PHASE NINETEEN: Hopes and Dreams
C.E 79 Location Unknown – Renegade (Present Day)
Liesel was dead. The Commander was dead. Seorin and Aya had disappeared. The Apocalypse was useless. The Imperial was missing. The Premium was destroyed. His Advocate was damaged. The Zantetsuken needed repairs. There was a small bloodbath following the Imperial leaving which had left a number of the crew dead, most of them Coordinators. Genei had watched the whole thing in front of him, and it was only now that things were beginning to calm down. His jaw was throbbing, the inside of his mouth bleeding due to the kick his dead Commander had launched on him earlier. The hangar was a mess. And the body of the Commander had still not been dealt with, along with the bodies of the others.
Genei rubbed his sore jaw and shook his head. What the hell had just happened, anyway? All hell broke loose when the Commander had ran into the hangar. Even he had not been able to grasp the situation properly, though he knew a guilty person when he saw one. Genei walked over to where the body of the Commander lay, his eyes trained on his face. It was the first time Genei had seen him without the mask. An old but handsome face, eyes closed, several bullet holes puncturing his back, his legs, and two on his right arm. Someone wanted him dead for sure. Genei had seen Seorin's condition earlier. He doubted that pilot would survive, unless if Aya had been able to get him immediate medical attention, which seemed rather unlikely.
"Genei," Tierra walked over to him, only glancing at the dead body once. "Are you alright? What the hell happened?"
The other pilot arched his eyebrow. "You're asking me? I thought you were the one who chased after the Commander here?"
Tierra shrugged. "I did. But I didn't know what happened."
"And you're wondering if I do," Genei snorted. "This place is disgusting," he said, looking at the scattered bodies around them. "Guess we're with the Alliance now, huh?"
Tierra shook his head, a signal that he didn't know. "Maybe. It would explain why they took the Coordinators out. This whole thing is a mess. And you started it."
Trained to act first and think later, the punch landed on Tierra's face in an instant, sending him off his feet. His cheek throbbing, he glared at Genei as the golden-haired pilot towered over him, his eyes trained on him dangerously. "What the hell was that for?" Tierra spat.
"Maybe you would explain your words and I'll be able to tell you," Genei answered.
Tierra rose back on his feet. "What? You're saying it's not your fault? Who launched without permission in the first place? Look at this place! The Commander is dead! Seorin and Aya are gone! Liesel is dead! And you're the one responsible for all that!"
"I remember that you're one of the few who shot the Commander in the back," Genei seethed. "That definitely was not my fault."
"If you could only stop and think for a moment –"
"The Freedom was weak!"
"The Freedom is still alive!"
"But not properly functioning!"
"At least better than you are!"
Genei launched himself on top of the other pilot, the two rolling around the floor as they fought. He punched and kicked wildly, his sharp fingernails scratching Tierra's face with satisfaction as he saw and felt the skin break under him. The crew members were on them instantly, pulling them away. Genei's eyes were wild, mirroring Tierra's, as they were forced apart. Captain Tienn was in between them in an instant.
"What the hell is going on here? What's wrong with you two?" Sethe roared, the deep blue eyes glittering with such intensity that they stopped. If there was one person they were unable to disobey, it was Sethe. "Get a grip on yourselves!
"What happened, anyway? What's going on?" Genei asked, rounding on Sethe now. The blue-eyed Captain looked amazingly calm, apart from the anger aimed at them, which did not settle well with Genei at all. He needed answers, and he would demand that he received them.
Sethe narrowed his eyes. "Very well. I'll explain. But I suggest both of you get cleaned up and meet me in the briefing room later. It won't do well to discuss everything in this place," he said, eying the hangar. Genei arched an eyebrow and followed the Captain's gaze. With the bodies still littered around and the hangar still buzzing with energy, it did not seem like the best place to discuss matters at all. Especially not with the Commander's body lying only several feet away from them. Genei turned and stalked away.
It had been a disaster. He was supposed to defeat the Freedom. They were supposed to take the Archangel down. He had succeeded in bringing the Justice down, so why was it so difficult for him to take the Freedom? Genei refused to believe that the pilot was stronger than him. He was a third-generation Extended. He had been physically and emotionally designed to be the best fighter, better than most Coordinators by large, and yet, the one pilot of the Ultimate Freedom continued to taunt him. It was insanely frustrating.
Liesel was dead. If there was one thing Genei truly did not wish to happen, it was Liesel's death. He felt strange, knowing that only Tierra and himself were left of the Extendeds. They were supposed to be something like a team, three Extendeds working together… And Genei had not even truly realized Liesel's death when it happened, so wrapped up in the battle against the Ultimate Freedom as he was. He had been surprised especially when the Apocalypse was taken down, but it was only when he was forced to head back to the Renegade that he truly realized that the Premium was gone. That black and gold mobile suit that had stopped his last charge to the Freedom, that Destiny Gaia, had been responsible for Liesel's death. The reality of it all was hard to accept.
Unzipping his pilot suit, Genei tossed it inside his locker and proceeded to the shower room that was located adjacent to the changing room. He turned the water as hot as he could possibly stand and remained there, his face looking up at the shower head as it continued to pour the steaming hot water against his face. Genei had no idea how long he stood under the shower head, but he swore that it must've been close to an hour. Liesel was gone. Genei did not know if he was capable of crying, but under the hot water, it was impossible to find out. He had screwed up big time, but at the same time, he supposed it could not be helped. There was simply no way they could have continued their fight as RENEGADE any longer anyhow.
When Genei finally stepped out of the shower cubicle, he spotted Tierra with his back resting against the doorway, his eyes faraway. Tierra turned his head and looked at him. "It's time we head to the briefing room," he said shortly, tossing a change of clothes to Genei. It was a simple red shirt with black pants, and Genei accepted with a slow nod. Despite their fight, they were both Extendeds. They had the luxury of keeping their feelings and conscious thoughts which was far from what the previous Extendeds received. He supposed that with Liesel gone, Tierra was probably all he had left. Genei dressed quickly, neither of the two pilots mentioning their fight and disagreements earlier. There were other things for them to worry about than what could not be changed.
They walked together, two golden-haired pilots, to the pilot briefing room. The silence between them lay undisturbed, but it was not uncomfortable. When they entered the briefing room, Captain Tienn was already there, along with the mobile armour pilot that they had rarely talked to and seen, Takeru Irashi. Takeru was standing by Sethe's side, almost like an equal than a subordinate. Genei eyed him suspiciously. Apart from the Commander and Captain, he only bothered to talk to the mobile suit pilots. Takeru piloted the mobile armour, usually scouting the area or leading forces from ZAFT or the Earth Alliance. He was rarely seen among the Gundams, and Genei had disregarded his existence completely.
