I am so so so so sorry it took so long to update! My computer completely crashed...so to make it up to you guys, as soon as I see a third review posted for this chappie I will update right away! (I have the whole series on word finished.)
Thank yous:
crazygundamgirl: I'm glad you like it! Thanks for the review!
Sword of the soul: Yeah, I can understand if you think it a bit strange. Thanks so much for always reviewing!
ZGMF X-19A Infinite Justice: No, Kira won't tell her. Read and find out what happens, though! .
Disclaimer: I own Rin and the Harmony, but nothing else. Also, I took some quotes from the English episodes for this chapter, so as part of the disclaimer, the quotes are not mine. I'll underline them so you know which ones they are. And they might not be exact. Just so you know.
CHAPTER TEN: CAGALLI'S MISTAKE
Soon after, the Earth Alliance mobile armors returned to finish what they started. Rin and Kira hurried to board their mobile suits, but someone's call stopped them.
"Kira! Rin!"
The two soldiers of Orb turned around to see Athrun running for them. He stopped when he reached them, panting slightly. "You know that there's no way Orb will win this fight?"
Rin was surprised at this. But Kira smiled. "Yeah," he said.
Rin thought about this. About the soldiers they were fighting with and against, and each side's abilities…and so it was true. There was no way, even with the three coordinators fighting, that Orb would not be taken. But still…
Kira pretty much summed up her feelings as well as his. "But that doesn't mean that we'll just sit around and let them do what they want with us, now does it? I'd really rather not fight if I can help it, but there are some things you can't protect without fighting."
Rin nodded. "Yeah, you're right, Kira. So let's do our best!" And she boarded the Harmony and got going, with Kira right behind her. Sadly, she noticed that Athrun wasn't following suit. But she had no time for that. She had to fight to protect Orb.
The three strong mobile armors were already wrecking havoc by the time she and Kira arrived on the scene, and were instantly onto them. Rin was finally able to identify them as the Forbidden, the Calamity, and the Raider, and she had already witnessed their abilities, so she was pretty sure she'd be okay. But of course, when you're fighting a three-on-two battle, things aren't always going to go your way. And things definitely didn't. Within about a minute into the fight, she and Kira were already on the ropes.
"Damn it!" Kira yelled as he was pushed back.
Rin charged in his place, but while spinning to dodge two blows, a third one hit her in the back and she plunged forwards, almost hitting the water. "Aaaaiieeee!"
That's when Athrun showed up on the scene. Rin gasped in delight.
"Both of us completely understood what you meant," Athrun said, his voice full of determination, and Rin knew he was speaking on behalf of Dearka as well. "There are things in this world you wanna protect – sometimes you gotta fight for them!"
Rin smiled in admiration. He sure knew how to be cool.
"Let's kick ass!" he said.
"Yeah!" exclaimed Rin happily. "Couldn't have said it better myself!
Kira grinned as well, and the fight was on.
Each of them took on one mobile armor apiece. Kira took on the Forbidden, and Athrun took on the Raider, leaving the Calamity for Rin, which was fine by her, because she found its abilities (firing two beams at once) pretty easy to dodge.
She was right. Dodging the beams was an easy task now that she was one-on-one with the machine. Rin was having the time of her life fighting him off, matching power for power. And she also knew that firing so often would leave the enemy machine powerless sooner or later, and she developed a strategy to taunt the pilot into using all of his power. While dodging his attacks, she was also able to lend Kira and Athrun helping hands by firing at their enemies at random when they weren't looking her way. Her taunts were also driving her enemy crazy.
"Come on, hotshot!" she teased. "Come and get me – if you can, that is!"
At first, he was a bit surprised that Rin was a girl. But as time went on, that no longer mattered. He grew more aggravated and his attacks grew wilder by the second.
"Aw, look at that!" she mocked. "The little pilot doesn't know how to aim for his target! Poor thing!"
"YOU BITCH!" he roared at her, firing his most powerful beams yet. Just to make him feel a little better, she let the beams hit her shield instead of dodging.
Now was Rin's chance to act. There was a beam blaster hidden beneath her shield, and taking aim, she fired, right for the mobile armor's head. It dodged, and suddenly it began its retreat, taking Athrun's enemy with it. And then Kira's opponent retreated as well.
Rin flew over to Kira and Athrun, panting, and staring at the mobile armors until they became nothing more than specks in the distance.
