Gundam SEED: The Keshitai
A Kido Senshi Gundam SEED Fan Fiction by Prayer Reverie
Contact: prayerreverie(at)yahoo(dot)com
Summary: The heroes of the war set off to stop a vicious group from starting another! The fate of the Earth and the Colonies rests on their shoulders. KL, DM, AC, Y … uh …
This will be AU, thanks to Destiny (I can't wait for Phase 13!), however try to think of this story as a side-story, or a filler story much as Battlefield of Pacifists and Ground Zero was for Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED in any way (although some days I wish), but any Original Characters and Original Mobile Suits are mine.
Rating: PG-13. I don't plan on mincing words and there will probably be some descriptive scenes, but nothing outside of the rating boundaries. You have been warned.
lightyearsaway: We can always hope
C-town Chica: Thanks for all of the compliments!
Angel of Dreams: More DM? Greedy aren't we? Lol.
RVD: well, not everyone has died, but I see your point. Read on!
Epilogue
CE 72, June 15th
Perosonal Log of Jule, Yzak, Commander
72 Cosmic Era, 15 June
Subject: Musings
It would seem to me that one way to sort thoughts out is to create a list, a "pros and cons" list, to see what you have going for you and what you don't. I, personally, am not a big fan of that system, preferring to simply write all of my thoughts in a confused chaotic jumble that makes sense to few people. It helps the mind set itself straight, moving from on thought to another and linking them all together somehow.
Well now, the only question remaining is where to begin? At the end of the war, or perhaps at the signing of the treaty, or maybe I should just pluck a random thought out from my head and start with that. That sounds good to me.
Athrun.
Definitely one I would have voluntarily chosen, yet after all this time, I respect the man. Of course I would never tell that to his face, or too anyone else. Good thing these logs are encrypted with a Base 17 sequential order system. Oops, did I write that? Good luck finding out what that means.
Athrun Zala.
The son of the late Patrick Zala, former leader of the PLANT and ZAFT during the end of the first war. If the reports are true, Patrick had Siegel Clyne killed in an attempt to consolidate his own power within the council.
Clyne.
Lacus, his peace-loving daughter – and talented singer if I might add – had disappeared. Well, to the general public of Earth and PLANT she's gone, but to some of us she's not. As the current rule of Orb, Cagalli has kept me updated with all sorts of things, things I can slide on to the chairman and his entourage to help keep the peace.
And things that I can use to help cheer up comrades, subordinates and friends. Naturally, Dearka moped around for a while after returning to PLANT. Truth be told, he was happy to be back home, continuing to serve as I did. But not all of him was happy; part of him was sad, sad because of one person.
Miriallia.
Perhaps in the hardest decision of his life, Dearka chose to remain a part of ZAFT and re-join the military. He could have lived a happy life on Earth with her, not sad, but instead immensely happy. There are some things in life that are so deeply woven in with our lives that make it impossible to change. Loyalty is usually the first thing that comes to mind. For us, it was loyalty to our home country, heeding PLANTs call during its darkest hour.
That was why we joined ZAFT in the first place. It's why we remain in ZAFT, despite all that has happened in the past two years. I can still remember that day in my mind, the day we chose to return home. She was there waiting for us, or rather just him, I was along for the ride apparently.
She was leaning against the side of the shuttle, arms crossed, head down, one leg on the ground, the other bent at the knee, the foot resting on the shuttle's hull. Our footsteps made her look up, and she barely gave me a first glance as she concentrated on Dearka.
'Lucky bastard' was my thought. I continued to walk towards the shuttle, nodding at her as I passed. We had never spoken much during our short time of knowing each other, and perhaps that was the best thing. Dearka had slowed his walk down, trailing behind me as I boarded the shuttle and took my seat.
"Why are you leaving?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"I've sworn an oath to PLANT, and I must uphold it. Believe me, I don't want to leave you, not again, not after all we've done and been through." He replied, setting his bag down on the tarmac as she approached him, closing the distance between them.
"Then don't leave, resign your commission and stay here, with me." Her slender arms wrapped around his chest, hugging him.
Dearka couldn't reply right away, her argument was valid, he could easily resign, ZAFT would hate to see him go, but there would nothing they could do to stop it from happening. I almost considered telling him to do it. I could always use another Earth-side informant.
