Finals Week is over!
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, it's the most wonderful time of the year!

It is kind of short but it's mostly battle which is my weakest point. Please Review!

And Happy New Years!

Phase 33: Darker Dreams

The night was growing dark, I thought you were beside me but I reached and you were gone.

She stood upon the balcony of her mansion staring out toward the horizon. Cagalli felt no fear of the situation she saw there, Athrun was beside her holding her hand as they watched. The PLANT forces were coming and this time they were coming with full force. Normally she would be worried but for some reason she felt a peace that she could not explain, as some unforeseen force calmed her mind.

At the same time Yaro stood on the cliffs of ORB, a sense of urgency filling his being. This was the moment when when knew that his actions would count, but he didn't want them too. He wanted to be able to just fight normal but he knew now that the people around him weren't concerned about nothing. He knew that if he tried to resist the darkness once he got out there the anger and hatred would consume him again but he still had to try. He had to try and be the person that he was always meant to be, and he had to try to be simply Yaro, not the person twisted by the darkness. Fear began to fill him now, not of the battlefield or the people who would fight him but of himself and the darkness he felt.

In the coming battle he knew things were different, something about the winds had changed as if some unseen being calmed them. Something was making everything different and Yaro begged this force to change him, to somehow save him from the darkness that he now saw within himself or to at least give him answers.

Shinn and Luna walked together briskly hand in hand as they headed toward their mobile suits, battle stations had been called for but ORB had been ordered not to fire until they were fired upon. He was getting into the Destiny and she was going to the Impulse.

"When you get out there stay with me," Shinn whispered to her, "we can take things on better together." He then turned to board his mobile suit.

"Wait Shinn," he turned back to her, "I love you," she said simply. He smiled at her.

"I love you too," he responded climbing up toward the Destiny. She turned toward the Impulse, she had finally gathered the courage to say it and she knew now the battle would be long but they would protect each other out there. She prayed they both had the strength to survive everything again. They had survived so many times she hoped their luck was not running out on them. For everything out there looked more powerful than ever before, she wanted to make sure that in her heart she had said it before they faced the darkness together. She was no happy that she had gained the courage to do so.

"This is your last chance to surrender," it was a message played on all the machines that were gathered as the PLANT fleet made one last attempt to persuade ORB to give up Lacus's location. Every person in ORB heard it over their radios and the military all held their ground waiting for the PLANTs to let off the first blow. They had been like this for a couple hours just staring each other down, neither firing, for no one wanted to have the world look at them as the ones who started this battle, which was sure to bring about much suffering.

Yaro scowled at the message knowing that now it would begin, they had been waiting long enough. The PLANTs would fire or there would be no reason for their coming here. It was then that the ORB captains sent their stubborn response that they would not back down. Yaro moved his hands to his controls as he was instructed by Athrun. Their defense strategy was already lined up and he had an important role to play in all this.

"Yaro when you get out there I want you to move exactly as I have instructed here," Athrun said. Yaro knew that Athrun trusted in his ability to control the battlefield as he had up to this point. The plan was just as a plan should be, it was very strong carrying little risk but Yaro couldn't help but think of the other factors that would exist.

"But what if those machines don't show up?" Yaro asked and all the other commanders looked at him, "or what if they have a stronger force than you have predicted."

"Then we will instruct you on what actions to take," It was Murrue Ramius who spoke up now, she was a part of this council of defense along with Shinn Auska and a few members of the council. The measures they were taking were extreme but the protection of ORB was their first priority. Yaro looked at the plan once again, for in this new weapons would come into play.

Now he waited with baited breath for the PLANTs to make their first move and it came swiftly, a round of extreme blasts from all ships.

"Now!" Yaro yelled as his machine flew forward and the arms of the Dreamer extended releasing a massive amount of energy which was backed up by the mobile suits on the main front and as Athrun predicted the positron blasts denigrated as they hit the large field of Nuclear energy. Yaro smirked as he realized what Athrun's plan had done, they all had fresh machines while the opposing force would have to recharge. The newest and most powerful positron systems were really too slow to recharge at the rate they would need in this battle.

