Cagalli
At one point
I would've done anythingFor you
But no longer
Today, as I watch you
I count the number of days
You have to live.
--XX--
When they finally arrived at ZAFT headquarters, both Yzak and Dearka were exhausted, though they dared not show it. The boy they had captured, the Zala kid was still out cold. He had barley stirred the whole trip. "I wonder how this wimp could be related to Patrick Zala?" Dearka had asked.
They were now in the great hall awaiting orders from their superior, Rau Le Creuset. As usual, he came in late. He was followed by a green haired boy-Nicol. The older man spotted the Zala kid and smiled.
"Good job boys," he told the two, "I see you have not failed me yet." He turned to Nicol "bring Athrun to his quarters, make sure he is comfortable, if he wakes come and get me." Nicol nodded.
"Sir, is it true that the boy is related to Patrick Zala?" inquired Yzak.
"Yes, it is true," replied Le Creuset.
"That's pretty amazing, said Yzak, I mean, Patrick Zala is a legend!"
"Yes I suppose it is pretty special," responded his superior, "but what I find amazing is the fact that boy was kissing Princess Cagalli, they say she is disgusted by all men."
Yzak made a face while Dearka laughed.
Though the comment seemed harmless, it was actually a tactful move on Le Creuset's part. If you wanted respect and willingness from your men you had to know how to work with them. Rau joked with Dearka, talked seriously with Yzak, and appreciated Nicol's music. It didn't seem like much, but in the long run, it gave Le Creuset a good amount of influence over his men. As he sat down, he wondered what he would have to do to gain influence over Athrun.
"Well he's not really a man," muttered Yzak, "just a boy."
"You know Yzak," he said, "You really shouldn't think of Zala as a boy, he is 16, only a year younger than you and Dearka. And you should stop treating Nicol as one two, he may be 15, but his skill and maturity are equal to yours."
"Speak of the devil," sneered Dearka as Nicol entered the room.
"He's woken up sir," he said.
"Ah, Wonderful!" exclaimed Le Creuset, he got up and left the room.
When Athrun opened his eyes, he was confused. The last thing he remembered was asking Cagalli to get some drinks, the rest was gone. He looked around. The room was small and nicely furnished. There was a bed, a desk, a closet and a sitting area. It reminded him of his room in Orb. But something was different, there was something a little out-of-his-ordinary about this room. That was when he saw the ZAFT flag hanging outside his window.
What the hell was he doing here?
He ran to the door, hoping to find a way out. Instead, he found a man wearing a mask. "Good to see no damage was done," he said, more to himself than to Athrun. The man smiled at Athrun, "please, follow me."
--XX--
Cagalli now sat in her room trying to figure out what had happened. One minute, she and Athrun had been together, laughing, the next, he was gone leaving her alone and filled with worry, Even now she was worried. Cagalli thought back to what had happened: after realizing Athrun was missing, she ran to find her father completely forgetting that some minister of great importance was here.
"Father!" she had cried running for him.
"Is that really the princess?" someone had asked, "Uzumi! You should have kept her in the army!"
Cagalli paid no attention to them. "Father" she had said "Athrun is missing!"
There had been a few comments about her familiarity with Sir Zala, but that didn't matter. Uzumi had tried to calm her down, telling her he had just gone for a stroll without her. He was lying, unintentionally, but lying just the same. At last, Uzumi got fed up with his daughter and sent her to her room, (she had to be dragged in by Kisaka, and even then she was kicking and screaming.) Uzumi had promised they would search for Athrun if he had not returned in the morning. Cagalli was unable to sleep that night. When morning finally arrived, Athrun had not returned, just as Cagalli had known he wouldn't.
A small search party was organized but all they found was a piece of cloth. It was a fragment of a ZAFT uniform. When it was presented to Lord Uzumi, he shook his head. "There is no hope for young Athrun" he had said "he is lost to us."
In the present moment those words played themselves over and over again in Cagalli's head. Where was Athrun? Why was he lost to them? When would she see him again? Why was no one answering her questions?
--XX--
The masked man took Athrun to his office.
"Athrun Zala," said the man, I am Rau Le Creuset.
Athrun nodded slightly.
"I would like you to work for me and help ZAFT finish this war victoriously, said Le Creuset."
"What?" exclaimed Athrun, "Good sir, you must know my loyalties belong to Orb."
"Not for long," said Le Creuset, "let me tell you a story. There are those who are chosen and those who are not. There always has been. In the beginning, no one even knew there was a difference. Slowly, those who were chosen began to learn things the other couldn't. The chosen ones began to walk on two feet, to speak in more than grumbles, to sing, to dance. The others, the naturals, followed in their footsteps. No one noticed no one cared. Yes, the chosen ones, the coordinators, were more talented than the naturals, but besides a few childish arguments, it never really mattered. Each child born is said to be a gift from the gods, weather natural or coordinator, so each child is a blessing. But soon, people realized that they could give fate a little push by mating someone of their own race or species. Coordinators who wished to have their children 'chosen' would mate only coordinators. This began prejudge, which led to segregation, which led to hatred, which led to war."
