Advent of Destiny Chapter 2: Reunion
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gundam Seed/Gundam Seed Destiny. I am not compensated in any way for my work other than in the enjoyment that my readers experience.
A/N: My apologies for having taken so long for getting the second chapter up. I know that I promised some of you to have it up much sooner, and though it truly was my intent to have that promised fulfilled, well… to those of you who are also in college, I'm sure you understand how hectic things can get all at once.
Still, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. As always, please read and review.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Far off in the distance, the sun's light slowly disappeared as it sunk into the horizon. Its brilliance radiated far across the sky, bathing the clouds over in a vast array of color.
Upon the earth, the cherry blossom trees covered the ground in a sea of pinkish red. Their radiant splendor, now even greater than before, held true to the beloved vision that so many people knew it to be.
Walking amidst such beauty, Kira and Athrun were making their way home.
As they walked however, now a single word was spoken between them. There was only an empty silence, filled with a tension so think, it was almost palpable.
Even Athrun, as composed a person as he was, had begun to worry. What had started as a faint uneasiness in the morning had grown into something more troublesome.
Kira hadn't been acting like himself. Throughout the day, Athrun could sense something akin to a rift growing between them. It were as if Kira were trying to distance himself from the real world… for some reason.
Not having wanted to pressure him before he had a better idea of what was going on, Athrun had kept to his silence. Still, he couldn't help but feel as though things had become more serious. It was not only that Kira seemed like he just wanted to be by himself anymore… he seemed outright depressed.
Kira was not someone to let something get to him like this, Athrun knew, unless it were very serious.
…What was it though?
Cagalli hadn't proven ignorant to Kira's sudden change in attitude. She'd asked him more than once if he'd thought was wrong with him. Athrun, not having wanted her to worry, told her that Kira probably just wasn't feeling well and that all he needed was some rest.
Athrun's eyes narrowed upon remembering such. Cagalli, he knew, was by far the most stubborn person he had ever known, especially when it came to Kira. Being his sister, he understood; however, the last thing he wanted was for her to try and coerce him into talking about it.
Athrun slowly shifted his gaze back over to Kira. For a silent moment, while he continued walking, not a single word nor thought crossed his mind.
"…"
Then, without warning, Kira halted in his steps.
Kira raised his head. His amethyst gaze, deepened in its intensity, looked upon the cherry blossom petals as they slowly fell down around him.
"…They're quite beautiful this year, don't you think?"
With the long strands of his hair swaying over his face, Athrun smiled faintly. "They are."
After a silent moment had passed, Kira slowly turned around. "…Sorry about today. I really haven't been feeling like myself.
'…Kira.'
With warning, the wind suddenly picked up around them, sending a large amount of petals swirling about their bodies. It was an almost picturesque moment, the two friends' gazes locked onto one another, waiting for the other to speak.
"You asked me about earlier, right?" Kira whispered, his tone low and hushed.
"…Kira, you don't have to…"
Kira smiled faintly, shaking his head. "It's alright. You don't have to pretend with me, Athrun."
Sliding his hands inside of his pockets, Kira made his way over towards a large tree. Now standing before it, he raised a hand and ever so gently placed it upon the tree. "…I had a friend, a very long time ago. It was before I met you."
Athrun blinked. '…Where did that come from?'
As he spoke, a vast array of images raced through Kira's consciousness. A lifetime's worth of memory and regret felt as though it were coming back to him with every word that his lips uttered.
While he listened, Athrun could clearly sense the emotion in Kira's voice. He knew this was something important to him.
"…And so, that's what happened. I haven't seen or heard from her since that day."
"…Kira," Athrun whispered.
In the midst of the silence that followed, Kira withdrew into his thoughts. Honestly, he thought, he didn't know why he had decided to tell Athrun all of this.
Perhaps… it was something he felt he had to do.
Athrun's grip on his backpack tightened some. "Have you told Cagalli about any of this?"
Kira chuckled. "…She's asked from time to time, but I've never told her what I just told you. It isn't that I don't want to tell her, but…"
"…But?"
"It's just too much fun not telling her to let it go just yet. After all, you've seen how she can get when she doesn't get her way, so…"
Athrun's lips curved into a small smile. "I get it."
Without so much as another word, the two friends started off on their way home once again.
