Disclaimer: Kidou Senshi (Mobile Suit) Gundam SEED and its characters are copyright 2000-2004 Sotsu Agency, Sunrise, and MBS. English language adaptation produced under license by Bandai Entertainment.
In other words, I don't own the original intellectual property.
A/N
C2 Managers – I don't know why, but every time I update this blankety-blank story it gets dropped from every C2. I tried to report that to the bug address, but the email bounced back. I guess if you want this to remain in your C2 then you'll have to put it back up there every time I update?
A section in part nine may require a bit of explanation, so let me see if I can clear it up a bit.
Having Athrun and Cagalli spend some time away from each other is a pretty good idea but at that point he's still under house arrest. If he actually did leave to get some separation, it would have to be out of Orb with the distinct possibility of never returning. I didn't exactly spell that out (hoping some would remember), but that's why I kind of gave Cagalli a sense of desperation about that whole scene. If she had let him go then he was really going to be gone for good.
Postponing the wedding would be an even better idea, but there's just one problem with that. It's political (weapon against Yuna), it's been announced (Yuna's ball and other things), and any delay will show a weakness within the Athha household. If the inner turmoil of their relationship went public, then it would only hasten the pressure Cagalli would be under to give concessions to the Senate and other Houses. Enemies tend to come at you when you're at your weakest.
And before I forget, thanks for reading and reviewing.
A/N End
Chapter 41
"How is she?" Dearka came to sit beside his best friend.
Yzak shook his head. She had gone into surgery on her arrival. Yzak threatened to kill everyone in the vicinity if she didn't make it. Now he sat by her side as she lay in intensive care. Yzak refused treatment of his own wound until now. A nurse was digging a slug out of his shoulder as he kept vigil over her.
"That's got to hurt," Dearka winced as the bullet was drawn out.
"Not really," Yzak lied. He didn't flinch, though. Not even as the nurse finished patching him up.
"Is she going to make it?" Dearka put a hand on his best friend's shoulder.
Yzak shook his head. "It's up to her now."
They sat in silence a while before Dearka asked what happened.
"I remembered who she was. As she advanced to hug me, a bullet meant for my heart got lodged in her lung. The second shot hit my shoulder as I picked her up. Now we're here." Yzak's fury was only evident in his eyes. His voice was calm, almost cold. "If we hadn't been so close to the hospital she wouldn't have made it."
Dearka had never seen him this angry. Despite all the outbursts of the past, all the punches thrown at friend and foe alike, Dearka had never seen him like this. Yzak always had a death glare, but now it seemed as if his gaze could really cause the death of those unlucky enough to be its target.
"I'll find who did this and I will skin them alive," Yzak's eyes narrowed.
Dearka knew he would keep that promise if it was the last thing he ever did. Every word of it, and in every gruesome detail.
"My mother will arrive soon. Greet her," Yzak dismissed him. He sent all others from the room some time ago. Only the one nurse and Dearka were permitted in. Next would be his mother. He wanted a few minutes alone before then.
"Sure." Dearka took the nurse out of the room. He whispered, "Wait out here for a bit." The nurse nodded.
Yzak stroked the young girl's hair with one hand while holding her hand with the other. "Don't you dare die on me, Shiho. Not now, not ever. That's an order." He had never issued an order to her. Not like that. For a moment, he almost thought she returned his gentle squeeze.
"Yzak?" It was Ezaria.
Dearka was issuing orders for guards outside. No one should get past them while Dearka would be the last line of defense. He knew Yzak wouldn't trust anyone else to be this close to them.
"Hello mother." Yzak didn't turn around for her. This was perhaps the first time in his life when he didn't go out of his way to show her respect.
"You two have become close," she observed.
"That was your intention." This time Yzak did turn to look at his mother. "Forgive my weakness, mother."
"It is not weakness to fall in love, though it may seem so at times. I've done it once or twice myself." Ezaria took the seat that Dearka had recently vacated.
"I remembered." Yzak held his head high. "I hoped that I wouldn't disappoint you."
"I could never be disappointed in you, Yzak." She hugged her son for the first time in years.
"This happened because she didn't want you to be disappointed. She took me to the cherry tree where we first kissed. Seeing her there brought it all back"
"I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. They would have come for me sooner or later."
"Will she pull through?"
"Yes. I gave her an order. She hasn't failed me yet." Yzak smiled.
As if on cue, a brief smile seemed to pass across Shiho's lips as well. Perhaps Yzak's mind was playing tricks on him.
"We will have to move her when she's stable." Ezaria stood to take a position on the opposite side of the bed from Yzak. "You two should go into hiding."
"Yes. But I make the call." Yzak took a deep breath, resuming his gentle strokes to Shiho's hair. "Do you have any idea who would have done this?"
"Unfortunately no." She reached out to place her hand over her son's. "But I will help you find them."
"Thank you mother."
Two
"Oh dear. Is there anything we can do?"
Miriallia was on the phone with her boyfriend. Shinn had kept the three of them together. Not just in the apartment, but in the same room.
"I see. We'll be here when you return." Mir hung up and told her friends all that had transpired.
As they finished a knock came at the door. "Who is it?" demanded Shinn. He had his gun drawn.
"Tad Elsman. I have a key, you know."
"Don't bother," Shinn opened the door for the councilman but he didn't put away the gun. "I must apologize in advance, sir."
"I see." Councilman Elsman glared at the brash young man that had the gall to answer the door with the gun trained on him. "May I ask what this is all about?"
"Since this is your place, why don't you come in?" Miriallia didn't wait for an answer before taking the gentleman by the arm and leading him to the couch. "There's a bit of a problem with the Joule family. My friend is a bit on edge so please forgive him."
"Mind telling me what the problem is, young lady?" Mr. Elsman began to calm down a bit as Shinn put his gun away.
Mir matched the gentleman's formality, though she worked overtime to be as polite as possible. "Yes. Councilman Joule and his bodyguard are in the hospital as we speak. They were attacked earlier and Dearka has gone to assess the situation. Shinn is under orders to guard us until your son's return."
"He's doing a good job of it." Knowing the situation seemed to help his manner quite a bit. "You must be Miriallia. Call me Tad."
"Thank you Tad. Please call me just Mir," she shook the offered hand in greeting. "This is a fellow companion, Stellar. And of course there's Shinn."
"Pleasure to meet you all, though I had hoped it would go better than this."
Mir gave the man a kind smile. "It appears that there will always be a problem with first impressions between our two families."
"I'm afraid I don't understand . . ."
"There will be plenty of time to discuss embarrassing stories about Dearka later," Stellar interrupted. "What we should do now is discuss our next move."
"That shouldn't be a problem. If someone is after the Joule family, there will be no place for them to hide here. Security in this colony is usually very tight and you should all be as safe here as anywhere." Tad stood up to look over the kids carefully.
"Dearka will be back soon," Mir informed him. "I just spoke with him over the phone."
"Thank you, young lady. I can see why Dearka is so fond of you," Tad smiled. "You remind me of his mother."
"Thank you, sir," Mir matched his smile. "I just hope that this turns out for the best."
Three
"What now?" Dearka leaned into the doorway to see Yzak watching his girl. Ezaria had left to see to some matters.
"I guess you can go home," Yzak informed him. "See to Miriallia. She's probably worried sick."
"Will you be alright?"
"Yes. Mother will be back soon, and I've called in some of my people."
