PHASE 25 & OVA: A New World
C.E 86 – Heliopolis (5 Years Later)
"When building an Operating System for a mobile suit, you need to consider what you have first. Power output is a must when looking at an OS. The more power you have, the better – but then you need to consider what the machine is used for, whether for physical work or for patrols. A good balance must be put between the power used for equipment and the power you put on the thrusters. With today's technology, most MS equipment are self-powered, needing only activation by the MS. Sometimes, combining different elements in the OS can maximise the potential of the mobile suit. There is no real right and wrong when it comes to MS programming. Most pilots would adjust the OS when they get their own machines to suit their piloting skills, but accuracy must be provided by the OS developers, including the precision of the cameras."
Peering inside from the small panel located on the door, Athrun crossed his arms as he listened to Kira's lecture. There were quite a number of his students – twenty-three, he counted – who were interested in OS programming. He knew that Kira had studied the same thing in Heliopolis before the war. Athrun, however, had delved into practical mechanics before enlisting in ZAFT's academy.
He checked his watch. Kira would be finished soon.
Athrun leaned back against the wall, his arms crossed as he tapped his foot against the floor. Kira could have just rescheduled his class. He knew they were arriving from Orb anyhow, but knowing Kira and his determination, it was useless. Even Lacus had said as much when she apologised for Kira's absence at home, hinting that perhaps Athrun should drag him away from the academy. It was one thing that he did with little reluctance. He did have a small attachment to Heliopolis. It was the place he was reunited with Kira, though perhaps not under the best of circumstances.
"I'd like all of you to start drafting your own OS with the specifications from this mobile suit. Submission in two weeks. Class dismissed."
Athrun turned his eyes on the door as it opened. Students piled through, some excitedly talking about the food they were about to eat for lunch, some talking concernedly with each other about the assignment Kira had just given them. A few glanced his way, but nobody looked at him twice. Athrun supposed he probably wasn't that recognisable, dressed in civilian clothes with a shaded pair of glasses covering his eyes. Twenty-one students exited the room, meaning that there were two who still lingered. A smile formed on Athrun's lips. As a student, he was much like the two... He would stay behind and go over a few things with his teachers and ask if there was anything he did not understand. Yet, as time went by, Athrun had to sneak around quietly to see his teachers. Kira had usually been pumped and impatient once class ended, wanting nothing more than to go out and play. It amused Athrun to see him in the place of a professor now.
The two students finally exited the room and Athrun took his cue. He knocked on the door and entered, watching as Kira began to sort his papers and store his books away.
"Give me a moment, please."
"Cagalli would probably burn those books if you ask her to wait any longer," Athrun answered, amused.
Kira's head snapped up, the amethyst eyes widening in surprise. "Athrun?"
"Long time no see," Athrun smiled, walking over to his friend. Delighted, Kira stepped forward, embracing him. "Don't look so surprised. You knew we were coming."
"I didn't expect you'd come here to get me," Kira grinned. "How have you been?"
"I've been well. Cagalli also. But we'd both be spending our time in hospital if you don't hurry up."
Kira laughed, packing the last of his books away before taking his coat. Torii, the ever-present being by Kira's side, landed on the brown-haired Coordinator's shoulder, chirping eagerly enough. Signalling that they could leave now, the two walked out of the classroom, exchanging news with each other. It had been months since their last meeting despite both being Orb citizens. They just couldn't find the right time to meet up, though according to Athrun, Lacus and Cagalli were scheduling regular meetings now. Though they hardly met, they always found time, and they never failed to meet each other on the anniversary of Junius Seven and the end of the Artemis war.
Kira's sleek, dark navy car was already waiting for them when they reached the car park. On request, Athrun took the keys from his friend and proceeded in driving the car, feeling the whirr of the tyres under him. He was impressed. Since three years ago, both Kira and Athrun had made a hobby of customising their own transports, much as how they had with their mobile suits those years back. It was addicting, to constantly change the inner parts of their cars for something smoother, faster... It gave them both a hobby to talk about, anyhow. As they changed the topic to ion pumps and engine power, the car arced through the streets with ease, heading towards Kira's shared home with Lacus.
"I'm telling you, the rims look awesome!" Kira insisted, frowning at his best friend.
Athrun rolled his eyes. "It's not about what it looks like. So the Strike Rim looks great, but the Aegis Rim has a better feel to it."
Kira snorted. "You're just saying that because it's the Aegis."
