Okay, I'll say it straight: I was a little disappointed by the lack of response from people, especially when I compare it to the story traffic and to the amount of people who have this on their alerts or favorites list. I'm not asking too much, am I, when I ask people if they could at least leave a review? All I want to know is what you guys think of my work, after all. Ah, well, I can't really help it if readers are stingy with reviews.
Anyways, I'm not going to keep you people waiting. Without much further ado, here it is: the next installment.
Disclaimer: Well, I don't think I need to say anything. Until further notice, the disclaimer from the previous chapters still stands.
Phase Twelve: Fangs of the Enemy
February 19, C.E. 71
Gibraltar Base
"Man, this really is getting to be a pain, huh?" Dearka said from where he was seated on a couch. He and Yzak were currently in the officers' lounge of ZAFT's Gibraltar Base. "Athrun, Nicol, and Saul get a bit of leave, while Leon's out there with the Waltfeld Team fighting the legged ship. You and me? We're stuck here for days doing nothing but fiddling our thumbs. Worse, we just had to land in the same area as that lunatic Scirocco."
Yzak sighed irritably. "Do not remind me, Dearka," he ground out as he paced back and forth. "I thought we were good to go when the base commanders finally agreed to resupply us, but then they tell us that the repairs will still take time, and, as if that isn't bad enough, we can't move out without further orders! How infuriating is that?"
Zane walked in at the end of Yzak's tirade. "The Commander's on the line," he said, handing Dearka a portable version of normal comm. terminals. Dearka set it on the table before him, activating the display to reveal Rau Le Creuset, seated behind his desk on the Vesalius. Yzak walked over to stand next to Dearka, while Zane hovered nearby, within the visual range of the terminal.
"Yzak, Dearka, Zane, I've received new orders for you," he said. "I realize you three might still be tired, but once your repairs and resupplying are complete, I want you to head to Africa to join with the Waltfeld Team. They'll be commencing a clean-up operation of the legged ship and a local resistance group. Exercise all necessary caution. Am I understood?"
"Yes sir," the three pilots replied, saluting. Le Creuset returned the salute, before cutting the link.
"Well, well… looks like we get our shot after all," Dearka said.
Yzak nodded. "That's fine…" he said. "There's a debt to be repaid for this scar of mine."
The Next Day
ZAFT African HQ, Banadiya
"I can't believe I let you two talk me into this," Tomoyo said as she walked through the mansion's hallways, Leon ever at her side. It was the first time in quite a while - she had to admit - that saw her in casual civilian dress and not the proud red coat of a ZAFT elite. Hers was a fairly simple outfit, but offered her guaranteed comfort and mobility should anything arise. She wore a sleeveless white vest that had two thin blue strips running down its left breast, along with a fashionable black leather belt. A pair of deep blue shorts, ending barely past her thighs, completed her outfit.
"The legged ship is out there waiting for us, yet you wanted to take a day off, and Commander Waltfeld approved it!"
Leon grinned. "Well, you should know that it was actually his idea, Tomoyo, not mine," he replied. The golden-brown-haired pilot was, like Tomoyo, dressed casually to disguise his status as a ZAFT red coat. Leon's outfit had originally been misunderstood by Tomoyo to be a minimalist approach. She had seen him earlier that morning, clad in a comfortable long-sleeved zip-up shirt and a pair of pants – both black and adorned with buckles. While they were stylishly cut in their own right, they also somehow lacked Leon's usual flair. But, the golden-brown-haired red coat had surprised her by topping the ensemble off with a high-collared, sleeveless silver-white long coat lined with cheerful, bright gold trim, on the back of which the kanji for "courage" and "honor" had been embroidered in the same golden coloration, making up for the rest of his outfit's simplicity.
"But, still… to actually even suggest it is just…" Tomoyo trailed off as they reached the mansion's foyer.
"Irresponsible? Crude? Unmilitaristic?" Waltfeld suddenly said from where he stood near the main doors, clad in a poisonously bright red-and-yellow shirt, a hat, and shades. "I admit, some might see it that way, but many people don't seem to realize that a soldier's greatest responsibility isn't to his country, but to himself. If a soldier can't even be counted on to relax and make sure that he stays rested and capable, then he can't be counted on to defend his own country."
"Commander," Leon said, acknowledging the Desert Tiger's presence. Waltfeld grinned.
"Hey now, we're off duty," he said. "Call me Andy. Or, even if it'll make me feel old, call me Mr. Waltfeld. Even if it's just for today, I want you to dispose of all that 'Commander' crap. Is that all right with you both?"
"Yes, Com – Mr. Waltfeld…" Leon replied a little uneasily, quickly correcting his mistake before Waltfeld jumped on him about it. It was rather uncomfortable, but he'd adjust eventually. The man just wanted to remain personal with each one of his men, after all.
Waltfeld nodded. "Great! Then let's get going, then!" he said cheerfully, turning and walking out the door, no longer the feared ZAFT ground commander, but a lively, if slightly eccentric, man.
Tomoyo turned to Leon uncertainly. "Are you absolutely sure the commander's for real?" she asked. Leon smiled.
"He really isn't your average hard-line commander, that's for sure." Leon shook his head mirthfully. "Though, I have to admit, when he's having a good time, he can be quite… well, eccentric is really the only word that comes to mind."
"That's true," Tomoyo said, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Hey! What the heck are you guys doing? You're burning daylight just standing there!" Waltfeld called back from the bottom of the enormous flight of stairs that separated the town from the ZAFT HQ.
Leon sighed, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, as he turned his gaze to his friend and partner. "Well… I guess we should be going," he said, amusement dancing in his blue eyes. "Shall we?"