"I'll wait a little longer until they get here." Dearka came all the way in to get a good look at the patient. She seemed to be in a peaceful slumber. "You never did tell me her real name."
"Shiho. I don't recall the last name, but it's not important. She will be known as Shiho Joule from now on."
Her heartbeat was strong. They would be able to take her off the ventilator soon. It looked like she would make it.
"So she's your fiancée. How long ago was it arranged?"
"We were six and only met that one time."
Dearka didn't ask for any more details. He knew he wouldn't get them anyway.
"Go home. I'll be fine." Yzak was telling him to get out. Now.
Dearka got the message.
"Shiho . . ."
Dearka could barely hear Yzak calling her name as he left. He didn't want to leave, but Mir probably was biting her nails waiting for his return. The drive was short and uneventful, but the scene at Mir's apartment was a little bit odd.
Shinn was still standing guard and answering the door with gun drawn. Tad, Miriallia and Stellar were sitting in the living room having tea.
"I see you've all met." Dearka's first order of business was to pat Mir on the head before taking a seat.
"How is Asuka?" asked Mir.
"I think she'll make it." Dearka let out a sigh. He didn't realize until now just how tiring guard duty could be. "They shot her in the back trying to get to Yzak."
"That is disheartening news." Tad's frown grew. "Do the Joules need assistance?"
"No, but I think Yzak's getting ready for war."
"Oh dear," Mir put a hand on Dearka's left forearm. He still hadn't had the scar removed from where he took a bullet for her. He was thinking of keeping it as a badge of honor.
"They made him mad, just like in Carpenteria." Dearka shook his head. "But then it was just business. Now it's personal."
"I hope he doesn't do anything rash." Tad took a sip of tea, watching Dearka scowl at him. "It's not that I'm unfeeling, son. This needs to go through the Council before he goes off on what may be a witch hunt. This isn't Carpenteria and Yzak won't be able to get away with the same tactics here."
Dearka let it go. This wasn't the time or place to get into a fight with his father. "Well, we can't worry about it now. How about dinner?"
"Yes, that's a good idea." Mir supported Dearka.
"Of course." Now that Councilman Elsman was on board, the suggestion was accepted. "It's a short trip to my home and we can all ride together."
Four
"The preparations have been made," Cagalli informed them. "All that we need to do now is give the word."
"That's good news." Athrun was in his favorite chair, dutifully guarding his master.
Cagalli sighed, "Yeah. Murrue and Andy have contacted much of the old crew as well. They've agreed to come along if we need them."
"Great." Kira arose, with Lacus at his side. "Then all we need to do is be ready when the dam bursts."
"Where do you think it'll come from first?" Cagalli arose too to stand by Athrun's side as her little brother left.
"From within. It always comes from within." That's all Kira needed to say. Cagalli's enemies in the Senate would be the first to make their move.
As they walked down the hall, Lacus wrapped her arms around her fiancée. "It will be alright, won't it?"
"No, I'm afraid not." Kira stopped by a window to look out at the night sky. "There will be bloodshed, and that's never alright." He would have to fight again. Maybe even kill. The thought of what he had done in Tassel still sickened him, and it would cast a shadow over him for the rest of his life.
"We must proceed forward hoping for the best, Kira."
He smiled down at her. "You're right, as always."
"Of course I am," Lacus returned the smile. "Now let's try and forget about it for the evening."
"Sure." Kira lifted her over his head, spun her around, and let her drop into his arms. He cradled her as he carried her to his room, like groom crossing the threshold with the blushing bride. The scene would have been perfect had Mr. Pink not flung himself down the hall to hit Kira in the head.
Chapter 42
"I'm sorry about this."
"No, it's alright." Miriallia snuggled up to her boyfriend as they lay on the couch pretending to watch television. They were in her apartment. Stellar likely had Shinn off in her room doing something similar.
"I wanted to be able to take you guys out for some fun, but it looks like we're hiding out even here." Dearka shook his head in disgust.
"Really Dearka, it's alright." Mir gave him a peck on the cheek.
"At least we all get to spend a lot of time together."
Mir laughed. "Yeah. Sometimes I think Shinn moved in with us."
"Does it bother you?"
"Only when you're not here too. Then I get lonely. But at least Stellar can get him to do some of our laundry for us." Mir took a deep breath, letting his cologne fill her senses. She picked it out for him during one shopping trip they went on in Onogoro. "Any news?"
"Not since yesterday."
"It's been ten days. Can I at least go see her?"
"I'm afraid not. I don't even know where they are."
"Yzak's gone underground, huh?" All she knew was that they were no longer in the hospital.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you. You remember that murder on the news last night?"
"Yeah. That was pretty sick." It turned Mir's stomach just thinking about it. They didn't show any pictures, but the verbal description was more than enough.
"I think that was Yzak fulfilling a promise." Dearka felt Mir stiffen.
"You think that girl was the shooter?" The victim was a teenage girl, her body dumped in an alley. She was missing her skin. All of it.
"Probably so. They just identified her this morning. She was a champion sharpshooter in the academy."
Mir was getting queasy just thinking about it. "He would do that? To a girl?"
"If she was the one, then yes I believe he would." Dearka let out a sigh. "On the bright side, this may mean that we'll get to see them soon."
"Has Yzak been at the Council meetings?"
"No. Just his mother. Some of the members were thinking of censuring Yzak for his absences, but thankfully they thought better of it. They cited extenuating circumstances but I think they're really just afraid Yzak will turn on them too. This way he can go about it quietly and the Council can hush it up."
"Dearka, I'll be back in a minute." Mir got up heading for the bathroom.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No," Mir shook her head. "I just don't want to talk about these things right now."
"Right. Sorry." Dearka didn't wait for her on the couch. Instead, he took a walk outside.
By the time Mir found him, Dearka was wrapping up a call on his cell phone. "What is it?" she asked.
"Yzak's coming home. You'll get to see Asuka tonight." Though he knew her real name, it was hard to break the habit of calling her Asuka.
"Great," Mir smiled.
"Yzak wants to have a nice dinner together, just the four of us. You know what that means?"
"Shopping?" Mir's smile widened.
"Exactly. I'll wait here while you grab your things."
Two
"Mmm." Stellar felt utter contentment. But then, she always felt that in Shinn's arms.
"Enjoying life in the PLANTs?" He was watching TV as she rested her head on his chest.
"Yep."
"I hope things settle down soon." Shinn was hoping Yzak would settle matters quickly, but for his own purposes. Yzak promised to help Stellar, which would be kind of hard for him to do at the moment.
"I'm sure they will. Then we can go shopping and to that theme park Mir told me about and all sorts of restaurants . . ." Her list went on.
Shinn smiled. Stellar was happy and that's all that mattered. Her withdrawal symptoms were decreasing steadily. Through regular exercise with Shinn, she was even learning to control herself a little better. She rarely went off the deep end in the heat of competition these days, and he could always bring her back. While in Orb, whenever they had a fight she nearly lost all semblance of sanity.
"Are you listening to me?" Stellar gave him an intense glare.
"Of course," he lied. Next she would call him on his bluff, demanding to know the last thing she said. Instead of waiting for the inevitable he decided to go for a ticklish spot.
"Stop it."
He didn't listen. He had her rolling in uncontrollable laughter.
"Shinn, please stop." When he didn't listen this time, she decided to play dirty pool of her own.
