Hi!

Sorry it took a couple days to get this up – I had to redo to make sure a certain old man got out of jail. Originally I didn't plan on rescuing him but… I chanced my mind. -. Thanks to everybody who reviewed! It's so nice to hear from you!

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. I've already finished the next one (I love it) so I will be updating again in probably a day or so. This chapter was hard to write because I find Kira tought to portray accurately. Oh! If you find grammar mistakes – let me know so I can edit them out alright? I've gone through this a couple times but… well… you know…I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed, Gundam Seed Destiny or any other references to it. Maloby does, however, belong to me.

Abhorrence

Chapter #13: Divided

Kira panicked when he heard the explosion. The eruption shook the entire foundation of the building, throwing Kira right off of his feet. The young man crashed into the wall and dropped to the ground with a thud. Unknowingly, his gun slipped out from his belt from the impact.

"What the…"

He cringed when he heard a second blast which was followed closely by a third. Scrambling to his feet, he rushed back down the hallway he had just walked through. Reaching the stairwell, Kira mentally groaned as he literally threw himself down a flight of stairs. It had to be Yzak and Dearka.

What had happened to just sneaking in and sneaking out?

BANG!

"Ah!" Kira yelped as another explosion caused the ground to tremble and he tripped and fell down the last few steps. He didn't waste time and hulled himself back up to his feet and slid down the second flight of stairs towards the main floor.

"Athrun…" His heart stopped. Dearka and Yzak must have found him… and others judging by the commotion. He had to get to them but where could they be?

Now on the third floor, Kira pushed open the door that led out of the stairwell and scurried in. His eyes moved quickly and he staggered to a stop when he saw the walls lined with iron-barred doors. The lights were dim and the air was musty. There was no heating on this level and he shivered at the prospect of anyone having to endure these kinds of conditions. He felt like he had just stepped into prison.

Moving cautiously along the hall, he stopped when he came to an open cell. The door was flung open and the lock belonging it was in pieces on the floor. It was obvious the door had been forced open.

"Hey boy!"

Kira jerked and spun around, his senses keen as he brought up his hands to defend himself. "Who's there?"

"If you're looking for the young'un from that cell, you're about 5 minutes too late."

Squinting, Kira could vaguely make out the silhouette of an old man in the cell across from where he was standing. He blinked, confused. "What?"

"That's right," The man huffed. "Two other boys very similar to yourself up and took him. Seemed to know the lad they did. Poor boy, they sure didn't treat him kindly here that's for sure. Wonder if them two managed to get him out of here."

"You saw them?"

"Sure did!" Maloby beamed and puffed out his chest while flashing Kira a toothy grin. "Not very talkative that friend of yers but he's got a good heart. Kinda attached to the boy actually. Gentle lil' soul he was."

Kira smiled sadly at the old man's words. Athrun – a quiet and thoughtful soul. Indeed the man had come to know him well. "I should get you out of there," Kira finally observed and made a move for the lock.

"Now wait just a dog gone minute!" Maloby protested, shaking his head. "I've gone and spent three weeks here! One more and my time will be served and they'll let me walk outta here. Ain't ya hearing the explosions? Why go through all that trying to sneak out when in one week they'll jist lemmie walk on out on my own two feet."

Kira was not convinced. "You're a witness – it's dangerous for you to stay here."

Without another word, Kira picked up a jagged piece of metal from the lock that had been broken off of Athrun's old cell. His brow furrowed as he carefully analyzed Maloby's lock in his hands, searching for a weak point. He found it. Taking a deep breath, Kira smashed the metal shard in his hand against the lock again and again.

Maloby winced at the screeching sound as metal scrapped against metal. "Listen lad, there ain't no way I'm going! I'm not as young as I used to be and…"

Crack.

The lock split and Kira violently ripped it off of the cell door, causing it to swing open slightly. His violet eyes raised to meet the surprised ones of the old man who suddenly didn't seem quit so reluctant to leave. He moved away from the cell to allow the old man to hobble out, astonished by his frail and bony figure.

"Well now," Maloby grinned toothily and stretched his stiff arms. He cracked his neck and shuddered in an attempt to loosen up his sore and aged muscles. "We're in quit a fix now ain't we? Breaking my cell door, guess I don't have no choice but to follow yeah."

Nodding, Kira opened his mouth to ask which way his friends had went when a he heard the sound of boots against the hard floor. Whirling around, he saw a group of three men about 15 feet away all armed with their weapons pointed at him. Kira instinctively reached back to grab his pistol and gasped in horror when he realized that it wasn't there. He must have lost it.