"Our war?" Asked Athrun.
"Yes," answered Le Creuset, "and many others. Orb is not the first nation to be torn apart by war. Do you remember the war between the PLANTS and the Earth Kingdom?"
Athrun nodded, he must have been about 5 at the time, at that point, and he still lived with his mother. He remembered how there had been so much fuss over it even though it had nothing to do with Orb. Supposedly the Earth Kingdom had asked Orb to become their alley and fight the war with them. Orb was still a peaceful nation then, neutral, war was avoided as much as possible. But this time some ministers of state tried to urge Lord Uzumi to join the Earth kingdom, saying it would be an easy victory and give their economy a major boost. Uzumi declined the offer. His love for Orb's morals saved them from a crushing defeat but was also the first step towards the civil war.
"Well," continued Le Creuset, "both nations used to be one, The PLANTS kingdom of Earth, but many years before that war, there had been a civil war that divided them forever. Do you know why that war took place?"
"Because of naturals and coordinators," said Athrun.
"Exactly," said Le Creuset.
"But why do you want me to fight for you?"
"Orb too is divided between naturals and coordinators, I don't want to see you fighting your own kind."
That explained a lot. For a long time now, Athrun had released he was different from the others in his everyday life. A bit more alert than the rest of them he understood things faster than they did. The only person who could keep up with him was Kira. Athrun shivered inwardly. The idea scared him.
"How are coordinators chosen?" he asked. "Who chooses them?"
He knew this man was his enemy but he was curious, this may be his only chance at knowing the truth. Athrun felt that for some reason he had to know.
"The matter of how coordinators are chosen is a rather complicated business," said Le Creuset who was obviously pleased with Athrun's curiosity, "but as for who chooses them, there are many theories. The first, the classic is that the gods choose them. The second would be that nature does. But the most interesting theory would be that it's the Zala's doing."
"WHAT?" cried Athrun, "HOW?"
"You know very little on your family's history, I'm sure Uzumi tried hard to stop you from ever finding this out. Too bad all his efforts went to waste, it's time you know the truth."
"What truth?"
"You see Athrun, the Zala's were once the rulers of Orb. With this mighty position they had control over all the country and had each and every person's records. Whenever a child was annouced (for they weren't just kings, but also lords and ladies of different counties) they would research the parent's files and find out the information they needed to know. Depending on what the results were they would decide weather the unborn child would become a coordinator or not. If the child was to be one, it's midwife would be given a special needle to give it just before it came out into the world. The Zala's had that power. Rightfully, that power should be yours. But, nearly a quarter of a century ago, Uzumi stole that power from Patrick Zala, your father."
"My father?"
Athrun had barley known his parents. When his mother was alive she had often been sick, so he spent most of his time with her sisters. When she died, he was sent to live with Lord Uzumi and his children. He had never known his father, whenever he had asked his mother about him all she told him was that his father was a great man.
"Yes your father," said Le Creuset, "he was a brave and strong man, intelligent and thoughtful, but also good and kind. He wanted the best for Orb. I wonder how he would feel if he knew his son was loyal to his greatest enemy? I know I would be devastated. Athrun, that is why I want you to join us. I want you to live up to your father, to take your rightful place on the throne and take Orb out of the misery it's been drenched in for 25 years."
"I understand your point of view," said Athrun, "but do you really expect me to turn my back on everything I have known and loved for the past 7 years. My friends, Kira, Cagalli…"
"I think you'll be able too," said Le Creuset.
And that was all the doorman was able to hear. (A/N: I'm evil!)
--XX--
The next day, Athrun was formally presented to his teammates, Yzak, Dearka, and Nicol. The first two, who were rather arrogant, treated Athrun with an air of superiority. The other one seemed really to young and innocent to be in this war. After that, the newest ZAFT recruit was brought to Le Creuset for 'special training.'
When he got there he found a pile of books and a note: Read, it said. Athrun looked at the pile. The books seemed familiar somehow. Suddenly he realized they were the books he had been forbidden to read in Uzumi's household. He took the first one A History of Orb, and began to read.
He found that everything Le Creuset had told him was right. The Zala's had ruled Orb, and they had been the very first chosen ones, or coordinators. Athrun found this fascinating, he had heard parts of Orb's history, but they were often legends and had nothing to do with the Zala's.
"Impressed, are we Athrun?" said a voice, Le Creuset.
Athrun nodded.
"Have you any questions?"
"Just one, why do you call the chosen ones coordinators?"
"Coordinators like your ancestors were the first ones to take full advantage of life. They showed the way to the others. They coordinated it to them. As for naturals, they just took life as it came by naturally."
