Disclamer: I don't own anything related or have to do with GS/D. Only thing I do own is this plot and the characters that are not in GS/D. Enough said.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews!
Summary: Flay was brought back to life by scientists in the middle of the second war. No one knew about this until it was over and Chairman Durandal was gone. Lacus finds out that Kira is slowly opening up to her and she is happy for it. But what happens when Kira suddenly meets Flay? Will he fall for Flay again and leave Lacus, or will he realize that the one who he loves is truly Lacus? And on top of all this madness, the third war arises. KiraxLacus Rated T to be safe.
It's Either Her or Me
Chapter 25
"Athrun... it's not your fault... you didn't know..." Kira tried to comfort Athrun. "I want to go see her..."
"You can't right now. Given your status right now, you shouldn't leave the bed."
"But I want to go... no, I need to go and --"
"No, Kira. You need rest right now. I'll go check on her for you and inform you about her situation. But for now, Kira just rest," Athrun said.
"And... what about... the Darkness?" Kira was now in too much pain to speak properly.
"Just go back to sleep and I'll explain everything after you're a little better, okay?" Athrun watched as Kira slowly closed his eyes and fell back into slumber. Athrun got up and went to the room to check on Lacus, like he said.
Space -- Terminal
Eternal -- Infirmary
Upon reaching Lacus' room, he paused to prepare himself for what might happen next. He honestly didn't know what Lacus' condition was or what's going on in the room. 'She's fine... she's fine..' he kept repeating to himself. He entered the plain room and looked onto the bed upon which Lacus lay.
"Lacus..." he said softly. He walked up to the guest seat and sat down beside her.
"Apparently.. you haven't awaken yet..." he said. He looked at her pale face, breathing in and out, and sighed. "It's my fault for being so careless." He sat there, watching her peaceful expression written across her face.
"Kira wanted me to check on you," he smiled. "But your status hasn't changed yet." A minute later a doctor came into the room to check on her.
"Sir," the doctor said. Athrun got up and let the doctor give her a checkup. He stood there, waiting for the doctor's reply. After many tests, he looked at Athrun and smiled.
"Luckily, her condition hasn't gotten worse. I'll continue to monitor her until she wakes up," he said. Athrun nodded as the doctor left the room. Athrun went and sat back down and continue to mentally curse himself for what he had done, or what he thought he had done. The door to the room sliding open interuppted Athrun's thoughts.
"Kira!" he said, getting up. Kira came into the room slowly, all the while looking at Lacus. Athrun helped Kira sit on the chair that Athrun was sitting on previously.
"You were supposed to be in bed!" Athrun said. "I told you I would check on her..."
"You took too long," Kira smiled awkwardly at him. Athrun rolled his eyes.
"You're too impatient, that's what!" Kira remained silent while watching Lacus' unconscious form.
"What did the doctor say?" Kira asked solemnly.
"Well... she hasn't woke up yet. The doctors have been monitoring her condition and so far, it hasn't gotten worse. It's a good thing, if you think about it," he explained. He watched as Kira nodded slowly.
"Really, you shouldn't be up. How the hell did you even get here?!"
"I have my ways. Aren't I the ultimate coordinator?" he said. "I'll be fine."
The two stayed in silence, with only Lacus' short breaths heard. After awhile, Athrun decided that it was time for Kira to go back.
"Kira..." he started. "You should go back and take a rest... in your condition--"
"I'm staying here."
"But Kira--" Athrun began to protest.
"I'm staying here until Lacus wakes up."
"You're not in the proper condition to do that! If you don't get enough rest, then you won't be able to recover quick enough... and--"
"I'll fight like this if I have to."
"Kira!" Athrun yelled. He had to admit, Kira was extremely stubborn, especially when it came to Lacus. Right now wasn't the time for Athrun to be yelling. Instead, he should try and reason with him.
"Kira... If Lacus was awake... if Lacus did wake up, I don't think she would want you to stay here while you're still healing. She would want you to get some rest... I'm sure that's what she would want. Pretend you're Lacus right now, imagine how you would feel if Lacus was watching over you when she's not in the right condition to."
Kira thought over what Athrun had said. It's true, Lacus wouldn't want him to be waiting for her like this. He decided to give in and nodded.
"Promise me you'll watch over her..." he said. Athrun nodded as he smiled and helped Kira up. Together, they went back towards their room, and Athrun helped Kira in bed.
