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Would I still be with Lacus if I hadn't met you and hadn't piloted the Strike? Would she still be alive in the first place? When I collected her life pod, I was kinda reprimanded. I'm not sure someone else, an EF soldier, would've done the same. Well, I guess Mwu-san would've.

However, I don't think he would've ever set her free. He was a proper soldier after all. Not like me. Even I mightn't have done it if she hadn't been Athrun's fiancée. I didn't do it just because I felt bad about taking her hostage. I didn't want to take someone important away from him, especially after hearing about his mother's death.

But Mwu-san wouldn't have had such a reason. Then, Lacus would've been taken to an EF base, and used as a pawn for negotiation. She could've been harmed, and killed at worst.

Would we have even met? We could've, if I'd seen Athrun again in a different situation after the war, though it's likely they'd already have gotten married by then.

I'm not sure if we would've still come to love each other the way we do now, if we would've still chosen to be together. We would've definitely liked each other. But would the feelings have grown into love? Would she have left Athrun for me even if they were married? Would I have stolen my childhood friend's wife? Would we have gone that far?

Honestly, I don't know. I wouldn't say it's impossible. But I can't be certain we would've chosen each other even then. We might've ended up being just good friends and content with it.

Do you think you would've ended up with Athrun no matter what? Do you think he's your soul mate or something like that? Do you believe there's only one person you're meant to be with?

I don't believe that. I don't really think I would've ended up with Lacus no matter how our lives'd turned out. It's not like I don't love her. You know I do. It's just, as I said before, I don't think fate is the one that creates our future. I don't think everything that happened was meant to happen no matter what and we could've never prevented them.

As glad as I am I'm with her, I believe it's the consequence of our choices. My choices and her choices. Fate, or gods or stars, didn't decide we'd be together. We chose to be. And that's why we're happy and our relationship's important to us.

You and Athrun probably feel the same way, and much more strongly than I do, I guess. After all, you've gone through a lot more than we have. Like the matter of the ring Athrun gave you just before the Second War.

When you took it off, I didn't get why. I knew you and Athrun still loved each other, but I wasn't completely sure you were all right until I saw you hug each other tightly. You got me worried.

But not Athrun. It's actually interesting. Usually, he's far from optimistic, and yet he seems pretty confident when it comes to you. I wonder if that's because you two are very lovey-dovey when no one's around? If so, I'm curious and wanna see how you act...on second thought, maybe I don't.

I'm not sure I really wanna see it with my own eyes. I mean, you're my sister after all. Sure, it's not like we grew up together, and I never really felt like chasing men away from you. I'm pretty sure Athrun wants to do it at least ten times more than I do. And it's not like I mind him being affectionate with you. I'm totally okay with you two being a couple.

Still, I don't think I wanna see you making out with him. Well, most people don't wanna see other people making out. But it's different. It feels so...awkward. Much more awkward than seeing someone else do it.

Well, anyway, now I know why you took off the ring, and I agree it was the right decision. It's not like I'm a relationship expert, but being together means much more than loving each other. It's not easy to stay in a relationship even when both of you love each other, I suppose. Sometimes you want different things in your lives. Sometimes you want different kinds of future, different kinds of life. ...Sometimes you just can't be happy with someone you love.

Being with someone you love doesn't guarantee your happiness. Sometimes it seems even like the opposite. Sometimes it seems like, and perhaps it is, what ruins your happiness, and in turn their happiness because we can't be happy when our loved ones aren't. And vice versa.

We are two different persons with different wishes. And sometimes, being ourselves means you have to go separate ways. Because you can't be happy otherwise. You can't reach where you wanna go, reach your happiness, if you choose a wrong way due to your fear of parting with someone you love.

So I understand you needed to do it, to correct your mistake, to protect your happiness, and Athrun's. But it must've been painful. It takes a lot of strength and courage to let go of someone you love even if you know it's necessary for your happiness. I'm proud of you for facing up to such a tough decision, sis.

