Disclaimer: Gundam SEED doesn't belong to me blah blah blah...

A/N: revamped 'cause I realized that it was FAR too short. Better?

Recap:

Kira looked away for the group of people near the entrance, and again tried to test his bonds. They held fast. Then violet eyes met green. Both seemed sad as they searched each other. It was sad indeed that they had to meet again under such circumstances...

Stranded

Chapter 2

Oblivious to Kira and Athrun, Yzak got over the shock quickly enough and was currently shifting his expression into a scowl. A boy! No less. No matter, he would have his revenge.

"Hai. Our ship is on stand-by in the docking bay. We will be leaving in 0300 hours." Said Nicol. It was supposed to be their 'leader' saying that, but it seemed like Athrun was too shell-shocked to do it. He would cover his friend. But never did he imagine that the Strike was as young as they. The Earth Alliance was lucky to have such a skilled pilot working for them.

"Ah... ok. The POW will be transferred to the ship in 0100 hours."

"Hai." Nicol saluted. He turned to left, dragging Athrun with him. Dearka's face held a smirk. And Yzak still looked annoyed.

As the door hissed shut, Andy motioned for the nurse to leave.

"I see that you've awakened. What is your name?"

"What do you want it for?" Kira shot back. His wrists were starting to hurt, it seemed as though the cuffs were made of some sort of strong metal... very strong.

"To report your status to the Red Cross. What else?"

"... Whatever, Lieutenant Kira Yamato." He mumbled. Andy touched the welts on Kira's wrists as they started to heal already. Coordinators heal much faster than Naturals, but that didn't mean that they healed immediately.

"A lieutenant eh? Kid, you've already determined your side in this war. There is no way to change it. A soldier you are, and soldier you'll always be. I hope you understand that when you joined the military."

Alan turned and left the room. Kira stared at his chaffed wrist. The one question he never dared to ask his parents. "Why did you make me a coordinator?" that was one question he yearned to ask, even on Heliopolis, a neutral nation, he could already feel the jealousy of Naturals. More so, on the Archangel. And even more, in the Earth Alliance.

"Why did you make me a coordinator?" he asked the empty room, unaware of the camera monitoring him at the corner. Then taking a deep breath, he buried his head into the sheet and cried.

Athrun looked at the screen with shadowed eyes... Kira probably didn't know about the Camera installed in the infirmary. He watched without comment the conversation between Alan and Kira. He felt sorry for his friend, but it could not be helped. Then Alan left the room. He was about to enter sometime soon.

"Why did you make me a coordinator?"

Athrun blinked. Did Kira want to be a Natural? Was that why he joined the EA? Did he want to be like those despicable Naturals? And to 'make' a coordinator. It could imply two things: the process of altering the genetics or perhaps he was engineered after birth. But that wasn't possible. It just wasn't done. The mature infant is already adapted to the world, its genes and its body; it would not be able to handle the altering of genes. A 'made' coordinator could only be done in the embryo stage. Too early, the child will not develop fully. Too late, the child will not survive. Kira is a first generation coordinator, a 'made' coordinator, not a 'born' coordinator.

Yzak narrowed his eyes at the screen. The strike pilot looked to be younger than him, and a coordinator, no less. The Strike's pilot is a traitor to Coordinators and of ZAFT. He should be killed for treason. However, the pilot was not to be executed unless the order came. Oh how he yearned for revenge. The scar still marred originally perfect face.

Andy entered the room.

"So, what you think of the Strike's pilot?" he asked. He seemed very smug about the whole matter.

"He doesn't seem like a bad person..." replied Nicol quickly. He had seen the pilot. The boy didn't look very much older than himself. But there seemed to be some sort of jadedness is those eyes. As if his innocence were violently ripped away from him. 'This war, it only cause ache and hurt. I want it to end soon. It took the innocence, the naiveté from so many children, just as it had taken mine.'

"Kinda cute, but unfortunately not my kind." Remarked Dearka offhandedly.