Their mutual tickle attack session was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Stellar straightened herself up a bit before letting her roommate in. "What's up?"
"Dearka and I are going shopping," Mir announced. "We may go from there straight to dinner, so you two will have the place to yourselves for a while."
"Have things have taken a turn for the better?" Shinn arose to join Stellar at the door.
"I hope so. Yzak invited Dearka and I over for dinner."
Stellar smiled. "That's good news. Say hello to your friend for me."
"I'll do that. You two behave," Mir departed with a wink. She knew full well they wouldn't behave. Not in the slightest.
Once they heard the front door close, Stellar turned on Shinn with an evil gleam in her eye. "Now there's no one to hear you scream."
"I could say the same thing," Shinn laughed. His next sentence was uninterrupted by one of Stellar's famous flying tackles.
"Shinn? What's wrong?"
"You made me hit my head on the floor, that's what's wrong." Shinn gently slid her off to the side so he could get up. "You know, this has been so weird."
"What has?" Stellar was confused about a lot of things. She had never seen this look on Shinn's face before. She didn't like it.
"Being happy like this. I was always a miserable jerk. Even after all this time together, I can't imagine myself actually being this good to anyone." In the academy, he was always in trouble. Punching fellow cadets and instructors were not infrequent, and he received more than he gave. And he was always such a punk to Luna, even though they were dating.
"You've been very nice to me," Stellar took his hand. "Aren't you happy with me?" She almost cracked just thinking of being rejected.
"I'm very happy with you," Shinn smiled. "Maybe your problems have helped me to forget my own." No, it was more than that. Something ineffable.
"I don't understand."
"For months, all I could see when I closed my eyes was my family. My sister's severed arm right at my feet." Shinn pointed at the ground. He could almost see it as it was. He pointed a little further away, "Nothing identifiable was left of my parents."
"Oh God, Shinn. I'm so sorry." She went to hug him. Before Shinn she had nothing, was nothing. Now she was beginning to see that Shinn once had it all and lost it.
Something inside him had changed, and for the better. He couldn't tell how, but he knew it was because of her. He wanted to take care of her, and in doing so the sting of his trauma was greatly abated. She gave him something to do that didn't require rage and hatred. On the contrary, he had to bury that deep down.
"I haven't gotten into any fights or cussed people out, and you know why?" asked Shinn.
"Why?" Stellar buried her face in his shirt.
"You." Of that he was sure.
Three
Unbeknown to Shinn and Stellar, there was another blond with brown eyes who had a habit of tackling loved ones. Granted Stellar did so more often, but the results were always the same; some poor guy lying flat on his back.
"Cagalli, one of these days you're going to get hurt doing this."
"Not so long as you catch me." Cagalli snuggled onto her protector and bodyguard in the floor of her private study.
Athrun chuckled, "Okay, one of these days you're going to hurt me doing this."
"Probably so." Cagalli didn't seem to care at the moment. They had a few moments alone and she had that look in her eyes. No work, none of Kira's premonitions to spoil the mood, and . . . "Damn."
It was the phone.
"I'll get it." Athrun slid out from under her to take the phone from Cagalli's desk. "Yes? I see . . . Very well . . . I'll tell her."
"What now?" Cagalli lay on the rug in utter depression.
Athrun came to join her in the floor. "That was Kisaka. The Senate is preparing for its big push."
"Just great." Cagalli let her man place her head in his lap.
Stroking her hair, he let her in on the rest of the news. "A treaty is on the table with the Atlantic Federation. It's mostly trade and travel stuff, but it's worded in such a way to open the door to a military alliance."
"Anything else?"
"Here's the biggie. Morgenroete is in danger of losing its protected business status if it doesn't begin catering to the Earth Forces."
"I see. Very troubling. Though they're a private corporation, they wouldn't make any money if they didn't have the implicit backing of the Orb government. And if they lost the Orb contracts, then there wouldn't be any way for Morgenroete to stay in business." Cagalli hid her face. "Damn."
"We're in it deep this time. See any way out?"
"Not yet. I'll need some time to think about it." Cagalli rose to her feet, already weary of the task that lay ahead. "I think we need to take a nice long vacation when this is over."
Athrun arose to join her. "That's assuming it'll ever be over." They both took their positions; Cagalli behind her desk, Athrun in his favorite chair.
"Yeah. With our luck Orb will be in ruins by the time we got back." Cagalli started digging out binders and searching through her computer. She had to find every piece of legislation, every Senate rule and lots of phone numbers. It was going to be a busy day after all.
Four
Miriallia looked stunning. She searched and searched for an orange evening gown. The one she settled on was rather pricey but Dearka didn't mind it a bit. In fact, he insisted she get it. The dress was long with a slit up to the thigh and was in an off-the-shoulder design. Dearka wore a suit that Miriallia had selected from his collection at home. Arriving at the Joule residence, they were not greeted as warmly as they would have liked.
But this was Yzak. They shouldn't have expected much in the first place. "There's a few ground rules first."
"Ground rules?" Mir cocked her head in disbelief. They had just crossed the threshold into the Yzak's home and already he was issuing demands.
"Yes. Ground rules." Yzak gave her a momentary glare to let her know he was dead serious. "First, do not let her stand. Do not make her laugh. Do not let her do anything that will cause irregular or heavy breathing."
Mir nodded. She knew it was serious business, but couldn't Yzak be overreacting a bit?
Dearka knew he wasn't. Recovering from a collapsed lung was nothing to take lightly. "How is she?"
Yzak relaxed his stern face for a brief moment. "Much better. She'll be fine, but I'd like to keep her out of the infirmary which means she has to take it very easy the next few days. She still can't speak yet."
"That is not entirely true." It was an electronic voice coming from inside the next room. She was in an elegant strapless evening dress, emerald green to match her eyes. Her scar had been removed before leaving the hospital, being her first request on regaining consciousness. She was also in a wheelchair with a computer on a tray above her lap typing away. "This laptop is the only way Yzak permits me to speak." As tired as she was, she smiled at the sight of her long-lost roommate from their days in Tassel. "It is good to see you again, Mir."
"Asuka!" Mir ran over to give her friend a hug. When they first met, Mir kind of thought she was a bit of a psycho. What she did to her face, how fond she seemed to be of her night out on the town killing would-be assassins, etc. But over the past few weeks Mir had realized how much she really missed Asuka and her quirky sense of humor. Not to mention her ever so polite smile.
"Please call her Shiho. She prefers it," Yzak informed them.
"Right. Sorry," Mir gave her friend another quick hug before returning to Dearka's side.
"Come. Dinner is waiting." Yzak pushed Shiho's wheelchair to a dining table.
It wasn't large, but there was plenty of room for the four of them. Candle light, soft music and some nice vintage wine made the meal nice and romantic.
"Our first double date," Shiho retained her polite smile even through her weariness. She looked quite pitiful, but her eyes showed her true feelings on the subject. Shiho was almost ecstatic to have Yzak taking such good care of her. He was babying her, really.
Yzak didn't even growl at her comment. "Shiho and I would like to ask a favor of you two."
"Sure," Dearka volunteered.
"What is it?" asked Miriallia.
"We need witnesses. Tomorrow." Yzak's discomfort permeated the room. He left the rest of the explanation to Shiho.
