-Missing in Action-

Chapter Two: Guilt

"What do you mean he's MIA?" Ezalia demanded leaning towards the screen. The person on the other end, Commander Rau Le Creuset bowed his head.

"It was a most unfortunate and unwelcome incident. He was a soldier who-"

"Cut with the sweet talk!" She barked, "What exactly happened? Who took my Yzak away from me? Who killed my son?"

Dearka picked at his food not really seeing it. His mind kept drifting away from reality to the battle that had taken place only three days ago.

…Flashback…

"Dearka! Hit the engines! Let me worry about the Strike!" Yzak's voice was low and laced in fury.

"What about the SkyGr-"

"Shut up and just do it!"

"Yzak!" Athrun argued, "I've already told you to-"

"Shut up bastard! It's your fault it's still here in the first place!" Athrun narrowed his eyes and fired on the Archangel as it fired upon him. Yzak and the Strike exchanged blows and Dearka had to admit it appeared as though the Duel had the upper hand.

"Nicol! Handle the SkyGrasper!" Athrun shouted and the Blitz immediately changed directions. Dearka maneuvered the Buster behind the Archangel and was about to fire when the Strike nailed him from behind.

"Yzak what the hell are you doing?" He shouted "At least keep the Strike preoccupied!"

"Shut up! What the-?" Yzak's voice had gone from anger to astonishment faster then the time given. Dearka had turned his suit only in time to witness the explosion…

"No" Dearka whispered moving his suit forward "No"

…Fin Flashback…

Now that he thought of it he had had many chances to intervene and prevent Yzak from being killed yet he hadn't acted. He had done nothing and as a result his best friend had paid the price in full. He had perished falling into the depths of the sea possibly never to be recovered. He pushed his food away and lowered his head into his arms.

"I should have done something!"

Yzak couldn't believe that he had just given away his name. He blinked a few times before he realized that the person before him was smiling. Yzak watched as Kira bent down and unlocked the cuffs that were locked around his ankles. "There you go Yzak. Now you can walk properly." Yzak took the opportunity and attempted to kick Kira in the face but unfortunately Kira jumped backwards landing on his butt. Yzak bolted but Kira grabbed him and tackled him to the ground. "That's quite a way to say thanks." Yzak lifted his face from the ground and spat blood.

"I bit my tongue!"

Athrun stared out the window trying to shake the disturbing feeling off. For the last few days he had tried to convince himself that it wasn't his fault. Tried to convince himself that Yzak had brought it upon himself. That Yzak had been the one to make the mistake by not doing as he was told…that it was his fault.

"Shut up bastard! It's your fault it's still here in the first place!"

"It's not my fault." He muttered to himself. "I couldn't have done anything different." He let out a long breath calming himself before he left his room. He banged into Nicol who immediately apologized.

"Sorry Athrun. I-I wasn't looking w-where I was going. I'm sorry." Nicol's eyes were bloodshot and slightly puffy.

"Have you been crying?" Nicol looked away from him.

"Sort of." Nicol hesitated, "I just can't help but feel that it was my fault."

"That makes two of us." Athrun grumbled

"I bit my tongue!" Yzak complained yet again. Kira sighed and took him to a cell.

"It's not that bad." Yzak glared at him as Kira unlocked the cuffs around his wrists before shoving him into the cell and locking it. "You'll have to stay here till I find somewhere more suitable to put you."

"I'm a coordinator I could break out of this easily!" Yzak snapped swallowing the blood that had gathered in his mouth. Kira took a few steps back placing the keys in his pocket and grabbed a chair.

"Go ahead."

"I wouldn't do it now!" Yzak snapped "I'd do it when no one is awake!"

"And how would you know when that is?" Kira asked "There's no window, no clock and besides people take shifts on this ship. Someone's bound to be awake at some point and time and look..." Kira pointed to a camera. "You're being watched."

"That will just make my escape more miraculous!"

Dearka awoke to someone shaking his shoulder and his head snapped up. Instantly he regretted it as his neck pained him. He had fallen asleep at the table. Athrun took a seat next to him as Nicol took his cold food to dump it out.

"Hey guys." He grumbled trying to rub the pain away from his neck. "Damn. Never sleep like that." Nicol smiled at him as he returned and took a seat across from him.

"Everything's too quiet." Athrun said after a moment. "I can actually hear myself."

"I wonder ifEzalia hasbeen informed of what happened?"

"By now its likely." Dearka answered, "It's been what three almost four days?"

"How do you think she'll take it?" Nicol asked

"I don't know Ezalia all that well. But if I base it on how Yzak behaves. She'll be strong upfront demanding the head of whomever harmed her son while crying in the background." Dearka couldn't believe how calmly they were speaking.

"That does sound like how a Joule would behave." Athrun admitted, "Though I can't see Yzak or his mom crying." Nicol shook his head agreeing.

"Nor I."

"So. What do you do here?" Yzak asked testing the bars of the cell. Kira looked up at him from his laptop.

"For the most part I pilot the Strike. Actually I-" Yzak froze not listening anymore his hands tightening around a bar.

"What did you just say?" He asked his voice a whisper "What did you just tell me?"

Dearka stood and walked to the window.

"Well what now? Do we avenge him?" Athrun and Nicol looked at him.

"That would be a risky." Athrun muttered "There is only three of us now. And we've struggled in the past when there were four of us." Nicol agreed

"Getting killed now will prove nothing."

"So we sneak into the legged ship then." Dearka said slowly "It'll be risky but if we can take it down from the inside then we won't have to worry about it anymore and Yzak will be avenged." Athrun stood suddenly and Nicol gasped.

"What!"

"If what I've heard is true then we have a problem." Ami said. Her orange eyes softened and she stood her blonde hair bouncing as she did so. "Ken!"

"Yeah?" The boy said lazily not looking away from the Television. His crimson eyes closed as he yawned and leaned deeper into the couch his tangled red hair becoming more chaotic. He blinked a few times before grabbing the remote and flipping through the channels.

"I need you to do something for me."

"Yeah?"

"I need you to get your mobile suit ready and depart for…are you listening to me?"

"Yeah?"

"Repeat to me what I just told you?"

"Yeah?"

"Ken!" she shouted and the boy jumped turning and looking at her. He smiled.

"Yeah?"

This is indeed a longer chapter and I'm always hesitant about adding new characters into the mix and having lame introductions and descriptions for them. So bare with me…I haven't really figured out certain points in the story but I'm well on my way. The next chapter will take a few days so give me time to plot it out. It'll be a bit longer then this one.