Ok! here's chapter 9! Oh, and I'd like to thank a certain reviwer (you know who you are) who always reviews! In fact, that's actually my ONLY reviwer! I hope you get the hint.
Disclaimer:Yes, I own Gundam Seed, and Paris Hilton has brains...
Athrun
Today I learn
I will learn
The things
You did not tell me
And so much more
Who's the
Ignorant one now?
« Oh aren't these roses beautiful Kira? » exclaimed Fllay, as they walked through the palace gardens.
« Yeah, » he mumbled, « just like you… » What he said was true, Fllay resembled a rose in everyway, from it's deep red couler, to it's famed beauty, to it's hidden thorns.
« Oh Kira! » she said, trying to blush, unable to do so, she turned to look at the flowers, « and what have we here? » she asked crossly after spotting a stray blossom.
« It's a tulip, » answered the young prince simply.
« I know that silly, just, what is it doing there? »
Kira observed the flower in question for a minute, it was pink and delicate. It stoodout amist the patch of red roses. He gazed at the surrounding gardens, no other tulips could be found. This flower was one of a kind.
« KIRA! » cried someone suddenly. Before he grasp what had happened, he found himself locked in an embrace with, well, someone.
« Kira, you're safe! » said the person.
« Ca…Cagalli? » he managed to say. She looked up and smiled at him.
« I was so worried about you! » she exclaimed.
« You…were worried about me? Cagalli, what reason did you have to be worried about me? I'm not the one who ran off and got captured… » he trailed off as he noticed Cagalli's mood darkening.
« About that…we need to talk… » she mumbled.
Athrun woke up late that mourning, it wasn't really his fault though. Dearka was supposed to wake him up if he ever slept in (actually, they had a system : Dearka would wake up Athrun, Athrun would wake up Nicol, Nicol would wake up Yzak –poor guy, and Yzak would wake up Dearka,) but, the blond boy being who he was decided to forget. And thus, his sleeping in. But that wasn't the only reason, he had been dreaming that night, dreaming sweet dreams, the kind you like too much to wake up from.
He had been chasing after a young girl, no, a young woman. She was wearing a white sundress and a small coral-coulered pendant hang around her neck. He followed her all the way to a small clearing near a waterfall. Suddenly, he was standing right in front of her. Slowly, she placed her pendant around his neck. « For you, » she said.
But at the moment, Athrun was very far from that enchanting waterfall. Ath the moment, he was Le Creuset's tent discussing battle plans. Oh, how he hated war!
« So what do you think Athrun, about going after Uzumi? » asked his commander.
« Uzumi? » he asked, taken off guard.
« Looks like someone's in dream land today, » mentioned Dearka in a sing-song voice.
« And it's all thanks to you Elfman, » muttered Athrun. The others chuckled.
« Well, that's besides the point, » Nicol chided in, « so let's move on… »
« Yes, of course, » said Rau, « Athrun, as you know, the royal family is on it's way to Heleopolis, our plan is to attack them as they arrive. »
« I see, but we tried that strategy at Onongoro and lost, » said the blue-haired coordinator, « and I don't see what any of this has to do with Uzumi. »
« Zala you idiot! The battle's just a diversion! » cried Yzak, « while we're fighting outside, someone's going to sneak in and kill that bastard Uzumi once and for all! »
Athrun was shocked. They had always talked about killing him off and getting rid of the beast, but he had never thought they would ever take any desisive action against Uzumi.
« The commander suggested that you be the one to do the job, » said Nicol quietly. The supposed assasin-to-be was stunned.
Cagalli couldn't care less that they were changing households or that her father was 'preoccupied' with political matters, she wanted her answers and she wanted them now! And besides, she could tell he was avoiding her. Though it wasn't as if that was going to stop her, in fact, it would only make her push harder. She remembered the conversation she had had with Kira the other day.
After all the stupid formalities, the twins finaly had a chance to be alone and talk privatly. They had taken refuge in Cagalli's room. She sat upon her bed, while Kira stood nearby.
« So what did you want to talk to me about? » he asked calmly.
« Alot of things have happened since we've had a chance to talk like this, » she began.
« Yeah, I won't contredict you there,» he replied, « so, what are you so eager to talk me about? »
« I've learnt so much over these past two months, I'm not sure if I'll be able to explain it all, but I'll try. »
« Take all the time you need. »
« Well, first of all, I know why were fighting this war, the real reason. »
« And that would be? »
« Coordinators. »
There was an akward silence. Kira was clearly uncomfortable, Cagalli decided against mentioning anything about Patrick Zala to him.