Shiho explained, "I have waited for my fiancée for a decade. Yzak was kind enough to allow me a small ceremony tomorrow, and who better to serve as best man and maid of honor than our best friends?"
"I would be honored." Dearka tried his hardest to keep a straight face. Yzak would explode if his lip twitched even the slightest little bit.
"We would be glad to help out," Mir said. She wore a broad smile, one which matched that of Shiho. Mir had a feeling that the reason Shiho was trying so hard with Yzak was because he was the little boy in her story. It seemed so long ago since they had that girl-talk session aboard the Archangel, but now it all came together nicely. Like a jigsaw puzzle, it all made sense once the pieces were in place. Shiho had conquered, and even managed to tame Yzak a bit.
"Yes. Mother will be delighted." Yzak almost smiled. Almost.
"Speaking of Ezaria, where is she this evening?" Dearka took a sip of wine, draining his glass.
"She had some business to attend to." Yzak's brow furrowed in worry.
"Still expecting trouble?" asked Dearka.
Yzak's frown grew. "No. I believe the followers of Zala got my message."
"Please tell me you didn't do that," Mir requested. "That story on the news . . ."
"I did. And several others behind the scenes, though not with such extreme methods." Yzak's eyes hardened, but not at Miriallia. Seeing her disgust, he explained "You may not agree with my tactics, but you cannot deny that they can be effective."
"I do not agree at all." Mir lowered her face to avoid eye contact with Yzak.
"Do you honestly believe that Dearka wouldn't do something drastic if you were injured? Or killed?" Yzak watched her face carefully. "You remember what our gentle crybaby Yamato did in Tassel, right?"
Mir remembered seeing Dearka kill their assailant in the halls underneath the Onogoro command center. She still had nightmares about it on occasion. Dearka pulling the knife out of the corpse's head, wiping the blade on the dead man's shirt. "I believe Dearka would, yes."
"Hopefully it is over," Yzak sighed. He reached over to take the hand of his dearest Shiho. "At least for now. Let's not discuss this matter further. It is making us all uncomfortable." He would never tell anyone, but for days Yzak heard nothing but that girl's screams every time he closed his eyes.
The others were just as eager to change the subject.
Chapter 43
"Morning." Athrun decided to have breakfast with his best friend, for a change.
"Yeah." Tensions were still relatively high between them after all that had transpired, but at least Kira was willing to put it behind him. He still didn't want to chat much with Athrun, however.
One week to go before the big day. It was Saturday. Athrun's last Saturday as a free man, though he hadn't really been feeling very free lately. "So what is that you're working on?"
"Something Andy, Murrue and I all thought would be a neat idea. And Lacus says I need a hobby." Kira passed Athrun the pad across the small table. "I was thinking of calling her the Jupitress."
"Interesting." It was massive, well armed and quite practical in design. "A colony ship?"
"Yeah," Kira sighed. "To Jupiter. It'll probably never get anywhere though, but it's nice to fantasize about doing something really remarkable in my life." Besides fighting and killing, that is. When Kira wanted to get away from it all, he really meant getting away.
"Personally, I think it's a great idea. Nobody's gone to Jupiter since George Glenn. You would be just as famous if you actually took a colony beyond the asteroid belt."
"Well, the idea was to get the ship beyond the belt. Then tow a sizable asteroid into Jupiter's orbit and build the colony there. Or put the colony in the asteroid itself. That could work too."
"Don't give up on it if it's your dream," Athrun smiled. Kira's still a daydreamer. Athrun handed the pad back to his friend.
"I'd like to go someday but I'd want everyone else to come too. Unfortunately, we all have responsibilities that keep us here." Kira wore a frown, with his brow etched in worry. Such was common these days. He could feel the sands of time slipping through the hourglass of his life, and there was still no sign that their enemies were on the move.
The Senate bill was passed, though not without a stiff fight from Cagalli and those still loyal to the House of Athha. Morgenroete was in chaos, though that was mostly due to something Andy and Chief Simmons had done.
"Oh, that reminds me." Kira punched up some other info for his friend. "I designed this just for you. It's a secret, though."
Athrun was wide-eyed when he saw it. The KYS-X072 Jegan. It was light, fast and incredibly powerful. Over twice as powerful as the original X105 Strike, in fact. Second generation Phase Shift was included. Spherical cockpit lined with monitors. And special batteries. "Deuterion beam?"
"Yeah. It was something Morgenroete put on the Minerva and retrofitted onto the Archangel. It recharges the batteries of the mobile suit mid-battle."
"Makes sense, now that N-Jammer Cancelers are banned by the Treaty of Junius."
Kira's Freedom was likely to be the last nuclear powered mobile suit for some time. "Morgenroete secretly produced a dozen of these before Chief Simmons and some others began to throw monkey wrenches into the works. Actually, most of those within Morgenroete thought they were working on Murasames the whole time. The Jegans powerful right off the assembly line, but the prototype was built with you in mind so it's quite a bit better. I'm sure you could still squeeze even more out of it after you get a chance to tweak it a bit."
Athrun hadn't been keeping up, so he was understandably confused. "Huh?"
"The dozen M2 Jegans were for the Archangel. Cagalli and I don't want them in the regular Orb military in case we have to fight our way out of the country someday. We can't stall for much longer, but it may be enough. I'd rather fight old M1s or even the new M11C Murasames than these Jegans. I think Andy even had most of the data for the Jegans destroyed."
Athrun hadn't thought of that. But it was possible that they'd have to cut themselves an exit when things turned sour in Orb. "What does the KYS stand for? I know what ZGMF and GAT stand for, but I've never heard of KYS."
"That means it's a Kira Yamato Special," Kira grinned.
Athrun got a good laugh out of that. "Okay, okay. Any other surprises you and Andy have been working on while I've been bored out of my mind guarding Cagalli?"
"Yep. There's another ship class we designed to provide support for the Jupitress. I wanted to have two of them so that they could dock with the Jupitress like the Meteors on the Eternal. For names I was thinking of Ra Cailum and Ra Cutter. They're a lot like the Archangel in size and power, though they're not designed to act independently for long missions. I meant them to be fast and maneuverable, providing cover for the colony ship just in case of trouble."
"Expecting space monsters out near Jupiter?"
"No," Kira shook his head. "But I fully expect trouble. It seems to follow me everywhere I go."
Athrun couldn't deny the truth in that. Taking a closer look, Athrun saw how truly remarkable their design was. The hangars were in the rear center, as opposed to forward of the bridge like in the Archangel and Nazca class ships. Airlocks for the mobile suits were on each side of the ship. Two catapult and runway setups were also on either side of the ship and completely open to space. "One question. Why have the runways exposed like that?"
"In an attack, the hangar will always be the most vulnerable part of the ship. There's no way around that. But after seeing the Archangel in combat for so long, I always wished that there was some way to cut down on the internal damaged caused by emergency landings. If the takeoffs and landings were outside and to the side of the airlocks, then perhaps a wreck wouldn't potentially take the whole ship out of commission."
"Makes sense," Athrun had to admit. Even if it did fly in the face of all the conventional wisdom.
Kira did know of a drawback to his design, however. "Unfortunately, designing it this way makes it completely useless in the atmosphere. That thing's so non-aerodynamic it's ridiculous. It's space combat only."
Two
He hated this. She was being treated like an animal. Shinn had trusted Yzak. But then again, maybe this was the right way to go about it.
