PHASE NINE: Kira's Reunion

C.E 79 PLANTs (Present Day)

The new hyper-propulsion system was extremely fast, and that in itself was an understatement. Kira kept clear of the moon as he sped past in the Ultimate Freedom, not wanting to alert the forces from the Earth Alliance of an unknown mobile suit. He was genuinely surprised to find the Ultimate Freedom's interface very much the same as his previous Strike Freedom. He supposed, working hand-in-hand with Terminal, Daisuke must have had some idea about his mobile suit, and he regretted the fact that he couldn't learn more from the old scientist. Kira highly doubted that they would still be there in the Mendel Colony if he returned after going back to PLANTs. Daisuke himself had said that he would go into hiding, and Kira hadn't asked where he would go. Now, he wished that he had.

He travelled quickly, praying in his heart that Lacus was alright. He did not dare let his mind think of what might happen if Lacus left him. It was something impossible to think about, and Kira wasn't going to entertain himself with the thought.

A large explosion, taking the form of an unusual brightness that illuminated the darkness met his eyes as he neared PLANTs. Kira's brows immediately pulled together, knowing instantly that it was caused by a nuclear explosion. He gripped his controls, willing his mobile suit to move faster. Coming close, Kira could easily recognise the Archangel being pushed back against the PLANTs, and he spotted many Nazca-class battleships surrounding it. Two, his radar detected, were Yzak's Voltaire and his own Aurora. A distance above them was an Earth Alliance fleet – one Agamemnon-class carrier and four Nelson-class battleships as well as many Windams that were making their way towards the group. Kira had just noticed them when several bright explosions blinded his eyes. He shielded his eyes and halted his mobile suit a good distance away from the battle, his heart pounding hard against his chest as he realised that Aprillius Four was gone. Not only that, the Voltaire's signal suddenly disappeared from his radar as well.

"Voltaire!" Kira cried out, shocked.

Kira clenched his teeth together, his hands gripping the Freedom's controls tight. His anger was urging him to move, but Kira knew he couldn't act carelessly. His brows pulled together, assessing the situation as he breathed deeply. The nuclear attacks, without a doubt, must have come from the Earth Alliance Windams. The Archangel and the Aurora were trying its hardest to disable the Nazca-class ships in an attempt to get away from PLANTs. He could see the Akatsuki and Gaia engaged in battle as it defended the Archangel, along with a number of Enigmas. There were two mobile suits that he could not recognise (one dark blue and grey, the other a mix of black and gold), and he could see Athrun's Justice as well. One of the unknown Gundams – a dark blue and grey close-quarters combat mobile suit – immediately launched itself straight at the Windams, shooting them down skilfully one by one. Kira's eyes widened in horror as Athrun's mobile suit launched at the same time towards the Windams as it moved away from the Archangel, its beam sabers instantly equipped, ready to strike, only to be blocked by another unknown blue and white Gundam. The ZAFT mobile suits also began to move after recovering from the shock, attacking both the Archangel and the Earth Alliance fleet.

Kira saw the nuclear missiles before the others did. Perhaps it was due to him being far out of the battlefield, or perhaps it was because he did not launch into the group of Windams that had fired their missiles earlier, but Kira immediately saw that the Windams had another back-up plan of wiping out the group below them. An image of a violet-coloured jewel exploded at the back of his mind and Kira immediately kicked into action. "STOP IT!" Kira shouted angrily, boosting his thrusters and activating the multi-lock weapons system as soon as they released the nuclear missiles. His Freedom locked onto the missiles and all the long-range armaments fired at once, detonating the missiles just before it could hit the other Nazca-class battleships. The darkness around them were once again illuminated by the brilliant light of nuclear explosions and Kira could see that both sides stopped in shock. He halted his mobile suit, anger coursing through his veins. Kira quickly switched the communications systems – thankfully, he had been with the Archangel and the Aurora long enough to know their private channels.

"Archangel! Aurora! This is Kira Yamato! Make your way to the debris field!" Kira commanded.

"K-Kira-kun?" Murrue's face immediately appeared on the screen, her eyes wide with shock. "Kira-kun?"

"Yes. Where is Lacus? Is she safe?" Kira demanded, the worry clenching his chest again as his eyes darted to the ruined Aprillius Four.

"She's safe, she's with us," Murrue answered. She was a good enough soldier to know that the questions could be asked later.

"Kira! Kira Yamato!" Athrun's voice greeted him, full of undeniable shock.

Kira switched the communications systems. "Athrun. We have to get the Archangel away," Kira said, smiling slightly at his old friend.

"It's really you... Kira?" Athrun asked quietly.

Kira nodded. "Yes."

Athrun was silent for a few moments. "I understand. The two Gundams are Shinn and Yzak, except for the blue and white one. Most of the Enigmas are our friends," he said, but Kira could see that Athrun was disturbed. He couldn't blame him at all. Considering that he still didn't know which was friend or foe, he would leave it to Athrun to deal with the mobile suits, especially those that came with ZAFT.

"Alright. Focus on getting the mobile suits away. I'll handle the ships."

Kira ended the exchange, aware of the others who were surprised with his arrival, but Athrun immediately took hold of the situation and told them of the plan to head for the debris field. The debris would slow them down, of course, but they would undoubtedly slow ZAFT and the EA much more with their large numbers. The element of surprise was in their hands, and Kira used that to his advantage. He boosted his thrusters, his Freedom immediately locking onto the main armaments of the battleships before firing at once. The mobile suits went to him at once but Athrun pushed himself in between instantly, skilfully disabling the mobile suits with his beam sabers before they got the chance to attack. Kira thanked Athrun silently and shot towards the next Nazca-class battleship, releasing all ten of his DRAGOON mobile weapon wings which fired instantaneously. The Freedom shot up and took out its anti-ship Strike sword, disabling the Earth Alliance battleships one by one.

From the corner of his eye, he could see the blue and white Gundam backing away from the battlefield, staying a good distance away but still close to one Earth Alliance Nelson-class battleship that stayed at the rear. It was the one that had fought with Athrun earlier. It did not seem as if it would fight back.

"FREEDOM..!" An Enigma launched at him and Kira boosted his thrusters, narrowing his eyes at the white mobile suit. A few weeks ago, the pilot of the Enigma would be one of his comrades.

"Stop it! Stop fighting already!" Kira shouted angrily. He did not want the fight to continue. The Enigma, however, felt differently and immediately took out its beam sword, racing towards the Freedom at full speed, followed by a large number of ZAKUs. Kira clenched his teeth and exchanged his Strike sword for a beam saber, boosting his thrusters and aiming for the Enigma's thrusters, but the pilot was quick. He dodged, the Freedom's beam sword hitting his sword instead which exploded between them. The force threw Kira forwards and the Enigma threw its shield, hitting the Freedom directly at the back. Kira cried out as he was thrown forwards. He boosted his thrusters, turning sharply to face the Enigma again.

"Kira!" Athrun called, his Justice closing the distance quickly.

"STOP!" Kira shouted again, activating the hyper-propulsion system, both his beam sabers forming a double-sword. The Freedom seemed to disappear as it attacked, lashing out and cutting off the arms and legs of the Enigma, leaving the thrusters intact before charging at the confused ZAKUs. He disabled ten of them in less than a minute and used the remaining power to put himself between the attacking forces and the Archangel and Aurora. The beam sabers were stored and the Freedom locked onto the pursuing Windams, firing at their equipped instantly – the shock was enough to halt the blue and white mobile suits even though they still had the ability to fight. Kira could make out some of the Enigmas fighting against the ZAFT mobile suits, but even they seemed to have stopped.

The Ultimate Freedom backed away, turning to see that the Archangel and the Aurora were quickly leaving the battlefield. There were more ZAFT and Earth Alliance battleships yet, but they did not pursue. Kira breathed heavily, his right side throbbing painfully. Sweat ran down his face, but he heaved a small sigh of relief as the battleships finally gave their signal flares to retrieve their mobile suits. Athrun's Justice appeared beside Kira's Freedom instantly, but Athrun said nothing. The mobile suits began to turn around, but a dark blue and grey Gundam was still fighting against the returning Windams, chasing after them and striking them. Kira's brows pulled together and was about to call out, but another voice cut him off first.

"Yzak! Yzak, that's enough already!" Dearka's voice came from one of the Enigmas, immediately chasing the new Gundam.

"Shut up, kisama!" Yzak shouted back.

The Enigma slammed itself against the Gundam, but amazingly, Yzak did not fight back. Dearka held him firmly by the arm and pulled him away towards the Aurora. "Stop it already..." his voice was quiet. Yzak did not respond.

The Voltaire... Kira realised, immediately biting his lips. Yzak may have rescued Lacus from death, but he had paid it with a very high price.

