The Past
"We're losing him. Vital signs are dropping across the board. Vital signs have ceased. The embryo has died." The lab assistant leaned back and slowly turned off the life monitoring equipment. "Another failure, Doctor. Another five million dollars in the wastebasket."
"Don't despair, Nicholas. We were closer with that one. Almost six months advanced, a full two weeks better than the one before him. We'll have to take a closer look at sequences A thru E... just a few more tweaks and the sponsors will have their golden goose and I'll finally have the process that will give me my son."
"The early sequences aren't the problem sir, if I may be frank. The thing that keeps killing the embryo's is sequence "S" and sequence "Z". If we modify those to a more adaptable standard, I'm sure that..."
"No, Nicholas, we can change any sequence, except for those two. Those two must be kept inviolate, exactly the way they are, at all costs."
"Why, Doctor? I don't understand, what is so important about those two gene sequences?"
Doctor Ulen Hibiki heaved a heavy sigh and glanced around the genetics laboratory. Except for him and his personal assistant, it was entirely deserted. He and Nicholas had come in on a Saturday to continue the project both of them were nearly obsessed with, though for different reasons. For Ulen, it was all about the the process and the results. For Nicholas, it was all about the money the process and the results would generate. "Have you ever heard of something called the SEED factor, Nicholas?"
"That's just a theory, and a wild one at that. There's no proof of such a thing."
"Most people believe that. But what I know, and what I have kept to myself, is that I do have proof it exists. I can't point out the exact gene, but somewhere within sequence "S" is the genetic coding that passes on the SEED from generation to generation. Without sequence "S" there is no point at all in making an Ultimate Coordinator."
"You've lost me again, Doctor. I thought the purpose of this research was to find a remedy for the biological changes a mother's body has on a child during the zygotic and embryonic stages of a Coordinated pregnacy."
"That is a convenient side effect, and its in the pursuit of that secondary goal that I get most of our funding, but no, Nicholas, that's not the real purpose of these experiments."
"Then what the hell is, Doctor!?"
"The purpose of this research is to move humanity on to the next stage of its evolutionary development. I told you that before."
"That's what Coordinator's ARE, Doctor!"
"No, Nicholas, Coordinators are merely the first of three steps in the process to attaining the next stage."
"According to who? I've never heard any theory along those lines."
"That's because I haven't published anything yet, because it still is ALL THEORY! That's why we're researching! To turn my theory into facts and data!"
"Well maybe if you were to explain your theory I might understand a little better. I can't assist in much if you keep me in the dark all the time!"
"You're right. I'm sorry, Nicholas. Let me think for a moment." Ulen took a sip of coffee. It was lukewarm. Time always passed so quickly while he was in the lab, or so it seemed. "Coordinators, with their genetically enhanced potential, both physical and mental, are the first step, like I said. But no matter how much you increase physical and mental skills, you don't ever produce anything but "super" humans, at an extreme. Superhuman is not the next stage, though next stagers will be superhuman, if that makes any sense. But being superhuman will merely be a side effect of what they are, not the main purpose."
"I'm with you so far."
"No one really understands the SEED, not even me. My best guess is that it's a sort of evolutionary key, that unlocks the deepest depths of a person's potential in all areas. It is my assumption that all humans have the SEED, but only a very limited few... one in a hundred million, roughly... can activate it. But here's the clincher... the SEED is not accessed by any physical or mental abilities, though of course it has a massive effect on them. The SEED is activated by one thing only... emotions. It is no secret that your emotions affect your physical and intellectual abilities, that given the proper emotional stimulus a person can exceed what would ordinarily be his mental or physical limits, if only usually for a short time."
"Okay."
"Coordinators with the SEED are the second step on the path to the next stage. Already possessing physical and mental abilities in excess of the human norm, when combined with the "enabler" of the SEED, such a being would be able to ascend to levels of ability that we can barely even comprehend. But even such a superhuman would not be the next stage. The next stage of human evolution will almost certainly be emotional in nature. This is where sequence "Z" comes in. Here's a secret that only you and I will know. Can I trust you to keep it?"
"I'm intrigued. I won't tell another soul."
"Have you ever heard of something called a "Newtype"?"
"Oh come on. Bad enough this stuff about the SEED, at least there are some theories about that. Newtypes are fantasy."
"I don't blame you for saying that. Anyone without a top secret: code word level clearance would agree with you. However, I do much work for the government and I can assure you, they are quite real, if exceedingly rare. You didn't hear this from me naturally... this is kill yourself before disclosing class information, Nicholas. In the course of some of that work I managed to make a genetic record of one of the Newtypes. With much painstaking labor I was able to isolate a sequence that I am convinced includes the mutated gene that gives Newtypes their powers. That was all just idle labor though... here's the secret. When I looked at the gene records we used for our embryo's, I discovered a nearly identical sequence embedded in the part of the genetic code that controls ocular ability and pigmentation."
"But sir, the genes we're creating the embryo's from are..."
"From my wife, yes. She's a Latent Newtype. Has no idea of course. Only you and I know." Ulen massaged his temples... it was enough to overwhelm even him at times. "This is why I have taken to calling our eventual product an "Ultimate Coordinator." According to my theories, the Newtype mutation is recessive. Since all our embryo's are fertilized eggs from my wife and I, I've calculated a roughly one in two hundred forty seven chance of the gene being passed on. It will be immediately obvious, since the gene is inseperable from the ones controlling the pigments of the cornea... a Newtype baby born from our process in these artifical wombs will have purple eyes. Maybe at some time in the future someone will be able to completely isolate the Newtype gene and we can produce Ultimate Coordinators with any color eyes, but that labor is at least a generation or two down the line... maybe my son will be able to solve it."
"So any baby produced from your embryo's in these artificial wombs will have a one in two hundred forty seven chance of having the SEED and Newtype powers?"
"One in two forty seven for Newtype powers. One in ten thousand chance for both."
"Ulen, we don't have anywhere near enough money to fund that level of research!"
"I know, that's why I've undertaken a side project from Allen la Flaga. He's interested in having himself cloned because his wife is unable to bear children."
"Cloning humans is illegal, Ulen!"
"But highly profitable. I would have thought you, of all people would know that, Nicholas. You are well known for your avaracious nature."
"Got any other secret projects I need to know about? Planning on building an android behind my back too!?"
"Don't be like that, Nicholas. I'll be glad to have you assist me on the la Flaga project. I'll even let you have the patent for the process... you know such things don't interest me. Human cloning is currently illegal, but who knows if it will always be so."
"Fine. But as you were saying about this three step process?"
"My son will be an Ultimate Coordinator, with the SEED and Newtype abilities. Only such a rare being has the chance to produce the third step, the next stage of human evolution. The SEED is an emotional phenomenon, Nicholas... but the SEED by itself is incomplete. What happens to a plant seed you just stick in a pot of dirt and neglect? It just sits there, and might even die. But if you plant a seed in fertile dirt, water it, nuture it... what eventually results? A tree. Something many orders of magnitude greater than a tiny little seed. And what does that tree eventually produce? Fruit, from which more seeds are sown and more trees are born, and so forth and so on."
"So the children of your child... they will be the true next stage in human evolution?"
"So my theory says, for Kira anyway. Cagalli is just going to be a normal Natural girl, which my wife insists upon for some unknowable reason... she's quite frustrating that way. Anyhow, Newtype powers have great influence over emotions. With proper training and supervision in the use of his powers on his emotions, in essence providing that nuturing, fertile, and well watered dirt in the analogy, as well as effects from certain natural chemical processes... most likely those associated with reaching total sexual maturity and prolonged activity, probably around age thirty or so... the SEED in my son will take root and start becoming a tree. Once that tree reaches maturity, which should take anywhere from five to ten years, it will start bearing fruit... likely altering his genetic structure somewhat, granting his children a chance to pass on what will then be dominate genes for the SEED and Newtype abilties. I also theorize that a sudden emotional or chemical trauma might have the ability to cause the SEED to sprout prematurely, assuming it was being properly nutured, in effect jump starting the whole process. Of course I have no idea what sort of stimulus or trauma has the possibility of initiating this jump start... we'll have to spend years of research before we know, if we ever do."
