I gritted my teeth in annoyance as I caught sight of the damn clock. I have been waiting for god-knows-how-long and yet, that bitch of a secretary still hadn't made any indication that I was getting closer to talking to Yzak holier-than-thy-ass Joule. I figured that if I wanted to squeeze information out of him, I had better show some perseverance. So I decided to swallow much of my macho pride and go back to his hell-hole excuse for an office.

He was testing any patience that I might have gained over the years; that was for certain. Or his secretary was.

I crossed the reception room in four quick strides and cleared my throat to get her attention. She looked up from what she was doing and raised an eyebrow.

"May I help you, sir?" she asked, voice sickly sweet.

"Look, I'm not here to whine about my soldier's pension." I growled. "So can you just direct me to Joule's office? I've been waiting here since frickin' nine in – "

"Harassing her will get you nowhere. Well, maybe it'll get you a spot in jail, but that's not where you'd want to go, right?"

I whirled around to deal with whoever interrupted my speech and came face-to-face with a tan and blond man. I snarled. "Who the hell are you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Where have you been for the past years?" Then, he flashed me a cocky smirk. "Dearka Elthman."

I blinked.

Well, I suppose I could always improvise.

-

-

Chapter Ten – Extemporization

-

-

Trust was relevant in any growing relationship. Even more so for that between commander and subordinate. It is important to be able to trust your comrades in the military because that will serve as the difference between life and death. Even though some of his relationships with his comrades weren't very friendly (with Yzak, in particular), Athrun could still count on them to watch his back in the midst of a battle.

Trust.

It was one of the first ever lessons that he – that they – had learned in the military.

So it was only natural for him to approach his commander and tell him the doubts clouding his mind. Doubts brought about by someone he thought he could trust. Doubts brought about by someone who should have sympathized with their cause.

Too bad that Athrun Zala was such a by-the-book cadet. If he weren't, he would have learned how to improvise, learned that lessons taught inside the military weren't always applicable to every situation. After all, plans don't often translate to paper very well.

If only he'd known those things, maybe he would have opted to keep his personal thoughts, well, personal.

Too bad for Athrun Zala.

Because Rau Le Creuset wasn't the right person to disclose such thoughts to.

Oh, well.

Humanity's loss was always Le Creuset's gain.

Always.

-

One of the things that Rau Le Creuset was good at was manipulation. There was only one person who could rival his skills in manipulating people, and that person was on his side. His first impression of Athrun Zala was the 'wild card'. But as the young Coordinator's past traumas were revealed, Rau discovered that Athrun was the easiest to manipulate among the others.

Patrick Zala's son, like the ZAFT co-founder himself, was so very predictable. A few choice words were all it took for Athrun to do Rau's subtle wishes.

'I could've done well in the field of Psychology,' Rau mused in jest. He had such a wide comprehension of human nature that it was so easy to predict and dictate each and every move.

Life was a chess game, after all.

And Athrun Zala was just a mindless pawn, waiting for the right shove in the wrong direction.

Of course, there was a slight chance that Athrun might act spontaneously for once, but Rau was willing to take his chances.

Losing pawns was all part of the game.

-

Ever since Rey could remember, he had never made any big, life-changing decisions. He moved with the flow of life without complaint. When he was in the research facility, it was the doctors who made all the decisions for him. During his stay with Rau, it was always Rau. And now that he was living under Gilbert's roof, it was Gilbert's choices that mattered.

Rey did not have any problems with following others. He did not consider himself as important as the people around him. He trusted those people – Rau and Gilbert. He trusted them with his life. He showed it by following them, by taking their opinion seriously. It was the least he could do to let them know how grateful he was of everything that they had done for him.

But now…

For the first time, he wanted to do something. To join the military. His reason was simple. To find out more about Rau Le Creuset. To find out all there was to him. To help him achieve his goals, just as Rau had helped him achieve something close to a family in his life.

"This is your choice, Rey."

Rey thought that it was his choice, because Gilbert told him so.

"I've decided, Gil."

What he did not know was that in the end, every 'choice' he made, was carefully planned and plotted by Gilbert. Gilbert Dullindal cannot put off not being heartless for another year more.