And I would've supported you and Athrun even if you'd chosen to go separate ways. I would've been happy for you if you'd found someone else you could be happy with.

That said, I'm glad you didn't choose that way. I'm glad you're still together. I love both of you and want you to be happy even if separately. I'm happy as long as you're happy. But when you're happy together, well, I'm definitely happier.

You may say the same thing if I tell you about my hesitation to get into a relationship with Lacus. You probably didn't notice it, did you? I never told anyone about it, even Lacus.

When the First War ended, I wasn't mentally and emotionally prepared for a new relationship. Not just because of the war, but also because of my history with Fllay.

So much happened between us. Our relationship—which we probably wouldn't have had if I hadn't piloted the Strike—wasn't exactly a good one or a peaceful one. We started it for rather wrong reasons, made mistakes, hurt each other. But still, I cared about her. And I believe she still cared about me, too. I really wish we'd been able to meet and talk again like we promised when we met last. I don't know how our relationship would've become. But whatever kind it was, we could've had a better relationship, I'm sure. Maybe we could be good lifelong friends.

But we never had a chance. Because I failed to protect her even though I should have, I could have. She was just right there, in front of me. We were so close. Yet, I couldn't save her life.

Her smile I saw at the last moment made her death even more unbearable. It was genuine. I felt she was truly happy to see me. I felt we could finally face each other fully, all the good and the bad, and talk heart to heart, which we'd never done. I felt she wanted to do it as much as I did. I felt some kind of connection, like she understood me and I could understand her. Like we finally had something real.

Then, next instant, she was ripped away from me.

Everything that could've happened between us. Everything that we could've become. All possibilities were gone in a blink of an eye, taken away from me, and it was so...painful. Maybe it was wrong of me to want to avenge her despite knowing the harm of hatred and revenge. But I couldn't help it. I couldn't forgive Raww Le Klueze, and I killed him.

However, I still couldn't find closure. My feelings for her, my words I hadn't been able to tell her, her words I hadn't been able to get to hear, our relationship, our faults. Everything was left up in the air. I was left up in the air, unable to go anywhere.

I didn't wanna be romantically involved with anyone again at least for a while. I couldn't. All I wanted was peace, and getting into a new relationship was hardly a peaceful thing to do. I even couldn't really think about my future, what I was going to do with my life. Much less start a new relationship and a new life. Having another relationship seemed too much for me to handle. Especially with Lacus.

Being with her was soothing, peaceful. I didn't wanna disturb the peace. I guess I was afraid of changing the nature of our relationship, us becoming something new and different. Well, I was basically afraid, or at least reluctant, to change any part of my life. But probably even more so when it came to my relationship with her. I was more or less satisfied with what I had, and didn't want more.

Not to mention a change involves risks. I didn't wanna risk my friendship with her. I thought I might lose her even as a friend if we became lovers and then it didn't work out. I didn't want that.

Another thing that made me reluctant was the kind of life and future I'd likely have with her. I wasn't sure if I could stand what a life with her meant, or if I wanted it in the first place.

Every time the idea of becoming her boyfriend crossed my mind, I couldn't help but worry about what'd happen if she decided to go back to PLANT someday, whether as an idol or a politician. Even if I'd remained an ordinary citizen of Orb, it would've been possible the media'd find out about me and my life'd be disturbed. Probably I wouldn't be able to steer clear of the spotlight, have a peaceful, ordinary life, I was afraid.

And assuming she forever gives up being a singer and a politician for the sake of our relationship...will it be really good for her? Will it really make her happy to abandon her dream and her duty? Will it really make me happy? Can we be happy that way? Isn't it better for both of us to stay friends? I couldn't find the answers.

I didn't know what I wanted. I couldn't figure out the way I wanted to go. I didn't wanna think about it even.