Unable to defend himself, Kira grabbed Maloby by the arm, turned and bolted down the corridor as fast as his legs would carry him. Putting his head down, he pumped his free arm to pick up speed as he flew back towards the stairwell. He had to get as far from these men as possible.

"Stop!" One man shouted but Kira didn't so much as miss a step.

He swung open the door to the stairwell and closed it just as he felt bullets smash into the other side of the door. The impact and Maloby crashing into him, forced Kira back a couple feet and his eyes widened. There were still low rumblings coming from the lower levels and being unarmed, Kira knew that he would only be a target.

Up or down? Kira bit his lip. How was he supposed to get out? The sound of footsteps behind the closed door quickly made up his mind as he dashed down the next flight with Maloby huffing and puffing behind him. Going back up would only trap him on the upper levels of the building. Regardless of what was going on, he had to get out as fast as he could and the only way to do that was to go down.

So, Dearka and Yzak had found Athrun. That's something at least Kira thought to himself as he ran. Above him, he could hear his pursuers descending the steps right on his heels.

"This is yer idea of escape!" Maloby demanded and he stumbled along, struggling to keep up. "Don't ya have a gun or something!"

"I think I…" Kira swallowed. "Lost it."

"What?" Maloby's eyes bulged as he staggered after him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This kid comes to save his friend and looses his weapon?

"We… have got… to get… out of here!" Kira huffed as he ran. He heard two gunshots but both missed him. They were enough, however, to get Kira to burst through the door that took him to the second floor.

When he and Maloby emerged from the doorway, they were both assaulted with a blast of raging heat and thick smoke. He paused, gagging as he unintentionally breathed in the lungful of ash. Unable to slow down, Kira crouched and sprinted along the hall. Head down, he turned a corner and took cover in what appeared to have at one point been someone's office. It was as if someone had set off a detonator in it.

"Well this is sure a sorry sight," Maloby stated bluntly as he cautiously followed Kira into the room. "I'd imagine someone is having a bad day."

The room had been completely destroyed and Kira clamped a hand around Malboy's mouth to keep him quiet while he held his breath; hearing the men as they continued running down the hall. He heard a loud crack and looked up. A large piece of the ceiling had been broken and he scrambled up against the wall as the piece collapsed to the floor… or rather through the floor. The floor, already weak from whatever had transpired, gave in under the force. The piece of the ceiling went right through and shattered on the floor of the main level.

Up against the wall, Kira counted his blessings before letting go of the babbling old man. Immediately, Maloby began rambling on about how ridiculous it all was and Kira couldn't help but cringe.

"Well now, I dunno bout you there boy, but I sure as hell don't want to roast in here. Jist how did you plan on high tailing it out of here?"

Ignoring him, Kira squatted down to grab a breath of clean air. If he'd been beneath it, he would most likely be dead. Inching towards the gapping hole, Kira let out a choked cough and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. The heat singed his hair and the floor almost burned through the soles of his shoes. His eyes narrowed. He could now get to the main floor and that would mean getting out of the building.

He was just about to jump when he heard voices. Angry voices.

Instantly Maloby went silent, recognizing the owners of the voices immediately.

Kira frowned and crawled slowly over towards the door that led to the hall, wincing as he laid the palms of his hands on the burning surface. Across the way was another room and as he peered around the door, he noticed it was in just as poor shape as the one he was in. Maloby leaned over Kira, and, together, the two of them strained to make out what was being said.

"That boy cannot be allowed to live."

"Shall we go after them, Sir?"

A wave of relief rushed through him as Kira edged back to the hole in the floor. They had escaped. Dearka and Yzak had managed to escape with Athrun. He glanced up and smiled at Maloby only to find that the elder wasn't smiling. In fact, he looked pained and rather sad. Suddenly unsure of himself, Kira looked away.

"They hurt him something awful," Maloby whispered, his voice barely audible over the crackling of smoldering fires that had ignited around them and the sound of the cracking of the foundation caving in beneath the force of the explosions that had taken place. "He ain't never gonna be the same, that boy."

Kira wasn't sure but he thought he saw a bitterness momentarily flash across the gray haired man's features. His heart twisted as he realized that this man was referring to Athrun. Maloby had seen Athrun, he must have watched as he slowly deteriorated in body and mind and Kira could only imagine what kind of state his friend was in. This man truly cared about Athrun and hated these men for what they had done to him.

