Ch. 7: Moments

The hooded Shinn was walking through a lively village, undisturbed. He could have gone and stolen anything of need here, but he was honorable like the rest of his group and didn't without them. He had his orders to find allies, which was his main concern. I suppose the best way would be too look at night, he thought, they might camp out and set a fire.

He passed through a bar and sat down by a horrible looking man with ragged clothes, drinking rum. "Here." He gave 2 gold coins to the man who looked at him. "I'd like to know what is happening now. Tell me enough and I might give you another coin."

The man laughed with one eye narrowed. "Aha, so you'll pay the right price just for fact. Alright, I'll tell you something. Lately I hear rumors that our emperor is sending troops out to capture another empire out there. More than just that, a village was attacked just yesterday by sorcerers."

Just talking about what we did, Shinn thought as the man continued. "Because of this, the emperor is plotting to begin a civil war within our boundaries to drive out and kill the rebels. Anyway, that's just what I hear, and I even heard that a small battalion of troops are coming down to fight already."

Shinn's face couldn't be seen under his hood, covering his shock. "How many days until they arrive?"

"Who knows? 1 or 2, possibly less. But they are likely coming, and it won't be very safe around here. I'm planning to leave here because of that. You should too."

Shinn held his uneasiness and recall what the man said earlier. "What about this adversary of an empire? What are they planning to do?"

The man shrugged. "Don't ask me, oh, one more rum over here!" He had turned to the barman after sucking down the last of his mug and he brought another one up to him. The man picked it up and drank out of it, making Shinn look at him in disgust. "But I can suspect that we will not fight them to intensely, the man said, slamming down the mug, if we did that, and fought amongst ourselves at the same time, we may not make it out on top."

Shinn got up and pulled out another coin, dropping it by the others. "Thanks very much. I'll be going then." And he left the man to suck down the rest of his rum, walking out of the bar. Well, I'll never go to a bar for information again. He walked off rather quickly without any problems. I guess I'll have to go back and tell them what is happening.

Kira and Dearka searched field to field, village to village for any sign of the girl Dearka had mentioned. They couldn't find her anywhere, and magic didn't seem to help track.

After scanning the horizon, Dearka turned. "We have been at this for at least 5 hours and found nothing. Where else could she have gone?"

Kira thought hard before coming up with an answer. "She might have gone back to her home. If that is so we won't have to worry since they already are crippled. Let us head back."

And they both vanished again. As soon as they did, Flay appeared from above a far off tree, grinning. "The prefect hiding place for me then, she said, now I know what their faces look like as well." She looked ahead to see a village, populated by a great amount of people. She grinned and jumped down from the branch. Now my hunt will continue. She flew off hastily in her lust.

Athrun sat down in one of the chairs to relax. He had nothing to do alone at his point, but daydream, which he did.

He saw himself in a field with cloudy skies above him and a squall rolling in. Lightning cracked and thunder roared, but he didn't care; he waited still in his place. Looking to his right, he saw a village smothered in smoke and drew back in fear. He ran down the hill in front of him and jumped off the edge, using magic to soften his impact, and dashed to the flaming homes in front of him. People were running in panic, fish were cooked in the flames, metal melted in the heat, straw burned to ash. It was horrible, and Athrun knew what this was. It was his village, where he, Kira, Shinn, and Dearka all grew up together. It was also where everything began, where their rage and hatred drove them to madness.

As he scanned the scene he saw something that made his eyes grow in shock. A blue-haired boy was trying to help up a brunette from the cliff behind him. No, he was trying to help the brunette pull something up from the cliff. Tears sprung in Athrun's eyes as he watched his younger clone scream out with his friend. They had lost what they were trying to save.

Athrun woke up, startled and afraid. He realized it was just a dream and sat up. His serious expression could pierce steel; it was focused so well. He didn't even hear the door open again to reveal Kira's and Dearka's return.

"Hey Athrun, we're back," Dearka called. He grunted when Athrun didn't respond and walked upstairs.

Kira went up to him. "Athrun, it's us, he said, we came back."

"What?" Athrun had finally looked up to face Kira's sincere face and fell back on the chair. He stood up. "I was having a nightmare, like always."