"If you've decided, then I really can't say anything else about it. I will make the necessary arrangements. Give me time."

But was it Gilbert who was heartless, or was it fate? After all, Rey and Rau were one and the same. If Rau wished for mankind's end, then Rey would too. The least that Gilbert could do was to orchestrate the whole event and ensure that Rey would use his skills for Gilbert's plans. The means were the same but the end was slightly different that the one Rau had in mind.

Rey would make the perfect specimen for the Destiny Plan.

-

It was not an unusual habit. Many people did that, but theirs was caused by vanity. Why he did it, he wasn't sure. Perhaps to see how much he had grown in the span of a day? Either way, it was how he started his mornings. It was part of his daily routine.

Staring at his reflection in the mirror.

Everything was complicated and yet, it was not. He was different because he aged much faster. That was it. So simple. And yet, so complex. It was an unspoken agreement that he was not to get close to people other than those who knew of his condition. He wasn't stupid to think that his 'condition' was widely-known or even medically accepted. He had read many books, medical books, scientific journals, and none of them spoke about a disease that sped up the aging process.

For this reason, he rarely went out and did not go to school.

He settled with reading books and learning everything by himself.

It wasn't difficult for someone of his intellect.

One of the few principles that he had learned in his short life was to accept everything that Fate had thrown upon him. One does not or cannot go against Fate. So, he learned to accept it all. But what about Rau? Rau had the same 'disease' as him. And yet, he could not see Rau as simply 'accepting' his fate.

Rau was in the military.

Maybe, there, Rey would learn more about Rau.

Why he left him.

Why he is the way he is.

Why he seemed so strong.

Rey wanted to be like Rau.

Maybe, if he became like Rau, he would learn how -not- to accept his fate.

The boy looked in the mirror and realized with a start, how he was beginning to look a lot like a younger version of Rau Le Creuset. As far as he could tell, they weren't the least bit related to one another. Could they? It was possible.

People may lie, but the mirror didn't.

Couldn't.

And even if the mirror -did- lie, he would always see Rau as his father.

-

"I need something."

Gilbert chuckled softly. "You always need something when you visit. Can't you do it just to ask how Rey or I are doing? A simple 'hello', perhaps?"

"Oh, I'm sure you're doing fine," Rau answered dismissively. He did not travel all the way to his friend's research facility just to do a battle of wits and Gilbert knew that – should know that, in fact. "I'm running out of pills."

"I'm sure you are." Gilbert had the annoying know-it-all smile on his face. "Rey is doing fine. In fact, he just had a revelation on what he wanted out of his life."

The infamous Commander stared hard at him from behind his mask; Gilbert couldn't see it, but he definitely could feel it. "I came here for the pills," Rau said flatly.

Gilbert's office had not changed much. It was still sparsely decorated, and the color theme – black, that is – remained unchanged. They were sitting in front of each other, just like always, with the usual chess set in between them. But of course, Rau never came just to play chess – not anymore.

"He's really…confused… right now."

"Who wouldn't be confused?" Rau shot back with ill-concealed annoyance. "You're being irritating on purpose, Gilbert."

"Au contraire," Gilbert began, smile still in place, "I am just being the concerned 'father' that you appointed me to become. Why don't you just tell him?" he asked behind steepled fingers.

"He doesn't need to know more than what he needs to know."

"What are you afraid of?"

Rau smirked arrogantly as he leaned back on the soft armchair. "Me? Afraid of something?" He scoffed. "Preposterous."

"No, not preposterous." Gilbert shook his head for emphasis. "It is very likely. Are you, perhaps, afraid that he will turn out like you? No matter what you do, Rau, both of you have the same destinies. You can't go against fate. You yourself told me that."

"Stop it, Gilbert. I came here for my pills, not for some philosophical debate on who the hell Rey is," Rau replied. His tone wasn't angry; he sounded amused, but his eyes were hard behind his mask. "Some other time, maybe."

As expected, Gilbert did not take offense. "Maybe." He stood up and proceeded to get the box of pills from his drawer. He threw it and Rau caught in deftly with one hand. "You caused quite a stir in the Council." He decided to change the subject tactfully.

