JC: Here's chapter 43 everybody. This is getting longer and longer. Don't worry this will reach an end soon. More power to the gods and goddesses! First, before you read, I would like to thank the reviewers for the willing support and bright smiles. I'm inspired, totally inspired.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam SEED. Youalready know that, okay? This is the same routine all the time. Though, I want to own Gundam SEED, I can buy it. Wah!!!

Gundam Seed: Mythical Legends

Phase 43: The Power Within

The teachers were having a seminar, so the students were free for the whole day. Basically, it was pointless for the students to come to school in the first place, but they had to since their attendance will be checked. It was the teachers' way to not let them wander off anywhere on a free day.

As for Jean, one of the Norns, she was completely pissed off by the teachers' stupid rule of attendance. She so wanted to slack off at home and watch anime, and maybe whipped out something good in the kitchen. But NO!!! She had to go to school and do nothing but wait until dismissal.

"Sucks big time," grumbled Jean, stomping along the hallways. She was on the second floor of the school building, where she could see the front gate. While she was staring blankly, she managed to see two familiar people exiting the gate. "Wait a second! Those two are Tyr and Meyrin!"

It was totally weird to see Meyrin hanging out with a god like Auel (Tyr). And she thought Meyrin was the shy one. Still, she felt it was dangerous for her to hang out with Auel. "I have to stop her," she said. She opened the window, jumped out, and landed safely on the ground. After regaining composure, she ran off to follow them.

"Wonder what Jean is up to?" Miriallia muttered to herself when she saw her red-head sister jumped off from the second floor. She thought that Jean will be playing hooky from school. "I guess it is okay as long as she doesn't get in trouble." And knowing Jean, she knew she rarely gets into one.

She went to her classroom and sat down in her respectful seat. She glanced around the classroom to observe her other classmates, who were clearly bored. Jean had the right mind to ditch school for today. I want to go with her, but something's telling me there's going to be a surprise waiting for the gods in this school.

Suddenly, she felt the presence of her little sister coming. She turned her head at the door and watched it slid open to reveal the blonde Stellar. "Stellar, what brings you here?" she asked, smiling.

"Miriallia, have you heard?" Stellar was panting as she approached her older sister.

"Heard what?"

Stellar leaned forward to whisper softly into Miriallia's ear. "Loki-sama and Heimdall-sama are friends again."

"Eh! Are you serious?!" Miriallia shouted, catching the attention of her classmates. She turned to them and smiled nervously. "Sorry for troubling you." She laughed lightly as she fiddled with her fingers.

"Let's talk outside," Stellar suggested.

When they got to the hallways, Miriallia's face was all red because of embarrassment. She knew she should not have reacted so loudly a while ago, but the news was surprising. She never expected Rey and Shinn to be friends again after the whole incident in the past.

"It's because of Cagalli-san." Stellar leaned against the wall with her hands behind her. She looked up at he sister and smiled. "Thanks to Cagalli-san, Heimdall-sama is an enemy no more."

"Who told you all this, Skuld?"

"Loki-sama did. He was in a pretty good mood when I saw him." Stellar pictured his warm face in her mind and blushed.

Miriallia pretended not to notice her silly little expression and continued on with her questions. "When did they reconcile and how?"

"Last night! Cagalli-san brought them together."

Well, Cagalli had the ability to make things possible, but she never thought she would be able to bring the two sworn enemies together. Miriallia was more impressed by her.

Karaoke Bar

Like a couple dating, Auel and Meyrin were having the time of their lives singing. The Karaoke bar was a fine place indeed and very relaxing once you get used to the atmosphere. The rented room they were in was fully air-conditioned and the seats were so comfy. In addition to that, the speakers and TV were in top shape.

Auel was enjoying himself singing a song called 'Pale Repetition.' It was a slow song, but it was full of meaning. Auel sang it so smooth and well.

Tsunaida te boku wo yobu koe hoho wo nade suri nuketeiku
Ima to iu hi ga kizu wo oi kurikaesu


Shiranai uchi ni netsu wo obite...
Kanashimi mo yorokobi mo kioku sae nemuri ni tsuku


Yasashikute azayaka na iro ao no MERODI- wo komori uta ni
Nani hitotsu hajimaranai de nani hitotsu owaranai mama

Kinou wo wasure kasunderu yume no naka

Kaze ga ashita wo yuri okoshita...