"Kira..?" Athrun's face appeared on the screen.

Kira nodded, but he didn't look up. "Let's go," he said, boosting his thrusters towards the Archangel. The Justice followed from behind and Kira blinked the tears away as he saluted the floating debris from his retreating Freedom.

C.E 79 Debris Field – Archangel (Present Day)

The Freedom docked easily with the Archangel, and Kira could see that quite a number of the crew, unsurprisingly, were waiting for him below. He could easily identify Mu, Murrue, Waltfeld, Cagalli, Murdoch, Miriallia, Sai, Kuzzey and Lacus down below. Kira was extremely surprised to see Sai and Kuzzey in the Archangel, but he supposed that they would be even more surprised to see him in the Ultimate Freedom. He deactivated the mobile suit and opened his cockpit, grasping the lever to transport himself down. He was aware of the Justice docking beside him as he did so. Once his foot touched the ground, Kira took a few steps forward, noticing that a few of the Archangel crews were armed. He relaxed and took his helmet off, regarding them all calmly.

Kira's eyes took in the group, finally resting on the one person he had been anxious to see. Lacus's eyes were tearful, her face displaying a mix of emotions. He could see the haunted look in her gentle face, the signs of someone who had not had enough sleep for days. She was dressed in a pink and white dress and not her usual Chairwoman attire, her hair tied back with a red ribbon.

"Kira..?" Lacus stepped forward tentatively, her azure eyes shining with tears.

Kira nodded once. "Lacus..." I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...

"Kira!" She was in his arms instantly and he was aware of the silent tears that ran down her cheeks as he embraced her. He tightened his arms around her, unwilling to let her go as he buried his face into her hair – he was more than grateful that she was safe and sound in his arms again. More than that, he was grateful of her acceptance after he had selfishly left her behind, almost killing himself in the process. "Kira..." Lacus whispered, her voice shaky.

"I'm sorry, Lacus," Kira whispered softly, pressing his lips against her hair. "I'm so sorry..."

"Kira..."

"No way! No way!"

The tension in the air was lifted immediately as the pink Haro floated past. Kira released Lacus and was nearly thrown off his feet as Cagalli launched herself at him, hugging him tight. "Cagalli," Kira said quietly, returning the hug. "You're all safe. Thank goodness," he sighed. He was truly, truly grateful to see that they were all still alive.

"Bakayaro! What the hell did you think you were doing?" Cagalli laughed and cried at the same time, and Kira did the same, releasing her to hug Lacus again.

"It's good to have you back, Kira," Mu said, clapping a hand on Kira's shoulder. "You're definitely a tough one to kill," he joked, his blue eyes twinkling.

"That's right," Murrue agreed, smiling affectionately at him.

They all greeted him warmly, glad at least that among the destruction that had just occurred, at least there was still something to be grateful about. A familiar robotic call took their attention and Kira was aware of Torii coming to him, circling above him before landing on his right shoulder. Kira glanced at it with a smile and spotted Athrun walking towards him from the corner of his eye, dressed in his usual red pilot suit with the helmet off. "You're late, Kira," Athrun said warmly.

Kira shrugged. "I guess so," he agreed.

"Well, there's a lot you need to tell us!" Cagalli piped up suddenly. "There's a lot we need to tell you as well," she said, pursing her lips slightly.

Kira nodded. He couldn't argue with that. Murrue stepped forwards, a hand on her hip. "Well, there are some repairs that needs to be done with the Archangel, and the crew should also be getting back to their stations," she said, eyeing Miriallia, Sai, Kuzzey and the rest of the Archangel crew members and technicials present, who immediately looked crestfallen. "Let's talk in my room," she said, nodding to Kira. Lacus, Cagalli, Athrun, Mu and Waltfeld would follow. Miriallia pouted, but Kira gave her a signal to tell her that they would undoubtedly catch up with each other soon. Her expression didn't change as she sulked, but it was apparent that she seemed to accept her duties better.

Kira went into the changing rooms first, along with Athrun, Mu and Waltfeld, unzipping the blue pilot suit he was wearing. He was all-too-glad to have it off, for the black jacket was beginning to feel hot against his skin, but he decided to leave it on. Tentatively, Kira pressed his hand against his right side, biting his lips slightly as he did so, but he decided that it was fine. There were more pressing matters at hand. They walked silently towards Murrue's office afterwards and settled around the seats available – Kira sat next to Lacus, taking strength from her presence so near to him at last. Athrun and Waltfeld decided to stand, and Mu perched on the armrest of Murrue's chair. Kira knew he would be the first to talk.

Once everyone was settled, Kira began. "I knew something was wrong as soon as Botswana was attacked," Kira said, his violet eyes steady as he addressed everyone in the room. "We knew that the order was never issued by ZAFT, so when Lacus and Yzak decided to head down to Earth to contact Washington, I decided to stay in PLANTs. I thought the Earth Alliance would strike, but I didn't know it would be so soon after Botswana. Maybe it was because it was so soon that they attacked," Kira said, lowering his eyes slightly. "When Maius One and Two were attacked, the Aurora launched with the Voltaire. We received a report that the defence lines had already dealt with the mobile suits responsible for the attack, so we decided to check out the debris. There were many mobile suits missing, and that was when we were ambushed by the attack. They were Unknowns.

"I tried to take them in to ask why they were attacking, but the mobile suits self-destructed themselves before I had the chance," Kira said, clenching his fists. He was aware of Lacus whispering his name softly, placing a hand on his back to calm him. Kira took a deep breath. "One mobile suit tried to get away, so I chased him. And I learned from him that there was a fleet on their way to attack Orb. The communications were already jammed. I couldn't stay and do nothing. I equipped the Enigma with a booster and made my way to the hangar, and launched with the Freedom. I got there just in time. The forces were already on their way to Orb; I had no choice but to fight," Kira said, lowering his eyes.

"We saw the fight," Athrun said quietly and Kira raised his eyebrows in surprise as he turned his eyes on the pilot. "Yzak and Lacus had just arrived in Orb at the time. We were discussing what had happened when we were told that there was a broadcast of you fighting on an unknown channel. You were taken down," he said softly. "We traced the channel, but we couldn't find the source. All we knew was that when we saw the footage, you had been in battle for about ten hours."

Kira nodded slowly. He believed the fight had been one or two hours longer than that, but that information was unnecessary. "They were ready to take Orb down with those forces. I couldn't leave and do nothing, but at the same time, I couldn't fight without knowing what is going on. I disabled most of them. When the Freedom plunged into the ocean, I set it on autopilot to PLANTs and ejected just in time as they attacked. When I woke up, a week had passed by and I was in the deepest areas of the Mendel Colony," Kira said.

Lacus was surprised. "We checked that place during the last war. DaCosta-san said that the air has been sucked out completely," she said.

Kira shook his head. "I was taken in by a scientist and his two helpers: Daisuke Shen, and Ken and Hikari Sienth. Daisuke-san... knew my parents," he said, casting his eyes away as both Cagalli and Mu's face changed. "He was involved with the Ultimate Coordinator project in Mendel, and is probably the only one alive. There is a secret lab in Mendel, and that was where he took me. He found me at the shores in the United States of South America and nursed me back to health," Kira said slowly. Everyone in the room already knew of the secret of him being an Ultimate Coordinator – he himself had told Athrun, Cagalli and Lacus during the first war, and Murrue had learned from Mu. Waltfeld learned the truth later on.

"Then that unit..." Waltfeld said, arching an eyebrow. "That came from him?"

Kira nodded. "Daisuke-san said that he co-worked with Terminal. He showed me the footage of RENEGADE's declaration by Yuri Amalfi, as well as the footage of the attack in the Kingdom of Scandinavia," Kira said. He noticed that Athrun winced visibly when he mention Amalfi's name, and he wondered why. "When they found out that Lacus was being targeted, they sent me here immediately. But there's so much about them that I still don't understand," Kira said, his brows pulling together again in frustration.

"Sirne Anfiel was assassinated before the battle in the Kingdom of Scandinavia," Cagalli said, her voice firm. Kira had overheard that from the conversation between Hikari, Daisuke and Ken, but he never knew the details. "He was killed by a woman and two soldiers – we believe the soldiers were his guards. As for the woman, she's not a Natural. Washington was also bombed... a lot of civilians were killed, and the Earth Alliance joined RENEGADE," she said, her eyes deeply troubled.

"We knew that after Anfiel, it was a matter of time before Lacus was targeted," Mu said, crossing his arms. "We launched to Heliopolis after the battle. Looks like we were right," he sighed. "Really. Everything is a mess. We didn't expect the Earth Alliance to be there."

"The ones who attacked were from ZAFT," Lacus said, looking up. "They were ZAFT soldiers, except for one mobile suit that we didn't recognise. It was a Gundam."

