A/N: I am lost. And in a precarious position. I knew that the lack of planning was going to come back and bite me in the butt someday. I probably should rewrite the old chapters. Yeah. I changed my pen-name too.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed.

Chapter 6 – Revelations

"Mr Zala, you have a message from Dr Marie. She called at approximately thirteen hundred hours, when you were conducting a security check at the Justice Hall," said the secretary sitting outside his temporary office. She held out a piece of paper with both hands, bowing slightly in respect as she did.

Athrun rubbed his temples. "Thanks, Rene. I'll take a look at it." He took the note and entered his office.

What with all the mess and chaos going on in ORB right now, his office was simply one of the partitioned sections of a larger room in the Parliament House. Too much of the ORB military and political system had to be rebuilt, and in the meantime, he had this: a room large enough to fit a desk and chair.

Athrun also happened to put in charge of the security surrounding Fllay Allster and the Justice Hall that the trial was about to take place in, on top of his bodyguard duties to the Representative. Or rather, he and Kira were supposed to split these responsibilities between them. It just so happened that Kira suddenly appeared to be very concerned with his sister's present safety.

Yeah, right, he couldn't help thinking. More like he's trying to avoid his issues.

Athrun took a seat at his desk and unfolded the note. His eyes scanned over the words once, twice and in a flash he was picking up the phone to make a call.

As he listened to the ringing sound from the earpiece, he chewed his lip and prayed that the recipient would pick up.

A click, and a "Hello" was heard before Athrun launched into speech.

"Kira, we have a problem. Dr Marie called."

A momentary silence ensued before Kira replied. "Reverend Malchio's, one hour from now." Surprisingly, there was no trace of indecisiveness in his voice.

"Roger." Athrun hung up, grabbed his car keys, and left his office once more.

With the amount of time he was spending in his office, it was no wonder he didn't mind that it was too cramped.

It didn't take long for Fllay to pack everything she needed. Some clothes and her basic necessities were thrown into a bag that could be easily carried if the need to run arose. She had fought the urge to giggle as she stared at the contents of her bag. It was far less that what she was used to, but no matter how hard she tried to think of anything else she wanted to bring, she kept drawing a blank.

She had huddled on the bed for hours, clutching the bag like some kind of security blanket, before finally falling into a fitful sleep.

She was eventually awakened by a hand shaking her shoulder firmly. She could feel muscle aches in her arms, a result of sleeping too long with her arms around an unwieldy bag. Eyes heavy with sleep, she peered at the one who shook her awake.

"Miss, it's time to go now," Nelia said quietly. She took the bag away from the girl and shouldered it. Then she held out a hand to help Fllay up.

Fllay accepted the outstretched hand with her own; with her other hand, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Her bare feet touched the floor and she flinched at how cold it was. How long had she been asleep?

"What time is it?" Her voice asked, sounding cracked and dry even to herself. Why is that so, she wondered.

Oh, of course. She had cried herself to sleep, after all.

"About three in the morning," Nelia replied quietly. She released Fllay's hand and began rummaging around for her shoes. She pulled out a pair of well-worn sneakers and set them at Fllay's feet.

Fllay groggily felt around for her shoes and slid her feet into them. Nelia then pulled her onto her feet and hustled her out of the door. "What's going on?" she asked, adrenaline waking her up as she sensed the urgency behind the nurse's moves.

"Your entourage has arrived," Nelia replied, her hands firm on the young girl's shoulders. Fllay stumbled a little as she went down the stairs. Nelia noticed it and eased her grip.

"Here she is," Nelia called softly as they came down the stairs. Fllay caught sight of three men, dressed in dark colours, standing and waiting in the living room. Some of them were wearing infrared goggles, and she felt a brief touch of fear as she realised how serious those guards were. "Where do you want her to go?"

One of the men, a boy not much older than her, actually, stepped forward. He was wearing the infrared goggles too, and Fllay's eyes were drawn to his unique blue hair. "Out by the back, madam," he said respectfully.

"Yes. Come, this way," she ushered Fllay out to the back, while the girl stared and tried to figure out where she had seen that boy before.

Exiting the house, Fllay shivered in the cold night air. Outside, two vans were waiting, with their windows tinted black. More men clustered around the open doors of one of the vans. Now that she was paying attention, she noticed the bulges in their clothing that revealed that they were carrying concealed firearms. Again, she felt fear run down her spine.

Nelia handed her the bag. Her bag. "Here, miss, into the van now," she coaxed.