Inside, Lord Izumi had an announcement to make. They were abandoning Orb and heading for space. Rin saw the sense in these words, but was sad to hear that they were giving up. Still, she was excited to head out for space. As she was leaving to get ready, she gave Kira and Athrun a smile.
"Hey, Rin, wait for me!"
Rin turned to see Cagalli following her. "Oh, hey Cagalli," she said. "Is something wrong?"
"Well, not really," Cagalli said, trying to choose the right words to say. "So you're…all right with Kira now?"
"Oh, yeah," Rin said, not catching the meaning of her words. "He's a really great pilot, and he's really quite nice."
Cagalli was surprised. "I mean – after everything he did – and you're okay?"
Rin frowned, wondering what Cagalli was getting at. "What are you talking about?" she asked in confusion. "I don't get where you're going with this."
Cagalli was confused too, but slightly happy. "So you don't want revenge on him, then?"
"Revenge?" asked Rin in surprise. "Why would I want re…" She trailed off, and all the puzzle pieces fit themselves together. She knew the reason behind Cagalli's words. And she suddenly remembered where she had seen Kira before, and this time her head didn't pound: with Lacus. He was the pilot of the Strike. It was Kira, all along! And then she remembered at the tea, when she mentioned the Strike and both of them looked so strange. And Kira's reaction when she was so kind to him. He expected her to want revenge. Because he had killed Nicol!
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" Rin shrieked at Cagalli. "That all this time – it was him – and he was acting like my friend!" With that, she took off, tears streaming down her face. All along, it had been him. And he never said anything to her about it! How could he not? Wasn't he at all sorry for what he'd done? She could never forgive a jerk like him.
"Hey, Rin? What's the matter? Are you alright?"
Rin turned to see the last person she wanted to see right then: Kira. And all of her anger exploded.
"THOUGHT I'D JUST SIT BACK AND NEVER REALIZE THE TRUTH?" she bellowed. "AND ALL THIS TIME YOU WERE JUST PRETENDING TO BE MY FRIEND – BUT YOU DON'T CARE, DO YOU? YOU'RE JUST A HEARTLESS MURDERER! GET OUT OF HERE! GET AWAY FROM ME!" And she ran, leaving Kira standing there, an expression of hurt and regret on his face.
When Rin finally stopped running, she was in an empty room, with only three gundams inside: the Freedom, Justice, and Harmony. That was were she let her emotions run through, and she began to pound her head against the wall, trying to get all of her anger out before anyone would notice. But then screams erupted from her throat, terrible, anguished screams that would surely attract someone's attention, and she just couldn't stop them. "AAARGH! AAARGH! AAARGH!"
"Rin?" Suddenly a hand was on her shoulder in a gentle but firm grip. Rin stopped screaming abruptly and turned to see who it was.
It was Athrun. He had an expression of genuine concern on his face, but there was also a determination to find out what was wrong.
"Rin, please, tell me what's wrong," he said, a little alarmed when Rin turned to glare at him with utmost hatred. "Please just tell me –"
"GET AWAY FROM ME, DAMN IT!" she screamed at him, letting out all of her anger on him instead of a wall. "YOU AND KIRA – I HATE YOU BOTH!"
"Rin, what are you talking about?" he exclaimed in surprise when she tried to punch the wall. He grabbed her arm, and she promptly used the other one to punch him in the face. Athrun winced but quickly got a grip on that arm as well. "What on earth has gotten into you?"
"HE KILLED HIM! HE KILLED HIM! HE'S A MURDERER! AND YET YOU ACT LIKE HE'S DONE NOTHING WRONG – YOU JUST LET HIM BE!"
"I don't understand, Rin," Athrun said, releasing his grip on her when she kicked him in the shin. "If you could just calm down and we talk about it –"
Everything left inside of her exploded. "I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!" she shrieked. "KIRA KILLED MY NICOL! HE KILLED MY BROTHER! HOW THE HELL CAN YOU FORGIVE HIM FOR THAT!" Her knees gave way beneath her and she fell to the ground, sobbing and wailing in torment.
Athrun made no move. His mouth and eyes were wide, and he was staring in shock.
Rin quickly found the strength to stand. Without another word, she dashed out of the room, crying madly, leaving Athrun alone with the lifeless gundams.