Hi everyone! Sorry for a really late update...I had been really preoccupied with midterms, and term papers...I didn't even get to check the e-mail account with the reviews until a day ago. (Yes, I have multiple accounts and sometimes I don't get to check all of them). Ugh! I probably did so bad on them! Anyways, (ahem, excuse my sudden burst of frustration...lol), when I opened my mail page, I was just: "Wow." Okay, so there were both positive and negative comments, but they're all helpful...
Admiral Larsen- It was reassuring that someone approved of the Kira/Lacus break-off, since I was really hesitant about putting it up. But since I had initially planned it ( and I rarely change plot, although I frequently change chapter breakups) I decided to put it anyways.
Angel of Dreams- Yes, poor Dearka...but honestly, there doesn't seem to be another solution. Hopefully they will both be happy in the end...
Darkness is good- Whoa...lol
ALS International- E-mail's not working? Hm...I wonder what's wrong...Oh, and as to anime updates, as I stated before, I haven't really had time to scope around...but could you recommend me a couple? Please? XD
King Arthur6687- Wait, Insatiable Heart has the same thing? Where? (goes to read)...Yea, I haven't had any time to read other people's fics, and if I did, I would have devoted that time on my own fic or studied more for my midterms (no offense to the author though, fic's good). Well, it's not quite the same...I sort of get what you're saying though...Oh, and yes, you do have a good point. I should include more detail...but that would mean more chapters and elongated story...oh well, it's a trade-off. (But don't expect me to change plot though. Unless there's an obvious, glaring error, I don't change plot. I usually plan it all out in the beginning and then decide chapter cuts as I go along). I'll keep it in mind and try to balance the factors. (Oh, and maybe the Kira/Lacus scene might have seemed rushed, because I wanted a flashback section in this chapter and I wanted the action in the previous chapter...we'll see...)
Annie- Hm...Ray's father? You really think so?
Nobody Important...- Eh? What do you mean you? Do I know you by any chance? Lol...(probably, it's just that I don't know who left the review...XD)
Prince Takeru- Whoa, thanks for all the reviews! And no, I don't mind reading your lengthy reviews, long is good! Lol...XD And about the blonde hair and jade eyes contrasting with the silver hair and cobalt eyes? Hm...it's interesting that you asked that question, especially at this specific time...such coincidence...lol.
Oh, and thanks also to DarkFusion, Sakura Kuonji, alex, AnimeSiren, M.S Arashi Sumeragi, yvonne, cherri-chan, Kagome1992, temptress, and haro haro!
Okay, review section was really long. I apologize...
Ch. 19: Principles Underneath
"Must you go already mother?" Yzak asked, helping his mother carry her luggage towards the car.
"Why Yzak, don't tell me you miss me already!"
"No, no, it's not that..." Yzak suddenly turned defensive. "It's just that I expected to stay longer than a day."
"Well, I didn't want to overstay my welcome." Ezaria explained.
"In that case, shouldn't I be going too?"
Ezaria looked at her son hard. "Do you want to leave?"
"Well..." Yzak stammered, not even sure of himself.
"That's what I thought." Ezaria looked smug. "Besides, it's not under my jurisdiction to let you leave or not..." She murmured as an afterthought.
"Huh? What was that?"
"Nothing." She cut him off, not wanting to divulge into it further. "Besides, in your case, I don't think you overstayed your welcome. So you might as well take advantage of it."
"Are you asking me to spy mother?" Yzak raised an eyebrow.
"Not really." Ezaria replied straightforward, although seemingly evading something else.
"Mother, this is getting ridiculous! I am a member of the high council! I have a right to know!" He yelled, frustrated.
