Chapter 10: Resolve
Athrun caught sight of Kisaki running towards them and he pushed Cagalli to Kisaki, "Hide her, keep her safe." As he retrieved a gun from within his blazer, quickly taking aim at the black figure at the periphery of the shattered glass dome and fired.
Kira recovered quickly, snapping out of his trance as a second gunshot sounded, this time nearer to him. He supported her shoulders and the back of her legs, lifting her off the ground, running towards the exit of the grand ballroom. Athrun covered for the pair of them, firing repeatedly, Kira saw Kisaki dragging the protesting Cagalli off. Athrun was alarmed to find blood dripping off Lacus's hair and Kira quickly told him she was shot, she needed medical attention.
"Find a place to hide! Follow Mr Kisaki!" he shouted over the din of the stampeding crowd. Taking ground, the other nine security man around the facility all have their guns out, firing at the black figures. Athrun's eyes are darted around the place, his senses on the edge, he could hear the intruders shuffling and shifting position, closing in with a formation he was familiar with.
These assassins are not amateurs. They are trained military personnel.
The ballroom was emptying out and the one Athrun shot was on the ground, he had fallen from the roof, groaning and dying from a fatal wound Athrun put on his side. Holding the man at gunpoint, he demanded, "Tell me. Who sent you, why shoot Lacus? Why assassinate the Orb representative? Answer me!"
The man croaked and coughed, splatters of blood landed on Athrun's face, he realized with a start, the man was laughing…. He managed a haggard reply, "You're dead, Alex."
Several more gunshots sounded behind Athrun and several men fell to his left and right. Lifeless. He wheeled around, to find three of the Orb security man pointing their guns at him. Masked soldiers appeared out of nowhere, taking the windows and blocking the exit. He realized what had conspired; the one he shot was a decoy. Their target was Lacus all along.
Shinn's report made him realize their presence a little earlier than they would have liked, he was alert. Lacus…was shot… because their mission to terminate 'her'? There must have been a sniper hiding out beyond the woods. And when that failed and they had no choice but to resort to close range combat. Athrun considered his options; he wasn't stupid enough to think he could kill twenty men without getting hit even once. He was outnumbered. And now the ballroom was deserted except for the presence of bodies, no one will come to his aid, he heard shots ringing down the hallway and assumed that there were people stationing there to prevent any one from coming near. He slowly stood up, his heart pounding in his ears.
"Alex." The security man in the middle of the three greeted him, smirking most menacingly. "You're losing your touch, falling for a trap like that." Athrun backed two paces and did not reply.
"Who would have thought a lowly security guard of the Orb representative was the renowned Athrun Zala. Come on, aren't you going to fight back, your gun skills are, after all…legendary. You disappoint me, to think that the whole squad was sent, what a humiliation."
"The whole Faith squad, the council must want her dead really badly. But as you can see, she isn't here." Athrun accused.
He lifted an eyebrow, a smile playing about his lips.
"Who says we're here to kill Miss Clyne?"
It was Athrun's turn to be surprised,
"Is it not?"
The person smiled sinisterly, breaking into laughter.
"Tell you what, my dear Zala. Since I like you so much, as a complementary gift to your ticket to hell, I'm even going to tell you why you died, for your convenience in reporting to Hades, of course."
"And that would be?" Athrun replied with deceptive calmness. He was afraid, he had never remembered feeling such paralyzing fear, since the day Patrick Zala fired at him. His mouth was dry and astringent, he could feel his chest constricting. Perspiration trickled down his throbbing temples. He didn't want to give up, but rationale and reasoning told him he had no choice. They will kill him, they leave, and no one else will get hurt. If he survived that day, people around him are going to get hurt. His wits had deserted him and he saw nothing but imminent death before him…he might as well embrace it.
"You made a few big people unhappy, you made yourself a thorn in their side and we…are here to remove that thorn."
Athrun was more confused than before, it slowly dawned upon him, that the one they wanted to get rid of might not be Lacus after all… "But isn't it 'her'…?"
The person before him smirked, "Ah, that. It was a little…mission code our people use to communicate. It doesn't define the gender of our target really, but I thought it really suits you. And its used to confuse your…erm, spies. 'Her', was referring to you all along. Athrun Zala." He paused, allowing the insult to sink in.
"I've said enough, gentlemen, kill him."
Every single gun in that room opened fire at him, Athrun shut his eyes, waiting for the bullets to meet the mark. At this moment, a large shadow loomed overhead…
Murrue, Mwu and Andrew Waldfield were trying desperately to get into the ballroom. But ten or so masked soldiers were blocking the way. They cannot hope to barge through the ranks of so many without sustaining injury. The party guests have evacuated, a few people got hurt but the mostly are okay. She suspected their target was not Lacus when masked men started blocking the exit after Kira carried Lacus away. A series of gunshots told her either the security men were winning or they were dropping like flies, the latter was more likely.
She reloaded her gun and stared hard at the corridor, they needed to help the folks inside. Especially the teenager, she thought it logical to want to dispose of him and for some one in council to retain power. And maybe Lacus too.
Politics. She thought in disapproval.
Without warning, a lot of guns fired at one go, causing a sharp sting to her ears. Like a mass firing exercise.