"The blue and white one?" Athrun asked, remembering how it had stopped him from attacking the Windams earlier.

Lacus nodded. "There is a lot more that we don't know yet," she said seriously.

"The RENEGADE has a flagship. A second-class Minerva battleship that was reported missing from Maius One. There were two Gundams that were launched from that battleship called the Advocate and the Zantetsuken. Most likely, they're together," Athrun said.

"The Earth Alliance fleet attacked the ZAFT forces. I wonder what's going on," Murrue said, her eyebrows pulling together. Why would ZAFT try to assassinate Lacus, only to be attacked by the Earth Alliance? Was it just a coincidence that the two attacks happened at once? She highly doubted it. Seeing that the rest of the crew didn't have an idea as well, Murrue sighed. "In any case, at least we have cleared some things now that Lacus and Kira are here with us. Unfortunately, the Archangel was forced into the debris field earlier, and we had to take the right turn due to the forces coming from the left. We're going the long way around to Heliopolis," she sighed, moving her hand to her fringe. "We should be able to get past the moon without any trouble – at least I hope so."

Mu pursed his lips. "We'd be going past Lagrange Area 4 in that case. Kira, do you want to return to Mendel?" he asked.

Kira shook his head. "No. Daisuke-san told me that he was going into hiding. I doubt he's still there," he said, certain of himself. Mu only nodded and stood.

"In that case, we should get some rest. We'll be going past the moon very soon, and I won't be surprised if there's an Earth Alliance fleet waiting for us," he said darkly. "It's time we have a stroke of good luck though, so let's hope we'll get by peacefully." Murrue and Waltfeld also stood, nodding to Kira and the rest before exiting the room.

They followed soon after, in silence. Despite what had happened, Kira, Cagalli, Lacus and Athrun didn't know what to say to each other, each of them still thinking deeply about what had happened. Athrun was also worried about Yzak – he had seen the young General's reaction when the Voltaire was destroyed. In fact, he himself was nearly consumed by his rage if not for the Premium Gundam that took his attention. They walked, and as they reached the sleeping quarters, Athrun glanced back and noticed something very wrong with Lacus. Kira was aware of it as well, and he glanced at Athrun, his eyes saying everything.

Athrun stopped suddenly. Cagalli halted and raised her eyebrows at him. "I forgot to tell Captain Ramius something," Athrun said, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "Kuso. Come on, Cagalli," he said, grabbing her arm and turning back hurriedly.

Cagalli was surprised. "H-Hey! Athrun! What are you doing?" she asked, trying to pull her hand back. But even she knew that struggling was futile. Athrun could be unbelievably strong when he wanted to, and she was easily being led away. "Athrun!"

She was pulled along the corridor, past Murrue's room. When he was sure that they were out of earshot, Athrun stopped, his eyes apologetic. "Sorry, Cagalli. I thought they needed some time alone. Lacus looked really..." he trailed off, unable to find the right word to describe the pink-haired songstress.

Cagalli relaxed immediately. She had seen it as well.

.

Kira held Lacus's hand, leading her into one of the sleeping quarters that he knew was shared between her, Cagalli and Miriallia. It was, as he had expected, empty. Lacus was surprised. "Kira? Is something wrong..?" she asked in her gentle voice, her azure eyes worried. Kira couldn't help but admire her courage and strength.

Kira led her to the bed and sat down beside her. "I'm fine," he said firmly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright, Lacus?" he asked, his voice just as gentle. Kira knew how strong she could be in hiding her sorrow. He knew how much she would try to keep to herself.

Lacus stared at him and eventually bowed her head, hiding her azure eyes behind her fringe. "Kira..." she trailed off, turning her face away. Kira decided to remain silent. Breaking the silence would mean that she would keep everything to herself, so he said nothing. Gently, he placed an arm around her reassuringly, his other hand moving to push her fringe away from her eyes, waiting for her to speak. The silence lasted for a long while, and Kira was about to think that she didn't want to talk at all before she suddenly whispered; "Why..?"

"Why what, Lacus?"

She seemed to shrink back further. "Why is this happening again..? Kira... I want to ask you why you disappeared. I want to ask you why you went alone. I want to ask you why you never told me you were alive. But... I know why," she said, biting her lips. "I want to know why this is happening. Why are people fighting again? Why are we crying again? Why is the world so hard to be peaceful?" she asked, her shoulders shaking. "I know why... But... I still want to ask..." she trailed off.

Kira pressed his lips together. Slowly, he placed his right hand against her left cheek, turning her face so her azure eyes could meet his. "It's alright, Lacus," Kira said softly. "Even when you know the answers, you can still ask. You... You don't need to be so strong anymore," Kira said truthfully, his voice shaking. "I'm still here. I'll protect you. And... I'll always return to you. Always. So don't worry... You don't need to be so strong anymore, because we're together. And we'll fight together," he said gently. He remembered how Lacus had taken care of his broken self during the first war, and was always strong, no matter what came her way. This time, it was his turn to be strong for her.

The tears escaped from her eyes and he hugged her tightly as she sobbed into his chest, quietly asking, again and again, why it was happening and why he had gotten into the Freedom and left her. Kira stroked her calmly as she cried, saying nothing. They both knew the answers to her questions after all. He didn't even hush her – Kira merely held her, stroking her repeatedly as she cried after keeping herself strong for so many years, and allowed her tears to flow. A part of him hated himself for not being able to stay by her side, for not being able to help her more. Since the end of the last war, Lacus had stepped in as the provisional Chairwoman of ZAFT and PLANTs, doing her best to try and keep the peace. She had fought, and she had lost him when he was forced to battle alone for Orb. He had no doubt that she had been challenged by the Council as chaos ensued, and her own soldiers had tried to assassinate her... Aprillius One was taken down as a result, and the Voltaire was lost trying to protect her.

Carefully, Kira lifted her from the bed, taking her in his arms as he held her close. He rested his chin on her head, soothing her with gentle strokes as he tried his best to comfort her.

She stopped crying eventually, her shoulders trembling from time to time as she tried to get a hold of herself again.

"Lacus..?" Kira called her quietly. He could sense that she was falling asleep.

"Yes..?"

"I'm sorry," Kira said eventually, and he felt her body relax slightly. "I love you, Lacus..." he whispered quietly

Lacus froze, her eyes widening slightly, but she couldn't see his face. She didn't dare look up. Throughout the years, they had been close to each other, but not exactly in the way she knew Cagalli and Athrun were. They had depended on each other, hanging on like a lifeline as they helped each other through the war. She had always loved him, of course... and she knew he felt the same... but they had never said so due to the nature of what had brought them together. The aftermath of war and the reality of what they were forced to face kept them from trying something that might be too much for their broken selves. The tears fell from her eyes again as she took his hand in hers. "...I love you too, Kira..."

Kira covered her with a blanket a while later, stroking her gently as she slept. He kissed her briefly on the cheek and knew that the sorrow would remain with her for a long time still, but he would be there for her. He would be strong for her, as she had done for him for so many years. Kira straightened, his hand moving to his right side as he did so, feeling the dull throb of the wound he had received from the battle with the Strike Freedom. He breathed deeply and walked out of the room, surprised to see Cagalli and Athrun there, along with Pink Haro that bounced up and down cheerfully. They were talking quietly, and Athrun's back was resting against the wall. Cagalli turned as soon as she heard the door slide open, her eyes concerned.

"How is she?" she asked.

Kira smiled slightly. "She's sleeping. She really suffered a lot," he said, pained that he could not take the sorrow away from her. "Will you stay with her, Cagalli?" he asked. He was worried, but he knew better than to stay for too long in the girl's dorm. Thankfully, Cagalli seemed to understand. She wanted to rest herself and after hugging Kira once more, she bade both Athrun and Kira goodnight as she entered the room with Haro, assuring Kira that she would look after Lacus. Kira smiled and Athrun shrugged at him. They walked away.

"Your new unit..." Athrun began.

"ZGMF-X30A Ultimate Freedom," Kira said, not at all surprised that Athrun wanted to know about it.

"ZGMF?" Athrun repeated, his eyebrows raised. "It's from ZAFT?"

Kira shook his head. "I don't think so. But the reactor is the same from Strike Freedom's. I could still make out the Nazca-class ships earlier. That unit is equipped with an antimatter hyper-propulsion catalyst system," he said, noticing that Athrun looked well surprised.

"Antimatter..? I wonder who he is, that guy..." Athrun trailed off, shaking his head slightly.

"I don't know," Kira answered. He could feel the frustration yet again. There was so much that he still didn't know. Putting that aside, Kira was beginning to feel very uncomfortable. His right side was throbbing painfully and he stopped, putting his right hand out against the wall to support himself as he breathed.

