Disclaimer: If I owned Gundam Seed/Destiny, I would've made a happy ending for Athrun and Cagalli. (sob)

Reminders: OC characters shall arise here and would most probably be the main characters. But don't worry because I'll make this awesome.. I hope. And sorry if grammar goes wrong or whatever mistakes happen. Enjoy!

A/N: Sorry for the long update guys! At least it didn't take a month or so. (heh) I was really busy with a lot of things like tennis training, violin lessons, friends, and blahblah.

Chapter 9

[Flashback] 9AM / Sunday October 30, CE 89 / ORB: Athha-Zala Residence

After the incident/s between the Zala siblings last night, things got awkward between them. Their parents had gone elsewhere and the siblings were the only ones in the dining hall for breakfast. Cecil and Miwa were facing each other across the table, none had spoken a word to each other. Cecil took a bite of his buttered bagel and took a glance at Miwa, who was munching away her omelette. Their eyes met for a second but they quickly averted their eyes from each other. The tension in the air grew deeper. The awkward silence was killing them both. Cecil wanted to say something, but what? He had to think of something quick.

"Hey." Cecil said.

"Mmm?" Miwa looked at him while she took a sip of tea.

The blonde let out a heavy sigh. "We both know last night got really weird, especially at the balcony, and I'm sorry for that. I really didn't know what got into me."

"Yeah. It's fine."

"Really?"

"..I guess."

Cecil brought his elbows on the table and rested his forehead on his hands. He was debating with his conscience if he should tell her what he really felt.

But it would be too sudden. She might think I'm joking and might take things in a bad way. She already said it was fine but if I tell her, she might get all confused and.. ugh! What should I do? What should I say? Why did I even attempt to kiss her? What if I make up an excuse?

"Miwa, the truth is-"

"Maybe it was just the champagne." Cecil lifted his head and was surprised by Miwa's assumption.

"The champagne?"

"Yup. You had a couple of glasses right? So maybe, you know."

Cecil's mind started processing things. Would it really be okay to use the champagne as an excuse? But Miwa did start it. Could she be up to something? Should he just go along with it? He didn't really have a choice right now.

"Uh. Y-Yeah. I guess so." Cecil scratched his head as he chuckled in embarrassment. "So we're good right?"

Miwa gave him a smile and said, "Of course."

After their conversation at breakfast, they were back to their normal selves. No more awkward silences, tension in the air, averting eyes from each other, and such. They put the happenings of last night aside. However, even if they blamed it on the champagne, their thoughts were still trying to get to them. Evil consciences, indeed.

But I know he was still sane and he knew it was me.. - Miwa

I was sober and I knew it was her but I still tried to kiss her.. - Cecil

"So what's your class going to do for Halloween tomorrow?"

Monday, October 31, CE 89 / Archangel Academy

Archangel Academy was one of those schools that didn't miss out on any occasion. Halloween was no exception. Every year, the principal would think of the ghastliest deeds of scaring everyone out. The entrance of Archangel Academy was decorated with fake spider webs and robotic bats that would shriek at you. By the time the students entered the campus, some were heard screaming and crying as they were surprised by the attacks of zombies and skeletons. There were even huge mechanical spiders that would prey on the children. The school bell hadn't rang and the school was already in chaos. Little did they know, a certain figure was peeking by the curtains, laughing evilly. This year was yet another success.

Every Halloween in the High School Department, each batch was appointed to a task, and each class had a different assignment for year the freshmen were under the orders of the principal to design the campus. The sophomores were in-charge of the game booths. The juniors were assigned to turn their classrooms into something Halloween-themed, and lastly, the seniors were in-charge of the Halloween Sports Festival.

3-A [ Spooky Cafe ]

"Kyaa~!" A horde of fangirls rushed over to Lucas Clyne Yamato in his classroom. He was wearing a butler uniform. His face was slightly powdered white, dark purple eyeshadow made him look undead, his spiky chocolate brown hair was combed back and he was wearing fake vampire teeth. He looked hot as a vampire, oh yes he did. He looked at his fangirls with his piercing blue-gray eyes and smiled.

"Welcome to 3-A's Spooky Cafe, ladies. Please take a seat and enjoy your stay."

"Yes, Lucas-sama!" His fangirls then dispersed, filled the seats and started ordering, just for their Lucas-sama.

A hand propped over on Lucas' shoulder and Lucas turned his head to see Miwa in her costume. She was wearing a lolita maid outfit with black pumps and matching headgear, had the same make up on but hers was more feminine with eyeliner and mascara. Her lips were tinted red (Miwa hated lipstick) and she was also wearing fake vampire teeth. Her long light brown hair was slightly wavy.