Kanashimi to yorokobi ga hibiki au karada no oku
Shinayaka ni nijimidasu iro ao no MERODI- wa komori uta ni


Kanashimi mo yorokobi mo kioku sae nemuri ni tsuku
Yasashikute zankoku na iro ao no MERODI- wo komori uta ni

When the song ended, Meyrin fell in love with him more. It was so amazing for her to hear such a handsome guy sing like a professional singer. She applauded, complimenting him on his singing, as her cheeks flushed red a bit.

"Thanks, it was no sweat," Auel said. He handed the microphone over to her and told her to sing. "I'm sure you have a singing voice too."

"What?!" she gasped. She quickly shook her head and refused. She did not want to sing in front of him. She was afraid to make a mistake.

But Auel insisted her to sing or else he will tickle her to death. After placing the microphone in her palm, he sat down and pressed the numbers on the remote for the song. "I think this would suit you."

Meyrin watched the numbers and the title of the song flashed on the screen. It was a song she knew and loved. She wondered if Auel knew it was her favourite or if it was only a coincidence. Nevertheless, she felt relieved to know she can sing it. She only hoped Auel would like her voice.

She gripped the microphone firmly and began singing 'Rinne no Hate NI.'

toki no kanata he to koboreochita namida
tada samayoi mada
ate mo nai mama meguru omoi
oikakete hitori kurikaeshi uzuku mune
yobikakete fui ni tsutsumi komu hikari wo
kasuka ni kanjite iru

yami ni hisomu koe tsutae takute kokoro
demo furueru kage
sashidashita te wo surinuketeku
todokanai inori hitotoki no nemurisae
yume no naka negau
karamawaru tokei wo yasashiku dakishimete

karamiau rinne kizamareta rekishi koe
eien no hate de mata meguriaeru kara
towa ni yakusoku wo shite

She lowered the microphone and breathed in deeply. She turned to Auel who was looking at her in a funny way. Oh no… He probably didn't like it. What should I do? She was starting to panic. She bowed her head and apologized for her awful singing.

"What do you mean awful?" Auel raised an eyebrow. "I was just surprised that you sang so well. You're as good as me." He pointed at himself proudly.

Meyrin blushed furiously at what he said. It was another compliment from him. "Thanks…" was all she could say out of her nervousness.

"Wanna sing more?"

This time, Meyrin nodded her head. Of course, with her new found confidence, she was ready to sing for Auel again.

Outside the karaoke room, Jean was lurking around and spying on them. It was not her style to spy, but she just wanted to make sure Meyrin would be fine with Auel. Apart from the singing, Jean noticed something different with Auel. Not only that, she also noticed Meyrin blushing a couple of times. Don't tell me those two are… Hmm…So far so good, Auel and Meyrin are just enjoying themselves.

School (Lunch Time)

"And that's what happened." Cagalli finished off as she played with her food. She was telling Athrun about Rey's big change and his reconciliation with Shinn. "Now we have fewer things to worry about." She picked up a hotdog and gobbled it up in a jiffy.

Athrun found it shocking at first for Rey to visit Cagalli for help. He always thought Rey was the kind of guy or god to sort out problems by himself. Furthermore, the part where he became a friend again was the most unbelievable for him. As he gazed upon Cagalli, one thing came to his mind—that she was amazing. She has done something probably no other girl could have done. She was brave enough to talk to Rey, even though he was an enemy, and still considered him as a friend after all he has done.

Athrun recalled his reading of Norse Mythology. There were a lot of descriptions about Freya, but he found the line 'Freya, the goddess who possesses great kindness and grace' to be true. Regardless of her stubbornness and fiery temper, Cagalli still has the kindness.

"Hey, wanna go to hang out after school?" she asked after sipping her water. "What do you say?"

I want to find out about her past and I want to ask some questions so badly. But if I do that, she'll remember Alexander again. He knew he was still reminding her of her past love. How can someone forget their loved one? It was painful for him to see Cagalli getting hurt because of him. It was not his fault why he was a descendant of Alexander. Heck, he did not know anything until Cagalli told him.She's just bearing with me. I'm sure of it.

"Where do you wanna go?" he replied casually.

"Let's decide after school, okay?"

He nodded to say yes. Alexander is a person of the past and has nothing do with our lives today. Yet, he has so much influence over Cagalli. I want to know what really happened to Alexander and I know one of the gods can tell me.