--XX--
For the past week now, everyone had been adjusting to life without Athrun. Well not everyone, but those who knew him had. When Kira returned, a day after he was declared missing, or lost as Uzumi said, he was furious. He and Athrun had been the best of friends. Athrun was supposed to have waited for him he said over and over again.
The truth was, as close as he was to Cagalli, there were something's he just couldn't tell her. Like how he hated it when she followed them, because he had no idea if she was safe or not. Athrun had always been the person to hear him out when he couldn't talk to his sister. Now that he was gone, those feeling would stay bottled up for a long time.
--XX--
After his 'special training' reading books, Athrun had retired to his room to think. Everything Le Creuset had told him about his family was true. There was one point yet to be proven: were they really the ones who decided on the fate of the unborn children? His chain of thought was broken by a knock on his door. He opened it and saw Nicol with a food tray.
"I was asked to bring you your dinner," he said, he handed Athrun the trey and turned to leave.
"Stay," said Athrun, "I'm going to be here a while, I might as well get to know you."
Nicol smiled and entered.
Over the next two weeks, Athrun would continue his 'special training' everyday with Le Creuset. Each evening he and Nicol would enjoy a meal together and talk. He didn't feel like so much of a captive now that he had a friend.
After two weeks of reading, he was reintroduced to Yzak and Dearka. He began to train with them. Even then, he still had private lessons with Le Creuset. He told him all he wanted to know about his family, coordinators and Lord Uzumi. He told him about Uzumi's past, his weaknesses, his strengths. When Athrun asked his new commander how he knew so much about Lord Uzumi, Le Creuset simply said they had battled before. He would not say more on the subject. Slowly, Rau was teaching his young student to be loyal to ZAFT and hate Uzumi, and all those who supported him.
--XX--
Three years had passed since Athrun's disappearance. After the initial shock of it all, everything had returned to normal. Kira battled the enemies along with Cagalli who was always found out and sent back home. Yes, everything was normal, even without Athrun.
Accept for the rumors.
Gossipers could often be heard talking about a certain Commander Zala leading an amazing battalion dubbed The Justice.
--XX--
Athrun looked sternly upon Josh-A, he had been commanded to capture the city. He took a deep breath, today he would most likely be forced to face his old friend Kira. Suddenly, he noticed someone running up to them. It was Cagalli, she was running like a boy, not caring one bit about how she was ruining her fancy dress. In fact, Athrun was pretty sure she was doing it on purpose.
"Athrun!" she cried, "I've missed you!" she flung her arms around his neck. He observed her for a minute and noticed she was barefoot. He smirked.
"Cagalli, you'll never change, he said, you're just as ignorant as ever."
"What?"
"Cagalli, he said softly, look over there, can you see it, that battalion, The Justice, they're just waiting for my order. Once I give it, they'll attack and siege Josh-A. I am a generous man Cagalli, I will give your brother half an hour to prepare, then I will attack."
"So the rumors were true," said Cagalli, "you joined ZAFT and become a monster!"
"You're Father is the monster!"
"Take that back!"
"No!"
"TAKE IT BACK!"
"I will not take back the truth!"
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU ZALA!"
She formed her hand into a fist and came to punch him. He caught it before she could so much as touch him.
"I am not the person you once knew little princess, now go warn your brother of my arrival."
Cagalli's eyes grew wide with fear. Athrun was pleased, he wanted her to be afraid. Part of him felt guilty, but when he looked into her eyes, her brown eyes, he remembered who she was. Uzumi's daughter, the kin of his enemy.
"Go!" he yelled, letting go of her.
--XX--
It didn't matter that her dress was torn, it didn't matter that her feet were covered with mud, and it certainly didn't matter that prince what-his-name was here to see her. Cagalli ran through the small castle of Josh-A searching desperately for her brother.
"Kira!" she called, "Kira! Where the hell are you Kira?"
"I'm right here," he said springing out of the shadows, "what's the matter?"
"Athrun…Athrun…he's outside…waiting to come in…he wants to kill…he says father is a monster…half an hour…"
"What?" said Kira, "I didn't quite get that."
Cagalli reposed herself and told Kira the whole story as quick as she could.
Kira was preparing to find the men. Cagalli followed him.
"Cagalli," he said, "from what you told me, Athrun is a dangerous, I don't want you to be there while we fight. If you want to help, start evacuating the city."
"You think we'll lose."
"This battle was made for us to lose, go find father and warn him."
Cagalli did as she was told. She evacuated as many people as she could and was then left to wait. When Kira returned, there were about 100 men with him, he had left with 300.
"Athrun is our enemy now," he said.
"I know," said his sister.
--XX--
When he finally had a chance to sit down, all Athrun could think about was his confrontation with Cagalli. "I going to kill you Zala!" was what she had. Funny how that phrase was so familiar.
Athrun
My father's enemy
And mine
My brother's enemy
And mine
All you are is an enemy
An enemy
My enemy