Eternal -- Girls' Room
After comforting Meyrin, Maya had left Meyrin to sleep. She got up from the bed and headed out the room. She then was on her way to the infirmary when she noticed Athrun leaving it.
"Athrun!" she said. Athrun looked up at her and smiled.
"How's Meyrin?" he asked.
"She's sleeping right now... I feel bad for her," she said sadly. Athrun nodded.
"Everyone's not in the mood these days because of what had happened." Maya nodded in agreement. The two of them then headed towards the bridge, both wanting to know what's going on and where the other two ships are when the Andrew was heard over the speakers, announcing that the other ships have arrived.
Archangel
"We are entering the Terminal," Murrue announced. Everyone, right then, relaxed in their seats. The devastating battle had come to an end. However, this wasn't the end of the war yet. In fact, it seemed like the beginning. Flay wanted to board the Eternal so badly because of wanting to see Kira and talk to him.
"Um... Captain Ramius..." she started. Murrue turned her head and smiled.
"You can go ahead," she said and gave her permission. Flay smiled and saluted her.
"Thank you, captain!" she said. She pulled Miriallia and dragged her out of the ship.
Minerva
Yzak sighed as the Minerva landed into the Terminal after the Archangel. Their ship can finally get repairs done in case of another conflict. After the previous battle and the loss of a fellow soldier and friend, he didn't feel like doing anything as of the moment.
In fact, no one in this ship felt like moving around much. Luna had been a special person to every one of them. She was always a kind and cheerful girl and brought no one down. She always looked on the bright side and always had a smile to her face. Now that she's gone, there's an empty soul on the ship and no one's there to fill it up.
Minerva -- Shinn's Quarters
Losing his whole family in the first war devastated him and so he joined the ZAFT military. After the loss of Stellar in the second war, he thought he would never love again. He thought he would be incappable to protect anyone anymore. That was when he got closer to Luna. At the end of the second war, he had lost his best friend. Luna was there by his side and was there to comfort him and help him out, although she also lost him, someone who was close to her. They then started to go out, and gave each other the title "girlfriend" and "boyfriend". He couldn't have been more happier, going to places with her and even training with her. Now, he had done something so stupid and lost the one person he treasured the most in the world. She was the only person left and she is now gone.
'Everyone's... slowly leaving me. I can't protect anyone...' he thought while lying on his bed, his fist clenched into a ball. He punched his mattress hard and yelled into his mattress, still pouring out his frustrations. He's now sharing his room with Alex, who was there right now resting from the previous battle. Alex awoke from the sudden noise and looked towards Shinn.
"Shinn..." he said slowly. After Yzak assigned him the room, he thought he should get to know the hot-headed pilot more. When he was the commander, the two didn't exactly get along really well. Right now, Alex wanted to get to know more about the boy and instead of being the commander, he rather wanted to become friends with him. However, what had happened to their comrade had tore his heart apart and Alex doesn't know how to comfort him at the moment.
"Um..." he said quietly. He shook his head in anger. Alex was a year younger than Shinn so didn't know how to exactly talk to someone who was older than him, especially in his state. Luckily, it was Shinn who spoke.
"Alex..." he said. "Did you know Luna?" Alex shook his head. He knew and heard of the girl, but he didn't exactly know her too well. What he did know, was that she was an important person to everyone, not only aboard the Minerva, but the Eternal and Archangel as well.
"She... although sometimes she's crazy and... stupid for that matter... she was someone who was always optimistic; she always looked on the good side of things. That's why she didn't deserve to die..." he said softly. "And that's why... I don't feel like my revenge is what you call a revenge..."
"Shinn..."
"But... destroying people and getting revenge isn't something Luna would do now. Instead, she would try and obtain peace, and help Miss Lacus retain peace. I know she would..."
"Yeah..." Alex didn't know how to respond. So he decided to just be there and listen to Shinn.
"Heh... you'd think that at a time like this, I should go and destroy the whole Alliance, but that isn't what one should do right?" Shinn looked at Alex. Alex just nodded and continued to listen.
"So instead of moping around... instead of sitting around and crying... because that won't bring her back... I should fight for what Luna wanted. Right?" Alex smiled at Shinn's determination.
"I'm sure that's what she would've wanted," Alex replied. Shinn nodded.
"So that's what I'm going to do... I'm fighting for peace... for Luna's dream to come true," he said.
Minerva -- Cafeteria
Dearka and Shiho sat at the cafeteria, no one speaking to one another. The two were also bothered by the events of the recent battle. The images and destruction were still etched into their minds.
