Summary: SHE is Lacus Clyne. SHE is not who we think she is. SHE is not just a gentle girl. SHE could be ruthless till you chill. SHE might either end the world full of chaos with hers and her loved one's hands or die in the end for him.
Lacus Clyne shall pilot Strike Freedom, subsequently a new gundam called Ruth.
Enjoy :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam seed or its sequel – Gundam Seed Destiny. Nor do I own Lacus Clyne.
Phase 1: Lacus Clyne, is it she?
Her eyes were cold and unfixing, giving her bodyguards a chilling feeling from her body aura. The former ZAFT ace and veteran war captain could even feel the chills coming from the bottom of his heart as the pink-haired songstress of PLANTS, dressed in her pink flight suit, wrapped a piece of cloth over her lower face, tying the end of the cloth behind the back of her head with hair tied in two 'high' ponytails.
She reached out her hands towards Andy Waltfeld and the veteran passed her the gun which was not armed with bullets but just sleeping potion. The gun is silent. Lacus Clyne and Andy Waltfeld and three other 'bodyguards' were standing behind a wall whereby after the wall is the hanger of the X Colony (A/U: This colony is just of my own) where a gigantic mobile suit was seen standing on the ground, height estimated to be over eighteen metres. One thing special about the machine is that the joints are golden in colour, wings in double layers and more weapons stored under the wings...
Lacus motioned her head for Dakosta to look at the situation behind the wall as her hand gripped the gun tightly until her knuckles were white. Quickly, she looked at the former assistant to Andy Waltfeld's face as Dakosta swiftly nodded. Lacus nodded as well as the five people suddenly ran out of their hiding place, firing shots at the soldiers who were guarding the secret mobile suit built by PLANTS Chairman Gilbert Dillundal.
Ironically, Gilbert gave the mission of protecting the secret mobile suit to Eileen Canaver, who was a close aid of Siegel Clyne, Lacus's father. Then the five had linked with the Supreme Council member of the time for action in stealing the suit. Eileen had prepared herself for death for careless handling of protecting Strike Freedom (SF).
Dakosta looked at the former idol of PLANTS with awe as her shots were deadly accurate on the soldier's neck or forehead and nowhere else. On the other hand, Andy just could not believe his eyes. To think that a gentle loving person such as Lacus Clyne to be able to strike another with a gun is just an unimaginable fact in the past. Now he knew... that she was not who others had thought of her.
Anyway, as all the soldiers in the hanger were shot down, more came in from side doors, holding rifles in their hands and firing randomly at the five. Quickly, Lacus boarded the 'elevator' to the cockpit of SF and quickly typed away at the operating system of the gundam. There was no hesitation on her part as she activated the gundam's weapon and shot down the gate of the hanger... Her four other mates took the short time, whereby the soldiers were too shocked to react, to speed off to the hidden door of the hanger, getting out of the scene.
In the control room of the hanger, the officer was really caught offguard as SF 'walked' out of the hanger and flew off to the upward sky. He quickly relayed a message over to the headquarters of the military colony and warned, "Strike Freedom was stolen by unknown intruders. I repeat, Strike Freedom was stolen by unknown intruders."
Soon, the facility was filled with chaos as ZAFT pilots scrambled to pilot their respective mobile suits going after SF. But SF was already out of sight in the colony. It was designed for greater speed than the first Freedom where SF was upgraded from. Ironic thing is that this mobile suit was, again stolen, same as the first Freedom.
"Cagalli..." He whispered as the Princess of Orb could be seen sitting beside her younger brother in the infirmary, her head rested on the bed while her body half crouched down while she slept with evident fatigue in her posture. The blonde haired-princess had kept vigil by her brother's side as he had already been in coma for quite a number of days ever since Freedom was destructed by Minerva's Impulse.
Kira Yamato had promised that he would return to Archangel in one piece after creating the illusion that both Archangel and Freedom are destructed but never would he predict that the Impulse pilot would have stabbed through Freedom's nuclear reactor, igniting a huge explosion from the reactor. Luckily and unfortunately, Kira ejected himself from Freedom's cockpit, which was not damaged at all, through a back door from Freedom's 'back'...
