Hi!

I'm so excited! It's Friday and a holiday! Regrettably, I am going to be away for a few days so I won't have a chance to post for a while. Here is the fourth chapter – I hope you like it. It was really hard to write. Thank you for all of you who took the time to review! Happy Easter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny or any references made to either. (I'm still waiting to see Destiny lol)

Gundam Seed: Abhorrence

Chapter #4: Flight and Capture

Everything seemed to transform into a blur as Athrun tore down the street, struggling to maneuver through the crowds while casting the odd, frantic glance over his shoulder only to see his pursuers close on his heels. Catching the murderous glint in Neo's eyes, Athrun gritted his teeth and pushed himself on. Stamina normally wasn't a problem for him but he found the ground slippery beneath his boots, impeding his movements dramatically.

Skidding, he darted around a corner, completely oblivious to where he was going and raced down the empty ally as quickly as his feet would permit. Sweat gathered on his brow as his heart pounded against his chest. Shaking his head, he desperately looked from left to right, wondering which way to turn, which way to go.

"Oh Cagalli," He mentally groaned softly. "Why didn't tell me you were in trouble?"

As he fled, his mind suddenly picked up on something and he moaned despairingly, cursing himself and his appearance. His green eyes and dark, blue hair could be seen meters way due to the fact almost everyone around him was blonde and blue-eyed. He wouldn't be able to loose himself easily amongst the vast numbers of people surrounding him.

Athrun was a good runner, heck, he was a great runner… however, jet leg and weariness were beginning to creep up upon him and, after a while, he could feel his limbs stiffen as he unintentionally began to slow down. He couldn't keep the pace and the need to rest was becoming painfully overwhelming.

Glancing to his left, a flare of hope ignited from within his soul as he caught sight of a small patch of brush just a few meters past the end of the alleyway. His eyes flashed with recognition as his thoughts fell back to growing up in the PLANTS. His parents would always take him camping in the thick forests … he felt almost just as at home in the trees as he did in mobile suits. Without a second thought, he made a move towards the small forest. Perhaps it was a park, perhaps it was a conservation area – at this point he didn't care. The ever-green trees would provide the perfect cover.

Running, he was dimly aware that he couldn't hear the sounds of his pursuers and could only guess that he had managed to put some distance between them. He reached up and without loosing any momentum, grabbed a low branch and pulled himself up into the concealment of the mighty pine tree. He winced as the branches scrapped roughly against his skin but too much of his energy was being spent just climbing to a higher and safer level to really pay it any attention.

Panting hard, he perched himself on a firm branch and, after assuring himself that it wouldn't snap, he held onto the trunk of the tree. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the cold bark, breathing deeply and trying to slow his rapidly beating heart.

Why were these people after him? What did he have? What was it that Neo had seen in him before calling to his associates? Athrun shuddered and let his limbs go limp for a moment. Was it because he was a Coordinator? Was that the only cause they had for pursuing him like this?

"He couldn't have gone far. Keep looking…"

Athrun's ears perked at the sound of voices and he inhaled sharply as panic kicked into his system. They were right beneath him. He could hear them, he could feel their presence just inches from where he sat, clutching tightly to the tree for dear life.

"You better show yourself now," Another voice warned and to Athrun's surprise the owner of the second voice had spoken in English! One of them was bilingual.

Crouched low on the branch, Athrun remained motionless save for the wafting kiss of the breeze stirring his dark hair. It wasn't just the one man that Athrun was afraid of rather it was the group of men that were on his trail for reasons that simply escaped him.

He could hear talking though he understood little. In fact, all he did understand were the words "Coordinator" and "Cagalli" that seemed to make their way into the conversation.

Holding his breath, Athrun waited patiently until he was certain that the group had moved on. He couldn't see them but he could hear their angered voices becoming more and more distant. Even after he was sure that the group had moved on, he waited a few extra minutes that seemed like hours before dropping lightly to the ground and taking flight once more. He had to get away from here. He had to get back to Cagalli. She was the only one who could explain to him what on earth was going on. Surely, she had to know.

Athrun's swift legs moved with urgent speed, faster than usual, knowing that his enemies were near. Shaking his head, he was beginning to loose what little sense of direction he had had. When he heard, however, the loud whiz of an object coming near him, he dodged right only to see a sharp knife whiz past his head. Gasping at the idea of what could have been, Athrun stumbled, throwing a startled gaze over his shoulder only to see four large men a few yards away.

"Stop him!" The cry was raised and Athrun forced himself to move faster. He preferred flight over battle when the odds were so overwhelmingly against him.

Three men stepped out from the trees ahead of him but Athrun, driven by desperation, was one step ahead of them. Catching a tree limb above his head, Athrun swung up and kicked one of the men in the chest, knocking him back into his companions. Landing sure-footed like a wildcat on the ground, Athrun took little time to admire what he had done before back-stepping to his right and retreating once more.

The men, unfortunately, had strategically circled him, leaving no opening for a frantic escape attempt. Athrun staggered slightly as he skidded to a stop and double backed to put some distance between himself and the men that were quickly closing in on him. Things were becoming more perilous by the second and escape was beginning to look bleak.

Neo was the first to strike, lunging forward in an attempt to pull Athrun's legs out from under him. Athrun didn't stop to think as he grabbed hold of the same limb he had earlier and heaved himself up into the tree, narrowly escaping the clutches of the larger man.

