he ran after the couple ahead of him. Lunamaria turned to Meyrin.

"Hey Meyrin," Lunamaria asked her younger sister, "are you going to be okay with this?"

"Hm?" Meyrin asked, "what do you mean Luna?"

"You know…Athrun leaving and all..." Lunamaria said, "I know you like him."

Meyrin blushed, "W-what are you talking about big sis?!"

"Come on, I know you have a crush on him, maybe even like him; you did all that just because you like him, didn't you?" Lunamaria asked.

Meyrin nodded slowly, "B-but I had to do what I had to do. I didn't know why he was being pursued, but I just felt that I had to help him. Not because I like him...okay maybe I do like him…a little, but...somehow...I-I knew I had to help him, but it wasn't for my benefit...but..."

"But?" Lunamaria asked.

"But..." Meyrin said, "it's nothing. Anyways, I'll be okay, don't worry Luna. I'll be fine."

Lunamaria looked at her sister, "Alright then. Come on, we should get going."

"Okay, but…I want to get something to drink first, I'll catch up in a bit," Meyrin said as she ran off towards a vending machine.

Lunamaria looked at her sister; she knew Athrun leaving was bothering her, but she didn't know what else to say. She knew Meyrin was telling the truth; she knew that she'll be okay. But, she felt that Meyrin was hiding something from her. Lunamaria shrugged, and walked off towards the car that was waiting for them.


Meyrin picked up the soda from the vending machine, opened it and took a sip. She was right; she was going to be okay. She only liked Athrun because of his rank and how famous he was when he was in ZAFT; she didn't like Athrun for Athrun, like Cagalli does. She knew the reason why Athrun left. She knew that Athrun had someone else that he loved, and she had won her place rightfully in his heart: Cagalli Yula Athha. Meyrin knew something was going on between them ever since they first set foot on the Minerva, even before it was revealed that Cagalli's bodyguard was the famous Athrun Zala. She remembered Athrun and Cagalli's long talk back in the infirmary on the Archangel and that confirmed their relationship. Even though she was sick with a fever that time, Meyrin couldn't help but overhear their conversation. It hurt her a lot inside, but if it was just a simple crush, then why did it hurt her so much? It hurt her because she knew who Athrun had feelings for. It hurt her now that she knew that her feelings for Athrun were never going to be returned. But when she saw the tears in Cagalli's eyes when she met her face-to-face for the first time, Meyrin realized that Cagalli really loved Athrun, maybe more than she did herself. If Cagalli lost him, it'd really tear her apart.

Flashback
Meyrin had grabbed everything she needed for her trip to outer space with the Archangel. She left her room and headed to the bridge. On her way there, she met up with Cagalli, who was leaving. Both of them stopped, and met eye-to-eye. Cagalli looked away for a bit, but then found the courage to say what she wanted to say, despite how much she didn't like it.

"I hear you're planning to go with them?" Cagalli asked.

Meyrin looked down at the ground, not really wanting to talk to Cagalli, her "rival". She looked a bit sad, but managed to reply, "Um…yes."

Cagalli nodded and there was a long pause.

"Take care…of Athrun…" Cagalli said; it was very difficult for her to say it.

Meyrin looked up, shocked. "Huh?"

"I can't go with you guys," Cagalli continued saying, "but…I'll pray for you."

She couldn't believe that Cagalli said that. Why would she leave Athrun to her? However, she wished she didn't see the sadness and tears forming in Cagalli's eyes as she walked by her and left the Archangel. It made Meyrin feel guilty and she didn't like it. That was when she realized that Athrun was very important to Cagalli, just like how Cagalli was important to Athrun. If either of them lost each other, it would hurt a lot. She couldn't bear to see Athrun, or anyone else, sad anymore. She remembered how troubled Athrun was most of the time back on the Minerva and she didn't want to see him like that again. She promised herself that she will take care of Athrun for Cagalli, so they can be reunited again and have the happy ending that they truly deserve.
End Flashback

"Thank you Ms. Cagalli, for letting me be with Athrun in your place for a short time. I wish you both the best!"

Meyrin threw the empty soda can into the recycling and ran off to where the others were waiting, smiling.


Meanwhile, on the soon-to-be departing space ship, Athrun looked at the star-filled sky and smiled. He glanced down at the object he was holding. It was the Haumea stone necklace that Cagalli gave him a while ago, after the "I killed Kira" incident. He clasped it tightly before putting it back around his neck. He knew this was the right choice for him. He will soon be reunited with his beloved once again.

Back to where Kira, Lacus, Shinn, Lunamaria and Meyrin were, Shinn and Lunamaria were in a heated arguement.

"But why would Athrun leave?" Shinn asked.

"I don't know, okay Shinn! Geez…you're being annoying...let's just drop this okay," Lunamaria replied desperately.

"Now, now you two," Lacus interrupted, "let's just leave Athrun out of this. This is his decision after all. Besides, we'll be seeing him again, no worries."

"Just as Lacus says, we will see him again. We will be seeing something once Athrun arrives in ORB in a few hours," Kira said.

Lacus giggled, while Shinn, Lunamaria and Meyrin stood still, confused. They didn't understand what Kira meant by that.