Hello. Sigh...I really feel down. This might not be good but I tried my best and in my own interest to make it as interesting as I can. So, there. I know this is how most SEED fics begin, but I'll try to stir from that path.
Disclaimer: Gundam SEED does not belong to me...just the inspiration that came with it...
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Gundam SEED: Intermezzo
Chapter 1 (Version 1.2)
Aftermath
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The destruction of the GENESIS heralded the end of a seemingly ceaseless war between two different races, coordinators and naturals. The deafening booms and the explosive bangs, the brilliantly blinding flashes and the piercing beams -- all gone. Space, in all its sheer blackness, was once more hushed, as if a tantrum-throwing child was put to sleep once again. The ripples were gone. The stars began to twinkle again.
Scattered in space were the metal pieces and amidst the rubble, were three battleships. Aboard these ships were people who desperately fought to end the war, who did not distinguish friend from foe, who sided with neither coordinator nor human. Renegades, pacifists, visionaries, suicidals...call them whatever you like. But never call them fools. They were none the wiser.
On the bridge of one of the ships, a young woman clasped her hands together very tightly in her seat. With apprehensive blue eyes, she stared out into the vastness of space beyond. She was searching for something, somewhere out there.
"Kira..." she whispered out, voice full of sadness. Lacus Clyne wallowed deeply in her dreadful feelings.
Oh please, let him still be alive, along with Athrun and Cagalli-san!
Never did the pink-haired singer look so wistful.
"Come back...to me!"
The words echoed in her mind. Before they parted, she had told Kira to come back to her.
"When this is over, I'll show you the earth. You'll like that, won't you?"
"Of course I would..." Lacus answered to nothing but a ghost of Kira standing in front of her, in her thoughts.
All over the bridge of the Eternal, suspense hung in the air. People were waiting...waiting patiently...
"Look! I see something! Isn't that?--"
The crop of pink hair immediately bobbed up. Lacus looked hard through the glass and saw it as well.
"Kira!"
A small figure in the distance, but it was unmistakably a half-dismembered mobile suit making its way to the group of ships.
Hope springing from her heart, Lacus stepped off her seat and rushed for the door panel.
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The Strike Rouge, or what was left of it, made its ungraceful touchdown, skidding unto the surface of the ship Eternal's hangar a good few meters before friction stopped it from sliding any further. Smoke rose from the mobile suit missing its lower half as the people crammed inside its cockpit clambered out. First came Kira, followed by Athrun, who helped Cagalli climb down.
"Are you alright?" Athrun asked Cagalli worriedly, when they were standing on metal ground again.
Cagalli took off her helmet, set it down upon the Strike Rouge, and loosened her space suit a bit at the neck. "Just fine. I should be the one asking you."
It was Athrun's turn to take off his helmet and peer questioningly at the ORB princess. "Huh? What do you mean?"
Cagalli balled her fists, aureate eyes burning. "Are you crazy?! Why'd you go and do such a thing?! You didn't have to risk your life like that, you know?! Geez! If it weren't for me, you would have--"
"Kira!" a voice rang clear in the cavernous hangar, cutting off Cagalli.
Three heads turned towards the direction where the voice came from. Lacus appeared, propelling herself towards Kira. For a second, Kira was bewildered. But his expression softened as he returned the hug just as strongly.
The tears that would not come, began to fall uncontrollably now. Lacus cried, her cry muffled in Kira's chest.
Somehow, Cagalli dropped her temper. With Athrun in tow, Cagalli floated off into the inner part of the ship to give the two some time to themselves. After all, this was the right time for people to comfort each other after the events.
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A fairly large lot was gathered on the bridge of the Archangel. That lot, being composed of Murrue Ramius, who was sitting on the captain's seat; the Archangel crew, along with Ssigh Argyle and Miriallia Haww; Erica Simmons and Redneil Kisaka, of the Kusanagi ship; Mawchin Dacosta and Andorew Waldfeld, known as the Desert Tiger and captain of the Eternal; Dearka Elthman, Cagalli Yuula Athha, Lacus Clyne, Athrun Zala, and Kira Yamato.
