Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed, the characters, plot, setting, yadda yadda, etc. etc. (I don't even own the manga for crying out loud)
Thanks for the reviews guys! Sorry it's been so long!
Italics means thoughts
Bold means….other stuff.
Last time:
"I'm fine. Well, as fine as I've ever been since getting involved. It's not your fault."
Nicol watched him for a moment, puzzled and worried.
Getting involved in what?
With a final searching look at his captor's retreating back, he turned towards the paper, preparing to lose himself in the rapture of creating music.
Chapter 11: Deja Vu
"WHY are we here again?"
"Cuz somehow our glorious leader-." The sarcasm in Dearka's voice made Yzak's moody frown waver "-figured out what we did the last time we were here and decided that since we 'know the city'-."
"Know the city? We swam in near the facility then followed the indicated road in!"
"Yes, well, apparently that translates into knowing the city."
"Pfeh. Why are we even taking orders from Waltfeld (1)? If the commander (2) was here…"
"Would you two quiet down? We're almost there and we don't want to draw attention." Even though Athrun's voice was calm and he did his best to sound reasonable, his aggressive team mate instantly took offense.
"What are you implying, Zala? That I don't know what I'm doing? That I might screw up and get someone killed?"
The young leader flinched at the implication, unable to meet Yzak's eyes to confront the near accusation.
"No; I was just asking you to keep it down."
You wouldn't get anyone killed, not like I did. You would have blasted Kira without remorse. Nicol wouldn't have died if you'd been in my place. Nicol...God I wish he were here now. He was the one that kept Yzak sane around me and now that he's gone…
"Like I'm going to believe-!"
"Cool it man, just…calm down." The blond pilot caught his friend's shoulder gently to distract him.
"What! And let this idiot ignore me?" He sent an enraged look at Athrun's silent form plodding along beside them. "I don't think so!"
"Look, Yzak…you didn't need to say that about death."
The pilot's brow furrowed in confusion. I didn't need to…Oh. OH! His eyes widened slightly before returning to their original scowl. Idiot's still blaming himself for Nicol's death. Unreasonable but Athrun's been acting like that a lot recently. It's almost like he's got something more important on his mind making him inattentive. I wonder if he even noticed how strange our flight down was? So quiet and the crewmen…
"Hey Dearka?"
"Hm?"
"Did it seem like the crew of The Eternal was avoiding us?"
"Now that you mention it…" Violet eyes blinked uncertainly "Yeah. Waltfeld was always there but the only other people I saw were the ones running the ship."
"And none of them would speak to us."
"It was almost as if they were hiding something."
"I noticed that as well." They both turned to Athrun; surprised and a touch relieved.
Good thing he's not as distant as he's acting.
"That they were hiding something?"
"Yeah, and on that first tour, I heard a strange sound. I don't…I'm not sure what it was but it wasn't something you'd normally hear on a ship."
He saw both of them shoot him sharp looks in response to the hesitation but there was no way he was going to tell them what the sound reminded him of.
After all; it was impossible.
What would Lacus' Haro be doing on The Eternal?
Kira was bored. Well…alright, maybe not. He was inactive and relaxed; a rarity on the EA warship. He could count on one hand the number of times he'd truly been at peace since coming onboard. In fact, what with the war, the nightmares caused by the war, Athrun, accidental prejudice, the opinions of his friends, the crew, and fear of both ZAFT and the EA; it was a miracle he wasn't an emotional wreck.
Well the earthen coordinator slit open his eyes, allowing them to adjust slowly to the sun. Not a useless emotional wreck. I do have a bunch of problems but no one notices because they don't hamper my fighting ability.
"Birdie?"
"Mmm…hey Tori."
Kira was unsurprised to see the small robot. Tori had actually been the one to inspire its master to relax outside rather than in his bunk. The bird had chirped and fluttered around the room until Kira got up and followed, still half asleep, to the open rooftop of a maintenance building; one of many surrounding the facility hiding the Archangel.
Under the light of the newly risen sun, the metal was warm and inviting. Without a second thought, Kira; secure in the knowledge that no one would come looking for him here but he was close enough to help if there was an emergency; dozed in and out of sleep.