"The same one? Of course it is. We all dream it as well, almost every night and every time we fall to darkness."

"I know that, but-it gets so irritating to have to see it over and over. It's hard to bear."

Kira patted his shoulder. "It was our choice to do this. This is merely a small price to pay. In the end, I paid the most."

Athrun looked at him. He knew as well as the others that Kira was different from the rest of them in so many ways, but his choices made him far from just human. "Even if you did, it doesn't change anything. We all share the same things Kira, the same memories, the same pain, the same goals; that will never change. We are one of a breed of beings to roam this land; this world. You have been given the right to live, as have the rest of us."

Kira only nodded before looking away. He could feel Athrun's gaze upon his face and no longer feeling comfortable, he strolled up the stairs. When he opened the door to his room, he saw Lacus attempted to mend a broken vase she had shattered with magic. He smiled when he saw her turn and blush in embarrassment and fear of what he would think.

Lacus tried to speak clearly. "I-I-I'm s-sorry s-s-s-sir, I-I just-"

Kira walked up in front of her and faked a look of disappointment, amused when she jumped in fright and clung to the shelf behind her, still facing him. "So, you broke the vase and you are just trying to mend it?" Lacus nodded quickly like a child who had been caught doing something wrong. Kira was about to continue when his eyes began to examine her body.

She was still wearing the white nightgown she had on since she was captured, but after what happened before, it still shone in all its glory. Her pink hair was bundled up; not one strand fell below her shoulders, and she wore a golden hair clip in the form of 2 ocean waves melded together. The slit in her nightgown revealed the upper skin of her right leg, and her feet were only covered by the white stockings she wore. Kira couldn't hide his admiration for how good she appeared and turned slightly red.

Lacus didn't expect such a long stall. "Um, is something wrong sir?"

Kira looked back at her face with a smile. "No need to address us formally miss. I'm sure you already heard most of our names anyway." He took a step back and bowed. "I am Kira. Would you tell me who are?"

Lacus was very surprised by his act of a gentleman and released her grip on the shelf. "Lacus. Lacus Clyne."

"I see. Well, welcome Lacus to our humble abode. I am sorry that I couldn't properly do so in the beginning."

"I-it don't concern me Kira, Lacus stammered.

Kira looked behind her. "Were you not in the middle of something before I came?"

Lacus stared in confusion until she realized what he meant and spun around, attempting to repair the vase. She could hear Kira chuckle and turned red in the face. What was I thinking, trying to practice my magic on their property? I really did it this time; now he probably won't let me out until I'm done. She was able to do few things with her magic, and mending objects and healing people just were not either of them. Whenever she was able to put pieces together, they would just fall apart.

After about 4 minutes of failed attempts, Lacus started getting very furious and eventually flew into a rage, blasting the vase into even smaller pieces than before. She heard Kira gasp in surprise and panicked. "Oh, I'm so sorry sir! I'll try too fix-"

Kira was upon her with a grim façade, causing Lacus to tremble. Now what is going to happen to me? What have I done? All for just one piece of art! Oh my! To her surprise, Kira smiled gently and moved Lacus aside. He glanced at the many pieces for a few seconds before lifting one hand, and the shared reassembled into one figure. Lacus gasped in awe. "How did you-"

"-do that? Kira finished. It wasn't that difficult. It just requires complete focus and some training. I can only guess you haven't been able to develop your power that well, have you?" When he saw her shake her head, he continued. "I suppose I can help you to properly use magic. Just know that it will take some time before you can attain a normal state of power, understand?" Lacus nodded again and Kira walked to the wall next to the door. "Alright then; let us begin."

Athrun was standing by the stove, cooking the meat of chickens they had preserved with magic. The sweet aroma filled his nostrils and he smiled, lucky to be able to take it all in. He felt very drawn to it and leaned in closer to simply lick it.

Before he could nip at it, he heard something from upstairs and looked up. The noise was sounding from Kira's room and he sighed. Dearka stepped down from the stairs and joined him.

"I just can't see why he takes he time up with that girl," he said. Athrun turned back to his cooking.