« I've also learnt that we have friends on both sides of this useless fight, » said the princess, hoping to change the subject.
« Really? » questionned Kira, happy not to have to go any further into the matter of coordinators, « who? »
« Lacus, for starters, »
Kira remebered Cagalli's letter.
The next time Miss Clyne visits us, we will have to give her the best care we can, especially you Kira.
He gave her a confused look.
« She's the one who helped me escape. »
The prince smiled.
« That was awfully kind of her, » he said.
« Kind isn't the start of it Kira! She betrayed her alligance so I could get away! Do you know how much trouble she'd be in if she was found out? »
Kira nodded quietly, surpriesed by his sister's outburst. He had forgotten how passionate she could be.
« You said friendS earlier, what other friends do we have with alligances to ZAFT? »
Cagalli was silent for a moment, she thought back to her encounters with Dearka and Athrun.
« Some friends are they for us, even when it isn't obvious, » she finaly answered.
« Do you mean… » began her brother.
« I also learnt that monsters are real, » interupted Cagalli, « and that the scariest ones live inside you. »
Thier conversation had been cut short by Mana, the tomboy's overprotective nanny, who upon seeing her demanded that she be bathed and dress into something more appropriate. Before being dragged out by the somewhat crazy wet nurse, Cagalli had promised Kira that they would continue thier conversation with thier father.
« Why me commander? » asked Athrun.
« I thought this could give you the chance you've been waiting for, to avenge your father and give Uzumi what he desreves for deciving you all these years, » replied Le Creuset.
Athrun thought back to his memories of the man. He had been kind, but stern, the sort of man you needed to be to run a contry. Whenever he had overheared him talk about political matters,(or easedropped along with Kira) Uzumi had always fought for the people's rights and never once seemed corrupt. Athrun had once thought of him as a great man. Of course, his opinion about him changed once Rau showed him the truth. Still, the idea of killing the man was, to put it simply, not right to him. An image of Cagalli's crying face came to his mind.
« I'm afraid I can't do that sir, » he said after a long silence.
« Oh, why? » asked Le Creuset.
Athrun bit his lip, you'd better make this good, he told himself.
« As much as I would love to go after the Attha bastard myself, I find that I am just not qualified for this sort of mission. Yzak or Dearka would be better qualified for this sort of thing. »
« Very well then, » said Rau, « You and Nicol will the diversion, while Yzak and Dearka will go after Attha. »
« Yes sir! » they all chanted together.
« You are dismissed, » said Rau.
All four turned to leave. Suddenly, Le Creuset approached Athrun.
« No hostages this time Zala, » he whispered.
They had been sailing by ship to Heleopolis for three days now and were still far from thir destination. Normally, Cagalli would be throwing fits by now. But for the moment, she was pleased. She had both Uzumi and Kira to herself.
« How have you been Father? » she asked sarcasticly, some of Athrun's cockiness had rubbed off on her.
« I'd prefer it if you would speak to me in a more appropriate tone, young lady, » he responded.
Cagalli's face suddenly became beat red with anger, Kira appraoched her so as to try and stop her from doing anything agressive.
« What is with you! » she cried, « you act as if I don't know anything, as if I'm still that ignorant sixteen-year-old I used to be! »
« You may be twenty-one but you don't act any older! You still don't take time to think about your actions! Do you know how much trouble we were in because of you? Do you know how many people would've died if it weren't for those lucky twists of fate? And yet you continue to act selfishly and imaturly! » cried Uzumi.
« Selfish? How dare you call me selfish? I went through Hell so I could protect Kira! I went through so much to protect my little brother because you were to busy using him as your perfect weapon! And you dare call me selfish? » was her response.
Uzumi looked ready to slap his daughter. Fourtunatly, Kira interfered.
« Stop it already! » he cried, « fighting like this won't solve anything! »
Cagalli instantly calmed down, while Uzumi remained stern.
« Let's just say what really needs to be said, » voluntered the prince.
« Very well then, you go first father, » said Cagalli, « I'm sure there is much you'd like to tell us, about this war and why you're campagning to anailate coordinators. »
A stunned silence filled the room. Kira stared at his father with horror.
« Things are never that simple, » said the old king, « there is always more to be seen that what the eyes see alone. »
« What…what are you saying? » asked the rebelious princess.
« In your last letter, you wrote to me about a certain Patrick Zala, did you not Cagalli? »
Kira's head suddenly shot up, what was his father talking about? But when he looked to his sister, he noticed that she nodded gravly. He turned to his father, who then handed him a piece of paper.