So I just turned a blind eye to my feelings for her, and her feelings for me. I know it was kinda cruel to her. But I needed to protect myself and take care of myself first. As sorry as I am I must've hurt her by that attitude, I still believe it was necessary for me. I don't think we could've had a good outcome if I'd jumped into something I wasn't ready for. Maybe she knew it. Maybe that's why she let me have the time and space I needed without pushing me.

After we were attacked by the ZAFT special team and left Orb, we became a bit closer. Or maybe I should say we returned to how we were in the end of the previous war. We were clearly more than friends. My life turned less peaceful; I was less afraid of getting involved and more open to changes. Also, the attack made me worry about her and wanna be around her more strongly than before. The incident acutely reminded me of the fear of losing someone I loved.

However, I still avoided making things clear between us, giving a clear definition to our relationship. I liked her. I cared about her. I loved her. I didn't wanna lose her. That much, I was sure of. But I wasn't sure I was ready to change our relationship to a more intimate one. I searched for answers, thought more seriously about what kind of life and future I wanted, but I was mostly focusing on the present, protecting the people I cared about and getting back peace. Peace for me, for her, for everyone.

But then, she decided to leave the Archangel for space, which made me quite restless. Not just because it was dangerous and I was feeling I had to protect her. It didn't sit well with me she was gonna leave my side. I was so used to having her around. Maybe too used to it. I wanted her to stay with me. Or I wanted to go with her.

Yet she didn't let me, and she was right. It wasn't what I had to do then. Or what I really wanted to do even. I wasn't really thinking about my action and probably would've regretted it if I'd left you and the Archangel with no protection.

I was just afraid of parting with her. I guess I was a bit obsessed with her, or more like with protecting her. Or protecting anyone. I was partly driven by fear. I was scared of failing to protect someone I cared about again. I felt I had to be strong and stick with them.

However, I shouldn't let my fear control me. I had to face my anxiety and deal with it instead of clinging to her blindly and abandoning everything else including other people that mattered to me, abandoning my responsibility again.

I had to follow through on my decision. Even if it meant having to part with her. Like you had to follow through on your decision even if it pissed Athrun off. We had to fight through the battle we'd decided we should fight, not giving up.

That's why, by the way, I told you you had to go before we headed for Crete. I knew you wanted to make another attempt to stop the Orb forces and protect the soldiers, but hesitated because of what Athrun'd said, and maybe of what he'd say, too. You were doubting yourself, your decision, your judgement again, like you had when in Orb. At the same time, though, you still wanted to go. I could see it. And I knew that you should believe in yourself. That you should do what you felt was best for you and what you thought you should do, even if there were objections. Even if it was Athrun who's objecting.

You shouldn't just abandon your goals or wishes because it causes some disturbances in your relationships, right? Although I learned that mostly through my relationships with my friends, especially during the First War, I'm sure it's the same with a romantic relationship.

If you give up what you truly wanna do because of your partner or friend, I don't think it'll be good for the relationship anyway. Or if you do something you truly don't wanna do just because you feel you have to do it for them.

Sure, we sometimes do what we don't exactly wanna do or give up doing what we wanna do because of someone we love. But it's different, isn't it? We do that because we'll be happier that way. Because those things are what we can bear even if it's not easy. Because it's not what really matters to us in the end.

But I don't think it'd make you happy if you did a similar thing about what really matters to you. It'd just ruin your relationship with the person. More than arguments or a long distance would.

There're some wishes we can't give up on, some lines we can't bear crossing, some boundaries we need to protect. And that's who we are. If you can't be who you are with your friend, how can you feel comfortable around them? If you can't be who you are with your partner, how can you have a happy life together?

We have to protect who we are, protect ourselves. Otherwise, we can't protect what we care about. We can't make those we love, those who love us, happy. Right?

And having some distance was good for me and Lacus, or at least for me. I think I needed to spend some time away from her to get ready for the relationship with her.

