JC: It's Chapter 45 everyone. I have never written so far in my entire life. Basically, I have all of you reviewers to thank. Thanks so much for the support!

Disclaimer: I won't even bother saying it here again…

Gundam Seed: Mythical Legends

Phase 45: Guilt and Comfort

A sprinkle of dust here and a sprinkle of dust there, the fairy was doing a good job healing Fllay's injuries. Stellar helped support the fairy by restoring Fllay's energy. It did not take long until Fllay regained consciousness, much to the delight of Shinn and Rey.

"Thank you," Stellar spoke to fairy, as it flew around her. With a wave of her hand, she cast a small amount of magic to return the fairy back to its world. After that, she turned her attention back at the goddess of death. "Hel is going to be fine."

Shinn moved to Fllay's side to be closer to her. He held her hand and caressed her cheek gently. "Hel…" he called her name with care like a father would.

Slowly, Fllay opened her eyes and the first thing that came to her view was Shinn. Her lips curved into a smile, a feeble smile, as she tried to sit up. But her body has not fully recovered yet so she can still feel a little pain.

"You better rest for a while, Hel," Shinn said, running his fingers through her hair.

"Oto-sama, sorry for making you worry and sorry for being not able to stop Freya." Fllay remembered the horrible events that happened earlier. She remembered how Freya's power became berserk. She had not expected the same thing in the past to happen again to Cagalli. She knew the consequences of Cagalli's immense power and she was afraid.

"No, it's not your fault. Don't blame yourself, okay?" Shinn was very aware of what happened. He also knew how dangerous Cagalli can be her powers going berserk. He had a hard time stopping her before and he did not know if he could do it again.

Meanwhile, Rey was explaining to Stellar about what happened between Fllay and Cagalli. He did not know the exact reason why Cagalli was going berserk, but he sensed that Gilbert had something to do with it. Of course, Stellar agreed at his perception, knowing that Gilbert was obsessed in getting Cagalli to join him in his quest for Ragnarok. But at this moment, Gilbert does not have the necklace so it was impossible for him to get hold of Cagalli. When Cagalli becomes uncontrollable, she is almost unstoppable. Every god was well-aware of that.

Stellar thought it would be best to try and stop Cagalli—even if it meant fighting her. She had to prevent Cagalli from causing destruction and death. "It's all or nothing, Heimdall-sama. Many mortals will die of her power if we don't do anything." She stood firmly, looking determined.

"Skuld, we can't stop her. She's too powerful." Rey told her straight. As the watchman of the gods, he knew the limits and level of power of the gods and goddesses. And to him, Cagalli's strength in power was impeccable.

"We have to try, Heimdall-sama!" Stellar retorted.

Frankly, he admired Stellar's determination, but he did not want to risk any lives. Many gods had died because of Freya in the past and he did not want it to happen again. If only he had his right eye, his power could possibly match Cagalli's.

Downtown

She walked along the streets, not minding the people passing by. She was in deep thought as she tried to control her power. It was tremendous and almost painful, but she held it in, hoping it would stay inside her. She did not know how she ended up in the city. Everything was a blur to her. All she could remember was Gilbert doing something to her.

"By releasing the restraint, your power will be set in motion and it will search for the Brisingamen."

Gilbert's words flowed into her head, as she entered an alley. She wanted to be alone—to be away from people—even though she hated the alley. She leaned against the wall as she looked at herself. She noticed a blood stain on her shirt, making her wonder where she got it. As she touched the stain, a horrible scene flashed through her mind in an instant. She became shocked and motionless.

"Hel…" she muttered, dropping to her knees. She trembled in fear, regretting what she did to Fllay. She almost killed the goddess. Even if it was unintentional, Cagalli felt so guilty. "I'm so sorry, Hel…"

Then, her power was beginning to react again. She pushed herself harder this time to keep the power inside her. She was losing breath fast. She knew where her limit was but she was not going to give up. If her power was going berserk again, she would hurt people.

"Don't try to hold it in, Freya. Let your power out."

The more she thought about this, the more her power yearns to come out. Her hidden power, which remained dormant for a long time, wanted the necklace. She tried to remain focus. She used every bit of energy in her body to restrain herself. However, she was getting weak and exhausted. "I-I… can't… do this… a-anymore…" She was about to let go, to let her will be defeated once more, but…

"Bind! Seal! Restraint!" A voice nearby shouted these words, as a seal appeared under Cagalli to temporarily stop her power from emerging. Cagalli regained control of her body again as she looked up to see the god who cast the seal.

