Thanks for the reviews!
Warning! This contains Character Death (Nicol's death doesn't count)
"…" Speech
"…" thoughts/ flashback speech
I do not own! - Takes place after the Archangel takes off from Orb, before Nicol dies.
Note: I did some rewriting, not big changes, just some stuff to make it better. Hope you enjoy!
XXXXX
After a while, a disgruntled Yzak and a reluctant Dearka left the area to get reinforcements. Athrun turned and growled and the legged ship. "You're going down!" He took off from the island but was forced back on by the Strike. "Get out of my way!"
"Stop this Athrun," Kira begged. "Revenge isn't going to bring you anything!"
"Get the hell out of my way," Athrun hissed, ignoring Kira's comment. "Or I'll have to destroy you as well!"
Kira winced at the harsh words. "Do you really mean that?"
"Yes," Athrun spat, eventhough in his heart, he knew he was lying. "So just get out of my way!"
"No way!" Kira said stubbornly. "They're my friends! I won't let you!"
Athrun scowled. "Fine then, I'll just have to get through you!" He jumped from his place and slashed at Kira using all of his beam sabers. Kira grunted, having difficulty dodging them all. He cried out in surprise when one of them grazed his left arm. The cockpit shook.
Kira took out his own beam saber and retaliated. Clashes rang out as their sabers met each other, again and again, neither winning nor losing.
"Athrun…" Kira said slowly, begging. "Please don't do this."
"AHHHH!" Athrun screamed in rage and swung his beam sabers wildly, making Kira go on the defensive. He managed to cut off the Strike's head and one of its legs.
Kira managed to get both of the Aegis' legs off, disabling the red MS. "Good job, Ensign Yamato." Lt. Badgirel's voice came. "Just leave the rest to us."
"What?" Kira asked surprised. "What do you mean?"
His question was answered when the Archangel fired its Valiant beam. Kira's eyes widened in horror as the golden, electric charged beam headed its way towards a disabled Aegis.
"NO!" Kira screamed. "ATHRUN! GET OUT OF THE WAYYY!"
Athrun's eyes widened at the incoming beam. He froze on the spot, his energy spent. He already knew it was too late.
"AAATTHRRUUUN!" Kira screamed. "NOOO!"
Athrun closed his eyes, waiting for the incoming pain and death. He waited, and waited, and waited. It never came. But an explosion did, and it through the Aegis a few meters back. A part of the explosion hit the Aegis, and the cockpit shook and electric zapped out. Athrun immediately jumped out of the cockpit just in time before the Aegis exploded.
He was thrown back a couple meters. Once he hit the ground from falling 20 meters from above, he heard one of his legs crack. He winced. A broken leg, great.
A feeling of dread came over him. He looked around, knowing that the Aegis was destroyed, and was searching for the Strike.
Athrun's breath hitched as he saw what used to be the Strike's arm. Then he spotted the leg, the head… the torso. The torso was badly beaten; a hole went right through a part of it.
Kira had to be alive and around here somewhere…right? He ran around, frantically trying to find his best friend. "KIRA! KIRAAA!" He screamed. "Oh god please no…"
He spotted a prone body on the ground a few meters from where he was lying. Athrun could recognize the bloodied and dirtied flight suit. It was from the Earth Alliance… Athrun's breath came in short and hitched as his eyes widened in disbelief. "Please don't be Kira…please!"
He practically crawled and dragged his broken leg to the figure and kneeled beside it. He turned the body over, and surprisingly not, his eyes met a bloodied face of Kira. "Kira!" One look at the injuries, and you could tell that this boy wasn't going to last much longer. He had at least 4 broken ribs, a punctured lung, a large piece of plastic stuck out of his chest, a large slash across his stomach, both legs were broken, one of his arms were twisted, and there was a very large and deep cut on his temple. It was a miracle that he even had a body after that blast. "Kira? Wake up!"
Purple eyes that were glazed over with pain opened slowly. "A-Athru-n?" He coughed up blood and then gasped in pain as his movements jarred his broken ribs.
"Kira!" Athrun didn't even try holding back his tears. The logical part of his mind told him that Kira wasn't going to survive, but he denied it. Kira HAD to survive… he just can't die! "Shhh… I'm going to bring you into my ship for medical help. Just hold on."
Kira managed a small sad smile. "I-I'm n-not going to survive-" he coughed up more blood and winced in pain. "- this. Y-you kn-know it's t-true."
"NO!" Athrun cried. "You are going to survive. You have to!" More tears escaped his eyes. "You have to…" He sat down, lifted Kira up (making sure he didn't touch one of Kira's many many injuries) and put his best friend's head on his shoulder. Kira's back leaned against Athrun's chest. Athrun leaned against what used to be a part of the Strike. Athrun carefully hugged him close. "Please don't go…"
Kira relaxed and got as comfortable as he could with two broken legs. He coughed up more blood and winced when he tasted the metallic taste as the blood flowed out of his mouth. "I-I'm dying, A-Athrun… a-and y-you know it…"
Athrun just cried into Kira's hair, ignoring all the blood that was smearing onto his face. "Why? Why did you jump in front of me like that!"
Kira smiled softly. "I t-told you. I would g-gladly g-give my life if I w-was able to s-save a f-friend… you're n-no exception. You're my b-best f-friend, always were, a-always w-will b-be." His voice shook as pain overcame his senses for a second. "D-don't cry…"
"How can I not?" Athrun sobbed. "You're gonna die! Oh god… you shouldn't have done that! I should have been the one to get hit! Not you!"