"Yeah, let's," Tomoyo replied, her smile reaching her deep blue eyes.
A pair of jeeps came to a stop in the middle of one of Banadiya's busiest marketplaces, allowing two teens and an older man to step off the second of the pair.
"Well, here we are…" Victor pushed his shades up, returning them to their proper position. "Banadiya, ZAFT African Headquarters."
"We'll meet up with you in four hours, all right?" Cagalli said, turning back to the remaining passengers in the jeep.
Kisaka, seated in the second row, nodded. "Cagalli, please, be careful."
"You too," Cagalli replied. "Al Jairi isn't someone we can let our guard down around, right?"
Natarle peered at Kira over the rim of her shades. "Well, dismiss – I mean… good luck, Kira," the lieutenant said, flustered. This wasn't something she was used to, after all. "I'm… ah… counting on you."
With that, the jeeps took off, leaving the trio all by their lonesome. Victor beckoned to the two teens, motioning for them to get closer.
"I'll be off now. I have a couple of things to pick up, so I'll just find you later," he said, his narrowed eyes glancing back and forth as if searching for any sign of suspicion. "We're right in the middle of enemy territory, so don't let your guard down. Kira, you make sure to take care of Cagalli, all right?"
Kira and Cagalli both nodded. Victor nodded in return, offered a grin and a thumbs-up, and walked off, effortlessly blending in with the crowd.
"Well then, let's…" Cagalli turned to Kira, but trailed off at the brunet's stunned expression. "Hey, Kira, what's up with you? You all right?"
Kira blinked, and then shook his head. "I'm fine. It's just… this is where the Desert Tiger's headquarters are, right? It all seems so… lively, and normal. It's like ZAFT isn't even here."
Cagalli mulled over it a moment, then turned, beckoning Kira to follow her. "Come with me." The blond led Kira to a plaza in the middle of the city, or at least that was what Kira guessed it had been in the past. There was a massive crater right in the middle of it, evidence of some past conflict.
"Things may appear peaceful, but looks can be deceiving," Cagalli said. "Look over there." She pointed to a massive object that towered over even the tallest buildings in the city – the Desert Tiger's true seat of military operations, the land battleship Lesseps. "That there is this city's real ruler. Any insurrections are immediately and mercilessly dealt with. Banadiya isn't a free city… it's ZAFT's city… ZAFT's and the Desert Tiger's."
Kira leveled his intent gaze at the Lesseps, unaware that just a few feet away, a man in a familiar red-and-yellow shirt was watching the pair unnoticed, his eyes taking in every detail about the two teens and assessing them thoroughly from behind a pair of sunglasses.
The Archangel
Liz sighed, running a hand through her hair, giving the simulator hardware a break after another grueling session. She had already been quite dedicated to improving her skills, but it had redoubled ever since the last battle, where the Sentinel pilot had outfought and outmaneuvered her with a combination of merciless attacks and inventive battle tactics.
Victor had tried to cheer her up, saying that her duel with the Sentinel pilot wouldn't be counted as a loss, seeing as the ZAFT forces had been the ones to retreat. But Liz had shaken her head at the man, and if anything her motivation increased even further.
Of course, another reason that she was spending a lot of her time in the simulator was because there was really nothing else she could do. Moping around about her loss wouldn't solve anything, after all.
Liz couldn't stop a smile from coming to her face as Kira and Cagalli suddenly came to mind. After the last battle, Cagalli had seemed almost terrified of Kira for a little while. It wasn't long, though, before she realized he meant no harm, and she was once again back to being her loudmouthed self, so Liz was at least a little glad to get some measure of peace without the blonde around.
"Your scores are coming up, Liz," Johanna said, smiling as she looked over the ratings from Liz's latest runs. "At the rate you're going, I doubt the Guardian's going to be in as bad a shape ever again."
Liz giggled, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. "Well, I wouldn't want to come back flying a heap of glorified scrap metal any time soon. I can see Chris doing it every time, but I won't let it become a habit of mine."
"The Sentinel really did a number on the Guardian this time…" Johanna commented. "But you shouldn't have to worry. The crews and I will have it up and running in no time."
"Right… Thanks," Liz said before she grinned. "Chris freaked out when he saw the Guardian, though, so I guess I could say that something good came out of it."
"All right, you've made enough jokes at your brother's expense," Johanna said, though her admonishment seemed only half-hearted. "You know that all he wants to do is keep you safe, right? You are his only family left."
Liz frowned slightly. "Yeah, but I just can't stand being treated like some little kid…" Johanna was about to speak, but Liz continued. "I know, Aunt Johanna… he cares about me more than anything in the world, but just once I wish he wouldn't keep shouldering everything like this."
Johanna sighed. "Well, only time will tell if Chris will change that aspect of himself."
"Right…" Liz said. "Well, that's enough of a break for now. I guess it's about time I got in some more practice in the simulator."
"That was very nicely done," Chris said. "You've definitely improved, Flay."
The redhead had come quite a long way since Chris had started mentoring her in martial arts. Flay wasn't a natural at it, but she was definitely determined to learn, and Chris had even come to suspect that she was practicing on her own, which was a definite good thing. It was easy to see that it was helping; others remarked on the changes that had happened. Flay was no longer withdrawn, returning to her old active and outgoing self.
Chris was glad that, at the very least, he had played a part in helping someone overcome her grief and anger. He himself had let those same emotions rule him in the past, and it was an experience that he was anxious not to repeat. It had not done him any good, just as it had not done Zane Scirocco any good. However, Zane's case was much worse than Chris remembered his ever being. His former best friend had been ready to shoot down an entire shuttle full of innocent civilians.