"Joule?"

"He is the enemy. Though I am surprised that the pilot is so young." Replied Yzak curtly. He would not do to express his anger. It was all about diplomacy. It was all about appearances to keep up.

"Zala?"

Athrun was still staring at the screen mesmerized. His eyes hardly left Kira, His friend. Why did it have to b like this? Why did we have to meet again under such circumstances?

"Athrun?" Nicol tapped lightly on his friend's shoulder. This time, when Athrun still refused to acknowledge the tap, Yzak stared at the other boy's intently. There was something weird going on. There seemed to be something between The Strike's Pilot and Athrun.

"I think that lover boy there is smitten with the pilot."

"Dearka!" Nicol berated. But there seemed to be some kind of truth in Dearka's words. Athrun did look as if he were infatuated with the boy he'd just met. Yzak only stared harder at the blue hair boy, ignoring the other 2 pilots.

"Kira-kun, he is kind, and caring, but he scares too easily. He cries too easily. He's still the same..." Athrun murmured softly. Nobody noticed those words, no one heard them.

3 hours later, the Versalius class ship departed from the docking bay for ZAFT...

At that very same moment, the archangel touched down at the Atlantic base.

The Aegis, Buster, Blitz and Duel were docked. And the Strike was to be taken to a laboratory to be examined.

On the trip to ZAFT. Kira thought a lot. It was surprising how humans think too much when bored. He failed the Archangel by getting caught. He failed the little girl. He allowed the passenger shuttle to be destroyed together with many lives. He failed Heliopolis by letting it be destroyed. He failed Murrue by failing to protect the Strike. He failed himself by not being able to navigate back to the Archangel.

He thought of Athrun. He never heard the boyish voice he knew belong to the other boy. It probably changed from when he was young. It had. From the times he heard Athrun over the vid, the voice was a soft commanding sound. Oh it did not sound too deep, but was a melodic tenor. Athrun seemed sad. 'Athrun sees me as traitor. Perhaps that is what I am? I'm a coordinator, but I fight against my people. Are there no worse crimes than that?'

On board the ship, Athrun spent the next few hours were spent in his room. Nobody knew what he did inside. There was no sound. The room was silent. And Nicol was worried. Athrun had locked himself fin the moment he went on board. Although the Aegis' Pilot wasn't exactly the most extroverted person, he wasn't at all passive either. He knew that Athrun was upset. He had no idea why, but Athrun was upset. It almost seemed as thought Athrun knew the Strike's pilot. Could it be?

They were due to touch down at the docking bay in no time. The colony was just metres away. Athrun was obviously too distraught to command the ship, Yzak didn't look as though he would bother doing it, neither did Dearka. ' Irresponsible creatures.'

He would first check on the POW then go to the control room to make arrangements. White standard ZAFT boots clunked loudly as he made his way down the cold cells. It seemed cold, even through the thick uniform. Nicol briefly wondered if the prisoner felt cold. Why was he showing compassion to the enemy? Stupid really. He was fighting to end the war. And begin a new era of peace. On the battlefield, there are no wrongs or rights, or feelings or emotions, it could get you killed. He should not feel for the enemy, it could cost him his life.

The POW was sitting crouched on the floor as if in pain. Nicol wondered what was wrong. Then he remembered. The Nurse handed in a report saying that the prisoner was ill, although at that time, it had almost fully subsided, there was the full chance that the boy would relapse again.

Nicol immediately berated himself for not keeping a closer eye on the prisoner. The international agreement included the treatment of POW if possible. He ordered for a doctor and nurse to report to the cell immediately via the communications. The ship gave a ' shudder' as a man and woman reported to Nicol in the cells. He unlocked the door and called for an examination. A brief check-up showed that in ZAFT, the pilot would have to be brought to the infirmary for further check-ups to determine the actual cause and the recommended course of action. But the pilot was burning up, with a very high fever of 40.1 degrees Celsius.