They were a strange mishmash of naturals and coordinators. These people had been just witnesses to the cease-fire between the PLANTs and Earth Forces, a few hours ago. And just a short while before, a representative of the PLANT's Supreme Council had petitioned for a meeting with their group. The representative was Eileen Canaver.
The door panel to the bridge slid opened and the expected person entered.
Murrue stood up to perform her duties. "Miss Canaver, welcome onboard the Archangel," she told the newly-arrived.
Eileen Canaver smiled. "Thank you, Miss--"
"Murrue Ramius, captain of the Archangel," filled in Murrue. Then, she added, more to herself than to the representative, "But I'm not sure if I should still call myself that..."
Eileen looked kindly at her and at the others, as well. "Even though you have defected from your own sides, you have done it for a noble cause. I admire all of you for standing by your beliefs until the end. This is how it should be in the first place, coordinators and naturals working together. Yes, we may have called for a cease-fire, but who knows how long that will last. PLANT will do the best it can to foster this peace, so that it may not only be temporary, but enduring."
Eileen paused for a while and scanned the faces. Going on, she said, "I have taken the necessary measures to cover up the acts of the Clyne Faction -- that is stealing the ship, Eternal, and the disappearance of the Freedom mobile suit. The people on PLANT know nothing of what you have done, Miss Clyne. As for Dearka Elthman and Athrun Zala, you have both been pardoned for your deeds."
"Do you mean to say that they are allowing us to go back to ZAFT?" Dearka inserted right away.
Eileen nodded, smiling. "Just think of it as if nothing had happened."
"Unbelievable!" exclaimed Dearka.
Athrun stepped forward, the movement catching the attention of everyone in the room. "Pardon me, Miss Canaver. I know that you were a great supporter of Siegel Clyne and that your influence in the Supreme Council is to some extent. But, just like Dearka said, I find it hard to believe that such a thing can be done so easily. How were you able to clear our names when there are still some of my father's supporters in the council?"
"We have taken care to remove such representatives from their position," was Eileen's simple answer.
"That's impossible!" Athrun cried out, eyes widening.
Andorew let out a low whistle, remarking, "Pro-Zalas will scream bloody murder for that. Now that there are no Zala idealists in the Supreme Council, we might just bear witness to the birth of another activist organization that equals the Blue Cosmos. And I'm sure that is more than the Supreme Council can take."
"If these Zala supporters do anything extreme, that'll be all the more reason for the Blue Cosmos to hate coordinators," Ssigh whispered to Milly.
Everyone inside the bridge started talking at once. Yet, Eileen Canaver was calm enough.
"No need to worry," she said. "We were ready for the consequences long before and are ready to face it. Wars are hard to stop but the work to be done after that is even more difficult. Maintaining peace and order will take much forbearance to achieve. So, as I've said, I have come here to give you -- Lacus Clyne, Athrun Zala, Dearka Elthman, Andorew Waldfeld, and the rest of the Clyne Faction -- the choice of returning or leaving."
The secret meeting was over, leaving a lot of room for contemplation.
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Milliaria was having a quiet time to herself in the refectory. Recalling the events of the past few hours, she ate her meal listlessly.
"Hey, what's up?" said a cheery voice -- Dearka's. He slipped into the metal bench opposite Milly.
"Hi..." Milly returned the greeting with a hundred times less energy than Dearka.
"Man, you eat like a turtle," Dearka commented, observing Milly's tray, which seemed to have not been touched at all.
That snapped Milly back to the present. She narrowed her eyes at Dearka. "Was that supposed to be a joke?" she spat out with a little more venom than usual, which made Dearka put up his palms, in an effort to placate the upset lady.
"Chill down, will you?"
Eep, better not flesh out the nasty Milliaria...