"So they have confirmed to me who is leading," Athrun said with anger in his eyes, "It's Verria Slider." Cagalli had heard stories of who this woman was; Athrun had known her most of his life and they had been students together in ZAFT. She was ruthless and his intelligence and spies had warned him that she was the strategist in the attack. He would simply have to be better as he had always been in his classes.

"Now Yaro will comply with the next stage of the plan," Mu LaFlaga was the one who spoke as he picked up his pilots helmet and turned to Jacob Gladys, "is it our turn."

"Yes," Athrun responded, "Let them come, launch the Repose."

"The waves that came from the Dreamer!" Verria yelled to one of her scientists, "What were they?"

"A nuclear force of some kind," one of them responded, "we have no idea what it is or how to counter it! This machine is all together to surprising! How did they get that much power into it?"

"No matter leave him to me," Verria was unnerved by the girl with the strange eyes. Gera was a strange little girl and not someone that she wanted to send into the battlefield but she knew the girls power was something she would have to use if she wanted to defeat the Dreamer. She had a plan and she was sure that it was Athrun Zala she was facing now in tactics, she would have to be stronger than him.

"Hang back for now," Verria commanded turning to her scientists, "Analyze that weapon and send out the Gundam team. We need to tire out that pilot. Our strategy will be based on time and force." She had to win this for the PLANTs.

"Recharger attachment confirmed," Yaro said quickly as he received the recharger from Mu, now his arm surger would recharge faster while he fought. He moved into position behind the double manned unit that Mu and Jacob flew together as was the plan as the mobile suit teams moved into defensive positions around the island.

"Wait for that Gundam team," Yaro heard Shinn's voice as the Destiny and Impulse took their positions around him.

"Roger," Yaro responded, he would comply with the plans today, for against such a large force tactics were more powerful than reckless movements of the heart. It was then that the three Gundam's launched and the mobile suit teams of the PLANTs headed into battle. They were met by the teams of ORB.

"As Athrun predicted," Shinn said, "they are trying to split our force and send the Gundam's down the middle to take out the command post." Yaro smirked again.

"They won't get away with it, now their ships are unprotected," Yaro punched the codes into his machine, "preparing positron blast."

"Moving into position," Lunamaria confirmed.

"Repose preparing to widen blast," Jacob said as the machine inched it's way forward using it's reflective shield.

"Now Luna!" Shinn said as the two ace pilots moved forward to challenge the Gundam's and cut their power on the two leads. Shinn took on two while Lunamaria had one, and Yaro watched in amazement as they successfully split the team out of the center.

"Now Yaro!" he heard Athrun's voice and he slammed his hands on the controls moving forward with the Repose and sending out a large positron blast. As predicted the repose's shield took the blast and funneled it into a widening system that successfully split it and focused it into five of the lead ships in the fleet. The blast continued destroying those five ships and severely damaging several others in the fleet as well.

"He wouldn't!" Verria yelled in shock, "he'll leave the Dreamer completely defenseless and drain it of it's power if he keeps this up! How is this possible for that machine to keep going if they keep pulling stunts like this?"

"It's because the pilot is being compliant today," Gera said in her not so sweet little voice, "he's being boring. I don't want to fight him yet, I want to fight the boy with the reckless antics. I want to fight the pilot who took down so many PLANT forces without using any tactics, just anger and the passion of his heart. It is they kind of pilot that is hardest to face yet at the same time easiest to take down."

Verria wondered if the girls assessment of the pilot was correct. If that was so why would Athrun risk sending someone like that into battle unless he felt he could really trust him? Perhaps there were things going on that she didn't understand. No matter the forces were fighting out there and she knew that this battle would not easily be one but she had to fight it as if she could win it. She had to fight it with confidence to throw off her enemies. She had the upper hand here.

"Next stage!" Athrun yelled as he launched the Truth into battle with strength, "Yaro!" As instructed the young pilot was already there behind him ready to take what he brought. Athrun flew his machine right up to the Dreamer and slammed the energy pack he was carrying onto the machine.

