Quick Note: I do not own Gundam Seed or any of the original characters. I own Kaya Misumi and her personality/looks, and that's it. If you have any questions, comments, or ways of improvement, send me a review and I'll try to find some way to incorporate it into the story. I hope that this chapter holds the corrections people asked of me. I put in a slice of Kira's relationship with Kaya, under request of one of my fathful reviewers.
Thanks for reading this, I hope to get more positive reviews from everyone.
-gives reviewers a cookie- Merry Christmas!
Chapter Three: Relationship
"You have got to be kidding me. Kira and that girl, going steady? I can't see it happening. Not with Fllay around."
Sai leaned back in his chair, sipping a soda thoughtfully and staring across the table at Miriallia. "Hey, it's possible, isn't it? I mean, you saw how it was there in the hall."
Miriallia shrugged. "Well...I just can't figure out how he would get close to her when Fllay is still angry at him for that hug Kira shared with Kaya a few days ago. Fllay would go mad if she discovered Kira and Kaya were together. She has feelings for him, no doubt about it."
"No doubt about it," Sai repeated, finishing off his soda and pushing the straw further, trying to suck out as much as he could. Loud slurping sounds came from the cup. Finally, he gave up and set the cup down on the table, sighing. "But you have to admit, they would make a nice couple. Even with Fllay breathing down their necks all the time." He allowed himself a short laugh. "She'd probably come running to me with tears in her eyes, claiming that she loved me all along, that Kira was just a sidestep."
Miriallia stood up. "True. But you can't expect much else of Fllay these days, can you? She doesn't fight because she isn't a coordinator and she can't really do much else. What was her purpose in staying, anyway?"
Sai shrugged off the question, dismissing the subject. "Oh, the Lieutenant was supposed to be holding a meeting with us today, wasn't she?" He glanced at the clock. "We'd better hurry."
They left the room, Sai depositing his trash in a bin on the way.
Fraga narrowed his eyes. "So, you're telling me that if Zaft were to become Neutral, we'd be-"
"That's right." Lieutenant Badgiruel responded in her usual brisk tone, snappier than usual. Where are those damn coordinators? I told them exactly 0200 hours!
Fraga whistled and put the paper back on the table, relaxing. "Hey, what was the purpose in this meeting, anyway?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why am I in here. I can think of better ways to spend my time, you know."
The Lieutenant frowned. "This meeting was called to ensure that the people on board the Archangel all know their stats and limits and are doing what they're supposed to. That includes you. Captain Ramius should be arriving any time now."
The door slid open, and the Lieutenant's sharp purple eyes flickered over to find two people.
"You're five minutes late." She eyed them warily. "I told you exactly 0200 hours. It's ten after."
Miriallia and Sai sat down. "We give you our apologies, Miss-"
"Lieutenant."
"-Lieutenant Badgiruel."
Her eyes moved away from them, to the window.
"Where's Kira and Kaya?" Mwu la Fraga asked nonchalantly, staring at the ceiling with his hands behind his head.
Miriallia shrugged. "No clue. I haven't seen them at all, not since the fight yesterday."
"Sai?"
"Sorry. I think I saw Kira down at the docking bay, but I haven't spotted any sign of Kaya."
Lieutenant Badgiruel stood up quickly, her expression clearly showing her annoyance at such simple conversation. The others all glanced up at her.
"Enough! Don't just stand there talking about those two, go and find them! That's an order!" she yelled.
Fraga, Sai and Miriallia stood up without a word and walked out of the room.
When they were a safe distance away, Miriallia turned to Sai.
"We haven't joined the army by mistake, have we?" she asked. Both Sai and Fraga had to laugh.
"I don't think so, Mir," Sai responded as they stopped at the door to the docking bay. "You think they're down here?"
Fraga shrugged. "Possibly. Miriallia, go to Kaya's room and see if she's there. I'll check in the docking bay, and Sai can check Kira's room."
They nodded and departed, each going a separate way.
(Kira's room)
There was a knock on Kira's door, but he didn't hear it. The sixteen-year-old coordinator was fast asleep, a light sleep that was not a troubled one for the first time in days.