"Kira?" Athrun was in front of him at once. Kira was once again amazed by his friend's ability of thinking, able to put pieces of a puzzle together quicker than anyone he knew. The blue-haired Coordinator's hand shot inside his black jacket, resting against the wound. Athrun's brows pulled together immediately as he felt something hot and sticky underneath and did not need to pull his hand away to know that it was blood. "Come on," Athrun said, taking Kira's left arm and putting it around his shoulders as he led Kira to the infirmary.

Kira wondered why he hadn't noticed beforehand and realised that his shirt was black, hiding it from view. The jacket was waterproof, but apart from that, it was also black. Ken's voice echoed in his mind; You'll probably need this. You might feel a little warm, but it's for your own good. Kira couldn't help but smile slightly. Had Ken known? He must have.

The door of the infirmary slid open and the doctor immediately stood as Athrun helped Kira onto a bed. The Archangel was a large ship, but the crew members were so close to each other that news and gossip always spread like the plague – the whole ship was already aware of Kira's return, along with the rough details on how he had survived. The jacket was removed instantly and the shirt taken off. The bandages covering the wound was soaked in blood, but it looked worse than it really was – Kira had healed a lot in Mendel, after all. The wound had reopened, but it could be worse. Still, the doctor wasn't about to allow Kira to escape from a lecture. As Athrun helped, he ranted about mobile suit pilots and how they shouldn't battle and push themselves too hard after nearing losing their lives, muttering angrily about how it didn't matter whether one was a Coordinator or a Natural. Kira wanted to answer and say the situation couldn't be helped, but he knew better than to argue. The doctor, too, knew that it was futile to lecture them, but he did so anyway.

"You should rest. No funny business with the mobile suits for now," the doctor reprimanded as he finished bandaging the wound. He checked the rest of Kira's body, but the other cuts were either already healed or were healing nicely and only needed a change of bandages.

Kira smiled. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I'll rest in my room. I'm fine, really," he pressed just as the doctor opened his mouth to argue. "I promise, I'll rest," Kira said truthfully.

The doctor sighed. "If it has to be in the dorms, then so be it," he said, clearly not happy with the idea. But Kira should be fine if he looked after himself, so he allowed it to pass.

"Thank you."

Athrun helped as Kira stood and they exited the infirmary together. "You don't want Lacus and Cagalli finding out, do you?" Athrun guessed knowingly.

Kira couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed at that, but it was the truth. "They have other things to worry about," he said. "In any case, sorry. And thank you," Kira said guiltily, but Athrun waved it away. They entered their dorm and Kira was surprised to find it empty. I guess Sai and Kuzzey are still on their shifts, Kira thought. He would catch up to them later. He had just begun to notice the exhaustion that weighed him down. Athrun helped him into his bed and it only took him minutes to fall asleep.

The blue-haired Coordinator was surprised, but his gaze softened as the reality of having Kira back came to him. Injured and tired, Kira still came back. He still survived. He still wanted to fight. Athrun moved to the bed next to him, watching as Torii circled above them. His gaze turned back to the brown-haired Coordinator and he decided that tonight, he would keep Kira company, just in case. Athrun showered, taking his time with the hot water, wanting to kill time more than anything else. He dressed himself in plain clothes and washed the black jacket Kira had been wearing earlier, removing the blood stains that were there before finally going back to the opposite bed.

Athrun, on the other side of the room, watched as Kira slept soundly. He laid down on the bed next to the brown-haired Coordinator, sighing to himself. He knew that once again, he would be facing a sleepless night.

C.E 79 Debris Field – Aurora (Present Day)

The terrible thing about being a soldier was that they had shifts. Yzak had docked his Duel into the Aurora, along with Dearka and Shiho's Enigma units. The Aurora crew welcomed him warmly enough, and Laniel was there to receive them, resting a hand on Yzak's shoulder and apologising for the loss of the Voltaire. Yzak said nothing. The Aurora faced minimal damages and it followed the Archangel through the debris field. It was safer to stay among the ruins there than to risk another attack after what had happened, after all. Yzak had tended to his Duel and shook his head and said he knew nothing when questions were raised about that damned Kira Yamato. How was he to know anything? He was as clueless as the rest on the Aurora and finally snapped at those who asked and said that they would find out when they reached Heliopolis.

For a few hours, he managed to keep himself busy with odd jobs that even began to drive Laniel insane. Eventually, the knowing Captain hinted quietly that Yzak should get some rest. Yzak had wanted to shout at him for giving him orders, but then he remembered that not only was he on Laniel's ship, they were also no longer real ZAFT soldiers, having turned their backs on them just a few hours ago. So Yzak stomped away and now found himself on the viewing deck of the Nazca-class ship. He exhaled loudly, frustrated with himself. His thoughts were everywhere. Worse, he was alone, and the images of the nuclear missile hitting the Voltaire came to him again. Yzak crossed his arms, his eyes on the stars outside, beyond the pieces of debris that formed the ugly ring around the Earth. His anger soon gave way to sorrow.

Yzak heard her enter, of course. He knew it was Shiho because the damned pilot did not leave. Anyone else would have left, knowing how irritated Yzak was currently and how his temper would just get them in trouble. But Shiho, of course, knew how to irritate him and she stayed. At least she was one of the squadron members who survived.

"Commander," Shiho said, her voice just a few steps away from Yzak's back. Yzak didn't respond. Shiho, too, remained silent as they grieved for their loss squad mates.

"Have I let them down, Hahnenfuss?" Yzak finally asked, his voice barely audible, as if he was asking the question to himself.

Shiho's eyebrows raised slightly. She moved and stood beside him, her eyes on the debris that floated past them. "If you did, they wouldn't have come," she said quietly. Yzak said nothing. "If I may say so, Commander, I know that the squadron is loyal to you and they were happy to stay loyal until the end. They were ready to follow you to where it led them, even if it meant turning against ZAFT to join the Archangel."

"Even if it led to their deaths?" Yzak asked coldly.

"Yes," Shiho said, not even hesitating with her answer. "With all due respect, Commander, the Voltaire was already prepared for death as soon as they left to join you. You refused a place as a Council member or even a place in the military headquarters and continued to do white-uniform duties and led your squadron while assisting Chairwoman Clyne as her personal advisor. The squadron places a great deal respect in that," she said, receiving a snort in reply. "They willingly followed your orders, and even when they weren't there to guard Chairwoman Clyne's house, they appeared in the Voltaire. If I may say so, Commander, I'd say they died without regret."

Yzak was silent. Shiho knew she had hit a nerve. "I refused a place in the Council because it's not my place to use my powers there when there are still fights going on," Yzak said quietly.

"And that is why we followed you."

"Then you're all stupid."

"With pride."

Yzak bowed his head then, his shoulders shaking. Shiho peered from the corner of her eye, almost surprised at the tears that were running silently down his cheeks. She pressed her lips together slightly and turned to face him. "Please don't regret fighting for something we believed in. You were the one who could lead us to it, so we followed. There's no shame in that," she said softly, taking a risk by placing a hand on his shoulder. Yzak turned his head away, the tears still running down his cheeks as he cried for his lost squadron. His responsibility. His legs eventually gave way and he slid onto the floor, cursing again and again. The tears began to fall from Shiho's eyes, the reality of their lost comrades sinking in. She crouched in front of the purple-uniformed General and rested her head against his shoulder as she, too, cried for the Voltaire.

Outside, Dearka peered in and watched them as they cried. He raised his eyes to the ceiling as he rested his back against the wall, eventually closing them as he breathed deeply.

C.E 79 Debris Field – Archangel (Present Day)

"Torii..?"

The call was quiet, and goodness knows, Kira had heard it for too many years. But his eyes opened slowly at the familiar sound and he realised that he was sleeping on his left side, facing Athrun's bed. The top bunk was empty, and Kira could sense that the bed above him was unoccupied as well, signalling that Kuzzey and Sai were both still on duty with their stations. Athrun, however, was on his bed, but he wasn't sleeping. Instead, he was sitting, his left side resting heavily against the wall and his eyes on the green bird that looked at him quizzically, perched on his knees. Kira blinked again and sat up.

"Athrun?" he asked

The blue-haired Coordinator turned his head and gazed at him, almost as if he wasn't seeing Kira at all. "Kira? You should go back to sleep," he said, but even his voice seemed faraway. No, that wasn't it, Kira realised. Athrun sounded... tired. Defeated. Silently, Kira stood up and moved to sit on Athrun's bed. He realised that Athrun looked haunted. He also knew that there was no point asking whether he was alright or not, so Kira jumped to the next best question;

"What's wrong?"

Athrun said nothing. That wasn't surprising, too. Kira had known him long enough to know that Athrun, in many ways, was like Lacus when dealing with problems.