"And you're just saying that because it's the Strike."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
Athrun manoeuvred the car smartly into the gates of the large, white house that had come to greet them. It was a two-storey house, forming a U shape located right beside the ocean, true to Lacus's nature and love for the sea. Athrun stepped out and shut the door smartly, frustrated as ever with his best friend. He would give it up for now. Wait until Kira comes to Orb. He'd let the guy ride on his car and hear the comments then.
"Welcome back," a gentle voice greeted them. Athrun turned, spotting Lacus standing by the door. "So you finally managed to pull Kira away?" she asked, amused.
He laughed. "Somehow," he said, moving to walk towards her. "Where are the rest?"
"At the yard. Go on ahead, we've just begun to put the food out," Lacus answered. She stepped forward when Kira came closer, embracing him as she welcomed him home. Athrun smiled and walked into the house, leaving the two to have their private moment in peace.
Once in the house, Athrun only needed to walk across the landing in order to reach the sliding door on the other side, leading him to the enclosed yard that he had come to appreciate. It was a large yard. A third of it, on both sides covering the inner U of the house, was full of Lacus's flowers which she had tended to over the years. They bloomed beautifully, the colours mixing with each other in perfect harmony that was hard not to admire. To his right, folded tables were already laid out, covered with red and white checker sheets. Food of all types were waiting for them and Athrun could see, in amusement, rolled cabbages among the sandwiches, lasagne, chicken, salad, desserts and whatever else Lacus, Cagalli and Caridad had busied themselves with.
What silence was with him just a moment ago was broken as the cries of three children shattered the air. Athrun raised his eyebrows as they emerged from Lacus's flower bushes, all wielding toy guns and swords in their hands, laughing in delight at the new Kupo's that were attacking them with water. Athrun's mouth tugged into a smile as Lacus's multicoloured Haros emerged, their cries fuelling the chaos.
The first to emerge from the bushes was Kira's son, a gentle and usually-quiet boy whose features mirrored Kira almost to a T. He had the same shade of brown hair, wild and thick, though his build was perhaps just slightly smaller than an average child his age. The only feature from Lacus was his eyes, the same shade of azure blue which were now looking around frantically in search of a place to hide from the Kupos and Haros chasing after him.
Athrun and Cagalli's twins, a year younger than Akira, burst out of the bushes after their cousin. They both shared their parents' features equally, though it was obvious that Lenore was far livelier than Via. Lenore was a pretty child with Cagalli's golden hair and Athrun's green eyes while Via looked gentler, more graceful, with Athrun's shade of midnight blue hair and Cagalli's golden eyes. Though looking at them now, as they marched into battle with the mechanical toys, Via did not seem any less lively than Lenore was.
"No! No! Akira, shoot him! He's got me!"
"Nooooo! I'll protect you! Take that! And that! And THAT!"
The Kupo was one of Athrun's latest robotic toys that he had firstly built for Cagalli. It was white, with bat-like wings capable of flying, talking and all sorts of things... like shooting the children with invisible water guns. He watched, amused, as the brown-haired boy in front of him fired his own water gun, only to be ambushed by the Haros that came to the Kupo's rescue. The children screamed and one of his daughters, Lenore, brandished her sword and charged at full speed as she tried to save her fallen cousin.
"Ara ara... Everyone, what is this? Play a little quietly, please?" Lacus's voice made Athrun turn. He saw that Kira was frowning at the sight before him, shaking his head in defeat.
"Kupo was terrible!"
"Haro was going to eat Akira!"
"Poor Akira! He died a hero's death!"
"A hero!"
The twins, Lenore and Via, ran towards Lacus and latched themselves on both her legs, their eyes wide and teary. Athrun arched an eyebrow. Akira was still lying on the ground, doing an almost laughable impression of a fallen warrior.
"What's going on?"
Cagalli emerged from the door of the kitchen to their left, looking at her twins plastered to Lacus, to Akira still lying on the ground, to the twins again. There was a cake in her hands, and Caridad emerged from behind her, her hands holding a few bottles of juice. Kira immediately began to laugh, and Athrun couldn't help but chuckle slightly at Cagalli's expression. Lacus laughed, her right hand moving to caress Via's head before she moved over to her son's side, taking him in her arms.
"My... Whatever shall we do without our hero by our side?" she asked dramatically, stroking Akira's cheek gently. The ticklish feeling made the boy squirm slightly. "Perhaps it's time to name a new hero?"
"No way!" his eyes blinked open immediately, the gentle azure eyes defiant. "They can't be heroes! I'm older, I need to take care of them!"
"Now where have I heard that argument before?" Athrun murmured to Kira who could only laugh in embarrassment.
