Guess what everyone! It was Arli's Birthday on the 28th! And then it was Athrun's the day after!! HAPPY BITHDAY YOU TWO!!! (Arli backs away slowly while I huggles Athrun)! Sorry about how short the chapter is though and I think its pretty shoddy but.... I might just be mistaken! Enjoy!

Arli was sitting in the cockpit of the Combat and floating beside the Justice. Athrun's face appeared on her screen and frowned at her worriedly. Arli ignored him and focused on the mobile suits coming their way.

"They're coming," she hissed.

"Ready?" Athrun asked.

"Sure am," Arli replied. She locked her shield on her back and pulled out both of her beam sabres. The Justice slashed the air with its sabre. Just as the three mobile suits neared them the Freedom, Strike and Duel flew out of the colony, or rather the Strike and Freedom flew out, carrying with them, the completely trashed Duel. Arli gasped and her gasp triggered the seed inside of her to explode and her eyes the blank, irises to expand and pupils the shrink.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Yzak got ambushed and Mwu is hurt!" Kira shouted. "Yzak's fine but his mobile suit is trashed! He's going to pilot the Aegis!"

"Oh thank god you're okay," Arli sighed. "But you are so dead!" In her screens, Kira and Athrun's eyes had both blanked and the three coordinators in their respective SEED modes all nodded.

"I love you too Arli," Yzak laughed as the Aegis flew out to join the fray.

"Okay boys, you ready?" Arli asked.

"Oh, so ready," Kira replied. They intercepted the three suits and Arli took the Forbidden.

"Some unfinished business," Arli hissed. She and the Forbidden locked in a beam clash. Arli kept one of her sabres locked with the hooked sword belonging to the Forbidden and with her other she swiped it down and managed to scratch the Forbidden. It pulled its hook away and kicked the Combat off. Arli glared and flew back at it and swiped at it. The Forbidden flew back and she followed it and soon found that she was surrounded by Strike Daggers.

"Oh wonderful." Arli groaned and flicked some switches. She let her shoulder cannons fire while she slashed at a couple of the Strike Daggers. She ducked under some attacks and then flew up and turned so that she was upside down and her sabres were stretched out. She pressed her thrusters and flew down, slicing through several of the mobile suits. Behind her the strange mobile suit piloted by Ryan flew up and intercepted several of the Strike Daggers, cutting them down with obvious ease. This guy wasn't a natural either but Arli was sure he wasn't a coordinator, or was he? She shook her head and ducked around, searching for the Forbidden, she could find it though.

"Dragoness?" Arli jumped, the voice belonged to Ryan.

"Hang on, I'll swap frequencies," Arli said. She changed her radio but flicked off the video, she didn't want to see him unless it was face-to-face. "Thanks for the save."

"No problem," Ryan replied. "If you're looking for that mobile suit its attacking your boyfriend." Arli turned and found that Yzak was fighting with the Duel. In her side screen she spotted three Zaft ships and in the other the Kusinagi and the Eternal were coming out of the Mendel Colony with the Archangel. Arli flicked her second radio on.

"Guys, the Vesalius and two other Zaft ships are on their way to our fight," Arli shouted. "Their mobile suits are out as well. Watch your backs."

"Ah so Zaft does come to fight, excellent," Ryan laughed. Arli frowned.

"Do you want to be killed by coordinators?"

"No-one can beat me."

"Whatever, just watch yourself." Arli fiddled with her radio and frowned, she didn't like this mocking person who was in that mobile suit. He wasn't the Ryan who convinced her to keep living.

"Arli, some help?" Yzak asked. The Zaft GINNs had reached the fight and Arli flew over and slashed through four of them and flew past the Duel took over Yzak's fight with the Forbidden. One Zaft Ginn was rendezvousing with the Calamity, the Ginn was handing over something to the Earth Forces suit, it looked like they were sharing information. The Freedom took off the stop it and the Forbidden rushed after him. Arli frowned as she watched them go. The three mobile suits overwhelmed the Forbidden and the Justice pulled it away.