"Hey..." Dearka finally broke the silence. "I'm going to take a walk outside..." Shiho nodded and Dearka got up and left the cafeteria, leaving Shiho alone. Moments after, Yzak entered the same cafeteria.
"Shiho," he called out. Shiho looked up and realized it was Yzak. She looked back down to where she was paying attention to before he came in and waited until he sat down in front of her.
"Dearka told me you were here," he said. Shiho just nodded. "You okay?" Yzak knew that Shiho and Luna were good friends, given the fact that they shared a room and were roommates.
"I'm sorry," he said. Shiho just shrugged. Yzak just watched her staring at the same spot on the cafeteria table. He never showed his soft side to anyone but Shiho and Dearka. Although he hadn't changed too much, there was clear evidence that he did change a little.
"After the war, we'll give her a good memorial service," he said softly. Shiho didn't move. She stayed in her current position. Yzak was getting impatient. Sure, they had lost someone close to them, but that doesn't mean that she had to be that ignorant, right? Yzak lost his patience and smashed his fist onto the table. That shocked Shiho and she looked up.
"Can you stop looking like that?! You're creeping me out! You're not normally like this, Hahnenfuss!" he said angrily. Shiho just glared at him. "What? You know it's true! Stop being so stubborn and face reality!"
"I'm being stubborn?" Shiho managed to speak out. "Really... of course you wouldn't care if anyone died on this ship do you?" She got up and headed for the cafeteria's exit.
"Why don't you just shut up and go think over what you just said," Yzak said in such a cold tone. Shiho felt shivers run down her spine as she heard Yzak speak. "What the hell do you mean by that? You don't know what it's like to be the commander of a ship... being the controller of what's going on around here... so I would shut up if I were you."
Shiho turned around, tears glistening in her eyes. "Don't ever talk to me again," she said. "I don't even know why you came here in the first place. If you're here to comfort me, to do what you're supposed to, then you wouldn't be talking nonsense right now."
"I'm not talking nonsense. You think this is not trying to help you?"
"No it's not!" Shiho yelled with all her might. "You might not care who dies here on the battlefield, but I do. If you don't like to see me like this, then why don't you just go to hell! Because, sure as hell, I don't ever want to see you again." Shiho stormed out of the cafeteria, not caring in the world what she had just said to Yzak, not caring what he might be feeling at the moment.
"Shiho..." he said, clearly hurt at what she said. However, he tried his best as to not show it on the outside. He didn't want to show his 'weak side' to anyone but Dearka and Shiho. But then again, Shiho hates him right now. He knew he was wrong to comfort her that way, but he didn't know what else to say. He was stubborn in situations like these. He sighed and threw his head down onto the table.
Terminal
Dearka was walking around outside the ship. The three ships were getting fixed and he was watching the mechanics go to work. He didn't know why but it somehow fascinated him at a time like this. He looked around, at each of the ships and thought about the previous wars and how much it had gone through. The Archangel had lasted the longest, and it is still here, shining as bright as always. His thoughts lingered to Miriallia, the CIC of the ship, and he began to worry for her. The final battle shouldn't be too far off, and anything can happen on the battlefield. Although he felt relieved that she wasn't fighting in a mobile suit, he still panics on the battlefield, knowing that the Archangel is a major target of a battle. Although the Archangel isn't the only major target, it was one of the three and that caused Dearka to worry.
"Hey you," a sweet voice said. He turned around and smiled at the brunette.
"Hey," he said. Miriallia looked around.
"Fascinated by the amount of repairs going on?" she asked. Dearka shrugged. "Then what are you thinking about?"
"Nothing... much..." he said. He looked at Flay, who was standing behind her smiling. "What?" his brows scrunched together.
"I'm waiting..." her smile brightened.
"For...?" Dearka waited for her to go on.
"Mir." Her smile again.
"Oh you can take her," he said. Flay shook her head.
"What?!" Dearka asked, frustrated.
"I'm waiting until you guys are done talking," her smile widened even more. Miriallia then playfully slapped her arm. That caused her wide smile to drop into a frown. "Geez..." she mumbled.
"Anyway, we're going to the Eternal... to check on Kira and Lacus. Coming?" she asked casually. Dearka shrugged.
"Why not?" he followed the two girls towards the Eternal.
"Hey Dearka..." Miriallia suddenly said from in front of him. "Did you know... well... Ms. Hawke?"