"But once we produce one Ultimate Coordinator, we can record the process and just duplicate it, right? Everyone will be able to have a child like that, assuming they can afford to pay for the artificial womb." Ulen could almost see the dollar signs in his assistant's eyes.
"Well, if everyone wants to adopt a child with genes from me and my wife, sure. Remember, all the embryo's are from my wife and I. You could search for years without finding another bloodline with both the SEED and Newtype powers... I only found ours by accident. Or perhaps fate, if you believe in that sort of trash."
"Doctor... wouldn't it be possible for an Ultimate Coordinator to be born naturally? I mean, outside an artificial womb. Or to breed an artificial bloodline with the genes we needed?"
"The likelihood is so remote as to be astronomical. You're more likely to find a one hundred carat blue diamond inside a random meteor."
"But it could happen."
"Anything is possible, Mr. Borander, but we scientists try to deal in things that are at least somewhat likely. Now, lets get the next embryo unfrozen... we have a lot of work ahead of us."
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The Present
Kira was falling. Or perhaps floating would be more accurate. He couldn't really tell. There was no frame of reference. He couldn't discern anything, not even himself. Just an endless void, in which his mind and senses were contained. It was quite disorienting... he could hear, though no sounds reached him, feel without anything touching him, taste and smell likewise without any actual stimuli to give him those sensations. He could even see, though there was nothing but blackness to see. He couldn't tell if he was awake or asleep, if he was dreaming or conscious. He was aware of time passing, but precisely how much was another frustratingly unknowable mystery. He continued to drift. Ever so slowly, so slowly he was barely even aware of it happening, he started to become aware of something else in the void with him.
"Lacus?" He asked, or thought or... he shook his head or thought-image or whatever. "Lacus?" He got no verbal response, but he felt himself moving, which was a positive change. He looked down... or up... he looked, that was the important thing. He looked and saw. A memory suddenly whirled in front of him like wreckage blasted away by an explosion.
PAIN, white hot PAIN in his body! His hands were on fire! His body was moving by itself! He couldn't control it! He couldn't fight it any longer! He was dying... the machine was killing him! He had to escape. He had to GET OUT! There was a sensation of falling... had he succeeded, or was this death?
The memory vanished just as he started to panic again. His vision was clearer now. He looked and saw a shape. A colored shape, something like a egg, tiny as if it were extremely far away or maybe it really was just small. It was violet in color, the same color as his eyes. He was familiar with it, he'd seen it many times during stressful battles, though it was usually much bigger. Even as he thought that, it slowly started to swell in size. Kira suddenly became aware of a fierce thirst, just as another jagged memory fragment invaded his consciousness.
His body was numb, but he could feel a breeze across his face all the same. His chest ached and he vomited pinkish liquid, overowkred lungs struggling to deal with gaseous air again. There was sun on his face, then shade. Something was blocking the sun. Someone perhaps. The shade started talking, but Kira couldn't understand the words. He couldn't hear anything, but it was like there was a tiny echo in his emotions. His nerves were scrambled, he was all but paralyzed, but he knew he was in danger somehow. He just couldn't do anything about it. Lacus... Lacus was going to kill him. He'd been wrong... he never should have piloted the Pulsar. His body choked and shivered... there was liquid in his throat. It wasn't water. It was thick and warm and gluey, filling his mouth, drowning him... and then he was swallowing, his muscles worked by an outside force. The taste burned his tongue. He was going to vomit! The taste was... BLOOD!
Kira jerked away from that memory too, though the phantom chemical taste of the blood wouldn't leave his lips now. It was disgusting, harsh, nauseating... but all the same he couldn't help but lick his lips every so often, refreshing the taste. The SEED was much closer now. This was the first time he'd ever been able to get a good look at it... usually it fell and exploded in between instants, unleashing depths of skill and innovation he barely even dreamed he had. The SEED kept getting bigger and bigger... it was the size of a softball... now a basketball... now it was the size of a large dog. Within seconds it was as big as he was and it kept getting bigger and bigger, swelling like there was something inside straining to get out. "Kira!" A familiar voice intruded on the void. "Wake up Kira! Please, wake up Kira!"
"I'm trying, damn it!"
"Kira! Kira!" The worry and pain in the voice was tearing at his heart. Lacus was in extreme distress. He had to go to her. He had to help her. But the SEED was in his way, blocking the path. He struck out at it, hammering at it with his fists. At first there was no effect but then suddenly a crack appeared.
"I'm coming! Lacus! Hold on, I'm coming!" Kira called. He drew back to attack the SEED again but then froze. His body ws freezing solid and burning up at the same time! He couldn't move. He could barely think. Every cell of his body felt supersaturated with violent energy. Something was happening to him. The pain kept growing and growing... just as the tiny crack in the SEED slowly started to spread. The crack forked, and forked again, extending along to fully encircle the SEED in a growing web of cracks. The pain was becoming unbearable, Kira could hear himself screaming. Just before a brilliant blast of light enfolded the void Kira caught one last glimpse of the SEED, which had tiny silver root filaments creeping out of the cracks. He screamed again as the agony reached a crescendo, and he could hear the echo this time.
Lacus jerked back, snatching her hand away from Kira's forehead as he jerked upright in bed, almost falling off the bed in his sudden convulsion. His scream of excrutiation echoed around the enclosed glass gazebo as his eyes flew open and he returned to consciousness. For several seconds she watched his eyes dart around in unseeing panic, as the sensors monitoring his vital signs whirred and beeped in alarm as his agitation sent his pulse and blood pressure skyrocketing. Lacus recognized the symptoms of a dangerous panic attack that might lead to further injury... she'd been warned by several doctors that there was a possibility of something like this occuring upon Kira's return to consciousness. The trauma that had put him into a coma in the first place would be fresh in his mind, even if hours or even days had passed, to him it would be like it just happened. She immediately started humming a song even as she reached out for him, feeling his feverish body like an inferno against her as she hugged him tight, sending as much reassurance and calm as her Newtype powers would allow her to into him.
Slowly, ever so slowly, his breathing steadied out and his heartrate started dropping to normal levels. He was gasping and crying, but no longer screaming, and he'd stopped sweating profusely. Lacus slowly lowered him back into a reclining position on the bed and put her hand on his forehead again. Kira's eyes were closed, but they fluttered open even as she finished humming the song. Kira winced, his eyes blinking in the afternoon sunlight. Noticing this, Lacus increased the polarization of the gazebo walls and ceiling, dropping the light to near dusk levels. Kira rolled his eyes over to look at her. "I'm not dead?" He whispered.
"No. You're very much alive." Lacus didn't bother to fight the tears welling in her eyes. "Thank God for his mercy."
"So... sorry, Lacus." Kira said, his voice barely audible. "You were... right... about the... Pulsar."
"Don't talk, Kira. You need to conserve your strength. You were badly injured by that machine." Lacus implored.
"Thirsty..."
"You've got an IV in you Kira, but I have a cup of water if you want some." Lacus held the cup to his lips, fighting to keep her hands steady. It wasn't easy, it almost physically hurt her to see him so weak he couldn't even drink by himself. She tipped a little water into his mouth, but not too much, afraid he might start choking. It was worse than that actually. Just as he started swallowing Kira seemed to be struck by some sort of fit and he spasmed again, almost sliding off the bed. He opened his mouth and heaved up the mouthful of water along with a good deal of bile. He continued to dry heave, trembling with the convulsive vomiting, for several minutes. Lacus dropped the cup and merely held him tight against her, never minding the mess.