He did not know if it was truly just carelessness on the Impulse pilot's part that did not kill him or that he did not know that the cockpit was not found in the 'waist' of the gundam so went for the wrong part. Or can it be he did not want to kill him actually?
Kira was paced out a bit before his twin sister nudged him in the side of his forehead with her palm. He turned to her before she suddenly embraced him rather tightly...
"I thought I could have lost you there, Kira... Thanks goodness you are not hurt at all or Lacus will just be worried sick for you! Are you feeling okay now?"
"I am okay, Cagalli, just a bit lightheaded..."
"Wait for me, Kira. I shall call in the doctor..." Cagalli smiled lightly at her 'younger' brother before she walked off the infirmary, out of the door... Kira smiled lightly too, looking around him. He feels guilty for having to destroy the Freedom that Lacus Clyne had helped kept for him in Orb but there were no other choices that he could take to assure his sister and the ship's safety...
"Kid. How ya feeling?" A deep voice entered his ear. Kira's eyes widened in surprise, looking at the scared face of Earth Alliance's commander of the 51st military fleet.
"Mwu-san..." Kira spoke, "Thanks for your concern. But I think I am fine."
"I am Neo Lorrnoke, not Mwu! Get that right." The man alike to Mwu la Flaga softly growled before he turned his head away from Kira, thinking of the captain of Archangel unconsciously. He sighed.
The door opened and showed Cagalli Yula Athha with another woman in white clothes signaling her identity as the doctor of the ship. The woman wore a white coat over her slightly overweight frame, her hair short to her ears and face kindly looking at Kira.
"I am Catherine Teo. Call me Cat will do." She smiled and took out a stethoscope.
"Erm, is his condition serious?" Cagalli asked. Dr. Teo smiled brightly at Cagalli, "Coordinators do not mean they are absolutely safe from even a small flu. Mister Yamato here is lucky to have lived from the blast in his surroundings... The pressure coming from any sides around him could have crushed him to death, but you saved your brother from that... Anyway, I would need to look at his condition first..."
The leader of Orb blushed a bit, nodding in agreement. Dr. Teo took out the instrument and placed in on Kira's chest. "Please breathe in." She spoke and Kira did just that. As Dr. Teo removed the instrument to place it on his back, Kira smiled back at her, "Since you want us to call you 'Cat', please call me 'Kira' then."
The plump doctor nodded once, before she wanted to speak but Kira just breathed in. After taking note of what she wanted to take note on, Cat hung the instrument around her neck and asked, "Apart from the light head that you have, are you feeling anywhere bad then?"
Kira answered, "Nope."
"Good. I will prescribe some medicine for you to treat your headache. You will have to stay here for a day more and you can call me when your light headedness is gone." Cat smiled once more before she walked out of the infirmary.
Seeing her gone from the sight, Kira looked at his sister, "How does Lacus react to my news?" He frowned a bit. "She is worried for you but we did take some pictures of you sleeping for her to see that you are okay." She grinned a bit as Kira blushed slightly. "Can I see those pictures?"
Cagalli shook her head rather evilly, not looking at her brother as she started to walk out of the infirmary, "Remember to rest well, little brother." Before Kira could retort to her words of him being her younger brother, she had already disappeared from his sight.
Kira sighed, him thinking of what the pilot of Impulse could be thinking as he was defeated. A feeling of pride that he had defeated another good pilot or happiness at the fact that he had defeated an enemy? Had Archangel became ZAFT's enemy? After all, the ship interfered with the battles that included the ZAFT ship Minerva... Athrun Zala...
How did Cagalli feel as she was piloting her Strike Rouge in Archangel and saw Athrun out in the battlefield but on a different side from her? How is Lacus doing in Eternal and in space? Had she missed seeing him like he is missing to see her now? Kira sighed again but his head became heavier and decided to take a good long rest.
He knew he had taken a long rest already, but better safe than sorry... Soon he drifted off the sleep... a not so comfortable sleep as a not so good feeling crept into him...
