The only reason I'm updating so quickly is because I'm ina really bad mood because it's been raining outside for the past few days and I haven't been able to do anything but go on the computer or watch TV or read. So I'm updating fast. But I would really like more reviews, so that I know that people are actually appreciating my work. Thanks so much Jiang Mae for the support, it makes me feel really good! And this will be a long chappie! Action time! So yeah. And also, I'm going to be following the actual happenings of the TV series from here on, just adding an extra character to the mix. But don't worry, it's still different and has pretty interesting events.
Disclaimer: It's sad, but true...I don't own Gundam Seed, or the series itself,or its characters, or its mobile suits (except for Rin and the Destroyer). Quick appearance by Tolle in this chappie, who I also don't own. I like Tolle though...he was sweet...anyways, I don't own anything in this story but Rin and the Destroyer. The End. Now read.
CHAPTER FOUR – THE FIERCE BATTLE
About an hour later, the ship's pilot announced that they'd found the Archangel. "Shall we intercept them?" he asked Athrun. He nodded, a very determined look on his face.
"Today is the day the Strike goes down!" Yzak said fiercely, with much passion and anger.
"Yeah," agreed Dearka enthusiastically (though not as enthusiastically as his partner), "and he'll pay for giving you that scar."
Weren't they forgetting something? Without thinking, Rin blurted out, "And for Nicol, too."
They all stared at her, Dearka and Yzak because they didn't know you knew about their previous teammate, and Athrun because he didn't know you knew his name. "How do you know about Nicol?" Dearka demanded.
Rin felt her face heating up. Oops! Shouldn't have said that! "I heard about what happened," she said hurriedly, and turned away so that they couldn't see her expression. Please, don't question me further; I have enough to think about already…
Thankfully, the boys let that go and they all hurried to change and get into their mobile suits. Rin quickly followed, and suited up into the ZAFT red suit with the armor stuff on the chest and shoulders. Then she tied her hair into a quick, messy braid to make the helmet more comfortable against her head and so her hair didn't get in her face. Then she boarded her mobile suit.
The Destroyer was a black machine equipped with beam sabres, plenty of places to shoot from/with, lots of firepower, and very special abilities. It was built tough and was very hard to penetrate. It also came with twin swords and twin shields as well. Its speed was twice that of the Blitz, what Rin knew to be her brother's mobile suit. Plus it had three times the power, and with her skills piloting it, every shot was accurate and deadly.
Rin was amazing at predicting exactly where the enemy would move and react, so that she could quickly come up with killer strategies and techniques. She was constantly making her own adjustments on the machine to make it even better. And all this was not taught; she learned it all on her own, building up with battle experience.
"So, the Strike gave you that scar?" she said conversationally to Yzak as they waited for the go signal to launch their mobile suits.
"Yeah," he answered with an expression of utmost loathing, "and today he's gonna pay!"
"I'm sure you'll get a good shot at the Strike," she told him, "but make sure you save some of the action for me. I'm here to battle the Strike too, you know."
Yzak glared at her. "Do what you want, but mark my words, I will be the one who destroys the Strike!"
Rin frowned, but didn't reply. Who did he think he was? She was going to be the one who took down the Strike. It had to be her. She had to avenge Nicol. Yzak wasn't fighting for Nicol; he was fighting for himself. So him killing the Strike wouldn't avenge anything. It was up to her to make sure Nicol was avenged.
Finally they got the signal, and they all launched. Sure enough, the Archangel was dead ahead of them. The Strike was launched, and Rin hurried to engage into combat with it. It fired a beam at her, which she blocked easily with one of her shields. She then proceeded to fire back at him with one of her gun-like weapons, but he blocked it as well. The three boys were right with her, all firing at the Strike. Then a sky grasper flew out of the Archangel to help its teammate.
"I've got this one!" Dearka said, and he engaged combat with the sky grasper, luring it away from the ship and the Strike. A fierce battle with lots of shooting commenced between the two of them, with neither pilot having the clear advantage.
