Here's chapter 6 and I hope you guys like it. Its more of a lay back chapter as the next one will be going into some main events from Destiny. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and likes. Please keep on reviewing as I am really interested on what everybody thinks of this story so far.
So please review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/Gundam Seed Destiny
Chapter 6
Waiting...
Weeks dragged by since the abduction of Orb's reluctant princess. Crew members were anxious for anything new or exciting to occur, after their initial introduction back into the world. Nothing happened. The waiting game continued on.
As it became obvious no one was coming after them, the crew of the famous or to some the infamous Archangel, it was a time to calculate their pathway. For the adults, it was a peaceful time to rest and figure where their opponents were. For the three teens aboard, it was a game that they wanted to both end and continue on.
Though every member of the crew felt united again and ready to fight for their shared future; everyone appeared to have their own agenda.
Top mechanic, Murdoch, grinned as he shuffled another hand of cards. To his fellow mechanics, they all believed he had the utter confidence that he was going to win the next hand. Instead Murdoch's thoughts were entertained by how much time the brown-haired teen was spending working on his mobile suit.
When the Archangel was revived, the kid was obvious with his undesirable attitude about piloting the gundam again. Murdoch chuckled quietly to himself about how it didn't take another full day before Kira was drawn back to his machine. Now everyday he was always working on pieces here and there, hardly being separated from the machine for long periods.
Unless he was distracted by the one person who could hold his attention forever.
"You don't seem too interested in the game, Murdoch. And here I thought you had a good hand."
Pulled from his thoughts, the older mechanic grinned at Arnold Neumann, who usually never left the bridge. Yet, with nothing going on, the mechanics managed to convince him to a game of cards as a distraction. After all, one person could only stare out into the endless ocean for so long.
"Hey, I'm paying attention. Especially since I'm beating all of you," In response he got a couple of eye rolls and some scoffing. Ignoring the others, Murdoch drew another card. "I'm just amazed how resilient that kid is. First he wants nothing to do with the Freedom and now he can't leave it alone."
"Yeah. Sometimes I can't understand what's going through Kira's mind." Arnold nodded in agreement.
"Maybe he's trying to get away from those 'princesses'." Another mechanic remarked, oblivious of the glares from the rest of the group.
Murdoch sighed, understanding to what his partner was referring to. The 'princesses' referred to both the princess of Orb and the pink princess. Both young women were pressed onto the Archangel for different reasons and yet they were both similar in ways of being trapped underwater inside the ship. He mentally winced remembering all the arguments Cagalli brought up after her initial abduction, and even two weeks later she still showed some irritation at her only sibling.
Lacus, on the other hand, was kind and polite as always. She was willing to help anywhere she was needed, but seemed to be held back by Kira from overworking herself more than the other princess. Though she was in the safest place possible, miles below sea-level, it was quite obvious the brown-haired teen was still fixated with her safety.
"I don't think he wants to get away from them," Murdoch grumbled as he threw down his worthless hand of cards. "I just think he has enough on his plate like last time." He would have gone into further detail, but at that moment the initial person they were discussing passed by seemingly distracted in his own world.
Watching the kid wandered off the dock the older man couldn't help but feel pity for the teen. After all he was facing the world again, and like before he didn't seem to have a choice in the matter.
Feeling the constant side glances on him, Kira straightened his shoulders and continued on. He had heard Murdoch's conversation with Arnold and the others, but couldn't find the strength to face them now.
I don't even know how I really view our current circumstances. Maybe I was being selfish putting everyone in dangers way in order to protect Cagalli. Maybe I am being cowardly hiding Lacus away from the rest of the world.
"I don't know what I want," He whispered to himself. Finding himself alone in one of the hallways, Kira allowed his strength diminish as he leaned against the wall.
After his sister's rescue, Kira found himself bottling in most of his emotions except when Cagalli pushed him the wrong way. He knew he had to be strong, not just for his sister or Lacus. He had to be strong for himself.