Kira couldn't explain it but even though he had only just met Maloby, he felt as though he had known him for years. He wanted to ask him to elaborate but now was not the time. "Hey," He made a quick motion, signaling for the elder to climb onto his back. "Get on."

Maloby didn't argue and awkwardly crawled onto Kira. He wrapped his scrawny arms around Kira's neck and held on tight… almost too tightly and Kira choked – partially from the smoke and partially from Maloby's grip.

Feeling re-energized, Kira leapt down the hole.

Landing on his feet, he bent his knees and rolled before springing up into an all out run. Maloby tumbled off of his back but Kira had absorbed most of the impact. He hit the ground roughly but managed to hull himself up and chase after the young Coordinator.

Kira recognized the lobby and grinned to himself. As he moved, he accidentally bumped his head against the door but he didn't think twice about it. Bursting through the front doors, Kira galloped down onto the street and just kept running. The guards had disappeared and he could only assume that they had gone after Yzak and Dearka.

There was no way that Yzak and Dearka would try to make contact with him now. Not with the Blue Cosmos on their tail. No, they would wait until nightfall before bringing Athrun to them. Despite being more complicated then he would have liked it to have been, their escape attempt had been a success. Athrun was no longer a prisoner of the Blue Cosmos.

Dashing down the street back towards town, he gasped as a gust of wind swept his breath away. The winds were rapidly picking up and the snow fall was gradually becoming more and more heavy. The snowflakes that felt upon his warm cheeks were appreciated but his concern for his friends dominated his thoughts. A storm was coming and Yzak and Dearka would most likely be caught in it – caught in it with, judging by what the old man had said, a severely injured Athrun.

The old man! Kira skidded to a stop and spun around, searching frantically for him. He had been right behind him only seconds ago! He panicked – he'd been so focused on getting away that he had completely forgotten about him.

He waited for about a minute before he spotted Maloby straggling along the road. He was shaking his head and muttering to himself but aside from a small bruise on his forehead, he seemed more or less unharmed.

"Hey!" Maloby hollered as he caught up. "I wanna thank ya for yer help. Been a while since I've seen action like that. Reckon I won't be doing that again. What a rush."

"Oh, you're welcome." Kira panted and shivered as a cold breeze swept over them. "What are you going to do now?"

"I think I'll make my way back to the PLANTS," Maloby considered it for a moment. "Good money to be found up there."

Kira nodded but didn't move. He saw the man eyeing him strangely and he cocked his head questionably. "Is something wrong?" He asked finally. "You aren't hurt are you?"

"Naw," Maloby waved him off. "When you see yer friend – tell'em ol' Maloby wants him to make it out. To keep fighting – he'll understand what I mean. Will you do that fer me?"

His request was surprising and made Kira wonder in just how serious a condition Athrun was in. After a moment, he agreed with a slight nod and stared as the man began to make his way down the street, waving wildly at him. Kira waved back though he was now distracted. Only when Maloby was out of sight did Kira resume his journey back to the hotel in an all out sprint. He was a strange man – Kira would have to ask Athrun about him later.

He felt a lump in his throat. He hoped there would be a 'later.'

Kira gritted his teeth, pushing his way through the crowds as he managed to reach the main road that led to the hotel. He had to tell Cagalli and Lacus. He knew how much she cared about Athrun. Of course, they all cared but for Cagalli, it was a little different.

Squeezing between a couple holding hands, Kira winced when he saw the nasty glare the woman fired him. Tossing her head back, the young girl snorted in disgust before being reassured by her boyfriend. They reconfirmed their love for one another with a kiss then rejoined hands.

Kira could only shake his head. He had never once seen Cagalli and Athrun kiss… or even hold hands for that matter. He exhaled loudly and glanced back at the couple as they carried on down the street. Just because he had never witnessed it, didn't mean it didn't happen. In fact, that left many possibilities for the mind to explore.

When he reached the hotel, Kira was exhausted. The mental fatigue, the run and the chase had taken his toll on him and he coughed in spite of himself. He knew he must have looked wrecked. The flames of the fire had singed his clothes and ash had smeared his face. His hair also hung limp around his ears but he didn't really care. Why should he? It had all been worth while if it meant that Athrun was ok.

"Kira!"