Dearka flinched at the name. He still couldn't get over the fact that the Impulse was actually destroyed. There was no trace left of it... he didn't know what to do.
"Yeah..." he said slowly. Miriallia looked down.
"I'm sorry..." she said softly. Dearka wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"I'm fine, as long as you're still here," he smiled. Miriallia flushed deep red and Flay just giggled in front of the two. 'What a flirt.'
Space -- Lunar Base
Hellding -- Infirmary
As Vanessa opened her eyes, everything at first was blurry. The room was dark and she was the only one there. She looked around but then felt a huge throbbing pain inside her head. She groaned as she tried sitting up.
'What... happened?' she thought to herself. She succeeded in sitting upright and brought her hand to her head. 'I'm... bandaged up?' Then it hit her. She remembered the previous battle in which she had gotten injured. She was fighting the Fortress when Vincent came in and saved her. She smiled at what Vincent had done. Her smile faded as she realized that he wasn't there watching over her now.
'I guess that didn't mean anything...' she thought sadly. She shook it out of her head and tried to stand up. Once she stood up, however, the room became all blurry and her head started to pound. She sat back down on her bed and groaned, her head in her hands. 'Why does it hurt so much...'
The door then suddenly slid open and Vincent stepped in. He brought a tray of food and when she saw Vanessa sitting, he dropped the tray of food, which had fallen onto the floor.
"Vanessa!"
Vanessa looked up and she felt her face heat up. She quickly tried to shake it off and smiled at him, her hands back down as to not worry him too much.
"Thanks," she said softly. Vincent then bent down and started to pick up what was left on the tray.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled, cleaning up the mess he made. He then heard a fit of giggles and looked up, embarassed. "What?"
"Don't worry about that," she said. "At least it's not at my cabin, then it's fine." Vincent looked up at her and then left the rest on the floor.
"Hey, you shouldn't be sitting up like that... ya know..." he said slowly. He went over to her and helped her back in bed. "Maybe that's why your head is probably hurting." Vanessa lay back down on her cot as Vincent sat in the guest seat. The two stayed in silence for awhile before Vanessa spoke up.
"Um... I'm sorry for being such a bother to you... and being so careless," she said softly. She looked away and waited for a response. None came her way. She looked back at Vincent and noticed the grip he had on his fist.
"Vince...?" Then she noticed the drop of water falling onto the fist. Her brows frowned and she became worried. Why was he crying? He wasn't the type to cry, always so aggressive with everyone.
"What happened?" she kept on asking to the quiet Vincent. He still hadn't answered and that made Vanessa sit up. "Vince!"
"It's my fault..." he said slowly. Vanessa's brow furrowed.
"What are you--"
"No.. I mean... I was supposed to be there and help you out. But I just flew off... and I don't know.. what I was doing. When I saw you fall unconscious... I didn't know what to do. I was scared at what happened... I mean, I never felt this way before. It scared the crap outta me..." he sobbed. Vanessa's lips then curved into a calm smile.
"Vince... I'm sorry I scared you. But don't blame yourself for something like this. We're in a middle of a battle and whatever happens, happens. You can't change what goes on during a battle. There are a number of things going on, and you can't keep track of every single one. In a battle, there are things that are meant to happen and there are things that accidently happen. Nothing is anyone's fault," she said as she put her hand on his fist. At Vanessa's touch, he felt his heart calm down by a million times. He was glad he was able to see her and talk to her again.
The door to the infirmary then suddenly opened once again. The two of them looked up to see Jeffrey standing at the doorway.
"How are you doing?" he asked Vanessa. She replied with a kind smile and replied.
"I'm feeling better. Though... my head can stop throbbing..." she mumbled the last part. Jeffrey chuckled slightly and entered the room. The three friends were now together again and hanging out before another battle takes place.
"It's been awhile since we've been together instead of during a battle," Jeffrey said. Vanessa nodded in response. Vincent moved over to the corner and stood there, looking down.
"Are you okay... with the... Impulse pilot?" Vanessa asked, uncertain of how Jeffrey would react. She watched as he sighed and turned to look at her.
"It pissed me off... but what can I do now right? There's nothing I can do to bring her back... but I'm not the one you should be sympathizing for. It's that Destiny pilot..." Jeffrey said sadly. "But I'll do everything I can to end this war... and somehow meet her again... whether or not it's at the memorial site or what." Vanessa put her arm around Jeffrey's shoulder and the two stayed that way for awhile.