"Why are we still fighting?" Athrun finally asked, almost as if the question was a funny one, but his voice was dull. Kira sighed silently. It was a question they were all asking themselves. "That man you saw... Yuri Amalfi. His son... was my comrade," Athrun said quietly. He didn't have the heart to tell Kira that it was Nicol, whom Kira had unintentionally killed during the first war. "He was killed during the first war. And his father... that man... I knew him. In many ways, he shares the views of my father, especially after his son died. Radical views," Athrun half-laughed to himself. "I never expected him to do something like this."

"Athrun..."

"I snapped earlier, Kira. After they fired the nuclear missile to Aprillius Four... and then when the Voltaire was hit. I lost it. I wanted to kill them. I wanted to put a stop to it all, Kira. I nearly killed all of them, if it wasn't for that Gundam that distracted me. But even then, I was ready to kill her, too. And I knew that once I did, I'd kill the rest of them," he said, his voice quiet. Kira noticed that Athrun was clenching his fists tightly. "I saw that battle you faced. I saw what they did to Scandinavia. I wanted it to stop. And I was ready to kill all of them to make it happen. At that time, I hated them..." he said, clenching his teeth together.

Kira felt deep sorrow. He himself shared those feelings Athrun shared. He, too, was tired of the war and wanted it to stop.

"I nearly tried to avenge your death, Kira. I came so close to it. So close to become like Amalfi-san. Like my father. Everything came back to me at the time..." Athrun shook his head, dazed. "Your mother was there when I broke the news of your death to Captain Ramius and Commander Flaga. She was worried about me when I first arrived, but I couldn't do anything for her. I couldn't even do anything for Cagalli, for Lacus, for Yzak, for you... I knew you were fighting when you were already about to die. I felt... hopeless."

Kira wanted to speak. He wanted to reach out and talk to him, but he knew he should stay silent. All these years, these were the things they had always wanted to say to each other, but didn't out of fear of what it might do to the fragile friendship. All the bottled feelings were finally being let out, and Kira could only sit and listen as he spoke.

"I didn't believe you died," Athrun said, half-laughing to himself. "I didn't want to. I couldn't. I never apologised for trying to kill you with the Aegis," Athrun said, gripping his blankets tighter in his hands as the image of Yuri Amalfi came to his mind. "All this time, even during the second war, I fought to keep you away from fighting. So we can have a peaceful life. But it seems useless. What use were those fights anyway?"

"Athrun," Kira said quietly, placing a hand on the other Coordinator's shoulder.

Athrun raised his head, the tears flowing down his cheeks instantly. "I came so close to killing them, Kira. I remembered my mother... and Junius Seven. She has always been on my mind, all these years. I miss her, Kira. And I nearly fought to avenge her," he said, his shoulders shaking as he cried. "Kill because somebody was killed... Get killed because he killed... You think peace will ever come like that?" Athrun whispered, quoting what Cagalli had told him before.

The tears flowed down Kira's cheeks. Athrun wasn't the only one who missed Lenore Zala. Back in Copernicus, he had regarded Lenore Zala as his own mother, just as how Athrun had regarded Caridad Yamato as his own. When he had discovered that Athrun had been fighting because Lenore was killed in Junius Seven, it had affected Kira deeply. He was fighting with those responsible for the death of a person whom he had regarded as his own flesh and blood. It made fighting Athrun all the more difficult at the time. "I miss her too, Athrun," Kira said quietly, and Athrun's shoulders shook harder.

"I'm sorry, Kira."

"I'm sorry, too..."

C.E 79 Heliopolis – Aurora (Present Day) – Kira & Crew

They arrived in Heliopolis safely. That night, Kira and Athrun had talked and cried like never before as they each poured out those sealed feelings that they had kept quiet since they became enemies during the first war. Sometime during that night, Athrun had fallen asleep, and Kira watched his friend, finally resting, for a few moments before climbing back onto his bed, closing his eyes and drifting away himself. He woke when Murrue announced that they were docking in Heliopolis and Kira had showered, dressing himself in plain clothes. He had glanced back at Athrun, still sleeping, and decided that he would leave the blue-haired Coordinator that way. He doubted that Athrun had had enough sleep these few weeks, knowing him. Watching Athrun the night before after they had talked and cried, Kira noticed that his old friend now had a slightly tranquil look on his face, as if a large burden had been lifted from his shoulders, and that was enough for him... for now.

When Kira met Lacus and Cagalli at the bridge, he told them that Athrun was sleeping. They exchanged surprised glances, both knowing how impossible sleep was for the pilot, and immediately decided that Athrun could sleep longer if needed. Miraculously, the Archangel was able to dock in Heliopolis without any trouble, and they decided to stay there on stand-by until they hear more news about RENEGADE. Kira decided to take that opportunity to go to the Aurora.

As soon as he entered the Nazca-class ship, he was ambushed by Laniel who threw his arm around Kira's shoulder.

"Kira! Bakayaro! You don't know how to stay dead, do you?" Laniel greeted warmly, grinning despite himself. "And here I was, hoping that I'd be promoted as a Commander in your place, but ZAFT had been too busy to look it over," he sighed.

Kira laughed at that. "How is the Aurora?" he asked. He couldn't see Yzak, Shiho or Dearka anywhere.

Laniel shrugged. "It's fine, don't worry. I've taken good care of it," he said, steering Kira towards the mobile suit hangar. "HEY! Shinn! Come down here!" he called.

Kira's eyebrows were raised as he took in the two new Gundams in front of him, as well as the four Enigmas. Last time he checked, only he and Yzak were piloting Enigmas. Shinn's head poked out from one of the Gundams' cockpit and he brightened instantly when he saw who it was. "Commander!" Shinn called, grasping the lever and transporting himself down. "How are you, Commander? We all thought you were gone for good," he said. "Maybe you finally found a worthy opponent," he smirked.

"The Commander is too good for that, isn't he?" another voice joined them. Lunamaria and Meyrin walked over – Lunamaria looked as cheerful as ever. "Good morning, Commander!"

"Good morning, Lunamaria, Meyrin," Kira replied. "Those units..." he trailed off, his eyes on Shinn's Gundam.

Shinn turned and followed his gaze. "Lacus-sama assigned us these units through the Clyne Faction," he said. "ZGMF-X19X Destiny Gaia and General Joule's ZGMF-X20C Hyper Duel," he said, gesturing towards the two Gundams. "The Enigmas were given to Captain Elsman, Lieutenant Hahnenfuss, Lunamaria and Sierra."

"With custom weapons!" Lunamaria beamed at them.

Kira couldn't help but smile as he took in the new mobile suits. He'd have to look at their specifications later. He turned and faced them. "Thank you," he said, surprising them all. "You were willing to fight for what you believed in, even when it meant turning away from ZAFT... I was really surprised," he admitted. "In any case, I'll run it through with Cagalli later to let you all off the Aurora so you can walk around Heliopolis," he promised. Meyrin and Lunamaria brightened at that considerably. They had launched so unexpectedly the night before that they hadn't been able to prepare themselves.

Shinn, of course, couldn't really care less about getting off the Aurora. "Commander... What will we do now?" he asked.

Kira shook his head. "For now, we stay put and watch what RENEGADE will do next. We'll decide once we know what's going on," he informed.

"Well, whatever happens, we'll defeat them for sure," Shinn said confidently. He then pursed his lips and looked at Kira who was casually wearing plain clothes. It wasn't a sight he was used to, and it wasn't one that he really liked. "By the way, Commander, your uniform should be in your office."

C.E 79 Heliopolis – Morganroete (Present Day) – Athrun & Shinn

Athrun was surprised to find himself alone when he opened his eyes. He was even more surprised when he glanced at his watch and noticed how many hours had ticked by while he was sleeping. The ship was silent, and didn't seem to be moving – Athrun decided that they must've docked at Heliopolis at last, thankfully without any problems. He relaxed in the shower, allowing the steaming hot water to loosen his muscles as he thought back to what had happened last night. For the first time in years, he could say that he felt truly at peace. All the conflicts he had in the past, and now in the present, were finally let out to the one person who really knew him best. Athrun smiled slightly at the thought. They had been close since they were little, and it was comforting to know that despite all that had happened, nothing changed their friendship.

Athrun stepped out of the shower and dressed in his Admiral uniform. It was white and blue, and looked very much different to the red ZAFT uniform he had worn years ago. He had been proud of himself when he had been given that uniform back then. Athrun shook his head and exited the dorm, looking around. He decided to head for the bridge.

Unsurprisingly, Murrue was there when he arrived. She told him that Cagalli had gone out with Lacus, but that they would return soon. When he asked about Kira, Murrue shrugged and said that Kira had gone to the Aurora earlier, but that she did not know where he was now. In any case, the Aurora crew members seemed to have gotten permission from Cagalli to enter Heliopolis. Athrun nodded and made his decision – he would go to Morganroete's Area Three.