"Birdie!" Tori fluttered its wings and took to the air, flying circles over Kira as he opened his eyes the rest of the way and stretched.
"Yeah I know. I need to take Nicol his breakfast and get to work on the Strike." He yawned, standing up and holding a hand out for the bird to perch on. "There's always something to do. I just hope I can avoid Ensign Badgerule and Flay for…well, ever."
"Birdie!"
Responding with a laugh, a sound that had become far too scarce as of late, Kira turned to leave. "You'd better get your chirping out now; I doubt the captain will be pleased if you do it inside. You'd wake up the crew and I'm in enough trouble as it is."
"Birdie! Bir-."
The pet stopped mid-chirp.
I've never heard it do that before.
"Tori, what's wrong?" the bird's head was cocked to the right as if listening and its answering chirp was much lower than normal.
Feeling the sense of peace and relaxation draining away, Strike's pilot slowly, almost reluctantly, turned his head to follow Tori's line of sight. Though his perch was well hidden and the object of scrutiny far away, he could vaguely hear and clearly see what had caught the robot's attention.
Three familiar figures stood at the fence line closest Kira's resting place. He felt a sudden, irrational urge to flee but knew he could not. Doing so would draw attention.
Who are they? Why are they there? All the workers are still asleep and either inside or at their homes but those three… a feeling of dread began to churn in his stomach as déjà vu assaulted him. This is…exactly like last time except now there are three not four. The thought comforted him for all of three seconds until he remembered that one of the 'workers' last time had been Nicol and he was now being held captive.
The churning grew stronger.
It's impossible; it can't be him. I mean, come on! What are the chances of it happening twice? It just can't be him! Those are probably just three early rising workers…except the shifts here are carefully monitored, it being a secret base and all, and Tori wouldn't react to just anyone.
Kira crept silently to the end of the roof and leapt the fifteen feet to the ground without thinking. His instincts were demanding he run and his enhanced genes were obeying.
But…I need to know. It can't be him; it's impossible. But I still need proof.
Resolved, he edged back until he was in the shadows near the door leading to the Archangel. He could just barely see the trio around the side of a maintenance building. His location was too far away to be seen or heard by naturals but if the three were coordinators - and he was still sticking desperately to his belief that such a thing was utterly impossible - they would hear everything but faint whispers.
How should I figure out? I suppose I could yell to get their attention; that would probably work but it might put me at risk.
"Birdie!"
Three heads swiveled, three pairs of eyes picked the bird out as it flew overhead.
One pair continued downward until it found the robot's owner.
Emerald met lavender.
Athrun's eyes widened and his mouth opened as if to call out.
Kira fled.
"That bird looks really familiar."
"I don't think it's a real bird. Can't you hear what it's saying?"
"Sounds like 'birdie birdie'."
"Yeah and I think you're right. I'm positive I've seen it before."
Athrun stood frozen, his locked knees keeping him from collapsing in surprise and horror. Kira was here; that bare glimpse of violet eyes and brown hair was enough to ascertain the fact. He knew he should have guessed but he hadn't even considered thinking about the possibility that they might meet face to face again.
I should have. It happened before; I just never…Everything's changed for me and I didn't consider that it might not have for other people. Kira looks exactly the same and this is exactly how this scene would have played out if Nicol was still alive.
He clenched his fists, trying to find the dedication and anger he'd drummed up while clearing Nicol's music out and the desolation in the older Amarfis' eyes when he'd told them about their son's death.
It didn't work; his mind kept returning to the fearful gaze Kira had shot at him before bolting. And that was another thing.
"He ran. Why did he run?"
"Eh?" Dearka glanced at him quizzically "Who ran?"
"Nobody. I was just thinking." A disgusted snort from Yzak answered him.
"Okay then…what do you think about the bird thing? Both me and Yzak think it looks really familiar."
"Of course it does."
They both fell silent expectantly and he raised an eyebrow.
"You don't remember?"
"Just tell us, Zala!"
"Last time we were here, To-the bird flew out of the compound and landed on me. K-some kid followed it. I passed the robot back through the fence to him."