Than the room became silent except for the shouting and trampling of boots and when she looked again, the place was deserted; the soldiers had retreated through the windows and exits.
Tightening her grip around her hand gun, she ran into the ballroom. Bodies were lying around, and each bloodied and empty face she saw filled her with dread, her comrades are dead. She looked around, willing not to find his frame on the ground like the rest. Overhead, something moved and she pointed her gun upwards, preparing to fire.
But she heard a familiar voice yell, "Don't shoot, Its me!"
He stood from the hand of Destiny, shaken and pale but alive.
Five of them were in the infirmary; Shinn was getting his scratches where glass had entered the wound treated by the medic. The other three were waiting for Lacus to wake up.
The doctor says it was a scratch, nothing serious. Maybe coupled with concussion and a longer sleeping period.
Athrun approached Shinn, who immediately broke into a lecture. "You were standing there like a piece of rock, aren't you going to try taking them down? If you really wanted to die that bad I would have killed you myself. Don't forget, you're the one who defeated me; I can't let you be defeated by anyone else till I do it myself! You could have done better than this. You could have…"
"Thank you, you saved my life." Athrun interrupted, bowing slightly. Shinn looked like he was about to explode, he somehow, managed to contain himself and looked away. He looked like he was pouting…
Kira was silent, he held on to Lacus's limp, small hand. He sensed that her fingers twitched, but couldn't be sure…
When Lacus opened her eyes, beside her were three people. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes, Kira watched her for a while, than asked, "Lacus…Are you feeling alright?"
She looked at him with her widened blue eyes, her brows furrowed slightly. She just gazed at Kira with her usual smooth and gentle features for a full minute, the trio held their breaths in silence, waiting for her normal response of a warm smile and telling them, I'm alright.
But her normal response didn't come, instead, she turned to Athrun and asked,
"May I know who is this kind gentleman holding my hand while I was asleep?" The implication of the sentence scared the living daylights out of the trio.
Cagalli was the first to respond, although she was flabbergasted, "Lacus… don't joke. Its not funny."
Athrun just replied, "He's Kira, my very good friend. We studied together at the moon base since we were young. Please allow me and Cagalli to be excused while the pair of you acquaints yourselves, he's a nice guy." He followed up by taking Cagalli's hand, leading her out. The medic was finished with Shinn's arm, Shinn turned to leave and dragged the medic along.
When only two of them were left in that room, Lacus returned to gazing intently at Kira, examining him form top to toe and back. He merely gazed back, allowing Lacus to study him. Unseen beneath, his heart was in turmoil.
How could Lacus have forgotten him? He was grieved, he didn't want Lacus to forget him, he didn't want all that they've gone through to go down the drain. He didn't want for her to forget all the moments they shared. Above all… he didn't want their past to cease to exist in her mind. But, all that couldn't be helped now. She's like this because he couldn't protect her, he couldn't keep her from harm and those who seek her life. It was ultimately his fault that had lead to her getting hurt, and now this. He smiled weakly at her, gripping her hand and pulling her into an embrace.
Athrun turned to face Cagalli, suppressing a sigh.
"What's wrong?" she asked immediately.
"I've decided. I'm going to PLANTs."
Cagalli gasped in surprise, shock shown on her features, than it approached anger and disbelief.
"Why? You want to get yourself killed!"
"Listen to me," he replied patiently, "If the council wants me dead, I 'll have to die no matter where I am. But the most dangerous place is usually the safest, it's the only way I can somehow resolve the situation. If they want me dead, I'll die facing them."
"But that's stupid!" she snapped, "You'll be playing right into their hands. That's really……really" she scratched her head, groping for the right word to use, she finally settled with, "…STUPID!"
"I'll be safe," he reassured her, with more confidence than he really felt. "Your little charm kept me safe once; I believe it will once again."
Cagalli went, "Huh?" unable to hide her surprise. She thought he lost it or something when she hadn't seen it for months… but…
Athrun reached into his collar, revealing the silver gleam of the metal chain and the reddish-purple stone at the base of it, resting on his collar bone.
"I'll be okay." He repeated.
Cagalli knew she lost the argument again, so she hastily removed the ring from her finger and waved it in between Athrun's eyes.
"This," she stuffed it unceremoniously into his hand, "Is to be back on my finger when you return. Can you promise me?"
Athrun raised his eyebrows, and smiled in return.
Kira could smell the soothing sent of lavender in Lacus hair, he didn't know why he did it, but he just wanted her close all of a sudden. He just wanted her to be near. In the softest whisper, he told her, "Lacus, I don't care if you remember me. I just want you to know, I'll be there for you, I'll protect you no matter what. I'll guard you with my life. That… I promise you."
He couldn't see her face, but he could sense that her spirits lifted all of a sudden.
"Lacus?" He asked. She remained silent, as her hands gently wrapped about him, returning the embrace. She smiled,
"Than…that's enough for me."
She pulled away, looking into Kira's eyes with hers. And whispered,
"Let's be together, let's stay together."
"That means…"
"That means 'Yes'." She repeated, touching the tip of Kira's nose lightly. Than leaned forward, and touched his lips with hers.