Taking their seats, both mobile suit pilots looked up to their blue-eyed Captain. Sethe eyed them both before stepping forwards, his face grave.
"What we've seen happening in the Eurasian Federation is proof enough that the battle is over. The Naturals and Coordinators have decided that separation is impossible. The Earth Alliance is preparing themselves for the final battle… A final battle that we will take part in," Sethe began, stepping aside as the screen behind him flickered to life. It showed the Earth, with the different Lagrange areas circling them, highlighting the major space locations that were situated around Earth. Genei arched his eyebrow, his interest pulled in considerably. He hadn't had the chance to battle in space before this, and the idea of having a fight where gravity and interference were nearly non-existent exited him. "A secret project from the Earth Alliance has been conducted since the first war, which has just been completed," Sethe said. The image zoomed in to an area located between PLANTs and Heliopolis.
"During the first war, the Earth Alliance had always been proud of the asteroid fortress of Artemis. It was taken down by ZAFT, the Creuset team in particular, and the asteroid had been destroyed. Even so, it had never been destroyed completely. What was once Artemis had been restored following the years after the first war and it now travels in a stable orbit around the Earth, although bumped closer to PLANTs than the original stable area of Lagrange 3. For something this small, it has not yet posed a problem to us," Sethe said thoughtfully. "It's still protected by a lightwave defense barrier, but the advantage we have over PLANTs is the element of surprise. It is no real secret that PLANTs has constructed their own weapon, which is why it is important that we strike first. We will launch the attack on Aprillius and fight to take over PLANTs as we have done before the war," Sethe explained.
The screen zoomed further, revealing the image of the asteroid fortress. To Genei, it did not look like any fortress or dangerous weapon. It simply looked like a floating piece of asteroid.
"Amazing, isn't it? The Alliance has upgraded their technology considerably… They just prefer not to blab about it to the world as the Coordinators do. It's high time we pay back for the damages done in Eurasia… For that large weapon that had killed too many without warning. This ship is currently on a course to JOSH-A where the repairs will be held. As soon as the ship is restored, we will launch to Artemis."
"What about the Archangel? And Heliopolis?" Genei couldn't help but ask.
In answer, Sethe gestured for Takeru to step forward. The light-haired pilot turned to face the two mobile suit pilots, his eyes twinkling with what Genei identified as a look of triumph. "I have been scouting for information on both ZAFT and the Earth Alliance. We know that this last battle is unavoidable, and after Artemis is fired, ZAFT will most likely retaliate with their own weapon. Under the circumstances, attacking either the Archangel or Heliopolis would not benefit us. It won't weaken the enemy. The Archangel will come. Hopefully, it will be caught in the crossfire. Either way, when either side wins, they will be forced to follow. There is no other way around it."
Sethe nodded. "Now, for the plans on what this ship will need to do…"
C.E 79 Eurasian Federation – Archangel (Present Day)
"I told you that you shouldn't use the propulsion system. That Freedom is going to take a while before it can launch again," Murdoch reprimanded, rubbing the back of his head in irritation as he looked over the data of the Ultimate Freedom. "That reactor might as well have fried itself with your stunts, kid. You're just lucky that they couldn't attack again. We hit them pretty good, but the Archangel is going to need some heavy repairs as well," he huffed, already feeling the pressure of being the senior technician aboard the large ship.
Kira only half-heard him. "Sorry, Murdoch-san," he said distractedly. "Will the Archangel be alright?"
"Well, it can still move, if that's what you're asking," Murdoch answered, frowning as he did so. "We're trying our best with the repairs, but we'll need to go back to Orb. There are still many that can help us there. It's useless to try and repair the ship ourselves now," he informed. Releasing another aggravated sigh, Murdoch yelled a few instructions at his technicians and looked back to the written report in his hand. He rubbed his head again, beginning to go off on another string of rants before he finally noticed the look on Kira's face. "Oi, kid… Are you alright?"
Kira blinked, almost as if noticing Murdoch standing there for the first time.
The technician sighed. "Never mind. Go and get your rest, kiddo. You've done well," he said, dismissing the brown-haired pilot.
It was like walking in a dream. Kira was vaguely aware of Shinn, Cagalli and Mu crowding him and asking what was wrong. He only managed a few excuses, a few simple apologies, as he took off his pilot suit and dressed himself in his white ZAFT uniform again. There were thin smiles, false words of comfort, reassurances that sounded so fake that he shouldn't even have tried, as he avoided their questions. He left the Archangel's hangar in a daze, leaving nothing but concerned and worried looks behind him. It was hard for him to wrap the concept around his head, that the person he had been aiming his trigger at had been those who were precious to him after all. Kira thought he had been long past that. He thought that he was done fighting against his comrades, but war seemed to have different plans for him every time he had joined it. One word echoed in his mind constantly. Why. He wanted to know why. And yet, he wondered if he would know. Ken… was he alive? Or had he killed him? Was Daisuke with them?
When Kira stopped walking, he found himself at the viewing deck on the starboard side of the ship. Looking out, he could see nothing but the vast blue ocean in front of him.
"There are many people with power in this world, Kira. Understand that. Power does not come to people without reason. In the world we live in now, power comes to those who are willing to fight for the same cause. Without support, you have no more power. Without power, there is nothing you can do. Learn that, Kira Hibiki! Learn the true nature of this war, learn the true way of fighting your battles. Bring the change that you want to bring – if not because you are the Ultimate Coordinator, then because you want it!"
It didn't make any sense. Why would they save his life and provide him with such a powerful weapon to fight for what he believed in, if it meant needing to fight against them? What was the point in that? Or was this just to show him that he had been wrong all these years? That during the final confrontation with Gilbert Durandal in the Messiah five years ago, Kira should have admitted that humans needed to be guided through their genes so destruction and misunderstandings never needed to take place?
"Haro! Haro! Genki?"