Fllay stared uncomprehendingly, her hands automatically going to the straps of the bag. "Aren't you coming with me?" she blurted, her voice loud in the night.

Nelia winced and the men stiffened, their hands going under jackets to their guns. "No, dear, I have to stay here. We're going to act as though you still live here. Hopefully it'll draw some of them away from where you'll actually be."

"But what about me?" she insisted, equally loudly. Fllay knew, logically, that she should be keeping her voice down and going along obediently, but somehow, her sleep-deprived brain couldn't imagine what she would do without Nelia. Nelia, who was the only one to be nice to her ever since the war ended. Nelia, who knew what she needed even before she herself knew it.

"Shush," Nelia whispered, looking apologetically at the guards. "You'll be looked after perfectly well where you're going, love, so don't worry. I'll see you again when this is all over," she promised.

Not exactly understanding, but feeling that it would be prudent to stop arguing, Fllay swallowed her protests and allowed Nelia to prod her into the back of the van. Immediately she felt warmer, away from the wind, and she turned to see the boy with blue hair follow her into the van. The last thing she saw before the doors shut was Nelia, waving and smiling gently.

Then it was gone, and Fllay felt the van move, taking her away from the place she had only just begun to feel was home once more.

It wasn't dark in the van, for there was a lamp. Fllay started every time the van ran over a bump or rut. She hung on to her bag, feeling lost and confused.

The boy in the van with her removed his infrared goggles, revealing emerald eyes, and Fllay suddenly remembered where she had seen him. He was Kira's friend, the one with him at the final battle, and she had seen him accompanying Cagalli on the news, sometimes.

He was also most definitely a Coordinator. Who would have every reason to hate her.

Fllay must have visibly tensed, for the boy asked her if she was alright. She nodded shakily, hoping that he would attribute her quivering to the vibrations from the van. "Where are we going?" she asked, her voice sounding small and insignificant to herself.

"We're going to a military repair station first, as a precaution," he explained. "We'll change vehicles there, and also give you a disguise. After what happened yesterday, Kira and I decided that we should be more cautious about how we do things. Don't worry, we'll do our best to make sure you get to your destination unharmed."

Fllay nodded. Her heart had leaped when he mentioned Kira's name, she was elated to know that he had a hand in her life. "Will… Will Kira be meeting us?" she asked.

"He should be, if things go well," the boy replied.

Fllay nodded again, unable to stop herself from smiling slightly. "Thank you, er- I'm sorry, I don't know your name," she said quietly.

The boy stared at her in a way that made her self-conscious. Was he thinking that it was below him to give her his name? She suddenly realised that her hair was disheveled, her clothes rumpled, and she looked indecent overall. Was he thinking that he shouldn't be fraternising with a criminal?

"It's Athrun," he replied shortly. Fllay was so relieved that she didn't get a cutting comment in reply, she exhaled audibly.

"Thank you, Athrun," she repeated. He was a nice person. A good friend for Kira, definitely.

Unlike you, a small part of her mind hissed. Fllay flinched visibly. Shut up, she told that part as she relaxed into a more comfortable position.

"You should get some sleep," Athrun added. "It's a long ride."

"I will," replied Fllay. "Will you… Will you wake me if anything happens?"

"Yeah," Athrun agreed. He watched as she stretched out along the bench, using her bag as a pillow. He turned his gaze out to the window, though with the tinted windows, he couldn't see anything. He hoped that if anything, the rioters would fixate on the decoy van. He may have verbally reassured Fllay that she was safe, but then again, even the best-laid plans have been known to fail.

Athrun fidgeted a little as he looked at the sleeping girl opposite him. She didn't look like a mass murderer, and Kira and Cagalli confirmed that the N-Jammer transfer was unintentional on her part. But for every accident, there were repercussions. And when those repercussions were as wide as they were now, people always needed someone to blame. It just happened that this scapegoat was a fifteen year-old girl.

Too many of his people had died when the nuclear bombs were unleashed on the PLANTs. Over the war, he had learned that no one, no single side was at fault. He didn't hate the girl in front of his eyes for that, didn't think she was at fault, but thousands, maybe millions of others did. And he held no sway over their opinions.

The only thing that he might possibly dislike her for, on his own, was entirely based on what Cagalli told him. About Fllay manipulating Kira to stay in the war, making him fight against Athrun. And how miserable he could be about the war whenever something unpleasant happened. But it all turned out well in the end, and it was also not for him to judge her. If Kira was alright with her, then so was he.