"F-Freyr…?" she muttered under her breath, feeling happy to see her brother.

The brunette god approached his sister to lock her in his embrace. "Freya, are you all right?" he asked.

"Freyr, I'm so scared!" Cagalli was starting to cry. "I almost killed Hel, Freyr. I'm almost killed her! But I didn't mean too. My power… My power is going crazy." She sobbed on his shoulders as she held him securely.

"Sshhh… It is okay, Freya. I'm here for you." Kira gently rubbed her back to soothe her. He understood what Cagalli was going through because it was not the first time it happened to her. But frankly, he was a bit surprised to learn that she managed to hurt Fllay. He slowly pushed her away to gaze at her teary eyes. He could see the pain and hardship she felt through those amber orbs. He caressed her cheeks, wiping the tears away in the process, as he smiled warmly at her.

"Freyr, Odin did something to me. I don't know what or how, but he managed to release something powerful inside of me." She explained as she clasped her hands together. "Please help me! I don't want to hurt anybody. How can I stop my power?"

Kira can see the determination set in her. He thought of ways of stopping her power, but they proved to be gruesome and painful. So, only one option was left to completely seal it off. "The Brisingamen—it has the capacity to seal off any kind of power."

Cagalli's eyes grew wide. "My necklace?!" she gasped, clamping her mouth. "It can bring more demise. I don't want it!"

"We don't have much choice here," replied Kira, balling his hands to fists. He did not like the idea of retrieving the necklace as well, because it would mean playing into Gilbert's hands. But what else can he do? The necklace was the only thing that could put an end to her outbreak.

"Brisingamen…" She lowered her head, picturing the image of the necklace. She remembered how she used to love the necklace. It was her most priced possession in Asgard. If she were to have it again, her power may increase at an unlimited point. It was a terrible risk.

"Freya, I need your answer here," Kira said.

She put a lot of thought into it and finally came up with the decision. "All right, let's retrieve it."

Shinn and Stellar went out together to find Cagalli around the city. They searched high and low, from buildings to buildings and to the park for the blonde goddess. It did not take long until they stop and rest. They decided to chill for a while at the City Square and took a seat on one of the benches.

"Damn, where is she?!" Shinn stomped his foot on the ground in frustration. His best friend was out there going berserk and he could not do anything about it. Not only did he feel helpless, but also irresponsible. "I wasn't able to help Hel and now I can't even help Freya!" he grumbled, clenching his fists tightly.

Stellar wanted to say it was not his fault. She wanted to comfort him and soothe his worried mind. However, she was afraid to say anything to him. So instead of words, she chose to convey her concern through actions. "Loki-sama…" She moved a bit closer, touched his hand, and leaned her head on his shoulder.

In an instant, Shinn blushed furiously. "S-Skuld, w-what are—" he stuttered.

She did not talk. She kept her silence as it is. As she put on a smile, she slowly closed her eyes. Her face was calm and collected, as Shinn noticed. He later realized what Stellar was trying to do and he appreciated it. He had been so caught up on lots of problems that he failed to realize the feelings of someone who had always been there for him.

"Skuld, thank you," he whispered softly as he entwined his hands with Stellar's.

Stellar blushed a little from what he did, yet she was happy. She faced him, looking straight into his ruby eyes, as she smiled.

Warehouse

Auel walked into the dark place and switched on the lights. "Odin, I'm back!" he yelled. It was already 9 PM and he just got back from a day with Meyrin at the mall, arcade, and karaoke bar. He had a lot of fun with the pigtailed girl and he wanted to hang out with her again. He was given another chance as Meyrin invited him on a picnic next week.

"Hey, Odin, are you even here?!" he yelled once again, hoping the old god would reply. After a few seconds, he felt the Gilbert's aura entering the place. He moved to the center of the warehouse and sat down on one of the crates. "About time you show up."

Gilbert materialized before Auel in a flash. He was wearing a malicious grin on his face, meaning he was up to something no good. Auel could guess that it had something to do with Cagalli or Shinn. Nevertheless, he decided to save the questions later as he realized that his rival was not around.

"Heimdall is no longer one of us, Tyr," Gilbert said before Auel could ask about the watchman of the gods. He held out the cobalt gem in his palm and laughed out. At first, he was seriously upset to have learned about Rey's betrayal. But his betrayal was not enough to stop Gilbert's plans. "Heimdall is not a total loss since I still possess this."

