As I dug deeper and deeper into Rey's past, I began to realize that this wasn't just about him. His life was so closely intertwined with the few people around him that it would be impossible not to include their own stories in this biography.

And here, drinking coffee and sitting in front of me was another one of the many missing links that I have been searching – Captain Talia Gladys' ex-husband, David Hawse. Their marriage was short and brief, but it had ended on friendly terms. They had a six year old son.

"Arthur may have been wrong about you. He said you were a loud and rambunctious young man," he noted genially.

I shrugged. "I guess the key word there would be 'were'."

He looked around, as if looking for someone. Finally, he returned his attention to his coffee. "Did you come here alone?"

I felt no need to voice out my answer, so I simply nodded.

"So, you came here alone." It was a statement, not a question. He sipped some of his coffee before continuing.

I scoffed, not seeing where this was going. "So did you."

David Hawse smiled kindly. "Ah, but you – you chose to be alone."

-

Chapter Six - Solitude

-

He could feel light blue eyes boring into his back. He was used to stares such as those, but not from this person. He expected this reaction from most people but not from this person.

"Rau…you promised you'd be the first to hear my piece…"

Promise? Ah, yes. He distinctly remembered that. But what did Rey expect him to do? Excuse himself from battle just because his son/clone was playing a musical composition he made himself? Oh, he could just imagine that scenario. He'd be in the middle of slashing up mobile armors and warships here and there when he curtsies and says in his most polite voice, 'Please excuse me but I've got a private recital to attend. Let's meet up again later to continue this death match in space.'

Yes, Rau Le Creuset was insane but he wasn't dim-witted.

No matter how much disappointment appeared in Rey's eyes, he would not budge and apologize. Apologizing to Rey would be admitting that he was wrong. Apologizing to Rey would be admitting -to himself- that he was wrong.

And he wasn't wrong.

He was never wrong.

He is never wrong.

His biological components may be wrong, but his creed was not.

"You lied…" Rey whispered quietly, voice flat and emotionless. But those eyes were still staring at him, eyes filled with hurt and disappointment. It was like staring at a twelve year old version of himself. But then again, Rau was quite sure that he did not look that innocent when he was that age.

Rau inwardly smirked. It was ironic how things turned out to be. He had finally achieved the highest award that could be given to a ZAFT soldier, he was finally appointed to Commander, managed to gain the trust of the highest echelons of the military, but had lost the trust of the one person he considered important.

"Trust no one but yourself… then maybe, you won't be so disappointed in the future."

-

One of the traits that Gilbert knew he possessed was tactfulness, and so, he decided to steer the conversation to more amiable topics the moment he felt the tension in the air.

"I heard that they are entrusting an elite unit under you."

Rau smirked. "That's top-secret information… What ever happened to keeping it quiet, I wonder?"

Gilbert smiled. Rau was being his usual sarcastic self while Rey was being his usual innocent self. This normally did not pose any problems but this time, it seemed the opposite. Neither of them expected Rey to act so let down by the turn of events.

"Maybe they felt as excited as you did, that they couldn't just keep it to themselves," Gilbert suggested in jest. "Either way, I'd say that white uniform suits you more than the red one," he added laughingly.

"How's that for irony?" Rau asked dryly. He shook his head. "You were never one for humor, Gilbert."

Rey cleared his throat and stood up. "I'm going to my room," he announced to no one in particular, his tone placid. He did not meet Rau's or Gilbert's eyes as he exited the room, fists clenched and head bowed.

After they heard the sound of a door slamming shut, Gilbert sighed while Rau just shrugged.

"Aren't you the least bit bothered with the way he is acting?" Gilbert asked, his brows furrowed in worry.

The familiar sneer graced Rau's features. "On the contrary, I feel relieved. He's acting like a normal, angst-ridden teenager."

Gilbert raised an amused eyebrow, but otherwise let the topic drop. He turned his attention on the gold medal lying innocently on the coffee table. For all it was worth, it did not seem very much appealing. "Many young Coordinators have enlisted in the military," he noted wistfully.

Rau closed his eyes, not the least affected with it. "So I heard. Most of them don't even know what they're fighting for."

Gilbert knew where this was going and decided to play along. "It's quite simple, really. They're fighting to protect the PLANTs and to avoid the Bloody Valentine Tragedy from happening again," he answered matter-of-factly.

Rau shook his head and clucked his tongue disapprovingly. "Wrong, my simple-minded friend." He stood up and approached the piano on the other side of the room. He stared at it with a poker-face before running his hands on the black and white keys.

Gilbert leaned back on his chair. "Care to elaborate?"

