Please see Part 1 for story notes.


0. Moving In

"This is really all right with you?" Athrun put his bag down in the middle of the room and turned around, surveying the lavish but tasteful decorations. The sight was made even more wonderful after twelve hours of travelling, first on the space to Earth transport, followed by the transfer to an atmospheric craft, and then a ground vehicle after.

Kira had parted with them after reaching Earth. Athrun would have to believe that he would see him here in Orb soon.

"I wouldn't have offered if it weren't," said Cagalli from the doorway. "There's plenty of space now the mansion's being rebuilt." She looked out at the sunny sky. "And I'm lonely without my father. It's funny, isn't it? They don't even really need me on the Council, but I think everyone wants me to be there as much as I do. I didn't appreciate enough how much of an impact my father had while he was alive."

Athrun looked at her face, her profile limned by the sunlight. It was direct sunlight here, not reflected from the great satellite pairs of the P.L.A.N.T.s. On the surface, it might look the same, but in fact, many things were different here in Orb. That was why he had come here.

He knelt down and opened his bag. After only a brief search, he pulled out the silk-wrapped object he had tucked inside next to his laptop. "Cagalli."

She cocked her head, reminding him somehow of Tolliy for an instant, then came to him. "What's that?"

He handed it to her, close-mouthed and nervous.

She took the bundle and pulled the silk open. The glint of silver greeted them both. She looked surprised. With a casual move that shocked Athrun, she dumped the small object into the palm of her other hand. However, the shock was short-lived, replaced by a feeling of relief.

He had treated it like something hallowed for much too long.

Cagalli studied the plain band with the bezeled wave design, then raised puzzled eyes. "Yours?" Even without seeing the engraving inside, it was obviously a match to the one Kira had shown them earlier.

He nodded.

"My father bought them. They were for Lacus and my engagement contract. I... I want you to keep it. If it's all right with you."

He wondered, now that he heard the words out loud, if he sounded too abrupt -- even presumptuous.

"It doesn't mean anything," he hurried to add. Only, that was exactly opposite of the truth. He took a breath and arranged his thoughts. "What I mean is, it belongs to you now. So you can assign whatever meaning to it that you like."

"It'll hold nothing but Lacus and my memories from now on."

Cagalli tipped her palm back and forth, catching the light on the silver man's ring. Athrun had never worn it. He didn't even know if it fit -- though his father had taken his size so he assumed it did. He would have put it on for the first time at his and Lacus' wedding ceremony.

For all that he'd kept it with care, it had never meant anything to him aside from his duty to his father and to the marriage contract -- which now no longer existed. He regarded and would continue to regard Lacus fondly, but there was very little of him and Lacus in this object aside from their surnames.

Cagalli closed her slim but callused fingers around it and squeezed it tight.

"I'll take good care of it for you."

Then she leaned up and pressed her lips to his.

Their second kiss.

"What... was that for?"

"You said that I should 'assign whatever meaning to it I like'." Avoiding his gaze, Cagalli busied herself wrapping the ring back up in its silk cloth. Her fair cheeks were flushing as Athrun was sure his must be.

"I see," he said, even as he was fully aware of how inane that sounded.

"I like it, though," Cagalli said. "Now we're matched."

"What do you mean?"

She reached out and touched the howmea stone through his shirt. He couldn't help but quiver at the touch.

He met her eyes. "I guess... we are."

And there was no need to speak again for a long time after.

The Beginning

Moving On After

CE. 71 November 12 --Special Interest Bulletin--

A mysterious explosion in the outlying L4 Cluster late yesterday all but obliterated one of the remaining space colonies there. Built for genetics research in the first half of the Cosmic Era, this colony was deemed hazardous and abandoned three and a half years ago. Luckily, the other space colonies at L4 were abandoned shortly after the start of the war due to damages, so no danger to life was sustained.

Senator Yzak Jule, who was on the site of the area in question only a few months ago in his capacity as a mobile suit pilot, says, "The place seemed dilapidated but stable enough when I was there. It was abandoned years ago, however, and there is every chance that the nuclear energy source that powered it was also responsible for the explosion."

An investigatory group led by Private Dearka Elthman, son of the late Senator Elthman, returned with confirmation of a nuclear disturbance, supporting the theory that the still active nuclear generators may have overloaded due to lack of maintenance. Speculations as to a deliberate man-made cause were confirmed to be unfounded.

Although most would say that destruction of the long-abandoned and bio-contaminated space colony was no loss, some have voiced concern that such an eruption may occur on our own homes. P.L.A.N.T. engineers, however, have assured the public that since the conversion to solar energy, such a scenario is impossible.

Authorities believe that this is an isolated event. However, Senator Jule is overseeing an operation to fully dismantle what remains of the contaminated space colony. Until the remaining space debris is cleared from the area and destroyed, all space flights travelling within 500 kilometers of the area are advised to be re-routed.