Sai entered without a second warning and stopped, noticing his friend.
My friend...
Suddenly it occurred to Sai how strange it felt to use the word "friend" when he was helping to fight a war. Had it really been that long since he'd joined the Earth Alliance?
Shaking off the feeling, Sai walked up to the bed and put out a hesitant hand. Luckily, he did not have to wake Kira, because his senses picked up automatically.
Kira opened his eyes and sat up, brushing away Sai's hand with force. Then, he realized who it was, and smiled apologetically.
"Sorry, Sai. What's going on?"
"Lieutenant Badgiruel called a meeting scheduled for two o'clock, but it seems as though everyone has forgotten about it. I wonder whether or not she'll just call the whole thing off, it wasn't an important meeting anyway. Just one to make sure everyone was following orders and not going beyond their limitations." Sai responded, his hand falling at his side as he returned the smile.
Kira ran a hand through his tousled brown hair. "I understand. I'll be ready in a minute. . . have you seen Kaya anywhere today?"
Sai shook his head. "Mir's on the watch for her. We're supposed to meet back in the conference room."
He left Kira alone in his quarters, without another word.
(Kaya's room)
A soft knock, to which there was a reply.
The door opened, revealing a fully dressed Kaya who looked as though she'd been waiting for someone to discover her.
Miriallia stepped back. "Hi, Kaya. How are you?"
Kaya shrugged. "I suppose I'm okay, for now. What's up?"
Miriallia smiled. "The Lieutenant called a conference, but I doubt anyone knew. Except Fraga, Sai, and myself, not including the Lieutenant, of course."
"Of course." Kaya stepped out of her room and the door closed behind her automatically. "I guess we'd better get going, then."
They walked down the hall in silence. For some reason, Miriallia didn't feel as comfortable around Kaya as she probably should have. It was the same for Kaya.
(Docking Bay)
"Hey, Fraga, you gonna join us for some work today?" one of the mechanics called, and laughter erupted from everyone there.
"Nah. Special 'conference'," Fraga responded, smiling. "Hey, have you seen the kid down here lately?"
The mechanic shook his head, and Fraga turned back around, walking back to the hallway door again.
"I see. Thanks." The door closed behind him.
Man, these kids can disappear in an instant! Wonder if Sai or Miriallia have had any luck. Guess I'll find out soon enough.
He entered the conference room again to find Captain Murrue Ramius and Lieutenant Badgiruel properly seated and discussing tactics for gaining the upper hand in battle. Among them were an assortment of Coordinators and Naturals, mechanics too. Namely, Kira Yamato, Kaya Misumi, Sai Argyle, and Miriallia Haww.
Fraga sat down, sharing a glance with Kira, who still looked tired.
"Well, now that we're all here," the Lieutenant spoke sharply, her words slicing through the dull air, "We can get started. Captain, if you would."
Captain Ramius stood up, her amber gaze fixed on nobody in particular. Her eyes circulated around the room, landing on each person for a few seconds before moving on to the next as she did a mental head count.
"We're missing Kazui," she said simply, frowning. "Has anyone seen him?"
At that moment, Kazui entered looking very distressed, followed by Cagalli Yula Attha.
"There you are," Captain Ramius said. "Have a seat."
Cagalli hit Kazui on the side of the head as she sat down next to Kira.
"You idiot! I told you that there was a conference today!" she said, breathing hard.
Kazui winced and took a seat, a ways away from Cagalli, as he rubbed his head. "Eh, yeah...sorry about that," he said breathlessly.
The Captain cleared her throat and finished her head count. She cleared her throat and then began.
"Well, to begin with, I'm glad you all remembered the conference." She glanced over at Kazui, who smiled sheepishly, and Cagalli. "Well. . . most of you, anyway," she added, her voice wavering. "This is a very important meeting that will decide what your next actions are."
Kira's set purple eyes widened slightly. Next actions? Could she be talking about changing our stats as far as what we've been doing?
"Each and every one of you will give a detailed explanation of what you've been doing and how you've been working," Captain Ramius continued. "We'll start with the Lieutenant."