Hallways

Cagalli was on her way back to her classroom. She was carrying with her a book she borrowed from Athrun. She was reading the part about Ragnarok, the end of the world. She remembered Odin telling her about Ragnarok before in Asgard. He told her that it was unstoppable—the inevitable event. Ragnarok was the end of the world. Many mortals in the past have suffered and died in the dreadful event. The gods in Asgard took part in the war and perished in the hands of other gods. There was bloodshed everywhere. She had prayed hard, longing for peace once again, but it seemed to be a useless attempt. No matter how she prayed, there was no end to the war. The gods kept going on.

She stopped and leaned her back against the wall. She shut the book close and sighed deeply. Ragnarok seemed like an eternity for her. When Ragnarok came to an end, she went to Asgard and saw the monstrosity the war had caused to her home. It was horrible. Everything was devastated.

My friends, my home… They were all gone… She continued walking with the book in her hand. She opened it once more to finish her reading. Ragnarok was supposed to be the end of the world. But for some reason, the world managed to survive and so did some gods. Shinn once told her that Gilbert's perception about Ragnarok was wrong. He said it was stoppable. It was true, she thought, but many had given their lives to Ragnarok. Only a few mortals and immortals survived.

She shut the book close again and faced straight. As she turned to the stairs, she met Gilbert, who was five steps before her. "You again? I really have a knack of bumping into you," she said harshly.

Instead of giving her his usual smirk, Gilbert looked at her seriously. "Freya, have you found your Brisingamen?" he asked.

"Huh? My necklace?"

"Have you found it yet?"

"No! Wait a sec… Why do you wanna know?"

"Your necklace holds a tremendous power that can aid me to cast Ragnarok upon the world once more."

"Ragnarok again?!" Cagalli wondered why he wanted Ragnarok again. Did he not suffer in the previous one? It was getting weird. "I don't have the necklace and even if I did, I won't give it to you."

Gilbert walked pass her until he was at a certain distance. Turning his head slightly towards her, he noticed a slight tremble of her hands. He could sense the tension brewing in her. "If you obtain the necklace, I'm sure you'll give it to me sooner or later."

"Don't count on it!"

"You just wait and see, my dear Freya."

She turned around with clenched fists. "You're so full of it, Odin!" she yelled. She then faced the stairs and ran up.

Rooftop

"What are you looking so bright and cheerful for?" Rey demanded.

Shinn stifled a yawn and reached for his juice. "I don't know what makes you think I look cheerful," he muttered. "I'm still sleepy."

"Didn't get some sleep last night? Why?"

"Isn't it because a certain watchman of the gods bonded with me the whole night?!" yelled Shinn, looking irritated. He took a sip of his juice and lay down.

"I don't see anything wrong with that," replied Rey.

"Whatever, Rey… You're lucky since you don't need sleep."

"I'm not the watchman for nothing."

Speaking of sleep, Shinn did remember Rey saying about his eye getting stolen while he was resting. He asked Rey about that, but he gave a silent response. It seemed like Rey did not want to be reminded of it. "Um…sorry for bringing it up."

"It's all right. I know you're just concerned." Rey lay down as well and looked up at the sky. Placing his hands behind his head, he realized that he was careless for dozing off. The watchman should never fall asleep and yet he defied himself. "It's just that the field within the reach of the Yggdrassil Tree was so relaxing."

"In short, you were tempted."

"Yes."

"Can't blame you for that!"

"You say it so casually."

"This is how I talk, okay? Live with it."

"I probably can't," Rey replied sarcastically. "By the way, I've heard you're pretty close to Stellar now." He sat up and narrowed his eyes at Shinn.

Shinn flustered in an instant. "WH-what's with that look, idiot?! Stellar and I are good friends, got that?"

"Friends? I believe there's something more between the two of you."

"There's NONE! N-O-N-E, none!" He sat up to face Rey more seriously. His face was now redder than his eyes.

"Come on, Stellar is cute and I'm sure she likes you. Why don't you start courting her?"

Was this Rey talking? Shinn never heard him talk about a girl before, not even about pair-ups and couples. Well, he knew Rey always had eyes for his daughter, but he also never talked about his feelings. Speaking of daughter, Shinn can also retaliate against Rey if he goes on babbling about Stellar.

"In this world, girls are taken on a date by a guy. Why don't you ask her out?" Rey continued, blowing off the top of Shinn.

"How about asking Fllay to a date? I'm sure she'll be pleased," Shinn muttered, folding his arms proudly.