But he was my friend, and he wished to return to PLANT. As his friend, and his superior I wasn't about to lose his vital skills. He returned her hug and gently kissed her forehead. She broke their hug and grabbed the front of his open jacket with one hand, pulling him down to her height and kissed him.
I could almost see the emotions flowing back and forth between them. I looked away, studying the inside of the shuttle for a few moments, the seats, the head rests, the walkway, the overhead compartments, anything to pass a bit of time. I considered it rude to watch people share a moment together, and when I looked back, they were just breaking their kiss.
Long time for a Natural to hold their breath. They were both evidently at a loss for words; she looked at him for a second, maybe just getting her breath back.
"Never forget me." She said right before running past him and away from him.
Dearka stared dumbfounded, turning to face her retreating form, then uttered very quiet words. "I love you." She might have heard those three powerful words if she had enhanced Coordinator hearing, but she didn't. But it was probably better right now that she didn't.
He picked up his bag and boarded the shuttle, the hatch sealing with a hiss. Taking his seat just in time, the shuttle launched. I knew better than to ask, so we sat in silence as we took off, as Dearka flew out of Miriallia's life.
But hopefully not forever.
Moments like those have the ability to change people forever. While I'm thankful that he didn't go with her, I wonder what the future would be like if he wasn't a pilot once again in my squad.
Oh, I probably would have found a replacement with almost equal skill, but like I told Shiho once, it's always nice to have people around you that can anticipate you; they make you learn about yourself, they make you adapt.
During the war, I never thought that I would fight along side the Strike Gundam. I never thought that I would actually risk my life for someone in a mobile suit that looked like the Strike Gundam. Well hey, shit happens. The one thought that never even crossed my mind, even after the cease-fire, was teaming up and helping the Freedom pilot.
But it happened. And that was a good thing too. Yamato is a strange man, a boy who was forced to fight to save his friends aboard a new warship. He had no previous military training, and it seemed like the Earth Alliance was using him for their plans. I had received reports that the top leaders had erased all records of Kira fighting with the Strike Gundam.
Funny they should do that, he became an "unknown ace" in their eyes. But for all his talents at fighting with mobile suits, his heart was almost shattered by someone he loved. Now it's almost healed again, thanks to his friends, but mainly – or at least I believe this – thanks to Lacus.
She had helped him early on in the war when he rescued her, she helped him again with Athrun almost killed him, she helped him by giving him the Freedom Gundam, which thereby saved the Earth and the PLANTs, and now she continued.
The injuries he had sustained as a prisoner were numerous – sure, he was Coordinator - but they took time to heal. Along with those injuries, he was shaken around quite a bit during his fight with his old friend, and by the time Lacus and Otto got to him, he was out of it.
This reminds me. I'll talk about it later. Right now, Kira is on Earth, hopefully enjoying the peace that he fought so hard for. Cagalli told me a few weeks ago that Lacus had stayed by Kira's side until he woke up. I didn't know that, I had merely assumed that she very frequently visited him as he recovered.
"Just sit here for a moment, let the tests run their course. I'll be in the back room if you need me." The doctor told me.
I nodded, and sat on the bed as the computers silently worked their stuff. Lacus was with Kira on the other side of the medical bay and I could hear the soft beeps of the heart-rate monitoring machine.
Of course, Lacus knew I was here, so I decided to start up a conversation, from one side of the room to hers.
"He'll be fine Lacus, trust me." I told her.
I guess she was a bit surprised at my forwardness.
"Thank you Yzak, I'm sure he'll recover very soon." She replied kindly.
A thought struck me, like a railgun. "Why don't you sing to him?" I asked.
Clearly she hadn't thought of that either.
"S – sing to him?" she asked, stuttering just a bit with surprise.
"I'm sure he enjoys your songs almost as much as your company and I've heard that it can be helpful, sort of like a guiding light for comatose or unconscious people." I explained.
"Well, I'll try. You won't mind if I sing?" she asked. How thoughtful, always caring.