The mechanical sound of the pink Haro was familiar and Kira turned, watching as Lacus secured the door of the viewing deck behind her. Haro flapped around, his expression seemingly concerned as it bounced around the room. By now, Kira could effectively block the round toy from his mind, ignoring it completely. But he knew that Lacus adored the Haro, believing with all her heart that Haro was her friend who could understand her, just as how Kira believed the same thing about Torii. Torii… Torii had been given to him by Athrun. Athrun, his childhood friend, and a person Kira would willingly risk his life to protect. If Hikari and Ken had been aboard the Renegade all this time, then that would mean that they were responsible for what had happened to Athrun. Those modifications… enhancements… the administration of drugs, and for turning Athrun's conscious mind against him…
"Kira," Lacus reached his side, her hand moving to touch his arm. Kira refused to look at her. He managed a brief nod in her direction, but his eyes stayed firmly on the floor. How was he to face those azure eyes? Those eyes would see right through him, and after that… what? What would happen? He definitely was past feeling exhausted in crying for the war, for all that he needed to face on the battlefield.
Lacus's brows pulled together, her worry clenching her heart. With each passing day, she worried even more that at one point, it would be too much and that Kira would break. She had seen Kira at his worst, of course. She had also nursed him back to health afterward, but she knew it was never enough. The effects of war could never be fully healed. Scars were left behind, scars of the soul, and these scars she could do nothing about but to soothe whenever they ache. "What is it, Kira..?" Lacus asked gently. She knew that expression on his face all-too-well. The look of someone who did not wish to cry. Her heart ached as she gazed at him.
It took a while before he would finally answer her. All the while, she watched the turmoil in his eyes as he tried to organize his thoughts and feelings. She watched the eyes, unfocused as they were, as they searched. She saw the recognition in his eyes as something clicked, or when a thought managed to distract his thoughts. She watched as he fought against his own sorrow. But fought as he would, Lacus also knew how gentle Kira's heart really was. So when the amethyst eyes finally looked into her azure ones, the tears still fell and she embraced him, feeling his body shake against hers. "Kira…"
"The pilot of the Apocalypse… It was Ken. And the pilot of the Imperial was Hikari. They were with me, in Mendel… They saved me… But… Why..?"
That surprised her.
Lacus pulled away, searching Kira's face. "The pilots were Ken and Hikari..?" she asked. She had seen the battle, of course. She had seen the outcome of it, of what had happened to the Apocalypse.
Kira turned his face away. "When I attacked the Apocalypse… The voice that came from the Imperial was Hikari's. She was crying… She was calling out to him, and I… I didn't know," Kira said quietly, shaking his head. "Why? Why was it them?"
She did not notice when the tears dropped from her eyes. Embracing him again, Lacus closed her eyes and breathed deeply, sharing his pain. She could not answer Kira's question for him, for she herself did not know the answer to it. People fought for their own reasons, and sometimes, those reasons were sad reasons that nobody could argue against. There were no right or wrong paths for them to take, no black and white roads that they could follow. All they had were their desires and the means they had to achieve them. Lacus could feel the exhaustion emanating from Kira and she knew that whatever she said, it wouldn't make a difference when one could never provide answers. So she offered the only thing she could – her presence, her comfort, her touch and her desire to calm him. Sometimes, that was all she could give, and sometimes, that was all a person needed.
.
Opening and closing the pink handphone, Shinn rolled over and moved his arm to rest against his forehead as he stared at the ceiling above him. He felt oddly empty. Or rather, he knew there was something underneath the emptiness he was feeling, some feeling that he did not wish to explore, as he rested and rolled over again, now lying down on his side. The Premium Gundam… It was destroyed. That girl, Liesel… He had killed her. He had actually successfully killed her. She had been his enemy, had tried to turn him against Kira and the rest, and he had killed her. Shinn flipped open the handphone, gazing into the eyes of his long-dead sister, Mayu. Extendeds had killed her, in a battle against Kira. And he had killed an Extended in return… He still felt eerily empty about that.
What were her last thoughts, he wondered. He doubted that she was like Stellar… The real Stellar, who had died in his arms loving him. He thought that by killing Liesel, he might see Stellar again, but he hadn't. He hadn't had a vision of Stellar since the end of the last war. Perhaps there was just no real reason for her to stay with him any longer. Shinn sighed loudly, turning to lie on his back once again. He couldn't sleep, not in this state.
There was a beep as the intercom was pressed from the outside. A familiar voice reached his ears; "Shinn. Are you there? It's Luna. Can I come in?"
Raising his head, Shinn watched as the door to the room slid open and Lunamaria stepped inside, her expression perplexed. "There you are. I've been looking for you. Are you alright, Shinn?"
Shinn swung his legs off from the bed as he sat up, rubbing his eyes from the glare of the light that reached him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you okay?"
"I wasn't even out in battle with that Enigma down," Luna responded, her voice clearly telling him that she wasn't the slightest bit happy about missing the battle. "I saw what you did out there. You were amazing, Shinn. You defeated that Premium by yourself, and you even nearly got the Zantetsuken!"
He couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Thanks, Luna. You would have done well if you could have launched," he said, allowing her to sit beside him.
"I bet we would have taken them down really good if I could have joined. But Chief Murdoch said that the Enigma should be fully repaired in a few days. Maybe I can join in the next battle," she said, rather enthusiastically. Luna stopped to peer at Shinn's face. "Is it alright? The Premium…"
Shinn shrugged. "Why wouldn't it be alright? The pilot of the Premium wasn't Stellar… besides, it wasn't as if she was trying to fight to stop the war. She started it," he answered off-handedly.
Luna stared and Shinn fought her gaze back wordlessly. After a few moments, she sighed in defeat. "If you say so, Shinn. I just want to know you're alright."
"Of course I'm alright," Shinn answered, annoyed now. "I would have fought better if we were in space. At least the Aurora has the deuterion beam transfer system unlike this ship," he said, aggravated. Luna arched an eyebrow and smiled, leaning into him to rest against his shoulder. Surprised, the black-haired pilot was immediately silenced. A very light blush crept to his cheeks and he placed an arm around her shoulders, resting his cheek against her head. The image of the Premium exploding in front of him, shot by his own cannon, appeared in his mind. He had killed her. Liesel.
"Hey Shinn," Luna said quietly, closing her eyes. "When do you think the fighting will end?"
Shinn shrugged. "I don't know," he answered shortly. What was with her asking strange questions anyway? His eyes flickered to the pink handphone lying beside his pillow. "Maybe it'll never stop."
"Hmm…" she answered sleepily. "Captain Ramius said that we'll head to Heliopolis after the Archangel is repaired. I can't wait to see Meyrin."
.