Shaking his head, he turned back to Flay and studied her form. "Next time, you should try raising your hand a bit more… yeah, there. That's better." Chris nodded to himself as Flay complied with what he was saying. "Also, you ought to spread your legs apart a bit more. It'll help when you need to lower your center of gravity."
Chris nodded to himself, deciding to call it a day. "All right, we're done for today. That was good, Flay. Keep it up."
Flay smiled, dropping her fighting stance and following Chris over to where he'd left a cooler and some towels. Chris had already reached the bench and turned around to take a seat. He was about to sit down when Flay suddenly tripped over her own feet, stumbling right into Chris and knocking him over as well. Both teens looked at each other, their noses barely touching, and instantly blushed, their faces colored a shade of red that could almost rival that of Flay's hair.
"Um… sorry…" Flay said a little awkwardly as she quickly scrambled off of Chris. "Are you… did I hurt you anywhere?"
Chris blinked. He felt… odd, to say the least. He was relieved that Flay was off him – God bless his soul if anyone found them in that position – but he also felt a pang of disappointment shamelessly flowing through him.
'Why the hell do I feel this way…?'
'Simple. You're falling for her.'
'What the hell? What are you, some discarded personality that just decided to crawl in here?'
'I'm just telling you the truth, Chris. You're falling for Flay Allster.'
'No way in hell am I falling for her. She's Sai's girlfriend. Hell, they're going to get married someday!'
'So? That doesn't mean that she has to go through with that. You could do something about it!'
It was weird, he admitted, arguing with himself, but he'd been so caught up in it that he hadn't noticed Flay shaking him until she nearly shouted in his ear.
"Chris? Hello? Are you sure you're all right?"
"Eh? Wha – oh, yeah, I'm fine," Chris replied, sitting up and making himself more comfortable.
"That's good," Flay said, handing him a water bottle from the cooler. "I thought you might have hit your head."
They were silent for a few minutes, choosing just to sit around and relax, taking swigs from their water bottles to rehydrate and quench their thirst.
"Why… did you decide to help me, Chris?" Flay suddenly asked, breaking the silence. It caught Chris off-guard for a moment. It took him a short while to think about it, and compose his reply.
"Well… I saw you in myself, for starters. You reminded me of how I was after my parents and friends died during the Bloody Valentine."
Flay took hold of his free hand. "I'm sorry. I keep reminding you of that, even knowing how much it hurt you."
Chris shook his head. "Don't be. It's not your fault, and keeping everything bottled up is an easy way to self-destruct." He downed the rest of the bottle's contents in a single pull before setting the bottle down next to him. "After Junius Seven… I didn't know what to do. I was lost, and confused, and… angry… and… hurt. Everything just went to hell, and I wanted to make it all go away so badly. So, I did the only thing I could do – I fought. I took my anger, my pain, and my sorrow out on others, even though they didn't deserve it. And the rest, you already know. I just felt that… as someone who's already suffered, I should help you, to keep you from traveling down that path yourself."
Flay smiled gently. "… Thanks, Chris… Thank you…"
She hadn't realized she was still holding Chris' hand. Chris hadn't realized that he'd held on to her, either.
Banadiya
"Well, we managed to get most of our shopping done, so let's take a break for now." Cagalli led Kira to an open café. Kira nodded, sitting down and immediately looking as if he'd left his spine back on the Archangel. Cagalli had forced him to carry everything, much to his present dismay. Even Coordinators got tired, after all.
"That… should be everything." Cagalli's hazel eyes scanned up and down a sheet of paper she held in her hand, before she frowned. "Honestly, though… the things that Flay girl asked to see if we could get…"
"She knows." Kira straightened. "That's why she didn't insist on us getting them. She's had it worse than the rest of us. Please, understand what she's going through."
"Okay, fine…" Cagalli sighed, pocketing the paper as a waiter came up and deposited two dishes. She smiled in anticipation. "Well, then. Now that that's done, let's eat!"
"Cagalli… What are these…?" Kira asked, looking over the unfamiliar meal that had been placed before him.
"Doner kebabs." The blonde frowned. "You've never heard of them? They're delicious, especially with chili sauce." Cagalli picked up the red container, holding it out at Kira.
"Now, hold on there for just a minute!" Cagalli and Kira both looked up as a man in a poisonous red-and-yellow shirt, shades, and hat approached their table. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation about doner kebabs. How could you do something like put chili sauce on your kebabs? This yogurt sauce, though… Now this is a perfect thing to add to such a dish!"
In a nearby table, Leon and Tomoyo shared a look as they watched and listened to their commander argue with the blonde girl about which sauce better complimented doner kebabs. Tomoyo shook her head, sending her hair swaying, but she could not suppress the amused smile on her face.
"What a guy." Leon paused, taking a sip from a tall glass of what Tomoyo could recognize as some sort of tea. "He just goes out and starts a chat all because the girl likes chili sauce with her kebabs and he doesn't."
"His fanaticism is actually quite funny to watch," Tomoyo commented as the byplay continued. "It's really a far-cry from what you'd expect from someone called the 'Desert Tiger'." She regarded Leon's drink quizzically. "What is that you're drinking, anyways?"
Leon blinked, and looked down at his glass as if considering whether to offer a sarcastic response or simple information. He settled on a little of both. "Oh, this? It's sweetened lemon tea. It's not that cheap instant mix stuff you can find in packets, mind you. It's the real thing, and it's a whole lot better to boot." He tipped the glass towards the silver-gray-haired girl sitting across from him. "You can try it if you don't believe me."