"Good job, Lucas. Business is going well thanks to you." Miwa smirked, revealing her fangs.

"I can't help it. My charm's too irresistible." Lucas joked, earning a light punch on the shoulder from Miwa. The two then went on for their shift as waiters and waitresses.

In 3-A, Miwa, Lucas and Maria were classmates. But what was Maria's job? The cashier.

3-B [ Ghost Pastries ]

Zack, Cecil and Lilly's class were almost doing the same as 3-A's but there was a slight difference. Spooky Cafe was serving tea, cookies and biscuits while Ghost Pastries was serving tea, cakes and cupcakes. The students of 3-B were dressed up as waiters and waitresses that were werewolves rather than vampires. How ironic.

"May I take your order, ladies?" Cecil asked the two girls seated in front of him.

The girls blushed at him. "Y-yes. U-uhm.." Lucas wasn't the only one getting attention from the opposite sex.

Cecil was wearing a waiter uniform, dog ears, and fake fangs. He looked more like a cute (hottie) puppy rather than a werewolf though. But because of his handsome face and enticing eyes, no girl can resist.

"I'd like a slice of chocolate caramel cake with green tea please."

"And I'll have a butterscotch cupcake with vanilla frosting and just water."

"One slice of chocolate caramel cake with green tea and one butterscotch cupcake with vanilla frosting with water, coming right up." Cecil winked at them. The two girls almost fainted.

Cecil then went to Lilly to give the order slip. She was wearing a maid uniform with black stilettos, dog ears and fake fangs as well. Everything was going well, but someone was loudly giving orders.

"Hey, Koenig, stop slacking off and get to work!"

"Aren't you assigned to clean up the tables?"

"The order was oolong tea, you idiot!"

Zack H. Joule was the class president of 3-B, meaning he was in-charge of everything. Like his father, he certainly did things strictly and didn't want to mess up even the slightest. His father had also influenced him to be a top-notcher which resulted in Zack nominating himself as class president, studied hard and was ranked #2 in his batch, captain of the fencing team, and so forth. Wait, who was #1 in their batch? None other than Cecil A. Zala. The never-ending rivalry between their fathers had passed down to their sons.

"He's at it again." Lilly sighed as she handed Cecil the tray of food.

Lunch break

Miwa, Lucas, Cecil, Zack, Lilly (who were still in costume, but the girls changed their shoes into black flats) had gone to meet up in the basketball gym where the Halloween basketball game was being held. The high school's varsity team was against the high school faculty's own basketball team. What made it so Halloween was that they had to wear spooky make up and different kinds of Halloween novelties.

It was a heated battle as both teams showed skill in the sport. Miwa and Lilly cheered for the most valuable player – Reno R. La Flaga. Incase you forgot about him, he's Murrue Ramius and Mu La Flaga's son. He's a year older than the gang. He has his mother's brown hair and his father's blue eyes.

"Go Reno!"

"Fight Reno, fight!"

Just in cue, Reno had just shot three points for his team. The crowd went wild! Reno himself had his own fangirls who were the loudest in the gym. They even wore cheerleader outfits, had pompoms in their hands and made banners for him. I guess our guys here are so handsome and popular, huh?

By halftime, Miwa excused herself from the group to go to the ladies' room – which was located outside the gym, near the entrance. She went in and looked at herself in the mirror. She noticed she still had the matching headgear on and removed it. Her lip tint was almost gone and her hair had become a little bit messy from all the waitress duties. She slightly combed her hair with her fingers and when she was satisfied with how she looked, she went out.

BOOM!

Miwa was startled as she heard an explosion. She looked at the sky and saw the smoke coming from the nearby mall. She saw green laser beams shooting out from the sky.

Those lasers are most probably from a Gundam. It couldn't be..

Miwa didn't hesitate. She quickly ran towards the explosion as fast as her legs could take her. It's been a long time since there was such an occurrence. While on the way, she thought of the possibilities of who had caused the explosion – and it all led to just one.

This feeling.. I know it's them. I just know.

Huff huff huff!

A black Gundam with red eyes and purple mechanical wings was shooting lasers all over the place. Miwa was a few meters away, gasping for air and her eyes widen. She felt a tingly sense when she faced the Gundam.

[A/N: For reference of the black Gundam, please search in Google Images: "Freedom Black Gundam" It's merely a basis. Then imagine the body more black with red eyes and the wings are purple.]

I-Its that Gundam..

The Gundam turned around, facing Miwa. Miwa flinched in surprise. She wanted to run but her legs were frozen. She noticed a logo on its right shoulder.