Athrun sighed and swung his legs up onto the bench, leaning his back against the partition that separated them from the driver. He tilted his head back until it touched the wall. They were in no danger at the moment, and he doubted that Fllay could do him any harm even if he shoved a gun into her hand and told her to shoot. In the meantime, the one who really needed to catch up on sleep was him.

Fllay awoke to the sound of shouting. Not hostile shouting, merely people who wanted to have themselves heard over noise. She sat up, stretching her arms above her head. She felt something slide and looked down. It was a blanket. Someone must have tucked it around her while she was sleeping.

It was incredibly noisy, and Fllay couldn't help wondering how she had slept through all this noise. The sound of metal clanking, of hissing, of mechanics shouting wove a discordant harmony. From this, she gathered that they had arrived at the military repair station Athrun had talked about. Speaking of which, where was he anyway?

Fllay wandered out of the back of the van. Around her, mechanics rushed and hollered and completely ignored her. Mobile Armours and Suits lined up against a wall, each with its own catwalk and tending mechanics. She took a moment to get her bearings, before she spotted Athrun talking to a mechanic holding a clipboard. She headed for him, weaving around all the mechanics who were more preoccupied with their job than a lone girl.

"Ah, you're awake," Athrun said as he saw her coming. "Are you ready to set off?"

Fllay hesitated for a moment. "Has Kira arrived?" she asked.

Now it was Athrun's turn to hesitate. "He was here earlier," he said carefully. "And he looked in on you when you were sleeping. He told me not to wake you, though, said you needed the sleep." Seeing the hurt on Fllay's face, he quickly added, "He was the one who got that blanket. Sorry I didn't think of it earlier, I didn't think that it was that cold out."

"Is he still here?"

"No, he set off already," answered Athrun. He had told Kira that Fllay would want to see him when she awoke, but he had insisted that this was for the best. I don't know what to say to her were his exact words, in fact. Though Athrun didn't think that she needed to hear it.

"I see," Fllay said quietly. She would have really liked to see Kira, but knowing that he cared that much made her feel better nonetheless.

"Anyway," Athrun said abruptly, "now that you're awake, you should get changed. Lieutenant Mizuno!" He called out.

A tall woman detached from the crowd and strode towards them. She wore a military uniform with epaulettes bearing the rank of a second lieutenant, and she was carrying something in her arms. "About time," she snapped. "I was wondering if our Sleeping Beauty here would ever wake up." She threw the bundle she carried at Fllay roughly.

Fllay started, but caught it clumsily. Close up, the lieutenant wasn't really tall, in fact she was about the same height as Fllay, but her ramrod straight posture made her look taller than she really was. "Come, girl, this way." She strode off without looking to see if Fllay followed.

The younger girl hesitantly took a step forward, then turned back to look pleadingly at Athrun. He shrugged. "She's like that. Don't worry, she means you no harm. I'll go get your stuff. It's still in the van, right?" He made a shooing motion with his hand. "Go on."

Fllay nodded, and threaded through the crowd after Lieutenant Mizuno, dodging errant carts and absent-minded workers. She realised that the lieutenant walked at a cracking pace, and that the few seconds she spent talking to Athrun had allowed the (scary) older woman to disappear into the crowd. Panic hit her as she sought to catch a glimpse of black hair on top of perfect posture, craning her neck to look over the mass of metal and people.

Suddenly she felt a hand grab her shoulder and Fllay jumped. She turned slowly to meet the cold eyes of Lieutenant Mizuno. Without a word the woman released her and continued walking. Fllay scurried after her, wondering what exactly went on behind those unforgiving eyes.

The lieutenant suddenly stopped and pointed. "The washroom is just up ahead. I'll come and get you in fifteen minutes. Don't go anywhere else."

"Yes, ma'am," Fllay nodded. She hurried off in the direction that the lieutenant had indicated. She pushed open the door and entered a small, utilitarian military washroom, with only two cubicles and one mirror.

Fllay stopped as she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She was a mess. No wonder the lieutenant had thought so little of her. Fllay picked up her pace once more. She was suddenly struck by the desire to change out of her rumpled clothes and look respectable once more. She would have to do something about her hair too.

The bundle she carried apparently consisted of civilian clothes. Nothing too flashy, a plain skirt and shirt, with a denim jacket to be worn over it. There was also, strangely enough, a black wig. Strange, but it made complete sense. Given the lengths that ORB was going to, she wouldn't have been surprised to learn that her jacket was bulletproof.