Athrun knew, of course, that quite a number of Aurora's crew members were those from the previous Minerva he had joined during the last war. He rarely got the chance to meet them again, but he knew that they were doing fine. His affiliation with Shinn, therefore, remained as awkward as ever. Once, when he had stumbled against Lunamaria in PLANTs, she had reported to him that Shinn seemed to be behaving better with Kira as his Commander. Sure, he had been difficult at first, but Kira was Freedom's pilot and was already a person whom Shinn respected. Athrun smiled slightly. He knew it went beyond that. While Athrun was quick to fight back and argue, Kira was more accepting and relaxed. In a way, Athrun supposed that Kira would have a similar effect on Shinn as Rey had. He highly doubted that Kira often had fights with the black-haired pilot as he had before.

When he heard that the Aurora's crew had permission to enter Heliopolis, Athrun had assumed that Lunamaria and Meyrin would immediately find themselves in the biggest shopping complex. Shinn, he guessed, would most likely stay aboard. So he was surprised when the doors to Morganroete's Area Three opened, revealing the black-haired Coordinator there, looking down at the work below.

"Shinn," Athrun called despite himself, surprised more than anything else.

Shinn's head shot up and he turned. He, too, looked surprised upon seeing the blue-haired Coordinator. "Athrun..." Shinn trailed off.

Athrun relaxed and smiled, moving to stand beside him. He rested his arms against the railings, looking down at the two large shields. "They're big, aren't they?"

"Ah..." Shinn answered, turning to look at them again. "Protectors of Heliopolis, huh..?"

"If the plan goes well, there will be two ships that will be developed for them. We're placing a lot of hope on Heliopolis to keep the world peaceful," Athrun said quietly.

"I don't really understand... why RENEGADE is wrong with its ideals," Shinn admitted.

"Then why did you join Aurora against them?"

"B-because..." Shinn stammered, almost angry that he asked the question. "If I didn't, Orb will..." he trailed off and turned his eyes back to the shields.

Athrun couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad." Shinn looked up in surprise, but said nothing. "Sometimes, we fight without knowing the reason why. We fight because, at the time, we feel that it is the right thing to do. But on the way, if we realise that we're wrong, we turn around and fight again," he said. Shinn understood that, of course. Athrun did that during the last war – first fighting for the Chairman, then turning his back and joining the Archangel when he discovered that he was fighting for the wrong thing. "If RENEGADE can truly provide a peaceful world with what they're saying, then maybe they are right after all. But honestly, I doubt that what they are doing are right, if it means attacking those who don't agree with them," Athrun said, remembering his father.

"But..! If it's for the peace of both sides, then shouldn't we step down?"

"Peace for who? Coordinators? Naturals? Then, what about those who wishes to live with both?" Athrun challenged. Shinn was silenced. "I don't think either side would feel safe as long as they still distrust each other," Athrun said darkly, after a moment.

Shinn nodded. He agreed with that, of course. "Athrun –"

"I hope you'll fight with us, Shinn," Athrun said, cutting Shinn off. Shinn raised his eyebrows. "As it is, the Earth Alliance is currently fighting due to their hate against Coordinators. But will they really stop once Earth is cleared of Coordinators, or will they keep on attacking still? And for the Coordinators who are born on Earth, is it really fair to tell them to leave Earth just because they need to separate from one another?" Athrun questioned, silencing the other. Athrun turned and walked towards the steps that would lead him down to the working area of the place. His eyes seemed sad. "I really hope you'll lend your power to fight for peace between Naturals and Coordinators, Shinn. Peace doesn't come with both sides hating each other, even if they're kept apart," Athrun said, walking away.

C.E 79 Heliopolis (Present Day) – Dearka & Miriallia

When they docked at Heliopolis, the first thought that entered Miriallia's mind was Dearka and his crew. Her worry and concern made her forget about her tiredness and as soon as Murrue allowed them to leave the ship, she found herself boarding off the Archangel while Sai and Kuzzey decided that they would catch up on their sleep. Miriallia was more used to manning the stations, of course, having stayed with the Archangel longer than the two, so it was hardly surprising that they were still finding it hard to adjust. To her, today was one of the lighter days, and they managed to get to Heliopolis from PLANTs just fine even though they were forced to take the long route past Lagrange Area 4. Miriallia bit her lips as soon as she boarded off the ship, wanting to see Dearka, but already facing problems. For starters, she had never entered a Nazca-class ship. She also did not know whether Dearka was sleeping or not... or even if he was in the ship or not. She nearly kicked herself for her impulsiveness.

Thankfully, luck was on her side. The Nazca-class ship's main door opened and Dearka stepped out, clad in his black ZAFT uniform. He looked like a walking corpse and stopped as soon as he spotted Miriallia in front of him. A small smile crossed his lips and he raised his hand in greeting. Miriallia turned to face him and shrugged with a light smile.

They walked together quietly, both saying nothing, until they reached the deserted viewing deck of the Heliopolis hangar overlooking the large cities below. It was just beginning to lighten in Heliopolis, and Miriallia breathed in the fresh morning air gratefully.

"This place... It's different to what it used to be," Dearka commented, much to her surprise. He leaned forwards, resting his arms against the railings. "It's better than it was last time," he admitted.

"You've been to Heliopolis?" Miriallia asked, raising her eyebrows.

Dearka nodded. "Not under the best circumstances though. We were sent here on a special ZAFT mission during the first war to capture the Gundams they were developing for Earth Alliance."

Of course... He was Buster's pilot, Miriallia remembered. She never knew he was one of the pilots sent to steal the mobile suits, however. "I lived in Heliopolis during the first war," Miriallia said lightly. "We ran when ZAFT attacked, but Kira was forced into the Strike. We were forced onboard the Archangel because we witnessed a top secret of the military."

The blonde-haired Coordinator laughed slightly. "Really now? I guess I need to say sorry for destroying your home, then," he said, but Miriallia shook her head, dismissing the apology. They both knew what being soldiers were like, following orders and fighting for unknown causes.

They fell silent again. Miriallia bowed her head, the memories coming back to her. Tolle had been alive back then, of course, and had bravely defended Kira when Kira was discovered to be a Coordinator. A small smile passed her lips as she remembered him, but over the years, she had grown accustomed to the dull ache in her chest, which gradually became lighter. She risked a glance at Dearka and noticed that he, too, seemed to be deep in his thoughts as he watched the cities wake up below.

In truth, Miriallia did not know how to view her relationship with him. She felt something, of course, and for a few months, she stayed with him in PLANTs as she worked as a freelance photographer. But they had always balanced themselves between being friends and lovers. As far as she knew, Dearka was not seeing anyone else, and she, too, had not had a proper relationship since Tolle's death. Most of their friends assumed that they were together – at first, Miriallia had corrected them and said that she had nothing with Dearka, but as the years passed by, she stopped doing so and wasn't sure why.

"The Voltaire..." Miriallia found herself saying and she bit her lips when Dearka looked at her. "It's your ship, isn't it?"

Dearka nodded. "Ah... I guess you can say it's really Yzak's ship than mine. I'm only second-in-command," he shrugged, his eyes dull.

"I'm sorry..." Miriallia whispered. She couldn't blame him for looking surprised at her apology. "Are you alright?"

He shrugged. "I guess so. When you're a soldier, you expect things like this," he said bitterly.

Miriallia didn't buy it. "Even if you expect it, it doesn't stop you from grieving," she said quietly.

"I guess so," he agreed finally. "Yzak seemed more frustrated about it than I am," he said. Miriallia looked at him. "I don't blame him, actually. I was about to kill them myself earlier... But what good will that do? It's not like they would come back. Besides... I'd probably be doing what they want me to do if I attack them back. And then they'd probably separate the Coordinators and Naturals once and for all," he said darkly. "The way things are now, a part of me doesn't even give a damn if that happens. I'd be fighting to avenge my squadron, but I wouldn't be joining their battle."

"Dearka..."

"Miriallia... Can you give me a reason why I should fight?" Dearka asked quietly, his eyes faraway. "Rather than having the Coordinators and Naturals continuing their fight, they should be separated to put their minds at rest. We won't need to worry about each other again, and I can stop giving a damn about them. Give me a reason why I should fight against that," Dearka said bitterly.

Miriallia lowered her eyes. She could not blame him for saying such things. She only had one reason to persuade him to fight, but she could never be selfish to ask him something like that. She would never ask someone to risk themselves on the battlefield... Risk being killed, like Tolle had been... When she looked up again, Dearka was facing her, his violet eyes deep with sorrow. Miriallia nearly blurted out her reason then, but she held herself from doing so. No... You can't do that to him... she thought. "Dearka..."

