Chapter 14 - Tell Me A Story

"It seemed to me that Dearka, Cagalli, and Kira all had a past...a story...

Slowly dawning on me was the realization...That I really didn't know anything...

They were all still strangers...to me..."

I was born in a small town...A royal lived there. When my mother died when I was 4, me and my sister were left alone. Then my father came, and he took us aboard the ship he rode. It was hard, but when I trained I became someone else...somewhere else.

-

"I can't believe this is possible!" a green haired teen gasped. "These burns..."

"We don't really care Nicol. Just make then go away." Mwu ordered coldly.

"Ah! Right!" he smiled sheepishly, in a way that reminded Athrun of Kira. "I'm on it!" he gave a mock salute and ushered all but Lacus out of the room. "Help me?" he asked her.

"Of course." she gave a small smile before she began working.

-

He had so many questions, but Cagalli wasn't going to answer them. She nearly bit his head off last time. So his gaze turned to another blonde.

"Dearka?" he asked.

"Hm?"

"I need to ask you something...talk?"

"Sure. Come on." the blonde motioned for him to follow.

"Up there?"

"Mmhm..."

"But isn't that-"

"Yep."

"But what if he-"

"He's not. Kira can barely walk right now. It'll be fine."

Athrun sighed as he began to climb up the ladder after the blonde boy.

Once they were both situated comfortably in the crow's nest, Dearka turned to look at Athrun. The blunette boy was staring at the floor of the crow's nest. He seemed really down. Dearka's gaze softened and his eyes shifted down before he lowered his head and looked away from the other boy.

"Kira...He's strange...isn't he?" he managed to breathe out, causing Athrun to look up at him.

"Yea...I'm confused about a lot of things...about Kira." Athrun confided. "Cagalli won't answer my questions. She says it isn't her place to tell me...But I want to know!" he leaned forward a little, without realizing it.

"It's not that Cagalli thinks it's not her...place to tell you." Dearka began. "She's likely the only one besides me or Kira that has any right telling you. Personally, I think she feels you don't...deserve to know." he gave a half hearted glance at Athrun before turning to the ground again.

"What?" Athrun sat back again.

"It was 10 years ago. Still, Kira can't forgive himself for the lives he couldn't save..."

"So...you'll tell me then?" Athrun gave him a curious look. Dearka smirked at him, but he seemed sad.

"Kinda." he looked away again. "10 years ago, when we were only 6, Kira was the greatest 'tool' on a grand pirate ship. Or so I was told. I was just a kid in an unfortunate town...My father was a blacksmith, and a well known one at that." Dearka smiled softly. "My mom died...giving birth to my younger sister, Kairi. This was hers..."

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a bracelet. It was made from something Athrun couldn't name. The material looked like regular string, but even in the best care...a string bracelet wouldn't last this long...

"Anyways-" he closed his hand around the bracelet and lowered it to the ground. "-the pirates attacked. My dad was the first to fall honorably I hear. Kairi was in the house, while I was outside protecting her. The house caught on fire and I yelled for her to go to father's room, away from the flames. I was wearing this on that day...she said it would give me good luck..." He looked about to cry as he glanced at the bracelet again.

"The house collapsed...She was only 4!" Tears began streaming down his face as he futilely tried to wipe them away. "I nearly died that day by the sword of Simon, the captain's second mate. But...Kira saved me." he raised his head as if looking to the stars, a few tears were in his eyes, but he was smiling. "When I gave up and wanted to die...he was there to protect me...Like some angel."

Athrun nodded numbly, though he wasn't sure Dearka had seen it. Kira was like an angel! He froze, remembering the dream he'd had the day before the bomb...Kira had been an angel there...but he'd also been...

...dead...

"Kira's dad was taken by the navy in place of our good for nothing captain." he sighed in remorse for his friend. "That's about when the first mate began training him in his father's place. I don't know much about Kira's training, but I know it was really hard. I, personally, never trusted that guy. None of us did I don't think..."

"He was a pirate why would y-" Athrun clasped his hand over his mouth, and inwardly cursed that habit. Dearka gave him a withering glare before sighing again.

"I can't blame you for your distrust of pirates. Afterall, your hometown and entire family was destroyed when Manson attacked Raiton, right?"

Athrun looked at him as though he'd gone crazy.

"How'd you-" Dearka interrupted him.

"Just so you know...this isn't the first time Kira's had to save my sorry butt. But it was almost the last..." Dearka subtly changed subjects. "That's the scary part, huh?" he smirked before glaring. "And when I catch the sorry bastard who planted that bomb..."

"They'll pay." Athrun finished for him, with just as much anger.

-

A man with shoulder-length blonde hair and wearing a mask was standing near the front of a ship. Judging by his outfit, he was most definitely the captain. A girl about 16 years of age stood next to him with maroon hair and cold blue eyes. She wore clothes that seemed somewhat and somehow too good for her.

A woman with short black hair and purple eyes walked up behind the two. The silvered haired Yzak was next to her, but didn't seem to enjoy her company at all. The maroon haired girl gave them a half glare and moved closer to the blonde.

"Now now Miss Alstar. No need to feel so distrusting towards your new crew mates." Rau assured her in a 'kind' voice. He then turned around to face the others. "Badguriel."

"Yes sir?" she asked, curious to why he had called them. She was so stiff that you had to wonder if she was human or not.

"I must commend you on that wonderful bomb. It managed to destroy an entire town even. Too bad it wasn't able to kill your target." he was smirking and it made Natarle inwardly shudder.

(A/N:Hey Natarle. Dearka and Athrun know where you sleep at night coughinherbedcough and they want you dead.)

"It was unlikely to kill the 'Prince of the Sea' anyway." Yzak muttered in slight distaste.

"Quite correct Yzak." Rau nodded. "But it was worth the try, don't you agree?"

No one answered him. He turned around and looked at the ship on the edge of the horizon, where the sun was rising.

"Dawn of day 2, my protégé. Soon, you'll be mine." he said as if talking to someone who wasn't there.