Otherwise I won't be able to protect anyone next time I pilot the Freedom he thought grimily.
Though he wanted to spend some time catching up with his twin, he found her being constantly in mood swings. Sometimes she was as angry as possible about his decisions or she was depressed of her weakness against Orb's council.
Mr. Murdoch must have been joking about me hiding from her, Kira thought with a hint of contentment. Though some days I wish I could.
The one thing he had to agree on with Murdoch's conversation was that he was pushed back to his gundam. After two years of not being in contact with the mobile suit, Kira found it strange he could pilot it so well again. His unbroken, advance skills were tested again when he saved Cagalli. And it proved he was still the 'ultimate pilot'.
Yet, after initially refusing being near the gundam unless in the time of crisis, Kira was drawn back again to the suit with piercing eyes. After a few days of ignoring the urge to check up on the gundam and Lacus' pushing subtly, Kira finally sat down in the cockpit once again.
To him, it felt as sort as an empowerment of strength. He was given the chance to protect those dear to him and help set the world back on the right path.
With renewed strength and determination Kira found himself sitting in that seat every day, working away and reconnecting with his Freedom. The teen hoped that no one would question him about his sudden change in demeanor toward the machine. In truth, he wouldn't be able to give them an answer.
Deep in thought, Kira didn't notice the heavy footsteps behind him until an arm locked around his neck. Shocked and surprised, he glanced behind him to find Andrew, a wide grin plastered on his face.
"Mr. Waltfeld?"
"Geez, kid. What do you think you're doing just standing in the middle of hallway?" The older man let Kira out his grasp. "You should be doing something proactive while we have all this down time."
Kira looked at Andrew slightly confused. Surely he knows I was on the dock like every other day. "Well Mr. Waltfeld-"
"Oh I know just what you need!" Andrew bellowed as he slapped Kira's back. Ignoring the teen's grunts about his strength, Andrew grabbed him by the arm and dragged him along. Back in the direction where he had just come from.
"Um, I have stuff to do."
"No you don't," Andrew interjected as he continued to drag Kira along. "You just finished up with your maintenance, but now you need some unwinding time."
"I need to check on Lacus and Cagalli."
"No, you don't," Andrew repeated again, knowing full well the kid was not interested in his idea of "unwinding". Grinning again, Andrew knew he would be recognized for his efforts later. "I heard there's a mean poker game going down on the dock."
Kira nearly groaned out loud.
"You are too easy on him sometimes, you know."
Lacus smiled timidly and fought the urge to roll her eyes as the blonde-haired princess stared her down. After assisting with some manual checks of Archangel's system, Lacus found herself being dragged away by Cagalli and locked in the Captain's quarters. She was now surrounded by Cagalli and Murrue as the only women aboard and Cagalli seemed determined to have special time to themselves. 'Girl Time' as the feisty princess called it.
"Aren't you hard on him most of the time, Cagalli?" Lacus nearly sighed in relief as Cagalli's amber orbs shifted from her to the other woman.
"I don't think I'm that hard on him. As my younger brother he can just be so annoying some times." Murrue chuckled while Lacus giggled knowing Cagalli was in 'older sister' mode. Ignoring their snickering, the Orb princess turned her attention back on her friend.
"I'm sure you know what I mean, Lacus. He has to act annoying to you sometimes too. Right?"
"No," the pink princess replied instantly. "He has always acted with my best interest. Though I wish he would think about himself more often." Her voice turned quiet as the feeling of guilt washed over her. After all, it was her who basically forced him to fight once more.
Cagalli watched as Lacus' usual smile faded away. She had heard about the attack on the other's life and Kira piloting the Freedom once more. The princess found it odd that neither her brother nor Lacus told her of these events. Instead she received the information from Murrue and Andrew the same day she was brought onboard.
Distraught by the information about what her brother and closest friend were going through, Cagalli had relinquished her negative sentiments against Kira. Yet as the days passed with news of no interest to them, patience withered and irritation began to cloud her mind again.