I needed to realize I could do fine without her and yet, I still wanted her to be here with me. Not because I didn't know what to do without her. Not because I had no one else to turn to. Not because I wanted my surroundings to remain unchanged including having her around. But simply because I wanted to be with her.

But it was only when I heard about the Eternal being pursued by ZAFT and thought I might lose her forever that I truly realized how much she meant to me. She'd always been around me, giving me what I needed. Comfort or words or power. She'd helped me heal from the wounds of the First War. Not that she was the only one. Many other people had as well. But she'd given me such a great help, devoting a lot of time and effort to caring for me, even as much as my mom had. She'd been there for me, patiently waiting for me to recover. And I wanted to be there for her, too. I wanted to protect her myself rather than entrusting the job to someone else.

At that time, I also realized the value of my power. What had always made me suffer about it was I had the power I didn't want; it caused me to do something I didn't really wanna do because I had the power to do it. The source of my suffering'd always been having power.

I'd been reluctant to get involved in fighting again partly because I didn't wanna think about my power, which led my thoughts to what I was, what the man—the man who fathered me and you—had done to create me.

He made me this way. He made me good at fighting. He made me have the power I'd never asked for. I don't know what he was expecting of me, and I don't care. Even if I knew, I wouldn't try to live up to it. I don't even want to think about him. I never did. But my abilities, my power, made me do it.

And I was afraid of my power. I wanted to believe my power wasn't everything about me. I knew those I loved—my parents, you, Lacus, Athrun, and my other friends—understood it. I knew you cared about me just because I was myself, not because I had power, not because I was an Ultimate Coordinator. I knew your love for me would be no different whether I was an ordinary person who had no power or the only Ultimate Coordinator who had strong power.

Besides, even though my power wasn't everything, it was still a part of me. No matter how much I didn't like it. My being an Ultimate Coordinator or my history as the pilot of the Freedom as well. I couldn't keep denying them. I knew it deep down.

Still, I hated my power. I hated using it. Sometimes...no, for the longest time after I'd learned about our biological parents, I hated myself. The care and love you all gave me made it easier for me to deal with my self-hatred. It greatly healed me. Even with that, however, I had to struggle hard to accept my power, accept myself just as I was.

Ironically, as much as I hate fighting, it's also one of the things that helped me. Without my power, I couldn't have protected the people I cared about. I couldn't have helped you. I couldn't have defended myself. I couldn't have contributed to restoring peace. No matter how much I didn't like my power, I had to admit it allowed me to do what I wanted to.

When I lost to Shinn, I was unsettled because I no longer had a mobile suit of my own and therefore no longer could use my power. At least not as well as I could with the Freedom. Contrary to my suffering in the past, I was suffering from not having power. I was anxious if anyone attacked the Archangel now, I probably wouldn't be able to protect you guys.

As hard as it is to have the power I don't want, it'd be even harder, probably the hardest, to be unable to do anything even though I really wanna do something. You can't choose whether or not to use your power if you don't have power to begin with.

And it was coming true. I thought I couldn't even try to rescue the Eternal without my own mobile suit. I was frightened that the same thing was happening again. That another person I loved'd die without our promise to meet again being fulfilled. That I was failing again.

It was then that I truly appreciated the importance of having power. It was probably the first time I really craved for power. Even when given the Freedom, I hadn't wanted it as much.

Then, Athrun and you and the Archangel crew gave me power. He encouraged me to leave the Archangel, which I was a little afraid of doing for I was also worried about your safety. You let me use your mobile suit so I had a means to do what I wanted to. The crew gave me their full support so I could fight, could protect, as well as possible.

Well, okay, you didn't exactly let me borrow the Strike Rouge. I kinda just took it after asking, without waiting for your response. But I knew you'd say yes, so I just saved time. It was an emergency situation, after all. And I'm sorry I got it broken and couldn't return it to you. I know you weren't happy about it as glad as you were that Lacus and the others were okay. But hey, it was worth the sacrifice, wasn't it? Thanks to the Rouge, I was in time to save the Eternal.