After storing her pilot suit and changing into her military uniform, Cagalli had initially been very worried about Kira's strange behavior as he avoided her questions and moved away, almost drifting, trapped in his own thoughts. She had no doubt that something was bothering her brother, something that might have happened during the battle earlier, but there was no way of confirming it. Or maybe Kira was just worried about Athrun, but it hardly seemed likely that that was the case. She had watched him with concern before finally deciding that perhaps she wasn't the best of people to try and soothe the brown-haired Coordinator. So she had made her way to the bridge of the Archangel, had listened to the damage reports by Murrue before finally informing Lacus of Kira's strange behavior. Needless to say, the pink-haired princess left the bridge immediately. It took a few moments for them to finally decide to return to Orb. Though it had been attacked, it had by no means collapsed.
She had spent a little time in the bridge, trying where she could to be of help to the crew, before finally deciding that it was time to head to the infirmary. It wasn't that Cagalli wasn't worried about Athrun – she just knew that fussing over him would probably irk him even more in his current condition.
As the door of the sickbay slid open, Cagalli spotted the blue-haired Coordinator lying on his bed with an arm covering his eyes. Tentatively, she walked inside and sat by the foot of his bed, watching him. A gentle smile crept to her lips and she reached forwards, resting a hand against his head. Despite everything, she was grateful that he had returned to her. Perhaps not in the best condition possible, but he had returned, as he usually did, always rife with injuries.
It surprised her when Athrun's arm moved, and her wrist was caught by his hand in the blink of an eye. She had expected him to be asleep, perhaps drugged to it by the doctor. "Athrun!"
Athrun's eyes flickered open and he gazed at her before finally sitting up, a small smile on his lips. "Cagalli. Are you alright?"
Cagalli's eyebrow twitched. "Of course I am. How are you feeling?"
"Fine," Athrun answered. Cagalli fought the urge to roll her eyes. Sure. What other answer would he have given?
"You should be resting, Athrun," she scolded him lightly.
Athrun's lips twitched, a small smile forming on his face. "And you shouldn't be?" he asked. Cagalli grimaced. She knew how much she had been pushing herself since he had been kidnapped. "I seem to have missed a lot of things while I was away."
"Of course. We haven't been able to talk properly yet, have we? Waltfeld-san has gone to Heliopolis, along with most of the Orb and ZAFT forces that were with us previously, but apart from that, nothing happened," she said quietly, deciding that the matter concerning Shinn did not carry much significance to the ship. Cagalli had seen how Shinn had fought earlier, had destroyed the Premium and fought to protect the Freedom. She could ask no more from the black-haired pilot.
"I see," Athrun answered. He remembered something else. "Is Kira alright?"
She pursed her lips. "He's fine, but the Freedom is really damaged. So is the Archangel, actually. It'll be a while before Kira can fight again. We're going to Orb now to finish the repairs. I hope we'll be able to go back to Heliopolis soon," she said, worry clenching her chest.
Athrun smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. As one of the many admirals of Orb, he himself wanted to go to the newly-rebuilt colony. "Maybe I'll stay behind in Orb," he said, surprising her. He held a hand up, silencing her before she could open her mouth to interrupt. "Sorry, Cagalli. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. There are still soldiers in Orb who might want to fight in Heliopolis. I can go with them. Right now, it's not as if I have the Justice to fight with. And as long as Kira is around, it's dangerous for me to stay –"
"You idiot!" Cagalli half-shouted at him, her eyes fiery as she stood, looking down at him. He raised his eyebrows, shocked. "Why would you need to stay in Orb? You're always like this, wanting to do everything by yourself! It's time you stop being such an idiot for once!"
"C-Cagalli!"
Cagalli huffed, shaking her head. "Athrun. You have to stop worrying sometimes. Even if you do think you're dangerous –"
"I am," Athrun argued. "Cagalli, it's dangerous for me to stay with the Archangel. It's not just Kira that I want to defeat," he said exasperatedly, turning his gaze away. Cagalli noticed that he had his fists clenched tight. "I've felt different since I got on this ship. This whole ship… and everyone in it. It's hard for me to know what I really need to do when I'm around everyone. I pose a threat here, Cagalli. Maybe because Kira is the strongest fighter, I feel more to him than I do to everyone else, but the feeling is there. I don't know what I'm capable of."
Cagalli stared at him. Before long, she was laughing. Athrun stared. "I'm sorry, Athrun. It's just… You worry far too much. So what if you fight against Kira? You seem to do that a lot anyway," she teased, sitting back down beside him. Her eyes softened again and she placed a hand against his cheek. "I understand that you are worried, Athrun. So is everyone else. But if you're not going to face everything, then until when can't we trust you?" she questioned, silencing him. She made a move to hold his hand, but almost instinctively, he pulled away.
Turning his eyes away, Athrun sighed. There really wasn't any point in arguing any further. Besides, he had another thought in his mind. The Apocalypse… The pilot who had undoubtedly saved his life when he had been rescued from the Justice's cockpit. Was he still alive? It did not seem as if anyone could have survived such an attack… and even if he did, would Athrun want to know? If the Renegade would continue being their enemy, then would Athrun be able to fight them? He knew already how difficult it was fighting against Miho, but that pilot was a completely different story. Athrun owed his life to him… Would he be able to do it?
The door of the infirmary slid open and Athrun raised his head, nearly flinching as Kira and Lacus stepped inside. Kira looked… terrible. There was no denying it. Yet, he did not seem to be physically injured, at least from what Athrun could observe. Cagalli stood and walked over to them, greeting them warmly as she did so. Lacus was speaking animatedly, but Kira… Kira was looking at him. Straight at him, with a strange look in his eyes… one that Athrun couldn't decipher why it would be there. It was a pleading look. Almost as if there was something Athrun could give the brown-haired Coordinator, only he didn't know what. What would he, above all people, be able to give to Kira?
There was a gnawing pain in his insides that was steadily growing stronger. Athrun closed his eyes, deciding he should pretend to rest… not that he could in his situation. He willed for Kira to leave, to seek his comfort somewhere else. Still, if there was one thing Athrun knew about his childhood friend, it was that Kira never did anything that Athrun wanted him to do. So when Kira spoke, it took Athrun's all to stop himself from cursing – this time, the anger had nothing to do with what had been done to his body.
"Sorry, Cagalli, Lacus… Can you leave us alone?" Kira asked quietly.
There was a brief silence that followed Kira's request as the two beside him weighed the chances. Athrun opened his eyes. Though Cagalli looked conflicted, Lacus's eyes were understanding. He already knew he couldn't count on them to keep Kira away. "I understand," Lacus said, smiling her usual kind smile. "Let's go, Cagalli. I heard we're going to go back to Orb," she said, grabbing Cagalli's arm and pulling her away. It never ceased to amaze Athrun how Lacus could be so manipulative, yet appear to be so angelic at the same time. The door slid behind them and Athrun closed his eyes again.