Lieutenant Badgiruel straightened up, her bored look fading away in an instant to reveal startled surprise. Her deep purple eyes were slightly less narrowed than usual.
"What? Me?" she asked, shocked. Two seconds' ringing silence followed her words, and then she regained her composure, crossing her arms and standing up.
"Yes, of course, Captain," she finished, looking the Captain in the eye. "Over the past few days, I have served as the second-in-command to the Captain Murrue Ramius. My job is to give commands to those that monitor conditions in space and on the Archangel, and to report any signs of mistreatment to the Captain."
Captain Ramius smiled, nodding her head as the Lieutenant finished without a single show of emotion. "Very well. You may be seated. Next, Commander Mwu la Fraga."
Fraga stood up and straightened as the Lieutenant sat back down silently.
"Yes, ma'am," he responded, as though he were a ten-year-old taking orders from an adult. "In the days I have served on the Archangel, I have assisted in the mechanical repair of mobile suits, helped to fight off Zaft, and-" here Fraga managed a smile, "-given assistance in dimming the emotional stress of the members of the Earth Alliance on board the Archangel." When he concluded, he allowed himself a more relaxed look and glanced at Kira.
Once again, the Captain nodded with a smile. "Yes, very well. Miriallia Haww, please."
Miriallia stood up and glanced over at Sai and then at Kaya, taking a breath. "I work as a monitor for the Archangel's command base. I keep careful watch on the mobile suits that are fighting..." she trailed off, clearly unable to say anything else. Nervous.
But, the Captain seemed to accept this, she waved Miriallia down and called for Sai Argyle.
Sai stood up and without hesitation began his own explanation of his jobs. "I also work on board the Archangel as a monitor for the command base. My job is to report damage to the Archangel and to watch for signs of the approach of mobile suits."
Captain Ramius gave no applaud this time, allowing Sai to sit back down, and then calling Kazui, who stood slowly and cleared his throat.
"My job is the same as Sai's. I work as a monitor for the exact same purpose, with the exact same job." He sat back down and sighed. Cagalli shot him a low glare from across the table.
"Then, we have Kaya Misumi."
Kaya jumped slightly at the sound of her name; clearly she had been lost in another world. Maybe one where there was no war, no fighting, and peace among everyone. Something that, at the moment, was unachievable.
She stood up and gave Kira a weak smile. He nodded slowly, returning with a meaningful gaze.
I know you can do this.
"My name is Kaya Misumi. I'm a Coordinator, sided with the Earth Forces and helping out on the ship the Archangel. My job is to fight Zaft outside of the ship in space in the mobile suit Strike, with Kira Yamato's close guidance. I upgrade mobile suit systems as needed and...and, that's it," Kaya finished breathlessly.
The Captain smiled warmly. "Well," she said finally, "Well. Nicely done, Miss Misumi."
Kaya breathed a sigh of relief as silently as possible. She still wasn't used to direct communication with the Captain and Lieutenant. From out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Lieutenant frown.
"And finally, we have- Kira Yamato." Captain Ramius shifted slightly in her seat, nodding at Kira.
Kira closed his eyes, putting his hands on the table, then stood up, opened his eyes, and listed everything that he was supposed to.
"My name is Kira Yamato. I fight in the mobile suit GATX-105, or Strike Gundam. My mission is simple- to end the war with as little casualties as possible. And- to protect the ones I love and care about." When he finished, Kira looked over at the Captain and his eyes locked with hers for a long time.
Three minutes passed, and nobody said a word.
Finally, the Captain took a breath and spoke. "Kira- that was...very good. Very well done. You may be seated."
Kira sat down, tearing his gaze away from the Captain and moving it to the table.
Always to protect the ones I care about. That's my sole purpose in life. To fight and be fought, and to protect others.
His thoughts were interrupted when the Captain stood up. "Good job, all of you. You are all following the positions you have been given aboard the Archangel."
Everyone stood up, and the Captain raised a straight hand, closed fingers, to the temple on her forehead, the traditional salute. The others all followed suit a few seconds afterward.