I was happy that they were all right. That Lacus was all right. I wasn't too late. I didn't fail. I made it this time. She was alive and just there and still loving me. She'd always loved me even during the time I was running away from our feelings. And I felt more strongly I loved her. I was reminded how fortunate we were to be able to meet and talk again, which we tend to forget at peaceful times.

When she showed me the Strike Freedom, I was grateful to have it. Grateful I had my power, the ability to pilot a mobile suit. Probably for the first time, I was glad I could fight again.

And I realized I was ready. I knew my battle, what I should fight against and how, how I wanna live my life. I was prepared to fight, to keep fighting. Not just militarily. I knew now I could try for a new relationship, for a new life even if it meant I'd face big changes. I was ready to move on.

I had my power. I had my feelings, my wishes I wanted to achieve through fighting and my will to fight.

Maybe I should thank you? Since fighting along with you, supporting your fight, prepared me for fighting along with her. It made me realize as much as I didn't like engaging in battles, war, or politics, I could put up with it if it was necessary to protect my loved ones. It gave me confidence I was able to stand that kind of life. Without you, it could've taken longer for me to prepare myself. Or my relationship with Lacus might've turned out differently.

It's strange that fighting, what I hate, somehow led me to the happiness I have now. And it's funny only one encounter seems to be able to change our life so much, isn't it? The day we met, we didn't spend much time together. Less than thirty minutes. We didn't exchange many words, even our names. Or we didn't at all before I followed you. It was such a brief encounter and yet, it changed so many things. Not just the things in our lives.

Say, what would've happened to Orb if you'd died that day? Would Uzumi-san still have sent the Kusanagi to space, choosing someone else as their leader? Would the Archangel still have gone to Orb after it deserted the EF? What would've happened to Orb, to the world, after the First War?

Would we have still been able to stop the Destiny Plan? If we hadn't had you on our side, we wouldn't have had the backing of Orb. The Archangel and the Eternal would've had to fight alone. We couldn't have had enough military power to match ZAFT. Lacus probably couldn't have had a chance to expose Mr. Dullindal's scheme.

I doubt we still could've succeeded. Maybe the plan would've been carried out. I don't know what we'd be doing in such a world even if we were alive. Would we keep hiding and running, trying to avoid being controlled by the plan? Would Athrun have accepted following Mr. Dullindal and living under the plan? Maybe with the Meer girl still pretending to be Lacus, his fiancée? If he hadn't met you, he might've contended himself with such a life, I suppose.

Lacus might've resisted the plan and gotten killed or forced to go under hiding. Or she'd have accepted the plan? She might've if it allowed her to have a peaceful life, which she wants as much as I do. With Athrun or me or someone else.

Maybe I would've accepted the plan, too, if it'd been before I piloted a mobile suit, or before I found out the truth of my birth. ...No, even then, I might've still done so. I might've ended up being like Rey.

Not that I know much about how he was. I didn't really meet him or talk with him. Only briefly. From what I witnessed and what I've heard from Shinn and Lunamaria, though, I feel I can understand him to an extent. He probably believed that what his genes said about him was everything. That he was what someone who'd created him or something like fate'd decided for him to be, nothing else. That he was Raww Le Klueze, not Rey, because he was the man's clone.

I might've believed something like that myself. Or I might've hated this world and wanted to end it like Raw Le Klueze did, believing humans and this world were so hopeless and didn't deserve to exist anymore. If something'd gone differently in my life, I might've done what they did.

But I didn't. Probably I was simply luckier than they were. Maybe the only difference between me and them is I had you, all of you who loved me. And I loved you.