"I still don't know what Kira is thinking by reviving the Archangel." Cagalli stressed her opinion out loud. Murrue glanced at her and nearly shrugged.
"I was surprise at his proposition as well." She narrowed her eyes and seriousness swept her tone. "He did have several convincing arguments, Cagalli. And both Andrew and I agreed with most of them. The world needs to be set back onto the right path, and we can at least lend a helping hand to those who need it."
"Captain Ramius…"
"We will not choose sides. We will fight with Orb if we have to or we will fight against Orb and assist ZAFT if needed. It's not an easy path but," Murrue gave her a small smile, "it's the path we all agreed on."
Clutching her hands to her side, Cagalli tried to get her emotions under control. Murrue's words had shaken her to core, and they rang in accordance to the true feelings that Cagalli possessed.
Lacus watched as Cagalli choked out a thanks to Murrue and felt a small burden being lifted off her heart. She was worried how the world will perceive their naïve ideas. Yet, what Murrue had said is exactly what Kira was trying to say long before.
Though he couldn't get the words out, Kira had that same determination in his eyes. He is willing to do anything to help others. I only wish I could do the same.
Matching Cagalli's actions, Lacus clutched the hem of her dress tightly.
I'm useless to everyone right now.
"Are you alright, Lacus?"
Nearly jumping, Lacus plastered a smile on as she faced the other princess. "Yes. Sometimes I just get lost in deep thought."
Cagalli smiled in reassurance. "I know what you mean. Sometimes I even forget there are others around me."
The pink-haired woman nodded in agreement, but didn't voice her true inner feelings. They are some things only Kira can see, she thought sadly, though I usually never want him to see them.
"Alright, now that discussing my brother is out of the way, we can get onto more exciting things!" Murrue and Lacus both shot Cagalli a strange look. It was her idea originally to discuss Kira, and she made it sound like it was a group consensus.
"What?" The blonde-haired princess asked as she studying their glares. When the others shook their heads with no response, a grin encased her face. "Alright ready for an exciting game?"
Concern and nervousness crossed Lacus' mind about the princess' game as she stood up and brushed wrinkles off her dress. "I think I'll take a quick break. I should check up on Kira." Before she took a step, a hand reached out and latched onto hers. Looking down, Lacus nearly cringed at Caglli's smirking face.
"Oh don't worry about my stupid brother. He is being taken care of."
"Taken care of?" Both Lacus and Murrue said in unison as they each gave their unique glances of suspicion to Cagalli. Not fazed by their distrust, she pulled on the pink princess's arm until she was siting again.
"Yep. Commander Waltfeld is busy distracting him. Otherwise I knew I wouldn't get to spend enough alone time with you." She shot an accusing glance in Lacus' direction who just stared blankly back at her. "We need some girl quality time, especially on a ship full of boys.
"Boys?" Murrue asked in wonder of what her definition of the word was. Cagalli just nodded as readjusted her position to get comfortable.
"Yeah. So who's up for a game of truth or dare?"
Lacus nearly groaned out loud.
"What's with all this gloomy news?" Andrew asked casually as the different news reports flashed across the display screens. Nobody answered him and he shrugged in exchange knowing no one wanted to see what was appearing before them.
Turmoil, destruction, death was all the news channels were discussing as the tension inside the Alliance's grasp began to stretch thin. The whole bridge crew including Kira, Lacus, and Cagalli were busying studying the channels, searching for any signs of possible good news.
Of what kind of good news they were looking for, none of them knew.
"It's strange that nothing has been about the battle with ZAFT," Cagalli mumbled as she stared at the changing channels. Her eyes shifted away quickly as the images of lifeless bodies covered the screen.
She was referring to the Battle of Gulnahan that occurred about two days ago. They learned about ZAFT's liberation of an Alliance city from the Terminal. Though they only knew bits and pieces of what information was released.
