Disclaimer: Gundam Seed is the property of Sotsu Agency, Sunrise, Bandai, etc. The author claims no right over any of its concepts, characters and locations aside from those created originally for the purposes of the storyline.

A/N: Chapter 6! Uh, yep, it took a while. Sorry! Mostly Athrun and Cagalli for now ;D

Chapter 6 Summary: Cagalli confronts Athrun about his decision, while Lacus and Kira say their goodbyes for the battle ahead. Cagalli makes her way back to Orb, but will she be safe? Aya Vasil launches phase 1 of his attack against the remaining council members.


Chapter 6: Destiny and Duty

"When the time comes, you'll realize naturally where you need to be and what you need to do...because you have the "SEED" inside of you."


"How could you not tell me first?! Do you just want to go back to war again?!" Cagalli turned to Athrun, her brown eyes alit with anger.

They had just entered the hotel room after coming back from lunch, and Cagalli had not said a word on their way back, her silence indicative of how she was feeling. She then tossed her blazer on the bed, obviously feeling irate.

"We aren't fighting to cause a war, Cagalli. We're trying to prevent that from happening." Athrun replied calmly.

"By building more weapons?! By fighting them?! It's what caused the war to escalate in the first place!" She snapped.

"Do you suggest we sit and watch while that Gundam reeks havoc over Naturals first on PLANT, and then on Earth? What about Orb, Cagalli?" He asked.

Cagalli shook her head violently. "There has to be another way! If this happens, everything will just repeat itself all over again! It's just like saying that anything that threatens us will be shot down! More people will just need to be sacrificed, and it'll never end! Why Kira and Lacus even agreed to doing this is just insane!"

Athrun had closed the door with a soft click. He heaved a sigh as he heard Cagalli's exclamation.

He leaned back against the door, facing Cagalli.

"It might be insane Cagalli, but I did what I think needed to be done. I knew you would try to stop me if I told you, and it's something I have decided to do already. It's not something which I'll be changing my mind on, no matter what you say." He clenched his fists, eyes determined. I won't stand and watch while I know I can do something to stop it. As for Kira, he decided to return to the battlefield himself, and perhaps among all of us, he would have had the biggest reasons not to." He responded.

Cagalli ran her hands through her hair, tugging at it in frustration.

Athrun sat down on the edge of the queen-sized bed, watching Cagalli quietly.

"Damn it!" Cagalli hit the wall with her fist, knowing he was right.

"What's really bothering you, Cagalli?" Athrun asked softly. Something told him that it wasn't simply the decision to fight again, along with having Yzak help build a new Gundam; that had bothered her the most.

"..." Cagalli had no easy answer. The new prospect of war, separation, and death haunted her. She felt that the security that they had fought so hard for was suddenly being shattered. Everything that had become important to her could suddenly be taken away again and she'd be all alone again. Four years ago, she had taken her stance, and she had fought for it. Cagalli was now older, and wiser, she knew that this time, it would not be so simple. Being a part of the council had put constraints on her; whereas before, she had come and gone as she liked. But to not take an active part in fighting meant that she had to leave those who would be doing so. Athrun, Kira and the others were going back into the battlefield, while she and Lacus would be left behind to talk to the people. Cagalli didn't know how she felt about having everyone who was important to her risking their lives while she and Lacus would be protected inside secured walls.

"I don't like it!" Cagalli finally retorted, banging her fist on Athrun's chest. "Why I have to face losing everybody important to me—" She broke off as her emotions threatened to make her cry, clenching her fists tightly as a part of her relived her friends and her father's death.

"You won't lose us." Athrun said quietly, taking hold of Cagalli's clenched fists. "But someone once told me that if the things I can do, things I want to do, things I should do are the same, then I should do it." Cagalli looked up at him, her eyes widening slightly.

"It's an important time to do it, right?" Athrun prodded, gently wiping away the tears that were lining the edge of Cagalli's eyes. "Everybody has something they want to fight for." Athrun's gaze held Cagalli's warmly as he took her hands again. "None of us are going to sacrifice ourselves needlessly. There are things to live for."

"You're turning my words back on me, Athrun Zala." Cagalli frowned, her brow furrowing, her hands went lax in his, and she was looking up at him. Athrun smiled and pulled Cagalli to him, hugging her tightly.

"I'll fight on the battlefield for both of us this time, Cagalli."


