Ch. 17: Falling
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam SEED nor Destiny.
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During the last chapter:
Arisa looked down the halls and heard random people chatting, but one conversation seemed to interest her.
"Murrue, why can't we just explain who they really are?" Mwu whined.
"Because we don't know what will happen once we tell them," Murrue reasoned as she arranged some papers on her desk. Mwu sighed, "Well, they're gonna find out sooner or later…"
'The know Shinn and Stellar? Or Kira and Cagalli?' The doll asked Arisa,
"I guess so…" Arisa replied blankly.
'Let's…have a 'word' with them,' the doll suggested with an evil smile.
"Yes. Let's go talk to them."
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"Cagalli, where are you?" Kira called out as he and Athrun searched the busy halls.
"Kira, she can't hear you with all these people," Athrun sighed.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," he pouted. "But I can't wait to see her again!"
Athrun stared at him, and Kira noticed. "What's wrong with seeing my own sister?"
"Don't you remember?" Athrun asked. Kira gave an awkward look, "Remember what?"
"When you hugged Cagalli and called her 'Stellar'." Athrun answered as he started to walk ahead of him. 'Huh?' Kira thought as he ran to him. "When did that happen?" Kira asked.
"You really don't remember?" Kira nodded.
"Well…one time, you just hugged Cagalli and called her 'Stellar', like you two were lovers or something," Athrun explained. Kira's eyes widened, "What? I really did that!" he exclaimed, Athrun only nodded. "I can't believe I did that! And to my own sister!" he shouted as everyone in the hall stared at him; thinking he was a crazy man.
"Kira…" Athrun called out to calm him down, but it Kira couldn't hear him.
"Will she be able to face me? Will she still think that I'm her lover or something?" Kira continued as he banged his head on the wall with shame.
"Kira…" Athrun repeated, voice a little louder.
"Wait! It isn't my fault! It's Shinn's! I know! I'll tell Cagalli that it was Shinn, that way, she won't have to act so weird around me!" Kira planned.
"KIRA!" Athrun shouted. Kira stared at him, "What?"
"Cagalli knows that it was Shinn who hugged her, so calm down," Athrun sighed in relief as Kira finally calmed down.
"Really…?" Kira asked with hope in his eyes, Athrun nodded as Kira smiled. "Okay, at least there won't be that much tension between us."
"Want to go look for her now?" Athrun asked with a smirk.
"Yeah," Kira smiled as he walked away.
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"Hello," said a shallow voice. Mwu and Murrue turned around a saw a young girl holding a doll, grinning.
"Err…can I help you?" asked Mwu with an uncertain tone; he felt something strange from the girl.
"I couldn't help myself, but I heard something about Kira and Cagalli, am I right?" she grinned.
"Maybe…" Mwu lied.
"Who are you anyways?" Murrue interrupted as she walked between Mwu and Arisa. "Oh, how rude of me, my name is Arisa." Arisa replied with a sweet smile. "And this is my doll," Arisa held it up to show it to them, "Isn't she pretty?"
"She looks…just like you," Murrue answered with a smile. Her smile then turned to a more serious expression, "But, why did you eavesdrop on us?"
Arisa tilted her head to the side a bit, "What do you mean?"
"You said that you heard something about Kira and Cagalli," Mwu answered as he crossed his arms. Arisa smiled, "Yes. You see, I'm looking for them. I need…to have a word with them."
"And why do you wanna talk to them?" Murrue asked.
"Secret."
'I don't know why, but I have a weird feeling about this girl…' Mwu thought. He then walked up to her and took a good look at her. "I haven't seen you around here before…"
"New student," Arisa replied quickly. She knew that he was on to something.
"Okaaay…" Mwu sighed. "Why would we have a new student when we are in the middle of the year?"
"Is it that weird?" Arisa asked as she held her doll tighter.
Murrue and Mwu nodded.
"Well, I don't have to tell you everything if I don't want too," Arisa smirked.
"Well, you have too since we are teachers," Murrue replied.
"And if I refuse?"
"Then we get your butt outta here," Mwu answered sharply.
Arisa pretended to cry, "How mean. I'm a new student and this is how the teachers treat me?"
"Cut the act. Where are you from?" Mwu interrupted. Arisa grinned, "I don't want to tell you. I just want to know where Shinn and Stellar are." Mwu and Murrue's eyes widened, "You know Shinn and Stellar?" Murrue asked surprised. A new student knows them?
"Ah!" Arisa quickly covered her mouth, 'Did I just say their names!'
'Secrets out,' the doll told Arisa.
"Alright. Who are you, really?" Murrue demanded as she slammed her palm to the desk.
