It was a very beautiful day and the birds were singing in the trees. The hustle and bustle of the streets was so everyday normal. Undisturbed by the battles being fought between the Plants and Earth.

Alex and Meyrin walked through the peaceful garden watching the young children play.

"It's hard to believe there is a war being fought when living in a place like this." Alex sat on the beach overlooking the ocean.

"I can't believe they let us out. Don't you think that is unusual? Zaft soldiers roaming free in Orb?" Meyrin was more confused by these actions.

"If they will allow us out of that dusty old room, I'm not one to complain."

Meyrin leaned in towards him. "Let's just enjoy our freedom." She leaned in and kissed him.

He accepted the kiss and placed his hands on her cheeks.

She put her arm around his neck.

"Alex… I think I might actually… um… love you." Meyrin finally admitted.

Alex blushed. "Yeah…?" He was pretty awkward about it. They had spent a lot of time together and she took care of him when he was really messed up. But did that mean he loved her?

He saw the sincerity in her eyes. "Meyrin… I can't."

Meyrin's eyes watered. "What do you mean?"

Alex looked deeply into her eyes. "There is still so much I don't remember. I don't want to hurt you."

Meyrin nodded that she understood.

"I like you, Meyrin. I really do. I'd be crazy not to. But not knowing what I left behind… Not knowing who I truly am… it's not fair to you." Alex admitted.

"I know what you are saying but I also can't deny the feelings in my heart."

Alex released his breath. "I don't know what to say. What if I found out that I was already with someone or something like that?"

Meyrin looked down at the sidewalk. "Wouldn't you feel it in your heart?"

"Uhm… I don't know. I feel like a part of me is missing but I couldn't tell you what it is. It could be anything." Alex had so little knowledge of himself that it would so easy to miss something important to him. "Maybe… it's missing my parents or something."

"Then…" Meyrin locked eyes with determination. "I will wait for you to be ready."

"Thank you for understanding." Alex smiled warmly at her.

Kira was walking through the park with Lacus and Birdy suddenly flew from his shoulder. "Birdy?!"

"Birdy!" The mechanical bird flew over the trees.

"Wait!" Kira ran after his friend and Lacus just waited for him to return. She knew she couldn't keep up with him.

Kira followed Birdy with determination. He watched it descend on a man with blue hair. Kira froze in his tracks. Could that be Athrun?! Either way, he had to know.

Instead of letting the bird land on his shoulder the man with the blue hair flailed around until Birdy gave up and returned to Kira.

That was weird, but Kira wouldn't know anything until he spoke to him. "Athrun?!" He called out to his friend, but he was cut off by a car driving by. He lost sight of him for only a moment but he was already gone. He ran across the road and looked around for any sign of his friend. "Birdy, can you find him again! Please!"

He was feeling pretty defeated after his efforts turned up nothing. He returned to Lacus looking helpless. "I think it was Athrun."

Lacus lit up with hope. "Athrun?"

"Birdy doesn't fly over to anyone else. And he has blue hair. It had to be him." Kira clarified.

"We should tell Cagalli."

"And say what? I want to be sure it is really Athrun before I say anything to her."

"If you think that's best." Lacus already believed Athrun was alive. Maybe simply because she wanted to.

Alex took Meyrin to a nice restaurant that was well known and recommended.

They were seated at a table for two and they were brought wine and a menu.

Alex couldn't help but let his mind wander. He thought about everything that happened since they came to Orb and how since the interrogation there hasn't been anything else that Orb has requested of him. Why is he still here?

Meyrin placed her order and then she noticed Alex was somewhere else. "Alex?"

"Hm?" Alex snapped back to reality and then he placed his order.

"I wish we could stay here forever. I'm kinda worried though. How will we explain this to our commanders?"

"The truth. What else could we say?" Alex answered simply.

"What if they think we made it up?"

"Then they believe what they want."

Meyrin took a sip of the wine. It was so good. Alex took a sip as well. She couldn't help but watch him. She really hoped he was unattached because she was really infatuated with him.

"Did I get wine on my face?" Alex asked when he caught her staring.

"No. I think you're really special." Meyrin's face heated up. "Sorry."

Alex took her hand in his. "I think you are special too."

The food was placed in front of them and smelt and looked delicious.

The restaurants were just around the corner and Mirialia was really excited about her date with Tolle. They drove around the block towards their reservations.

