Chapter 3 - The Letter

Cagalli had sat by the grave of a woman all day, and the sun was now setting. She had cried most of her tears. The blonde didn't want to cry at the funeral...

Via Hibiki

"Your legacy lies in the gifts you give."

She turned from the gave and looked to the empty space next to it. There. That would be Kira's burial spot. And Cagalli would be buried next to him when she died. Athrun would be a bit behind them with the Clynes and his own parents.

She found it funny in an odd way. They were all so close. So connected...forever.

-

Mwu looked at the letter in his hands. He gave it a glare before shredding the paper into 4 pieces and letting it fly away in the sea wind.

"Hey kid." he called to Athrun, who was walking with Yzak. "I heard you were writing a book about the Freedom pirates."

Athrun looked from Yzak, who wouldn't look at him, to Mwu and nodded.

"Then let me tell you a story." he almost laughed it seemed.

"But I-"

"Don't worry. I'll tell the girls that you'll be a bit late. Both of you." he glanced at Mwu before continuing on his walk to Lacus's house.

"So...a story huh?" Athrun asked, almost worried. Mwu nodded, serious.

"I only joined Kira because I was told to." he said bluntly, but Athrun could tell he wasn't lying.

"What?" was the only intelligible thought he formed into words...uh, a word.

"I fought that blonde masked guy, Rau, before." he began walking the same direction Yzak had, Athrun beside him.

"I scarred his face, and he left one on my back." he lifted his shirt as they paused, revealing a nearly straight scar up his left backside. Then they kept walking. "But he got away from me, and I needed medical attention anyway...So he didn't die."

"I was in the navy, ya know?" Mwu smirked at the look on Athrun's face. "When they dropped me, I went into a depression I've never beaten, until now. This one is so much worse. I began drinking and I didn't care if I lived or died, right?"

"Oh my, how could you?" Athrun asked sarcastically. Mwu gave him a mock glare.

"Oh well." he brushed it off, they were nearing the house and he wanted to finish this. "I got a letter one day, saying that a brunette and his sister, along with their friend, would be looking for crew mates. It gave descriptions of them and told me to join them. It was signed Rau Le Creuset."

"And you did what it said?" Athrun asked incredulously as they reached the door. Mwu shrugged.

"I figured I would get another shot at him that way. But I'm glad I joined him. The best experience of my life." he nearly laughed again, opening the door and letting Athrun go in first.

-

Lacus greeted them as happily as she could when the two males entered the entrance hall and joined them. Athrun, Lacus, Cagalli, Yzak, Mwu, Dearka, Natarle, and Seigel were there now. Seigel spoke.

"Alright, all of Kira's most trusted are here, or the ones we believe to be his most trusted. Cagalli has chosen the spot for Kira to be buried, so the viewing will be tomorrow, and the funeral the day after that." he informed them all, Athrun gave Cagalli a sympathetic look that no one saw. "Then maybe we can learn to heal."

"Is that all, father?" Lacus asked in a small voice, as though she were trying to be brave.

"Yes." he turned to the crew members from the Freedom. "You all can either stay in one of our houses, or on your ship. It's up to you."

"I believe that a lot of the crew would enjoy sleeping here, sir." Mwu took the liberty of answering for the rest of them. Yzak and Dearka nodded in agreement and bowed before the three went to leave. Dearka stopped and turned back to look at her.

"Cagalli?" he asked in confusion. The other two stopped and looked two, Athrun and Lacus as well.

"I...I'm going to stay on the ship." she said softly, as if she were a small girl.

At that moment, Athrun realized something. Even though on the outside Cagalli seemed just sad, she was really hurting on the inside. Something was broken that would take a long time to heal. She was hurting emotionally and mentally.

-

A few of the crew members stayed on the ship to protect Cagalli (from what?) and the rest of the crew took rooms at Lacus's and Athrun's houses. Mwu and Yzak were staying at Athrun's house, something about being closer to their captain that way.

Cagalli opened her eyes slowly and looked out the window. The moon was high and the stars were bright. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and looked around. The walls of her room were brown, just like everyone else's. Her bed was strangely fancier in some way than Kira's.

She ran her hands over the blue quilt Kira gave her for her first birthday on their new ship. He'd been so proud that he had been able to afford it. She forced the sensation of tears back and stood up, slowly opening her bedroom door and looking around. No one was out at this time, she smiled softly and walking softly down the hall and to the deck, then to Kira's door.

Her hand brushed over the door and she stood still for a moment, just staring silently at the letters on the door.

"Yamato Hibiki."

A constant reminder of the one they all loved so much. She pushed the door open, and it made no noise. She entered the room and sat on the bed. After closing the curtains around herself, she laid down on the bed. Her eyes closed softly as she reveled in the warmth that still lay in Kira's bed. His scent still lingered around her on the covers and the curtains around the bed.

The reminder caused her eyes to tear and they ran down her face in rivulets. The familiarity caused her to fade off to sleep. She lay that night on her captain's bed, her best friend's bed, her brother's bed.