"You were crying," Vincent stated calmly from his little corner. "Your eyes aren't like they were before."
Jeffrey looked up to Vincent and smiled sheepishly. "You noticed, huh..."
"No duh. How can I not notice that bulging red--"
"Vince..." Vanessa started. Vincent stopped talking and rolled his eyes. He was back to his repulsive self once again. Vanessa sighed. "You've got to lose that attitude of yours... but... not change it completely..." Jeffrey and Vanessa both laughed at that remark. Vincent just rolled his eyes again.
"You two are so stupid sometimes..." he said. However, Vincent was glad that the atmosphere around the three had lifted. It wasn't as dark and tense as it was a few moments ago. The war had changed the three of them... and they all hoped that they would live through it together.
Bridge
It was of utter and complete silence on the bridge. Everyone was focused on their own thing and thinking their own thoughts. Chelsea was sitting at the captain's seat, looking through notes and reports.
"Captain, incoming message from headquarters," a crewmember informed.
"Patch it through," Chelsea said, putting down the papers. The face of the headquarter's leader appeared on the screen. His features seemed pretty old, but his voice sounded told otherwise.
"How do you do, Captain Stratus?" he asked the captain. She saluted.
"Lester Niwa, sir," she said.
"That last attack was a failure, our attempt at sabotaging the PLANTS... the outcome was rather.. disappointing. I also believe that your behaviour, as well as the crew of the Hellding, was rather... shall I say... disapproving. Normally, during these circumstances, I would punish you as well as your crew. However, being as things are at this time, I won't bother about it. But your performance during the next battle will count greatly. After all, the Alliance do take hold of your families. I suggest you watch what you are doing."
"I'll take that into consideration sir," Chelsea said rather calmly into the link. "However, let me also remind you that some of us here on board already have lost their families due to unreasonable circumstances." She watched as Lester frowned.
"Are you implying that you're disobeying my orders?" his voice was raised by a glitch.
"I am not saying I will disobey. But do not look forward to our full cooperation."
"How dare...! I will see to it that the rest of the crew will be punished--"
"We've already thought that through sir, and we all agreed on one thing. Please do not try to threaten us with what you possess as of now," Chelsea said with no emotion change. Lester became extremely angry and terminated the link.
"I'm sorry you had to witness that..." she said rather apologetically. "Please don't hate me because of what I had said." It was true though. Everyone had agreed that it was okay for the captain to have said that if this situation came to.
Space -- PLANTS
Radiator
As he lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, his mind and thoughts did not strive away from a certain brunette pilot. Souta sat at the desk, busying writing in his notebook. Michael ignored the pencil writing as the past had come back to him. From those days where they spent their cadet days training for mobile-suit combat until their assignment aboard the Radiator. They've been the closest of friends and Michael couldn't have been any happier than he was before.
"Michael.." Souta spoke up from his desk. Michael looked towards the young boy and looked at him staring at his desk, pencil in hand. Michael didn't even know that Souta had stopped writing, nor did he hear the stopping of the pencil on paper.
"Mm.." he mumbled. Souta still sat there, frozen as he continued to stare at the piece of paper.
"She's still alive..." he said slowly. Michael looked at him as though he finally cracked.
"You okay buddy?" Michael asked as he sat up, watching the troubled boy.
"I can feel her..." Souta continued his slow talk. "She's not gone from this world yet... she's still alive... Michael she's alive!" This time he turned around and looked at Michael, his facial expression showing of content.
"What the hell... Who is still alive?"
"Shauna, you idiot!" he yelled out loud. Michael's eyes widened in shock. After a few seconds, he shook his head. How could Souta know if she was still alive? It couldn't be possible. He was right there. He was right there when she died...
"You don't believe me, don't you Michael? I believe she's still alive. I can feel her presence... out there somewhere. If you believe in that person, if you really are close to that person, I'm sure you'd feel it too. Michael, we've got to find her!"
"Stop being so foolish," he said sadly. He got up and started to walk towards the sliding doors.
"If you don't come with me... I'm going myself," Souta said sternly. Michael's back was still towards him, and then left the room.
"You're the one who's foolish..." Souta whispered to no one in particular.
Corridors
'What the hell does he mean she's still alive? That's.. so stupid. How can he feel her presence? That's... freaky... but still foolish. What the hell is he thinking? Wait... he's going to look for her?! Is he stupid?!' Michael realized what Souta had said. He turned back around and headed back towards his quarters. He opened the door and called out to Souta. Unfortunately, he wasn't there. All that was left lying on the desk was a simple notebook. He walked towards it. There weren't much on the notebook except a word.