"S... sorry." Kira mumbled. "Terrible... taste... in my... mouth. Like... blood... but worse..."
Lacus held his head tightly to her chest, cuddling him protectively. "It's all right. You had a lot of terrible things happen to you, and not just from the Pulsar."
"What happened? Place... seems familiar... always... waking up hurt... at your... house... PLANTS?"
"We lost, Kira. The Archangel crashed and was disabled. Athrun and the others managed to hold off Frost, but they lost a lot of strength doing it. You destroyed his mobile suit, but he showed his usual maniacal tenacity and managed to survive anyway. The Pulsar's operating system took control of your body and almost killed you, but you managed to eject barely in time. That's why your body feels so terrible... you were electrocuted for nearly three minutes by a five hundred volt system. Most people would be dead, but you're a lot tougher than most people..." Lacus had to stop for a moment to wipe away the tears and compose herself.
"Frost stole the Pulsar after you ejected... but before he did... Kira..." Lacus had to stop again. How could she tell him about the horrible thing Frost had inflicted upon him... it still made her sick just thinking about it.
"Tell... me, Lacus..."
"He force fed you more than a pint of his chemically altered blood." Lacus forced herself to blurt out. "We've done what we can to detoxify you, but the doctors say there is likely to be some lingering side effects... perhaps even permanent ones."
"Don't worry... Lacus... be fine... just... bad taste..."
"I hope so, Kira. I do hope and pray so. But you need your rest... even Ultimate Coordinators can't bounce back in a day from injuries like yours. Sleep now, and we'll talk again tomorrow morning." Lacus didn't wait for him to argue, humming a short lullaby that knocked him out before he was even fully aware of what was happening. "Forgive me for that, but its for your own good." Lacus leaned over and kissed him on the lips... there was no taste there besides a slight hint of bile. She sighed and stood up to go change her clothes.
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"I can't believe Sai held a gun to my head and tried to hold me hostage." Kira shook his head in dismay. It was the morning of the fourth day since his friends had all gone their seperate ways and he was already up and moving around under his own power, though he wasn't moving fast by any means... his entire body still ached terribly and he suffered occasional spasm attacks that sometimes were strong enough to send him stumbling from his feet. Lacus had forbidden him from walking up and down stairs without her help until the attacks stopped occuring and he hadn't questioned the wisdom of that decision... the last thing he needed to do was fall down a flight of stairs.
"I wasn't particularly pleased to see it either." Lacus replied, standing with him at the stone balcony that looked over the lake the Clyne property bordered on. "It hurt, having to tell him to go ahead and shoot you, since I couldn't compromise my principles just for your sake."
"That was the correct choice, though it pains me somewhat to have to agree with getting shot in the head." Kira quirked a smile that she did not share. The smile died away. "Lacus, isn't it about time you told me what really happened during the negotiations with Sai? You're hiding something from me, I can feel it." Lacus didn't reply, or even look at him. Kira sighed. "I know I offended and hurt you by using your feelings for me to let me pilot the Pulsar, but I've apologized for that..."
"And I forgive you. But just because I forgive you doesn't mean you automatically earn back that level of trust we used to have, Kira." Lacus replied, still not looking at him. "It doesn't work that way."
"Then what can I do!?" Kira put a hand on her shoulder and forced her to turn and look at him. "How can I earn back that trust!?"
"I DON'T KNOW, ALRIGHT!" Lacus brushed his hand off and turned away again. "I don't know." She repeated, more calmly. "It's not something where I can just give you a task to earn my full trust back, my emotions don't work like that. I don't know anything besides the fact that its not going to be quick."
"Katie contacted me right before I took off. She told me about how I'd caused you to cry." Kira said after a long pause. "I don't think I've ever felt worse than I did right then, even when Flay was killed right in front of me. Katie promised to beat the crap out of me when I got back, and I imagine she still will, as soon as I recover fully. And I can't blame her at all for wanting to. I betrayed the trust of the most important person in the world to me, and not only that, I did it while making a stupid choice that backfired even worse on everyone."
"You speak the truth." Lacus replied. "What about it?"
"I was wrong... but that doesn't make it right for you to lie to me about what happened between you and Sai." Kira placed his hands on her shoulders again and pulled her towards him so that they were face to face. "It's my responsibility to make up for my mistakes, and I can't do that if I don't know the full situation. It is my right to know what happened between you and Sai."
"Let me go, Kira."
"Not until you tell me what happened."
"I can make you let go, Kira."
"Yes, you can, but then you'd be a hypocrite and we'd both be even more miserable than we already are." Kira stared into her eyes fiercely, a look she returned. He couldn't help himself... she was so lovely when she was furious. Kira leaned forward suddenly and kissed her, hard. Lacus went stiff as a board for a moment, her eyes widening in shock and then narrowing in renewed anger. She shoved him hard, breaking the kiss but not quite pushing him away.
"Not making much progress in regaining that trust if you keep acting like that." She warned him. "I think it might be good if we both spend some time alone to cool off."
"I decline. I've had too much time alone." Kira didn't let go of her. He watched her eyes widen in shock again, but he didn't much care at the moment. "We've got some problems between us, Lacus. We're not going anywhere until we resolve them, or at least begin to."
"This isn't like you, Kira!"
"A lot of bad shit has happened to me, both by my own actions and the actions of others. My apologies, but I'm really not feeling like my sweet and conciliatory old self right now." Kira retorted, voice rising. "I might be able to relax a little more if I knew what you're trying to hide from me. Come on, how bad can it be? It can't be any worse than the Pulsar making me betray my oath never to kill senselessly ever again!"
"Don't be so self righteously sure with me!" Lacus shouted back. "I almost killed three people on purpose and could have irrecoverably damaged all our our friend's minds! Do you have any idea how that makes ME feel? I've never intentionally HURT ANYONE IN MY ENTIRE LIFE, KIRA! And I was THIS CLOSE..." Lacus held up two fingers barely a millimeter apart. "... THIS CLOSE to killing Sai and his two bodyguards like they were bugs! When he put that gun to your head I snapped! I went temporarily insane! I can't even tell you what I was feeling, because I don't clearly remember. I remember a sensation like slipping on some gloves and suddenly I was able to see you through Sai's eyes. I was able to make him move like he was a doll! And you know what the WORST PART IS!? I WAS ENJOYING IT! I WAS ENJOYING IT!" Lacus was sobbing even as she screamed at him. "I took free will away from three people with my powers and I was having FUN DOING IT! Yes, they were threatening you. Yes, they were threatening us all. But that is NO EXCUSE FOR BETRAYING EVERYTHING I STAND FOR!"
"Uh..." Kira was speechless... this wasn't what he'd been expecting.
"If that grey haired man hadn't been able to somehow resist my influence by disappearing from my mental view, who KNOWS what might have happened!? He talked me down, Kira. He talked enough sense into me that I realized what I'd been about to do. I had been within a minute of murdering three people for YOUR SAKE, even though you'd JUST TORN MY HEART OPEN LESS THAN HALF A DAY EARLIER! KIRA, I LOVE YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR MY OWN PRINCIPLES, OR SO I THOUGHT, BUT I WAS FORCED TO SEE THAT I WAS WRONG TO ASSUME THAT!" Lacus clenched her fists so hard Kira actually saw her bleed a little.
"Calm down, Lacus..."
