Chairman Durandal wished to see the Minerva's captain and the "Reds". As such, he sent an envoy to convey his message. As the envoy got off his unit in the Minerva's hangar, the tech crew looked hard at the MS. It was bright orange in colour, a rarity in the battlefield. The crew proceeded to make wisecracks among themselves about the young man.
Talia observed the young man standing before her as she returned his salute. Despite her having seen him before, Heine Westenfluss was still a distinguished young man this time she met him. She would have doubted that he was an MS pilot, if not for his red coat and FAITH pin.
"I heard that you would be joining the ship soon."
"That is correct, Captain. It is my honour to fight alongside the Minerva's excellent crew and her pilots, although I would love to stay with my team." There was an artistic tinge to his voice, thought Gladys. It definitely suited his looks.
"The pleasure's mine, Heine. Arthur, prepare the transport to Diocuia." The first mate saw to the order right away.
"It's good to see all of you again," commented Gilbert Durandal as the Minerva's crew saluted him.
"If you don't mind, Chairman, I would now take my leave," requested Heine.
"You may. "
The table was already set up for their meal. The chairman and the captain were seated at one side of the table, while the five red coats sat at the other side.
"I've heard much about your exploits, Shinn, especially your involvment in the assault on Gulnahan."
"You flatter me, Chairman. It was really nothing." Shinn was blushing as he answered Durandal. The older man turned towards the two FAITH pilots.
"Looks like both of you had passed on your experience to the younger ones. I knew I haven't misjudged your abilities."
"Thank you, Chairman," replied Athrun in a soft voice. He was uncomfortable in Durandal's presence. He wished that the meal would end quickly. Kira mumbled his thanks as well.
After the dinner, Durandal dropped a bombshell.
"Lacus's here on Diocuia as well, Athrun. Perhaps, you two should spend some time together." Athrun stiffened.
"I will, Chairman."
"Don't worry. I'll leave you alone this time," joked Shinn.
The rest of the red coats were given some time off to visit the place. Kira decided to ask Lunamaria if she would mind his company. The girl blushed. She knew that Kira wasn't really her type. Nevertheless, there's no harm in trying, thought Luna. Unknown to her, Kira was "using" her. He would be lying if he told himself that he wasn't interested in Luna, but he needed to get away from Rey Za Burrel. There was just something which was not... right about him.
Shinn decided to stay with Rey. Ever since Kira came on board, the blond teen had distanced himself from the rest. Shinn remembered the cool atmosphere when the two first met. He tried to get an answer out from his friend, but Rey merely smiled. The black-haired teen sighed. It seemed like more work would be needed if Kira and Rey would become friends, he thought. Anyway, he reminded himself to give his family a call. Such calls were few and rare in between, due to the nature of his work. He just hoped that Rey wouldn't think of him as being childish.
Athrun smiled thinly as "Lacus" came forward to greet him. In her hands, she had a red Haro. There was little doubt in Athrun's mind that the robo pet was part of the disguise; Meer even had a ring on her ring finger. It looked exactly the same as the one he had given to Lacus.
"Where do you want to go, Athrun?" Despite her identity, Meer had the sense not to act too close to Athrun. She could sense the young man's discomfort. Athrun decided to take her to a cafe. He wasn't in the mood during the dinner and was feeling a little hungry.
After they had seated down, Athrun leaned forward across the table. He wanted to make some things clear.
"Listen. You may look like Lacus, you may even sound like her. But get this: You are NOT my wife," said Athrun quietly but sternly. Meer looked down at the floor. Athrun could see that she was trying not to cry.
"I'm sorry." The teen realised that he had vented his frustrations on Meer. The lady was already risking her life to keep Lacus safe. Meer shook her head.
"It's okay. I guess I mustn't get carried away. Miss Lacus's influence could be used for good purposes. I hope to help her with that during her absence."
Athrun knew that Meer's return to her normal self would have to wait until the war was over. He hoped that that day would come soon. If something happened to Meer during her time as Lacus, he would feel guilty for the rest of his life. After seeing Meer off, he decided to call it a day. Unknown to him, Meer decided to take things into her own hands for a change. She sniggered when she thought about his expression when he found out the next morning.
When the morning shone through the windows, Athrun Zala sat up in his bed. He noticed something beside him. When that "something" stirred, he had the shock of his life. To make matters worse, Lunamaria Hawke had decided to invite her team leader for breakfast...
Meer's high spirits surprised Athrun during breakfast. It was as if she had become more lively all of a sudden. When he escorted her to her transport, Meer decided to try something. She put her hands on Athrun's shoulders.
"The real Lacus would at least kiss you goodbye, right?" Despite himself, Athrun was somehow relieved by that comment. She would be fine, he thought. He gave Meer a mock serious look.
"Don't push your luck," he said half-jokingly. Meer smiled as she boarded the plane.
After the visit to Diocuia, the Minerva began her journey to ZAFT's Gibraltar base. The red coats were surprised by Heine's courtesy to everyone despite his elite status. Even Rey acknowledged the fact that the ship's latest addition would be good for their future operations.
Kira and Athrun were staring at the setting sun in the distance. The scenery was beautiful but Athrun wasn't in the mood to enjoy it. Kira knew that the "Lacus" whom his best friend had met on Diocuia wasn't the real one. On top of that, he wondered if Cagalli and the crew of the Archangel were okay.