Tomoyo stared at Leon. The golden-brown-haired teen stared back. Finally, Tomoyo smiled, and Leon grinned. Victory was his, for now. "Even now, I still can't tell whether you're being serious or not, Leon. You're so convincing that you still manage to surprise me."
"Well, I pride myself on being unpredictable," Leon replied lightly, before motioning in Waltfeld's direction. "Though I think our commander – Oh, there they go."
"Keep your nose out of this! Who do you think you are, telling people how to eat their food?" Cagalli was already furious, jostling with the older man as they fought a battle for whose sauce would get to Kira first.
"Take a look at what you're doing before you ruin something! Ah, damn it all!" the man lunged forward and squirted the yogurt sauce on Kira's kebab… just as Cagalli did the exact same thing. Kira's expression fell at the sight of the two sauces unceremoniously mixing together on his meal.
Both Cagalli and the older man cringed, before they both sighed. The man pulled up a chair and sat down at their table, between Kira and Cagalli.
"I'm sorry about that," he apologized sincerely, watching as Kira wrapped up the kebab, took a bite out of it, and chewed thoughtfully.
Kira swallowed the mouthful and offered up a small smile. "Actually… a combination of the two isn't so bad."
The older man chuckled, before regarding the bundle of bags Kira had deposited underneath the table. "Wow, you two went and did some real shopping, huh? Are you two planning to throw a party?"
"Just keep your trap shut!" Cagalli was now very close to violence. "Who the heck are you, sitting down at people's tables and just striking up conversations?"
"So there's not going to be a party?" the man asked in mock disappointment. However, the small smile on Kira's face had disappeared, as had the grin on the older man's face. The two had heard a distinct whistling… one that only a person who'd seen a war first-hand would know.
"Hit the dirt!" The man kicked the table up, while Kira lunged at Cagalli and pulled her down, the end result being chili sauce and yogurt sauce covering the blonde.
The rocket flew over the heads of the trio, smashing through the window of the café. Several men appeared from the shadows of the surrounding buildings, brandishing firearms. A few more groups of armed men rose from the tables of another café, converging on the table where Kira, Cagalli, and the man were now hiding.
"Hey, kids, look at me. Are you all right?" the man asked, pulling an SMG out from a holster hidden beneath his shirt.
"Die, Coordinator, you rotten, lousy space monster!" one man shouted, firing into the table that now served as a makeshift barrier.
"For the preservation of our pure and blue world!" another shouted.
"They're Blue Cosmos agents…" Cagalli said, eyes narrowing. Kira's eyes widened slightly, before they narrowed in anger.
The older man fired a few rounds blindly as he brought a portable comm. unit to his mouth. "Vanyel, Asahara, take the group nearest to you! DaCosta, clean up the rest!"
A chorus of affirmatives answered him as he rose up to take a few shots before ducking, the return fire passing over his head.
Leon was already moving before Waltfeld had even called them into action. "Tomoyo, we'll catch them in a pincer!" The girl barely acknowledged his words, but complied nonetheless as she mirrored Leon's movements. Leon narrowed his eyes as he jerked his right arm, dropping a razor-sharp dagger from a scabbard hidden beneath his coat's sleeve. He caught the weapon by its hilt with his index and middle fingers as he ran. Leon threw it with surgical precision, catching a man in the heart. He jerked his right arm again, another dagger falling out of his sleeve and into his waiting hand.
"I'm ready! Just give me an opening!" Tomoyo's voice called out. Time seemingly slowed for Leon as adrenaline took over his body. The Redcoat dove behind cover – landing in a crouch – before leaping forward, twisting his entire body as he turned towards the group of assailants. He saw Tomoyo lunge towards the group, and a man turning to aim at her. Still in midair, Leon continued his twist as he threw the blade with stunning speed. Before anyone else could even react, Leon's dagger had already embedded itself into the man's firing hand. The Redcoat hit the ground hard, letting his momentum propel him behind the cover of a knocked over table.
Before the Blue Cosmos agent could react, Tomoyo was under him in a low crouch, lashing upwards with a kick that caught the man full in the chin and lifted him into the air. The silver-gray-haired girl continued her spin and fired off a barrage of kicks – almost too fast for the eye to see – at the man, catching him in the torso, before she spun one more time and connected with a vicious roundhouse that sent him flying into one of his comrades.
"Watch your six!" Tomoyo heard Leon's voice in the comm. receiver in her ear, and she ducked instinctively. Tomoyo saw a knife, and her assailant's arm, pass over her. The girl quickly reacted, took hold of the limb, threw her assailant over her shoulder, and forced the knife from the man's grip with a simple kick to the wrist. Continuing the maneuver, she twisted the man's arm and broke it with a brutal snap-kick to the elbow. A sickening sound was heard as bone and muscle gave way to the vicious blow, while the man screamed as his arm was bent too far in a direction it was not meant to go.
Letting go of the broken limb, Tomoyo quickly dove back behind the cover of one of the many fallen tables. Taking a quick look, she found the last terrorist firing at her with reckless abandon. She narrowed her eyes, already formulating a plan, when a voice spoke up in her comm. unit.
"I've got him, Tomoyo."
Leon suddenly appeared in Tomoyo's peripheral vision, already running around the small plaza's perimeter. He took two steps up onto the wall, leaping off on the third step. He jerked his left arm this time, and a beautiful silver stiletto slid down into his waiting hand. The terrorist saw Leon as well and realized the implications, whipping around and firing a single shot. He was fast, but Leon was faster still. The Redcoat collided with the terrorist for a split-second before he hit the ground rolling, coming to a stop in a crouch.