Warmth was the first sensation that flooded his senses. Kira's eyelids slowly opened, amethyst eyes hazy from the nap he had took. His mind registered that his arm had already fallen asleep, and he tried to move it, but a something—rather someone, warm and soft was curled up beside him, using his arm as a pillow. Kira carefully disentangled his numb arm from under Lacus' head. Raising his wrist, he checked his watch and his eyes widened in surprise. They had slept longer than he expected. The sun had already set, and the moon had illuminated the whole room in a soft glow.

Checking on Lacus, who was still sleeping beside him, Kira carefully stood up. Lacus opened her eyes, looking up at him.

"Hi." She greeted him softly, sitting up from bed, pushing her hair back.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Kira smiled and sat back on the edge of the bed.

Lacus nodded, still smiling sleepily. She smoothed down her dress, standing up from the bed. Running her hand through the tangles in her hair, she checked the time.

"Ara...?" She exclaimed in surprise.

Kira shot her a puzzled look. "What's wrong?"

"It's almost time for my video conference with the engineers who helped build the Gundam."

Kira paused.

"I scheduled it when you went to use the bathroom." Lacus explained, noting his surprise. "I didn't expect us to nap for so long." She smiled sheepishly.

Kira chuckled. "I see. I guess you should go get ready now?"

"I should." She smiled. "Yzak already has his crew working on it, he'll be expecting a reply from me soon."

"Lacus, will you be going back with Cagalli to Earth?"

Lacus shook her head. "I'll be staying her in the meantime to wait for the engineers to arrive and to work with Yzak. Cagalli would have stayed also, if she didn't have pressing matters to attend to in Orb. It seems that the people on Earth are also waiting for an answer as to why this happened and who did it. Cagalli and the other Natural council members need to be there to appease them."

"Will there be anybody to escort Cagalli's shuttle back?" Kira asked quietly. Past experiences with how easily shuttles could be targeted and destroyed were not lost on him. Even four years later, shuttles had not been properly upgraded to be protected against mobile suit attacks. He sighed. The fact was it was because none of thought it would be necessary again to take measures for protection against mobile suits attacking shuttles.

Lacus paused. "I'm quite sure Yzak will have a plan in place."

Kira shook his head. "I want escort her shuttle, if that's possible." His eyes met Lacus', his gaze serious.

Lacus met his eyes with understanding. She lifted up her hand and placed it on the side of Kira's face.

"I'll speak to Yzak about it, alright?"

Kira nodded, resting his cheek against her hand. "Thank you." With that, he turned his head, placing a kiss on Lacus' palm.

Lacus smiled softly at him, and placed her hand on his chest, where his shirt covered the ring which she had given him a long time ago. She had prayed then that he would come back to her after the battle, and against all odds, Athrun and Cagalli had found him and brought him back.

Kira noticed where her hand had laid over, and he knew what she was thinking. He smiled at Lacus, leaning down.

"I'll come back Lacus, I promise." He whispered softly, before he lowered his lips to kiss her.


Sounds of construction and repair work could be heard across the hangar. Yzak stood at the side, observing the workers building the Gundam. A permanent scowl was set on his face as he tried to figure out who had attacked. His thoughts were interrupted as a voice called out,

"Yo, Yzak!"

Yzak turned to direction where the voice was coming from, and saw Dearkka walking towards him.

"What do you want Dearkka? Done wooing that Natural already?" Yzak sniffed disdainfully.

Dearkka rolled his eyes. "She has a name, its Miriallia, you know."

"I know."

Dearkka turned to look at the Gundam being built. "So you're giving both of them one to pilot? Even if they aren't exactly soldiers anymore?"

Yzak kept his gaze fixed on the construction below them. "Not necessarily. Athrun was already a member of the Le Creuset team under ZAFT. He'll be given the Gundam to pilot under the orders of the united council. It's no secret his and Yamato's skill are unmatched when it comes to the mobile suits, which is why the council consented to all of this."

"And the other guy?" Dearkka prodded.

Yzak shrugged. "The Klein faction will take care of that one."

Yzak looked at Dearkka knowingly, his eyes narrowing. "You're itching to pilot one again, aren't you?"

Dearkka grinned. "Planning to give me one?"

"Not unless you're planning to fund the creation of one yourself." Yzak replied, smirking.

"What?!" Dearkka scowled at him.

Yzak smirked again. "You've been reinstated as my subordinate, Dearkka. I've just been given the position of Commander of the Defense Forces against this particular Gundam. I'll need you to assist me."