"Oh yeah!" the blonde nodded, trying to remember. The event had mostly involved Athrun so he was the only one who knew the details about it "Wait, does that mean the kid's a soldier?"
Athrun went stiff as a board but it was Yzak who responded.
"How do you figure?"
"Well, this place is officially abandoned, that's why the Legged ship can be housed here, so doesn't it seem a bit suspicious that we've seen the same bird both times we've been here?"
Catching on, Yzak nodded. "It means that, by relation, the bird's owner is here when the Legged ship is."
"So he's either a resident of the ship or someone from Orb working on it."
Both of them turned to a conspicuously quiet Athrun, waiting for his opinion.
Several long moments went by without an answer until Yzak got impatient.
"Well? Zala, what do you think?"
"I think…" he drew the words out, as if reluctant to pronounce sentence on the unknown natural boy. "We should stick around for a little while. Reconnoiter before we act."
Dearka nodded amiably but Yzak glowered before turning on his heel.
Something was affecting Athrun, he'd known it for a while, and now he had a face to put with one aspect of the issue.
The boy with the bird.
If Kira got a few strange looks when he came staggering back into the Archangel looking shell-shocked, he didn't notice. The thoughts bouncing through his head were going a mile a minute.
Athrun's here?
Well, not HERE here but close.
What should I do?
I'm already on thin ice, this is all they're going to need to condemn me.
Should I tell the captain and the lieutenant?
Am I going to tell Nicol?
The last thought made him stop in his tracks. He'd temporarily forgotten about the prisoner. Whether or not he decided to tell about their mutual acquaintance (he wasn't sure what Athrun thought of him right now), he still had to give Nicol breakfast.
"Hey kid!"
Huh? "Lt. La Flaga?"
"Yep! How's it going?" the older man smirked but there was a seriousness to his eyes and posture that put Kira on edge.
Does he know about Athrun? Úmm…okay, I guess. You?"
"Just great! However –don't look at me like that kid, you know there's always a but- late last night, we were contacted about a ship sighting nearby."
"A ship sighting?" Okay…
"The fisherman who saw it claimed it looked like a giant spaceship and that it vanished into thin air right after he got a glimpse."
"ZAFT sir?"
"Might be. Or the guy might have been drunk, but either way I'd like you to keep an eye out for anyone you don't recognize, alright?"
He nodded in all seriousness. "Yessir."
"Good. Seeya later kid!" with a friendly wave and a clap on the shoulder, the blonde man left.
Making his way to the mess hall was easier than normal; it was still too early (going by shore leave scheduling) for his friends and most of the crew to be awake. He noted it vaguely but his mind was focused on the Lieutenant's news and on what he was going to tell the prisoner.
As he got closer to the brig, the conflict within worsened.
Do I tell him? But if I do, won't I need to explain how I know Athrun? What about the ship? What if it's here to rescue him? Bizarrely, the topic that caught his attention as he reached the cell was totally unrelated.
I wonder what happened to Tori?
"Mph. Kira? S'at you?"
One look at the sleep disheveled youth surrounded by paper and holding a pen in his mouth was all it took to convince Kira of the right thing to do.
"Nicol, we need to talk."
The coordinator watched his captor with surprise. This didn't sound like the Kira he knew.
Of course, I've only known him a couple of days, so…
"About what?"
He began to collect the scattered papers, about half of which were now covered in composition, as Kira pushed the breakfast tray through the slot.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They sure treat prisoners well.
"About Athrun."
TBC.
REVIEW!
Development! Finally!
I have been waiting so frickin' long for this scene to happen. I'm still waiting for the next few chapters to get themselves over with so I can move on to a sequence I've been waiting for! After that it's pretty iffy; I only have the skeleton of what I want.
Oh, and my original estimate was wrong. There are still quite a few chapters to go; too many for me to foretell at the moment.
I'm also not sure how my writing's doing; I feel for some reason like my skills are decreasing.
-.-
Umm….
That's it
Hope you liked it!
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(1) They call him by his name rather than position because they don't respect him as much as they do La Creuset (you'll notice they call him Commander) both because they have history with him and because they don't know him well.
(2) Check the explanations from chapter 7.
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