If, for but the time that it would last, Athrun felt relieved. Kira didn't have the look of one who carried a heavy burden any longer; it was the face of the friend he had always known.
And for that, he was grateful.
------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ow!" Kira cried out, clasping a hand atop his now aching head. "What was that for, Cagalli!?"
"Hmph. That was for making me wait so long, little brother. Why don't you try being a little more considerate next time and show up on time?"
Kira sighed, still rubbing his sore head. "I wasn't that late."
Cagalli placed her hands on her hips, turning around. "Whatever, let's just get going. It's already starting to get dark."
True enough, from the not too far off distance, the sun had all but disappeared from the horizon. In its place, a vast veil of darkness had begun to cover the sky. In its wake, the stars and the full moon had already come into view, casting their radiance down upon the earth below.
'…It'll be a nice night', Kira thought.
Suddenly, the wind picked up around him. In its grasp, the long strands of his hair swayed over his eyes, their amethyst depths seeming all the more deepened in the darkness of the night.
"Come on, Kira," Cagalli said, "you're not going to stand there daydreaming all night long, are you?"
"Huh?" Kira blinked, shaking his head. "…Sorry about that, Cagalli."
Cagalli sighed, rolling her eyes. "You never change, do you?"
Kira tilted his head a bit, grinning. "I could say the same about you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Cagalli inquired, folding her hands over her chest.
Inwardly, Kira couldn't help but laugh. No matter how time passed, he knew, Cagalli would never change. She would always be the most insistent, stubborn, and upfront person he ever knew.
Without so much as a word, Kira made his way ahead of Cagalli, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Forget about it. Come on, I bet I can beat you home."
"Wha? What're you talking about… hey!"
Before she could get another word out, Kira had already darted off.
"Hurry up, slowpoke! I'm not taking it easy on you this time!" he called out from the distance.
"Oh, yeah? We'll just see about that, little brother. No way I'm losing to you!" Cagalli cried.
With those words, she grasped a hold of her backpack and burst off down the street after Kira.
Upon both their faces, one could clearly see the happiness that dwelt within their hearts. Such was their relationship, though rough at times, that they could forget all their troubles so easily.
--------------------------------------------
----------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Huff…Huff…"
"You're not tired already, are you?"
"Oh… shut it."
Chuckling, Kira set his backpack down on the floor. "That's why I keep telling you that you need to exercise more."
"As if I have the time," Cagalli retorted, seating herself down on the nearby couch.
'…So stubborn,' Kira thought as he walked into the kitchen.
"I know that you're busy with work and everything, but don't you think you could spare at least a little time? You'd really feel a lot better if you did."
"What I do with my body is my business, thank you," Cagalli retorted.
"…" Kira sighed. "Alright, suit yourself," he said, picking up a bottle of water from out of the fridge.
"By the way," Cagalli said," are you feeling alright? You didn't look like you were feeling well earlier."
"…"
"…Kira?"
Kira slowly turned around to face Cagalli. He nodded his head. "It's true that I wasn't feeling too good earlier. How did you know though? Did Athrun tell you?"
'So Athrun did think something was wrong,' Cagalli thought, her eyes narrowing somewhat dangerously.
"…Idiot. You don't think I'd notice if my baby brother wasn't acting like his usual obnoxious self?"
'…Cagalli.'
"…So, you are feeling better now… right?"
"Mhmm. I think talking with Athrun really helped me out."
Cagalli's expression changed ever so slightly at the mention of Athrun's name. Upon her cheeks, the faintest tint of red appeared.
Kira grasped a hold of his backpack and started to make his way up the stairway. "…I know it must sound strange; still, talking with him has always helped to put me at ease."
"…"
As such words rung through his consciousness, Kira's lips curved into a small smile. He turned back towards Cagalli. "I guess that's what friends are for, aren't they?"
Cagalli slowly nodded her head. "…Yeah."
"Anyway, please call me when dinner's ready, okay?"
"Just make sure that you get all your homework done in the mean time. And don't stay up too late either. I don't want to have to go through a repeat of this morning, you got that?"
"Don't worry about it," Kira replied.
With that, he headed up the stairway and into his room.
After hearing the sound of his door close, Cagalli leaned herself further into the couch. She gently clasped a hand over her face, leaning her head back.
"…Stupid kid," she whispered.
--------------------------------------------
----------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
After setting his backpack alongside his desk, Kira sat down on the edge of his bed.