"I don't mind your songs either." I replied with a smile.
konna ni tsumetai tobari no fukaku de
anata wa hitori de nemutteru
inori no utagoe sabishii nohara wo
chiisa na hikari ga terashiteta
anata no yume wo miteta
kodomo no youni waratteta
natsukashiku mada tooku sore wa mirai no yakusoku
itsuka midori no asa ni itsuka tadoritsukeru to
fuyugareta kono sora wo shinjiteiru kara
Fields of Hope
Fields of Hope
Fields of Hope
umarete kita hi ni dakishimete kureta
yasashii ano te wo sagashiteru
inori no utagoe hitotsu kiete
mata hajimaru tayori naku setsunaku tsuzuku
itsuka midori no asa e subete no yoru wo koete
sore wa tada hitori zutsu mitsukete yuku basho dakara
ima wa tada kono mune de anata wo atatametai
natsukashiku mada tooi yasuragi no tame ni
Fields of Hope
Fields of Hope
natsukashiku mada tooi yakusoku no nohara
Fields of Hope
Fields of Hope
Fields of Hope
Fields of Hope
Fields of Hope
Fields of Hope
I had never heard of this song before, but I got the feeling it was called "Fields of Hope". It was a very nice song, and it had some effect on Kira. I could hear the monitor start to beep faster as his heart-rate increased.
"That … was nice." He said quietly.
"Kira!" Lacus all but yelled.
I got the feeling he was awake, and the doctor came from the back room to find out why Lacus was yelling. I stopped him before he got past me.
"He's awake now, she's just really happy."
"Good to know." He checked the test results and smiled at me.
"You have a clean bill of health Commander Jule, you can go."
And thank god for that. The doctor went back to the back room and I left through the side door. Right before the door closed I caught a glimpse of another passionate kiss, shared between Kira and Lacus.
Another thing Cagalli had told me was that Kira – despite being happy with Lacus – had settled into a state where he had little energy. Not to sound like a gossiper, but Cagalli said that Lacus told her that Kira would often stay up for days on end, and when he had to sleep, he would sleep for only a few hours at a time. Very odd, but perhaps it is his way of dealing with all of the crap that piled up on him.
I suppose brooding about it is better than running away from it. News has reached me about Cagalli's talented bodyguard – who looks suspiciously like Athrun to me – Alex Dino getting a little angry at one of the Orb council members. If Athrun was a man, he'd 'politely suggest' that Yuna Roma Seiran stop going after his girl.
But he's not. He's hiding from everything, just like Durandal had erased all knowledge of the SF-99 Series. The Veritas and the Matrix were melted down to scrap, much to the dismay of Doctoy Shayd, who questioned me for days about the XML system. What was left of the Eternal, Angel and Aequitas were melted as well.
The Chon-Ji Tul was destroyed, having received orders to self-destruct. Her crew was disbanded and integrated among the rest of the ZAFT. Except for her captain and Otto. Both men were brought up on charges concerning disobeyed orders, and in Otto's case, being a spy.
Since the quick and quiet trial, I have not heard a single whisper about either. It seems that the last Alster is truly dead. I've heard that the remaining prototypes were renamed to the ZGMF-X series.
Gaia, Chaos, Abyss. Impulse. And one that shouldn't be named. I believe this measure was taken due to the Four Horsemen and the Apocalypse. Especially with the dual nuclear warheads that were used against us. Those weapons have always been a source of great fear among the Coordinator society, and I believe that Chairman Durandal wished to eliminate everything to do with the latest attacks.
Thus the SF-99 series is no more. I hope that these other prototypes may discourage further attacks from any enemies, but I fear that they will perhaps be the harbingers of the next war.
If there is a war, then we will fight to protect that which we hold dear to us. Besides, who wants to live forever?
End of Recording
"Yzak, the meeting is in five minutes." Dearka's voice came through the intercom.
"I know, just make sure you're ready too." Yzak snapped back, glad he had finished sorting his thoughts in time.
Yzak had no idea why Durandal had summoned the younger soldiers who had fought in the last war, but it surely couldn't be bad. He got up from his chair and made sure his papers were in order, and then went off to find Dearka.
-
It was night time on Earth, or at least in the time zone that had Malchio's orphanage in it. Kira stood on the deck, his elbows resting on the railing as he watched the moon.
There was a little gust of wind every few minutes that played with his shaggy brown hair and the collar of his black long-sleeved shirt. Lacus stood in the glass sliding door behind him, her hand just below her neck as she stared at him worriedly.