"Huh! I always knew Heimdall could not be trusted." Auel crossed his arms, looking contented. Rey was good riddance, he thought, knowing he could not get along well with him. It was one reason why he helped Rey find out the truth. With Rey gone, he could do his mission more properly without anyone dictating his every move.

"Tyr, it's time to move on with our plans," Gilbert spoke up, turning serious in a jiffy.

"Sure! What do you want me to do?"

"I think we should pay Heimdall a little visit."

"Heimdall, huh?" sighed Auel. "All right…"

"As a punishment for his betrayal against us, let us make him taste his own power." Gilbert clasped the cobalt gem tightly and let out a sinister laugh.

Auel loved the sound of it. Fighting Rey would be his ultimate pleasure.

Cagalli's House

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Kira asked his sister, placing his hand on her shoulder. Although he already placed a temporarily seal on her power, he was not sure if it was enough to hold her power in until tomorrow. Her power may come out anytime and it was not safe for Cagalli's mother.

"I'll be fine, Freyr. Because of you, I was able to gain strength again." Cagalli hugged the brunette, looked up at him, and smiled. "Also, thank you for spending time with me," she said.

"You're welcome," he replied, giving her a peck on the forehead. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

She nodded her head. "Don't worry, I will."

He did not want to part with her. He wanted to stay by her side. He wanted to watch over her, to make sure she was safe. But he was reminded that she was residing in mortal world, where her mortal family lived in peace. She had a normal life before the gods showed up.

Once inside, Cagalli heard the noises from the television. She was sure it was her mother watching violent movies again. She walked into the living to inform her mother that she was home, but she did not really expect him to be there.

"A-Athrun?" she said, her eyes flinching. "Why are you here?"

The blue-haired guy rushed towards her to give her a hug. It was like he has not seen her for years. And from the looks of it, Athrun seemed to be worried about Cagalli.

"Umm… You're crushing me…" Cagalli managed to say when Athrun was squishing her.

"Oh, sorry…" Athrun released her, but he did not take his eyes off of her. He held her hand and kissed it softly. He then gazed upon her lovely amber eyes. "I heard what happened to you from Fllay and Rey," he said.

The mere mention of Fllay's name made her feel so guilty. She knew she had done great damage to the past and it was not her first time to hurt a goddess. She was labeled as the Kind Goddess in Asgard and she lived her life with full admiration from the other gods. But no one really expected her to go berserk one day and cause trouble for the gods. Now she was doing it again and it was more deadly.

"Is Fllay all right?" Cagalli had to ask. If Athrun would give a negative reply, Cagalli swore to hang herself, simply because of her guilt.

"She's more than all right now. Stellar did a good job healing her."

Cagalli felt so relief to hear that. "When I see Fllay, I'll surely apologize to her. I don't know if she'll accept my apology, but I'll try anyway."

Athrun agreed with her fully.

Before leaving, Athrun hugged Cagalli once more. He did not want to leave Cagalli's side. In fact, he was seriously worried about her condition. But, as a mortal, what good can he do if Cagalli's power ever breaks out again. He would be useless at that point. Nevertheless, he does not want to think that way. Even though he cannot do much, he will try his best to protect Cagalli with his own strength. He loved her so much that he cannot afford to let anything bad happen to her.

"Cagalli…" he whispered softly into her hear. He gently pushed her back to gaze upon her amber orbs. She was carrying a lot of pain and Athrun could see it in her eyes. She was smiling, but Athrun knew she was faking it. "Make sure to have a good night rest, okay? You've been through a lot today."

"I'll try, Athrun…" she replied faintly as she leaned her head on his chest. "Thanks for coming here by the way."

"I had to," he said, brushing his fingers through her golden locks. "I was worried about you."

"Thanks…" She raised her head and smiled at him.

Athrun caressed her cheek and planted one sweet kiss on it. He then looked at her again as he held her hands. "I love you…" he said it so sweetly.

"I love you too, Athrun." She was glad to say those words at the man she truly cherished. True, Athrun was the descendant of Alexander. It was also true that Alexander and Athrun were alike in terms of facial features and personality. But she kept in mind that those two were two different people. Alexander was a pigment of her past and Athrun was her future.

School (Front Gate)

Meer and Lacus just arrived in their pink yet flashy limousine. They got off and bid good-bye to their driver. As soon as the vehicle ran off, Meer and Lacus saw Kira standing across the street.

"Lacus, its Kira!" muttered Meer, tugging Lacus' elbow.