Murrue-san once said we could love the world because we had the people we cared about. I completely and wholeheartedly agree with her. When I learned about how I was created, I felt maybe I shouldn't have been born. During the final battle of the First War, I didn't even know if I wanted to survive. I'd taken many lives. I'd caused many people to die. On top of that, I might've been created to do just that, created as a weapon. As something that caused conflicts. Something that shouldn't exist.

But still, I was willing to fight. Not just because I felt I owed ending the war to those I'd killed. I also wanted to protect this world. It's here that my loved ones live, and that alone was enough reason for me to want this world to go on so you could keep living. Even if I wouldn't be there.

I couldn't protect Tolle. I couldn't protect Fllay. There're many more people I couldn't protect. And many people I killed. Yet I still had many people I wanted to protect. So I fought.

Then, after the battle ended, floating in space, I was feeling like I wanted to disappear now. I knew I was gonna die if I didn't do anything, but I couldn't find the strength to struggle to survive. I didn't really have hope for me, for my future. I thought it wasn't so bad to die, or even it might be better for me to die. My life, my sins, my origin, felt so heavy and unbearable, and I wanted to be relieved from the burdens. From all this suffering. All this pain. I just wanted to be gone, leaving such a painful time and place behind.

However, you and Athrun came to me.

Closing my eyes, I can still recall vividly the sight of the half-broken Strike Rouge. And your smiles. Your tears. You looked so happy.

You were happy because I was alive. Because you loved me and wanted me to live, wanted me with you. And I felt happy to see you as well. Happy you were alive and here and loving me. Seeing your faces, I started to feel glad I was still here in this universe, here with you. I thought, maybe, just maybe, it wasn't so bad to keep living even if this universe was so full of pain; it might be worth it if it meant I could still be with you. Even if it was just a fleeting moment, I was filled with happiness while hugging you and Athrun and being hugged by you.

Then we returned to the Eternal, and Lacus, Murrue-san, Miri, Ssigh, and the others welcomed me back with genuine happiness, too. Not to mention my parents when we went back to Orb.

Your love is what made me really realize Lacus's words were true. Everyone has a place in this world because we were born here. Because we are here. We belong to it. And it belongs to us, all of us. We're all entitled to live as a part of this world, and therefore, we're all responsible for it.

No one person should be allowed to control the world or end it just as they please. You shouldn't just give up on the entire humanity and decide the destiny of the entire world, no matter how much misery you've experienced. Decide we better be all dead, literally or figuratively.

Sure, we're not perfect. Not at all. We make mistakes. We do wrong. We hurt each other. We hate each other. But also, we love each other. We try to protect each other. We try to do right. We try to make up for our mistakes. We try to understand each other. We try to be a better person.

Because we know. We know we have weaknesses, so we can make an effort to manage them and grow. We know we don't know everything, so we can make an effort to learn, understand better, and make a wiser choice. We know our mistakes, so we can make an effort to not repeat them, to do better this time.

And we can. We can understand each other. We can accept each other. We can change. Humans may be capable of destroying the world, making this universe full of wrongness and pain. Humans may be greedy and stupid. However, I don't believe it's all we are, all we can do. I don't believe there's no hope.

We're capable of protecting the world and making this universe a better place, too. We can do differently. We can be different. We can choose a different way. We can create a happy future while being humans, being people with desires, with dreams.

As much as I hadn't been able to let Raww Le Klueze end this world, I couldn't accept what Mr. Dullindal was trying to turn this world into: a world where everyone's forced to live in accordance solely with their genes and abilities. In accordance with what we are and what we can do, nothing else.

Mr. Dullindal had a point. Our desires're certainly dangerous, endangering our future. But still, we can't just stop living, just continuing to exist without wanting anything. Just fulfilling the role given to us, with our will and wishes being squashed. Just as a vessel of our power. That's not a life.

You can't just cut people into pieces, their abilities and their will and wishes, and discard the part you don't want. The part you don't like. We can't become just one component whose only purpose is to allow the world to function. As much as I wanna protect this world, humans don't exist for the world, right? The place humans live is the world. If we stop living, what kind of world would there be?