Dearkka smirked as he saluted Yzak. "I knew you weren't suited for all this diplomatic work."

Yzak scowled at him. "Shut up, Dearkka."

A solider approached both of them, interrupting the banter. He stood up straight, saluting.

"Commander, there's a transmission for you. Where shall we patch it through?"

"Have them patch it through my office." Yzak answered, turning on his heel as Dearkka followed behind him.

Yzak entered his office with the door sliding to a close behind him and Dearkka. He pressed the transmission button and was greeted with the face of Lacus Klein.

"Good Evening."

Yzak nodded in greeting as the screen in front of him split into three, showing the faces of two engineers.

"These two headed the crew which built Justice and Freedom over at ZAFT." Lacus stated simply. "We can have them confer with your engineers until we can safely transfer them from where they are to where the Gundams are being produced."

The two men nodded politely at Yzak. Yzak was surprised. He had not expected Lacus to know who had made Justice and Freedom, how these men were still alive, and how nobody yet had approached them to make a Gundam was beyond him. However, it didn't matter now. He had underestimated the Klein faction's sphere of influence, but the results would be the same. A new Gundam would have to be built to combat the mystery Gundam that they'd have to face.


Aya felt himself jumpy with excitement. Phase 1 was about to unfold. The princess would be taking a shuttle from PLANT to return to Orb. His mouth curled in a satisfied smile. He made his way down to the hangar, where Fusillade was docked. The operation would commence in a few minutes.

He slipped onto his suit, picking up his helmet. Settling inside Fusillade, he scanned the monitors, pushing buttons that checked for any problems within the mobile suit's Gundam system. Behind him, 3 Zakus were also put on standby.

It would take an hour to reach the rendezvous point where the trap would be set. Removing one of the more powerful representatives of the council would be instrumental in pushing for freedom of Coordinators against the inferior Naturals.

After all, they asked for this, didn't they? Why are they trying to mask the true nature of humanity? Only the strong survive in this kind of world. He reasoned to himself.

After this, Aya counted two more people: Lacus Klein and Yzak Joule. Aya wondered if such perfect opportunities would arise again. While not being overly superstitious, Aya believed in such things like fate and destiny. And now destiny was handing him the Princess of Orb over on a silver platter. It was as if fate understood his purpose, and understood his need to exact a fitting punishment on those who deemed it fit for the mediocre and the superior to coexist.

Fusillade was placed over the footholds on the catapult, locking it in place, while Aya hit the button activating the phase shift armor, and waited for the screen to give him clearance to launch.

"Mobile Suits, clear for launch!"

"Aya Vasil, Fusillade, launching!"

The catapult made its run, thrusting Aya and his Gundam faster towards the exit, the cord attached to the Gundam's back retracted, while Aya pressed the pedal with his foot, making the boosters kick in and propelling him into flight into the nighttime sky.

They arrived near the airport, where they would intercept the Princess' flight. The mission would be to hinder the shuttle from going back to Orb. If any security measures were placed, like an armed escort, Fusillade's mission would be to destroy the escorts while the Zakus would take over the shuttle.

Aya shrugged. He didn't really care if the Princess was alive or not. However, orders from his superiors had indicated that they had wanted her alive. He chuckled. Not like he was keen on following those particular instructions, but if he had the Princess of Orb, there was one particular coordinator which he was interested in that would probably be more than cooperative just to get her back.

Aya flipped his transmitter, which allowed him to speak to the other mobile suits in his party.

"Keraya, I'm pretty sure they'll have mobile suits as escorts. I'll be holding them off, I want you

to focus on the shuttle. If everything gets complicated, I want you to shoot it down, despite what was said in the briefing room."

Keraya's pale face and amber eyes greeted him. "Roger that."


Cagalli made her way to launching site, carrying her overnight bag. She had been surprised when she had entered, seeing Athrun wearing the standard red and white pilot suit which now bore the logo of the united council.

"You're piloting the mobile suit for my escort?!" Cagalli stared at Athrun, flabbergasted. Athrun nodded.

"Why not?" He asked.

"No, nothing." Cagalli frowned. "Aren't we being a little too paranoid?"

"With what happened to the other council members, I don't think so." Athrun replied seriously.

Cagalli sighed. "Okay then." She turned, about the board the shuttle, when she saw Kira, also wearing a pilot suit, walk past them.