"Received!" Yaro confirmed and Athrun smiled as the two moved together. He must have gotten through to the boy, Yaro was clearly fighting with his mind and not his heart. He was being the solider that Athrun hoped he would be today and perhaps they could win this with their combined strength. Athrun was not doubtful but he knew that there were steps that he would have to take next to prevent something dreadful from happening.

The two moved together in formation fighting through the lines of the Zaft forces, firing shots and taking down units. They disarmed and didn't kill. It reminded Athrun of fighting with Kira to a certain extent though Yaro was no where near as smooth a fighter as his father.

"We need to take down as many enemy mobile suits as we can," Athrun said, "while Shinn and Luna still have the Gundam's pinned down." Yaro nodded, he understood the plan. The enemy wished to overwhelm them by numbers but it would not happen. Today the Dreamer and the Truth had made a pact to make sure this didn't happen. Rain began to fall over the skies of the battlefield as they fought and a strange wind blew as if something was awakening in the earth beneath them. Yaro felt his seed activate in his mind as focus filled him for the battle ahead. The same thing happened in Athrun and Shinn and Cagalli; their seeds broke calling them into the fight and willing them to be strong.

"We are all depending on you Yaro," Athrun had said, "but not to fight with your hatred, to follow the plans I have laid out. Will you do as I have instructed or will you continue down a path to destruction?" Athrun held his hand out to the boy.

"I will fight as you instruct me," Yaro responded, "for ORB!"

The skies were darkening as rain fell where Meiko stood. She did not move as she felt it but rather she froze in place as the world felt off balance as if something was wrong. Her mind turned to Yaro, where was he now? Was he safe?

Wherever he was he didn't even know she was alive and that thought was what had left her frozen there. She had been here all this time just wondering, not searching, just wondering. What if he was lost? Was it even possible for her to find him again? If she did how would things be? They departed from each other as friends in a way, but somehow it didn't feel like she could trust that at this point. Something in her heart pulled her to think on the past, to think on him and all the things that had happened. They had become friends and then maybe something more, it was unexplainable to her what had happened but hatred had marred their lives and the path which they had shared split as her darkness came forth and his light was quenched.

Tears escaped from her eyes as she willed them to stay where they were and as memories floated though her. Would she find him again?

"Where are you now?" she said to nowhere. Her breathing increased as eh felt an urgency growing in her soul. He was important not only to the world but to her, somehow even after all this time of trying to put every part of her past behind her she couldn't get rid of him. He was an ever existing presence in her soul, something that she could not erase.

She was no longer burdened by the darkness of the past but now she was feeling the darkness of the presence. She had to know what was happening that was causing this to surface now. She turned from the rain and stepped inside the base again, to the hangar once again and stared up at the grand machine and back. There she saw it, a large screen where they had gathered, the soldiers of Redemption. They were watching a battle unfold and a machine she had never seen before stood out to her and struck a chord with her.

The way he fought was so similar yet at the same time it was very different than it had been before because so many things had changed within him. The evidence of the life that he had given up was still there but the light was replaced by a darkness and an urgency, like he was missing a part of himself the same way she was. It just couldn't be real but she felt it now, everything was real. ORB was in a battle that they could not win alone and Yaro was there defending them as strongly as he knew how to but this wasn't something he could do on his own and these people here were doing nothing. She wanted so badly to yell to say something of protest to those who were standing around but she could only stand there as tears flowed down her face for somehow she was the same. She was here doing nothing while Yaro was there fighting.

She lifted her hand to her face as tears rolled down and she knew that she was no better than them. She turned her head slightly as she saw Milady across the hangar look toward Meiko's distress; Meiko felt some connection with that woman and she knew that somehow Milady could feel the sorrow in her heart. This frightened Meiko as much as her own uselessness in the situation at hand and she turned and ran once again. This time she was followed.