"We should return, the other forces are," Athrun said as he pulled Kira's mobile suit to safety.

"Are you alright Kira?" Arli asked worriedly.

"Um… he won't talk," Athrun muttered. "Let's head back. Yzak, you alright?"

"Fine," Yzak replied. The mobile suits scattered and landed in their respective hangers. As Arli sat, resting in her cockpit, Ryan contacted her again.

"Dragoness, I need to resupply, would there be any chance I can land on one of your ships?" Ryan asked. Arli frowned.

"Alright, well land on the Archangel, they have the most room. Tell Murrue that I sent you and it should be fine," Arli replied.

"Thankyou Dragoness." Arli opened her cockpit and climbed out. Yzak was waiting for her; she immediately leant on him tiredly. He wrapped his arms around her in comfort.

"How are you feeling?" Arli mumbled.

"Tired like you," Yzak replied. Athrun and Kira went past and Arli and Yzak went with them into the locker room where Kira collapsed onto the lounge. Arli went and sat beside him.

"What happened in the colony?" she asked. Kira didn't reply, he just shook his head. Athrun came over and looked worriedly at his best friend. Cagalli and Lacus rushed into the room.

"Kira!" Lacus shouted. He looked up at her for one moment before he collapsed. Arli and Athrun caught him before he floated of the lounge. Lacus moved back slightly with an almost horrified expression on her face.

"Yzak, help me get him to the infirmary," Athrun said. Arli surrendered her position and the two males helped move Kira out of the locker room. Arli went to Lacus's side and put an arm around her. Cagalli did the same on the other side.

"He's alright, just exhausted," Arli told her. Lacus nodded sadly, worry apparent in her eyes. Cagalli and Arli led her out of the room and to the infirmary where Athrun and Yzak were taking care of Kira. Yzak put a damp cloth on his forehead while Athrun pulled the sheets up over him. There was a framed picture standing on the table beside the bed. Cagalli picked it up and stared at it.

"What is it?" Lacus asked.

"…Lacus…" Kira said weakly. Lacus looked at him.

"I'm here Kira, don't worry," Lacus assured him. She moved away from Arli and knelt beside Kira's bed. He looked at her and smiled weakly. He tried to sit up but Lacus pushed him back down gently. "Don't get up, you need to rest."

"Kira…" Cagalli said quietly. Kira looked over at her. Cagalli was holding the framed picture and photo in her other hand. Kira turned away, his eyes shut, tears threatening to spill over. Athrun's eyes swept over the scene and he quickly took Cagalli's arm and led her out.

"Hey, what…" she said. Arli turned her eyes back to Kira and Lacus. He'd forced himself to sit up. Lacus sat on the bed beside him, her arms wrapped around him.

"I won't cry," Kira hissed. "I promised I wouldn't…" Lacus smiled.

"It's okay to cry Kira," she said gently. Arli smiled and took Yzak's arm and led him towards the door. She heard Kira's quiet sobs and saw Lacus comforting him before she pulled her boyfriend out of the room.

"They're sweet together," Arli said. Yzak nodded and smiled, his arm wrapping around her waist. Athrun and Cagalli were in the corridor, Athrun had his arm around Cagalli's waist and she was resting her head on his shoulder. They were both looking at the photo.

Yzak was the one to move first this time, he nudged Arli away from the scene and she giggled. She tore her eyes away from the sweet scene and Yzak pulled her into a corridor where they could look out at the stars. He wrapped his arms around her and Arli leant her head on his chest.

"You're too tall," she complained.

"You're just too short," Yzak replied. "But you're perfect the way you are so I forbid you to change." Arli laughed and then sighed, closing her eyes. She felt Yzak's hand on her hair as he rested his head on hers. They stayed like they were, just enjoying each other's presence. Much like Lacus and Kira were sitting together, murmuring gently, Lacus comforting and Kira crying; Athrun and Cagalli were drifting in the corridor in silence; Murrue was sitting by Mwu's bed, watching over him; Dearka and Mariallia were sitting in a close hug, both nearly drifting asleep as they sat together; Nicol was in the hanger talking with an old friend who just happened to be Ryan; Sai and Fllay were standing together in the bridge, both silent and with worried expressions on their faces.