Lord Uzumi Nara Attha,
Perhaps it was foolish not to include these questions within my original note, but I do not want to worry Kira over anything, seeing as he must be rather confused at the moment. First of all, you might as well know the details of this whole situation, unless Kisaka has told you all. Seeing Kira's distress over fighting Zala, I took it upon my duty as his older sister to do something about it. So I went to the front line and commanded his batallion for him. After a number of rather complicated events, I found myself in a position where I was forced to give myself up to him (please do not take that the wrong way). We made a bargan, if he retreated and surrendured, I would go with him as a hostage. I did not go back on my word. At the ZAFT base, I learnt many things, things you probably wouldn't want me knowing. For example : do you know what coordinator is? I do, though I only learnt it recently from a friend. Also, I have many questions for you. I have decide to stay here in Tassil parshly because I want you to come up with real anwsers and explinations before I ask them. And do not try to lie to me, I'll find out one way or another, you know that, Father. Yes, I have many questions for you, and as a young woman, I expect to hear valuable answers. I hope you won't baby me, especially when I ask you about Patrick Zala.
Sincerly
Princess Cagalli Yula Attha.
Kira glanced at his sister curiously.
« Who's Patrick Zala? » he asked.
« You see Kira, a very long time ago, a young woman named Diana Zala, gave birth to a son, whom she named George Zala. This boy went on to unite what we know as the early form of Orb and conquer more land for the contry. Eventually, the people made him king, the first king of Orb. After he had lived out all his youth, he eventually seteled down with some lovly young girl for his queen, hoping to produce a male heir. When he was unable to, he asked for the help of his people. He sent a special doctor to each town and every single citizen was required to take a certain test, all of wich were filed. Then, he went through all the matured females files and chose one, history has forgotten her name, to mate him and bear his child. And just before this child was born, George Zala told the people of Orb what he planned for this child. The boy would be infused with special chemichals to enhance his skills and physique, he would be, just like his father before him, a coordinator. After that, he sent out a decree saying that anyone who was awaiting a child should inform the local authorities, and, with the files he had recived, it would be decided who would become a coordinator and who wouldn't. These files reveled the genes of each and every person and showed who was better fit to give birth to these new super humans. » said Uzumi.
« Funny how we knew so much about genes at the time and so little about anything else, » said Cagalli.
« Yes, actually, it's somewhat ironic, » continued their father, « at first things went fine, but evetually, human nature took over. Jealousy aroused in the hearts of those who were not chosen, to comfort themselves they began saying that at least their bodies and souls were still pure and what nature had intended for them. At the same time, George Zala's decendants, had all the power, some of them became corrupt. They thought themselves superior to the others and over time, the files that the first king had so carefully assembled and who became a coordinator simply upon thier parent's power and positions. Tension began to arise. Many, many years later, almost forty years ago, Felix Zala became king of Orb. But unlike his ancestors, he was not corrupt, or interested in profiting from the circomstances. He even started up new genetic files so as to chose the new coordinators properly. But he made one fatal mistake, he made his son, Patrick Zala, a coordinator. I grew up with them, in circomstances that were similiar to those Athrun dealed with during his time with us. As Felix was about to die, he proclaimed me as the heir to thrown. That is the true story. He chose me over his son because he belived I would do more good for this contry that his own son would. Furious, Patrick made up lies about how I had blackmailed and then killed his father. Half the contry believed him, half didn't. The half that did was made up mostly of coordinators, while the one that didn't was mostly composed of naturals. His lies split the contry in two. Knowing the procariousness of my position, I tried to run the contry well, but I must say I haven't done a very good job. »
« Father… » whispered Cagalli.
The royal family had barely arrived at Heleopolis, but the attack had already commenced. Completly taken by surprise and the need to protect his friends, Kira had immeadiatly left to fight. Before he had gone though, he a shot Cagalli a inquiering look, asking her if she would join them in battle. But she had simply said, « I don't want to fight. » Kira envied her, she had a choice. Bravley, he pushed his batallion, The Freedom, forward. The battle was not as brutle and harsh as it usually was. The oposing soldiers all seemed too busy thinking about something else than the battle. It was as if they felt they wouldn't be dying in vain for once. Suddenly he found himself battaling the cocky leader of the messengers from last time.
« After this you'll wish you had joined us, you'll wish you had fought with your people! » he spat. They entered an intense duel. « You puppet of the government! You fool with no soul! Do you even know what you're fighting for? »
« I'm fighting to protect those I love! » cried Kira, « I'm fighting to keep them safe because people like you keep trying to destroy them! » The intensity inside of him kept rising and rising untill the boiling point. He swiftly killed the man standing in front of him. And move on to his next opponent. If Kira had not been fighting so blindly, he would have noticed his opponents green hair and kind eyes.