"Some council members with more experience than you don't even have a clue what's going on." She explained, managing to keep her cool. "Yzak, it's not as if I have much choice in the matter." Ezaria tried to explain, understanding his frustration. "I can't say much, and if you want to find out something, you'll have to do it yourself." Ezaria sighed. "To tell you the truth, you and I both don't have much say in whether you stay or not. Besides, you might be able to help a bit if you stay. This country might hold something crucial in keeping peace stable, and it's the best interest of the leaders of the world to make sure that nothing goes wrong."
"I don't quite understand mother, but I'll do as you say." Yzak replied firmly.
"Good." Ezaria looked at him warmly. "Maybe you and the others might break through the barriers this country and its ruler put on. Just try to stay safe in the process." With that, Ezaria entered the car and left, waving good bye.
"Good bye to you too, mother."
"You know, it's a good thing nothing bad happened during the ball." Elise sighed.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Cagalli asked, confused.
"Well, to tell you the truth..." Elise scratched her head not certain if she should continue. "Bella had been really afraid that someone might have attacked. I think that's why she sent those invitations in the first place. She had people from basically every side attend so that no one would risk an attack."
"So that's what it was about." Miriallia remarked. "I was wondering why there were people from the Earth Alliance here."
"Not to mention people from ZAFT." Dearka and Yzak added.
"Well, it was a smart move." Athrun remarked. Then he looked at Kira. "Hey, you seem quiet today. What's going on?"
"Hey, you too Lacus. Did something happen?" Cagalli asked.
"I'm always quiet." Both Kira and Lacus stated in unison. Once they realized this, they both looked away from each other, staring into some empty void.
"Um...sure, if you say so..." But the others knew something wasn't quite the same.
"Is there something you two want to tell us?" Cagalli slowly broached the subject.
"Where is Arabella right now by the way?" Lacus quickly changed the subject, surprising everyone. No one had ever expected Lacus to act that way.
"Well, hm...that's a good question. Where is she?" Elise managed to stammer, taken aback.
"You know, I suddenly remembered. Didn't you say something before about Dearka sleeping with something?" Cagalli asked Athrun.
"Huh?!!" Dearka suddenly yelped. "What...what are you talking about? And why would you remember something like that all of a sudden? Hee...hee..." He sweat-dropped.
"Hm...I think Dearka is hiding something." Miriallia added mischievously.
"No...why would I possibly do something like that?" Dearka backed away, clearly nervous.
"Yup, he's hiding something." Cagalli concluded for all of them. "You better tell us!"
"Come on, it's not that bad Dearka. It's not as embarrassing as my pajamas, and not to mention Yzak's secret." Athrun reassured him, although teasing him at the same time.
"Wait, Yzak has a secret too?" Cagalli stopped for a second, causing Yzak to flinch. "Hm...we must find out about that too. But first..." She grinned evilly at Dearka. Dearka gulped. Clearly he had no way of getting out of the situation. He slowly opened his mouth...
"Hey, who's that coming out of Arabella's common room?" Miriallia asked, causing everyone to hush and hide behind the nearest corner. Sure enough, a blond-haired girl emerged out of the door, and quickly went off towards the other direction.
"Elise?" Cagalli asked the others, thinking of the only logical conclusion.
"We weren't close enough to make sure."
"True, but I'm pretty certain that it wasn't her." Yzak concluded. "Elise has straight, upper-back length hair whereas that girl has wavy, waist length hair."
"You actually noticed the difference?" Dearka looked at Yzak surprised. "I didn't know you were so observant."
"And I didn't know that you could be more empty-headed than you already were." Yzak retorted.
"Hey, you two, we don't have time for this right now." Athrun interrupted. "We need to figure out what to do."
"Well, it's quite simple isn't it? We'll have to follow her." With that, Yzak started walking off towards the direction that the girl disappeared to.
"Hey, since when did Yzak become so active in finding out about things?" Cagalli whispered as the rest of the group also started to move.
"No idea. Think something happened?" Dearka asked.
"Maybe. I was passing by, and saw Yzak and his mother through a window. They seemed to be having an important conversation." Athrun answered.