The doctor had told her something like, "Okay, Ms. Loussier. This shouldn't hurt a bit, but if it does it shouldn't be much. Just let us know if you're uncomfortable and we'll see what we can do about it."
Stellar was in a hospital patient's gown, lying strapped into a bed. Shinn held her hand as she squeezed in sheer terror. Her wrists and ankles were secured to protect her from herself as much as to protect the doctors and nurses.
No one had a clue what trying to deprogram this poor girl would do. It was all a shot in the dark. Shinn would have never agreed to this if the risk to Stellar wasn't greater without having this procedure done. And Stellar wanted to pilot. This was a necessary first step toward that goal. It wouldn't be a great idea to have her freak out in a 40 meter tall walking weapon of mass destruction.
These kinds of procedures had been done before, and at times were greatly successful. But this was Stellar; the result of a twisted experiment by the Atlantic Federation and Blue Cosmos.
They placed a visor over Stellar's eyes. It would display things, text and images, in an effort to begin unwinding the mangled thoughts within her fragile mind.
"I'm scared, Shinn." Stellar tightened her grip on his hand.
"It's okay, Stellar. I'm here. I won't leave you."
Yzak and a fully recovered Shiho were in the room also. Miriallia wanted to come and support her roommate, but everything that went on in this facility had some need for security clearances.
"We'll begin when you're ready, Ms. Loussier." The doctor went over to sit at the computer terminal.
"I'm ready," Stellar whimpered. Then she found her inner reserves. "I'm ready," she said with a little more resolve. This had to be done. She didn't want to live with this fear anymore. The fear that one day she would leave Shinn and forget everything.
The procedure went well. In the beginning.
After a few minutes Stellar's hands and feet began to twitch. Then she shuddered a bit, but she still didn't cry out. After ten minutes had passed Stellar's body began to writhe in silent agony. Eventually every muscle in her body went taught. Arching her back and straining with all the effort she could manage, she almost floated above the table. Nothing but her wrists, ankles and the back of her head touched the table.
And Shinn began to feel something. When they first met there was a tingling sensation. It was inexplicable and the root of their connection to each other. Love at first sight, but also something . . . something more.
Stellar still didn't scream, but Shinn did. A bloodcurdling cry of desperation. Her agony became his. Pain, unbelievable pain in his head. "Stop it now!" he screamed. It seemed Stellar was crying for help through Shinn.
Yzak agreed that this was going too far.
"We can't, Commander Joule." The doctor explained, "If we stop now it may leave her mind in an even worse state. Her brain could turn to mush, so to speak." Basically, if they pulled the plug then Stellar would be a blank slate again. Or worse; a vegetable.
The procedure lasted another ten minutes, but for Shinn it seemed an eternity. He felt all of Stellar's terror, her trauma. His brain was engulfed in flames as a swirl of conflicting emotions crowded all his senses. Hatred, love, fear, confidence, envy, compassion, loneliness, happiness, desperation, ecstasy.
When it was over, both Shinn and Stellar slumped in unconsciousness. Shinn fell so hard that he cracked his head open on the stainless steel floor.
Shinn awoke in the infirmary with an arm draped over him. It was several hours later. "Stellar?"
She was out cold, but Yzak and Shiho were fully alert and waiting for him to regain consciousness.
"How do you feel?" asked Shiho. Her voice was a bit more raspy than he remembered it being in Carpenteria.
"Like someone set off a nuke in my head," Shinn was flat. "What the hell happened?"
"We were hoping you could answer that," Shiho informed him. "Stellar regained consciousness half an hour ago and seems to be fine. We couldn't keep her in her bed, though." Shiho pointed to the vacant cot next to his. The sheets were ruffled and the pillow had a dimple in it like someone was sleeping there recently.
"You sure she's fine?" Shinn was less than convinced.
"No, but that's what she said. She didn't remember any pain, or your scream, or anything really." Shiho's polite smile couldn't disguise her worry over Shinn and his love. "When she awoke, it was like she was just taking a restful nap."
"The doctor cleared her," Yzak informed Shinn. "You two can go home when she wakes up. Come back tomorrow for a full report. The analysis should be done by then."
Shiho followed her master as he departed, leaving the couple alone.
"Stellar?" Shinn moved her bangs to get a better look at her face. She moved to place an ear directly over his heart. A smile brushed across her lips whenever Shinn's hand stroked her hair. "I love you, Stellar. Please be okay."
"Mmm," was the response.
"How do you feel?" Shinn wanted to hear it from her.
"Like I died and was reborn." Stellar sat up and stretched like a kitten. "They said you hurt yourself." Stellar gently stroked the bandage Shinn didn't even know was on his head.
"You didn't have any headaches or other pain?" Shinn knew she did, but she seemed perfectly content at the moment.
"I don't think so."
"Any personality changes or tendencies to be less Stellar-like? Because I love you just the way you are."
Stellar rewarded him with a smile and a kiss. "Okay Shinn, I get it. You don't have to try so hard with me. I'm head over heels for you too. Can we go home now?"
"Sure," Shinn smiled.
"Shinn?" Stellar stopped cold as they went through the doorway. "You have to stay with me tonight." There was a sense of urgency to her voice.
"Um, okay . . ." Shinn knew Miriallia wouldn't be happy about it. There would have to be a lot of laundry and other chores done to make up for this intrusion.
"I feel funny and I don't want to be alone." Stellar turned on him, giving him a harsh look; a look he had never seen before. Her brown eyes pierced his very soul. "And you said you were going to propose. Now would be a good time."
Shinn took the hint. "Let's go pick out a ring on our way back to your apartment."
Three
"How did it go?" Miriallia greeted her roommate warmly upon her return.
"Good. I feel good. Don't remember much of it, though." Actually, Stellar didn't remember anything after telling the doctor that she was ready.
"Miriallia, I have a small favor to ask of you." Shinn wasn't comfortable with this request, but Stellar insisted that he be the one to ask it.
"What? You want to move in?" Mir passed Shinn a smirk.
"That would be great!" Stellar clapped her hands together in glee.
"I don't think so," Mir frowned. "Look Shinn, you're a nice guy and all but I'm not ready for that kind of commitment. Besides, I think my boyfriend would get mad if I had another boyfriend on the side. Especially a live-in boyfriend." Miriallia was making a joke out of it, trying to make Shinn as uncomfortable as possible.
Normally Stellar would be rolling on the floor with laughter at such an exchange. But she wasn't feeling well today. "Shinn has to stay with me tonight. He is mine." Stellar clenched and unclenched her fists, her knuckles turning white with strain.
Mir took a step back. "Okay. Sorry. I was just kidding around."
"It'll be alright," Shinn moved between the girls. He could see how frightened Mir was. "Stellar's had a rough day," he whispered to Mir.
"It's fine," Mir smiled. "You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like, Shinn. I don't have a problem with it at all."
"Good," Stellar stalked off to her room.
"I take it things didn't go so well," Mir sighed.
"No, I don't think it did." Shinn couldn't really tell Miriallia. He couldn't find the words to describe what had happened. Shinn wasn't even sure of it himself. "I'll talk to you later."
Mir watched as a worried Shinn went to check on Stellar. She thought she heard crying when Shinn opened the bedroom door. Mir had never heard Stellar sob. Weird.
"Stellar?" Shinn sat with her on the bed, holding her, letting her cry on his shoulder.