"Will you be my reason to keep on fighting, Miriallia?" he asked, surprising her. "If I don't fight... If I let them have their way... I won't see you again. I won't be able to protect you anymore," Dearka said, raising his hand to touch her cheek lightly. Miriallia found herself blushing slightly. "I... I like you, Miriallia. And I want to have you in my life, always. I want to keep on fighting for that," he said, casting his eyes away.

The tears fell from her eyes and she shook her head, managing a small smile. She was truly surprised to discover the warmth in her chest upon hearing her words. In the end, no matter how much she had denied it, she loved him, too... "In that case, I'll have to fight for the same reason too, haven't I?" she asked, her voice light and cheerful amidst her tears.

Dearka's eyes widened and he looked at her in surprise. "Miriallia..."

"I... I like you, too, Dearka," she said, bowing her head. Her cheeks were truly red by now. Rest peacefully, Tolle... I'm okay now...

She was pulled into an embrace as soon as the words left her lips, and Miriallia found herself hugging him back, the tears running down her cheeks. She had grieved long enough, and it was no lie that she did feel something for the blonde-haired Coordinator. Dearka shut his eyes tight, refusing to let the tears flow as a feeling of deep joy was mixed with his sorrow. He would keep on fighting... He would fight the battle that his squadron had died fighting for. He would fight to be with her.

C.E 79 Heliopolis – Viewing Deck, Archangel (Present Day) – Athrun, Yzak, Dearka & Kira

"Yuri Amalfi, huh..?" Dearka said quietly, almost as if the fact was hard to believe – which, in a way, it really was. "Honestly..."

They were at the Archangel's viewing deck – Athrun, Yzak and Dearka – and once again felt the biting loss of their old comrade, Nicol Amalfi. Athrun shrugged and Yzak snorted, turning his head away. They were both angered with how things had turned out. Yzak seemed to be back to his old self again, but even Athrun noticed the small change in the young General's eyes. After what had happened with the Voltaire, Yzak seemed to have... matured. A part of him had definitely changed.

Athrun sighed. "I had been planning to visit PLANTs a few weeks ago, just before the chaos. I wanted to visit his grave... Rusty, Miguel..." Heine... Mother... "I don't even know if I can do that now," he said resentfully, his eyes cast away.

Yzak exhaled loudly. "To fight against Amalfi-san against all people," he said darkly.

Dearka shrugged. "It can't be helped. We searched for him in PLANTs," he told Athrun. "We couldn't find him."

"Of course we couldn't!" Yzak snapped. But he, too, was disturbed and wished to find the man himself.

"It's a mess," Dearka sighed.

Yzak's eyes slid to Athrun. "Oy... Does Kira know?" he asked.

Athrun shook his head. "I told him that Amalfi-san is a father of a comrade, but I didn't say it was Nicol." Knowing Kira, if the knowledge ever came to him, he'd most likely blame everything on himself as he normally did. Athrun couldn't allow that to happen if he could help it. Yzak nodded slightly.

"Think Nicol would be here, or with his father?" Yzak asked, crossing his arms angrily.

"Here, probably," Dearka guessed. The other two couldn't help but agree.

The door slid open and Kira stepped in, finally dressed in his white ZAFT uniform again. Yzak glared at him and stood, immediately taking him by the collar and pushing him back. "Kisama! What are you doing alive for?" he half-shouted at the surprised Coordinator. Dearka sighed and Athrun stood.

"Yzak!" Athrun reprimanded, but unsurprisingly, he was ignored.

"It's that hard to kill you, is it?" Yzak sneered, but there was no denying the small warmth in his eyes in getting his comrade back.

"Y-Yzak!" Kira managed, releasing himself from his grip. The silver-haired Coordinator exhaled loudly and sat back down, crossing his arms angrily. Kira moved over to sit with them. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly. "I'm sorry... about the Voltaire..." he said, the grief unmistaken in his voice.

Yzak snorted, deciding not to answer. Judging by his behaviour, however, they knew that Yzak was as fine as he could be under the circumstances. "We'll still fight," Dearka decided to answer, much to Yzak's annoyance.

Kira smiled. "I see," he said, lowering his eyes. "That's good."

At that moment, Dearka, Yzak and Athrun exchanged glances and shared one thought: Kira might have killed Nicol, but he definitely was not responsible for what had happened. Not in the least.

C.E 79 Heliopolis – Cafeteria, Archangel (Present Day) – Kira, Athrun, Sai, Kuzzey & Miriallia

Kira and Athrun parted from Yzak and Dearka a few hours later. The latter two went back to the Aurora while Kira and Athrun made their way to the Archangel cafeteria. Kira had originally wanted to head to the mobile suit hangar to begin the maintenance work on the Ultimate Freedom, but he was stopped by Athrun who insisted that he needed to eat. Kira couldn't blame the blue-haired Coordinator, of course. He pretty much forgot the last time he had a meal, and it was only when Athrun had mentioned the idea of food that Kira realised how ravenous he felt. They walked together, both dressed in white uniforms, and entered the cafeteria to see Sai, Kuzzey and Miriallia there, just about to eat. The three brightened considerably upon seeing the brown-haired Coordinator.

"Sai! Kuzzey! Miriallia!" Kira greeted.

"Long time no see, Kira," Sai said as Kira and Athrun sat opposite them with their trays. "Are you alright?"

Kira nodded. "I'm fine. How have you been?"

They exchanged news then, recounting all that had happened since they last parted from each other. Though Kuzzey was the first to leave the Archangel, he had still visited the crew often enough after the second war and thus had no real news to give them, apart from his desire to fight with them again for the peace in their world. Miriallia looked unusually cheerful and when Athrun hinted about Dearka, she blushed furiously and reprimanded the blue-haired Coordinator, also saying that she would kill Dearka for telling. They laughed then – Dearka had not said anything, but it was so glaringly obvious when they returned from Heliopolis's viewing deck earlier. Kira briefly recounted what had happened in Mendel, but they were already aware of it. It was Sai who spoke longest, explaining about his studies after the first war and how he had been living in the Kingdom of Scandinavia.

"I was really surprised when they came under attack," Sai said quietly as Athrun stored away the now empty trays. "In a way, I'm really glad I decided to join the Archangel again. At least I can still fight for that country. They've helped me a lot," he said, lowering his eyes. Athrun moved to sit next to Kira again, remembering the devastation they had faced after the harsh battle.

"It's not over yet," Kira said, the determination evident in his violet eyes. "We'll keep on fighting for what we believe is right," he said.

Silence hung over them afterwards and eventually, Kira and Athrun stood, deciding that they should head to the mobile suit hangar. Just when Kira was about to step out, Sai's voice reached his ears, making him stop; "Kira. I'm sorry."

Kira was surprised. He turned, his eyes raised as he regarded his friend. "Why?" Kira asked, truly puzzled.

"I actually came back to the Archangel to apologise to you, Kira. For everything. Coordinators... are really different to Naturals. I always view them so differently to us that I never knew what it must have been like for you during the war. And when I knew what Fllay was doing..." Sai turned his head away. "I didn't know what to do. I blamed you, when I shouldn't have. I assumed the war didn't hurt you as much, because you're a Coordinator. On the other hand, Fllay was scared and confused..." he sighed deeply. "All this time, I kept myself away, but I've always been angry. At myself... At what had happened. I'm sorry, Kira. You were my friend, and I should have been better," Sai said quietly.

Kira's eyes softened and he stepped towards his old friend, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. Sai looked up, surprised to see that Kira was smiling sadly. "I'm sorry too, Sai. But... I'm glad," he said softly, the smile remaining on his lips. "Even after all that had happened, we're still fighting the same battle. I'm glad we can talk to each other like this again. We're still friends. Thank you," he said, turning and walking towards the door again. It slid open and Kira paused, bowing his head. "Actually... Naturals and Coordinators aren't that different at all," he said quietly, walking away, the door shutting behind him.

"Kira..." Sai whispered. How typical was it for Kira to forget everything and be grateful that they were friends?

Athrun's eyes was on the closed door and he turned and gazed at the three. "That girl... Fllay," he said, remembering back. The girl who had been captured by Creuset, then given the key to end the war.

"An old friend of ours," Sai said, sitting down. He kept his eyes on the table. "Our parents arranged our engagement, but her father was killed during the first war – the ship exploded in front of her eyes. Fllay was always frightened... she was scared, insecure, and she hated Coordinators. She was scared of them. But Kira had always been fighting for us, and she knew that. She got close to him, asking him to fight for our safety. She used him," Sai's voice was filled with anger and sorrow, his fists clenching tightly.

"I was surprised when she stopped seeing Sai at first," Kuzzey said quietly, crossing his arms. "I didn't expect Kira and Fllay to get together like that. Kira had always been fighting... He had always cried, and Commander Flaga found him sleeping in the Strike's cockpit many times," he said, remembering the time when Kira had been struck by a fever, crying out in his sleep.

