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Jo pushed her dark purple hair off her face. Their jounery back to the ship had been uneventful, unless you counted Yzak insisting on carrying her onboard, using her panic attack as an excuse. Oh yeah, his blush was enough to tell the real reason. If I remember correctly, you were almost glowing, you were so red, a voice in her head muttered. She ignored it. 'Attention! All units report to battle stations!' Rolling her eyes, she ran towards the changing room. That stupid ship! Why couldn't it just crash? Even as she buckled herself into Caliber, she felt something was going to go very wrong.
'Oie, Little Lady, wake up and launch!' Dearka shouted at her in his usual mocking voice. She smirked at him, 'Aw, miss me that much?' 'Not me, but Yzak seems to.' She felt her face heat up. Why am I blushing, again? 'Ensign Joffie Wheeler on Caliber, Launching!'
The battle started off OK, Yzak went straight at Strike. She smiled, "The Silver Duelest". That suited him, he always went one-on-one. But he fought to avenage both of them, himself and her, though killing that pilot wouldn't undo the damage. Yet, for all the damage he'd done, he deserved to die. It was hard to connect that boy in Orb with this killing machine.
She barely managed to dodge a shot from one of their battleships. OK, wake up and smell the battle, Jo. But, whoever was piloting it had nowhere near the skill of the pilot she was used to. She swung Caliber round, dodging another shot and managing to glimpse Dearka taking on another battleship. 'So, I got me a rookie to deal with? What the hell's that pilot thinking?' Coming into a battle against five experienced fighters with no experience whatsoever, whoever it was had to be mad.
Tolle tried to take Caliber down, but the other pilot was dodging effortlessly. Maybe Kira was right, he might need more experience. But how else was he going to get experience. He needed to fight in some battles. Suddenly, the radio crackled to life and an unfamiliar female voice sounded from it. 'Unless you've got a death-wish, get the hell off the field! I've no time for rookies! We'll destroy the ship soon enough anyway, go die there if you must.'
Her voice was harsh, but he could tell that without the command and the edge war had given it, it would be soft and maybe even musical. She fired at him, with an accuracy he couldn't match. He swerved to the side, barely avoiding the shot. 'Didn't you hear me? Get out of my way!' 'No can do!' he shouted back. He could almost see her closing her eyes. 'Have it your way then.'
But then an explosion sounded from below them, Caliber swung round. 'NICOL!' he heard her shriek. Wincing when he heard the pain in her voice, he still wasted no time and fired. His luck held and it struck the cockpit. Caliber crashed into the island, landing beside the wreckage of Blitz. He felt sick, someone had just died by his hand. He had just become a killer.
(AN: this is back a few minutes, before Blitz explodes.) Kira's sword was trained on the cockpit of the Aegis.He was holding a sword to Athrun's chest. Athrun's power was out, all he had to do was kill him. But his body wouldn't work. This was Athrun Zala, his childhood friend, he couldn't just kill him and yet, he had to.
'NO! ATHRUN!' Kira swung round, his sword slicing above the Blitz's cockpit. No, I can't watch someone else die! I couldn't kill Athrun, and I can't kill him. Not like this, not without meaning to. Strike's hands moved into the gap, minutes before the MS exploded and Caliber crashed behind it. The shrieks from their commrades and the explosions sounded deafening. Cradling the Blitz's pilot protectivly, he latched onto the Archangel.
Dearka watched Yzak crash...uh land Duel next to Caliber. The cockpit flew open and the silver haired pilot flew out of the suit and ran over to the buckled door of Caliber. He climbed down from Buster and stood ready to stop his friend killing someone (ie Athrun) if Jo was dead. Even as he thought Athrun's name, the 16 year old climbed out of the Aegis. His already pale complexion was almost transparent.
As expected, Yzak launched at him, verbally: he couldn't punch him as he was holding Jo. Dearka flinched at the insults, but rage soared when Athrun quietly whispered, 'I know it's all my fault.' Catching even himself by surprise, he punched the other pilot in the face. Surprised, Athrun fell backwards. Dearka caught his coller, lifting him so that only his toes touched the ground.
'Now you listen here, Zala! And that goes for you to, Yzak. One commrade is dead, another is seriously injuried! If we blame each other like this, that bastard is going to have us all dead by next week! It's Strike's fault! Ok?' The other two stared at him, stunned. Athrun didn't even attempt to squirm out of his grasp. 'It should have been me. If I'd just...' 'No 'Ifs', Zala. Nicol's dead, nobody can change that! Now, get back in Aegis. You and me'll take Caliber. Yzak, you take her.'
Yzak was stunned at the amount of authority Dearka could muster. He watched the blonde haired boy drop Athrun, and push him towards Aegis. Slowly, he stood, cradling Jo in his arms. He hated seeing her like this. Even when she'd had that panic attack, she'd still looked strong. That was who she was, strong and proud, a warrior. Now she looked small and broken. It wasn't right. Damn Strike!
Oh yes, Strike would pay for this. If it cost him his own life, Strike would pay!
Athrun clutched the controls of the Aegis. Kira...had...killed...Nicol. Now what was he to do? An image of Nicol's mother crept into his mind. Because of him...NO, because of Kira, her son was dead. He would not allow anyone else to die, not allow anyone else's parents to grieve. Kira had taken one of his few friends and badly injured another. No, Kira was no longer his friend, that bastard had chosen those naturals, and now he would choose his own people. He was a ZAFT soldier.
Kira would die, by his hand. And that skygrasper pilot too. Those pilots would die to avenge Nicol and Jo. Even if he had to die himself, they would die.
Jo moaned softly. She tried to shift out of her uncomfortable position. That had to be why her body ached so much. 'Don't Jo, you shouldn't move. I'm trying to get you back to the ship, and if you keep moving around, I'll crash.' Smiling, she rested her head against his shoulder. Even when dazed, Yzak's voice was impossible to mistake. As was that feeling of being safe she had when she was with him.
'I've fallen in love with you.' she whispered, and then passed out.
So, what ya think? I know, this chapter is a lot shorter, I kinda exhausted my plot bunny. I gotta be nicer to those things. Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed it.