Rau slammed his hand on the keys and chuckled when he saw his friend wince. "Oh, don't worry; I will." He reached for his mask and put it back on before speaking. "It's quite simple really," he repeated his friend's words. He smirked when he saw Gilbert raise an eyebrow. "They think that they are fighting for those reasons, but in reality, they're fighting for -me-. They're fighting to finish each other off, so… they're fighting for -my- cause."

Gilbert stared at his hands and after a moment's contemplation, felt his lips curl into an amused smirk. "I see… Although I must say, that's quite ambitious and self-centered of you."

Rau smiled as well. "Why thank you. I was afraid you'd never notice."

"But I'm afraid that I have no intentions of fighting for your cause," Gilbert stated amiably. "Simply because I have my own causes to fight for. And unlike you, I do not wish for mankind's demise, I only wish for mankind's enlightenment."

"And I see that you're working on that," Rau said dryly, eyeing the notebook half-hidden by the other papers strewn on top of the coffee table.

"Oh, I am, I am," Gilbert answered dismissively with a wave of his hand.

Rau glanced at the old-fashioned wall clock on the opposite wall. He brushed imaginary dirt from his uniform and tilted his head. "I'm leaving."

Gilbert nodded once and stood up. "Do you want me to call Rey?"

Rau did not stop walking. "There is no need."

Gilbert did not say anything as he fell into step beside his reticent friend. They walked in silence towards the front door.

-

He watched from behind the safety of his window as Rau's car cruised out of the driveway. He did not even say goodbye. No 'I will be leaving now, Rey' or an 'I will be back soon, Rey'. Was Rau mad because he called him a liar? He never did understand how Rau's mind worked. Rey could remember even from way back when that Rau had no qualms whatsoever with showing his less-than-pleasing side. What happened to the sudden change in attitude?

'Trust no one but yourself…'

Did that mean that he shouldn't trust Rau anymore?

Rau's visits had become even rarer than before. Rey couldn't even remember the last time Rau had spent more than five hours at Gilbert's house. Gilbert's house, which was supposed to be his temporary home, had become his permanent one. He couldn't even remember what his former home looked like anymore.

Rey sighed.

Maybe he needed to see something other than the four walls of his room.

He changed his clothes into something more fitting for the outside. Afterwards, he walked out of his room and made a beeline towards Gilbert's office. He knocked twice and after hearing a muffled, 'Come in', opened the door and went inside.

Gilbert was typing something in his laptop but paused when Rey cleared his throat. He turned his full attention to Rey and flashed him an encouraging smile.

"I just wanted to ask," Rey started in his usual quiet demeanor, "if I could go outside."

Gilbert studied him for a moment before nodding. "Of course. I think that would do you some good." He tilted his head to the side like he always did when thinking about something. "The park is just a few blocks away."

Rey muttered his thanks as he exited the room. He mentally recalled the way to the park. It wasn't his first time out, but seeing as he rarely went out of the house, his anxiety about getting lost was quite understandable.

The walk was uneventful, with nothing even managing to catch his interest. It was mid-afternoon and the children were heading out in their bikes, off for their playtime. Some looked to be his age but he did not bother walking up to them and introducing himself. He liked being alone, and with his condition, it wasn't exactly advisable to make friends.

He chose a solitary spot under a sakura tree. Gilbert told him that the architect was half-Japanese and planted several of its kind in the park as tribute to his native country. He sat on the soft grass and leaned on the trunk, watching the park scenery through half-lidded eyes.

The people all looked so happy. As if they didn't have a single problem in the world.

"Why don't you play with the other kids?"

Rey's eyes snapped open and he stiffened upon hearing the sudden question. It was a woman's voice and it sounded quite familiar. He could see the person from the corner of his eyes but he did not bother turning around to look at her features. He just shrugged, not caring if the lady saw his answer or not.

"Don't you feel lonely sitting here all by your lonesome?"

Rey shook his head.

"Sometimes, it's great to have company." Still from the corner of his eye, Rey watched as the woman slowly stood up and brushed some petals from her immaculate white suit. "They're even more fun than playing the piano."

At that last statement, Rey turned his head to look at the curious lady but she already had her back turned to him. He opened his mouth to ask her who she was, as she seemed to know a bit about him, but a man beat him to it.

"Talia, let's go!"

The man rushed up to her and assisted her in walking. It puzzled Rey at first, the way the man held her as if she was something extremely fragile and delicate. But as Talia turned, he saw the reason for this – the unmistakable bulge in her stomach.

Talia smiled slightly at him before walking away. The man gave him a curious look, but otherwise said nothing. A soft breeze tousled his hair and he was once again alone. He went back to people-watching, but this time, not really taking anything in.