"SHUT UP, KIRA! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO STARTED THIS, YOU CAN SHUT UP AND LISTEN!" Lacus did take a few deep breaths though. "I lost some trust in you when you played with my emotions Kira. But I lost ALL trust in myself when I nearly murdered those people! And if I can't trust myself, how can you trust me!? Bad enough what I might have done to Sai and all them... if I'd directed that level of ability even partially against you, you'd be a vegetable right now! I lost control Kira... what if I do it again? What if next time there isn't someone to talk me down? Who might I hurt? Who might I kill? Katie? Ysak? YOU!? If I start lashing out again, the only way to stop me might be killing me before I kill others! What am I supposed to do, Kira? I'm totally lost and I'm terrified! I can barely tell what's real anymore..."
"This is real." Kira said firmly, embracing her tightly. "I'm real. You're real. This is all real. If it wasn't real, it wouldn't hurt. But it does. It hurts so much. But that's good. It's when it doesn't hurt anymore that we know we've lost who we were." He held her close as she cried her terror and panic out. He'd been angry at her before, but that was gone now. Now he had a terrified girl in his arms that he loved more than he could ever express and the worst heartache was knowing that he was the cause of some of her pain. "It's all right... I'm here...just let it out... just let it all out... don't hold back..."
"IT'S NOT ALL RIGHT!" Lacus yelled. Kira stiffened as it suddenly felt like he was holding a tornado in his arms, even though Lacus wasn't moving at all. He winced as Lacus dropped all her mental shields and emotional barriers... he could see the SEED dropping through her mind. When it detonated he physically stumbled backwards, releasing her involuntarily. Kira shielded his face as Lacus seemed to lose physicality and turn into a churning supernova of light. At the same time, his eyes told him that she was just standing there, looking at him with her eyes washed out in a SEED rage. Lacus smiled at him, but there wasn't much Lacus in the smile. "It's not all right, Kira. I can see you... all of you. Spread out before me. I can see the pain you're feeling... I know where it hurts most. I can see the damage Frost did. I'll make him regret it."
"No!" Kira shouted at her. "Lacus, calm down! It's okay to be scared. I'm here and I'm alive and I still will always love you. Yes, I'm in pain, yes Frost inflicted some damage on my mind and how it works... this strange agression and confrontational spirit... but I'm still me! I'm still Kira Yamato! That will never change! Not even if you kill Frost. Not even if you kill me!" He squared his shoulders and took one slow step towards her.
"Don't come near me, Kira. You're so open... I might..."
"It doesn't matter what might happen. You won't hurt me. I know that. I trust that implicitly." Kira took another step forward.
"Kira, DON'T! I'm not in full control of my powers right now!"
"That's the fear talking. But I don't believe it. And even if it is true, well, so be it. I'll take the risk. For you, I'd always take the risk." It felt like walking headfirst into an oven. His skin was melting off. His mind was shriveling up. He conjured up his own SEED... and his jaw dropped. What was usually a small purple seed was now a fist sized purple lump with silvery roots branching out of it in all directions. Instead of dropping and detonating, the silver roots flashed incandescent and the SEED started pulsing like a heart. Usually he felt a brief rush of adrenaline when entering a SEED rage. This time he felt like a dust mote in a hurricane. "Whoah...!"
"What's THAT!?" Lacus sounded shocked to the bone. "What are you doing, KIRA!?"
"I haven't the slightest idea." Kira admitted, his pain all but gone. Lacus was still limned in light, but it was more like an Angel Halo now than a supernova. He stepped towards her again. "Looks like Frost's little plan may have backfired on him. I don't know what's happening... but I feel GREAT!"
"You're scaring me, Kira. Stay away..."
"I can't do that, Lacus. I can't ever stay away from you."
"I SAID STAY AWAY!" Lacus commanded. Kira felt her lash out with her power. He should have fallen over, unconscious at best. He barely even felt a breeze.
"I can't do it, Lacus. I love you." Kira took the final step and gathered her up in his arms again. "I can't stay away."
"How did you do that...?" Lacus murmured, startled out of her SEED rage. She almost collapsed against him, exhausted. "You're a Latent... you should have been completely vulnerable..."
"I don't know." Kira replied. He tilted her head up and kissed her. "But I'm glad anyway."
"Me too." Lacus pulled at him, half collapsing them both to the grass of the lawn. "Please Kira... gently..."
"As gentle as I can manage." He smiled at her and started trailing his kisses down her neck. "Love you so much."
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"So you do like the new Kira?" Cagalli said somewhat sceptically through the video screen. It was the middle of the day after Kira and Lacus's mutual blow up at each other and they were both still riding the emotional tides. Lacus was physically exhausted, but her mind was overflowing constantly and her emotions were bouncing around like Haro's on overdrive. Kira was in even worse shape, shuffling around near zombielike, unable to sleep, blazing like a bonfire on the mental landscape, emotions firing off like rocket volley's. Whatever else his new SEED mode did, it sure had one HELL of a withdrawal process. And some very interesting side effects... an entirely insatiable sex drive being just one of them.
"There's ups and downs." Lacus replied, almost slouched in her chair. "On one hand we're both driving each other up the walls... on the other hand I've never been so thoroughly satisified in bed on so many occasions within such a short time. I feel like I'm about to split in half."
"Lacus... TMI." Cagalli scrunched up her face. "You just be sure and tell him he's not off the hook for what he did in the hangar bay. We've got a raffel going to decide who gets the first five minutes alone with him and a sock full of rubber weights. So far Katie has the best chance... she's bought more than twenty tickets."
Lacus twitched and sat more upright in the chair. She slowly turned around in her chair, feeling the various aches and pains... of both good and bad varieties... as she adjusted position. "I'll remind him. And I'll talk to you later, Cagalli. Try not to have too much fun with Athrun."
"You too, with Kira." Cagalli ended the call. A few seconds later Kira ambled down the glass enclosed walkway leading to the gazebo. He stopped a good ten feet away from Lacus and half collapsed against the glass wall.
"So, how badly am I going to be re-injured once we meet up with everyone again?"
"It sounds to me like they want to keep most of the marks surface deep only." Lacus replied. She was surprised she could joke about something like that, but the past few days had seen both of their emotional responses and outlooks going topsy turvey. She could feel his eyes on her, staring hungrily. She held up a hand. "I appreciate the thought, Kira... but I really need a break."
"Yeah. Me too... my body just doesn't wanna listen to me. It's really starting to hurt. The sleeping pills aren't working either... my immune system is going hyperactive... I could probably metabolize 100 cc's of morphine without a problem right now."
"I might have to try that, if this keeps up for too much longer. I can't sleep with you hyped up like this." Lacus sighed and yawned. "Make sure you stay out of arm's reach... I think we've learned from the mistakes at breakfast, haven't we?"
"I'm really sorry about this." Kira flushed with embarassment. Well, with embarassment as well anyway. "I don't know why this is happening all of a sudden. It was fun... for the first two or three times. Now I'm starting to get kinda scared. Theres more to this than some increased aggression from a chemical imbalance caused by Frost's blood. My SEED has changed... and damn it, I didn't mean that in a sexual way, but... DAMN IT!" Kira bashed his head into the glass a few times, rather hard. "Slightly better." He sounded dazed. "As I was saying... it's changed and I don't know why. But it's affecting my entire body. It's like going through puberty again, but a thousand times as intense."
"Tell me about it. Appetite still incredible too?" Lacus asked. Kira nodded... more hung his head in further embarassment.
"We're out of chips. And apples. And soda." He admitted. "And I was starting in on the cereal again."
"How much food do we have left, do you reckon?"
"Two... three days at this pace."
Lacus shook her head in both amazement and a little trepidation... she'd bought enough food for the full two weeks on the first day. But Kira was like a bonfire in more than just mental activity... whatever was up with his physiology was using up insane amounts of energy and not just because of the sex. He'd always had a good appetite, but he was consuming close to two thousand calories a hour and had been since dinner last night. And he'd only used the bathroom twice. Lacus was seriously considering calling a doctor, because this couldn't be healthy. "We need to get out of the house. We're both going a little nuts with just the two of us."