B-Bl..ac..k R-Ra-

Miwa stopped her thoughts as the Gundam pointed its laser gun at her.

Run, you dummy! Move!

The laser beam shot towards her. Miwa closed her eyes and covered her arm over her head, even though it wouldn't save her from death.

CLING!

Miwa slowly opened her eyes and saw a familiar Gundam in front of her. It shielded her from the black Gundam's attack.

"Miwa, get out of here, now!"

Miwa recognized the voice and it was her father, Athrun Zala. He was piloting his new mobile suit, the ZGMF-V10A Eternal Justice Gundam.

"H-hai!"

Miwa quickly ran for cover. She knew she had to go somewhere safer, but she wanted to know more about that black Gundam. The strange tingly feeling she just had, what was that? She knew whoever pilots it is part of the organization that kidnap her twin brother, Seto Lancaster. Miwa looked around and saw a abandoned motorcycle, luckily with the keys on. Her eyes gleamed with a plan. She dashed towards it and road it towards the base.

"Who are you?" Athrun asked as he aimed to slash the enemy with his beam sword – however the enemy blocked with its shield.

There was no response. The black Gundam and Athrun continued to battle. But as they did, Athrun had to either get rid of the enemy quick or continue to battle with him but in midair as the surroundings were getting destroyed.

"Agh!" The black Gundam kicked the chest of Athrun's Gundam and he was sent a few meters away. Athrun quickly got up and zoomed towards the enemy, pulling its arm towards the sky. There, they would fight.

Inside the black Gundam, was a man who wore a black and white mobile suit attire. His helmet's face shield was tinted black – making his face undeterminable.

Beep beep beep!

"Your time's up. Get back to headquarters." A voice of a man emitted.

"Wakata." the black Gundam's pilot responded monotonously. He shifted his Gundam and started to launch towards space.

"Oh no you don't. You're not getting away this time!" Athrun then had his Gundam's sword aim at the enemy and when he was about to pierce through it, the enemy Gundam flashed behind him and cut his legs off, then disappearing immediately.

Athrun couldn't believe his eyes. The enemy was just in front of him and then by a split second it was able to flash quickly behind him. He had been outmatched. He cursed as he failed.

"Athrun!" Cagalli's face appeared on his screen. She seemed worried. "Daijoubu?"

Athrun sighed and replied, "Yeah. Don't worry. I'm heading back to base."

Before heading out towards Sector 4, Athrun looked at the damage caused by the anonymous Gundam and their fight. A lot of repairs were going to be made starting from now on. He looked up in the sky, wondering what on earth was that Gundam.

ORB: Sector 4

The sound of a motorcycle screech was heard in the base where Gundams were designated. Miwa quickly went inside to find her mother.

"Miwa-sama!" A mechanic exclaimed as he was surprised seeing her in a rush – and the fact that she was wearing a lolita maid costume.

"Where's Cagalli-sama? I need to speak to her right now." Miwa briskly walked towards the direction the mechanic said.

The door slid open and inside the room was Cagalli, Ledonir Kisaka, and other military personnel.

"Miwa! What are you doing here?" Cagalli asked, eyeing her daughter's attire.

"The black Gundam! Athrun-sama! I-" Miwa was interrupted when Cagalli gave her a hug.

"Well, thank goodness you're okay."

"Why was Athrun-sama the only one sent to take care of that Gundam? He could've been in grave danger."

"Athrun himself said he'd take care of it."

"Huh? Why?"

"I wanted to personally get something out of the pilot. Too bad, he didn't respond."

Everyone looked to see Athrun, who just got inside the room. He had just arrived in the base with his legless Gundam and heard that Miwa came rushing down here. Both Miwa and Cagalli went up to him, looking relieved. He patted both their heads telling them that he was fine.

Soon after, Cagalli instructed the personnel to investigate and give a report about the recent calamity, the attacker and the current situation in ORB.

Report: Three civilians died. Fifteen wounded. Freeleon Mall destroyed. Several buildings and roads around the four kilometer district damaged.

Report: The attacker – a black Gundam with red eyes and purple wings – has been identified as.. BRX-107 Resurrection.

Everyone in the room was shocked by this. The identity of the black Gundam has never been identified before but now, they were able to trace it. The tracker pointed out that the Gundam must've intentionally given out its identity but the reasons are unclear.

Report: There are no other information from the Resurrection, other than its name. W-Wait. There seems to be a logo on the right shoulder of the Gundam, it reads Black Ravens. But it's almost undeterminable as it is somewhat scratched out and faded.

That's it! Black Ravens. That's what I saw. Miwa thought.

"So the Black Ravens is true after all." Athrun told Cagalli. She had a worried expression on her face but nodded in agreement.