It took a while for Lacus to settle things down, at least enough so the children would realise that they were hungry and needed energy to continue playing. They sat in the yard, Akira moving to his father's side instantly to sit on his lap while eating. Via ate quietly on her own while Lenore had to be called every time for her to leave Kupo, taking a bite from whatever Athrun wanted to feed her before sprinting away again.
"I hear you've been appointed Admiral," Kira suddenly broke the silence, glancing at Akira once to make sure he was eating his vegetables. "Congratulations."
"And I heard you've been working on a new model," Athrun replied, arching his eyebrow.
Kira seemed surprised. "Where did you hear that one from?" He was sure he had made it a secret. Publicity of his ideas, at least when he wasn't ready for it yet, alarmed him.
Athrun chuckled. "Lacus."
The other instantly relaxed. Kira paused for a moment. "Do you think it's a good idea?"
"I think we're ready for it," Athrun replied. It didn't answer Kira's question, but he appreciated the support enough. "So we're finally taking those mobile suits out again?"
"Soon," Kira agreed. "It's time we introduce antimatter technology to the world... At least as a propulsion system."
It was perhaps the least he could do, in order to commemorate the death of the scientist who had made it possible for Kira to fight during the last war. The antimatter hyper propulsion technology in the Freedom and Justice had been sealed away, developed and studied very quietly by Orb scientists and researchers. The two mobile suits, along with the Archangel, had long been stored away in an undisclosed location. People still held their faith that the Freedom was still out there somewhere, even if they didn't know where it was located. After so long, perhaps it was time for them to share the technology, at least in order to further develop their still-rising world.
Lenore came bouncing back to Athrun, taking a bite of the chicken he gave her, and sprinted away again. Kira watched her, a small smile on his lips as he looked at the glow in the familiar emerald green eyes.
Lenore and Via Zala were amongst the first, but definitely not the last, of half-Coordinator, half-Natural children. If humankind thought that Coordinators were advanced beings, then those like Lenore were much, much more. The increasing number of half-Coordinator children rose at a rate that reminded Kira of the Coordinator boom so many years ago. They were special in their own way, their potential yet to be determined though Reverend Malchio had told him of them having something more than just the SEED factor that he and Athrun had. Newtypes, some were beginning to call them. A new leap in humanity's advancements. This time, Kira welcomed the change.
It was one brought together and was made possible only with the uniting of Coordinators and Naturals.
C.E 87 – Orb (One Year Later)
Dusk was beginning to settle in as two families walked back through the fields to where their cars were located. The wind sighed gently, carrying the scent of blooming flowers and the cool spring air. There was a small touch of the smell and feel of the earth and of clear water running down the hillside, though both were not visible to the eye as the fields were covered with tall yellow flowers that bloomed beautifully on the Earth where they stood. One could just taste the clean air, though the place was quiet save for the laughter of children, followed by the mechanical voices of electronic toys.
"Otou-san! Otou-san!"
A young, five-year-old boy with brown hair ran and laughed happily as a pair of twin girls chased after him. Five multi-coloured round mechanical toys chased after them and the twins laughed as the brown-haired boy tripped, falling flat on his chest. The boy immediately sputtered, his voice disgusted as he tried to wipe away the taste of dirt and grass from his tongue. He shuddered. One of the twins, a pretty blonde-haired girl with emerald green eyes crouched low, dusting the dirt off her cousin, still giggling. The other twin, with dark blue hair and golden eyes, turned to the five round toys and placed her hands on her hips, scolding them heatedly though her eyes betrayed her lack of anger at the Haros.
Standing ten fifteen feet from where the children were running around, Kira had turned as he heard his son call his name and he raised his eyebrows at the scene before him. Beside him, a blue-haired Coordinator chuckled to himself as the old Haros bounced up and down, some concerned, some reprimanding the three children.
"Ara ara… Akira, are you alright?"
The brown-haired boy raised his deep azure eyes to his mother, a beautiful young woman with cherry pink hair and eyes the same shade as his. His mother helped him to his feet and checked him for any scratches he might have obtained from the fall. "You should be more careful," Lacus said gently, smiling lightly.
The boy blinked. "It's Lenore's fault!"
"Is not!" the golden-haired girl protested. "It's Via's fault!"
"Hey! I didn't do anything!" the other twin said hotly.
"There, there. Enough, you two. Really, can't you go through an hour without fighting?" another voice sighed deeply. The two twins turned, their eyes cast low at the scolding they received. This time, it was Kira's turn to chuckle – the twins had obviously inherited Cagalli's energy and temper, making them two very lively children. Akira, his son, had often been called as 'little Kira' by Athrun – a rather quiet boy, though with talents that far surpassed many of those his age, even grown Coordinators that Kira knew of.
