Chapter One: The Stage is Set

Kuzzey and Greg, two Naturals, strolled through the market place of the bustling city of Venanatia. Both had guns in holsters at their waists; you could never be too careful in such dangerous times.

Greg was fuming. "This place is just crawling with filthy Coordinators. Who do they think they are, just strolling in here and pushing us aside, just because they couldn't sustain their stupid colonies? They think they can just walk all over us, and treat us like we are the scum of this place! And what boils my blood more is that our precious Princess Cagalli" (he spat the name like it was venom) "sits there and lets it happen. If I were in her place, I would call in the military and have the Coordinators exterminated, like the parasites they are!"

Kuzzey tried to shush his friend, which only made Greg snap at him. "You want them here, then? Crawling all over our Earth? They made their decisions; they kept making more of themselves and they left Earth. They should have to deal with their own problems! They would never help us, why should we help them?"

"Greg, Greg!" Kuzzey hissed, "I agree with you, they shouldn't be here. But please, don't talk so loudly. A Coordinator could walk by at any moment."

"We could take them," Greg grumbled.

"I have no wish to be moved to draw my weapon."

"You are never moved, Kuzzey," replied Greg.

"I would be moved by being pushed into it. I have no wish to fight unless I had no other choice," Kuzzey replied. He stopped at a kiosk and picked up an apple, tossing a coin to the vender.

As they walked on, Greg nudged Kuzzey in the ribs and whispered in his ear, "Keep your hand on your gun; I see scum ahead."

Sure enough, two Coordinators had just rounded a corner up ahead.

"Don't provoke them," Kuzzey warned, "If we fire first, the law is against us." Greg nodded. The two Naturals did their best at strolling casually by, but Greg could not help himself. As the two black haired Coordinators walked by, he stuck out his foot, causing one to stumble.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you are doing?" the other Coordinator asked, pulling his friend up before he hit the broken pavement of the sidewalk.

Kuzzey glared at Greg. "It was an accident," he said casually and began to walk away.

"The hell it was!" exclaimed the Coordinator who tripped, pulling out his gun, "You think you're better than me, Natural?" he snarled.

"Much better," Greg replied.

The Coordinator squeezed his trigger. Kuzzey pulled Greg down in the knick of time, throwing them behind a stall selling odds and ends. People in the market screamed and ran for cover. Ever since the Coordinators arrived three months before, more than a few innocent by standers had lost their lives in the crossfire. The two Coordinators ducked behind some crates that were sitting, waiting to be unloaded. Kuzzey drew his weapon and was about to fire, when a slim, green-haired young man dashed out from around a corner.

"Wait!" Nicol cried, holding up both hands to signal the four men to hold their fire, "Stop, don't shoot."

At that point, Sai, a blond Natural with the temper of a hungry shark, strutted onto the scene.

"And why shouldn't they shoot?" he asked, as if he had been greatly insulted, "Ah, because it is the cowardly Nicol who bade them to do so. Are you afraid to fight? If you are a man, turn around and face your death." Sai pulled out his gun and pointed it directly at Nicol's head.

"I'm trying to keep the peace," Nicol said, not drawing his weapon, but keeping his had close incase he needed it. "I am no coward, but I don't want anyone to die today."

"A Coordinator, talking of peace!" Sai cried, still pointing his gun, "If you didn't want anyone to die, you and your kind should've never come here."

Sirens sounded in the distance. Nicol sighed in relief; some one had called the police. Within seconds, the cops had arrived and split up the scuffle, confiscating all guns. They were about to cart some people off for questioning, when a hoard of unfriendly guests arrived.

From one side came a group of Coordinators, their leader Kira, a renowned military man in his mid forties, storming at the head of the group, his hand on the butt of his gun, ready to pull. His wife Lacus had to jog to keep up with his quick pace, begging him not to stir up more trouble.

From the other side of the market came the Naturals. Their leader was Mwu, who was a few years older than Kira. He had a look on his face that would have made milk curdle. His wife Murrue was desperately trying to keep him from drawing his weapon.

"Look at that piece of filth," Mwu hissed to his wife as he tried to wrench his gun out of his holster, "walking around here like he belongs. I swear to God, his head will meet with a bullet of mine one of these days."

"Mwu, don't say such things!" Murrue exclaimed.

Just as the two clans were about to clash, a roaring black motorcycle flew into the ever tightening gap. It stopped dead centre, between Kira and Mwu. The rider took of her helmet, and blonde hair swung out and her blue eyes blazed. Just behind her, twenty other motorcycles came roaring along and spread out in a line behind her. It was Cagalli, Princess of Venanatia, and her body guards.