"Yeah. It's all about the Alliance," Andrew said as he took a sip of coffee. The hot liquid seemed to calm his nerves as he glanced back at the screens. "No word on how ZAFT is taking this war declaration or if they care about fighting back."
"Well they all seem happy and content."
All eyes turned on Lacus who gave a sad smile before displaying a certain station over all the others. Everyone's eyes widen as a familiar looking person appeared on the screen. The figure danced wildly around a stage and sang beautifully causing some eyes to glance between the screen and the pink princess as to confirm what they were seeing.
There were two Lacus'.
Instead of being shock over the girl's appearance, Lacus focused her attention on the one she was most worried about for this circumstance. Kira was across the room and his expression was unreadable. Even though he was silent, Lacus could see anger light up within his deep violet eyes.
"What the-?" Cagalli gasped as she turned to Lacus for details. Lacus nearly raise her eyebrows in response. She had a feeling what was happening and why, but she did not have any proof to face the problem.
As the group watched the performance of the 'other' Lacus, the room gained an eerily silence. Andrew and Murrue both took short, concern, glances at the silent brown-haired teen who hadn't spoken or moved a muscle.
"Shouldn't you do something about it?" Cagalli asked finally breaking the silence. Lacus slowly shook her head as Andrew grunted in agreement.
"We would do something if we could. But we don't want to do something suddenly and drastic that will give away our location. We still need that element of surprise."
"We also have to be careful. With the Kingdom of Scandinavia giving us refugee, we need to help protect them as well." Murrue added as she watched the fake pink princess encourage the ZAFT soldiers to fight well. Somehow the message made her stomach turn.
"But we can't hide forever!" Cagalli argued though she knew it was an unnecessary statement. They all knew that, but they all recognized that they couldn't move yet.
Sipping his coffee again, Andrew shrugged. "We still don't know enough so we can't move, right?" His gaze flickered over the silent teen, who didn't answer his question. Knowing Kira was distracted with his own thoughts and feelings, Andrew turned back to the rest of the group.
"It seems as the Alliance are being the idiots when they are starting a battle every chance they have," Murrue said quietly. She sighed deeply before continuing. "Chairman Durandal hasn't retaliated against the Alliance yet. It shows he is forgiving and not willing to get into another war. He seems like the ideal leader, huh."
Cagalli stepped forward, "I think that he actually a good leader." One quick glance at her brother, her voice faltered. "Well I used to think that."
"Then who tried to kill Lacus?"
The blunt question sent the whole room into shocked silence. Cagalli stared at her brother in confusion and horror while Murrue closed her eyes in consideration. Andrew kept a blank expression as he probably understood where the kid was coming from the most. Lacus was like family to him, and he was willing to go any lengths to find her attacker as Kira was.
"This Durandal is tricking everyone."
"Kira…"
Ignoring his sister, he kept his eyes focused on the fake Lacus. Indescribable emotions were building up and Kira did not think he could stop them from overtaking him this time.
Her movements, her voice, her smile it's all wrong he thought as it felt as a knife stabbed his chest as he watched the enthusiastic audience. They all loved her and gain hope from her. They all thought this was Lacus Clyne.
She is not Lacus Clyne. She is definitely not my Lacus.
"Yeah sounds like any leader, kid." Andrew ignored the harsh glance from Kira. Yet, he actually was relieved that he finally responded. I was worried the kid went into shock, he mused as the 'fake' Lacus finally ended her overdone performance. At least our Lacus wasn't ever that flashy. Shouldn't that make it obvious she's not the real one?
Andrew was pulled from his thoughts as he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Grinning into his cup, he felt relieved that he wouldn't have to discuss with Kira about his inner problems.
Kira gripped his hands tightly turning his knuckles white. Emotions were clashing together and his practical thoughts blurred as the familiar feeling of anger revived itself once again.
They don't understand how I feel. That man knew about Lacus' attack, I know he does. I need to keep her safe. Lacus has to survive. She just has to survive. I can't survive…without her.
Warm, small delicate hands enclosed over his allowing him to relax them. Violet met blue and all his senses were driven out of him completely.