'That was close…' Leon did not look up, remaining doubled over as he tried to bring his slightly labored breathing under control. He did not need to see the terrorist fall to the ground, the stiletto buried to the hilt in his chest. He winced as pain throbbed from his left shoulder. He looked at said shoulder and saw the bullet from the Blue Cosmos agent's gun embedded there. It had collided with one of the buckles on his sleeve, preventing it from piercing all the way through the sleeve and the skin beneath. 'Damn, that's lucky… pretty lucky indeed…'
Kira watched as one of the remaining assailants got shot, his pistol falling to the ground and skidding to a stop near the brunet's feet. He looked around, and saw one of the Blue Cosmos agents – this one wielding an assault rifle – creeping up on the man in the hat who'd been talking to them earlier.
Acting instinctively, Kira picked up the gun and threw it at the terrorist, knocking the assault rifle out of his hand. Before the man could even react, Kira had leaped up and delivered a powerful kick to his face, knocking him out. Kira saw another assailant pointing a pistol at the man in the hat.
Kira looked around for something, and found the bottle of yogurt sauce next to his foot. Without any time to waste, he kicked it, sending it straight into the man's face. It provided just enough of a distraction for someone to shoot the terrorist, killing him.
The man in the hat watched, and smirked knowingly. Just then, an "All clear!" came over his comm. unit, letting him know that everything had been dealt with.
Cagalli walked over. "Hey, are you okay?"
Kira nodded, smiling reassuringly. "Yeah, don't worry. I'm fine." He suddenly cringed as a gunshot was heard, and he looked to see that the man he had knocked down now had a bullet wound in his head. He looked away just as quickly, remorse in his eyes.
"Hey, what was that back there, anyways? Do you… even know what a gun is for?" Cagalli asked, planting her fists on her hips. When Kira directed a glare at her, she fidgeted. "Okay, um… never mind, forget what I said…"
"Commander!" The pair watched as a red-headed ZAFT officer approached the man they'd been talking to earlier. "Commander, are you all right?"
The man smiled cheerfully. "Yeah, I'm doing just fine. It's all thanks to this kid over here." He motioned over at Kira, before his gaze fell on a pair of teens in civilian clothing. "Leon, Tomoyo… you two okay?"
Tomoyo nodded, but glanced worriedly at Leon, who was clutching his left shoulder. "I'm fine, but… Leon, he… took a bullet…"
"Oh, I wouldn't be so worried. You make it sound worse than it actually is," Leon said as he suddenly winced, before he let out a breath as his hand came away from his shoulder, a bullet held between his thumb and index finger. Tomoyo blushed fiercely, and quickly looked away as she tried to hide it. "It hit the buckle. I'll probably have a nasty bruise there by the time I get it looked at… but I should consider myself lucky this time."
Kira's eyes suddenly widened. This Leon… he knew his voice!
The man turned back to Kira, and took off his hat and sunglasses, revealing his features. Cagalli quickly recognized the man's face, and gasped in surprise.
"The Desert Tiger…?" she whispered. "You mean we were talking with Andrew Waltfeld of ZAFT?"
"My boy, you just saved my life." Waltfeld smiled sincerely, and gratefully. "How can I thank you for what you've done today?"
Approximately 20 minutes later
ZAFT African HQ, Banadiya
"You should relax. Please, make yourselves at home," Waltfeld said as he led a reluctant Kira and Cagalli into the mansion that was ZAFT's African Headquarters.
"What business does the Desert Tiger have with us?" Cagalli demanded.
Kira nodded his agreement. "Yes… we, uh… really should be going…"
"Nonsense." Waltfeld shook his head, a smile on his face. "I inconvenienced you, interrupted your meal, and had to have you bail me out. Not to mention that the young lady here is totally covered in sauce. The very least I could do is have your clothes cleaned. I wouldn't feel right just letting you go home like that."
At that, Waltfeld motioned, and a young woman with long bluish-black hair stepped forward. She leaned in for a closer look at Cagalli, and nodded critically.
"You can't go home looking like that," she proclaimed. She took Cagalli by the shoulder and ushered her along. "Come on… let's go."
"Ah! Cagalli…" Kira motioned to follow, but Waltfeld put a hand on the brunet's shoulder.
"Don't worry. Aisha will take good care of her." He steered Kira around and into a room which, Kira saw, was probably where Waltfeld received his guests. He glanced curiously at the older man, watching him prepare a pot of coffee.
"Well, you know who I am, but I don't know who you are. What's your name, kid?"
Kira hesitated slightly, and instantly hoped that the perceptive ZAFT commander hadn't caught it. "It's Kira… Kira Yamato."
Waltfeld nodded. "Well, then, Kira, it's a pleasure. Once again, I want to extend my thanks for saving me earlier." Waltfeld then took the pot of coffee and looked it over, before nodding to himself, satisfied.
"I have every ounce of confidence that the coffee I prepare is first-rate." Waltfeld poured two cups of coffee, bringing them over to a table that lay between two couches. "Come on, take a seat. Make yourself comfortable."
Kira did as he was told; accepting that he probably wasn't getting out of here until the Tiger said otherwise. He looked at the cup that Waltfeld had set down before him, then back up at the man as he drank his own.
"Please, try it." Waltfeld gestured towards the cup. "It's one of my own original blends. I tried blending Mocha Sidamo with 10% Santos No. 2," he explained, watching eagerly as Kira lifted the cup to his lips. "Mocha Sidamo is known as the "Grande Dame of Coffee". It's the highest quality mocha there is, and it's just a tad bitter."
Kira's eyes widened as the cup came down. "Delicious…" There was no mistaking it in Kira's mind… and his taste buds – Andrew Waltfeld knew how to make his coffee.