"Oh God, Shinn. I feel so sick."
Shinn felt sick too. "I don't think we can both vomit at once. Only one bathroom."
His comment drew a chuckle between sobs. "Don't go. Please stay with me forever."
"I will. That's a promise." Shinn took the small jewelry box out of his pocket. "I don't ever want to be a part from you. Please marry me."
"Of course. Right now this very minute wouldn't be soon enough." Stellar wasn't a patient girl. Not now and maybe not ever. The two seconds it took Shinn to take the ring out and slide it on her finger was too much. She broke down and cried her heart out.
"Please, Stellar. Please be okay." Shinn placed a hand on her cheek.
"I am just fine," she cried in defiance. Stellar didn't know what, if anything, was wrong. She felt too far away from him, though she was wrapped in his arms.
He sensed what Stellar felt and tightened his hug just a bit. She felt alone. He felt it as well. The pain returned to Shinn's head, but it left just as quickly as it had come. The void it left behind was filled with a rushing sensation unlike any other.
Stellar felt it too. "Shinn, what just happened?"
"I don't know, but it felt great."
Stellar matched his smile. "Do it again," she requested.
"I don't think it was me."
"Well, I didn't do anything." Stellar made a pout face.
"Maybe it was us together." Shinn kissed her and it happened again. A slow warmth in his mind. He and Stellar were embracing physically, but now it seemed they were embracing each other's souls as well.
Stellar returned his passion for a couple of minutes before finally succumbing to the mental and physical fatigue. She fell asleep in his arms.
Shinn laid her down on the bed and took a position at her side. "Goodnight angel."
Four
A gentle knock on the library door disturbed his reading.
"Athrun?"
"Come in, Lacus." Athrun returned set the book down after marking his place with a red ribbon. "What can I do for you?"
"Well, Cagalli sent me to find you," Lacus reported. Something was bothering her, but Athrun could tell it wasn't anything too serious.
"She done talking shop with Kira?" Both he and Kira had become like Cagalli's unofficial advisers. Lacus supported Cagalli through Kira, being unwilling to give her own advice directly. Of course, everyone realized that Cagalli was in charge. All decisions by her were final and absolute.
"Yes, though I believe they were mostly chatting. Are you and Kira still on speaking terms?" Lacus knew the answer, but she didn't know how uncomfortable Athrun was with the situation. Kira was certainly upset at his best friend, but he was making a concerted effort to keep the dialogs of camaraderie open with Athrun.
Athrun's smile put Lacus at ease. "Yeah, we had a nice long chat about Kira's plan to settle out in Jupiter space this morning. Sometimes it's like he hasn't changed a bit from our days on the Moon."
Lacus matched his smile. "That is good. I hope we all get to go someday. Perhaps that is where Cagalli will place the next Orb colony."
Athrun thought about that a moment. "You know, that's actually a really good idea." Orb could really be neutral out there. They would be far enough out so no one would bother them. Wars within the Earth's Sphere wouldn't make a bit of difference since taking a fleet of war ships beyond Mars was pretty stupid, let alone over the asteroid belt. Nowhere to resupply. A colony ship, however, could sustain itself indefinitely.
Athrun arose to make his way to Cagalli's study. He knew that's where she would be waiting for him.
"Hi," Cagalli greeted her lover with a smile.
Now Athrun knew something was up. "Okay, let's just get right to the point."
"Do you like my name?" Cagalli dropped the smile.
Athrun blinked a few times. "What kind of question is that?"
"My name. Do you like my name?"
"I think Cagalli is a beautiful name." Athrun didn't think he could be any more confused than he was at the moment. Surely she didn't send for him to ask if he liked her name.
Cagalli just shook her head. "I mean Athha."
Athrun cocked an eye. "Yeah, it's a good name too. What are you getting at?"
Cagalli got up to meet Athrun in the doorway. Placing her hands on his cheeks she told him, "I can't take Zala as my name once we're married."
"For political reasons, right?" Athrun placed his hands over hers, watching her nod an affirmative. "I guess that's understandable, considering that my father tried to wipe out seven billion people not too long ago. So we'll have different last names, then?"
"I was hoping that my prince consort would take my name, as our children must also bear the name of Athha if they're to have a legitimate claim to the throne. The House of Athha must remain the House of Athha." Cagalli held her breath while waiting for his response.
"Okay."
"I didn't expect it to be that easy."
"But I do want concessions," Athrun grinned mischievously.
Cagalli cocked an eye. "What kind of concessions? You're already getting all the bedroom action you're going to get."
Athrun continued to grin. "No complaints there. My demand is that you'll keep treating me well. I'm delicate, you know."
Cagalli laughed so hard she began to snort. "Fine mister delicate prince. I can't wait to tell everyone how my husband is a delicate pansy."
Athrun didn't like his little joke being turned on him, but there wasn't much he could do. Quick comebacks were not his strong suit.
Chapter 44
"Everything checks out. I think you'll be just fine now, but there are a few more things we'd like to do." The doctor put away the stethoscope. Seeing Stellar's terror, the doctor decided to explain a bit. "Not like yesterday. We want to put you through the mobile suit simulator and monitor you closely. That may be the only way to make absolutely sure that you'll be able to pilot."
Stellar nodded. She had told Commander Joule of her desire to serve with Shinn, knowing Shinn would never ask for a discharge. She didn't want to be his burden either, making him babysit her in the PLANTs while all his friends were doing their part for their precious homeland.
Shinn would observe. Stellar was still on edge from yesterday. She didn't let him out of her sight for a moment after he had proposed. Well, except for bathroom moments.
Yzak, Dearka and Shiho were also in attendance. First Stellar would engage against the battle data from the skirmish a few weeks ago. Since that time, intelligence had confirmed that the new Earth Forces suits were indeed not Strike Daggers but a new mass production model codenamed the Windam.
If Stellar made it past that, then she would take on a human opponent in the second simulator unit.
The units themselves were actual cockpits and not replicas. They used them for helping pilots to adjust to handling the ZAKU, as it was quite a bit different from the GINNs that most ZAFT soldiers were used to training in.
Shinn did some tweaking to the OS beforehand to give Stellar a better chance. Being a Natural, she couldn't make any significant adjustments during the battle. She probably couldn't even do any significant programming if given days to prepare for this.
"Thank you Shinn," Stellar gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Stellar asked Shiho, "Can he come in with me?" She wasn't comfortable asking favors from Yzak, or even Dearka. Besides, Shiho seemed to be so polite.
"I don't see why not." Shiho smiled, knowing that Stellar needed to be at ease for this to go well. To be honest, everyone was a little worried that Stellar was cracking up. But then, none of them really got to know her other than Shinn.
Shinn knew full well how close she had always been to the edge of insanity. Everyday was a struggle, but he found that it was worth it. He was no longer alone in this life, and he knew that's what Stellar needed as well. It was as if the two of them had been silently longing for each other all their lives, but they never realized it until now.
The cockpit closed as Shinn sat on the floor next to the pilot's seat. Stellar had wires seemingly coming out of everywhere. The medical staff wasn't taking any chances on things going wrong. Everything would be monitored, from brainwave activity to heart rate to the sweat glands.
The monitors went from gray to black to a light blue. The engineers that designed these spherical cockpits had the foresight to lighten the pitch black of space to make it easier for pilots to see what was around them. It made visual confirmation of friend and foe much easier, since no one could ever fully rely on their sensors.
