Andrew received a message from Siegel. "Athrun is no longer wanted by ZAFT, but don't expect a warm reception when you return." He conveyed it to the teen; it didn't change his mind. He would receive whatever punishment his father have in store for him, but he would hold his head high. He had never been a traitor, and never would be one. He looked at his ZAFT redcoat. He would wear it on his return trip to the PLANT.
When the Eternal landed in Aprilius One, Athrun didn't know how to react if he saw his father. Lacus squeezed his hand. "Everything will be alright," she said.
Andrew Waltfeld and Martin Da Costa saluted the Chairman and Siegel Clyne. Athrun looked at his father, and did the same. Lacus bowed. Patrick Zala stepped up to his son and raised his hand. Athrun braced himself for the strike. Instead of hitting him, his father embraced him.
"I'm sorry." It was a simple apology, but it meant so much to the teen. He returned the hug, and his eyes watered. He then decided to announce something important to both fathers. Upon hearing the news, everyone was happy for the couple who had been through much together. Patrick made up his mind on how to resolve Athrun's matter.
At an emergency meeting, Patrick Zala announced his resignation as Supreme Council Chairman. He had failed in his duties, resulting in his son's actions. The Council, after some debate, accepted his resignation. Eileen Canaver was choosen as his successor. To ZAFT, the official line was that Athrun Zala had acted on the advice of Siegel Clyne to steal the Eternal and the Freedom to prevent them from falling into "the hands of the wrong people".
With that matter settled, Athrun formally proposed to his fiancee. As she said "yes", she had two requests. Patrick and Siegel nodded their approval when they heard about them.
As for the Kusanagi and the Archangel, they returned to Orb with little fanfare. Lord Uzumi and Lord Homura praised them for a job well done, although they too mourned the deaths of those Orb personnel who had been killed. Upon their return, the civilian enlistees decided to leave the military. What they had seen in Mendel and Jachin Due would haunt them for the rest of their lives. Murrue was reluctant to see them go; they had been with the Archangel for so long. Still, she respected their decisions. Tolle could still remember his father's words before they left Orb for Alaska: "You did the right thing, son." Now, he could say to those who cared to listen that he had done his part.
Kira decided to stay behind. Cagalli was the only family he had now. His foster parents would never understand what he had been through during the war. Lord Uzumi decided to assign him as Cagalli's bodyguard. Also, he had suggested to Homura that Cagalli be his successor. Homura was glad to hand the post over. In fact, he wanted Cagalli to take over with immediate effect; he was tired of the bickering and scheming of the other lords. Uzumi decided that the girl needed time to learn the tools of the trade. He told his brother to be a little patient...
When Athrun sent the invitation to Orb, Kira and Cagalli felt honoured and happy for him. When they saw the date, they realised the implications. They marked it on their calenders, although they wouldn't have missed it for the world in any case. As for the rest of the former Le Creuset team, they too were invited, along with their parents. Yzak decided to do something about that scar of his. Athrun had a special request for Nicol, which he readily accepted.
Valentine's Day, C.E. 72, the second anniversary of the Bloody Valentine Incident; it was also the day of Athrun Zala's and Lacus Clyne's wedding. As a private ceremony, the media was kept away. The few guests who were invited made their way to the Zala residence, where Athrun was there to received each guest. Andrew Waltfeld and Martin Da Costa were already there to make sure that everything ran smoothly (Actually, the Tiger was there just to see to the coffee; Da Costa was the one who was doing most of the work.).
The first to arrive was Yzak and his mother, Ezalia. Athrun was a little surprised that he had turned up so early. Yzak mumbled his well-wishes and his apology for misunderstanding him. The groom then noticed something different about his friend.
"You removed your scar?"
"Well, I have no reason to keep it. Would he be here?"
"Would you leave if I say yes?" The platinum-blond pilot shook his head.
Next was Dearka, and his father. The oldest teen of the lot couldn't resist the chance to dig at the groom.
"You look better in white than in the redcoat." Athrun, dressed in a white tuxedo, looked at his guest. Dearka slapped him on the shoulder before proceeding inside.
Kira and Cagalli hoped that they wouldn't be late. They had to make their way to the Panama spaceport for their trip to the PLANT. Although Chairman Canaver had given them permission, their clearance seemed a little slow, but, they made it on time. Kira congratulated his best friend, who told him that his other friends were here as well. The teen was a little uncomfortable with that. Cagalli felt like an outsider. It reminded her of the time the two were at the residence of the Desert Tiger. Also, she was the only Natural among the guests. Despite his own unease, Kira asked his sister to take it easy. As it turned out, they bumped into Yzak and Dearka. Yzak stiffly stuck out his hand. Kira took the hand and shook it warmly.
"Well, we meet again. Last time, you were behind a chain link fence." Cagalli recognised that voice.
"You were the one piloting the Buster."
"So, you're that little miss, huh? For the record, he was the one who took out the MS." Dearka pointed at his partner. He didn't expect to see the pilot whom he had helped saved in that battle. Kira took a closer look at the Duel's pilot.
"Yes, I took that scar off, but it doesn't mean anything," said the teen with a huff. As far as Kira was concerned, he had been forgiven. Anyway, the Tiger had already spotted them...
Nicol and his parents were apologetic when Athrun received them.
"He insisted on playing the pieces until they were perfect," said Yuri.
"Only the best for my best friend's wedding," replied the pianist. Athrun thanked Nicol again.
Everything went perfectly. Just as Nicol finished his preparations, the bride and her father arrived, together with Eileen. The young man looked at Lacus. So, the saying that a lady looked her best on her wedding day was true after all, thought the groom. He took his bride's hand...
After the ceremony, the groom delivered a short speech, where he remembers his mother, who "couldn't be here today". He then thanked everyone who attended before asking the Chairman if the broadcast was ready. She nodded.
The screens in the garden came alive as the final preparations was made (The idea of holding the wedding in a garden resembling the one at the Clyne residence was Athrun's idea.). According to Lacus's wishes, GENESIS would be demolished on this day as well. As the ZAFT superweapon is destroyed, almost everyone appreciated the significance of the events. Both the demolition and the wedding symbolised the beginning of a new era for Coordinators. Come to think about it, Rau Le Creuset did get something right after all, thought Athrun, as he remembered what the masked commander had said before. Nonetheless, if anyone ever tried to dictate the fate of Humanity again, Athrun knew that he would bear arms once again, and he would not be alone in the fight...
Afterthoughts
-Please RnR!