"Oh, you like it!" Waltfeld's expression was nothing short of joyous, even gleeful. "Most of my men don't really get it." He picked up a pack and slid it across the table. "I'll tell you what. Why don't you take some beans with you? They're a personal favorite of mine, but not many people can appreciate the acquired taste."
Kira looked at the pack, back at the eccentric commander's grinning face, and looked to the side… and saw it – a small replica of a fossil, hanging decoratively on the wall over the room's fireplace.
Waltfeld followed Kira's gaze, and smiled. "Ah, Evidence 01. You ever see the real McCoy?"
Kira shook his head. "No," he admitted.
"It's funny, what with people calling it a whalestone. Does that look like a whale to you?"
"I… really can't say for certain…" Kira replied a little hesitantly.
"Well, if you ask me, those look like wings," Waltfeld said. "Whales normally don't come with wings, do they?"
"No," Kira answered, a little rattled at all the questions Waltfeld was suddenly throwing his way. "But George Glenn brought it back from Jupiter as proof of the existence of extraterrestrial life."
"That's true, but the point I'm trying to make here is… Why is this figure assumed to be that of a whale's?"
"Well then, what would you call it?" Kira asked.
Waltfeld chuckled. "Well, I'll admit that nothing in particular comes to mind." The man took a sip of his coffee, relishing the flavor. "Ah… there's nothing like a good cup of coffee…"
For a moment, Kira saw Victor Cain's form blurring together with Andrew Waltfeld's own. The brunet blinked in surprise. They looked nothing alike, but their mannerisms were too alike to be merely coincidental.
Had they known each other in the past, back when Victor was still a ZAFT soldier?
"Anyways… amusing as this thing actually is, it's also fairly problematic," Waltfeld said as the door to the room opened. "Well… in my opinion, at any rate."
"You think Evidence 01 is problematic? How so?" Kira asked.
"You don't agree?" Waltfeld responded in turn as someone walked into the room. "It was because of Evidence 01's discovery that all this hope was suddenly opened up… well, perhaps you'd rather call it a possibility."
"A… possibility?"
"I'm talking about the possibility that human beings possess the potential to go further." Waltfeld took another sip from his cup. "Of course, in a sense, it's also the reason why this war was started in the first place."
"How is that, exactly?" Kira asked.
"It's because the possibility of such potential brought Coordinators to the forefront of it all," a new voice cut in, making Kira turn his attention to the person that had walked in earlier. It took him a moment to process who the golden-brown-haired teen was, remembering Waltfeld clearly having called him 'Leon'. He hadn't dispensed of his civilian wear quite yet, still clad in the outfit Kira had seen him wearing earlier in the day.
"Ah, there you are. It's not nice to keep guests waiting," Waltfeld said. "Well, Leon, this is Kira Yamato. Kira, this is Leon Vanyel. He's on loan from a team whose commander I couldn't care less about, but, contrary to said commander, he's a good man."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kira." Leon took Kira's proffered hand and shook it. Suddenly, a curious expression lit up his face. "Hold on… Kira Yamato…?" he said.
Kira nodded. "Yes. That's me."
"You wouldn't happen to… know Athrun Zala, would you?"
Kira's eyes widened instantly. Waltfeld looked between the two curiously, somehow finding it odd that two people who'd never met before could be connected just by knowing a common person.
"Yes," Kira replied. "Athrun Zala was – is – my best friend. We've known each other since we attended Lunar Prep School."
Leon smiled. "I see. Athrun's talked about you. He always spoke very highly of his friend."
"Wait, so you know…"
Leon nodded, his smile transforming into a grin. "I know Athrun, alright. He and I are on the same team. If you have anything you'd like to tell him, I could pass it along for you."
Kira was stunned, but tried to keep it from his body language. "Um… maybe I'll let you know later. You were mentioning something about how Evidence 01 brought Coordinators to the forefront of everything?"
Leon shared a look with Waltfeld, not fooled for a second by the young brunet's sudden change of topic away from Athrun. Waltfeld shook his head, telling Leon to simply play along. The red coat sighed inaudibly, and nodded.
"Yes, that's right," Leon said. "As I said earlier, Evidence 01's discovery, and the possibilities that opened up because of it, brought Coordinators to the forefront of everything. In a sense, it was the direct cause of the sudden boom in the Coordinator population. The rise in the number of Coordinators then gave everyone the numbers to start this entire war. There were so many Coordinators gathered in one area – that area being the PLANTs, something that George Glenn was able to make possible because of Evidence 01 – that Blue Cosmos was simply able to nuke them rather than employ conventional terrorist attacks like what you just saw today."
Kira nodded. "I see… if you put it that way, it makes a frightening amount of sense."
Waltfeld suddenly looked around. "By the way, Leon… where's Tomoyo?"
Leon grinned. "We ran into Ms. Aisha on the way. She needed help with that girl. Apparently, she's a fiery one. I recall Ms. Aisha saying that she was being 'too stubborn for her own good' or something to that effect."
Waltfeld chuckled, as did Kira. Whatever comment was about to be said was cut short as a knock came at the door.
"Andy?" It was Aisha's voice.
"Yeah, come on in, Aisha." Waltfeld suddenly smirked, as Aisha walked in. A nervous Cagalli at first hid behind Aisha, but the older woman smiled, moving out of the way as Tomoyo pushed her in.
"Sorry I'm late, Mr. Waltfeld," Tomoyo replied cheerfully. "Ms. Aisha was right. She's certainly a handful."
Kira found he was speechless. It was true Cagalli was a tomboy, and he had to admit that he never thought he'd see the blonde in a dress, but he had to admit that she looked very good in it.
"You're a… a girl," Kira muttered, unable to come up with anything else in his surprise.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Cagalli demanded, her earlier nervousness gone and anger taking its place.