"Sorry, I'm still not telling." she repeated as she walked closer to them. Mwu and Murrue backed away.
'Kill them if they don't tell you,' the doll instructed. Arisa's eyes turned darker, "Yes."
"Yes to what?" Mwu asked.
"Oh, nothing. Now tell me, where are Shinn and Stellar!" Arisa demanded as a dark aura started to overcome her.
'She's…no ordinary girl. She's a…being from the darkness!' Murrue exclaimed. 'Kira…Cagalli!'
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"Is she in there?" Lacus asked Cagalli as she walked out of the library. Cagalli shook her head. "No, but I did some books on the ground. Seems like there was a fight," Cagalli sighed.
"We already looked nearly everywhere…"Lacus sighed. She then gave a thoughtful look, she after that, she smiled, "I think I know where she is! In the teacher's lounge!"
"Well…that is the only place where we haven't checked yet, let's go!" Cagalli smiled as she and Lacus headed for the teacher's lounge.
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"Get outta here!" Mwu shouted as he shot a ball of fire at her. Arisa just pushed it away as it hit the wall.
"You didn't answer my question yet!" Arisa screamed as she ran behind Mwu, placed her hand on his back, and blasted him to the nearby desk.
"Mwu!" Murrue called out. She was going to run towards him, but Arisa warped in between them. "So, where are they?" she repeated.
"I-I don't know…,"Murrue stuttered. Was she going to kill her?
"I know you know!" Arisa screamed again. 'Just kill her!' the doll demanded.
Arisa made a dagger come out of no where, she was going to stab Murrue. 'If she won't tell you, threaten to kill her!'
"Die!" Arisa then aimed the dagger at Murrue's heart, but she jumped back and warped away.
"Wha-!" Arisa exclaimed as she tried to look for her. "She can't hide from me forever…"
Arisa then walked to where Mwu's body was, but it was gone. "Damn, she took it."
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"Back already?" Rey asked as he saw Rau walk out of a portal.
"Yes. Surprised?" Rau asked. Rey nodded, "So, where did you go?"
"I just visited the Sanctuary." Rau replied as he sat comfortably on his desk.
"Sanctuary?" Rey cocked his head to the side in confusion, "What Sanctuary?"
"The sanctuary where all this happened."
Rey walked closer to Rau, "You mean, where Shinn and Stellar began to fade away?" Rau nodded. "But, why go there? Don't you get weak the closer you are if you're a being of darkness?"
"Yes, but I wanted to try to destroy it," Rau smirked.
"Why bother? You could just die if you go there," Rey said rather harshly. Rau narrowed his eyes at him, "But it was worth a try, wasn't it? Even Gilbert wanted to destroy it."
Rey's eyes widened, "Gilbert tried to destroy it?" Rau nodded, "The people who built this academy also built a sacred area beneath it. There was no name for it, so they just called it a 'Sanctuary'." he explained. "The people made that just incase darkness wanted to overcome it."
"What do you mean? They knew about the darkness?" Rey asked in confusion.
"The people who built this were the first psychics. They wanted more people to become like them, so they built this. However, another being- a.k.a Gilbert- found out about the academy, so he tried to take it over. The Sanctuary held enough power to destroy him though."
"But I thought the first principal destroyed Gilbert." Rey implied.
"True, but how did he know about Gilbert?" Rau grinned. "Where did he get all that power?"
Rey shrugged. "Exactly. The Sanctuary sent him to destroy him. It also gave him enough power to destroy Gil."
"The Sanctuary is that powerful?" Rey asked.
"Yes."
"But…it cost that man his life…" Rey said in a sad tone.
"Because the Sanctuary's power was too powerful, it also explains why Shinn and Stellar are back." Rau explained as he took a sip from some coffee he made.
"What do you mean?"
"The Sanctuary is like the school's guardian. It sensed that trouble would come again, so it reincarnated Shinn and Stellar, who is now known as Kira and Cagalli." he finished.
"This…Sanctuary is really something," Rey said in surprised. "But it still doesn't explain why Shinn and Stellar faded away."
"Do you really want to know?" Rau asked, Rey nodded.
"It's because they used all there strength. They actually should be dead, but it seems that it saved them for future purposes."
"Hmph." was all Rey could say.
"So, how's that weapon?" Rau asked.
"Arisa?"
"You named her Arisa?" Rey could tell that he was grinning a bit. "You actually named her?"
"You got a problem with that?" Rey asked as he narrowed his eyes to him.
"No, of course not."
"I sent her out to find Kira and Cagalli, no luck though." Rey answered as he crossed his arms and looked out the window. Rau didn't say anything, he just stayed quiet as he joined Rey to look outside. 'Hopefully, this will work.'