She was still in her dress, having not changed into her pajamas just yet. She had wanted to see Kira one last time before falling asleep. Gathering her resolve, she silently opened the door, hoping not to disturb him just yet.
If he heard the door, he gave no signs of showing, but he didn't jump when she stepped up beside him.
"Beautiful moon tonight." She commented.
Kira nodded in response, his eyes still locked on the bright light the full moon was giving off. Lacus didn't know what he was thinking about, so many bad things had happened up in space to him, but there were good things as well.
Since coming back down to Earth, Kira no longer initiated any conversations, and rarely spoke, barely replying to questions directed at him, and even then with the shortest answer possible, the kind that simply kill conversations.
The kids didn't mind Kira's silence; they had announced that he wasn't a good story teller just after the war had ended, and they all preferred Lacus' sweet voice and emotions.
Another gust of wind blew up, not fazing Kira one bit, but messing his hair even more than it was before. Lacus shivered, and started rubbing her arms to put some warmth into them. Kira took notice of this.
"God Lacus, you're freezing." he said, stepping behind her and enfolding her in a hug, gently rubbing her arms to keep her warm.
The cold she had felt just a second ago had disappeared, Kira's warmth flooded into her, making her sigh contently. She looked up at the moon again, marveling at its beauty again.
It was an improvement, she decided. Perhaps it wasn't a bad idea to do this more often, say every night. Kira kissed her cheek lightly and looked up at the moon again, his arms still around her, keeping the songstress warm.
And at that moment, it could have been a picture-perfect scene, a moment that a company might use in one of their commercials, a moment to be treasured. Too bad little kids don't think of these things.
"Why is everyone up?" a little boy asked tiredly, rubbing his eyes as his feet dragged along, slowly moving him towards the couple enjoying the moon.
"Ara! What are you doing out of bed? You'll catch your death of cold." Lacus scolded lightly, groaning silently as she was forced to break out of Kira's warm embrace.
She shooed the little boy inside, pausing at the doorway to look back at Kira, who had returned to watching the moon, his elbows once again propped up on the railing.
Goodnight, my love she bade him before closing the door behind her. She yawned, and then made her way to her room, changing into her flannel pajamas before sliding into her bed, alone.
Goodnight Lacus Kira thought as she retired for the night.
-
Emotions. So many emotions. Pain, anger, hate, jealousy, love, they all ran though Athrun over and over again. All of these emotions, all in one little form that was called Athrun Zala. Or to some, Alex Dino. These emotions were spurred on by a little interrupt broadcast that had gone over the air just a few minutes ago.
It was live from the Orb Palace, where Cagalli and the other Representatives of Orb had convened to discuss matters of state, such as Cagalli's rise to the throne of Orb. A public speech from Cagalli and the Reps had been scheduled, but what was transmitted was nothing even remotely close to what Athrun had expected.
"Good evening honored citizens of Orb! I am Yuna Roma Seiryan, and I have a great announcement that will help strengthen us all."
Cameras flashed repeatedly as a man with light blue hair and a ponytail stepped up to the podium. Cagalli was off to the man's left and his father was off to the right.
"Reconstruction of our great nation is proceeding ahead of schedule, thanks to all of your hard efforts, and with our beloved Head Representative once again home in Orb, things are moving back on track."
There was clapping heard from the people assembled before the podium and clapping from the various citizens watching the broadcast from any screen available to then. Athrun was one of the few who didn't clap.
Yuna waited for the applause to die out on its own, the people certainly deserved a brief moment to shine in the spotlight. Finally, the roar of the noise died down and Yuna looked as if he had a message of great importance.
"Today will mark a great day in the history of our country. Today marks the first day of my engagement to Cagalli Yula Athha, daughter of Uzumi Nala Athha. An engagement that will unify Orb and allow us to stand tall and free!"
There was more applause from the gathered crowds, and several girls near Athrun swooned at the thought of being engaged to Yuna. Athrun shook his head in disgust. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he walked off.
He knew deep down in his heart that Yuna could never love Cagalli as he did, but publicly announcing an engagement drove him mad. There wasn't a lot he could do about it right now, there was still anti-Coordinator sentiments running around the reconstructed country, and it wouldn't do well to announce that he was once a top ZAFT pilot.
Hence his alias, Alex Dino, a man charged with the protection of the Princess of Orb while she was outside the Parliament Building. Athrun had rarely been inside the building, except to escort Cagalli in a few times while the Palace guards were being trained.