Dazed, Kira opened the unlocked door to Cagalli's room and trudged in, closing it behind him. His head was throbbing and he slumped to the floor, completely worn out. After taking a moment to collect himself, he lifted his head to the sound of his name. His glossy eyes focused on the girl standing by the window and he smiled weakly.

"Lacus… hi."

"Oh Kira!" Her voice shook in horror when she took in his ragged and disheveled appearance. His bottom lip was cut while his cheeks were caked with dirt and a dark, purple lump had already begun to form on his forehead. "My goodness, what happened to you?" Looking around, Lacus's eyes fluttered with concern. "Where are the others?'

Unable to answer, Kira coughed violently and then tried to stand up. He was only successful when Lacus hurried over from where she had been standing, grabbed his right arm and hoisted him up to his feet. Cringing in her hold, Kira instinctively tried to pull away but she held onto him tightly and guided the battered youth to one of the beds.

"Nothing h-h -happened…" Kira inhaled sharply and coughed again as he sat down on the bed. He must have breathed in more smoke than he had initially thought. "I just…"

"Let me see the bump!" Lacus ignored Kira's stuttering words as she loomed over him as a protective mother hen would her young and carefully probed the bruising skin on his forehead with her delicate fingers. "That looks terrible!"

"Lacus, stop!" Kira squirmed in her grip, trying to push her prying hands away from his face. The motions made him feel slightly nauseous and he bit back a low groan as his arm accidentally struck his forehead. "Ow! Please, I'll be fine!"

"Hold still," Lacus hissed and stepped back. She shook her head and she hurried off into the bathroom to retrieve a cold cloth as well as some bandages.

Kira watched as Lacus disappeared and his shoulders slumped. He knew she meant well.

Just as quickly as Lacus vanished into the bathroom, Cagalli exited it. Her eyes centered on Kira before they searched the rest of room in its entirety. She raised a questioning eyebrow as her focus returned to Kira. "Kira? What… where is everyone? What happened? You don't look so good."

"Like I told Lacus, I'm fine." Kira told her and pulled back as his sister sat down beside him and began checking him over. "Dearka and Yzak were able to get Athrun out."

"Wha…"

Cagalli didn't know what to say. Her body seized up and she was certain her heart stopped beating. She didn't know whether or not to believe it. "You mean he was there?"

Kira offered her a slight nod. "I think so. We split up but I talked to another prisoner there and I overheard a couple guys talking… Athrun is with the Dearka and Yzak."

"And where are they?" Cagalli now looked worried. "Did something happen to them?"

"Well…" Kira shifted uncomfortably and dropped his gaze. The adrenalin was beginning to ware off and he was starting to feel very sleepy. "I'm not sure. I didn't actually see them but I'm sure they got out of there okay. People were looking for them… that's a good sign… right?"

"I suppose…" Cagalli considered it for a moment.

Great… I got from not knowing where he is, to knowing where he is to not knowing where he is again!

"Let me see that bump again."

Lacus re-emerged from the bathroom with a cool cloth. She knelt in front of Kira and handed it to him. Kira accepted the cloth graciously and held it up against his forehead. The coolness of the water felt wonderful against the scorching pain that just didn't seem to want to cease.

"Did you find Athrun?" She asked as she rested her hands on Kira's knees and gazed up at him hopefully.

"Dearka and Yzak did," Kira told her and tossed Cagalli a knowing smile. "They know what they're doing. I'm sure they're just holding out until nightfall. Then they'll meet up with us again and we can get out of here."

"Orb territory is only an hour drive away from here," Lacus added. Her voice squeaked with excitement. "See Cagalli? Everything is going to be ok."

"Sure…"

Cagalli abruptly stood and made her way to the window. Crossing her arms, he brought her head down against the glass and sighed. It was getting dark and snow was blowing with much more vigor than it had been moments before.

There was an awkward silence as Lacus and Kira exchanged confused stares before they both turned to Cagalli. Lacus moved next to Kira and rapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest. He purred softly when she felt him respond by wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close.

"Cagalli, I don't understand," Kira spoke carefully as if unsure how to put his thoughts into words. "I thought you would be happy. The Blue Cosmos can't hurt him anymore. He's with the others now. What's wrong?"

"It's just… you see…" Cagalli exhaled loudly and closed her eyes. "I'm just so tired of this. So tired of worrying, so tired of not being able to do anything… so tired of … of… of everything."

"Just hang in there a little longer," Lacus urged her and Kira felt her tense against him as she righted herself. "Dearka and Yzak will bring Athrun here just as Kira said they would. Just as soon as they feel that it is safe."