Milly began to stuff her mouth with one piece of meat after another, chewing a large chunk a bit then gulping it right away.
Dearka let her do as she pleased, eating his own food. But, after a while, "You won't get much nourishment if you swallow your food without chewing at least ten times, you know."
He said it as lightheartedly as he can.
Milly held her fork in mid-air, studying it for a long time. Eventually, she dropped her hand on the table. "I guess, you're right...Sorry I burst out like that."
"Sheesh. I don't understand you at all. I can't tell if what I'm going to tell you will please you or not."
"Look, I'm really sorry. It's just that, lately, I've been feeling a lot edgy. Everything's happening just too quick for me to sort out, especially what that PLANT representative told us."
"It's not only you. Everybody as well. Me too. All my life, I felt sure of what I should be doing. But ever since I joined the Archangel, I knew I was straying away quicker than ever from the path I had marked out for myself. Things came to me unexpectedly and I just followed what I was thinking. But, right now, I'm not sure where I'm going..."
"That's the first time I've heard you sound almost sincere," noted Milly, half-smiling.
And there was also a half-smile, this one goofy-looking, on Dearka's face. "Yeah."
"You're coming back to ZAFT, right?"
The question jumped out of nowhere.
Dearka regarded Milly in a steady gaze. He came to the refectory in hopes of finding some time to think to himself. But, what he found was Milliaria Haww. The girl who gave her nothing but an attitude, at first. But, that attitude set him straight. He met this girl for only a short time. Yet, she made the encounter so much memorable. The prissy attitude was something to remember, alright.
And in Milly he found his decision made. Milliaria seemed to know him better than himself, it seemed. How pathetic of me to not know what I really want...and Milliaria was the one who did.
"Yeah."
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"The stars are lovely, aren't they?"
Kira looked away from the window to the figure standing in front of him.
"Lacus."
"I have made my decision, Miss Canaver. I'm going to be with Kira on earth."
"When this is over, I'll show you the earth. You'll like that, won't you?"
Lacus joined Kira and did the same thing he had been doing a while ago, stargazing -- from a different point of view. Kira did as well.
"This is the very same spot I found you crying," Lacus said quietly, pressing a hand to the glass.
"I remember."
Lacus turned her eyes on Kira. "Are your tears dried now, Mr. Yamato?" she inquired in the same friendly tone she had that last time.
Kira beheld the deep blue orbs and smiled. "They were, when you came along."
Lacus smiled back, beholding the amethyst orbs. "Lacus Clyne, former pop idol, glad to be of assistance."
"Former pop idol? What are you now?"
Lacus came nearer to Kira. Taking his right hand, she clutched it close to her heart. "Your companion."
Lacus put her head lightly on his shoulder and as the two hovered freely in the antigravity, the rose-haired coordinator opened her mouth, producing a sweet melody. The song resonated in the hallways of the Archangel, relieving anyone who listened to it. Though the pop idol was no more, the songstress was still alive.
"When this is over, I'll show you the earth. You'll like that, won't you?"
"Of course."
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The catwalk in the Archangel's hangar was the sanctuary where the princess of ORB had been lingering in. For some reason, she had been avoiding all the people onboard the ship, Athrun most of all. The catwalk, at that time, was the only available place, since most venues were already reserved.
Athrun found Cagalli there, who was slouching and leaning her elbows on the railing.
"It's bad for your posture," he reminded her.
"I know, that's why I'm doing it," Cagalli replied uncaringly.
Athrun also leaned on the railing, with his back on it. "You do things that are bad for you to not remind yourself that you're a princess?"
"On the contrary, I'm reminded more about that fact," Cagalli said contradictively, slouching even more.
Cagalli left Athrun to ponder on the odd conversation they were having.
"Why are you here?" Cagalli asked, when it was too silent.
"To receive my reprimand?"
"Oh, I already forgot what I was going to say. So, you can forget about that as well. Tell me, why are you really here?"
