Disclaimer: I don't own, so nobody sue!
I'm back! Thanks again to the reviewers. Blue Moon Wolf, please hurry up and get your story up! I really want to read it! "Mein Lied", "My song" it sounds so cool! (Or did you mean 'Mein Leid' - 'my sorrow'?) Anyway, on with the story!
Yzak stepped out of Duel with Jo in his arms. "I've fallen in love with you." Had she really said that? She was probably just delirious. Sighing, he began walking towards the exit to the hanger, Athrun and Dearka behind him. War was hard enough, but when love got involved, it became that much harder.
Rau stared at the report. Jo was...injuried? But...but how had Zala let her get hurt? Jo was too young to be scarred again, she had too many scars as it was! His mind was spinning. Why was he getting so attached to a member of his team? OK, he'd promised Jay he'd look after her, but that was a job.
'Me thinks little Rau is in love.' came Jay's oh-so-mocking voice. Rau spun 'round, blushing behind his mask. 'I am not!' he hissed. Jay's smirk only grew. 'Really? Then why do you continue to look at her as if she's an angel?' Rau's blush deepened. 'She's...nice...to me.' he whispered. Jay smiled sadly. For the first time in many years, Rau le Creuset looked like that bullied child. A young boy with a crush. Life was hard, and falling in love was harder.
Strike touched down in the Archangel's hanger. Kira swallowed nervously. OK, how do I explain about the ZAFT soldier I've decided to bring onboard? Sighing, he opened the door of the cockpit and carried the young boy into the hanger.
'Kira! Are you alright? Who's that?' Tolle ran up to him, dropping his helmet. Kira shuffled his feet. 'This is the pilot of the Blitz.' The silence in the hanger was almost deafening. 'Yamato, why have you just brought a ZAFT pilot onboard?' Murdoch asked. 'He's a...prisoner...' Murdoch shrugged and went to call Ramius. Kira sighed in relief.
But...Athrun..."NICOL! JO!" The pain in his once best friend's cry hit him harder then any attack. By protecting his friends, he was causing Athrun so much pain. But he couldn'd abandon the Archangel, he couldn't abandon his friends. "Your friends? Then what does that make me?" Athrun...
'Hello, earth to Kira!' Tolle was calling his name. 'Huh?' 'Come on, lets go get a bite. The medics will look after him.' Nodding in a dazed way, Kira followed him out of the hanger.
'DAMNIT!' Yzak shrieked, punching Nicol's locker. 'That stupid BASTARD! Why did he have to kill Nicol? And that stupid rookie! Why'd he have to hurt Jo?' The other two pilots bowed their heads. Athrun looked rather suicidal...or homocidal...or both. Dearka was still ready to pull them apart if things got out of hand.
'And you! Why didn't you do something?' Yzak snarled accusingly, staring at Athrun. 'Yzak! We've been through this. It's not his fault, it's Strike's. So drop it!' Dearka barked. 'But...' 'You're right Dearka. It's Strike's fault. And I'm going to take him down.' Athrun's soft voice sounded really homocidal, but he still looked rather suicidal. The two older teens almost felt like not letting him into battle. Yzak being homocidal, that was alright, but Athrun was too calm and level-headed to do something stupid. If Athrun was like this, all hell was going to break loose in the next battle.
The controls of the Aegis cut his palms. He was gripping them to tightly, but his hands wouldn't loosen their grip. 'Athrun Zala on Aegis, Launching!' His voice was harsher the usual. Kira... I wish I could say I'm sorry for making this decision, but I can't. I can't, 'cause I'm not. You've made your decision, I've made mine. Now, it all depends on who wins.
Kira stared at the Aegis. He could tell Athrun that his friend was alive. 'Ath...' the Strike shook violently as Athrun attacked. He stared at the red MS, stunned. Athrun had never attacked so relentlessly. The loss of his friend must've hit him hard. But...but that boy was alive. If Athrun would just listen...
Athrun shut Kira's voice out. Rage fueled him, Kira had to die today. He honestly didn't care what that bastard had to say. Kira had killed Nicol, that was all that mattered. He could still hear Jo's shrieks as Caliber went down, Nicol's cry as he tried to protect him. It was all Kira's fault.
The battle went on, Athrun was too far gone to care whether he died, just as long as Kira died with him. His comrades voices seemed distant, only the blood pounding in his ears could really be heard. When the second craft came at him, he panicked slightly, but then realised it was the same pilot that had injuried Jo. Rage swelled even more and he tossed his sheild at the battleship. It struck it's cockpit. Kira's cry went unheard.
Kira's next attack was frenzied. It seemed the pilot was one of Kira's friends. Good, now that bastard knew how much losing a friend hurt. Kira flew at him, trying to kill him. His blank, battle-crazed mind hardly even registered the Aegis loosing limbs. Nothing really mattered, as long as Kira died.
With a cry, he attached the Aegis to Strike and set the self-distruct. His cockpit opened and he leapt out. The force of the explosion soon caught up with him and shattered his helmet visor. Darkness closed over his vision and he passed out.
Dearka slowly stepped out of his cockpit. EA soldiers gathered round him, with enough guns to make him disappear from the waist up should he decide to do a runner. Just as the enemies were tying his hands behind his back, an explosion shook the ground. The whole group looked round, just in time to see the Aegis explode around Strike. Dearka's eyes widened. 'ATHRUN!'
Meanwhile, back on the ZAFT sub, tears formed in Jo's closed eye. 'No, not again...'
EEK, Athrun sounds crazier than intended in this chapter. By the way, he was in SEED mode all through the battle. Anyway, what do ya think? 'Till next time.