"…"
Within his consciousness, he could not help but feel slightly troubled. After having talked with Athrun earlier, he was feeling better… that much was true. However…
Kira's amethyst eyes narrowed ever so slightly as a thought came to mind.
…Just what was it that had troubled him so?
Kira knew himself not to be the kind of person to let something get to him so intrusively unless it were very serious. So then… why did he feel as he had if he didn't even know what the cause was?
It didn't make any sense, he thought.
More importantly, he thought, why was it that he had decided to talk to Athrun about Lacus on the way home? Truthfully, it was more along a spur of the moment kind of thing rather than anything he'd been keeping to himself.
…Could that be it?
Kira lifted himself off from his bed and slowly made his way over to his nightstand. He reached out and picked up the small photograph standing atop it.
For a silent moment, Kira stared deeply at the photo of Lacus and him. As though it had been a blissful dream, he could not recall a time that he had been so happy. Every time that he would see her smile, he thought, the sensation it bestowed upon him went beyond words.
Realizing his thoughts, Kira shook his head.
"…What am I doing?" he asked himself.
Setting the photograph back down, Kira made his way over to his desk and took a seat.
'Maybe doing my homework will help get my mind off of things.'
With that thought in mind, Kira pulled his books out from his backpack and got to work.
------------------------------
-----------------
"Ms. Lacus."
"…"
"…Ms. Lacus?"
"Huh?" Lacus blinked, turning around. "Oh… I'm sorry. I didn't hear you."
His eyes narrowing some with concern, the young man stepped forward. "You've been out here for quite some time, Ms. Lacus. Isn't it about time for you to come inside?"
Smiling in response, Lacus shook her head and turned back around. "…No. I want to stay out here for just a while longer."
"But it's going to be getting quite cold out. You mustn't push yourself when we've only just arrived…"
"Hmm… you're right. I really should be wearing a coat if I'm going to be out here, shouldn't I?"
Sighing to himself, the young man quickly ducked back inside the room, fetched a coat, and brought it back out. Without so much as a word, he placed it over Lacus' shoulders.
"Thank you," she said.
"This is my job, Ms. Lacus. In order to keep you safe, I certainly cannot let something like the cold weather wear you down."
Lacus giggled faintly. "…Must you always speak so formally? And why do you insist on always addressing me as Ms. Lacus? We've known each for too long. Couldn't you please just call me Lacus?"
The young man merely shook his head in response. "That too is part of my job, Ms. Lacus.
Lacus sighed faintly. "…That's what you always say."
With a faint grin on his face, the young man nodded his head. "And it is as true now as it was each and every one of those times."
Afterwards, a silent moment passed between the two. Realizing this, the young man wished Lacus a good night and headed back to his own room.
Lacus, now by herself, slowly closed her eyes. With the sun's warmth almost completely gone, she took the moment to bask in the refreshing feeling of the night's wind upon her body.
Such a thing had always helped to calm her down. It were as if the hands of mother nature itself were enveloping her heart, washing away any doubts she had.
Suddenly, a gust of wind picked up, whipping the long strands of Lacus' hair about her body. Its length picked up before her very face, almost seeming to sparkle in the light of the starry night sky.
How long had it been since she had felt this way, Lacus wondered.
Lacus' eyes opened some as the answer came to mind. Their depths reflected a faint aura of sadness.
…Too long, she thought.
Thinking back, the seemingly endless succession of grueling days and often sleepless nights had left her sight devoid of any true freedom. It were as if she had been locked away in a cage… able to look upon the outside world, yet never able to be there.
Lacus raised a hand upon her cheek as a fresh gust of wind brushed against her. It was almost too good to be true, she thought to herself.
Truly, the only thing that could make it better is if her friends were there to enjoy it with her.
Lacus' eyes suddenly widened at her thoughts. Her grip about her body tightened.
Would they even remember her, she thought, her gaze drifting off to the side.
"Kira…" she whispered.
At the thought of them… having to see them again, Lacus could feel the beat of her heart begin to quicken. A small heat began building in the pit of her stomach, slowly coursing its way throughout her body.
…Did such a thought truly frighten her so much, she wondered.
"…No," she whispered.
It was in her own weakness that Lacus felt such uncertainty. She had left this place with the pure and honest intent of coming back, yet… because of her naivety, she left herself open. And because of that, she had most certainly caused everyone a good deal of worry.