Goodbye.
Michael's fist clenched into a ball as he turned back around and headed towards the hangars.
Hangars
Souta flew towards the Blaster and climbed into the cockpit. He boosted up his system and notified the mechanics to back off. He didn't want to hurt anyone and was ready to break out of the ship. After all, he doubted that the commander was still on board, given that they were currently in PLANTS. Souta would do anything to find Shauna and stay with her. He then would convince Michael to join them. He didn't want to fight in this stupid war anymore. It was pathetic and the point of the war is stupid. He had had enough of these senseless killings and wanted to make peace. He had no clue what the chairwoman nor the commander had in mind, but he didn't want any part of it. He was tired of killing so much people on the battlefield who clearly had no chance. He was tired of watching comrades die on the battlefield and didn't need to be there while they could've been with their families. However, right before he was about to launch, a voice made him freeze.
"Souta!" Michael's face appeared on the screen. Souta just smiled at him. 'Someday you'll understand...' He then looked onwards and prepared his machine.
"Stop! Don't leave me as well!" Souta's eyes widened as he looked towards the screen, looking at the now crying Michael. His tears were streaking down his cheeks, and it hurted Souta to watch him cry.
"I lost... my sister... I lost Shauna... I don't want to lose you either! Stop this!"
"I'm sorry..." Souta's eyes started to water. "I want to do this. I want to leave. I'm sure you're going to want to stay. However, there's a chance where you can leave with me! We can find Shauna and Aya!"
"You'll get killed..."
"No I won't. Don't you trust in me?" Souta's tears were now flowing down his face as well.
"Souta..." Souta realized that there was no time to change Michael's mind. He had no choice but to leave.
"Goodbye Michael. I hope we'll see each other again.. just not on the battlefield." Souta closed the communication link and launched out of the Radiator and the PLANTS.
"SOUTA!" Michael's voice echoed throughout space as Souta flew onwards, wiping off the tears that were still seeping through his eyes.
Bridge
"Sir! The Blaster just launched out of the hangars!" one of the crewmen said. James quickly turned towards him.
"What?!" he asked, stunned. "Contact the hangars now!"
"Sir, Michael Souta... is..."
"Put him on," James ordered. The image of the hangars, with Michael's tear-streaked face appeared on screen.
"Speak Suzuki!"
"Souta... he... left..." he said, still upset.
"We all know that fact!" James said frustrated. If the chairwoman or the commander heard about this, they'd be furious. The Blaster is gone as well, of course they wouldn't care about the pilot, but the machine is what they cared about.
"He said he's tired of this war... and is looking for Shauna..." Michael got back his composure slowly.
"What the hell? Looking for Shauna?! She's dead," he emphasized the word dead. Michael shrugged his shoulders.
"Souta says she's still alive..."
"Very well... just get out of there. There's nothing else we can do. Surely he won't survive out there..." James said as the crewmember disconnected the link 'What the hell are you thinking Maeda...'
PLANTS
Robert was walking towards underground compartment of the PLANTS, first of all angry at the fact that the captain disobeyed him.
Flashback
"It's better if one of us stay on the ship, just in case something happens," James said calmly. Robert frowned.
"Nothing will happen now... we're at the PLANTS. What will happen?"
"You don't know sir... I'll just remain here. You can inform me about it afterwards," James continued to remain calm. Robert grumbled and then left the bridge angrily.
End Flashback
"Commander Johnson, the operation is almost in place," a mechanic notified as Robert walked in. Robert just nodded in acknowledge and continued onwards, to the chairwoman's office. He knocked on the door and heard a voice replying "come in."
He walked into the room and saluted the chairwoman. She smiled as she got up and bowed slightly.
"You've done a great job, Mr. Johnson," she smiled as she cocked her head to the side. She was extremely pleasant to Robert because of how he has been by her side through thick and thin. He was always there, as she remembered when she was younger.
"Thank you, Chairwoman," he smiled. He had admired Elena since they were younger and always wanted to please her. He protected her with all his power and worked hard just for her. The two had a strong bond and nothing could've broken up this strong bond; not even the war. "I've been notified that the operation would begin very soon. It's almost complete."
Elena nodded as Robert walked towards her. "And how's the Radiator doing?"
"They're fine... I guess.."
"And you?" she said, her eyes full of worry.
