Disclaimer: Gundam SEED does not belong to me and I do not stand any monetary gains in writing this fan-fiction.

A/N: re-vamped second chapter. Sorry for the very very short chapter, but I wanted to just post this bit before I run off for semester 2 and go on another hiatus. chapter one had been edited VERY VERY much. it's practically unrecognizable from the original.

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Part 2

Kira was shaking. His hand was clenched into a tight fist and he blurted, " I'm not in the Earth Alliance!"

That gave him curious stares from the crew. They glanced at him from beneath their work. Kira's words made Athrun very uneasy, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other uneasily.

"Is that right?" drawled Commander Creuset, he looked meaningfully at Kira's Earth Alliance Uniform. Kira seemed to gain confidence from Rau's words, he straightened his back and prepared to answer.

"Yes. I'm a Citizen of Orb, resident of the late Heliopolis. I was unable to evacuate to a shelter and sought refuge on the Archangel as did several of my friends." Kira said. He was desperate to be believed. He did not want to get into trouble. Like any other Orb Citizen, Kira valued the peace he enjoyed and he did not like conflicts.

"Oh? Is that why you're fighting for them?"

The damnable smile still remained on his face.

"No! I mean… I'm not fighting for them. It's just that we keep getting attacked, and there wasn't a Mobile Suit Pilot on board." Kira said truthfully.

"And you can pilot one? A Mobile Suit"

"No… I don't know. I had never been inside a mobile suit before Strike. I had escaped the facility I was at, Morgenroete, because of the captain of the ship that had pushed me into the MS with her."

"I see… then it's all a mistake then?"

"Yes! You can check the records! I'm nothing but an ordinary student!" Kira looked relieved. They would believe him now. They couldn't do anything to him. He allowed a small smile to tug at the edges of his lips.

"In that case… you should have no problems telling us the secrets of the Earth alliance right?"

Kira caught his breath. It was that, afterall, that they would want from him.

"I don't know anything." Kira said sullenly. His back slouched a little again.

"I heard that you're a coordinator," he cast a glance at Athrun who was looking rather uneasy, "I believe that you must have learnt something at the ship." Rau le Creuset fought very much to grin as his words had the desired effect. The word 'coordinator' must have been an issue hen he was onboard the ship. It would attack at the young pilot's feelings towards his race.

Kira gasped and quickly glanced at Athrun who was half a step behind him. He seemed perplexed too.

"I'm a Citizen of Orb. I support my country's ideals, and that is to stand at neither side of a conflict. I'm Neutral." Kira said evenly, softly. He struggled to get the words out.

"I see… well then, Athrun, I'd like to have a short talk with you. And Strike-no-Pilot-san, would you please be escorted to your temporary quarters? …And by the way, if you assist us in any way I'm sure I'll be glad to give you a means back to your country."

Kira hesitated in following the man who had been at the CIC. 'This man is manipulative, I've got to be careful around him.' Kira thought.

Then the man motioned him to follow him, and he did. Kira added the places he passed to his mental map, his mind was cataloguing the ship automatically, but most of the ship was still a mystery to him.