Rey suddenly became quiet at the sound of Fllay's name. Come to think of it, he has not yet apologized to Fllay for putting her in jeopardy so many times. He did not know how to face her if he sees her. "Can Fllay forgive me?"

Shinn placed his hand on Rey's shoulder. "Of course she can."

"Are you sure?"

"She's my daughter for crying out loud. I know her best." Shinn patted Rey's back so hard making him cough.

"Don't push it." Rey eyed the mischief god coldly. It was one of his usual cold stares that can scare the heck out of you.

Scared of that stare, Shinn laughed nervously.

Gym Storage Room

Preparing for practice, the coach asked Cagalli to get some equipment from the storage room. She went through some stuff until she found the poles needed for the high-jumping event. She was supposed to be a sprinter only to do 100-meter dash. However, because of her athletic ability, she was also chosen to do high-jumping. She was more than experienced to do it. When she got the poles, she quickly brought it to her coach.

"Your highest jump record is 170 cm. I bet you can jump higher than that," the coach said, holding up Cagalli's record in running events.

170 cm was an accomplishment for her during the Championship Games last year. It earned her the title of being the best high school jumper. No one has ever beaten her record and she planned to do even better in the competition next week.

"I'll try my best, coach," replied Cagalli.

She set up the pole and went into position. She breathed in and breathed out to relax as she eyed on the pole. It was placed on the 170 meters. When the coach gave the signal, Cagalli zoomed forward with the right amount of speed. Her face was serious as she ran towards the pole. She made a turn as she neared it and jumped. She went over the pole and landed safely on the cushion. She had succeeded going over 170 meters again.

"Well done," the coach said, clapping her hands. "Your form was great." She handed the blonde a towel.

Cagalli wiped her sweat as she thanked the coach. "If I'll keep this up, I'll surely set another record."

The coach agreed with her completely.

Suddenly, Cagalli felt a familiar aura approaching. She turned her head and saw Gilbert walking towards her. She wanted to run away, but the coach was still talking to her.

"I see Athha-san is practicing well," Gilbert said as he turned to the coach.

"Oh yes… She's doing fine as usual. She is our star athlete after all." The coach was prouder of Cagalli than anyone else.

"If you don't mind, I would like to have a word with Athha-san."

"Not at all," replied the coach.

Cagalli felt sick right in her stomach. She knew Gilbert was up to something and she will not let him do what he pleases. She followed Gilbert to a nearby tree and started talking there.

"What do you want, Odin?" she asked coldly, crossing her arms.

"Do you have any plans on looking for your necklace?" Gilbert was asking her about the necklace again, which really annoyed Cagalli.

She shook her head and turned away. "This again? Look, I have no plans on looking for it. My necklace is dangerous."

"Dangerous or not, I know your body wants it."

Her eyes widened at what he said, for in fact it was true. She remembered that her own power was searching for it. But she did not want to admit that to Gilbert. "I don't need my necklace. I can live without it."

With that, Gilbert smothered a smirk. "Are you so sure about that, Freya?" He was eyeing her suspiciously.

"You're so annoying!" she grunted, spinning on her heels. She was about to leave until Gilbert cast a spell on her to constrict her movements. "Hey, what are you doing? Let go of me!"

Gilbert held her shoulders. "I know your body yearns for the necklace, so I'll trigger the desire within you." His hands started to glow and the aura he was omitting was enveloping Cagalli's body.

"Stop it!" she demanded. She tried to use her own powers, but Gilbert managed to overwhelm her body in a split second. She had no control of her will now.

"By releasing the restraint, your power will be set in motion and it will search for the Brisingamen." He bellowed one last incantation and released her from the constricting spell.

Cagalli was able to move again, but she felt weak from what Gilbert did. She fell down on her knees and panted hard. Her whole body started shaking as drops of sweat fell. "What's happening?" she asked. Her body started to glow.

"It's coming," Gilbert said. "Don't try to hold it in, Freya. Let your power out."

She wrapped her arms around herself as she stared blindly at the ground. "No! No!" she let out a scream. She stood up and made a run for it. She ran and ran until she bumped into a person, making her fall backwards. Despite of her shaking, she looked up at the person and gasped.

To be continued…

JC: Gilbert tapped into Cagalli and released her power to search for the necklace. Auel and Meyrin are getting closer to each other. See ya soon! Please review and no flaming.