"I know…" Cagalli shook her head in frustration. "But… but what if they can't?"

She lifted her head and shifted her gaze back to Kira. Her bottom lip trembled ever so slightly as she spoke. "A storm is coming and you said yourself that people were looking for them."

"Yes but that doesn't mean that they will find them."

"The Blue Cosmos are everywhere. If they want to find someone, they usually do."

"Well, as soon as Dearka and Yzak get here we're leaving," Kira declared as his expression darkened. "We won't give them the time they need to find anyone."

"I'm sorry," Cagalli chuckled bitterly and wiped away the tears that were gathering in the corners of her eyes and threatening to fall. "I just miss him. That's all."

"Everything will be fine." Kira wasn't sure how many times he had said that but he didn't mind. He would continue to say it as long as he felt that Cagalli needed to hear it. "Just get some rest. I have a feeling we won't get much sleep tonight."

Cagalli only nodded.

Meanwhile, back on the second floor of the building, Jibril took a step into the office room that had been reduced to rubble. A harsh breeze roared through the shattered window and pulled at his hair as he stared out into the distance. His hands clinched into fists at his sides as he struggled to make out any signs of life. The smoke from the smoldering furniture impeded his vision and a string of angry curses escaped his lips.

His mind raced as he stood there. He had played with his prey and now it had escaped. He swore again, realizing he should have killed the Coordinator when he had had the chance. He felt Neo come up along side of him along with two other men.

"Sir?" Neo asked almost reluctantly.

"We had an agreement," Jibril muttered darkly, his stormy violet eyes now flaring with blind rage. "That boy cannot be allowed to live."

"Shall we go after them?"

Jibril turned to Neo and nodded. "This is not over. Whoever broke that kid out of jail will most likely try to rendezvous with Miss. Cagalli. I have no doubt that she is behind this. We will intercept them there."

"But Sir…" Neo glanced down at the debris that had fallen from the broken window and was now laying in the snow below. "That wasn't part of the agreement was it? You agreed to kill the boy but… will your colleague still keep his part of the bargain if you … murder Miss. Cagalli?"

"I will get permission," Jibril replied simply. In the condition he had left his prisoner in, he knew that they escapees wouldn't be able to get too far with him. He would find Athrun and when he did, he would make him pay. He would make them all pay for this embarrassment. "Besides, I know that the man we are dealing with doesn't think too fondly of her. We will interrupt any sort of rendezvous they intend on making and then, we will kill Athrun. If Cagalli gets in our way, we will remove her also."

"I shall inform the men, Sir."

"Do that," Jibril stiffened as he spun on his heels and headed back towards his office. "You have not heard the last of me, Athrun Zala."

TBC

See? Kira didn't get captured– I just needed him away from the others so he could report back to Cagalli. I hope I didn't loose you in that chapter because a lot happened. Remember that phone call Jibril got a few chapters ago? That's the guy he made the 'deal' with (I'll explain the rest in detail later). Thanks to all who cleared up the XD thing – now I can use it too! -

As for Maloby, he will be back near the end of the story but at least he's out right?

Please review and tell me what you think ok? I still haven't decided what to do with Jibril and the other Blue Cosmos yet. Next chapter he jump back to see how Yzak, Dearka and Athrun are doing because a storm is on its way!

Until next time,

Krilyn

Kageharu Kaco I'm glad you're happy Athrun's out. I'm happy too – I felt bad leaving him there. And I definitely think that Yzak does care about him.

daisukiasu'n'caga Thanks for the review! They didn't save Maloby right away because they got caught. I fixed this chapter around so he does get out though.

Cari-Akira I am so happy you liked the last chapter! I don't think I could ever kill Athrun… I like him too, too much. Athrun's out but … the blue cosmos are after them! Moh ha ha ha kidding

"…" Nope, couldn't capture Kira – I wanted him to get away. I'm glad you are enjoying the story.

Slightly Sinister Sinestra There you go! Hehe, I rescued Maloby because you wanted him out. As for Cagalli… um….she's going to be a little upset for a while... but hang in there – I do want a somewhat happy ending. Yeah, Athrun probably wouldn't be the same after all that… maybe I am evil.

Omi: Unfortunately, there will be a little blood and gruesome parts but I try to post a warning so everyone is aware of it before they read it. I hope you are enjoying the story in spite of that though.