He was thinking about the look on Talia's eyes. What did that mean? He furrowed his brows. The spot under the tree was becoming too noisy for his liking. Rey stood up and started walking in a random direction; hopefully, it will lead him to place where he can do his thinking in peace.

Before he knew it, he had reached the pond. It was quiet, where only the soft squawking of the ducks could be heard. It seemed to be quite a popular spot among the older crowd, who preferred to feed the ducks in solitude rather than listen to the boisterous activities of other people.

Rey picked a spot hidden by a tree close to the water's edge. The water reflected the blue sky perfectly. Out of curiosity, he knelt by the edge and peeked at his own reflection mirrored in the water's surface.

When was the last time that he looked at himself in the mirror? A week ago? A month ago? Three months? The face looking back at him then was just a year younger. Long blond hair that curled softly at the ends, light blue eyes the same shade as the clear sky above. He was still the same old Rey, and yet, not.

Something had changed.

Rey paused when he caught the expression on his eyes. He finally found the reason why the look on Talia's eyes seemed so familiar and why it had caught his attention. It was the same as his. But the answer led to another question.

What was the reason behind her loneliness?

-

Rey looked around and fought the urge to sigh in frustration. To say that he was stupid would be an understatement. The sun was about to set and he felt his level of anxiety rise a little. He should've taken notice of his surroundings! If he did, maybe he wouldn't be lost in the first place.

Yes, he was lost.

He had always prided himself in his vast spatial awareness. But now, he was lost. Who knew that the park could be so big? Well, at least he could be grateful to the fact that there were no wild animals in the PLANTs.

The place that he picked out was more secluded than he thought, and what little people that visited it in the afternoon were already gone by the time he decided to go home. Now, there wasn't even a single person to ask directions from. There wasn't even a pay phone. But then again, he wasn't sure he could use it given that he had no spare change to begin with.

Rey closed his eyes and mentally berated himself from his stupidity.

Still, with all that was happening, one would expect a child his age to start bawling or even throwing a temper-tantrum (yes, even teenagers are capable of doing that). But Rey was always calm. Rey did not throw temper tantrums.

So, he did the only thing that he could think of: walk.

He got there by walking in random directions; maybe he could get out of there by walking in random directions. The park lights suddenly turned on. Confirmed: it was nighttime. He heaved another sigh. He was quite sure that by the rate he was getting nowhere, he would miss dinner.

This is what he wanted right? To be left alone.

And that's what happened.

He had spent the early years of his life alone in that dark room. After that, he met several people. Not that many, just four to be exact.

Marietta was very nice to him, but did not seem to care much other than doing her chores. She left soon after, and she didn't seem that important really…because she preferred to stay in the background.

Then, there was Talia. Unlike Marietta, Talia did not have any misgivings towards spending time with Rey. She always welcomed him with open arms, hugged him and treated him like a son. She gave off the feeling that she wanted to become part of Rey's life. But she also left.

Rau was his savior, in more ways than one. Their relationship wasn't the conventional father-son type; nevertheless, he could feel some sort of strange connection to the man. But now, it seemed as if he was leaving him as well.

The last person was different.

"Rey?"

A smile.

Saffron eyes twinkling amusedly.

"You seem to be lost."

Gil was different because he was there when everyone had left him.

-

-

Author's Notes: Just a tidbit: The title was taken from a song from Gensoumaden Saiyuki, 'Solitude.' It was sung by Genjo Sanzo's (and coincidentally, Rey and Rau's as well) voice actor, Toshihiko Seki. For those who watch the show, Son Goku is voiced by Hoshi Souichiro (Kira) and Cho Hakkai by Ishida Akira (Athrun). See? You learn something new each day. If you want to hear them sing, go to gendou (dot) com and download their image songs. (snicker) If you want to hear 'Athrun' sing (actually, it's Cho Hakkai), download 'Knight of Midnight'.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to put it in your review. I noticed that when Gilbert told Rey that Rau was dead, Rey didn't even look mournful. So, that got me into thinking that he and Rau sort of 'drifted apart.' What about you? Got any ideas on why they 'drifted apart'?

Thanks for reading and reviewing, and to these people in particular: koyuki-san, kiki, Centurious, yuugiri, cc iconoclastic, Yzak-Freak, wellduh..., Gambit01, elven-girl10, MapleRose, maDeeneR-and Termony.

Woah, did the number of new reviewers just mushroom or something? Either way, I'm very thankful!

Special Thanks goes to my best friend/beta-reader/critic, Lia lostsmile.