"I'm fine as well... however, that Zala is a force to be reckon with..." he growled slightly. Elena nodded.
"We've got to eliminate him... as well... Be careful when you're out there, Robert."
"It's awkward seeing you so polite in front of me..." he teased her. Elena shrugged.
"You will support me throughout this right? I won't fail like the previous chairpeople of PLANTS, right?" she asked like a little child. Robert wrapped his arms around her and nodded.
"Of course... I'll protect you until the very end..."
"Thank you..." she smiled as she returned the embrace.
Space -- Terminal
Eternal -- Infirmary
Flay, Miriallia, and Dearka entered the infirmary of the Eternal. On the bed was a certain brunette whom they were all worried for. Flay walked to his bed and looked down at him, tears threatening to fall. She couldn't bear seeing him in this condition and it had hurt her a whole lot.
"Imagine if Lacus didn't save him on time..." Dearka said from behind her. Flay just nodded without turning around.
"I'm grateful for her..." Flay said sadly. "Let's check on her afterwards."
Miriallia walked towards the bed, with Dearka holding onto her hand following close behind. Flay sat down on the seat and looked at his calm face, now peacefully sleeping. She wondered if he had awaken yet or if he had heard about Lacus.
'Your heart belongs to Lacus... yet I can't help stop yearning for you...' Flay said sadly. 'But... I'll do my best to stay by your side as a friend...' Miriallia watched Flay's intented look on Kira.
'I wonder what she's thinking about...' she thought.
"Um... Flay, we're going to go see Lacus first, okay?" Miriallia told her. Flay nodded as Miriallia led Dearka out of the room and into the next room, not too far down the corridor.
Flay sat there for a few more minutes before she heard the door slide open. She thought it'd be Miriallia and Dearka coming back because they forgot something. When she turned around, she realized that it wasn't them but was Athrun.
"Oh... hello Flay," he said, with a gentle smile upon his face. Flay returned the gesture and stood up.
"Athrun..." she acknowledged. Athrun shook his head.
"I won't be here for long... I just wanted to check on Kira and see if he's been sleeping like I told him to... I'm going to Lacus' soon."
"Did..."
"Yeah, Kira woke up. Don't worry about him, he's just resting. His injuries are probably tiring him. But I wouldn't say the same about Lacus..."
"What?!" Flay said alarmed. So she has awaken...
"It seems like Lacus' previous head injury caused her to still be unconscious. I'm not quite sure when she'll awake nor are the doctors sure... Unfortunately, Kira figured it out and probably strained himself a little while going to her. Anyway, I'm going to see her now. Take care," he said as he left the room. Flay turned back towards Kira and thought that she would speak to him while he was asleep.
"Oh Kira... I hope you're okay inside. I'm sure Lacus will be fine... she's a strong girl, isn't she?" she said chuckling to herself. "She's lucky to have someone like you by her side, always protecting her and loving her..." she looked down at her hands. "I've been a fool... I don't think I have yet to apologize properly for what I've done to her the first time she came on board the Archangel..."
After a moment of silence, she heard a grunt from the bed and she looked up. 'Kira?'
"Hey... don't blame... yourself... too much..." he said as he attempted to smile at her. "And I'm sure one day... you'll find... that special someone... who'll protect you... as well.."
"No no no, Kira... don't talk too much! I'm sorry I woke you up.." she said softly. Kira laughed weakly.
"I'm fine Flay," he said. "I'm sorry I didn't have so much time to talk to you like this..."
"I-It's no big deal.. really," she defended. "But... I'm glad nothing big changed between us." Kira nodded.
"Well... I won't bother you too much, go to sleep. I'm going to check on Lacus now.." Flay said as she got up.
"Flay..." Kira called out. Flay turned around and it was hard seeing him in the condition he is in right now.
"Remember to not blame yourself on every single thing..." he managed to say out. Flay just giggled as she left the room.
Lacus' Infirmary Room
Miriallia and Dearka had been in the room for awhile and was watching her. Neither one of them would imagine Lacus to once again be on a hospital bed again. Of course, this was the infirmary aboard the ship... but it's still the same.
"It's upsetting... seeing her in this condition," Miriallia said sadly. Dearka just nodded, staring at the pale-faced girl. The door to the infirmary slid open and Athrun stepped in.
"Oh... hello Dearka... Miriallia," he said, surprised at the visitors once again. He didn't expect anyone to be visiting at a time like this. Athrun sighed. "She hasn't woke up yet..."