Stellar had a lot of fun dispatching the Windams. It didn't bother her at all that she was once an Atlantic Federation officer. She hated them with every fiber of their being. They wanted to take her away from Shinn, make her be alone again. Stellar would make them pay and pay hard.
Her competitive spirit and fighting instincts were incredible. The doctors didn't know what to make of her brainwave activity, as some normally unused areas were showing significant abnormalities. The levels were off the charts. They didn't see any danger in letting her continue fighting, however.
Dearka volunteered to be the combatant to face Stellar. He used the flight data from his old Buster. The Buster versus a ZAKU Warrior. Seemed like it could be a fair battle.
It wasn't.
Stellar mopped the floor with him.
Yzak went next and held his own. He used the data from his Slash ZAKU Phantom, a customized ZAKU that he had tailored for himself. Yzak held his own for a while, but even he eventually succumbed to Stellar. He was mad as hell. It reminded him of all those times he was humiliated by Kira in the Strike.
That concluded the training for the morning. "You did well," Yzak congratulated Stellar. Yzak decided to shake her hand, possibly to give his hand something to do that didn't involve hitting something. He always was a sore loser.
Stellar accepted the hand offered in friendship. "Thank you, sir. It is my hope to fly as Shinn's wingman someday."
Yzak knew this girl hadn't proven herself enough to be enlisted just yet, but then these were unusual times. And she was unusually good. "I'll see if I can't pull some strings and get you assigned to the Minerva. You may even show enough promise to warrant riding in one of the new machines."
That caught Shinn's attention. "New machines, sir?"
Dearka explained, "You said you wanted to fly prototypes. You'll be getting your chance soon."
That made Shinn's day. And Stellar's too. Now it was time to go celebrate. Gathering the Hawke sisters was rather easy. Finding Rey wasn't much of a problem either. Deciding where to was another matter altogether.
Shinn just wanted to hang out. Stellar wanted to take in the nightlife. Luna wanted a drink badly. Meyrin wanted to go dancing. Rey could have cared less.
In the end, they went to an officer's club called the Silver Bullet. It was a favorite of pilots and was known to have a great atmosphere. There was a dance floor, a bar and even a moderate menu of food.
Stellar stayed locked onto Shinn every available moment, which only served to remind Meyrin of how lonely life could be. "You know, you guys are always together. You don't have to make a scene everywhere you go," Meyrin laughed.
Luna was a little bothered by it as well, though in a slightly different way. She missed Athrun. She regretted leaving. And those emerald eyes . . . they filled her dreams. Perhaps that's why she wanted to drink.
Shinn hadn't seen Luna much since they arrived in the PLANTs and he felt a little guilty. He didn't even think that Luna might be suffering now. "Hey, take it easy on the hard liquor. There's plenty of night left to get lit up," Shinn reminded her.
"I agree." Rey remained cool and calm, as always. He was drinking rather heavily as well, but Luna wasn't a drinker. He was.
"Want to dance?" Luna slurred the question toward Rey.
"In a few minutes, sure." Rey caressed her cheek in apology. Meyrin had reminded him recently of how his behavior in the academy had caused some trouble for Luna. He had just wanted to be friends and had no clue how hard Luna had taken it. Rey knew he could be insensitive, but that was just his nature.
"Well, I'm going now. Come whenever your ready." Luna could still walk straight. She could even dance without falling down.
Shinn asked Meyrin, "How is Luna?"
Meyrin answered, "I don't know. She's closed herself off from us."
Rey chimed in, uncharacteristically. "She won't even hang out like we used to. Though I think you were the linchpin that held the four of us together in the academy," Rey nodded toward Shinn.
Shinn knew otherwise. "Don't blame this on me, Rey. You know she had a massive crush on you. I was always her second choice." Shinn took a sip of whatever poison Luna had been drinking. It was terrible, and incredibly intoxicating. "Is this stuff even legal? Anyway, she's probably hung up over Athrun at the moment. She'll be fine." I hope.
Stellar felt Shinn's apprehension over his old flame. It would be a lie to say she wasn't jealous, but then Luna was her friend now as well. "Is there anything we can do for her?"
"I don't think so," Meyrin answered. "Now where did she go?"
The four of them scanned the dance floor looking for their missing companion.
"Oh my God. Is that one of the Joule Team pilots?" Shinn's jaw dropped.
Meyrin stared wide-eyed. "Sarah Rosami. I remember her from that operation we went on. She's an ace and one of Commander Joule's most trusted."
The pilot to which they were referring was in a party skirt; quite revealing. She had curly light purple hair that hung to her shoulders. Her eyes were a shade or two darker than her hair. Many found her quite attractive.
"That has got to be the hottest thing I have ever seen. I had no idea she was into that." Rey stared in amazement. Not at Sarah . . . well, not just at Sarah.
Luna must have been really out of it. Sarah too. They were all over each other, making out like animals.
"Trouble." Shinn was the first to his feet with Rey soon to follow.
Stellar braced for the inevitable.
"Come here you little . . ." Some brawny dark-haired guy made an advance to pummel Luna. Apparently Sarah was spoken for. By a very muscular, very unhappy guy.
Shinn and Stellar got between the angry boyfriend and the two girls. Luna was still on Sarah, and both were oblivious. It was up to Rey to pull Luna away.
The party was over. Punches were thrown. A full bar brawl broke out, but that wasn't unheard of at the Silver Bullet.
By some small miracle all five of the companions managed to make it out.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Meyrin slapped her older sister once they were out of danger.
"I . . ." Luna was being supported by Rey. She was crying.
"Answer me!"
Luna's answer came in the form of vomit. On Rey's pants.
"Holy hell." Rey tried to shake some of the chunks off his shoes. "Meyrin and I will get her home. You two have a good night," Rey tried to dismiss Shinn and Stellar.
"Alright. We'll see you guys tomorrow." Shinn went off nursing a black eye. Stellar got out of it without injury. As a matter of fact, Stellar pummeled the fellow that gave Shinn the black eye.
Two
"Damn, Luna. What were you thinking?" Rey was staying with her while Meyrin was off in another room cussing up a storm. They were in the Hawke sister's apartment. Rey held a small trash can by Luna who was lying on the couch, and occasionally puking.
"Rey?" Luna was really out of it.
"Yeah, my name is Rey. What were you doing out there?"
"Making out with the first person I bumped into. Jealous?" More vomit.
"I thought it was great." Rey really did think it was the hottest thing he had ever seen. Better than some of the videos they guys used to pass around in the military academy. The girls remained fully clothed, unlike in the videos, but there's just something about seeing that in person . . .
"You suck, Rey."
Rey knew what was up. He wasn't stupid. He always knew how Luna felt about him. "Look, Luna. I don't think I'm the right guy for you."
"Then get the hell out of my apartment." Luna tried to backhand him, but ended up knocking over a lamp instead.
"I'm your friend and I'm worried about you."
"You're no friend of mine, you emotionless bastard." Luna vomited one last time. "Sorry. I didn't mean that."
Rey brushed a few golden strands back from his face. "Fine, Luna. I'll look out for you a little more. But I'm not going to be your boyfriend."
Luna reached out to brush those same strands that fell back in front of his ice blue eyes. "Maybe that's the problem. All the guys I go for are either taken or just not that interested."
"So you're thinking of switching to taken girls?" Rey had an amused look on his face.