"Good idea. Where do you want to go?" Kira thought for a few moments. "Somewhere public, but with privacy close by as a last resort. If I do slip up, I'd really, really prefer not to cause a public scene. Not only would I just about die of shame, but it wouldn't do your reputation much good either."
"I shudder to think." Lacus actually did shudder. Her fans would never forgive him. Lawsuits would probably be the least of it. An idea suddenly popped into her head. "Perfect. Go grab our jackets and an extra shirt for yourself. I'll dig up some hats, gloves and scarves."
"Where are we going?"
"Ice skating. Theres a municipal skating rink not too far from here. Ice sports are popular in the PLANTS, because making large amounts of ice is very easy for us."
"Sounds like a plan. I'll be in the car after you get your own extra clothes. Maybe I can find a pair of handcuffs to keep me under control."
"Don't give me any more ideas."
Kira staggered as he walked away. "That didn't help..." He commented in a very strained voice.
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"Omigod! Are you really Lacus Clyne!?" The girl behind the skate rental counter exclaimed. "I'm a huge fan of yours! I got all your DVD's and posters!"
"Thank you." Lacus replied with a smile. She was more then used to this reaction whenever she went out in public in the PLANTS. At times it was tiresome, but right at the moment it cheered her up. Even after all the terrible events down on Earth, finding random people who unreservedly loved her made her feel good. Even if it was only a shallow love for her as a pop star. Right at the moment she wasn't going to be too picky.
"I NEED your autograph, please!" the salesgirl handed over the ice skates and then dug a photo of Lacus out of her purse. Lacus recognized the picture as one taken of her just before she'd left on the Silverwind for that fateful trip to Junius Seven that had entangled her life with Kira's and everyone elses.
"Of course." Lacus took out a pink pen and signed the back of the photo. Meanwhile, Kira rolled his eyes slightly and took the ice skates. He glanced around the resteraunt/gaming area that bordered the ice rink and rolled his eyes more heavily... people were already pointing and whispering. He'd expected this reaction, but it was still annoying. Couldn't they just let Lacus be Lacus for a little while? Of course, it wasn't like they had tried to hide who she was either... not many folks commonly wore solid pink and white clothes, especially with Lacus's rather distinctive hairstyle. With her pink knee length skirt, white socks and coat and pink scarf, mittens and fuzzy hat, Kira could already see most every age appropriate guy around drooling slightly as they looked at her. He'd expected that too, and he fought against the new reaction he had. Before he'd felt more resigned annoyance... he was getting angry today.
"Is he your boyfriend!?" Counter girl gushed, nodding at Kira.
"Yes he is." Lacus admitted, with more than a hint of pride.
"My brother is just going to die of jealousy when I tell him you already have a boyfriend."
"That'll keep me up at night." Kira muttered sarcastically. He escorted Lacus over to a bench and started putting on the ice skates. It wasn't his first time using them, but it HAD been a while. The rink was moderately crowded, most people his and Lacus's age, with the odd older couple with young children thrown in. It looked like school had ended for the day and the teen crowd was out for their daily recreation. Kira couldn't help but feel OLD looking at all the smiling, relatively carefree youths... even if he was exactly the same age as many of them. It was just the difference in life experiences... they went to school... he went to battle. It was enough to get him feeling good and melancholy. "Ready?" He asked Lacus. She nodded assent.
They were stopped twice more by autograph seeking fans before they could get to the entrance to the ice rink itself, which was less than fifteen feet from the bench they'd sat on to put on the skates. Both times were groups of girls gushing all over Lacus about how much they loved her look and songs and etc. After they did that they would ask for the autographed picture, quite why everyone was carrying a ready to be signed picture of Lacus around with them at all times mystified Kira. After the autograph the attention would turn to him... "the boyfriend". None of them talked to him directly... no, they only asked Lacus about him. It was very annoying. He felt like they considered him some sort of trophy or ornamental pet. Maybe that's what celebrity boyfriends were supposed to be, but thats not what he was to Lacus. "So this is why so many celebrities have drinking and drug problems... I might have to start drowning my tattered self esteem too, if this keeps up." Kira said out of the side of his mouth to Lacus after the second group, though he maintained a rigid smile as the girls walked away. "You think if I started wearing a sign that said "Not Decorative" they'd understand what it meant?"
"I doubt it." Lacus smiled at his irritation. "If it cheers you up any, you're being treated the same way Cagalli is when she and Athrun go out in public."
Kira winced. "So, how many people has she maimed?"
"I think she must have siphoned up all the restraint you've recently lost, because I haven't heard of any serial maimings yet."
"Thanks." Kira said, rolling his eyes slightly. He stepped out onto the ice and then twisted around so he was facing the doorway and skating backward. He'd never been much of one for practicing skating, but he was a Coordinator... and whatever was up with his body was affecting his physical abilities too. He hadn't stepped on ice in almost three years and he felt like he could probably pull off a few stunts if he tried. His balance was rock steady even though he was still exhausted. "This is just crazy..." Kira commented as Lacus stepped onto the ice as well and slid towards him, wobbling slightly as she adjusted her own balance. She held out her arms and he caught hold of them so that she wouldn't slide past him. Once she was stopped he let go, because his mind was doing funny things to him as long as was touching her directly.
"What is?" Lacus asked, slowly regaining her feel for ice skating... she hadn't been since before her father died. In reply Kira jumped in place, clicking his skates together twice before coming down on one leg and coasting in a small circle around her. She clapped her hands, impressed with the performance. "You're really good Kira, you never said anything about being good at skating."
"That's because I'm not. I haven't touched ice skates in three years, and even before then I was just a go straight and circle the rink sort of guy. I should be flat on my face right now, trying something like that." Kira sounded puzzled. "I guess its from my SEED..." Kira glanced away, apparently counting to ten. "I'm going to have to think of a codeword for that, this is getting silly... guess its from whatever happened to my you-know-what. I feel like I'm in a you-know-what rage all the time... all my senses are so sharp it kinda hurts and my physical skills are way better than they used to be."
"That's for sure." Lacus gave him a whimsical smile and pushed him so he started sliding slowly away from her. "You're starting to make Athrun and Cagalli seem prudish."
"Too much of a good thing." Kira agreed. He swerved in his backward slide to avoid a child of five or so that was racing around the edge of the rink, giggling his head off and looking back at the parent chasing him without any regard for what might be in front of him. Kira hadn't even glanced to see where the child was. As the kid passed him he almost idly reached out a hand and adjusted the kid's course so that he swerved gently around and headed back towards the relieved looking parent. Kira looked at his hand and then at the kid and then at Lacus, who gave him a sunny smile that told him she'd pretty much missed what just happened. He'd acted totally on instinct, almost no conscious thought at all. What's happening to me?
"Can't catch me, Kira!" Lacus suddenly took off playfully, heading away down the rink at a moderate pace. He smiled... she wasn't going to let him dwell, was she? He let her build up a little bit of a lead, and then headed after her. There was just something fun about ice skating, about how a single strong push with one leg could carry ten or twenty feet at a jogging pace with not much effort at all. Within seconds he was moving faster than he could normally run and he'd caught up to her before ten seconds passed. Putting his new abilities to the test, he whirled around her in a circle, orbiting around her even as they both continued forward, swerving and leaning to avoid the other people making their way around the edge of the rink without even bothering to look at them. She turned her head, trying to keep track of her, and he instantly decided to take the game in a new direction. He altered his circle into weaving back and forth, always staying at the edge of her vision if not fully behind her as he approached at high speed... a tactic he'd used quite often when fighting in the Freedom and Liberty.