"What is the meaning of this?" yelled Cagalli, outraged. "The two of you again, I see," looking between Kira and Mwu. "What do you think you are doing, shooting off guns in public places, endangering the lives of my people! I will not tolerate any more of this. I want to see both of you," she pointed at Mwu, then Kira, "in my office, this afternoon. I promise you, the next time either of you spill blood on the streets of my city, I will have your heads! All of you, go home, NOW!" Cagalli screamed at the top of her lungs. Not wanting to test her limits, the crowds dissipated at a tremendous speed. The Princess shoved her helmet back on and signaled with her hand for her bodyguards to follow her. She roared out of the marketplace with her train right behind her.

Nicol, who had got his gun back from the police, pushed his way through the crowed of Coordinators. He came up to Kira Yamato and bobbed his head in a quick bow.

"Who started this?" Kira demanded.

"One of the Naturals tripped one of our men on purpose, so our guy drew his gun and shot at the Natural." Nicol reported.

"Damn Naturals," Kira hissed under his breath.

Lacus was clinging onto her husband's arm, not only out of affection, but also to make sure he didn't make any sudden moves. A pensive look came over her face. "I am glad that Dearka did not get involved in this mess," she said softly. "I worry about him a great deal. I worry about you also, Nicol, this fighting will only end in deaths, and I could not bear it if such a tragedy came so close to us."

Nicol smiled a little. "Don't worry about us, Aunt Lacus. Dearka and I know what we are doing."

"But all the same…" Lacus whispered.

"Have you seen our son today?" Kira asked curtly.

"I saw him leaving the city boarders around dawn," Nicol answered. "He looked like he was going for a walk in the woods."

"He's been doing that a lot lately," Kira said, almost irritated, "Leaving early, coming home late, and never leaving his room while he is there."

Lacus leaned her head against Kira's shoulder. "He must be in love," she said silkily, "As I recall, you went through a similar stage around his age," Lacus said, smiling up at her husband.

The crowd behind them was nearly all gone, so Kira stopped walking and swung his wife around gently to face her. "I still love you as much as I did then," he murmured and pulled her in for a soft kiss. Kira Yamato was a kind and loving man, but the times were difficult, and he sometimes lost himself in the turmoil.

They had reached the gates of the Yamato estate on the outskirts of town. Kira entered the code to enter as Lacus bid goodbye to her nephew.

"If you see Dearka," she was saying, "make him promise to be home for dinner tonight. And make sure you are there too."

"Sure thing, Aunt Lacus!" Nicol replied as she slipped through the gates up to her house.

Dearka was sitting on a stone bench overlooking a large pond at the edge of the woods. He was hunched over, chin in his hands, lost in his thoughts. He didn't realize his cousin was sitting beside him until Nicol cleared his throat.

Dearka jumped slightly. "Jesus," he said, "you could have told me you were there."

"I just did," the green-haired youth answered cheekily, "Your mother wants you home in time for dinner tonight, so you'd better make sure you are there, or else she'll be serving my head for breakfast."

Dearka chuckled at the thought; he could not remember a single time when he had seen his mother angry. He fell silent again, running his hand through his unruly golden hair.

"Dude, what is up with you lately?" asked Nicol, regarding his cousin with a concerned look on his face. Dearka sighed. "It' a girl isn't it?" Nicol asked, a knowing smile on his face. Dearka didn't reply. "There isn't a single girl of ours that wouldn't have you, just ask her out!" Nicol chirped.

"She's not one of ours," Dearka said, his voice little more than a whisper.

"What!" Nicol yelped, "A Natural?"

Dearka sat up, elbowing his cousin in the ribs. "Shut up!" he hissed, looking around to make sure no one was around to hear.

"Who?" Nicol whispered, leaning in.

"Rosalind," Dearka admitted, not meeting his cousin's honey brown orbs, even though he could feel them burning a hole into the side of his head.

"Rosalind, as in Rosalind la Flaga, as in Mwu la Flaga's niece?" Nicol asked, disbelievingly.

"Dude, shut up," Dearka murmured, slumping down on the bench, running both hands through his hair with his eyes closed.

"So what do you like so much about her?" Nicol asked with a sly grin.

"Look Nicol, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not a chick. I don't like talking about my feelings and shit, okay?" Dearka sneered.

"Whatever," Nicol said, standing up, "We should leave if we are going to get back to your house in time for supper."

Both teens slipped out of the park into the lengthening shadows.

A/N:I'm not going to be like those people who refuse to post unless 40 jillion people review. As long as one person lets me know that they want to read more, I'll keep posting. : )