"I won't loose her again," Milady said to Yzak as she turned to run after Meiko. This wasn't the time for this but at the same time it was, the little girl needed someone with her now. She needed someone to understand her and someone to help her. She needed Milady even though the older woman knew she might not understand. Now was not the time for her fear, Milady now had to face the past and the rejection and hurt and everything that had brought her to this moment. Whatever Meiko chose to do would be her decision, at least she would go on in life with the truth in her heart. Milady had been silent for too long, hoping everything would fall into place but no longer.

"That machine!" Verria was angry now, esspecially with Gera floating around the bridge of her command ship, "he's fighting even stronger than before!" She hated the Dreamer now, it had shamed so many PLANT commanders and now it was shaming her taking down too many machines in too short a time to be real.

"It's because he's focused on the plan," Gera said with a laugh, "no more angry movements, just focus; it's beautiful isn't it! Spark his hatred and this mask will fall apart."

"But how!" Verria protested

"That's it Yaro," Athrun said to himself as Yaro continued to fight according to the plan. Yaro would be joining with his old team mate Tripp Giswig soon. The two were a good force together, that was sure to settle some things with the third PLANT gundam that had gotten away from Shinn. Athrun turned to the right side of the battle backing up his own units.

"Formation!" Tripp yelled following Yaro into the fight against the third Gundam.

"Right!" Yaro said as Tripp pinned the unit down with rapid fire. Yaro moved in from the back drawing him beam saber as the machine spun around to face him and Tripp shot it in the back.

"Good," Tripp responded. Yaro fought the unit with his beam saber as Tripp came in to shot a blast that would disarm the machine entirely. That was when it happened and a blast rang out from one of the large ships severing through the right arm of Tripp's unit! Something activated in Yaro's head spinning his mind around as he tried to fight it. Now was not the time. A blue glow filled his cockpit as anger filled him and he slashed through the defenses of the machine in front of it destroying it completely. He moved the Dreamer back as it exploded and shook the anger out of his head returning to focus as the blue glow faded and he was a Tripp's side.

"Be more careful!" Yaro commanded his friend as the two fought off some nearby mobile suits. They had made a good team on battles past and they fought now as they were completely familiar with each other's tactics.

"How is your machine?" Yaro asked him after they had disarmed several machines in a row, "you should go back before you run out of power." It was then that something rocked Yaro's machine as he reflexively used his right arm's energy shield to take a blast that was heading toward them. Something new was here.

The whole battlefield saw it as a Black Gundam entered the stage, clearly stronger than the three others.

"Come on Yaro," Gera laughed to herself as she could almost see the shock on the boy's face at seeing another Gundam on the field, "I want to see your anger! FIGHT ME!" She fired one of her weapons in a way Yaro did not expect.

He hated this feeling, this helplessness as he saw a large blast fire out of the reach of his shields and into the machine that held his friend and teammate. Tripp cried out as his machine was destroyed and Yaro no longer held back the anger that filled him as the blue glow dominated taking over every fiber of his being.

"You're going to pay for this!" He yelled charging for the machine.

Athrun joined up with Luna after he learned that she had successfully disarmed the Gundam she was facing with the help of some nearby troops. They were fighting together when the saw the black Gundam challenge Yaro.

"Hold on Yaro!" Athrun said as he saw the large battlefield he would have to cut across to aid the boy. The enemy had planned this perfectly. Yaro was the only one within his area to face this machine. Shinn, Luna and Athrun were all too far away and Mu and Jacob were busy with the ships. Athrun shook his head in amazement; Tripp's machine had been destroyed as if someone knew that they just had to send Yaro over the edge. No he had to trust Yaro, the boy had changed and was trying much harder not to let his anger control him but something told Athrun that something out there was terribly wrong.

"Athrun, we can't let this happen!" Luna said.

"We have to trust him," Athrun replied to her, "keep to the plan, he is strong enough for this! Call for stage 5! We need backup!"