Neo's eyes flashed in growing fury as he tried once more to grab Athrun but he was already out of reach. In the tree, Athrun strained to pull himself upwards and chanced a quick glance downward. A sick feeling formed in his stomach as he grimly realized that he was trapped.

Otto smirked, his face molding into a twisted satisfaction as he pointed up towards the tree and picked up a stone from the snowy ground. He then began barking out orders to his men. "Let's bring this squirrel down!"

Athrun fought frenziedly with his slippery grip on the truck of the tree. Unlike the one he had taken refuge in earlier, the branches were weak and snapped the moment he put any weight on them thus he was practically hanging off the trunk, feet dangling and helpless.

A surprised grunt escaped his lips as something slammed into his side. Athrun readjusted his hold on the tree and fought to hang on. Immediately, he could feel pain congregating in his kidneys from where he had been struck and narrowed his eyes in an attempt to focus on the task at hand. Another object struck his shoulder, throwing his upper body slightly forward as another struck his thigh and another smacked into his back. Athrun bit his tongue and turned his head sharply to avoid being struck in the face by a rock. Soon, his entire body was being pelted with stones and he groaned softly under the assault. Tightening his grip, Athrun hear a loud thud.

"Blast it…" He ground out between clinched teeth as he noticed Neo take hold of the tree trunk and begin to hoist himself up after him. Scrambling, Athrun began to heave his own body up further, knowing full well that there was only so high he could go. His entire mind screamed danger and it nearly caused him to let go when he felt a powerful hand wrap around his left ankle and pull. A choked gasp escaped his lips as he felt himself slide downward a few inches before he regained his hold.

Looking down with eyes wide, his heart stopped when he saw that Neo had taken hold of him with one hand while holding onto the tree trunk with the other. Hugging the tree with one arm, Athrun reached upward and took hold of a branch that seemed stronger then the ones below him. With his free foot, he pounded down on the other's head as hard as he could; trying to free himself from Neo's firm grasp.

He could feel the man's grip slipping but his success was short lived. Another rock came soaring out of nowhere and struck the side of his head, stunning him. A sudden, shocking burst of agony flooded his perceptions with a haze of pain and he accidentally released his hold on the tree. Everything seemed to play out in slow motion after that. In that same moment, Neo fell from the tree, pulling Athrun down with him.

Athrun tried to catch himself as he fell but the tangle of hands grabbing and clutching at him threw off his balance and hampered his attempt. He twisted away as he slammed into the ground on his hands and knees, landing more heavily on his left side than right. Athrun was given no time to collect himself though. Before he had even finished hitting the ground, one of the men brought down a heavy fist violently across the back of the younger man's skull.

Athrun crumpled forward to the ground, dazed by the powerful impact. Two more equally vicious blows rendered the stunned youth unconscious.

Neo looked darkly at Athrun's unmoving form until he was assured that the prisoner was out cold. "Good," He grunted as the unresponsive young man was bound and hefted up between to of his men, before pulling out his cell phone and making a call. After a few moments, he turned it off and turned to his men. "Take him back to the den."

"ATHRUN! NO!" Cagalli cried, running out into the streets desperately. Her heart raced as panic quickly made rational thinking impossible. Horrible images forced their way into her mind and there was little she could do to fend against them. What would they do to him? Why had she let Athrun come?

She felt the blood drain from her face as a horrid chill swept through her. Athrun was a Coordinator… if the Blue Cosmos had him….

Spinning on her heels, she was about to return to the police station to report Athrun's kidnapping when she heard someone call her name. Her entire body froze as her expression darkened. The anger radiating off her body was so intense that it could have melted every snowflake in the country.

"Going back to the police?"

It was Jibril.

The older man approached from the corner of an ally, smiling knowingly and shaking his head in twisted amusement. "If you value the life of your friend you shouldn't do that. Besides, do you think the authorities will care about one lousy Coordinator?"

Cagalli's eyes narrowed but behind that flaring and blazing rage was an intense fear… an intense fear for Athrun's life. She knew that Jibril wasn't bluffing and it frightened her. "Athrun has done nothing to you," She sneered. "Let him go!"

"Athrun?" Jibril cocked his head as if considering her words thoughtfully. "Is that his name?" He fired her a malicious grin. "It suits him."

"I said let him go!" Cagalli shouted and grabbed Jibril by the collar. "Right now!"

"That depends on how co-operative you are willing to be," Jibril replied simply. "Nice guy that friend of yours is… put up quite the fight… so I was told."

"What do you want?" Cagalli growled, frustrated by her helplessness. Letting go of Jibril, she felt her entire body tremble as she fought to contain her anger. She shouldn't have asked Athrun to come. This was entirely her fault… if anything happened to him… it would be her entire fault. Although deep down she knew that regardless of what she said, Athrun would have come.

"Walk with me, talk with me" Jibril grinned evilly as he motioned for Cagalli to follow and much to her horror and disbelief, she found herself obeying.

TBC…

Another chapter finished. Are my chapters too long? Too short? Is there anything I could add to make my story better? Kira and Lacus will be arriving shortly as will Dearka and Yzak so don't worry – I haven't forgotten about them. I do appreciate your feed back though. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter – won't let me get to them right now but I can see they are there. Lol.

I hope you enjoyed it!

Until next time,

Krilyn