"It's just how he is, he replied, a gentleman who takes care of guests."

"So what? He never chooses one person over the other. Don't you think that's strange?"

A long silence followed Dearka's words. Then Athrun spoke. "It doesn't really matter why. I don't know, but I don't want to know either, because it might be because of her."

"Her? You mean that girl?"

"That's right." Athrun was speaking very coolly now. "So just drop it."

The door suddenly slammed against the wall and both men turned in battle poses. When they saw that it was Shinn, they eased.

"You found some people already?" Athrun asked.

"No, but I did find some important information. Rumor has it that the emperor is sending troops to combat the rebels in the empire. So I had to come back."

Both of the boys grew shocked. "Who told you this?" Dearka asked.

"I paid a man at the bar to tell me, and I found out more than just that. The empire is also aware of another nation and is trying to overrule it for themselves. That means that they won't be able to send as many troops down to fight us all."

"We should still be concerned about how many they send anyway, Athrun noted, did you find that out?"

"No, but I was told that they would arrive in less than 2 days. They're coming here."

Dearka walked passed them. "I plan on telling Kira. You 2 just get everything ready for an attack." They nodded and he made his way to Kira's room.

Flames were burning from the base up on Kira's robe. He had instructed Lacus to incinerate them and then repair them. Lacus had no problem with burning them, but now she couldn't repair them.

"Focus Lacus. You can't use your power otherwise."

"I'm trying." No matter how much she attempted, she couldn't replace the burned cloth. Then the door opened and Kira turned. Dearka was standing in the doorway, surprised at what he saw.

"Uh, what are you doing Kira?"

"Nothing of your concern, at least for now. So, what is so important that you must disturb me for?"

"Imperial forces will be arriving in less than 2 days time." He could tell that he got Kira's attention when he turned around without viewing Lacus.

"I see. Then prepare yourselves. Anyway, who told you?"

"Shinn came back to report."

"Send him back out. I want him to go and find some allies if not many. If the empire plans on fighting us, we need assistance."

Dearka didn't seem surprised, but he eyed Kira. "What if they attack us while Shinn is gone?"

"Then we worry about it later. Go." Dearka gave him a curious look before turning on his heel and stepping out of the room without touching the door. Kira went up and closed it for him before turning back to Lacus. "I'm sorry for the intrusion, but it seems we have an unexpected turn of events."

Lacus nodded. "What are you planning to do?"

"We plan to fight of course. How else can we protect ourselves?" When he saw Lacus' slumped face, he knew she didn't like this. He went up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "If the worst happens I want you to stay here, where it's safe. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you where to get hurt for us."

"But I don't want to stay, she pleaded, I just want to go home and see Cagalli."

"Cagalli?" Kira asked. "Who is Cagalli?"

"A friend of mine from the village you destroyed." Her last words held bitterness and hate for them which Kira could sense. She didn't even care what he would think and sat on the bed. "If you hadn't attacked us I could still be with her-and my father too." Tears rolled down her eyes and she looked at the fragments of Kira's robe. She tried again to mend them and felt her power flow. She embraced the flow and some of the pieces melded with the robe while others fell.

Kira smiled at her attempt and her small success. "You managed some, but that kind of feeling will only pull you back. You must reach for your power and focus it without any doubt or sorrow. Your emotions are the block to true power for you kind."

Lacus looked up at him. He was right; whenever she felt weak or furious her power never seemed to work, but her confidence and concentration gave her strength. "But then, why could I hurt you that night? I was so full of rage that I couldn't have mustered any power."

"Rage is the one emotion that can heighten power, but only to a certain degree. As much as it makes you stronger, you lose your sense of coordination and you don't think properly. It's a problem that I've had my whole life."

Kira held out his hand and the remaining bits were restored to his clothing. Lacus didn't even smile. "So what could I do? How can I even increase my power?"

"Magic like yours must come from complete focus and calm. Your emotions can be a block, but they can also be an asset in need. It's impossible to comprehend the full expectancy of magic because of all these choices, so you have to follow what you think may be right."