Miriallia and Dearka were stunned. They didn't know what to say as they continued watching the princess breathing in and out in the oxygen mask. Not too long after Athrun came in, the door to the infirmary slid open again and Flay stepped in afterwards. She looked at Lacus and began to cry. She didn't think she'd ever feel this way towards Lacus ever. She'd always thought that Lacus and her wouldn't be friends at all, whether or not they were fighting for the same thing, or fighting on the same side. However, Lacus had spoken with her and Flay had took the time to listen to what she said. She had come to realize that Lacus was an extremely kind person.
"Does... Kira know?" Miriallia asked, scared of the answer.
"Yeah..." Athrun said as he sat down and watched Lacus' unconscious form. "I'm worried... and so is everyone else. Everyone's asking why--"
"Hey!" Dearka said, gesturing towards Lacus. Sure enough, they all saw her move her fingers as her eyes slowly opened to reveal the beautiful cerulean orbs beneath the lids.
As Lacus' eyes opened, everything was at first blurry, with a mix of colours in the white room. The first thing she felt however, was the immense pain that was dwelling in her head. As her eyes became focused, she realized who they were.
"Lacus!" Athrun cried out, happy that she had finally awoke.
"Ath...run..?" she said quietly, evident that her voice was extremely weak. Suddenly, a flashback in her mind of the recent battle had frightened her.
"Kira?!" she spoke out, suddenly getting up but straining herself too much. Athrun held onto her and brought her back down to her previous position.
"Lacus... don't worry, he's fine. He is just resting right now... please don't do sudden movements like that," Athrun said, worried that she might fall unconscious again. He wanted Kira to see Lacus and so didn't want her to fall unconscious again.
"Thank... goodness," she said softly. "I want to go see him."
"Uh.. That's not a good idea Lacus. You just woke up, I don't think you have enough energy to go see him right now..." Dearka spoke up hesitantly. He didn't think anyone would go against her so he took the initiative and spoke up.
"I'll let Kira know you've awaken. That should decrease the amount of worry he has for you," Athrun said. He was about to leave the room when it slid open itself. At the doorway stood Kira and he looked into the room.
"What the hell?!" Dearka shouted. "You should be in bed, Yamato!"
"I thought I heard... Lacus..." he said. He looked towards the bed and surely enough, she was lying there staring at him as well. Cerulean met those of amethyst and their lips curved into a smile.
"Well... it's a great time for us to leave then..." Dearka said as he gestured for everyone to leave the two alone. After all, it's the first time they'd be talking after the recent battle. Dearka decided that they needed this time to talk. Athrun first helped Kira into the guest seat as Miriallia helped Lacus sit up. Then the four left the room, leaving the two alone.
"Hey," Kira said as he reached out and held onto her hand. She gently squeezed his hand to know that she was all right. Kira just smiled as they stared at each other for a moment before speaking.
"Thank you. I didn't expect that battle to go so wrong..." he thanked her. Lacus just replied with her kind smile.
"It's all right. Things don't always go as planned. I'm glad I was there, able to get you away."
"And because of that, you're injured..." he continued, angry at himself. "Why didn't you go check your wound? In the meantime, your suit could have been resupplied, yeah?"
"We didn't have much time. Athrun went and engaged the Darkness. There was no more people out there protecting the PLANTS from the nukes. I couldn't just go back into the Eternal... while my home... my people... they were in danger..." Lacus said sadly. "In order to protect them, I had to do my best, whether or not the results of the injury would be."
"Lacus..."
"I'm sure you would choose that path as well, if you were in my position. So please, if anyone is to blame, it is me."
Kira and Lacus then started to talk about other random things, which brought up the gloomy atmosphere into a more cheery one. They were having quite a happy time before Maya's voice came over the PA system.
"Athrun Zala, report to the bridge immediately. This is an emergency."
"What...?" Kira and Lacus said.
A/N: And I'm afraid that's it. My mind is going blank here... I'm afraid that a writer's block is coming my way... so that's why I decided to end the chapter like this. The events that happen in the next chapter... if you believe this story is going too quick near the end, then I apologize deeply. I also want to apologize for the fact that it takes me so long to update the chapters. But I've been working on this chapter this whole week. Since I have final exams, I've been really busy studying but whenever I take a break, I'm here writing this chapter. If it weren't for those breaks, I doubt I would get it done by today at all. Anyway, thank you for your time and hope this satisfies everyone.
Until next time...