He slipped the glove off his right and held up his pointer and middle fingers. He zoomed in towards Lacus and slipped by her close enough to rustle her clothes, elicting a small noise of startlement. As soon as he passed her he reversed his orientation so that he was skating backwards in front of her. He eyed her and kissed his two fingers and then darted his arm forward, touching his fingers to her lips for a moment. Before she could say anything he reversed orientation again and circled around behind her once more. "Looks to me like I caught you." He commented slyly. "Now I'm going to catch you again and again, if you aren't careful."
You're not going to lose control if we play this game? Lacus asked inside his head. I've no aversion to playing... really I'm already enjoying myself and this new, slightly wilder side of you immensely... but like you said... we don't want a scene.
"I can't promise to keep it all PG-13, but I think I can avoid hitting the NC-17 mark." Kira whispered in her ear, causing her to jump again... she hdn't heard him close in behind her. She tried to turn her head to give him a stern look, but as soon as she turned her head he was gone, touching a kiss to her ear as he passed. She quickly lost sight of him as he darted in and out of the other people skating around the rink, but she refused to let herself use her Newtype powers to keep track of him. That wouldn't be any fun at all... it was her job to make it hard for him, not avoid him totally. It wasn't easy, turning her head, trying to watch all directions while also skating forwards without bumping into people. She couldn't always avoid that last thing, but at least she hadn't knocked anyone over yet. She peered over her shoulder and ran into someone again.
"Pardon me..."
"No, I don't mind at all." Kira breathed, touching a kiss to her nose and slipping away again. He grinned widely... this was a lot of fun. And it helped work off some of the tension his body was now constantly creating, while also providing a positive outlet for some energy. Not that what they did at night wasn't positive... but like he'd said earlier... too much of a good thing was still bad. He worked his way around behind her again and waited for her to look away before sliding in close. This time he gave her just a little pinch, so fast an observer would have had to been specifically watching for it to see it. He stopped and ducked behind a group of teens as Lacus squeaked, wobbled and whipped her head around, face flushed as she hunted for him, clapping a hand to her rear in an instinctual but entirely too late reaction. He'd be paying for the pinches later he knew, but he just couldn't resist.
Their little teasing game probably would have continued in the same vein for quite a while if other teenage hormones hadn't decided to get involved. Specifically in the form of one high school track star, goaded by his friends, accepting a twenty dollar bet that he wouldn't be brazen enough to go over and cop a feel of Lacus's ass as she skated along. He figured he had little enough to fear... the rink was reasonably crowded, he should be able to slip up behind her without being noticed, and a quick apology and lie about having slipped would be enough to cover his own ass, assuming she even managed to discover it was him. And the opportunity was once in a lifetime... how many times could a single guy be lucky enough to see the teengirl pop idol of the century skating along alone in a pink skirt that just begged for a sly touch? The guy got into position and licked his lips, studying the goods... damn but she was FINE! He steeled himself, well aware that his friends were watching and expecting him to chicken out, but he wasn't going to lose twenty bucks... or this near unique chance to do what almost no guy had ever done before.
"Kira!" Lacus twisted around again, pouting because she was going to have to tell Kira to stop, that he was losing control again. Touched kisses and little pinches were fine...groping her rear was entirely too far. But it wasn't Kira snatching his hand away, it was some guy she'd never seen before, a lanky high schooler with short red hair and brown eyes. Lacus felt her jaw drop open slightly... she'd just been molested by a guy in public! Some random stranger had taken it into his head to get fresh and had actually succeeded! She knew that people sometimes tried things like this, but she'd never expected it to happen to HER. She debated shouting at the guy, but she really didn't want to make a scene... not just because it would be embarassing for her, but because she didn't know if Kira had seen what happened. Pre-injury Kira would have been bad enough... he'd probably get in the guys face and bawl him out... today's Kira... Lacus really hoped he hadn't seen that.
"Oops, sorry. Slipped!" The red head muttered unconvincingly, flushing as red as his hair at being caught. It was one thing to grab some ass... it was entirely another to get caught by the ass you grabbed. You could get jail time for that, especially when the ass was a major celebrity. He brushed past her and broke for the rink exit with no delay... the act had been witnessed, he could collect any time and his rep was going to be huge now. Everyone on the track team was going to worship him. Oh my god though, what an ass... what I would give to be her boyfriend!
"That was a major error, dumbass." Someone hissed into his ear. He started and tried to turn, but by then it was too late... he'd just lifted his left skate to bring it forward after pushing off when whoever the other guy was behind him... probably the boyfriend of Lacus, he realized with a start, who was sure to be unamused by that little display... kicked the back of his skate, turning it so the front edge of the skate dug sharply into the ice and caught, wrenching his ankle terribly and sending him sprawling onto his face, busting his nose and leaving a bloody smear on the ice as he slid headfirst into the rink wall with a resounding "THUNK", knocking himself out. His little bet had just won him a hundred dollar medical bill and the chance to miss his next track meet because of the damage to his left ankle, but he wouldn't realize that for at least an hour.
Kira appeared next to Lacus, looking nonchalant. They both stared at the high schooler lying unconscious and bleeding on the ice as his friends clustered around, making a big huzzah as they slowly pulled him off the ice and worked to revive him. "Did you push him, Kira?" Lacus asked as they skated past.
"Didn't lay a hand on him." Kira replied, straight faced. It was true, he'd only kicked the guy's skate. "Serve's him right if someone had pushed him though, pulling a stunt like that on a public ice rink... no decency at all. Broken nose, twisted ankle and a minor concussion... I think that's about an even trade for an unsolicited touch of something that didn't belong to him."
"Mmm." Lacus made a noncommittal noise. I know Kira did whatever happened to that guy... he took him down with no hesitation at all. Part of me is glad he did, too. Looks like we've both lost something of our forgiving natures, haven't we Kira? "Just try not to make a habit of being overprotective, okay? I appreciate the thought, but I could have handled that myself."
"I didn't lay a hand on him!" Kira repeated, draping an arm over Lacus's shoulders and pulling her slightly closer. He looked around fiercely, meeting the gaze of several other guys as he did so. Yeah. Hands off, or you'll get what he got. Or worse. I'm not in the mood.
"Kira?"
"Hmm?"
"Let's get off the ice. I'm getting all sorts of overheated all of a sudden."
"Okay, I'll go get us some cold drin..."
"A different sort of overheated, Kira. That game was very... exciting."
"The car it is then."
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Styling her hair by herself was a multi-hour long chore, but she'd persisted. Kira had been planning this night ever since they'd come back from the ice rink five days ago. He'd said that he wanted at least one night of traditional romance... a real dinner date, or almost real anyway, since the food was ordered in. Playing idle games of pinch and kiss, or another of the other lover's games they spent way too much time doing these days was all well and good, but Kira wanted something special. Something they could both look back on with fond memories for a long time. Lacus had her formal, opera house class performing clothing all laid out on the bed for when she was done with her hair. Getting into it without a servant's help was going to take some contortion on her part, but she knew she'd be able to get it eventually. Kira had used some of the money Alkire had given them, which hadn't turned out to be needed for medical bills since he'd recovered on his own quite rapidly, to buy himself a set of formal wear of similar quality to hers. He was currently elsewhere in the house, probably in one of the guest rooms getting ready himself, or adjusting some of the finer details he'd prepared. She hadn't been out of her room since noon, both to give him time to set up and because getting ready by herself just took that long.
Kira had finally won some measure of control over the changes his body was going through, which they were both starting to realize weren't going to fade with time. Whatever the emotional and chemical stress of his encounter with the Pulsar's OS and Frost's blood had done to him was a permanent change and they were just going to have to live with it. It required a lot of work on his part, and the assistance of medication, at least for the meanwhile, but he'd finally worked out how to get some rest. It wasn't quite deep sleep... more like a self trance or meditation, but it let his body recover and heal, and perhaps more importantly tuned down his mental emnations so Lacus could sleep as well. It also helped regulate his bodily functions somewhat, cutting back on the rampant sex drive and ravenous appetite... though he still suffered from them both and probably always would. They were going to have some pretty interesting explaining to do to everyone else when they got back together... so far Lacus had managed to give people the impression Kira was just hornier than usual because of some relationship issues... she wasn't sure how they were going to explain the appetite or some of the other changes.