"It's been years since they've last attacked us." Kisaka added. "Who knows what's going on with their heads."

While the reports were going on, Miwa went up to her parents. She wanted to know more about these Black Ravens and ask what they know about them. When she was about to speak, Athrun went ahead and signaled her that they would talk outside instead. Cagalli left behind to take care of things.

"Athrun-sama, what do you know about the Black Ravens?" Miwa said straight-forwardly.

"We don't really know much about them yet. All we know is that they're the sole reason behind every attack since before."

Miwa lowered her head and murmured, "And they're also the ones who kidnapped my brother."

Athrun looked at his daughter sympathetically. "From the looks of things, they're starting to reveal themselves. This might be our chance."

Miwa looked at Athrun with hope in her eyes. "Then does that mean-"

Incoming message! Incoming message!

Athrun and Miwa looked at each other surprised by the sound they heard. They quickly reentered the room.

Incoming message! Incoming message!

"What's going on?" Athrun asked.

"It's coming from an unknown source. Should we accept it?" An officer asked.

Cagalli looked at Athrun for confirmation. He firmly nodded. Cagalli then looked back at the officer and told him to show the message. In front of them was a huge screen and there appeared a man, who was around his mid 60's, with short gray hair and we has wearing a black mask. [A/N: Similar to Neo Roanoke but shorter, it only covers his eyes.] He was wearing a black military uniform with a small raven pin on its collar.

"Good afternoon, Chief Representative of ORB and fellow citizens." The man started. Everyone quietly listened.

"I am the leader of Black Ravens. It has been years since our last attack and until this day, we have never revealed ourselves."

…

"I know you're wondering why we've been attacking ORB and some parts of Earth. That is because of the treaty."

…

"While the treaty still exists, we will continue with our plans of waging war. You wouldn't want that, do you?"

…

"The boy we kidnapped nine years ago. Well, who knows what we've done to him."

…

"I'll only say this once, Naturals and Coordinators are not fit to exist in peace."

Pi! The screen went black.

Cagalli slammed her fist on a table and gritted her teeth. She had her eyebrows furrowed and she was filled with anger and confusion. The Black Ravens' leader had just spoken about waging a new war. That was certainly the last thing anyone wanted right now nor ever. Cagalli didn't know what to do. Breaking the treaty would be stupid, but engaging in a war was even more foolish. She ruffled her hair and then regained her composure. She wouldn't let these Black Ravens get the best of her. Athrun approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder, showing that he was there to support her. She looked back at him and gave a weak smile.

Shingk! The sound of the door closed.

POV: Miwa

"The boy we kidnapped nine years ago. Well, who knows what we've done to him."

The leader of the Black Ravens evilly smirked. My mind began to race. My body began to tremble. I clench my fists tight and look down, not wanting to be seen close to tears. I bit my lower lip and try to remain calm. But I can't.

I stormed out of the room, tears escaping my eyes. I don't know where I'm going. I don't know what I'm going to do. I just kept on running and running, trying to escape from it all.

"..who knows what we've done to him." The words of that man kept ringing in my head. What could have they done to him? I didn't want to think my brother was dead. He just couldn't be. I stopped running when I noticed I had reached Basement 2 of Sector 4 where they had our Gundams. I wipe my tears away and walk towards the ORB-Z17X Midnight, my Gundam. Its whole body was dark grey with maroon on several parts. The eyes were golden yellow. And the wings were maroon with dark grey.

[A/N: For Miwa's Gundam, imagine the Infinite Justice but the wings are like the Strike Freedom. It's just that dark grey is one of the main colors.]

I stared at Midnight. Its eyes were shining. I start to remember the moment I got it. It was actually just two months ago. I had just finished one of my many mobile suit trainings here in the base. At that time I was testing out ORB's new mercenary mobile suits. They were fairly great and had a lot of improvements. As I jumped out of the cockpit, Kojiro Murdoch-san told me to go to Basement 2. I asked him what was up, he said it was a surprise. Oh, it was a surprise all right. My whole family was there whom had revealed my new personal Gundam.

Next to my Gundam was Cecil-sama's. It was developed from our father's Infinite Justice in which was vastly improved both in design and artillery. Cecil-sama had gotten ZGMF-V09X Glory earlier than I did.

[A/N: For Cecil's, use the Infinite Justice as a basis. The colors are the same but the white colored parts are lessened. The wings tweak it a bit to a more cooler, DRAGOON-like wings like Strike Freedom's, but not really. The point is is that it's a way more cooler version of IJ. Imagination guys!]