"Kira," Her voice soothed over him as she clasped her hands over his and she gave him a radiant smile. Tugging gently, she pulled him with her as they walked away from the others. As soon as they were off the deck, Lacus cupped his face with her hands.
"It's alright, Kira," Lacus said quietly as she stared into his eyes. The emotions were apparent and she could feel his anxiety wash over her. Instead of yielding to his feelings, she merely took strength from her own feelings and pushed them to the surface.
She pulled his face closer as she closed her eyes wishing she could share her content and ease with him. To lift his burden is all I want she whispered inside. Lacus placed her lips lightly on his, allowing the moment of uncontained bliss consumed them both.
Pulling away, Lacus did not look at him. Instead she wrapped her arms around him and placed her head in the crook of his shoulder. "I am alright, Kira. You are alright."
She sighed in both relief and content when she felt Kira enclosed her in his arms. "We'll be alright."
"We'll be alright," He echoed her words quietly. Yet, Lacus could feel his strength and determination returning. "As long as I am with you, we will be fine. We will make it won't we, Lacus?"
"Yes, Kira. We still have a peaceful future ahead of us to find and to live for."
2 Days Later
Explosions echoed through the sky as the mindless battles continued on over the Black Sea. There was no time for distraction or observing as every mobile suit on the battlefield was conducted in intense, power-driven fighting.
At a glance it seemed an unfair balance of power as multiple large battle ships from two different nations were attacking one lone ship. Yet, if someone was paying particular attention to the direction of the fighting then they would see the ZAFT battleship holding its ground against the other forces.
The Earth Forces were battling along Orb forces for one common goal. To destroy the Minerva.
The crew of the Minerva was on their way to ZAFT base, not knowing an ambush organized by the Earth Alliance was waiting for them. Though they were taken by surprise, the ship had their own trick up their sleeves with their special, talented gundam pilots.
To the one Shinn Asuka, he found himself in a desired rematch with the stolen gundams who were now under the control of the Alliance.
To the one Athrun Zala, he found himself in a battle he felt serve no purpose, but resigned to fighting even if it was against Orb.
Mobile suits charge against each other with only the gundams making the difference of who had the upper hand. More explosions crashed through the sky as the Minerva was getting ready for a desperate attack.
Captain Gladys knew she had one chance to bring the battle into their favor and protect her crew. Charging the remaining power she gave the order "Fire Tannhauser canon!"
Time seemed to stop as all fighters ceased their current battles in awe or horror of the glowing canon. Its target was Orb's main ship. Take the head off and the remaining ships would fall or at least the captain hoped so.
BOOM
Time resumed as the Minerva's cannon was destroyed by an unknown attack. All parties looked on in confusion as neither side initiated the attack. A shadow encased the sun causing every possible fighter to glance up at the incoming mobile suit.
Image of an angel crossed people's minds as the gundam gleaming in blue, white, and silver flew down from the sky and in one attack, caused the whole battlefield to come to a standstill.
Behind the new gundam, a large ship came close behind and instantly all knew who had entered into battle once again. The Archangel has appeared in the second war and if the Archangel has revived then so has its key mobile suit. The Freedom.
In utter confusion as why a ship missing since the last war appeared again, no one retaliated when the Archangel allowed another mobile suit to launch. This time the gundam was a light shade of pink appeared next the Freedom, both of them emitting strength and determination of a different kind than what the rest of opponents were fighting for.
"I'm the Orb's Union Chief Representative, Cagalli Yula Athha."
No one notice the aiming of a certain cannon.
"I order all Orb forces to stop this fighting!"
No one saw the attack coming until the distinct sound of missiles being fire caused the battlefield to erupt into chaos.
Okay, so what do you guys think? I'm not that good at battle scenes so sorry if the last part was hard to follow. Do you like how the pace of this story is going, or am I skipping around too much? I love to hear your thoughts. Next chapter should be up in two weeks! Till next time!