Rau brushed away the comment modestly, as if it was a compliment (which it probably was). "Why, thank you."

"Two casualties from your team," Gilbert said, tone laced with melancholy.

Rau stood up, emotions perfectly hidden beneath the mask. "It can't be helped. They did their part." The knowledge of whether or not he cared for his underlings was his alone. "The others seem much driven now, more than ever. Athrun Zala, particularly. Although…" He paused thoughtfully. "Something seems to be holding him back. A childhood friend on the other side of the battlefield."

"You'd best be careful then. Things don't always go as planned. Some, ah, unexpected factors may come into the picture to disrupt it," Gilbert advised wisely.

"As long as Athrun knows who he is fighting for, everything would eventually fall into place," Rau responded confidently. He started walking towards the door.

"What are you going to do if Rey plans to fight for your cause?" It was a question thrown casually, carefully designed to make it sound hypothetical. Rau was not the only one with superb manipulation skills in the PLANTs.

Rau stopped in his tracks. He shrugged. "He's better off fighting for -your- cause." And without bothering to turn around, "Thanks for the pills."

Gilbert closed his eyes and smiled. "And thank -you- for your consent," he replied as soon as Rau was out of earshot.

-

When Gilbert went home that day, he was greeted by the sound of Rey playing his piano. He leaned on the closed front door for a while, contented to just listen. The boy was indeed talented – a gift from either the gods or his genes.

Maybe Rau could arrange a meeting with that musician soldier of his, Nicol Amarfi. Gilbert was sure it would be beneficial for Rey. That is, if Rey was to become a pianist himself. But the world did not need pianists in times like these. What the world needed was more soldiers.

'What I need,' Gilbert mused.

Of course, it was still too early. Maybe a few more months for Rey to be allowed to enlist. And even before that, there were documents to be faked and an identity to be created.

He walked towards the room and knocked softly. Predictably, the music stopped and a soft voice told him to come in. He opened the door and the sight that greeted him was a teenaged Rey still sitting in the piano, with those innocent blue eyes looking expectantly at him.

"Rau said yes."

The child's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

Gilbert nodded. 'What he only needs to know, right Rau?' He sat on one of the couches. "We still have to wait for a few months, though. You're still looking quite young for their age limit."

Rey smiled. "Thank you."

"This is what you wanted. No need to thank me," Gilbert answered. A small part of him was berating him for his deceit. Thankfully for him, it was only a small part. Easy enough to be squashed. It was for Rey's good, anyway. Gilbert was only pointing him in the direction of which path he should take.

Would it only be disappointing for Rey, if he chased after dreams that weren't meant to be?

-

Rey did not know why, but he just found himself walking towards the park one day. Perhaps it was boredom that brought him there or perhaps the need to see something else. He still remembered the reflection that looked back at him on the pond.

Did he always look so…forlorn? So lost?

A pink petal slowly floated in front of him, and his right hand lifted up to catch it. In the paleness of his hand, the pink of the cherry blossom was even more visible. Nature was beautiful, that much he had to concede. He turned his hand over and let the pink blossom continue its descent to the ground. He leaned back on the tree and watched the mid-morning rush of people going to work and of the mothers chatting softly as they pushed baby-strollers in front of them.

Everyday, many people wake up for a purpose.

That day, Rey woke up, just for the sake of waking up.

Some people went through life that way as well. Waking up in the morning and thinking up of ways to do as the day went on. Was life like that? Making it up as you go along?

Maybe one day, Rey wouldn't have to go through the trouble of improvisation.

-

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Author's Notes: Phew. A chapter finished, at long last. I think we're moving at a snail's pace here. I have to move a little faster and include many events in each chapter if I want to get to Destiny on time. Then, there's the two-year gap between the series that I have to deal with. So many things to think about. I do hope I'm not boring you. I'm posting a companion fic to this entitled, 'The Birds and the Bees'. It was humorous and thus, wouldn't very well fit with the entire story. You can check it out if you want.

Thanks to those who read and reviewed this fic: Gambit01, Clingy, Blue moon wolf, RAINEandMEL, koyuki-san, i Mel-chan i, cloudedge, Kageharu Kaco.

Special thanks goes to my beta-reader, Lia lostsmile.