"Well, uh… I meant that it reminded me that you're a girl!" Kira offered, before suddenly realizing what it was he'd just said and mentally slapping himself.
"That's the same thing, you jackass!" Cagalli shot back. Andy and Aisha laughed at the conversation between the two teens, while Leon and Tomoyo simply exchanged a look, amusement dancing in their eyes. Cagalli quickly blushed in embarrassment.
After the two adults had settled themselves, Cagalli went and took a seat next to Kira, while Aisha left, saying she had things to attend to. Leon was simply content to lean on a wall with his eyes closed and his arms crossed, while Tomoyo pulled up a chair next to the golden-brown-haired pilot and sat down, seeming very at ease in the chair, her legs folded tailor-style. For now, they would remain as the Tiger's bodyguards, at least until they returned to active combat duty.
Waltfeld smiled. "Well, that dress looks very flattering on you." He nodded appreciatively. "From the way I see it, it seems you're accustomed to dressing up in such fine clothing."
"Say what you want," Cagalli replied, before lifting the cup Waltfeld had set before her and taking a sip from it. "Don't you dare patronize me."
"Heh. The perfect little lady until you speak, eh?" Waltfeld remarked, chuckling. "Still, I suppose it's hard to believe that you can so easily remind me of some well-to-do princess… from a far-away kingdom." At that, Cagalli suddenly started. She narrowed her eyes to cover her sudden discomfort.
"It's just as hard for me to believe that you're actually the Desert Tiger," Cagalli shot back. "Why spend your oh-so-valuable time dressing people up? Is this how you get your kicks, Waltfeld?"
Leon's eyes opened slowly, his gaze falling on Cagalli and Kira. The brunet saw something in Leon's icy blue-eyed gaze. Some sort of… recognition. He felt a twinge of nervousness run through him.
"Well, it was Aisha who picked that dress out," Waltfeld replied, a slight smirk on his lips. "What do you mean by… getting my kicks?"
"How about running around Banadiya in disguise, striking up annoying conversations with random people?" Cagalli said, her temper flaring out of control. Kira mentally groaned. She was digging their grave without realizing it. "Or how about having residents evacuate before burning their homes down?"
Waltfeld's smirk widened ever so slightly. Kira prayed silently, hoping Cagalli would realize the mistake she was in the process of making. 'Dammit, you're going to kill us both!'
"You… have a lovely pair of eyes," Waltfeld suddenly said. "There's something very sincere in them…"
"Don't toy with me!" Cagalli shouted, slamming her palms on the table top. Leon stiffened slightly, his left hand beginning to clench and unclench itself unconsciously.
"Are you one of those people who'd rather be dead?" Waltfeld questioned, his eyes narrowed. He turned to Kira.
"How about you, then… Kira?" he asked. "What do you think about all this? What do you think needs to be done so that this war can finally come to an end? Give me your opinion as a mobile suit pilot!"
"Hey, how do you know about that?" Cagalli demanded, only for her eyes to suddenly widen as she realized what she'd done. Waltfeld laughed, satisfied with his success.
"Being too sincere can also be a liability." Waltfeld stood up and walked over to a desk. Kira stood as well, took Cagalli's hand, and stood before her defensively. Waltfeld slowly opened the drawer. "Unlike in sports, the game of war has no rules. There are no set time limits, and no points are awarded." He rummaged through the drawer, continuing to talk. "So, how do we determine the winners and the losers? At what point do we put an end to it?"
"At what point…?" Kira echoed, suddenly uncertain.
"When every single one of your enemies has been destroyed? Perhaps then?" Waltfeld pulled a handgun from the drawer, aiming it directly at Kira.
Kira scanned the room, looking for something he could use to get out of this situation.
"I would advise you against trying anything stupid," Waltfeld said. "The moment you make a move, you're dead. Even if you have berserker capabilities, you couldn't force your way out of here with any degree of success."
"Berserker…?" Kira questioned. Leon's eyes showed the mild surprise he felt, but that was it. His expression and body language were both carefully guarded. Tomoyo was a little more open, surprise evident on her features.
"Everyone here is a Coordinator, just like you," Waltfeld continued. "That aside, Leon and Tomoyo here are both extremely skilled combatants on the ground, far beyond the norm of what even Coordinators can achieve. They can – and will – kill you before you make it out of this room."
Cagalli suddenly looked at Kira. "Wait… you're…?"
"I saw you in battle on two separate occasions. Take your adjustments for contact pressure against the sand, and the heat convection parameters. Both times, you were able to quickly apply adjustments to your mobile suit's OS while in the heat of battle. Only a Coordinator could fight like that, though even among us Coordinators, I'd say that you're a first-rate specimen. Of course, your friends in the other two machines – the Guardian and the Raven – are also quite skilled, but you, the Strike's pilot, possess talents that are still beyond theirs."
"Three highly-gifted Coordinators piloting the Earth Forces' prototype mobile suits… I have no idea why you've decided to betray your own kind, but… as long as you remain the pilots of those machines… we're destined to be sworn enemies… even if we're all Coordinators."
Waltfeld smiled mirthlessly. "It almost makes me wonder if we have no other choice but to destroy each other."
The door suddenly swung open, as a new voice cut in. "There is a choice, actually."
Kira and Cagalli turned to look at the intruder. There, walking through the doorway, with his pistol aimed at Waltfeld, was Victor Cain.
"Andrew Waltfeld… it's been a while, hasn't it?" Victor said, walking forward. Leon crouched low, his fingers already cradling the stiletto that had dropped down from his left sleeve. Tomoyo was down on one knee, ready to move as well.