Getting news that the new Freedom was stolen by Lacus Clyne herself, the different colonies that got hold of the information were all under orders to take down the gundam so as to not let it end up in other pilots' hands. Hence on the way of going back to her ship, Lacus Clyne had to battle her way through.
At first, she handled the gundam well but after a while, she slowly was more tired than expected. After all, she had not practiced piloting after she had sung and became famous for her songs...
About to reach the place where her Eternal was hidden though, more ZAKU warriors appeared from behind her and targeted her with their assault rifles. Lacus evaded all the attacks but then it also made her get away from her track to her ship. And she still cannot show off where her ship is hidden in, so it seems like she had no more choices left but to fight on...
As she readied Strike Freedom's rail cannons to be deployed, a red gundam could be seen flying towards Strike, and also shooting the ZAFT MS with its beam rifle. Lacus heaved a sigh of relief, withdrawing her rail cannons and flying away from the battle towards her ship. But the red gundam alone was not enough to stop the ZAFT forces that were more in numbers.
Gaia, the name of the red gundam stopped a few of the forces from chasing Lacus' gundam but the other warriors managed to pass through Gaia and continue shooting their weapons at her.
"ZAFT forces, what good can be achieved if we continue fighting for real?" Lacus Clyne wanted to ask that to the pursuing forces but she did not know how to activate the communication channels in Strike Freedom and so could not do so and can only fight... an irony to her own beliefs...
All of a sudden, three purple different customized versions of the ZAKU warriors shot down the shots of the other ZAFT forces, giving Strike Freedom a chance to hide behind the asteroid pieces that were already visible as the ZAFT forces pursued Strike Freedom. There was one big mass of asteroid in the field and Strike Freedom hid behind it. Quickly too, Gaia and the three customized Warriors disappeared together with Strike Freedom...
The ZAFT forces combed the area for them but the leader of the team found that communication was rather difficult to be clear in the area and so decided to pull out but stay at a distance to look after the area. They did not realize and could not imagine Eternal to be hidden in the asteroids...
As soon as Lacus alighted from Strike Freedom, she tugged her helmet under her arms, struggling to keep her conscious awake as she looked up at Strike Freedom. This was the first time ever she had piloted a mobile suit even as her beloved boy called that a gundam. Andrew Waltfeld, two men and a woman alighted from their respective mobile suits to walk to Lacus Clyne.
Seeing them, Lacus smiled peacefully before her conscious gave way and her body tumbled to the ground. Andrew caught her before her body hit the floor hard and supported it with his right arm. Lacus opened her eyes slightly, looking at Andrew, wanting to push his hands away.
"If you get hurt by hitting the ground, see how blameful Kira could be towards us?" Andrew spoke, looking at the pink princess... Or the former pink princess, now as the pink warrior...
"I am fine. Just tired that's all... I think we will have to find a way to contact the Archangel on Earth and relay the news that we have a mobile suit for them to use now... Was I weird in that colony?" She asked lastly, looking intently at the people around her.
The three pilots other than Andrew looked at each other, saluting her, "We believe in Lacus-sama's ideals even when we have seen a different side of you, Lacus-sama... If you may excuse us, we will see you when you want to see us..." They turned away from her before walking to the lift and back to their quarters.
Lacus gazed at their backs as they walked, she pushing herself from Andrew's hold on her. "Are you alright, Lacus-sama?" Andrew asked. The girl stumbled a bit, biting her lips. "We all need belief in another to trust each other, right? But I do not know why many humans cannot do that... I think I should rest, tomorrow we can get some information from Dacosta regarding Chairman Gilbert Dullindal."
Andrew smiled lightly at her, helping her to walk to the lift and to return to her chambers to change and rest.
He had first seen Lacus Clyne's true face. And he knew that to piss her off might be on the greatest mistake that any men can make against her. Maybe.
A/U: I know this chapter is quite suky... feel free to comment and suggest how I can make my errors disappear or be modified to be better... This story here is really AU.
Hope you have enjoyed reading this chapter though.