What he was truly afraid of was not Yuna's love – or lack thereof – towards Cagalli, but what time might do to Cagalli if Yuna was constantly with her. Yuna was rich and powerful, and had a lot of influence among the other Representatives, which could spell trouble for Cagalli.
But if she spent too much time with Yuna, she might grow accustomed to his presence, his ideals and his ways of life. Cagalli could rough it out if she had too, he had heard stories from Kira and Kisaka about her exploits in the African deserts, and he had fought along-side her in the last several battles of the first war, and the recent uprising of Blue Cosmos.
Although she wasn't used to being pampered like the royalty she was, it was easy to get used to, especially for a girl. And again, in his heart he knew that Cagalli loved one man, and only one man – Athrun Zala – but his emotions and insecurities buried those rational thoughts deep.
He walked for hours on end, wandering aimlessly as he desperately tried to figure out what to do. Scenarios of him barging into one of their meetings and announcing his love for her ran through his mind.
Clouds gathered unnoticed overhead, and in an instant, it started to rain. People ran about, screaming in fear as they panicked, seeking shelter from the oh-so horrible rain. Hands still jammed in his coat pockets, Athrun walked along the sidewalk, passing by a park.
"Well for my trusted bodyguard, you sure do suck at doing your job." A female voice announced from behind him.
He knew that voice like the back of his hand. Turning around, he saw Cagalli in plain street clothes holding a black umbrella to keep the rain off of her.
"Lady Athha, I apologize." He said formally, bowing.
"Geez, what's with the formal talk?" she asked, walking over to him and shifting the umbrella so they were both covered.
"I heard about your engagement, congratulations."
"Athrun, stop it, this is me you're talking to!" Cagalli said, annoyed at the distance in his voice.
They both stood there in silence as the rain continued to poor down, sliding over the water-resistance umbrella Cagalli still held over their heads.
"I'm sorry." Athrun finally said, sounding more like his old self to Cagalli.
"When I saw the broadcast, something inside me died and something else snapped. Yuna … he looked so smug, so confident when he said those words. I honestly think my heart shattered." He continued, looking deep in her amber eyes.
"It was a surprise to me as well. I thought he was going to outline our latest reconstruction plans for the outlying coastal sectors, but instead he spewed that crap out. And they ate it up like candy. After the little broadcast we were swarmed with reporters asking questions about us and when this came about." Cagalli explained.
"I'm sure he had a great answer." Athrun said sarcastically.
Cagalli narrowed his eyes as she began to comprehend just how much this had messed his head up. He was like a confused little boy, scared and lashing out in fear and anger. Smiling warmly she slid under one of his arms and wrapped her free arm around his waist.
"I'm sure he did, I didn't stay. Kisaka escorted me out and when the other Reps tried to stop me I said I had to have my most trusted bodyguard with me."
Athrun turned his head and looked down at her.
"And now it's just you and me." She said sweetly.
He rotated so that he faced her completely and bent down for a kiss, their umbrella shielding them from the few people still walking around in the rain. Far sooner than Athrun would have like, they broke the kiss when they heard the sound of a car pulling over.
"Alex, Lady Athha, there you are."
They looked up to see Kisaka, a smile on his face as he walked around the car and opened the back doors for them. They smiled at the man's actions and generosity and got into the car. Kisaks shut the door and got in his own seat and drove them away.
-
"Chairman? There is a lady here who says you wish to talk with her." Durandal's secretary announced through the intercom mounted in his desk.
"Send her in please." He replied.
The doors opened, allowing a slim figure to enter. Due to the lighting in the room, she was somewhat cast in shadows that hid her face and upper body.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice." He said, standing up and walking around his desk to greet her.
"It's not everyday that a girl like me gets a call from the Chairman of all PLANTs, what was I to do, say no?" she replied, shaking his offered hand.
"Such soft hands if I may say so. I think you'll do just fine."
A/N: Well, there it is, the final chapter of the Keshitai. Unless you want more of course. I will post a wrap-up section to deal with any questions and to give thanks to those after this, and along with it will be my future plans. Please Read (I think you've gotten this part down by now) and Review! Good, bad, ugly, whatever, I'll take it all.
Until the wrap-up!
Adios!