"I don't know, maybe to console and be consoled?"
"Now, that reminds me of a very old religious hymn." Cagalli straightened up as she hummed the tune. "But, anyway, enough about that." And Cagalli went back to slouching.
"Now, it's my turn to ask. Why were you sulking here?" Athrun asked this time.
"Sulking? I wasn't sulking! I was thinking about the...uh...the future! Yes, the future!" Cagalli stood erect and exertingly put a pointing finger up, after which, she sighed heavily and let her hand fall to her side. "Geez. You make me think of weird things. Go away, stop bothering me, you're just an illusion...just an illusion..." Cagalli trailed off.
Athrun looked closely at her. "What makes you think I'm an illusion?"
Tiptoeing, Cagalli tilted her face close to his, meeting his emerald eyes. "You're too good to be true that you might vanish in my sight."
Athrun felt overwhelmed by the orange-colored eyes, falling backwards. Cagalli laughed out loud. Athrun caught the infectious disease and laughed as well.
The golden-haired girl dropped down to the metal grating and sat next to Athrun.
"I don't have anything left to go back to in PLANT and my part in the war is over now," Athrun said.
"Then, you are free to come to ORB."
"Am I?"
"Mm-hmm." Cagalli crossed her legs, rocking herself back and forth. "When I get back to ORB, there'll be so many things to do. I don't even know how I should start. That's what I have been thinking about out here." Cagalli stopped rocking back and forth. "I mean, come on. I don't know much about diplomacy or politics. My dad entrusts such a big task on me. If I know better, he doesn't know his daughter well if he goes on and leaves ORB in the hands of her impetuous sixteen-year old."
Silence reigned for a while, until, "Athrun...will you help me?"
Cagalli got up on her knees, pushed her hands on the metal grating of the catwalk, and faced Athrun, all at once.
"Cagalli?"
"I don't know what I'm going to do once I start to rebuild my country. I feel like I might go crazy if I'm going to have to do it alone. I know that I'm inexperienced, that I might make a lot of mistakes on the way, but I don't want to give up my father's ideals. Even if they trod on me, if you stay with me, I feel like I can go on. So, please...will you help me?"
Athrun stared at the teenager. Here was a person who, even though she herself knew that she would trip many times, would still have the strength to stand up and continue the race. She would not let herself be conquered. This was Cagalli's passion, shining brightly as fervently as the brightest flame. And to keep that flame burning, he would have to protect it.
"You didn't have to put it that way. You could have said, 'Come with me!', as aggressively as you can and I wouldn't have minded going with you--"
Athrun wasn't able to finish as Cagalli tackled him. She wept aloud, soaking the ORB jacket that Athrun was wearing. All throughout, he was there to comfort the ORB princess.
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In the months that followed the battle at Jachin Doue, an agreement known as the Junius Treaty was signed by both PLANT and the Earth Alliance. The treaty stated the restriction of using Neutron-Jammer Cancellers and Mirage Colloids. It also set a quota restraint on the size of the mobile suit forces of both ZAFT and OMNI.
With respect to the death of the last chairman of the PLANT Supreme Council, Patrick Zala, a new chairman has been seated -- Gilbert Dullindal.
ORB, in the event of its mass driver being blown up, along with the previous assembly members, has come to re-establish its nation. Presently, chief representative elected to power is the heir of Uzumi Naala Athha, Cagalli Yuula Athha.
The Blue Cosmos, a radical group integrated into the Earth Alliance's hierarchy, have dealt with the death of its young leader, Murata Azrael. Another has replaced him as the new leader. He is known as Lord Jibril.
Three months later...
to be continued...
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Weird conversations right? Pardon me for any wrong grammar or description that does not fit. But I did my best to deliver the thought I wanted to convey. It was hard enough to write the first scenes. If there's anything wrong, like the spelling of the name, some terms, OOCness or any wrong concept, just tell me and I'll rectify it.
Please review. Thank you.