"My power…I have been training for 3 years and I can't even do some of the most basic spells. I watched in envy as everyone else was able to pass by me without problems. I always do magic the way I'm taught, but it never seems to work and we never knew why. It just wasn't fair for me to suffer like that. It wasn't." Lacus was sobbing at her harsh memories of being put down and always hurt. Flay was always out to make her feel miserable; her father, Siegel, always yelled at her in anger, and the townsfolk didn't even care. The echoes of the cries and cruelty pained her greatly and she at last broke down into a waterfall of tears. "Why did this happen to me?"

Kira gave her a look of sympathy and cuddled her gently. "Life can be cruel Lacus; we haven't gone through it without agony ourselves, and it turned out terribly. This is why we fight, so that we can all have a better tomorrow than people expect. That is what the people wish for, and so we will do our utmost to give it to them; even to the people whom we hurt."

"Kira." Lacus had looked up at him. "But how can you say we aren't having that life now?"

Hesitantly, Kira turned away. "I've told you before that I can't tell you, okay?"

"Please don't keep me in the dark! I have to know!" She broke away from his embrace and gave him a pleading glance. She knew that she would get the answers sooner or later, but she wanted them now. She wanted to know what made them like this.

Kira sighed. "This isn't the time Lacus."

"Then, when will it be, she asked quietly, when we are dead?" With her eyes still on him, Lacus turned away in anguish. She wanted to know, and he just wouldn't tell her; it was irritating for her. She watched Kira turn.

"Very well, he said, but I won't tell you here, not now." He looked to Lacus who gave him a small smile.

"Thank you Kira."

"It's too early for a 'thank you'. You can thank me after I've told you."

"I know, but even so." She rested her head on his chest while he stroked her hair smoothly. Like before, she enjoyed the moment of peace around her and didn't fight. Her arms wrapped around Kira's back and she could feel do the same with his free hand. "I still can't forgive you for what you did, you know."

Kira didn't even flinch. "I know, he was your father so I can understand. But the past can't be changed, and he is dead now." Without consent, he pulled Lacus in closer with both arms, feeling the warmth from her body. He felt like pulling her up to his level, but restrained himself from doing so.

Lacus didn't comply. She pushed her way up and crumpled over his shoulder. "But why did you kill him? He was defenseless and couldn't fight."

"He would likely be a danger in the future, so I had no choice. I felt the same way with you, but I couldn't let you die."

"Why is that?" She knew Kira was hesitating with his answer, for he was thinking rather hard for his calm face.

"I-can't tell you now. Maybe another time." The thought he buried deep down within the chambers of his mind was brought forth at his will, and he saddened at the scene. It was a girl with long black hair that had a mix of turquoise. She was smiling as her hand let go of an obstruction and she fell to her doom. His body was shaking lightly and he felt growing sorrow build up within.

Lacus could tell something was wrong, but she was done asking questions. She didn't want to bother Kira any further and only pulled herself in closer.

Trees were swaying in the strong wind that prevented Cagalli from making a fire for the deer she caught with Kira's sword. She ended up having to use magic to roast it and ate it. As she bit out of the leg, she looked up to the sky in wonder. I hope you're safe Lacus. I'll save you, I swear I will.

A few squirrels were gazing at the meat from a tree and scurried away when Cagalli glared back. Then an eagle cried out and dived, snatching a leg and flying away. Cagalli didn't bother to stop it. She didn't need to eat the whole deer anyway. That only encouraged it to come back and take 2 more. "Hey, put them down!" she yelled. It didn't listen so Cagalli reeled it in and struck it with the black blade. These animals can be a real pain. Now I wonder where Lela flew off to.

After she finished her share of the deer, she left the rest out for any other creature and carried the dead eagle on her back for future food.

Yeah, Cagalli's a hunter, like it? Anyway, I don't really have much to say for now except you can bet that one of the next 2 chapters will be quite problematic for our "villains". Well, I plan on taking a break from SEED for awhile to focus on my other fic so it'll be awhile before you see another update. If you would like to read that fic, it's a "Custom Robo" one and you can see the details in my profile library. And since school is around the corner, updates will be coming in slowly now. Good day!