As far as Kira was able to determine, his new "normal" state of activity was roughly equivalent to what he'd been at in the throes of a SEED rage. He was faster, stronger, less susceptible to pain or fatigue, thought faster, had much keener senses and an immune/metabolic system that was just insane... he wasn't sure he could even get drunk anymore, assuming he ever wanted to. And all of this was without much of any change to his actual physical body. He gained a little bit of muscle, a few pounds here and there, but it was hardly noticeable unless you knew him well and it certainly didn't fully account for the level of increase in his abilities. And those were just the physical changes... on the mental side of things he was almost like an entirely different person. He was still a Latent Newtype, Lacus was still able to contact him and feel his emotions like before... but there was a lot more to it than before. Now when he shielded himself she couldn't break through. And when he sent her emotions or thoughts, he had to be careful not to send too strongly, or else he gave her headaches and dizziness. She'd always been able to pick him out from the minds around him... but now he almost drowned out the other minds, making them hard to see beside his brilliance.
He hadn't dared actually try and enter a SEED rage since he'd confronted Lacus by the lake. He knew he still had the capability, but he was truly afraid of what might occur. He'd debated calling Athrun to talk to him about it, but what really was there to ask? The fact was none of them knew pretty much anything at all about the SEED. They knew how to use it to boost their abilities in times of great need. That was all. And calling Athrun up to say "Hey, Athrun, did your SEED suddenly sprout silvery roots too?" just didn't sound like a conversation starter he wanted to deal with right now. Kira shrugged and pulled on his tuxedo jacket. He'd worry about it another time... right now he had better things to concentrate on. with a last second glance in the mirror to make sure nothing was out of place, Kira walked out of the guest room he'd been using as a staging area and did a last second sweep of the house, ensuring everything was in place. Lacus should be getting close to being done dressing soon.
All the windows in the house were polarized to make it seem like night time. The PLANTS had twenty four hour a day sunlight, except during scheduled rains, which took some getting used to. It wasn't as hard for Kira as it was for people like Raine or Alkire, sinced he'd lived on Heliopolis, which also had constant daylight, like most space colonies, but it still took him by surprise every so often. All the lights in the house were on their dimmest operable setting, just bright enough to cast shadows. He'd decided on a candlelight dinner... cliche perhaps but he was glad to play to a stereotype this time. He'd also added his own twist by supergluing candles to the tops of Lacus's prismatic herd of Haro robots. He'd forgotten just how many of the bouncy little things Athrun had made... they seemed to breed like mice, always more of them around every time he looked twice. He watched the flickering flames of the candles bobbing through the air and wondered, a little late, if it was too much of a fire hazard. He'd just have to trust to luck... the things seemed to enjoy playing chase with him and it would take hours to catch them all.
He checked the music selection he'd loaded into the house's sound system and then went to inspect the food, ordered from a place called Norman's Grill. He'd been sceptical about ordering from a place that sounded like a streetcorner burger joint, but then he'd actually looked at the menu. The place could serve burgers... but then again they could serve pretty much ANYTHING, depending on how much you wanted to pay. Kira was no gourmet, he'd been totally lost looking at all the choices, many of which he couldn't even pronounce properly. Just a simple farmboy from a backwater planet, that was him. Lacus had to do the ordering. He still wasn't entirely sure what the food was, other than it was meat and it smelled incredibly good. Standing in the gazebo he heard the minute creak of hinges as Lacus stepped out of the master bedroom onto the second story interior balcony. He made haste to return to the main entrance foyer.
Lacus was standing at the top of the stairs, looking almost like a fairy tale princess in her sparkling white and purple and gold dress. Her hair was artfully twisted up on her head and secured in place with golden sticks, leaving only two wisps to dangle down on either side of her face, each wisp had gold and crystal beads woven into it. The dress was slit on either side, showing off the outside of her legs from the midthigh to just above the waist and as she slowly turned in a circle for his viewing pleasure he saw how the dress plunged in the back to just below the waistline. Kira put a hand out to steady himself on the banister, his knees having gone momentarily unsteady. He almost fell over because he missed... driven to distraction didn't even begin to cover it. It didn't matter that he'd seen Lacus in a lot less, in nothing at all... she looked GOOD in that dress, there was just something to the way the clothing concealed yet also revealed that had his mouth watering something fierce. He clamped down firmly on his body and mind... this was a romantic dinner date, he had to behave... at least for a while.
For her part, Lacus was no less happy with what she saw. She'd not actually seen all of Kira's formal wear until just this moment. He wore solid black slacks with a knife sharp crease along the seams and mirror polish black leather dress shoes, with a starched white shire and crimson vest underneath the black tuxedo jacket, one of the ones with two long tails in back. A red rose boutenniere was attached to his left breast pocket, while a gold watch chain looped out of his right breast pocket, attaching to the button hole with a tiny clasp. Instead of a tie or cummerbund, Kira wore a short white silk scarf that hung down about six inches down his chest, secured with a black ribbon tied in a simple bow with the long ends left to dangle. He was just restraightening a magnificent black silk top hat on his head with white gloved hands as she completed her turn... he looked slightly flustered, which brought a smile to her lips... what more compliment did she need?
Lacus slowly descended the stairs, her smile broadening as she saw that the bobbing lights she'd spied as soon as she stepped out of the master bedroom were her beloved Haro's, each with a candle affixed to the top of their head, slowly bouncing and fluttering around the foyer, almost like large fireflies in the dusky gloom. They were almost totally silent except for the sound of their "wing" discs flapping... Kira had obviously disabled their voice circuits for the night while attaching the candles. Kira proffered a gloved hand as soon as she reached the bottom of the staircase, which she gladly took. It was still too early for dinner, so plainly there was something else planned. "Dance with me awhile, milady?" Kira said with a fierce smile.
"Little ole me'd be honored to, sir." Lacus replied, as Kira touched a control in his pocket and started the sound system. Lacus didn't recognize the song... it sounded vaguely classical but there were some electronic instruments as well. "What song is this?"
"It's a remake of a song called Pat-a-Pan, by an ancient band called Mannheim Steamroller." Kira replied. "Technically it's christmas music, but I like it anyway."
"You do remember that I'm a professional performing artist, Kira... are you ready for that?"
"I'm the one who asked you to dance... I think I have the talent to pick it up fast." Kira took her in his arms, adjusting his stance continually as he moved, adapting in real time to her movements. It took him most of the song, but by the end he was twirling her around and matching her step for step... he really could learn fast when he put his mind to it. Having the reflexes of a SEED mode Coordinator certainly didn't hurt. The song ended and a new one began.
"Another unfamiliar one... you're determined to be different." Lacus noted.
"Brave Willing is the title of the song. Author unknown, I found it by accident on the net. Feels right for our outfits."
"So what is the plan for tonight? Dancing, drinks, food, conversation?"
"Something along those lines." Kira was careful not to think about what was in his right breast pocket. He didn't think Lacus was listening to his mind, but he really, really didn't want to ruin the surprise. It was all about the surprise, as Athrun had showed him so long ago in Switzerland. Some might question the timing, given the small rift that had opened between him and Lacus recently, but he wasn't willing to wait any longer... his near death experience in the Pulsar had shown him his own mortality and he wasn't going to leave anything to chance if he could help it. The third song started.
"This sounds like another christmas one... nice bells... interesting instrument..."