"Do you think maybe he knows something more than we do?"
"Maybe. We'll just have to see."
"Do you think she realizes that she's being followed?"
"Maybe not, because she's going through all the big, obvious streets."
"Wait, doesn't that imply that she knows something's going on?"
"I don't know, stop giving me a headache!"
The group argued, trying to figure out just where the girl was headed, and what motives she had. So far, during the fifteen minutes that they had stealthily tracked her, nothing important came up, frustrating the group.
"Hey, she's going into that building!" Miriallia pointed out.
"Hm...maybe a hideout?" Cagalli guessed.
"I don't think so. It's way too out in the open for it to be something like that." Athrun reasoned.
"Maybe that's what she wants us to think."
"You people need to stop thinking up ridiculous theories and concentrate more on following her without getting caught!" Yzak glared at them, clearly annoyed.
"Sheesh..." Dearka murmured, earning a look from Yzak.
"All right, shall we go in?" Cagalli asked, approaching the double-doors first.
"I'm assuming that's a rhetorical question." Yzak retorted, going inside.
"What's his problem today?" Cagalli murmured. "It's as if...hey, what the heck is going on in this place?" The group's eyes went wide, seeing the huge crowds of people crowding inside.
"All right people, single file, no pushing!" An usher at the front yelled.
"Huh? Where's everyone going?" Cagalli asked, completely confused.
"Move it people! We don't have all day you know. The forum has to start sometime." The usher remarked as he pushed the group inside another set of double-doors.
"Forum? What..."
The group's mouths gaped open, seeing the hundreds, no, thousands of people, their age, sitting in the stands, focusing their attentions on the stage-like setting below in the center.
"How are we going to find her in here?" Miriallia asked, overwhelmed by the numbers, yet at the same time a bit curious about the event going on.
"Well, we're going to have to try..." Cagalli started, until she got cut off by the speakers which were projecting the voices of the people in the center.
"So who is better? Natural or Coordinator?"
"Coordinators most likely. After all, why would we have bothered to create them in the first case if the results weren't satisfactory?"
"But you realize that in the long term..."
The group stopped in their tracks, absorbed by the discussion. What sort of debate was this?
"Both positions are not practical." A new voice entered the discussion, causing the group to try to look closer at the newcomer.
"It's that girl!" Cagalli managed to whisper.
"And why is this not practical?" One of the other debaters asked the blond-haired girl.
The girl sighed. "Because you're not taking into account that every action and inaction has a price." Murmurs spread across the forum. The girl continued. "Yes, in a sense, Coordinators have advantages. They're generally faster, smarter, and basically immune to deadly diseases. However, because they are so precise, so accurate, that they sometimes become predictable. The variability of chance applies more to a Natural than a Coordinator." She started to look sorrowful. "And of course, the ultimate price being that in the long run..."
"So what should this country do about it then?" One of the other debaters sneered.
The girl stared, trying hard not to display annoyance. "The main approach would be to have a balance."
"The old concept of yin and yang? Oh please!" A debater snorted.
"It's not yin and yang." The girl continued, although straining to keep from yelling. "It's not good vs. evil. You can't label a group one or the other. Both concepts are present in both groups."
"Then you're saying that we should let the Purists do as they please?!"
"I never implied anything of that sort! Where did you get that conclusion? And in that case, what about Blue Cosmos? Many lives were lost because of them too." The girl argued.
"What are you anyways? A Natural or a Coordinator?"
The girl stood up, her anger evident by now. "That's an irrelevant question! Besides does that really matter that much? What if I was a Natural? What if I was a Coordinator? Does it really change what I said so far? No it doesn't. If the people of this forum can't accept that, then I can no longer participate in it!" With that, the girl stalked off, causing people to split up, making room for her exit. Murmur spread throughout the room once again, the commotion obviously having an impact on the audience.
"Come on, let's follow." Athrun shook the rest of the group, who were still dazed by the occurrence.