"Captain Ramius," the Commander and Lieutenant spoke at the same time. The Captain lowered her hand, and so did they.
"Dismissed," the Captain replied warmly, walking out of the room without another word. The Lieutenant followed quickly, leaving the others to their own actions.
As soon as both of them had left the room, Cagalli punched Kazui on the arm lightly. "Oh, nice job, Kazui," she said, her voice dripping with bitter sarcasm. "Absolutely outstanding."
Kazui glanced at her, "Really, Cagalli?"
Cagalli let out an exasperated cry and threw up her hands, walking away down the hall. Kazui stared after her, confused.
Behind him, Kaya watched Cagalli in silence. I wonder what Kira's relationship with her is. I guess I'll find out sooner or later.
Kira emerged from the room with Sai and Miriallia at his side.
"Well, I guess that does it for me," Sai said calmly, yawning. "Did you see the look on the Lieutenant's face when Kaya sat down? She looked like she wanted to murder Kaya or something."
Miriallia frowned at Sai and pushed his shoulder lightly, pointing to Kaya. "Didn't you realize she was right there?"
Sai pulled away from her. "Oops. Did she hear?"
If Kaya had (which she hadn't, of course), she didn't give any indication.
Kira shared a glance with Sai, then moved forward and touched Kaya on the shoulder. "You okay?"
Kaya tore her gaze away from Cagalli to Kira. "Oh, I'm sorry Kira, what did you say?"
"I asked if you were okay. You seemed a little distant there for a second."
She forced a smile. "Yes, I'm fine. . ." she trailed off and looked around, then walked back into the conference room and back out. "Wasn't Fllay supposed to be in this meeting, too? I mean, after all, she did join the Earth Forces, didn't she?"
"Hey, you're right," Sai said, looking around as well. "She should have been at that meeting."
"You think maybe she forgot about it?" Miriallia asked.
"Maybe she did, Mir," Kazui responded. "But it isn't like her to miss a conference without a good reason." He laughed. "She's probably still mourning over the fact that Kira yelled at her."
Kira and Kaya immediately cast their eyes downward at the floor, and Kazui received another punch on the arm, this one from Sai.
"Don't talk about that," he hissed quietly. "It was something that everyone should forget. Including you, Kazui. Come on, we should get back to our posts."
Sai, Miriallia, and Kazui left, leaving Kira, Fraga, and Kaya alone in the corridor.
"Hey, kid," Fraga said, walking over. Kira looked up. "Don't let anything that you've done wrong get to you, okay? You're one of the best fighters on the Archangel, and definitely one of the best programmers I've ever seen." He walked off, and now it was just Kira and Kaya.
Kira moved over to the other side of the hall, beside Kaya. "Well. . . I guess that's it, huh?"
"Guess so," she responded, her voice revealing distraction.
"Okay- I'll see you around, then," Kira said, and began to walk away, headed towards his room again.
Suddenly, he was caught by the sleeve of his uniform and thrown backwards against the wall.
"Hey, what-" Kira began, but he was cut short as he felt Kaya's warm body press against his.
Kaya was not smiling. She stared into his eyes for a long time, all the while keeping her hands on his shoulders. He gazed back, and something flickered in his eyes. Was it sadness? She couldn't tell.
Kira relaxed slightly. Then, a curtain of shock entangled him again as Kaya pressed her lips against his.
"Kira," she breathed happily as she pulled away, "I'm glad we're friends."
Kira watched her for a minute, then smiled. "I'm glad, too."
She left him there, and he watched her leave, not moving.
From behind a corner, Fllay watched in silence. When she witnessed the kiss, her heart twisted into a knot. Pain rippled through her body along with the disgusted shock as her eyes widened and a quiet gasp escaped her lips. Then, cold rage filled her, and Fllay frowned angrily.
So- that's what they are to each other. That bitch! I swear, she's as good as dead. Nobody is going to take Kira away from me. Ever. He doesn't understand how much I love him, none of them do! Kira is mine! Mine! I will have Kira Yamato. I swear it.