Cagalli sat in her room, her back to the window trying ignore the battle going on outside, or the memories of her last battle, or anything that had to do with war. She didn't want to think about it. Last time she had, the monster had taken her over, she didn't want that to happen again. Suddenly her room door opened.
« I thought you'd be out there fighting with the others, » said Uzumi, « I came to see if you had joined them yet, I always do this. »
« I don't want to fight, » she replied.
« Cagalli…did something happen to you during your adventures? Something more than what you have let on? »
« I was captured and held hostage by the enemy, I escaped and joined a rag-tag resistance group, what more could've happened? »
« Alot more I suppose, you know, Kisaka told me many things, about you, and your adventures… »
« Kisaka dosn't know anything! It's not like he's my father! »
Uzumi began stroking her hair lovingly.
« No, he isn't, but I am, I can tell there is more to your story than meets the eye. It is very similar to this war in that respect. »
All of a sudden, tears began streaming down Cagalli's face.
« I…I lost a friend or two… » she mumbled, « and it hurts. »
Her father held her as she belted out her tears.
Athrun watched in pain as Nicol fell to the ground, dead. He couldn't believe it. During his time at ZAFT, Nicol had been his closest friend. Athrun remebered how he had been so kind to him over the years, when they first met, when he goofed up, even these last days, he never failed in being a good friend. Athrun looked up to find the killer's gaze. And to his surprise it was Kira.
« I'm going to kill you! » he screamed.
Cagalli's tears had dried up by now, but she was still in her fathers warm embrace (A/N :I am not trying to suggest anything here). Suddenly, a man came to the door.
« Lord Uzumi? » he asked, « you're needed in the study. »
« Of course, » said the king as he gently broke apart from his daughter. Cagalli looked up the man, she couldn't help but shiver upon seeing him.
« Father… » she tried to cry.
Kira and Athrun were now battaling each other furiously.
« TRAITOR! » cried Kira.
« MURDERER! » cried Athrun. (A/N : hey, it's better that Kira/ Athrun for fifteen minutes…)
Thier swords clashed countless times. Cling! Clang! Cling! Clang! Both fought with the strength of many men and the anger of a wildfire. But suddenly something caught Kira's attention, and distracted him long ennough to give Athrun the upper hand. At that moment, Kira's future looked short. It would've been if it weren't for Tolle, who managed to block the blow. He fell to the ground with a proud smile on his face.
« Man, Zala really is good, » he said playfully, « tell Mir that. » he said to Kira. He died soon after.
« You killed Tolle! » cried Kira, « You knew him! You knew him and you killed him! »
« You killed Nicol! You murdered him! »
« Killer! Assasin! Traitor! »
« Murderer! Murderer! MURDERER! »
« Killer! Traitor! TRAITOR! »
They entered a intense combat. More intense than the entire battle. It was if only they were there. A two-man war between Kira and Athrun. And thier monsters. It finaly ended when both lay on the ground, unsure if either of them was alive or not. Only hours latter were they noticed. Kira was the first to be recuperated. Miriellia found him.
« Kira! Kira! are you allright? » she cried. Slowley, she picked him up and brought him to a woboly stand. « Kira, » she began, « where's Tolle? »
Silence.
« He wanted you to know that Zala really is as good as they say, » he mumbled. Understanding what had happened, the young girl stared at him in shock.
« Zala's really is good? » she asked shakily. Her prince nodded. Tears began falling down her ripe cheecks. Toghether they quitly made thier way back to the castle.
Athrun was recuperated only a few minutes after his friend.
« Yo! Athrun, are you allright, » asked Dearka.
« I'm fine, what about you guys? » he replied.
« We're good, » answered the blonde.
« Did you… »
« Yeah, we killed him, » said Yzak, « where's Nicol? »
Everything was quiet.
« Dead, » said Athrun, « Killed. Murdered. »
Cagalli had gone to look for her father after awhile. She searched the whole place by now, she been in every room, every room except one. Cautiously, she approached the study, almost as if she was scared of what she might see. Don't be silly, she told herself, the worst thing that could happen would be him scolding her for interupting an important meeting. Cautiously once again, she opened the door, and observed the room. A desk, a chair, bookceses. That was all normal. But there was one detail, one aspect, to be more precise, that wasn't normal : Uzumi Nara Attha's dead corpse.
« FATHER! »
Cagalli
So many things
Are dead
Because of you
Because of me
Because of laws
Stronger than the one's
We may try to write
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