Waltfeld turned his gun from Kira to Victor, his smile becoming predatory. "Yes, it has… John Alaric. I should have known you were too stubborn to be assassinated. I suppose I should have also known that no one could be as good of a shot as you are."
"Well, I needed to disappear for a bit." Victor smirked. "To complete the deception, sometimes you need to deceive both friends and enemies, after all."
"John Alaric…? The legendary Black Hawk?" Leon questioned, genuine surprise etched on his features.
"It can't be… can it?" Tomoyo whispered, shock portrayed on her face. Was this man here truly the legendary Black Hawk, the ZAFT ace pilot who also formed the Alaric Team, ZAFT's most elite and dreaded space-based fighting force?
"Victor…" Cagalli said, complete and utter disbelief flooding her features. "You're John Alaric?"
Victor – no, John – nodded. "Victor Cain is an alias I used to cover my tracks. I really am the Black Hawk, John Alaric."
"So, you were really part of ZAFT this entire time, weren't you?" Cagalli said, ready to rip the man to shreds if it weren't for Kira holding onto her. "You've been spying on us this entire time, haven't you?"
"No. I really was working as a mercenary. As for why I'm here, you didn't show earlier, so I asked some questions, and the trail led here. It wasn't that hard to sneak in, really."
Waltfeld shrugged. "True." He lowered his gun. "At any rate, this isn't a battlefield. Today, I owe the kid my life. I won't harm you. Leon, Tomoyo, please escort them out. Don't forget to let the girl change back, though."
Both Leon and Kira looked at the two men, hesitating. Waltfeld sighed, before turning to face Leon. "Don't worry. John and I are just going to have a little chat to catch up."
Leon nodded, slipped his stiletto back into its holster, and stood. He nodded, and Tomoyo stood as well. The pair walked to the doors, opening it. Before Kira and Cagalli had made it out, Waltfeld called out one more time. "I really enjoyed talking to you. I can't say whether it was beneficial or not, though."
Kira looked down. "Me neither…" he whispered.
"I'll be seeing you on the battlefield," Waltfeld said. Kira simply placed an arm around Cagalli's shoulder and walked out, Tomoyo behind them. Leon followed, closing the doors behind him.
Waltfeld nodded, and turned his gaze to John. "Now, old friend, where were we? Why'd you fake your death, anyway?"
Approximately 15 minutes later
Outside ZAFT African HQ
John walked out of the building, calmly approaching a fuming Cagalli and a slightly downcast Kira. Martin DaCosta waited with them, as did Leon and Tomoyo.
DaCosta beckoned towards the jeep. "Please, get on. I'll drop you off at the café where you met the commander." Cagalli got into the rear seat in a hurry, her anger still not appeased. John took the passenger seat next to the driver's seat.
Kira made to get in, but stopped, and faced Leon. "Before I go, there's something I want to ask you."
Leon regarded the brunet steadily. "Go on."
Kira hesitated, but plowed on determinedly. "You pilot the Sentinel… don't you…?"
It was Leon's turn to hesitate, but he nodded. "Yes… that's right. After today, you'd best forget about meeting me… it really will just make it so much harder when we meet in battle once again."
Kira looked away, and Leon saw the sorrow in the brunet's eyes. 'I see… he's exactly like Athrun in that respect…'
"Also… I want to give a message to Athrun. Please tell him that, when this war is over, I want to meet him again."
Leon nodded. "I will be sure to pass that along, Kira. You have my word." He hesitated once more, but extended a hand. "Although it would be best to forget about this meeting, it was still a pleasure to meet you."
Kira looked at Leon, and saw the conflict behind the ZAFT pilot's eyes. He accepted Leon's hand and shook it. "Same here, Leon. Maybe we'll meet again someday."
Leon let a smile touch the corners of his mouth. "You have a deal. Please stay alive long enough for that day to come." Kira mirrored Leon's expression, before getting on the jeep. DaCosta climbed in, hit the gas, and the jeep rolled off.
Kira thought over the people he'd met today. 'Mr. Waltfeld… Leon Vanyel… are they… truly my enemy?'
Leon watched it go for a few seconds, before he turned, coming face-to-face with a somber Tomoyo. "What is it?" Leon asked.
"You're hurting," Tomoyo said. "You look like you just lost a friend."
Leon turned away. She'd hit it right on the bulls-eye. "That's the cruelty of war. Even before I met Kira Yamato, I didn't want to fight him, out of respect for Athrun's friendship with him. But now, after meeting him… it really is going to be so much harder to fight him."
"There was an honest look in his eyes," Tomoyo said, prompting Leon to look at her. "That Kira… he had an honest look in his eyes." She shook her head. "These really are cold times, aren't they…?"
"Yes, they are," Waltfeld suddenly said, appearing next to them. "The next time we meet will be on the battlefield, where we have to kill... or be killed." Waltfeld sighed. "It really is tough to shoot at someone you know personally, even if we are soldiers. But I just had to meet with that kid and speak to him face-to-face… even just once. Even if doing so may ultimately prove to be my undoing..."
Author's Note: Well, that was a pretty long chapter. It took a while, but I managed to churn it out eventually. The next chapter will (finally) finish off the Desert Arc, and we can finally begin the countdown to the Fall of the Strike, an arc which I find will set the stage for the rest of this story.
We get to see a display of skills from Leon and Tomoyo as they act as Waltfeld's bodyguards for a chapter, and some more insight into their characterizations. The future chapters will begin to unravel exactly who they are, so be sure to look forward to it.
Again, please leave a review and let me know what you think! My readers' feedback encourages me to always do my best in writing!
Ja ne, minna-san! ^_^