Meiko took a step back as Milady was there before her once again. She had to get out of this place, this island where they were only the same as everything she had seen before. They claimed they were going to help ORB yet they stood around and watched the battle unfold. They waited for her decision as if they wanted to user her. She knew things here didn't add up and she was beginning to fear their intentions, she had already accused Milady and just when she began to believe the woman had her interests in mind this happens. Meiko was resolved to help ORB but to do that she had to get off this island and she didn't know how to trust these people. No one could just care for her, they had to have their motives. Now Milady stood there trying to stop her from leaving, trying to manipulate her into staying again.

"Meiko stop running!" Milady said forcefully as she remembered Yzak's words, she refused to be a coward now, this girl needed her now more than ever. Meiko was confused and scared about everything that was happening and Milady refused to just let this continue to go on. Yzak was right Meiko needed the truth now thought it would be hard on all of them to face it.

"NO!" Meiko yelled at her taking another step back, "you can't think that I will stay here any longer! I won't be your puppet Milady, I don't belong to anyone! I just got my freedom back! You can't ask me to give it up to you under the guise that you are going to save ORB! How can I trust that you haven't rigged that mobile suit?" She turned to run again but ran right into Yzak who grabbed her arms before she could hit him. So they were trying to hold her here. She struggled against him as one of her injuries flared up but she had to be stronger than him! She twisted her arms out of his grasp, pushing him away but she tripped down as she did and fell backwards to the ground.

"That's enough Meiko!" Milady declared once again removing her mask.

"No," Meiko responded, "I fight for myself, not for anyone else! I can't trust you guys, please don't ask me too! ORB's in trouble and you're doing nothing! If you're on our side why didn't you help us before? Why didn't you help us stop the STING and ROW?" More tears came now, she had reconciled herself to what had happened back then but the question still lingered; what if it had been different?

"Meiko I could do nothing," Milady said with sadness in her voice and with sorrow in her heart, "though everything within me wanted to. Listen to me when I say this, If I had known how you felt I would have but I didn't so I chose to opt out because I didn't want to fight you! I've fought for so long to believe that ROW hadn't broken you and now I see that in a way they have. You can't see who you're friends are, all you see are enemies but let it be no longer Meiko! You have to trust me when I say that I am on your side and I don't want to harm you! I want you to have freedom, please see the truth Meiko." Once again her eyes locked Meiko in making Meiko think that she was trying to manipulate her, something did not add up. There was something about this woman that was too strange and familiar to her to be real; something within her heart trusted her though she found it hard to but she was too scared about what might happen. She was frightened by the idea that she might make a mistake and trust the wrong person. She had worked too hard and waited too long to be free for this to happen.

"Stop it!" Meiko yelled grabbing her head as she felt the familiar feeling stirring through her. Yzak saw then, the girl was still a child in so many ways and she needed Milady now; he looked at the resolve on Milady's past and knew that the woman saw it too.

"Why? Why did you do this?" Meiko yelled.

"Please forgive me, Meiko," Milady responded walking forward a few steps and hesitating as memories of the child flowed through her now, the past floating around her in that moment like a mist that had always haunted her, something she could never escape yet something that was so vital to her existence.

That moment Meiko looked up into her eyes and Milady's heart melted within her, her instincts took over and she found herself strong enough to say the words she had hidden inside herself for so long.

"Please, please forgive me," Milady continued tears now pouring down her face, "Meiko I care about you more than you know and you have to understand that everything I did, I did for you. Somehow find it within yourself to forgive me because I would die for you." She took a sharp breath as Meiko's eyes focused in on the crystal blue eyes of Milady and it was as if something inside of her broke and she saw things clearly.

She was a child, a year old as she ran as fast as a wobbly child could to her mother, the woman lifted her into her arms and she felt safe as those blue eyes watched over her.

"My name is Maryah Virea," Milady said as she knelt down beside her child, "I am your mother." Meiko knew in this moment why her heart trusted this woman and she began to feel safe as this woman wrapped her arms around her again and rocked her as if she was once again a small child. Meiko forgave her everything in that moment as she felt home for the first time in her life; she was home.

So what does everyone think about that?
So much to say but then again not so much!

I really want to know your reaction to this chapter. So much more coming!
REVIEW TIME!
Tell me what you think!
-WinterChill