Peace was settled over the ships of the Three Ships Alliance as they all sat and worked in silence or simply rested up before they had to fight again. But they were in danger. The Dominion was flying away from them slightly, on board Muruta Azrael had discovered a deadly secret and was planning for a peacemaker force to be sent out to Boaz, the force contained nuclear bombs and they were planning to blow up the defence station at Boaz. The Alliance was unaware of the actions but they would soon be alerted by radars tracking the missiles.

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Arli opened her eyes and rolled over in bed. She yawned contentedly and sat up. She climbed out of bed and pulled on her black suit, pulled her hair up and put her mask on. She attached all her guns on her belt and on her ankles. She adjusted her mask slightly and pulled on her boots and gloves before walking out of her room and down the corridor. Yzak, Athrun and Kira were standing together talking.

"Hey boys," Arli greeted. They looked at her and their grim expressions made her face fall. She detected fear and worry in their eyes. She searched harder and found the reason. She clenched her hands into fists as they started shaking. She closed her eyes and took three deep breaths. When she was calm she opened her eyes and her fists.

"That absolute bastard," she snarled darkly. The three boys gave her wary glances as she turned on her heel and walked straight into the bridge. She walked to Lacus's chair and her best friend frowned.

"Arli calm down, your eyes are going dark and you're shaking," Lacus chided. Arli looked at her hands, they were shaking. She sighed and looked at Lacus.

"I can't sorry, where are the nukes? Is there any chance of stopping them?" Arli asked.

"We sent that other pilot off to take a look," Lacus explained. "He's going to come back soon with the size of the force." Arli spotted a light and the mobile suit stopped in front of the Eternal.

"Lacus, the force is huge, I don't think we could get rid of it in time," Ryan said quickly. Arli turned her head and felt a single tear roll down her cheek.

"Oh my!" Lacus gasped.

"Holy shit," Andy said.

"Oh god," Ryan said and added some foul swear words. Arli looked; she and all the assassins stared in shock at the bight explosion filled with lights that were going off in the distance.

"Boaz," Arli gasped. "Soldiers I trained, soldiers that I trained with were stationed there," she whispered. The assassins murmured a prayer in unison as Lacus looked down, her eyes filled with sadness. Cagalli, Athrun, Kira and Yzak came into the bridge and stared as the lights faded away.

"Boaz," Yzak muttered.

"It's gone," Athrun murmured. Arli's fists clenched together in fury.

"That is the last straw," she growled. "Its time to end this! Before Zaft can use that horrible ray, before the Earth Forces can blow up PLANT. It is time to end this!" All eyes were on Arli as she looked up at the screens, one showing the Earth Forces fleets and the other showing PLANTs and all the Zaft forces stationed around it.

"What do we do?" Ryan asked. "Lady Dragoness?" Arli looked up at him.

"Go do what you do best, we'll take care of GENESIS and the nukes," she told him. Ryan saluted her and his mobile suit flew away. Arli turned to the others.

"Its time. We have to go now, we fight until our last breaths," Athrun said. "For peace." The others nodded and Lacus stood and looked at them worriedly.

"Please be careful, all of you," she pleaded. They all nodded and headed out. Before they did, Kira surprised them all by kissing Lacus on the cheek. They both blushed before Athrun grabbed Kira's arm and dragged him with them.

They all climbed into their mobile suits.

"Arli are you sure about this?" Dearka asked through their communications. "Lacus told us to launch."

"Dearka, have I ever asked you for anything?" Arli asked.

"Never."

"Then I'm asking you now, to trust me. Please Dearka."

"Alright. I'll follow you no matter what." Arli smiled and launched. Her seed burst and her irises expanded and turned blank. She flew beside Kira and Athrun as the next fleet of nukes headed out and the Dominion approached the Archangel.