"Athrun," Kira called, his voice noticeably closer. The Coordinator had occupied the chair beside his bed.
"What are you doing, Kira?" Athrun asked, the annoyance clear in his voice.
There was a brief pause. "Are you alright?"
It was the final straw. Forcing his eyes open, Athrun glared at him. "Of course I am. Now, what are you doing here?"
Much to his dismay, Kira smiled. It was a very small smile, and Athrun was nearly thrown off-guard with it. But he knew the smile wasn't sincere. Kira looked torn, and Athrun nearly felt ashamed of himself that he wasn't being more sensitive to his friend's inner conflicts. He pushed himself up, a small groan escaping his lips as his body protested. But he managed, and shook his head when Kira offered to help. The ringing was loud in his head, but this, too, he tried to ignore. "What's wrong, Kira?"
"When you were in the Renegade… Did you meet the pilots of the mobile suits?"
It wasn't something Athrun had expected. Surprise made him look up. "I did… Though only three of them. I met the pilot of the Premium, Imperial and Apocalypse," he answered. Kira immediately looked alert. "Why?"
"The pilot of the Apocalypse… and the Imperial. Did you know their names? What did they look like?"
"Seorin was the pilot of the Apocalypse… and the Imperial's pilot was Aya," Athrun said, remembering. Briefly, he described their appearances.
"Anyone with silver hair?"
"The Commander, but he wore a half-mask. Kira, what is this?"
Kira clenched his fists, his eyes turned away. "That time when I was rescued in Mendel… there were three people who helped me," he said, briefly recounting what he had told Athrun before. "When I fought against the Apocalypse earlier, I heard Hikari's voice… She was shouting out to him. I think it's them," Kira said quietly.
For a moment, Athrun was completely at loss for words. "Are you sure?"
Kira nodded. "I don't know what their motives are if it's true… But I recognize that voice. It was Hikari's," Kira said, a hand moving to rest against his head. "I killed him."
It was too much. The physical pain was overwhelming, to see Kira in such a vulnerable state and not take advantage of it. Athrun gritted his teeth, his hand moving to his chest as he struggled. He was half-aware of Kira standing, moving to grasp his shoulders as he called him. He half-registered telling him to go away, the other half of him beginning to say things that his mind could not register. Athrun slumped to his side, the feeling of anger, anger at so many things, blinding him from the pain. His head cleared only once, very quickly, but enough to hear something that nearly made him freeze:
"Kuso! Athrun! Fight it, Athrun. I'm tired of fighting against my friends…"
In that split moment, he registered that his free hand was gripping Kira's uniform in such a way that it would be a death hold on someone's neck. Someone hurried to them, and Athrun felt a small sting of a needle puncturing his flesh. There was a small reprimand of pushing him too far which Athrun wanted to argue against, but his body was beginning to go limp, a dark cloud taking over his thoughts. He felt Kira's hand loosening his grip on the uniform and Athrun grabbed Kira's arm, albeit feebly. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, and remembered no more.
C.E 79 Heliopolis – Lagrange Area 3 (Present Day)
The report that he had received from Earth had been shocking, but it wasn't anything that Yzak hadn't been expecting. He shut the computer of his room, scowling somewhat at the report he had just read. Waltfeld had arrived a few short weeks ago with forces from Orb, and they had been lying low ever since, doing the usual of gaining intelligence and working towards strengthening the defense of Heliopolis, the last neutral colony standing. Today would be the day for them to finally test the two large prototype disks with the use of a new weapon, the Gamma Cannon, that would be installed on the Aurora in a few short hours.
With the hope that the Protectors of Heliopolis could truly live up to their expectations as being large gamma absorbers, Yzak actually had high expectations for the large disks. He had himself contributed a lot of time and effort in their development and was certain that this time, they could truly test them out. With the RENEGADE now dissolved, it was only a matter of time before the final battle would begin. Even now, the GENESIS ZERO remained undetected as to its whereabouts. Now more than ever, Yzak was certain that it was built inside an asteroid, in which combing for the actual asteroid before it was fired would be absolutely impossible. Yzak had agreed with Waltfeld on the matter – he would work in getting Heliopolis's Protectors working, and Waltfeld would be scouting PLANTs for the whereabouts of the GENESIS ZERO. In truth, Yzak had no real faith on Waltfeld. He would have to count on his luck and the strengths of the Protectors to ensure their safety. It was a gamble, but then again, the whole idea of war was a gamble.
"Permission to enter," a familiar voice from the intercom interrupted his thoughts.
Yzak looked up. "Enter," he answered shortly.
The door opened and Shiho stepped inside, saluting her Commander in respect before moving to stand beside his table. Yzak raised his eyebrows a fraction of an inch, prompting for her to continue. "We've received a message from Commander Waltfeld. They will return to Heliopolis at 0500 hours. ETA 120 hours. They've requested that they rendezvous with the Eternal at Point A."
A small smirk appeared on his face. "So they're finally coming back. Did they find anything?"
"He didn't say," Shiho answered, arching her eyebrow at the purple-uniformed General. "The installation of the Gamma Cannon is going well. They expect to be testing it in three hours," she said, turning to a different page on her clipboard. "And the Archangel is scheduled to launch to Heliopolis after they finish the repairs in Orb."
"Very well," Yzak said, standing. "It's about time they come here. The large battle is scheduled to happen very soon. Meyrin has been keeping close tabs on the Council," he said, grimacing somewhat. One of the only reasons why Meyrin could penetrate the system so easily was because it was too simple to go through his mother's network which was simple enough to hack, with Yzak being her son.
They exchanged a few more words, a few more news and developments of Heliopolis, PLANTs, the Earth Alliance, Archangel and RENEGADE, before Shiho finally excused herself and exited his office. Yzak sighed and walked over to the window, looking over the view of the neutral colony he had been given the responsibility to protect. It was such a small place, housing so little civilians, and he needed to protect it. Against a weapon like the GENESIS, Heliopolis could disintegrate into nothing more than small pieces of debris in an instant. Yet they were still trying, and he held his faith that it wasn't impossible to achieve.