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Mwu opened his eyes weakly, only to see Murrue in front of him.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"I think so…" he groaned. He looked around to find himself laying on Murrue's lap. "Where are we?"
"I his us in the meeting room; Arisa can't find us since she doesn't know where the room is." Murrue sighed.
"I can't believe I got beaten by a girl…" he tried to laugh a bit. Murrue chuckled a bit, "She wasn't an ordinary girl."
"I guess you're right. Hey Murrue, I think I can walk now."
"Are you sure?" Murrue asked in concern, Mwu nodded. She slowly helped him up, when he stood on his own, he stretched a bit. "You okay?"
"Yeah," he laughed, "Just a bit sore, but I'm sure I'll be okay. Let's get outta here." he assured.
"Okay."
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"Damn…damn…damn!" Arisa screamed as she banged her fist on the bathroom wall.
'Calm down! You'll never get anywhere if you let your rage control you,' the doll said. "But…I was so close!" Arisa shot back.
'I know, but right now you have to calm down. You do want to be free from the darkness and Rau, right?'
"…Yes," Arisa replied sadly.
'Then just do as I say, and that will happen.'
"Just…do as you say…and it will happen…," Arisa repeated and her eyes went darker. She was back to being controlled by the doll.
'Now, let's go 'warp' to where they are.'
Arisa nodded, and in a second, she was gone.
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It was late at night, and Athrun and Kira still couldn't find Lacus and Cagalli.
"Athrun…it's already 9:00. Everyone should be in bed by now," Kira whined. "Don't you think the girls are in their dorms?"
"Please, as if they would go to sleep when they found a lot of information about the past," Athrun said as he walked ahead of Kira, but he caught up to him.
"Then where are they?" Kira asked.
"Isn't that why we're searching?"
"…you suck."
Kira was already tired, he wanted to look for Cagalli, but…still.
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Murrue and Mwu were walking down the 'billion' stairway to their own rooms, (the elevator wasn't working, and they were trying to save some power, their rooms were nearby anways) Murrue felt a chill run up her spine, so she quickly turned around, only to find a 'seemingly' calm Arisa.
"A-Arisa?" Murrue stuttered.
"Miss me?" Arisa asked sarcastically, "You still didn't answer my question!"
"Mwu- run!" Murrue instructed as she pushed him into a room.
"Wha-?" he asked, but before he got his answer, the door was locked.
'Mwu is too weak to fight now, so I guess it's up to me,' Murrue thought as she faced Arisa, who was floating way up high.
"You still won't tell me?" Arisa asked.
"What do you think?"
"I hate people like you…" she growled as she summoned thorns around Murrue, she was now trapped.
"Damn…" Murrue muttered as she tried not to touch the thorns.
"Going once…" Arisa counted as the thorns started going closer to Murrue. Murrue knew what she was going to do, she was going to crush her with all the thorns if she didn't answer Arisa's question.
"Going twice…"
"Murrue!" two voices exclaimed. Arisa looked down and saw Cagalli and Lacus.
"Lacus! Cagalli!" Murrue shouted. 'What are they doing here?'
"What's going on?" Lacus exclaimed. Cagalli pointed at Arisa. "I think that girl is trying to kill Murrue!"
"Let's go, Cagalli!" Lacus then warped them to where Murrue was.
"Girls, you gotta get away from here!" Murrue instructed.
"Don't worry, we'll get you outta here!" Cagalli assured as she destroyed the thorns around Murrue. "Thank you," She smiled.
"Don't thank us yet," Lacus said, "We still have to destroy her!"
'They're going to escape!' the doll shouted, 'Destroy Cagalli! This is your chance!'
"R-right!" Arisa said as she flew down to where Cagalli was. "Huh?" Cagalli exclaimed as she saw Arisa charging down on her. Two blades appeared in Arisa's arms and she cut/pushed Cagalli down the stairway. Cagalli didn't know what to do because of the pain in her stomach area where Arisa cut her.
"CAGALLI!" Lacus screamed as she saw her falling from the handles of the stairway.
"CAGALLI!" Athrun and Kira exclaimed as they just entered the room, only to see Cagalli falling about 50 ft. in the air.
"…goodbye…" Arisa muttered as she saw her fall.
'Is this…the end?'
END CHAPTER
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A/n: Thank you: Tetsuni, IYGU, Princess Ashes, xoxoanimeluber, and ZGMF X-19A Infinite Justice for reviewing the last chapter. And I also like to thank everyone else for reading, adding it to their favorites, and putting it on their alerts! Thanks for the support! I'm also sorry if the ending was a 'little' but rushed, or if there wasn't enough action…but, thank you for reading it anyways and please review!