Mirialia saw blue hair leaving a restaurant and she got excited. "Wait! Tolle! Pull over!"

Tolle waited until the traffic allowed it and then he did. "What's going on?"

"How many people have you seen with blue hair?" Mirialia asked, getting out of the car and running back towards that restaurant.

Tolle followed her with confusion. "Just one. Athrun Zala."

"Exactly. I saw him leave the-" Mirialia stopped in front of the restaurant she was sure he had just exited. "Athrun?!" She called out. She couldn't see him anywhere.

Tolle stopped at her side panting. "Why didn't I see him?"

"I know what I saw." Mirialia pulled Tolle into the restaurant. She found a waiter and stopped him. "Excuse me. Was there a man our age with blue hair eating at your restaurant?"

"Yes. There was. What an usual color."

"I believed you, Mir. You didn't have to prove it." Tolle retorted.

"I had to prove it to myself." Mir denied.

The streets were quiet at such a late hour and the darkness was only diminished by the many street lights. No one would want to be out that late because it could be dangerous.

Alex got a room and flopped on the bed.

"Why get a room here? You have no intention of returning to the Orb base?" Meyrin figured it out. "They will come looking for us."

"Let them come. We leave tonight. I am going back to Zaft. I cannot stay here anymore." Alex grumbled.

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

Alex released a sigh. "I want to know who I really am. I can't do that trapped in Orb."

"You want to go to some place familiar?"

"Yes. The sooner that I can remember the sooner I can believe in something again." Alex sat up again lazily.

Meyrin sat close to him. "What do you believe in right now?"

"I don't know. Nothing… Everything… For one thing, I don't want the fighting to continue. Even if I were to live behind these metaphorical walls, people would still be killing each other. I want the rest of the world to experience peace like this. Maybe that is why I am so restless. I want to do something."

Meyrin nodded. "I understand. I feel the same way. My sister Lunamaria is probably worried about me. She may not even know I am alive…" tears formed in her eyes.

"Alright then. I made some connections with some people who are going to sneak us out of here. We will go to the base at Carpentaria and figure out what to do from there."

Meyrin nodded. "Okay."

"What do you mean, they didn't return? You were supposed to be watching them." Lord Uzumi roared from across his desk in his office.

The officer was stunned, but also felt responsible.

Kisaka interrupted before things escalated. "He spoke of himself being a Zaft pilot. He must be heading to Carpentaria."

"Yes. If only Athrun knew what I was trying to do, he wouldn't fight me so much."

"It really can't be helped."

"No it cannot."

"Perhaps we should have just told him who he is."

"No. I don't think that would have worked. He was convinced he was Alex Dino. He would think we were lying to him for our own personal gain."

Kisaka placed a computer in front of Lord Uzumi. "I looked into the Zaft pilot who is the real Alex Dino." He popped up the file with the profile picture on it. "Alex is a female pilot. Or more importantly, was. If Athrun Zala goes to Carpentaria claiming to be her, things could get really tense for him."

"Unless he remembers his own name, he won't be able get out of it either." Lord Uzumi turned to his comrade. "You need to get to him first. No matter what it takes. If anything happens to him Zaft will hold our nation responsible."

"Understood. What about Cagalli? Should we tell her?"

"Not yet."

There was a dark peace over the streets that she had never expected. Cagalli was craving something really bad and one quick run to the corner store and she was chomping down on it. As she walked home the silence was only broken by the uncommon quieted conversations of some citizens who stayed up late.

But one conversation had caught her interest as she walked past a hotel. The voice in particular was what she honed in on. It was Athrun. Wasn't it? She looked around for the direction of his voice. "Athrun?!" She called out but all she saw was empty streets. She continued down the street, hoping she wasn't crazy.

She saw in through a patio glass door. Blue hair! "Athrun?!" She called out to the closed door as his form disappeared from view. She rushed back the way she came and headed into the lobby. She made her way to the desk. "Excuse me. This is urgent. I need to know which room the second from the bottom left patio unit is."

"That would be 205."

"Thank you." Cagalli rushed to find that room number and there it was in front of her. She knocked on the door full of hope.

No one answered.

"Athrun! It's Cagalli!" Cagalli continued to knock. She put her ear to the door but there was no one in the room. She returned to the lobby requesting the key.

"I'm sorry, but that is against hotel policy."

"You don't understand. It's my husband!" Cagalli cried. She was so close to him, wasn't she?