I didn't want such a thing. I wanted something different. I wanted tomorrow. I didn't want to end. I wanted to live. I didn't want to give up.

Therefore, I chose to remain the pilot of the Freedom—the Strike Freedom instead of going back to an ordinary person. I chose to remain a soldier instead of going back to a civilian. I chose to do my part in creating the future I wished for this time, fulfill my duty to this world. Not because I had to. Not because I was told to. Not just because I could do it. But because I thought I should do it and I wanted to do it.

You chose to fight. Athrun chose to fight. Lacus chose to fight. And I did as well.

However, it's not to say I chose not to be just Kira anymore. I still am. I've always been, and I'll always be.

Like you're still just Cagalli even though you're also Representative Athha, or the Lioness of Orb. Like Lacus's still just Lacus even though she's also Ambassador Clyne-Yamato, or the Songstress of Peace. Like Athrun's still just Athrun even though he's also a warrior, or Admiral Zala.

A pilot. A soldier. A politician. A noble. An idol. Those are our roles. Although just fulfilling a role isn't living, it doesn't mean we shouldn't play a role if we wanna live. We can, and we do. What's important is how we do it, why we do it.

Sometimes, we feel we have to give up being just ourself to fill the role. But it's not true, is it? We need to be ourself, with our own will and feelings. Our role's only a part of us, like our power. Power is just power. A role is just a role. We are the one to use it, in order to make our dreams come true.

We can't change what we are. We probably can't change who we are, either. And it may not be possible for us to change our roles or positions. But we can change how we live. We can decide what kind of person we become, or at least try to become, and what kind of life we'll have.

We can be just a puppet. We can be just a tool. We can just let someone or something control us. We can just let them decide our path and dictate our life. It may be easier.

Or we can be ourself, a person. Which we are. We can choose to live as ourself. We can choose to decide our own destiny. That's the power we have. The power everyone has. Not just me and you and Lacus and Athrun and our comrades.

We're not special. I don't think we're the only ones who could do what we did. It's possible things wouldn't have changed much even if all of us'd died. Even if we hadn't gotten involved. Even if we'd never been born even. Maybe the wars would've ended anyway. Maybe the Destiny Plan would've been stopped anyway. Maybe some other people would've stood up and fought because they thought there was no one else to do the job or something. Maybe they could've done what we did in a better way.

We're not different from everyone else. We're just one person even if we have some extraordinary power or position. Whatever our status is. However we were born. Whether Coordinator or Natural, or Ultimate Coordinator or clone, we are just one of the many lives that exist in this universe. Nothing more. Nothing less.

So we live. We fight. We try. We just keep doing it without giving up, no matter how many times we fail or our efforts are blown away. We pick up the pieces and continue, helping each other do it. It's tough and sometimes devastating. I've been struggling and suffering. I know you have, too. Everyone does. And probably we always will.

There're still so many things we don't know yet. So many things we may never know. So many things we may never understand. Probably our search'll never end. Our suffering'll never end. No matter how hard we try, maybe there's so little we can do. So little we can change.

Nevertheless, it's still worth doing. No matter how small, the changes we make, the steps we take are meaningful and worthwhile. And necessary for preventing the world from coming to an end.

Even though many horrible things happened and are happening, this world is still worth protecting. Despite all these misery we endure, our life is still worth living, worth fighting for. With all our weaknesses and flaws, we are still worth existing.

Because our fingers can do a lot more than pull the trigger to avenge, like planting flowers to grieve and remember, like taking hands to forgive and live together. Our hearts are capable of not only hating but also loving and caring. Our eyes can see something other than hatred, like goodness and hope. Even if we can't do it now, if we keep trying, keep believing, keep fighting, we surely can someday. Maybe tomorrow.

Because we're not alone.

That is what I believe.

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