"That was a girl? Holy crap." Luna laughed, causing a bad round of hiccups.
"I'll be back." Rey went off to the kitchen and brought back the sugar bowl and a large spoon. "Here." Before she could protest, Luna had a heaping spoonful of sugar in her mouth.
That did the trick. "Thanks. Hiccups all gone."
"I hope you have one hell of a hangover in the morning." Rey lifted Luna up a bit to maneuver himself so that she could lay her head in his lap.
"It doesn't matter," Luna began to cry. "I could die and it wouldn't matter."
"It would matter to us. You do have friends." Rey didn't like this talk or where it was leading. He knew Luna was really upset, but thoughts of death? Of suicide?
"That's not what I wanted to hear."
"Fine. It matters to me whether you live or die. That better?"
Luna didn't answer. She just blinked away a tear.
Three
"How is married life?" Miriallia had insisted Dearka take her to the Joule's home; not Ezaria's home, but the home Yzak and Shiho had recently acquired. Mir didn't exactly want to be in her apartment right now. At least, not until things with Stellar had a chance to calm down.
"It's good, though I'm disappointed about delaying our honeymoon." Shiho often found herself admiring her rings. Yzak bought a lovely number that allowed for an engagement ring to lock into the wedding band. It was beautiful. "I know you're feeling left out."
"Not really," Mir was honest. "I think everyone else is rushing. I want Dearka and I to take our time with this."
"I see that Stellar is now wearing an engagement ring."
"Yeah. She's a really nice girl, but she scares the crap out of me at times."
"All our information says she's fine. Stellar just needs some time for things to settle down. What she needs is some stability in her life." Shiho's polite smile began to put Mir more at ease.
"I guess that's true. She's perfectly fine whenever Shinn is with her. I think he's going to move in with us for a little while." Mir didn't say so, but she was a little glad Shinn would be there. If Stellar cracked, Mir wouldn't know what to do.
"If you need a refuge you're welcome here. Just try to ignore Yzak. He can be a quite grumpy, especially in the mornings."
Mir giggled. All these revelations about the mighty Yzak Joule made him almost likable. He wasn't just a coldblooded person, no matter how his actions made him look. "I might have to take you up on that."
"Dearka looking forward to being on the Council?"
"Not one bit," Mir smiled. "But I do know that he'll be glad when the election is over."
"Just a couple weeks. I wonder what will happen next."
A knock at the door interrupted their conversation.
"Come in," Shiho said. It was Yzak followed by Dearka.
"It seems our little friend was in a bar brawl," Yzak reported. He took a seat by Shiho, who claimed his hand for her own. Such affection was forbidden in front of all but these, their closest friends. To be honest, Yzak was mad as hell to have to kiss Shiho in front of them when they were married, but what could he do?
"You're having them followed?" Mir couldn't quite believe it.
"Until we're sure she's not a ticking time bomb, yes we will have her followed," Yzak was curt.
"I suppose that is prudent." Mir was trying really hard to like Yzak, but he didn't make it easy. Not in the slightest.
"She wants to enlist, you know."
Mir nodded. "Yes. She talks of it often. I can't say that I agree with her motives, but then my motives for joining the Archangel were not exactly noble either." For Mir, it had been a matter of survival. For Stellar, a matter of the heart. And possibly sanity.
"Is she alright?" asked Shiho.
"Yes. She came out of it unscathed. Shinn got a black eye, however," Yzak reported.
"Are you really going to let that girl enlist?" Dearka wasn't convinced of the wisdom of this.
Yzak nodded. "Yes and for a very good reason. I want someone on the inside. Dullindal will certainly get the Chairman position, then he'll have the Minerva do whatever he wants. Shinn is already a crew member. By pulling a few strings and getting Stellar on the ship as well, then they'll both be in my debt."
"You're just using them?" Mir had almost had with Yzak it for the evening.
"Yes, but not for anything as sinister as you might think. I don't really care what Dullindal has in mind and won't ask either of them to interfere. I just want a full report on what goes on so that our new Chairman doesn't try to pull anything sneaky like Patrick Zala."
"I guess that is a good idea," Mir admitted. This guy wore her out. She alternated between liking and despising him. What does Shiho see in this guy?
Four
Luna awoke in the dead of night to find someone's hand on her chest. She didn't appreciate it so she smacked it away only to discover that it was her own hand. "Damn."
"Good. You're awake." A familiar voice. Cold.
"What are you still doing here, Rey?"
"Looking after you. Your sister is too angry at the moment. She might start slapping you again. Or maybe she's gone to bed." Rey wondered why Meyrin didn't throw him out.
"Oh, God. What have I done?" Luna knew the answer. She was sobering up now and the victim of only a slight hangover. She got off lucky.
"You really want to know?"
Luna shook her head, which only increased the speed of the jackhammer inside her head. She had let her guard down. In front of everybody. Now everyone knew she was a lovesick loser. Is there anything more embarrassing? Well, maybe the fact that instead of getting caught making out with a random guy it turned out to be a girl. That could be a little more embarrassing. Although it was kind of fun . . . Luna shook the thought away, only to have it replaced by a second jackhammer.
"Will you be okay now? I really have to go to the bathroom." Rey had been holding it for some time. He didn't want to disturb the napping Luna, who still had her head on his thigh.
"Go." Luna tried to get up, but with mixed results. Up and down seemed to be such confusing concepts. The floor rushed up to meet her like an aunt she never liked visiting. The carpet kissed her cheek like that dreaded aunt; fast and hard.
Rey laughed, which only served to humiliate Luna further.
"How long have we been friends, Rey?"
"About seven or eight months, I think. Maybe more." He helped her up and sat her upright on the couch.
"If you value that friendship then you will forget this night. Everything that was said, everything that was done. Am I making myself perfectly clear?"
"Quite," Rey smiled. "That would be for the best, I believe."
"Good."
"You want me to leave, then?"
Luna didn't answer.
"Because I had planned to stay a bit."
Still no response.
"To look after you."
Luna was furious. "I don't want your pity!" She tried to smack him, but he dodged at the last second. "And I don't want you taunting me either."
Rey smiled. Luna could be so fragile at times, and so strong at others. He knew she wanted him and yet she would not accept him like this. If he were to be in a relationship with her, it would have to be one of mutual respect and love. Rey never thought himself capable of that. Perhaps that's why he had insisted on friendship. "I said I'd look after you and that's what I meant."
"I told you to forget everything about this night."
Rey shook his head. "If only it were that easy."
Luna hid her face with her hands. After a few moments of reflection, she composed herself again. Her defenses were now up once more. "Bet you thought it was pretty hot, huh?"
Cold laughter came from the young man. "Very. I would have paid money to see that."
Luna smirked to match that of her friend. "Pervert."
Rey laughed it off. "No need for insults, Luna."
"You're still one of my best friends," she admitted. But a friend isn't really what she felt she needed at the moment.
Rey knew exactly what she needed; a hug from someone who cared about her. "Next time we go drinking, it'll just be us. Then maybe you won't get so flustered when you get caught making out with random people."
End Part Eleven
A/N
I hope those Rey and Luna moments came off as funny, sweet, sad as I was hoping for.
Special thanks to DragonBlond for letting me bounce some ideas off of her.
PS - Don't expect fast and furious updates like in the past. It may happen, but don't expect it.
End A/N