Before this, Yzak had never truly paid attention to the complexities of humanity that had always sparked war between people. Perhaps, if he had paid more attention to his studies of History and Civilization, he might have understood better… A little like Athrun, perhaps. It was difficult to grasp the concept on how humankind always had reasons to fight against each other. Once, it used to be differences in beliefs and races. Then, people fought over natural resources and power. When that ran out and the world resorted to using nuclear power, there were fights over which countries had more and which did not have enough. Finally, when the threat of Coordinators came, the 'humans' or 'Naturals' finally found themselves united to fight against the Coordinators, the threat of what wasn't 'human'. Though everyone knew that even in the Earth Alliance, there were still fights between the Eurasian Federation and the Atlantic Federation over which should hold more power.
From an outsider's perspective, it was nearly comical.
All these years, Yzak had always decided that it was the Council who needed to worry about who was right and who was wrong. He was a soldier who followed his leader's orders without hesitation. War was a tool of politics, after all. Yet he had changed since then, and had joined a group who fought because they had the same beliefs and wants instead of just blindly following the orders from above. Silently, Yzak wondered if that made them, the Archangel crew, the same as all the rest – just a bunch of people fighting over what they wanted, for one purpose that they knew they wanted. It was unnerving to think about.
Yzak didn't know how long he stood there, his thoughts occupied with the world around him. His thoughts were only broken when Dearka stepped into his room, informing him that they were ready. With a nod of acknowledgment, Yzak followed the blonde-haired Coordinator out and headed to the Aurora that was already beginning its launch sequence to depart from the Heliopolis station.
Reaching the bridge of the Aurora, Yzak was greeted by Kira's second-in-command, Laniel Ghens. The crew stood and saluted him as he entered. Yzak nodded once. "Are we ready for firing?"
"Ready as ever. The disks are stationed outside already. We're only going to try one," Laniel answered. "Launch the Aurora! It's time we see what our months of work are really worth!"
The Aurora exited the hangar, going on a steady pace as it travelled further away from the neutral colony. Quite a distance away, Yzak could see one of the two large disks already installed between two ships, glowing a rather beautiful shade of blue and white. It seemed fragile – it did not appear as if it could withstand the Enigma Buster's High-energy Hyper-Impulse Cannon, let alone a Gamma Cannon. Yzak frowned, feeling the slight tenseness in his shoulders as they neared it.
"Distance 500."
"Ten degrees starboard. Activate the Gamma Cannon. Make sure you aim this one properly. I don't want any unnecessary casualties," Yzak commanded, his eyes on the screen in front of him as they positioned the ship exactly in front of the disk. "Launch the Lieutenant Hahnenfuss and Captain Elsman. Prepare to fire the Gamma Cannon. Wait for my command," he said, his eyes level.
The two Enigmas appeared in the line of sight following their launch. In only a matter of moments, they had positioned themselves at the right places, everyone ready, everyone anticipating, as they prepared themselves with their faith on the strength of the Protectors of Heliopolis.
"Connect me to Captain Elsman."
"Aurora, Buster. You are cleared to fire," Dearka's voice came out from the internal speakers of the Aurora bridge. Yzak nodded, inhaling once as he trained his eyes on the blue and white shield.
"Charge 100% completed. Ready on your command."
This was it.
After so many months of working, after allowing fellow Coordinators and Naturals alike to fight by their side on Earth, this was what would determine whether their efforts meant something or not. All those lost soldiers. All those traitors, on all sides. All those lies, hopes, dreams. All those who had died fighting. And Yzak's comrades, down on Earth, still battling despite everything going against their odds. The Archangel. Dearka, Shiho, Athrun. Kira Yamato.
"FIRE!"
The energy coming out from the Gamma cannon was nearly invisible, but Yzak had seen GENESIS fire enough times to know a highly-concentrated Gamma-ray attack when he saw it. There was a small momentum on the Aurora as the cannon fired, followed by an eerie silence as everyone watched with baited breath as the attack came in contact with the disk. Blue and white particles turned a bloody shade of red in an instant as it absorbed the energy, converting it, stopping it. Yzak could have sworn that the two ships were pushed back as it took the impact, but it was too far to see. It seemed to go on forever, the redness of the disk glowing dangerously before finally dying down, turning into a lighter shade of pinkish red.
The silence was profound.
"…Aurora, Buster. The ray has been absorbed. I repeat, the ray has been absorbed," the report came in after what seemed like a stunned silence on Dearka's part.
Instantly, the bridge came to life, crew members shouting in joy and happiness as they hugged each other, giving high-five's and crying out their thanks to the heavens above. Yzak relaxed, a smile now apparent on his face as they listened to the report from the two ships. It had been a success. The disks had not broken down. Though a fire from the GENESIS would use more energy, the disks could still have absorbed more than what they have given. Hopes remained high, and Yzak issued the order to retrieve the two white Enigmas. It seemed like it had been a long time since, but they finally had something they could celebrate.
C.E 79 ZAFT Military Headquarters (Present Day)
Dark brown eyes turned from the woman in front of him to the small boy that was standing beside her. Yuri Amalfi was tired. Of the world, of the losses, of the pain, of the regret… of everything. Perhaps one of the things he was tired of the most was the fact that he had gone too far, had dug the hole too deep, for him to be able to back away and tell the world that he was giving up. Heavens knows, he wanted to, but he himself knew that it was simply impossible. He couldn't do it. This was his war, his battle, and he needed to finish it. More than anything, Amalfi wished that he could wipe the whole world off. It was probably the only way for him to achieve peace… true peace. Regardless of what Athrun had told him, regardless of what he knew… They just couldn't obtain true peace.
A small part of him couldn't deny that the boy in front of him, this Miho, intimidated him to a degree. His eyes were nothing like the eyes of his late son, Nicol. There was no compassion, no sign of life… just two depthless pools of hatred and curiosity that was trained upon him. Silently, Amalfi wondered if his eyes were the same. He wondered if his eyes had changed as well.
"Congratulations in your accomplishments… Though it was quite unfortunate that the Freedom couldn't be taken down, I understand that the mobile suit itself is nothing as how I should have equipped you with. It was too large, too bulky, but it served its purpose and it served it well," Amalfi said, his voice calm as he addressed the boy in front of him. "You will, of course, be provided with a new mobile suit that will be much more suitable with your style of fighting. I understand you like melee weapons. Just like… Athrun Zala," Amalfi said, nearly choking on the last name that he had to say.
Miho looked up. "A new unit?"
"Are you sure?" Rita interjected before Amalfi could continue. Her eyes were defiant, as Amalfi knew they would be. He raised his eyebrows slightly. "Miho could endanger our own soldiers if we put him in the middle of the battlefield!"
"His target will be the Freedom," Amalfi answered. "The other soldiers should be easy enough to take down, but I cannot promise that the Freedom will go down without a fight. And I trust Miho to carry out the task."