I take a deep breath. I look again at Midnight and wish I could hop in to search for Seto-onii-san. Somehow, an urge was telling me that I should, but I know best than to foolishly wander off towards space. I start to go back home as a crave for my bed. It's been a long and tiring day and rest was all I needed right now.

Brrt! Brrt!

I was startled by the vibration of my cellphone in my skirt's right pocket. I whip up my cellphone and see fifteen new messages and eighteen missed calls. The texts and missed calls were all from Cecil and the gang. I read the latest message and it was Cecil asking me to go back home as soon as possible. I press the call button and put my cellphone up my ear.

"Miwa!" Cecil cried out pretty loudly on the receiver. I move my cellphone away for a bit.

"Calm down, Cecil-sama."

"What do you mean 'calm down'? I'm worried sick here! Why weren't you replying or answering?"

"Gomen. I guess I was too distracted. I'm about to go home now."

"Dad said you came to the base then left all of a sudden. Where are you?"

"I'm still here, in Basement 2 that is."

"Wait by the entrance, I'll pick you up."

POV: Cecil

After Miwa said she was in Basement 2, I immediately take action in picking her up. I've heard from my dad on the phone everything that had happened. I know Miwa's in knots right now and I feel like she needs someone to be there for her. I drove towards the entrance of Sector 4 and saw Miwa standing there. She had her eyes on the ground and seemed to be in deep thought. I grin a little as she was still wearing her maid costume. I stop in front of her and she looked up surprise.

"Cecil-sama." She smiled at me, but I can see the sadness in her eyes. She sat next to me and thanked me for picking her up. I say it was no problem. While concentrating on the road, I could see from the corner of my eye that she had her head down, eyebrows creased, looking at her hands clasped together tightly on her lap.

"What's wrong?" I ask her as I steer the wheel to the left.

She let loose her hands and sat straight. She gave a deep sigh and said, "Nothing much." She didn't look at me though.

"It doesn't look like there's nothing wrong. You can talk to me."

"I know. But maybe later?" She turned her head to me for a quick second.

I mimic her action then I decide to shut up. She'll open up to me when she's ready. The whole car ride back to our house was silent. When I parked the car, she told me she wasn't hungry and won't be around for dinner. I nod in reply and got out of the car.

POV: Miwa

I flopped down onto my bed and relax as the soft pillows and sheets envelope me. I look at the ceiling and then close my eyes. My mind was blank, surprisingly. Well, I didn't want to think about today's events for now. I was tired and.. dirty too. I got up and decided to take a nice warm bath.

I change into a baby blue pajama top and gray plaid boxers. I brush my hair as I continue drying it. I sit on the edge of my bed and look at my digital clock, it read 6:44PM. When it struck at exactly 6:45PM, I heard knocking on my door. I looked back to see Cecil-sama.

"Hey." He said as he went to sit beside me. "Came to check up on you. Mom and Dad are worried about you, everyone actually."

I crawl on my bed towards the center and sit with my legs crossed. I grab a pillow behind me and hug it on my chest.

"The black Gundam, or should I say the Resurrection, I came face to face with it."

"I heard. It was a good thing Dad came to the rescue." Cecil-sama followed me and was now sitting beside me.

"It was weird. I felt something. I don't know how to describe it. It was some sort of sixth sense." I look at my brother and he looked back. He gave this look telling me to keep going.

"Well, whatever that feeling was, it had to mean something. Did Athrun-sama tell you about the message from the leader of the Black Ravens?"

"Yeah. We talked about it during dinner."

I hug my pillow tighter and said, "When he said 'who knows what we've done to him?' I didn't know how to react and just left the room. I didn't want to jump into conclusions on what did they do to him. I didn't want to think they ended up killing him." My eyes started to get teary, I try my best to prevent myself from crying.

Cecil-sama latched his arm on my neck and had his hand on my head. He kissed my head and whispered comforting words. He told me it was okay to let it all out and cry, so I did.

"He's not dead. He promised you guys will meet again right?" Cecil-sama was stroking my hair, it felt nice and soothing.

"Mmm.." I mumble.

For the rest of the night, I confided my feelings and thoughts to my brother. He was a good listener and I appreciated his efforts in consoling me. The next thing I knew, my eyes were drooping and I've started to fall asleep. Cecil-sama had tucked me in bed and kissed my cheek before saying, "Sweet dreams, Miwa."

A/N: Review please! I hope you guys were able to imagine the Gundams. (pout) I'm sorry if the battle scene sucked. I'm not so good at it. I'll try my best next time. And I hope you guys can sense some character development (if there is any.. LOL yeah even I don't know) But who knows? Things are about to get serious here. Review/comment/feedback!