"Right! She's getting away!" Cagalli yelled, running after her.
"Where is she going now?"
"No idea."
"Wait, why did she suddenly stop?" Sure enough, the girl had stopped, and just stood there for a couple seconds. Then she started running.
"She figured out that someone's following her!" Yzak yelled. "Hurry up!" With that, he ran way ahead of her, going into an alleyway.
"Come on, let's go!" Cagalli yelled, as she and Athrun ran side-by-side. Dearka and Miriallia trailed slightly behind, followed by Kira and Lacus, who both still seemed not themselves.
"Which way did they go?" Athrun asked Cagalli, seeing a split in the street.
"I don't know...let's take left!" Cagalli shouted, instantly making a decision. By the time Dearka and Miriallia got to the fork, they were long out of sight.
"I don't know...um...let's just take the right!" Dearka grabbed Miriallia's arm and started running towards the right. Kira and Lacus were too far behind to see which way they went.
When Kira and Lacus reached the split point, they stood there, not knowing what to do, and neither feeling too comfortable to speak to each other. Not wanting to be behind, Lacus picked a side and started running towards when suddenly..."Ouch!" Her ankle twisted, causing her to yelp.
Instinctively, Kira went to her side, looking concerned. Once he realized what he did, however, he took a couple steps back. "Are...are you all right?" Kira managed to say out loud.
"I'm fine." Lacus stated curtly. "Just need to...ouch!" She sat down, deciding to leave the following to the others. Kira stood there, not knowing what to do. "Aren't you going to go?"
"No." Kira answered plainly. Lacus didn't know whether to cry or smile hearing those words. Her mind went back to the incident that happened before, even before the New Year's Ball.
(flashback)
"Kira look! I finally made a thousand cranes!" She smiled, excited to show Kira. He definitely needed something to cheer him up.
Kira merely grinned back. "That's good Lacus."
"I couldn't have done it without you though." She encouraged, trying to get a better response out of him.
"You really couldn't have done it without me, huh?"
"What do you mean Kira?" She put down the jar full of cranes down on a chair, confused. What could he possibly be implying with that?
Kira laughed bitterly, looking outside the window. Now she truly grew concerned. He's not reverting back to his old self, is he?
"Did I even have a positive influence on anyone or anything?"
She couldn't do anything but stare at him for a few seconds. How could he say that? Didn't he realize how happy he made her feel, seeing him progress? Now it seemed as if he was getting worse. "Is there something I did wrong Kira?" She asked, hoping that the answer wouldn't be yes.
"You wouldn't really understand." Kira gave her a condescending smile. "Keep on being your innocent self Lacus. You don't want to have it destroyed, like mine." With that he left the room, causing her to grab hold of the chair to steady herself.
Kira didn't mean that for to hurt, did he? Of course not. He didn't realize...But the sting still lingered. She didn't understand...is that what he thought? Was that his perception of her? Is that why he seemed to continue to ignore her advice? Well then, she would have to change her approach, regardless of whether either of them would like that or not. She weakly walked out of the room, leaving behind a broken jar, with dejected cranes spread all over the floor.
"Dearka, I think we took the wrong side."
"I guess so." The two stopped to catch their breath, once they reached that conclusion.
Miriallia couldn't help but laugh, causing Dearka to stare at her incredulously. "What's so funny?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that we were basically running for our lives and yet we have no idea where the others are."
"Or maybe it's the fact that this is bringing in some excitement into your life?" Dearka smirked.
Miriallia couldn't help but smile back at this. He did have a point. Ever since she and Dearka decided to just be friends for the time being, she felt as if a huge burden was lifted from her shoulders. And surprisingly enough, since then, she felt more comfortable around him, and if anything, became closer to him. Of course, this might be too much to assume after just one day, but she already felt as if there was progress. Although somewhere in the back of her head, a voice occasionally told her that this was just another of Dearka's strategies, but for some reason, this time that voice became so much easier to ignore.