"The Freedom…" Miho said, his voice almost dreamy. "And the Blue Haired. If I see him, I want to kill him."
Amalfi nearly flinched. It was impossible for him to prevent Miho from attacking Athrun if the young soldier appeared on the battlefield. Athrun had done enough damage for Amalfi to know that keeping him alive would well distort his plans. But he still could never forget that it was Athrun who had fought and claimed justice for Nicol. Instead of answering the young pilot, Amalfi turned his gaze back to Rita. "I understand we were able to perform some trials on Athrun Zala, am I correct?"
Rita nodded. "Though I don't know how well it has affected him. Several of the specimens were killed when they tried to attempt to do what he had done to the facility."
"By right, the Earth Alliance was largely responsible for bringing Phaedra's Base down… it wasn't Athrun working on his own, I am quite sure. Maybe a stroke of pure luck," Amalfi mused. Pure luck, indeed.
The other managed a shrug. "It would definitely explain why he was capable of entering a battle against Miho. All that he had done suggested remarkable will which is potentially very dangerous to his mind. It's amazing he has come this far. You weren't mistaken when you said he would have been a very promising sample," Rita said, her voice grudging. She was not amused in the least that Athrun had managed to get away, not when he had been so promising with his accomplishments. "From Athrun's records, we know that he and the old Strike pilot, Kira Yamato, had been very close friends since childhood. Naturally, Athrun's brain responded very strongly against any stimulants that reminded him of the Kira, even the slightest. This we use to our advantage… To try and create an adverse reaction, to make him deem Kira as the enemy instead of a friend," she explained, tapping her clipboard thoughtfully.
Amalfi's brows immediately pulled together. "The Strike's pilot is dead."
"He is," Rita agreed. "So we've actually been playing a lot with possibilities here. One link between the Strike and the Freedom is the Archangel. The Freedom and the Archangel are two entities that cannot be separated, just as how the Strike was when it was with the Archangel. I understand that the previous version of the Ultimate Freedom was called the Strike Freedom. It suggests, at the very least, that the Strike and the Freedom has very close ties to the Archangel. It is this tie that we take use of. By associating Athrun with the pilot of the Strike, we can form a link to the Freedom as well. There is no denying that Athrun must've been very closely acquainted with the pilot of the Freedom. Should there be any possibility, any at all, in which the pilot of the Strike had survived, then there should be no mistake that the same pilot is the one who is piloting the Freedom."
"Impossible!" The word escaped his mouth in a loud shout before he could stop it. Amalfi had jumped to his feet, his eyes flashing dangerously as if threatening anyone who might have said otherwise. He refused to believe that his son's killer was still alive. It would be unforgiveable, inexcusable… Athrun had killed the pilot of the Strike, and despite the rumours, Amalfi refused to believe otherwise. He inhaled deeply, controlling his emotions. It would do no good to lose his temper right here, right now. Certainly not towards the two standing in front of him.
Raising his hand in apology, Amalfi lowered his voice as he spoke; "That is quite impossible, but I can see the logic behind it and I do thank you for your work. Maybe Athrun might be strong enough to fight, but if he isn't, then we have delivered our own pawn right into the Archangel's belly. That should be enough in itself. In the meantime, we are preparing for the final battle against the Earth Alliance. GENESIS ZERO has been completed, and it should be ready to fire in a few short weeks once the test drives have been finalized one last time. I want you to prepare Miho for the final battle… It's high time the Coordinators are acknowledged as living humans and not modified machines," Amalfi turned to Miho, still addressing Rita as he spoke. "The new unit… ZGMF-X00A Omnicide. Rita, I shall provide you with the details of the GENESIS ZERO. A worthy soldier of mine will brief you with the events of the final battle," he said, dismissing them both.
C.E 79 ZAFT Military Headquarters – Unidentified Shuttle (Present Day)
"Commander Waltfeld! We found it!"
It was the cry he had been waiting for too many days now, and to Waltfeld, it was like music to his ears. He sprung up from his seat and was beside DaCosta in an instant, his eyes running through the information on the screen quickly as he skimmed the findings. A satisfied smirk was on his face as he read through.
Finally, they had breached the network security.
Waltfeld knew it would happen sooner or later. One simply could not be able to hide a large weapon for too long. All it took were patience, determination, and the belief that it was within human nature to have mistakes to find the necessary loophole to infiltrate the network. Waltfeld had to give credit that Amalfi was a very careful man, but there was no such thing as being too careful.
They had finally obtained it. The data needed for the weapon named GENESIS ZERO. And as Waltfeld looked over the details, he discovered that he had been proven right. During the first war, it was a simple gamma ray emissor. In the second war, they used mirrors to bend the beams of the Requiem before resorting to the use of Neo-GENESIS. Now, five years after, mankind had proven that they never had limits on how far they could achieve. The satisfied look on Waltfeld's face disappeared as he read through and in the end; he shook his head, walking back to his seat.
"Launch the shuttle. It's time we head back to Heliopolis… The Eternal should be waiting for us. I'm sure the Archangel would want to see this…" he said gravely. The information of the new mobile suit was also on screen. Silently, Waltfeld shook his head once again. With each passing war, things just had ways of becoming more and more difficult, much more impossible.
C.E 79 Orb – Archangel (Present Day)
After being away from Orb for so long, coming back was like a dream. Kira inhaled the smell of the ocean deeply as they made their way closer to the shore. The place was densely populated, but rebuilding had taken place already where possible. It would be a long, hard journey to restore the country, but Kira had faith that it would happen. Just how the other places in the world would keep on standing after being attacked. It was just within human nature to keep on surviving.
He was dressed in his white ZAFT uniform, though the uniform was unbuttoned, revealing the light blue shirt he wore underneath. It was warmer here, and Kira welcomed the fresh breeze. In his hands were detailed reports of Athrun's medical condition… His friend, whom Kira had not visited since the last time he went there. Kira turned his eyes back on the medical report, reading them for the umpteenth time.
He was never an expert in biology, or in any field of medicine. But Kira knew how to make sense of information when he received it, and this was what he was trying to do now. To understand, to see the changes, to compare and to try and figure out what he could do and what might be possible. It was slow progress with the enormously thick file, but this was the only way for him to distract himself, especially while the Freedom remained damaged. The chemicals that were listed were easily understood. By just glancing at the records obtained from Athrun's old files and the new ones, Kira could already detect several changes that had happened in his body, chemically. Not as drastic as one from an Extended, but still noticeable. Kira wished he had more knowledge that would explain to him what the changes meant apart from 'enhanced' and 'modified'.