Rin grinned. That one's pretty smart, she thought. He'll do fine on his own, and this gives the rest of us an advantage over the Strike. But now she had to focus on defeating the Strike. This was the one who had killed Nicol. She wasn't going to let him get away with it. She and Yzak fought ferociously against him. He was exceptional, being able to fight three of them at once. And though Athrun's style wasn't as all-out as hers and Yzak's, it was still deadly all the same.
Rin and Yzak charged head-on for the Strike, both with their swords. The Strike parried Yzak with itsown swordand Rin with its shield. Rin pushed down hard against it and managed to knock the shield aside. Yzak fired a beam, and the Strike leaped above both of them. Then Athrun came down onto it with a light sabre type of thing. The Strike had hardly any time to react, but it somehow brought out its own light sabre just in time. Rin then quickly went up behind it and fired a beam. It knocked the Strike over, and gave her plenty of room to chop off one of its legs. Then Yzak came charging right in, but the Archangel fired some shooters at him.
In an attempt to help the Strike, the Archangel was shooting at Rin, Athrun, and Yzak. Yzak angrily yelled at the ship, "Stupid legged-ship! Blast you!" and shot down some of the shooters and also made a nice hit to the ship's side. Rin and Athrun countered the blasts headed their way and continued their assault on the Strike while keeping an eye out for any action from the ship.
The Strike was losing power and faring poorly against three vicious (mainly Rin and Yzak, though) attackers. It was clear that it wasn't going to last much longer. Still it fought on hard, countering any close-range attack easily. As for the long-range attacks, well, it no longer had its shield, so there wasn't much it could do besides dodge. Things were going well. Nicol was going to be avenged.
Suddenly another sky grasper appeared out of the Archangel, firing at Rin. She made an easy dodge, thinking, such simple technique…this Natural must be young and naïve if he thinks that will stop us. As soon as she had dodged, she fired a powerful beam. The pilot swerved out of the way just in time, but then Athrun flung his shield at it as it was still dodging. The pilot had no time to react, and the shield hit the ship dead-on, causing it to explode. A helmet flew through the air and blew to bits in the explosion.
That's when things started to get a bit out of hand. It seemed like the Strike and Athrun suddenly went crazy, firing at each other with such force and rage that Rin couldn't help but be a bit worried. They now seemed genuinely angry at each other. The Strike must have been angry for the sudden death of his teammate, and as for Athrun…Rin knew that he, too, was trying to avenge Nicol.
Yzak's machine was suddenly hit by the Archangel itself when he forgot to watch out for its attacks, and the Duel's legs were blasted off. With that, he was forced to retreat, and Rin could tell he was furious. But that's what he gets for jumping in with only the thought of avenging the scar on his face, she thought. I'm fighting to avenge Nicol, but I know I have to act smart all the same. Dearka was still battling the other sky grasper over a nearby island. She still couldn't tell which had the advantage. Athrun and the Strike were fighting so viciously that Rin wondered if Athrun would even attack her as well.
Instead, she focused on the Archangel, and single-handedly she destroyed all of its weapons, preventing it from attacking. The ship hadn't even had the chance to lay one shot on her. That's how fast and skilled she was. With a few big shots and beams to its side, setting it on fire, the Archangel then crash-landed on an island nearby.
Satisfied with her work, Rin observed Athrun's battle with the Strike. Both mobile suits were fighting ferociously and had sustained much damage. They seemed intent on utterly destroying the other. It was almost as if they were radiating bloodlust… She decided it was about time she joined it, even if the battle looked too dangerous for her. In was imperative that it be her who destroyed the Strike. Besides, she could handle it. She knew what she was doing. She'd be fine, as long as she could avenge Nicol.
Suddenly, Athrun's machine began to lose power mid-strike and it then ceased to function. Rin knew that he would not be able to finish off the Strike at this rate. It was up to her now. She charged forward, and saw Athrun leap out of his mobile suit.
"RIN!" he yelled urgently as he saw her charging, horror written all over his face. "GET AWAY!"
But it was too late. She landed a blow to the Strike's side just as Athrun's ship self-destructed. She felt everything around her crack and break down. Her helmet snapped off as she was engulfed in the explosion. She was thrown into the air, and by the time she landed, her legs giving a sickening thud beneath her, Rin was already unconscious.