"Rendition of Carol of the Bells, by the performing artist Cast in Bronze... the instrument is like a giant church organ but each press of a key rings a bell instead of passing air through a pipe. I forget the name of it." Kira whirled her around again, enjoying the way her hair seemed to gain a life of its own, outlined ever so briefly against the slowly dipping and rising lights of the Haro-candles. Instead of stopping the whirl he dropped his hands to her waist and went around a second time, this time lifting her off the ground. Not dizzy enough yet and loving the way she was laughing in delight, Kira twisted into several more turn arounds, spinning like a top as he edged towards the door leading to the gazebo. Finally the song ended and he let her down to the ground again. They both stood there, slightly out of breath, leaning into each other for support as they recovered from the spinning. Kira turned off the sound system for the moment and tilted his head down, stealing a brief kiss. "Now, for those drinks you mentioned." He herded her towards the doorway, reaching up with his other hand to send his top hat spinning away to land on the nearest bannister post... sometimes he was so good he scared himself.
The gazebo was also polarized to make it seem like late a night. Kira allowed three of the candle-Haro's to follow them before he shut the door and kept the rest in the foyer... the last thing they needed was a fleet of the things bouncing into the food during dinner. Two fluted glasses and a bottle of iced sparkling pear-apple juice awaited them, as well as the food laid out on its heated plates. Kira pulled out the chair for Lacus and poured her a glass before sitting down and doing likewise for himself. He could have had a bottle of any wine he wanted on the table... Norman's cellar was massive... but neither he or Lacus drank, so he'd opted for the sparkling juice instead. He'd intended to talk during dinner... just make conversation, nothing weighty, but the food stopped him. It was just too incredible not to devote nearly his entire attention to. He still wasn't sure what it was... some form of steak in a garlic sauce... but the name didn't matter. They could call it "Horse Shank Rolled in Rubbish", if it tasted like this he'd eat it without hesitating.
After dinner he stood up and guided Lacus back into the house. She was giving him a significant look, so he realized that he must not have been hiding his emotional trepidation as well as he'd thought. She was expecting something, but the gig wasn't up yet. They slow danced to the first song, both too full for the energetic dancing of before dinner. The song was good for it, another purely instrumental piece called "Reflection" by a band called L'ArcenCiel. Throughout the song he kept them moving ever so slowly towards the staircase again, so that by the time the song ended Lacus was actually standing on a step above him. "I get the feeling you're building up to something, Kira." Lacus said quietly. At about the middle point of the song she'd removed her hairsticks, letting her hair return to its natural style, like a waterfall from the back of her head.
"Can't hide anything from you, love." Kira kissed her, long and deeply. His right hand rose and fingered the chain hanging from his right pocket. The next song was called "The Sky", another Mannheim Steamroller piece. Very quiet and unobtrusive. Perfect background music. Kira backed away from the kiss and dropped to one knee in front of her, right hand unslipping the chain from the ring at the end of it. Leaving the chain to dangle for the moment, he held the ring up to her. The stone wasn't really that large, but it still seemed to drink in the dim light from the candles and return it brighter than it received it. A plain band of white gold with a pinky nail sized star ruby cut into the shape of a blossoming rose... not the traditional diamond engagement ring, but Kira could hardly do tradition given what sort of example Athrun had shown him. And if a friend insisted on giving you a large amount of free money, he figured he might as well spend it on something special. An awful lot of it, as it turned out... but it wasn't like he'd had much else to spend the money on...
"Kira...!" Lacus gasped. She'd been expecting something... but not a proposal. She remembered her talk with Cagalli back in Switzerland when her friend had found out Athrun was going to propose. She smiled inwardly... it was true, she couldn't imagine ever loving Kira any less... only more. A ring was nothing more than a sign to others. Even if her breath was catching a bit, looking at the gesture.
"I don't think either of us really need to say too many words, do we, Lacus?" Kira said quietly. "We're already connected on a far deeper level than a ring... but I want the whole world to know. I want it official and in the open. I know we have our problems, but every couple does. I can not imagine loving anyone else but you, Lacus Clyne. Please marry me."
"Of COURSE!" Lacus threw her arms around him and almost sent them both spilling to the ground. She knew she was crying again, but she didn't care. "I love you so much too, Kira. I hadn't expected it this soon, but we both know what we are to each other, what we always will be to each other!"
"I don't have any suave speeches like Athrun does, nor do I have a suite reserved at some mountaintop retreat somewhere." Kira slowly rose to his feet, slipping the ring onto her finger as he did so. He picked her up and carried her in his arms. "I do however have a soft bed waiting upstairs if that will be acceptable?"
"The only thing that's not acceptable is the fact that we aren't there yet!"
"Mission accepted."
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"There it is. I thought she would never let it out of her sight." Noah mumbled in annoyance. His Newtype powers were on mirror reflect stealth mode again... otherwise Lacus would already know he was in the area. She was stronger than she'd been on the Moon. He'd have to keep working himself... he couldn't let her get stronger than him. He steadied the small but powerful crossbow and drew a bead on the target. Another minute passed before it hopped into range. The pink Haro never even knew what hit it, even if it somehow had the capacity to realize it had been hit, which it didn't. The armor piercing bolt rammed through the plastic outer shell and punched almost entirely through the most empty inside before losing its momentum. The Haro squeaked and fritzed static from its voicebox before rolling silent and dead on the ground. Noah wasted no time in dragging it back to him by the monofilament line attached to the butt end of the crossbow bolt. He pulled the dead machine into the bushes just inside the wall of the Clyne estate and inspected it. Except for a weird temporary waxy deposit on the top, it was an exact match.
"All right Melanie, this is where we part ways, at least for a while. Remember, you must not be found out or else you'll have to self destruct. That means no talking outside the limited voice circuit unless you're alone with me. And you're only allowed to use the taser needles to preserve your own or Lacus's life, understand?"
"Yes Noah." The Pink Haro he'd brought with him rolled on the ground in a tight circle. "I remember. How long will we be apart?" Melanie asked sulkily.
"Shouldn't be more than a month at a time." Noah said off hand. He really had no idea... probably years... but he wasn't going to tell Melanie that. She could only remember about a week at a time anyway in circuit form, except for deeply encoded instructions and code word activated programs. "Just blend in and listen. I'm envious of you, actually... you'll get to experience history first hand that the rest of us only get to watch on TV, if at all."
"And Merlin will be nearby if I get in trouble?"
"Sometimes. You'll be able to hear him when he's around, but other people won't hear his frequency."
"Mr. Pink! Mr. Pink! Where'd you go, Mr. Pink?" Lacus started calling from around the other side of the house.
"That's your cue. Good luck Melanie. Thank you very much for your help, I love you very much." Noah whispered. He pushed Melanie the Pink Haro out of the bushes. For a moment he was afraid she wouldn't leave, but then the ball hopped rapidly away and disappeared around the corner of the house.
"There you are, Mr. Pink! Where'd you get off too, we almost left you behind? Have you been playing with the neighbor's cats again?" Lacus's voice faded somewhat. "Kira, I found him!"
"That's good." Noah could almost hear how Kira was rolling his eyes. There was a brief silence. "OW! MY NOSE!"
"Kira! Are you okay!? Mr. Pink, I'm surprised at you! You jumped right into Kira's face, you naughty robot! You're in time out now!"
"Guess even the robots are getting jealous now... that's funny though, they've never objected to me kissing you before. Oh well, guess that just gives me an excuse to shut them out of the bedroom now."
"Oooh... I like them though..."
Author Note: So yeah, I hope this satisfies all you rabid Kira fans. Thanks for the idea, Rihaku and anyone else who suggested a change to Kira caused by Frost's blood. Oh yes, if any of you are budding manga artists by any chance, if you could draw me a picture of Kira in that tux I described and put a link to it in a review... that'd be pretty cool.