"D-don't say that," Kira muttered. He could see black dots dance across his vision. He understood what it meant. His death was close. His life is close to an end. His head throbbed and he was dizzy.
Athrun immediately noticed Kira's body sagging against his own. "Kira! Don't die yet… please… oh god, don't take him! Please! Not Kira!"
Kira smiled weakly. The black dots grew bigger and bigger until blackness enveloped his sight. Pain blasted from every point of his body until it numbed his mind. Then… everything went still, the numbness spread across his whole body and he felt himself being pulled up and out of something. Then, he felt nothing and his mind blanked into oblivion and death.
XXX
Athrun stared at the slumped body. Disbelief came over his mind.
"No…nononononononon!" Athrun bit his lip. He turned Kira around, afraid of the answer.
Half-lidded purple eyes stared back at him.
Emotionless eyes, cold eyes.
Eyes that were utterly lifeless.
Athrun frantically checked Kira's pulse, practically poking everywhere around his neck. Nothing. He clutched the body to his own, crying, sobbing, denying. "No… no no no! Kira no!" Athrun shook the body, refusing to believe Kira was actually… dead. "Don't go! Please… don't leave! Come back! Damn you! Damn you… you were supposed to live for another 5000 years! YOU LIAR!"
Athrun cradled Kira's head, ignoring all the blood that smeared onto his destroyed flight suit. "Don't you remember your promise? That you'll come to the PLANTs after? How can you fulfill that promise if you're dead? HUH! Wake up! WAKE UP! Come on Kira… don't die on me…"
His mind burned the idea of Kira being dead, but every time Athrun looked at Kira's face all he could see was dead purple eyes. He knew Kira was dead.
Dead.
Dead!
Athrun clutched the body in front of him, his mind denying it over and over again. Denying the fact that he'd never be able to see Kira again. Denying the fact that he'd never dance around the snow with Kira tackling him from behind. Denying the fact that Kira won't be there to comfort him again. Denying the fact that once he sees the pictures he has of Kira he would cry because he knows that he knows that he's dead.
"Don't you remember the time it was my birthday? You had snuck into our lunar prep school to get your present for me. I had to go get you and I was so surprised that the present was a mechanic dog. You gave me the inspiration to make more mechanic toys did you know?"
That was how Yzak and Dearka had found the broken boy and the dead Coordinator half an hour later with reinforcements. Athrun was still telling Kira to wake up, rocking the brown haired boy. He kept on muttering old memories, as if hoping that Kira would somehow wake up because of that.
Yzak and Dearka had managed to tear Athrun away from the body. They had to seduce him because he was thrashing around wildly even with a broken leg. The rest of the ZAFT team had taken the body away to be buried in the PLANTs later on.
XXXX
(After the war ended)
Athrun kneeled in front of a tombstone the one on top of his best friend's body. He sighed as he put flowers in front of it. And then he put chocolates beside the flowers. "Hey Kira. Good news, the war ended about a week ago. I always knew you hated the war and killing people." He traced his best friend's name that was imprinted on the tombstone. "I'm sorry, I know I'm late. I know I should've come last week. But I hate this. I hate coming here; no it's not because of you. It's because every time I come here, I remember the reason why you died. I hate talking to a piece of rock. I hate talking without a response. I hate remembering your death. I hate remembering that I can't simply go to you for advice or for fun. I hate it!"
He sat down in front of the grave and sighed. "I'm sorry. Anyways, did you know you had a twin sister? You met her before, her name's Cagalli. We found out a bit after I joined the Archangel. Speaking about Cagalli, I have another piece of good news. Cagalli and I are engaged. She helped me so much during the war, especially about coping with your death and my dad's. Don't worry; I'll take good care of her." He smiled. "I brought some flowers, your favourite ones, the White Symphony. And some chocolates. I remember you telling me how much you love chocolates, their flavor and all the sugar it contains."
Athrun sighed. "Everything seems so dull and dead ever since you died. I wish I hadn't been so rash about Nicol's death. Maybe, just maybe, everything might've been different. You might not have died, and maybe many wouldn't have died. You were always the person who loved saving people.
Athrun got up. "Well, I have to go; Cagalli and I are discussing our marriage plans. I can't be late, or she'll have my head on a silver platter. Oh yeah, we already decided on the date, May 16th. It's too bad you won't be able to see it. It's real peaceful here on Earth and on the PLANTs. It's too bad you're not here, you loved peace didn't you? You were always the kind of person to love peace. You're just like Lacus in that sense." Athrun looked thoughtful. "You know, you two would've made a great couple… if you hadn't died…" He sighed. "I'll visit you next week. Until then, see you."
With that, he walked away from the gravestone which had a picture of a smiling, cheerful looking sixteen year old boy.
Right above it, the air seemed to twinkle. A soft voice flowed by the grave, so soft, it could be mistaken for the sound of the wind. "Congratulations Athrun. Don't forget, I'll always be here for you in spirit. Remember you're forever my bestest best friend!"
XXXXX
End of story.
Hehe. I actually meant it to be longer, but I decided to cut it short. I was gonna have Athrun commit suicide and get more drama. But then my friend had said that Athrun isn't so mentally impaired to commit suicide over his best friend's death. I was going to do it anyways but I couldn't think of how I was going to write a suicide scene. Oh well, hope you enjoyed it!
Review!