If there was one thing Kira understood, it was that Athrun reacted differently to the different stimulants presented to him. Some things had no effect. Others, like Kira himself, could physically hurt him.
He couldn't understand it. The actual details on the paper he could understand, but the motives behind them were ones that Kira couldn't get. Why? What was the point? Why modify? Why Athrun? Questions burned inside his mind as he was constantly reminded of Athrun's physical pain in trying to fight what he had become. It angered him. It angered him more than anything else, to see something like that happen to his friend. Why Athrun? Why hadn't it been him, Kira Yamato, who had been modified when Daisuke, Ken and Hikari had taken him in? It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense. Not the war. Not the battles. Not the people involved in it. Nothing.
A gentle hand resting on his hand made Kira look up in surprise. Kind azure eyes were gazing at him and he looked down, noticing that he was clenching the papers too tightly that it crumpled under his fingers. Kira relaxed, throwing Lacus an apologetic gaze.
She smiled in return. "Are you alright, Kira?" she asked quietly.
Kira nodded. "I'm fine. Thank you, Lacus."
Lacus beamed and settled to sit beside him. "It's so beautiful out here, isn't it, Kira? I wonder what happened to our orphanage. I hope it's alright," she said, a small hint of worry colouring her tone.
Kira moved his arm to circle her shoulders. "Don't worry. Everything will be alright. And we'll return with the children soon," he promised. He knew that PLANTs was never a home to Lacus, just as how it never was to Kira. To them, home was Orb. It always had been.
Lacus had an unreadable expression in her eyes. It was quite unusual for Kira to be optimistic, but this she could not decipher. "Kira… What are you..?"
"I think this war will be the last, Lacus," Kira said, the hope evident in his voice. "And when it ends, I want to return here… with the children. With you," he said, turning his face away. The blush was apparent in his cheeks.
She was speechless, but she couldn't deny that she was extremely happy with his suggestion. Lacus nodded and stood, her arms spread out. "Maybe we can build a school, Kira. It would be wonderful to have everyone together after everything," she said cheerfully. "We'll return here with everyone, right?"
A small, thoughtful nod. "Yes… With everyone."
The door slid open and both Kira and Lacus turned. A familiar call followed by the sound of flapping wings took Lacus's attention as Torii circled them, but Kira's eyes were still on the door as Cagalli helped Athrun on the deck. Torii flew, landing on Athrun's shoulder, and Kira blinked in surprise. The papers in his hand were almost forgotten. He stood, a small part of him pained that his body was alert… waiting. "Athrun…" Kira said softly. He wondered if he should leave.
Athrun, too, looked tense. But he soon relaxed and gave a small nod to his childhood friend. "It's nice out here," he commented easily, throwing a warm smile. Kira relaxed, returning the smile. Human determination never ceased to amaze him.
ZGMF-X00A Omnicide (Miho)
Unit Type: Close-Quarters Combat Mobile Weapon
Model Number: ZGMF-X00A
Code Name: Omnicide
Manufacturer: Integrated Design Bureau (ZAFT)
Operator: ZAFT
Launched: C.E 79
General Characteristics
- Overall Height: 17.63 meters
- Empty Weight: 63.40 metric tons
- Colour: Red and Black
Power Plant: Hyper-Deuterion Nuclear Reactor
Accommodation: Pilot only, cockpit in torso
Armour: Trans-Phase Shift Armor
Armaments
6 x ACNP-5X Exodus DRAGOON mobile weapon wing
- 2 x AX-294A Beam Saber
- 2 x PE453A "High-Cut" beam boomerang
2 x MMI-GAU25A 20mm CIWS, mounted on head
2 x MMI-GAU26 17.5mm CIWS , mounted on chest
2 x MA-M100X "Edin" Beam Saber (stored on hips, able to form a double-sided or single-sided beam saber)
2 x MA-XE395 High-energy Beam Rifle (stored on hips)
4 x MA-M200T "Aegis" Beam Short Blade (stored in legs)
1 x MA-45F Beam Assault Cannon (mounted on right shoulder)
2 x MX2300 Beam Shield Generator (installed on arms)
1 x AX123 Anti-Ship Strike Sword
Special Equipment and Features
High-Mobility Aerial Tactics (HiMAT) System
Neutron Jammer Canceller
DRAGOON system
Optional Equipment
Author's Notes: Maybe you can all see what's going on here. This chapter, and a few others after this, will be transition chapters where everything will be tied together because the end of the fic is just so darn near. I felt rather teary writing this whole chapter up, just because the end is so near to us. And now, I have a request to all of you out there. I want to know, quite seriously from all of you, whether you'd like to see another fic from me in the future or not. And if the answer is yes, what type of fic. Something like this one, where there's the plot and fighting and everything, or something where it's just focused on the characters, no fighting. I know I do better in character development than I do with technicalities and battles. And I'd like some opinions, if there are any. :D
As usual, my thanks goes to the wonderful readers and reviewers that have stayed with me thus far. My thanks go to Suomy Nona, Sleepyreader319, IgNighted, Statius, Aizawa Lee Syaoran Vessalius and Beitrix for the reviews as well as to those who alert-ed and favourite-d the story. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter - please let me know and drop a review. :D Stay tuned for the next update! It's scheduled to happen around 27th November 2011.
IgNighted: Athrun is a seriously fun character to write. As I work on Renegade, I realise that this story is quite Athrun-centric as much as it is Kira-centric. I really want to write an extended fic for Athrun - it's just that I'm not sure what style I should take up. Whether I should create a side-story, or whether I should write an AU fic. Whether I should include battles with mobile suits or whether I should just focus on his character. It's all still undecided. Any suggestions? :P Anyway, thanks for dropping the review! Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well! I myself can't wait for this fic to end.
Statius: Unfortunately, we know for sure that Daisuke is dead in this chapter. Ken and Hikari conditions will be revealed in the next chapter. They are quite major characters in the fic, so they will get quite a bit of cameo in later chapters - all three of them.
Aizawa Lee Syaoran Vessalius: Oh my! I'm sorry you nearly cried. That must've been terrible. Though things will just go worse from here onwards. Next chapter (or the on after) will be quite powerful. But I still hope you'll enjoy it!
Beitrix: Welcome to Renegade! Thanks a bunch for dropping a review! I'm glad you seem to be enjoying the fic so far. Keep me updated? Hope you'll catch up to us in time for the ending!