"Beautiful sunset, isn't it," remarked Heine as he joined the two. The younger men nodded.
"You guys look as if something is on your minds. Care to share them?"
"We're fine, really," replied Athrun.
"Well, we may be members of FAITH, but we're still humans. If there's anything I can help, feel free to ask, although I don't think I can help someone who was inducted into FAITH the first day he enlisted." Heine meant the last part as a joke, but Kira felt embarrassed by the praise. Heine decided to change the subject.
"I enlisted in ZAFT at about 15. I didn't realise that two years later, I would be fighting in an all-out war," said Heine with a serious tone.
"When did you enlist, Athrun?"
"I joined the military at 14. My mother was on Junius 7 that day...," said Athrun. He had somewhat come to terms with his mother's death.
"I heard that you fought in Jachin Due, Kira."
"Yes, I did." Kira didn't elaborate further.
"Well, since all of us survived that battle, I'll just say one thing: We fight to bring peace. Never forget that. If we waver, it may cost us our lives. At times, we may get confused. But remember who you want to protect. That will make you focus."
"How old are you, Heine," asked Athrun. Even with their experiences, what Heine had just said was an opener for them.
"21."
"I thought you were our age," said Kira.
"Hey, I may be young, but my days as a teenager are over."
"Looks like we have our example to follow now," joked Athrun.
"I may be the oldest, but you are the team leader, Athrun," reminded Heine with a laugh.
"It's getting late. Let's get back inside," said Kira. The other FAITH pilots nodded their agreement.
The next day, the Minerva reached the Dardanelles Strait. To Talia's dismay, an EA fleet was waiting for them, along with the three stolen units from Armoury One. This battle would be a tough one, thought Gladys.
As the Reds fought the EA troops, they noticed that the Murasame was among the EA suits. Kira and Athrun thought very hard. How did Orb's unit ended up in the EA?
Heine's GOUF Ignited was being targetted by the three Extended pilots. The Abyss was locked on to the orange suit; Auel was determined to take it down. The FAITH pilot tried not to panic, although he was steadily losing ground to the enemy. As the Chaos and the Abyss kept Heine distracted, the Gaia charged at him from behind...
AS the Ignited exploded in a ball of fire, Kira and Athrun couldn't believe what they had just saw. Their friend, who had just spent some time with them the day before, was gone, just like that. In his anger, Shinn charged into the midst of the enemy ranks.
"Shinn, you're in too deep," reminded Athrun. When the Impulse ignored his comment, Athrun shouted into the intercom.
"Kira, Shinn may need some backup!" The Freedom surged towards the Impulse. Shinn himself was being pinned down by the Extendeds and the Windams. In his rage, the teen had underestimated the threat. To his relief, Kira soon disabled the Gaia and the Abyss. The Chaos was also beaten back by the Saviour. With the stolen units out of the way, the Minerva pilots managed to take down the majority of the enemy suits. The Earth Alliance eventually disengaged the battle. Although they were victorious, the death of Heine weighed heavily on Athrun's mind. Also, he decided to do something about Shinn's recklessness.
In the Minerva's hangar, the pilots had just gotten down from their units.
"Thanks for looking out for me back there."
As Kira reminded Shinn never to let his anger take hold of him ever again, Athrun walked up to the younger boy. In front of everyone, the team leader gave Shinn one tight slap. Lunamaria gasped. She had never seen Athrun so angry before.
"Just now, your hot-headness nearly cost you your life, Shinn. Also, Kira had to risk his to watch out for you. Such behaviour is unacceptable for a pilot of your status." After the initial glare, Shinn decided to go back to his room. As he strode away, the crew looked at Athrun.
"Athrun..."
"He needs to learn his lesson, Kira. Next time, he might not be so lucky." Athrun was unapologetic about the slap.
"I'll go check on him," said Kira quietly.
In the room, Shinn thought about the slap he had just received. He heard the door open.
"Are you all right," asked Kira as he sat down next to Shinn.
"Would you be if your friend just slapped you," asked Shinn spitefully. Although he knew that Kira had nothing to do with the incident, he needed to vent his frustrations.
"I guess this is the first time you saw someone close to you die. Am I right?" Shinn nodded. By now, he was tearing. Up until today, he had thought of death as something which would not happen to people he knew.
"If you need to cry, just let it out. It's only human to do so." Kira couldn't help but notice the similarity. La Flaga had done the same thing for him after Jachin Due. Shinn shook his head. He had managed to blink back his tears. There was a knock on the door.
"Come in," acknowledged Kira. It was Athrun. The team leader had already changed into his redcoat. He sat down next to Shinn.
"I hope you're better now. Still sore over that slap," asked Athrun half-jokingly.
"Ya, but we're still pals, right?" If he could joke, he's alright. Athrun secretly heaved a sigh of relief.
"Just don't do it again," said Athrun as he got up to leave the room. Kira followed him outside.
"Athrun, what's your take on the Murasames?"
"One thing's for sure: Cagalli didn't give them the plans."
"Perhaps, we could seek permission from Captain Gladys to meet her. Also..."
"I get the idea." He needed to know if Lacus was well. Athrun hoped that the captain would approve of the meeting...
Afterthoughts
-Please RnR!