"Kira!" She called out.

Kira turned and smiled at her, waving.

"What are you doing here?"

"Me and Athrun are escorts for your shuttle back to Earth."

Cagalli groaned.

"Just go board the shuttle already, Cagalli." Athrun prodded. "Kira and I also need to make preparations."

"Alright already!" Cagalli frowned at them. "I'll see you when we land, alright?" Athrun and Kira nodded at her.

The shuttle was spacious and roomy. However, Cagalli couldn't stop fidgeting as the shuttle was taxied onto the runway. She disliked the thought of being protected like some damsel in distress.

"I can fend for myself!" She muttered under her breath, leaning back against her seat and staring outside the window. She could make out five GINNs that were having final adjustments, and Athrun and Kira talking underneath one of them.

Later on, the shuttle launched, flanked by the five GINNs. Cagalli sipped her juice while staring outside.

"Athrun." Kira's voice was heard over the communication systems within the GINN.

"Yes?"

"Did you see the four heat signals detected over to the lower quadrant? The IFF doesn't register them whether they're allies of the united council or not."

"Yes. I'm assuming one of them is that unidentified Gundam." He frowned. "Keep close to the shuttle; we have to concentrate on defense this time. We can't break the formation."

"I understand. Cagalli's our first priority."

Athrun opened his channels for the other 3 GINNs to hear the conversation. "You hear that? Don't break formation."

"Roger!"

Athrun turned as an alarm went off inside the GINN, signaling that one of the four heat sources had broken off and was making its way at an astonishing speed towards their direction. He rapidly calculated the odds of the shuttle making its way to earth if they engaged in battle right there. Zooming the camera in on the flying object made the identity of the mobile suit quite clear. The distinct design of the Gundam was rapidly approaching him. Athrun raised his equipped missile launcher, aiming and locking onto the Gundam. Two shots went off with a bang, whistling through the air and hitting the Gundam. However, as the smoke cleared, the Gundam was still barreling towards the shuttle.

Athrun bit back a curse. The Zakus had also moved around the perimeter of the shuttle, each taking a side. This was no joke. If any of the GINNs were destroyed, it would immediately break the formation, giving the Zakus an opportunity to attack the shuttle.

He raised his shield as the Gundam's Vulcan guns shot at him from a distance, firing back with the heavy assault machine gun equipped on the GINN. The machine gun rattled against the arm, while Athrun opened up communications with the shuttle.

"Tell Representative Athha to board the lifepod. Things might get worse."

The shuttle pilot nodded, reaching for the microphone that brought announcements over to the cabin area.

Aya frowned as the GINN he was engaged in managed to cover the shuttle and evade his attacks at the same time. The GINN was a heavy piece of machine, yet the pilot was somehow managing to evade his attack while minimizing the damages.

Athrun's face was flushed in concentration. They were succeeding in defending the shuttle, but at the same time, they were in a deadlock against the Gundam and the Zakus. Cagalli wouldn't be able to land on earth with the rate things were going, and Athrun knew, that in the long run of the battle, they would be at a disadvantage. His GINN had already consumed half of its power, and the ammunition that they had would be ineffective against the Gundam.

He turned as an explosion went off behind him, his eyes widening as one of the GINNS exploded, and the Zaku's gun was aimed directly at the shuttle.

Things went by as if in slow motion, Athrun and Kira gearing their GINNs towards the Zaku as it pulled the trigger, sending ammunition rounds on the side of the shuttle, boring holes through the thick metal. The Gundams and the other Zaku's were temporarily forgotten as Athrun felt a cold shiver running down his body, while his mouth opened in scream.

"CAGALLI!!!"


Chapter 7 Summary:

Athrun and Kira board the reconstructed Gundams while holding a fragile hope in the hearts. Aya Vasil has completed Phase 1, but what is his next step? Will an all-out war ensue again?

Thanks to:

KingArthur6687: I think you know that you need to wait for the next chapter to find the answer to your last comment, hehe!

Yuugiri: Yes, the picture was of Cagalli and Athrun. :) And there...I...updated! Hehheeh.

Also, thanks to Fukari, Doctor Kiba, T.T, lightyearsaway, AnimeSiren, yvonne, M.S. Arashi Sumeragi, Prayer Reverie, dragonspirit888, PsychicIce, KiraLacus/RyomaSakuno Forever, WingZeroUpgraded,Miyama, sango-catkilala,for their kind comments and reviews!