"Look!" Lenore suddenly exclaimed, her small finger pointing excitedly towards the sky. Simultaneously, six heads were raised to the sky and Kira's brows immediately pulled together as pieces of debris entered the atmosphere, creating a rather stunning display of something similar to a cluster of shooting stars. "It's so pretty!"
He felt a hand rest on his shoulder, and Kira glanced momentarily at Athrun, both sharing the exact same thought as they stood facing the sky. The pieces of debris that fell were nothing but past memories of horrors and pain that the children knew nothing of. They were parts of ships and mobile suits, once piloted by brave soldiers who had fought for their own ideals, fuelled by hatred and desire. The pieces of debris told the story of war and anguish, some even containing the bodies of those who had fallen during the dark times when both Kira and Athrun had piloted their mobile suits in the name of peace. Such knowledge made it impossible for them to view the falling debris as pretty and Kira exhaled slowly, his lips forming a small smile as he watched. It was over now.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Lacus's voice grabbed Kira's attention and he turned to her, seeing the sorrow behind her azure eyes. He nodded once, his arm moving to circle her shoulder.
"What is it?" Via asked, grabbing Athrun's arm to gain his attention. Athrun looked down at his daughter, taking her in his arms as he held her, his eyes turning back to the sky.
"They're falling pieces of debris. They burn when they enter the sky," Athrun explained.
"Ehhh? But what if they're important things?" Via exclaimed, her golden eyes surprised.
"...Then you'll need to make sure that you don't lose them again," Cagalli answered softly. The question silenced them, and Lacus nodded, agreeing quietly with the golden-haired princess's words. Athrun's lips tugged into a small smile and he grabbed his wife's hand, holding it tight.
Those moments, those years, so long some time after the wars, was what drove the four to keep on fighting. As Kira turned his eyes to all those around him, he realised that the world was beautiful. Filled with innocent children who knew nothing of war and suffering, the world held its own beauty even as it tried to survive the devastation it had once endured. And as he turned his eyes to the sky once again, a green mechanical bird took off from his shoulder, flying, flying high, into the unknown of the skies.
AsuCaga4ever, WaaWaa, hakuMeyen, PrincessOfDestiny14, Freedom Tsuki, Magus-15IchiGo, PockyLovePeh, AngelicFox12, PathKeeper, Sleepyreader319, survivor18, nxkris, San17, StormriderX, rebirth-flame, GeneralTao01, skepsis66, 001Kamikakushi, Mathiasosx, quintilis, LuckyXIII, AWESOME, Atlantislux, Maderfole, Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius, IgNighted, DarrenrEal, Ninja Stars, Wraith Five, Windam X, Suomy Nona, Statius, Beitrix, Onymo Usan, Fate Anasthasia Alitheia, blackphoenix4ever, saveme57, WHAA, Twinklefeather, Apparocks, Torii, Anonymous
Special Thanks:
Sunrise, without which GS/D wouldn't be here, and there won't be such a fanfic like this.
Final Fantasy VII, for giving me such awesome names and ideas for mobile suits and their weapons.
Readers and reviewers, who gave me the motivation to write until this has finally been completed.
Final Author's Note:
Six months! I can't believe that it took six months to end this fic, and you have no idea how much of a joy it's been, writing, reading your reviews, discussing with some readers, and the like. Thank you for staying with me for so long. I know that there are a lot of GS/D sequels out there, and also a number of remakes, but I hope you've found something unique from this fic that you've enjoyed or learned from. I wrote this with hope that we can be like our heroes, fighting to the end for peace for all in this world we share together.
Kupo is a tribute for FFVII that has helped me in mobile suit design more than once in this fic. If you want a visual picture, the thing's name is actually 'Moogle'.
Some of you may know that I have a new fic up already, titled GENESIS. It's a character development fic focusing on the Hibikis, Zalas and Siegels before the war. Feel free to check it out - I'd love to have more readers for the fic. And to any FFVII fans out there, I've also started a new fic under that category which will take first priority among the list of WIP fics I have.
I thank everyone who is reading this now, especially those who stayed for the long six months. I have only one request, especially to my silent readers out there. If you've finished reading, I'd like for you to drop a word. Whether a PM or a review, I'd love some critiques and comments that you can give to a young writer who is still looking for improvement. I'll reply to your reviews via PM after this, including the one for last chapter.
Hontou ni arigatou gozaimasu! Tanoshikatta desu. Ja, mata ne!