Normally, Lacus would feel thrilled by hearing Kira's name. But she seemed depressed all of the sudden.

Kira crossed the street and greeted the two pink-haired girls, "Good Morning!"

"What do you mean 'Good Morning?'" Meer placed her hands on her hips. "Why didn't you wait for Lacus yesterday?!" she hollered at Kira. She specifically remembered telling Kira to wait for Lacus, but he did not, so she was so flustered.

"Oh about that…" Kira scratched his head, trying to come up with a good excuse. He could not tell her about his sister's problems with her powers because it would be too much. As he looked at Lacus, he noticed the sad look on her face, making him wonder what her problem was.

Meer tapped her foot impatiently. "Kira, you better have a good explanation. Oh wait… I seriously doubt that you even have one!" She snapped and crossed her arms.

"Hold up!" retorted Kira. "The reason why I left was because…"

"I didn't even show up," Lacus spoke up.

"What?! You're the no-show?!" Meer pointed at her sister accusingly and in a weird way as well. "How come?!" Truth to be known, Meer always knew Lacus as the type of person who always kept her promises.

"It's nothing really. I was kind of busy with something." Lacus could not believe herself. She was actually lying to her own sister and to the guy she admired.

Too bad, Lacus' lying was not good enough to convince Meer. "Come on, Lacus, just tell me," she urged, putting a hand on Lacus' shoulder.

"I said it's nothing," replied Lacus, her voice slightly rising. She brushed off Meer's hand and ran off into the school grounds.

"What is the matter with her?!" Meer uttered, raising one eyebrow. "Is she coming down with something?" She had never seen Lacus act that way before. She wondered if it had something to do with Kira or just her.

As she turned to her side, she pushed Kira forward with one hand. "Go on and follow her, Kira," she said, sounding a bit demanding.

"Eh? What for? Shouldn't you be the one to cheer her up?" Kira told her, despite the fact that he was also worried about Lacus.

Meer grew irritated and pushed him again, but this time, a lot harder. "Stop the talk and just go! My sister needs you more than me."

"And why is that?'

"Do I have to explain every single thing to you?!" she uttered loudly, as Kira covered his ears. "Why don't you find out for yourself?!"

He did not want to hear anymore bickering from Meer. He had to spare his ears from her annoying voice. So without further ado, he rushed off in the direction where Lacus went. His feet led him to the school garden where he saw the pink girl sitting on the bench under the biggest tree there. Slowly, he approached her and managed to give her a bit of a scare by startling her.

"You all right, Clyne-san?" he asked, taking a seat beside her.

Lacus tried to avoid eye contact with him. She felt a little embarrassed by just being with him. Why? It was because of what she saw yesterday. She had not seen it coming. It was unexpected. She could cry by thinking about the moment between Meer and Kira.

"Please don't give me the silent treatment, Clyne-san. Is there anything I can do to help you with your problem?" Kira offered.

To solve her problem? All she needed was a few things to mend her broken heart. "Don't worry," she said, "I don't have any problems."

But Kira could clearly see it in her face that she was not all right. "You're not being honest at all."

"Yamato-kun, it's just that I—" Before she could finish her sentence, she was suddenly swayed by an overwhelming dizziness. Her eyes were slowly closing and her consciousness was starting to drift.

"Clyne-san, what's wrong?" Kira grabbed her shoulders to keep her straight. He even shook her to keep her awake. But, despite his efforts, Lacus fell into a deep sleep as her head landed softly on Kira's lap. "Clyne-san!" he called out, thinking she fainted. As he checked her out, he was relieved to find out that she only fell asleep.

No wonder Lacus seemed tired and not in the mood. She was merely sleepy. Maybe she didn't get some sleep last night, he thought, brushing his hands through her long pink hair. Strange, it felt like he was brushing his sister's hair instead. From his position, he looked down at Lacus and thought of how cute and angelic she looked while asleep. Clyne-san is really beautiful.

Lacus stirred a bit as she moved her head up. She unconsciously clutched onto his pants. "Kira…" she mumbled in her sleep.

"For a minute there, I thought you were awake." He continued brushing her hair because he was enjoying it. Not only that, he was also enjoying gazing upon her sweet face.

To be continued…

JC: Thank you for reading it all! Chapter 46 will be updated real soon. I wanna point out that something is developing between Shinn and Stellar. Kira's brotherly love is still strong as ever. It looks like Gilbert and Auel are on the move and Rey's their next target! Please review, okay?