"You want to rest for awhile? I'm sure that one of them will eventually catch up to the girl." Dearka asked, causing her to break out of her musings.
"Huh? Oh...um...well...do you think it's alright?"
"Well, it's not as if we could catch up to them now." Dearka reasoned.
"True." With that, she sat down next to him, without a hint of hesitation.
"Quite a day we're having today, aren't we?" Dearka asked.
"Well, yea. First the chase and then the forum..."
"What did you think about what was said in the forum?" Dearka suddenly asked.
"Well, I..." Miriallia stopped, not knowing quite what to say. No one had ever bothered to ask her about anything political or ethical before, so she didn't know quite how to respond.
"You don't need to think up fancy words or complicated concepts. Those would probably just confuse me anyways. Just tell me plainly what you think." Dearka smiled, seeing her nervousness.
"Well, I guess..." She started, getting the courage. "I guess what the girl said was correct. After all, there should be balance...by the way, what was she saying before she got caught off?"
"Well, I can't assume completely because she didn't really get to say, but I'm assuming she was stating how Coordinators..." A loud thud echoed throughout, causing both to quickly stand up, and try to locate where the sound came from.
"I can't believe we lost Yzak and the girl!" Cagalli yelled, frustrated.
"I guess they were too fast for us, or rather, too much ahead of us." Athrun tried to calm her down.
"Where is Kira by the way? Isn't he the ultimate Coordinator, or something like that? Why is he the one that's lagging behind?"
"Cagalli, you know that he's not quite himself right now." Athrun managed to say.
"He and Lacus! Sometimes I just want to bang his head on something!" Cagalli shouted. "Why does everything have to be so complicated? I...I just..." Her voice started to sadden. "I want everyone to be alright! I don't want people to be hurt anymore! The war's over for crying out loud! Why do people still have to..." Her voice became muffled, as Athrun suddenly held her in his arms, as close to him as possible.
"Things are not always as easy as we want them to be, are they?" Athrun smiled, trying to comfort her. "But then again, if you think about it, our situation was and is never quite easy either, don't you think?"
Cagalli stayed silent, staring at him for awhile. Slowly, her frown turned into a smile. "I guess you're right. But then again, neither of us ever regretted it, right?"
"Of course not." Athrun answered without hesitation.
"You better not have!" Cagalli hit him playfully. "Otherwise..." A scream was heard, not too far away.
"What in the world..."
"You're not getting away!" Yzak yelled, almost within arm range. "I don't know what you've been doing in Arabella's common room, or inside the structure for the matter, but I'm going to figure it out!"
The girl suddenly turned around, hearing his voice for the first time, completely catching him off guard. His voice almost got caught in his throat as recognition hit him. "You...you're that girl from the shuttle, aren't you..."
"Y-Yzak? What are you..." She was cut off by a loud bang. But soon she let out an ear-piercing scream as a bullet dug deeply into her left shoulder, causing blood to spill all over.
Yzak caught her before she crumbled to the ground, while attempting to figure out where the bullet came from. Unfortunately, whoever fired it had long since disappeared. Feeling the girl tense, he suddenly shifted his attention towards her. The way her jade eyes stared back at him reminded him just exactly how a certain pair of cobalt eyes glanced at him...and how the same voice..."Yzak...please..." A sudden realization hit him.
"Bella..."
Yup, chapter done!
Hopefully certain parts of this didn't turn out weird...for example, the forum part...
Hm...so that was Arabella? How? And how did the person, or rather, theorganization that shot her know? And why didn't they finish the job?
Well, not all of that would be answered in the next chapter, but it will all come up.
Speaking of the next chapter...Bella is recovering, and a lot of reflections going on...and what's this? What went on?
Lol...next time!
Oh and of course, thanks, as always! XD
By the way, once in a while the uploading mechanism decides to amuse me by messing up my documents...lol