…Truly, she thought as she looked down upon the now darkened city, it felt as though she had been away for a lifetime.
-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'…I hope she won't be too mad at me,' Kira thought, looking back towards his house.
Cagalli could certainly be vicious when had her mind set to it, he knew. And him having to sneak out of the house for whatever reasons, so she might think, would certainly be something she wouldn't let him just nudge aside very easily.
Kira sighed at such a thought.
It couldn't be helped though. If he'd tried to stay there any longer, he'd have gone stir crazy. It had been as if his very body had turned against him, not allowing him even the slightest modicum of peace for him to be able to sleep.
And though he hadn't known if any good would come of it, the very least he decided he could do was to go out for a walk and hope that it would calm him down.
"…"
With that thought in mind, Kira continued on his way.
----------------------------------------------------
-------------------------
Silently, Kira turned his sights upon the bright blue moon. With its brilliance hanging so very high up in the sky, it awoke a strange sensation within him.
…It had been that way for a long time. For what reason, he couldn't say. But whenever he found himself troubled, gazing up at the moon would always invoke a strange calm in his heart.
Perhaps… that was because of her.
Kira's eyes softened as such a thought came to mind.
Though it had been a long time, there were some things that he would never forget. He would always remember how she loved to look up at the moon… her passionate gaze enriched in the moonlight that gleamed her, as if she were an angel.
Kira shook his head, ridding such thoughts from his mind. And with that, he started walking once more.
…Why in the world was he thinking so much about her today, he thought.
…It didn't make any sense. Even more so was the truth in how he had suddenly talked to Athrun about her.
Kira clasped a hand against his head. These feelings, he thought. He despised it… when his thoughts and emotions were so clouded that he didn't know what to make of them.
…It wasn't ever something he had wished to experience again.
Sighing, Kira slide his hands back inside his jacket's pockets. With a somber expression overcoming him, he slowly made his way once more, unknowing of his destination.
------------------------------------------
-------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
'…I really should be getting back inside,' Lacus thought, the night's breeze brushing up against her skin.
Just as she was about to turn around, near out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of something.
…It was a boy.
'…What would someone be doing up this late at night?'
With rising curiosity, Lacus leaned herself over the balcony's rail to get a better look. In spite of the heavy jacket he wore, Lacus could see that he was a handsome young boy. With long brunette hair swaying over his face, and a pair of amethyst eyes that looked as deep as…
Lacus' eyes suddenly shot open.
'…No.' "It can't be…" she whispered, unaware.
Time slowed down, as ever step the boy took felt as long as an entire day to Lacus. Within her mind, a vast amount of images ran wildly; their presence lit a fire in her heart… its almost painful beating bringing Lacus back to reality.
"…Kira," she whispered.
She was already gone.
---------------------------------------------
-------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Kira halted in his steps, raising his head so that he might look upon the cherry trees once more.
"…"
From about him, a gentle wind picked up. Its whispers blew past his face, sending the long strands of his hair swaying across his eyes.
Kira smiled faintly, running his fingertips through his hair. All of a sudden, the wind had such a pleasant feel to it, he thought.
Inwardly, for some unknown reason, Kira was beginning to feel a sense of relief from the burden he'd carried just a little while ago. It wasn't something that one could describe with words; strange as it might sound, it were as the grace of the heavens themselves had passed by, calming his troubled heart.
Kira slipped his hands inside his pockets, slowly turning his sights upon the bright blue moon. His smile widened.
"…Kira?" a hesitant voice called out.
"Huh?" Kira turned around, surprised at the suddenness of the voice.
Before him, a young girl, clad in little but the small slip of a nightgown that she wore, the long tresses of her passionate pink hair flowing behind her, looked upon him.
Kira blinked, finding himself at a loss for words.
With naught but an increasingly uncomfortable silence between them, the girl stepped forward, little by little, until she was face to face with Kira.
"…You are Kira, aren't you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Slowly, Kira nodded his head. "Yes, but… how do you know my name?"
Before he had a chance to react, the girl had wrapped her arms tightly about his face and embraced him. The warmth of her body fell upon Kira, whose amethyst eyes had all but widened in complete shock.
And then, in an instant, it dawned upon him.
"…Lacus," he whispered.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------