"What is your husband's name?"

"Athrun Zala. My name is Cagalli Yula Zala."

"That isn't the name on the room."

What?! It's not possible! "Who is it?"

"I'm sorry. I can't tell you. That is against-"

"Hotel policy. I get it." Cagalli explained the situation and why she needed to know so desperately.

She appealed to the receptionist's better nature and she agreed. "The room is under Alex Dino."

Alex Dino? Who is that? Cagalli's cell phone rang. Cagalli rushed back outside. She went around the back of the hotel to make sure. "... I know but… I think I saw Athrun."

A few moments passed, Kira arrived on location and picked her up in his car.

"I'm not crazy. It was him." She had taken another peek inside the room before Kira left the area. "It was his voice. His hair. It was him. He's alive, Kira."

"I saw him too." Kira finally admitted.

"What?!" Cagalli freaked out. "Why didn't you tell me!"

"Because I thought I imagined it. I didn't want to get your hopes up." Kira pulled into Cagalli's driveway and they saw Mirialia and Tolle waiting there with Lacus.

Kira and Cagalli joined them. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We have to talk. It's important." Mir insisted.

"Okay."

"Mir, saw Athrun today. Only for a split second but she is certain it was him." Tolle informed.

Kira looked to the ground. "With all these Athrun sightings not one of us was able to talk to him?"

Mir shook her head.

Cagalli shook her head too.

"Birdy went right for him." Kira admitted. "But I couldn't talk to him either. He just disappeared."

"It was the same for me." Mir agreed.

Tolle clenched his teeth. "I don't usually believe in this stuff but… I don't see another explanation for it."

Lacus took Kira's hand in hers. "Believe in what?"

"Gh-osts…" Tolle cringed. "But if Athrun is disappearing and reappearing like this… and he is supposed to be dead… then… maybe it is Athrun's ghost."

Kira didn't know if he believed that and the others didn't look like they were sold on it either.

Cagalli shook her head. "Why would you think that? Because it would be easier than believing he is alive?"

"No… it's not that." Tolle weakly defended.

Kira clenched his fists. "Tolle is right about one thing… he keeps disappearing. It's like he doesn't want to be found."

Cagalli held her belly with tenderness. "I don't believe that either. Athrun loves me. And when he learns he is going to be a father, I know he will love them too."

Lacus smiled warmly. "Yes."

The next day, Kira had the news on and they broadcasted the shuttle crash. "Cagalli! Lacus!"

The girls rushed down stairs as Kira turned up the volume.

"The downed shuttle was found yesterday afternoon. There were no survivors left on the island. There is evidence to suggest someone may have survived there at one time. However, there are also many destroyed mobile suits on the island too. Whoever survived didn't most likely live long enough to get off the island."

Cagalli turned to Kira. "I knew it. He is alive." She saw that there was a camp on the video, where someone had taken refuge. And she saw a black briefcase among the stuff. It could be anyone's, but Cagalli could only think of Athrun when looking at it. "He must have gotten ahold of one of those mobile suits."

"The unofficial word is that the two survivors are Meyrin Hawke and Alex Dino. However, this information is not confirmed yet. Now to other news…"

Kira turned off the TV and sipped his coffee.

Cagalli recognized the name. "Alex Dino…?"

Kira and Lacus studied her in surprise.

"That was the name on the room I saw Athrun staying in." Cagalli connected it in her head. "What if Athrun is Alex?!"

"Why change his name? And why hasn't he come back to us?" Kira remained skeptical.

Lacus had a downcast expression. "Maybe he found trouble and doesn't want it to come back on us. This might be his way of protecting us…"

"From what?!" Cagalli's eyes widened. "Do you think the shuttle may have been shot down on purpose? You think someone is trying to kill Athrun?!"

"I don't know… but it's possible. Athrun is the Chairwoman's son and ambassador for Orb and the Plants. Blue Cosmos especially would have good reason to target him." Kira deducted.

Cagalli cried in frustration. "It doesn't matter. Athrun needs to know that he will be a father."

Kira nodded. "I agree."

"So what do we do now?" Lacus asked.

"If he is here in Orb, we should track him with a drone. Maybe we could get permission from Colonel Kisaka." Kira suggested.

Cagalli immediately dialed his number. "Kisaka, we believe Athrun may be in Orb. I need your help to find him…"