"War turns people into terrible things," Sai said bitterly. Miriallia looked away, unable to say anything. Even she had acted beyond what she thought herself capable of, attacking Dearka with a knife after Tolle's death. "Fllay was just frightened. But still..." he sighed.

"I see..." Athrun said softly, finally understanding.

"I don't want to fight you, Athrun... But... My friends are on that ship!"

"I hurt her, Athrun... She's someone I need to protect..."

Without another word, Athrun exited the cafeteria and looked around, but Kira wasn't in sight. He knew where the Coordinator had gone to, of course. Athrun turned and walked towards the mobile suit hangar, once again amazed with what they were all forced to face during the war. He entered the lift, sighing deeply to himself as he thought back to what Sai and Kuzzey had told him. The doors opened and Athrun walked over to the Ultimate Freedom, spotting the open cockpit door. He wasn't even surprised. He walked over to an electronic platform nearby and fiddled with the controls until he was level with the cockpit. Athrun climbed inside and sat down on the open door, looking inside. Kira was busy typing on the keyboard, his fingers moving quickly as he adjusted the mobile suit's OS. He was already aware of Athrun's presence, of course.

Seeing that Kira didn't want to talk, Athrun yawned loudly. Kira's eyes flickered to the blue-haired Coordinator and a small smile tugged at his lips. He knew what Athrun was hinting at. "I never hated her," he said, his fingers moving swiftly across the keyboard. "Any of them. But... I wish there was more that I could do. All the people I killed... All the people that died... They didn't want to be there, too... They have families, and dreams. They laugh and cry, and they have strengths and weaknesses. We're all the same."

"Ah..."

"Naturals. Coordinators. In the end, we're still human beings," Kira sighed, storing the keyboard away. He couldn't concentrate.

Athrun looked at him then and realised that he could offer no words to comfort his old friend. As Kira had done to him the night before, Athrun could only stay and listen, because sometimes, that was all a friend needed.

C.E 79 Heliopolis – Mobile Suit Hangar, Archangel (Present Day) – Kira & Lacus

"Kira?"

The gentle voice broke his thoughts and Kira looked up from the control panel of the mobile suit hangar, turning to his left where Lacus stood, her head tilted to her side slightly with a small smile on her lips. Not long after Kira had talked to Athrun, the blue-haired Coordinator had left him to tend to his own Justice that had been damaged slightly from the attack in PLANTs. He was in the Justice's cockpit now, working through the controls. Kira had just finished editing the Ultimate Freedom's OS and was now running the machine through the Archangel's system – the first procedure had just been completed.

"Lacus," Kira greeted, extending an arm towards her. She walked towards him, half-hugging him. Torii circled them, gaining Haro's attention and they were soon bouncing away as they played together. Kira smiled.

"You've been here all this time, Kira?" Lacus asked kindly.

"Yes," Kira nodded. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Thank you," she answered, turning her azure eyes on the Ultimate Freedom. "This is the Ultimate Freedom?" she asked. Kira nodded and she beamed at him. "It looks like a strong unit."

"It's not that different to the Strike Freedom," Kira said truthfully. In terms of weapons, the Ultimate Freedom gained two extra DRAGOON units which also came with two short beam sabers and a beam boomerang. The Ultimate Freedom's legs also stored a pair of Armor Schneiders which were a form of assault knives similar to that equipped in the Strike Gundam that were folded like switchblades and did not use any beam energy. The Ultimate Freedom was also equipped with an extra anti-ship Strike sword. "Daisuke-san said that it was developed from the Strike Freedom. They must've recovered the parts after the fight," he realised, smiling slightly.

"I see," Lacus said quietly as she stared at the Gundam.

Kira looked at her face, peaceful and kind, and he immediately felt the guilt clenching his heart. He bowed his head, his fringe covering his eyes as he did so. "Lacus... I'm sorry," Kira said quietly, biting his lips.

Lacus was surprised. "Why are you apologising, Kira?"

"I broke your sword," Kira said, clenching his fists. The Freedom and the Strike Freedom were two units that Lacus had personally given him, and it was destroyed in the battle in the South Atlantic Ocean. "I'm sorry."

"Kira..." Lacus reached forwards, gently pushing his hair away. He risked a glance at her and saw that she still held the serene smile. "A sword is not necessarily something that you see there," she said, gesturing towards the Freedom. "A sword is what is in here," she said, resting her hand against his chest, her azure eyes soft. "If you give a sword to someone who cannot fight, then the sword does not turn into a weapon. It is not used to protect. Only if you give it to someone who fights, then it becomes a weapon and used to protect. And when the fighting stops, the sword is also gone," she said kindly. "The sword that I gave you is still here, Kira. Right here," she said, her hand pressing against his chest, where his heart was located. "Your reasons for fighting... And your desires to protect those you want to protect... They're still here, aren't they?" Lacus asked gently.

Kira could feel the tears threatening to escape. "Yes..."

"Then, do not be sad, Kira," she said, leaning forwards to press her lips against his cheek. "Your sword is your sword. It cannot be changed or replaced."

Kira clenched his teeth. "Daisuke-san... He said he saved me because he wanted to believe... Because I am an Ultimate Coordinator," Kira said, surprising himself that he was telling her this. But it had been constantly in his mind, the confusion he felt. "He said I will fight because I am the Ultimate Coordinator."

Lacus shrugged lightly. "Is that so?" she asked. "But Kira... You fight because you are you. You are an Ultimate Coordinator... But you are also Kira," she said softly, surprising him. He raised his eyes to meet hers and a tear fell down his eye, which she wiped with the gentle caress of her fingers. "It's alright, Kira," she whispered softly.

Athrun transported himself down to the ground from his Justice a few feet from where they stood. He had heard their conversation, of course, and he extended his arm to Cagalli who had entered the hangar just a few moments ago, in time to listen to their talk. Slowly, Cagalli walked over to Athrun and he placed his arm around her, their eyes turned towards Kira and Lacus wordlessly.

Author's Note: An unexpected stroke of luck allowed me to upload this chapter today. :D This chapter is written purely for the characters. I think we all need a break from the action and cool down a little with some character interaction. XD For a reunion that we've been waiting for for so long, I hope this chapter was satisfying. I tried my best with how I thought the characters would react, so apologies if there are some OOC-ness – especially with the first Kira/Lacus scene. I know she's unbelievably strong, but even the strongest of us can break. Aprillius Four fell because of her, and Kira miraculously came back from the dead – I can't help but doubt that she could take all that had happened with a firm stride. To Shinn/Luna fans, their moments will come later on once they get more cameo. :D Let me know if there are any parts which you found unsatisfying – I can get back to it when (if) I revise this fic later on after completion.

Anyway, I thank you all so much for the reviews! Thanks to my reviewers for the previous chapter(s): WaaWaa, SugarCarly, PrincessOfDestiny14, AngelicFox12, nxkris, rebirth-flame, Sleepyreader319, GeneralTao01 and skepsis66! I also thank those who favourite-d, alert-ed and read this fic. I hope you enjoyed this chapter – as usual, please let me know! :D

AngelicFox12: Thanks! I want to see this fic until the end as well. My mind has been adding so many ideas, it's hard to keep track. I don't really know how it'll turn out myself. XD I was really annoyed with the Cagalli issue - I kept on wondering if she's a Coordinator, but all the Gundam websites listed her as a Natural, so I think that what Daisuke said would be the most acceptable answer.

nxkris: You're perceptive. XD I'm still fiddling with the idea of having a more powerful Freedom, but we'll see where it goes. :D

rebirth-flame (Chap 1-3): Firstly, thank you so much for taking the time to write the reviews! :D I loved reading them, and the feedback really helped a lot. In the first chapter, I think I meant old comrade as in an old friend. But maybe my wording is incorrect. T.T I haven't heard about a plan for a sequel to GSD, but I hope they make one. I wasn't satisfied with the ending to GSD at all. And I do agree that Athrun was a complete idiot in GSD, but I kinda felt sorry for him as well. XD Glad you liked the third chapter!

Sleepyreader319: I love Dearka/Miriallia, and they are a couple in this story, but the problem with them is that they're always apart. T.T It's tough trying to write when they're always away from each other. I try to write scenes for them whenever possible, as you've seen with this chapter. :D

GeneralTao01: I'm glad you don't mind the long chapters. XD Let's hope the internet will return soon. In any case, thanks for your review, and I hope you liked this one!

skepsis66: Fuzzy and warm? XD That was hardly the reaction I thought one would take, but I'm glad you liked it! And thanks for the feedback! :D I thought it would be easier to understand to have both sides explaining the plot to avoid confusion. :D