Not that she didn't appreciate the effort. Fllay quickly changed into the issued clothing. At least, she thought she was quick, but when she exited the cubicle, the lieutenant was already there leaning against the washbasin. And she had already changed out of her uniform.

"I'm-I'm sorry," Fllay stuttered. She hadn't realised that she had taken that long, and she didn't particularly want to raise the lieutenant's ire. "I didn't realise that my fifteen minutes were up."

"You still have six minutes, girl," snapped the lieutenant. She lifted her hand and threw something at Fllay. A comb. "Put on the wig, and listen to me while you're at it."

Fllay decided not to answer to that, since whatever she said seemed to piss the lieutenant off anyway. She ran the comb through her hair and adjusted the wig until it looked natural, while the lieutenant spoke.

"Alright, listen carefully. When we leave this hangar, you'll be 'Mizuno Akiko'. If anyone asks, you're my little sister. You're to keep up this pretense until your trial. You will address me as 'sister' or 'Sakiya', and not by my rank. You can ditch your disguise indoors, but in the event that you must leave, you will be a flawless Akiko, is that understood?"

The last three words were nearly shouted, and Fllay, attempting to wash her face, missed and splashed water all over the mirror. "Ye-yes, Lieutenant," she forced out.

"And for pity's sake, stop acting so guilty," the lieutenant snapped with a contemptuously look. "How do you expect to convince the jury that you're innocent if you can't even act like you believe it yourself?"

Fllay's eyes widened. "I'm-."

"If you dare to apologise now, my opinion of you can and will sink further," the lieutenant cut her off. "I would have taught my sister to be confident and natural, and you jolly well act like that starting from now."

Fllay thought that any sister that the lieutenant could possibly have would probably have grown up socially crippled with such an overbearing presence in her life, but she said nothing. She merely returned the comb to the lieutenant and followed her new sister out and through the hangar.

Fllay's gaze was drawn to it immediately. In a hangar with plain grey Mobile Suits and the marginally more colourful Mobile Armours, the bright red car stood out. She spotted Athrun standing by the driver's door with someone else, both in civilian clothes that made them stand out in contrast to the plain uniforms of the soldiers and mechanics.

"Sir, she's ready," Lieutenant Mizuno called out as they neared the car.

Both males looked up. The other man – boy, actually, Fllay didn't think he was much older than she was – lit up. "Oh, so we're all here. I want to drive," he declared cheerfully.

"Oh no you don't, this is my car," Athrun shot back. He quickly slid into the driver's seat before the other boy could protest. "Lieutenant Mizuno, could I trouble you to handle him?"

"Yes, sir," she replied. "Kenji, shut up and get into the car. NOW!"

"Then I want to ride shotgun," he bargained.

"Shut up and get in, damn brat," she said, before opening the other front door and sliding into the seat. Fllay couldn't help being amused a tiny bit at their exchange. That was, until the lieutenant rolled down the window and said, "Akiko, hurry up and get in too."

Fllay started again. She really needed to pay more attention, everything was catching her by surprise these days. "Yes, ma- I mean, Sis- no, Sakiya."

The lieutenant snorted. "Get used to it, girl."

Fllay obeyed. She opened the door and sat down, closing it after her. She was pleased to see that her belongings were sitting on the floor by her feet. It made her feel safer, somewhat. She didn't look up as the other boy – Kenji – slid in across her. The car started up, the whole contraption vibrating under her fingers. Athrun signalled for the mechanics to open the door.

"So, Akiko eh?" Kenji said excitedly. "We're going to be very good friends for the next couple of weeks."

Fllay looked at him close up for the first time. He too had black hair and clear eyes. From that she surmised that he was probably playing another one of her relatives. "I see," she said, though she didn't really see.

"Did my scary sister frighten you?" he teased as the car sped out onto the highway.

Fllay couldn't decide if he was acting, or if they were really related. On one hand, the physical similarities were all there. On the other, a wig and contacts would easily take care of half of those, and their personalities were so… divergent. She cast a glance at the front of the car.

"Yeah, those two are really related in real life," Athrun said, meeting her eyes in the rearview mirror and correctly reading the question behind them. "Lieutenant Mizuno Sakiya and Sergeant Mizuno Kenji will be sticking to you like superglue for the next two weeks, so get used to them." He rolled his eyes.

"Kindly keep your eyes on the road, sir," Kenji drawled, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Athrun rolled his eyes again. Deliberately, Fllay was sure. She allowed the tiniest hints of a smile to touch her face this time. Even if she didn't have Nelia with her, she was sure that she would have a few interesting days ahead. And that would be enough to tide her over.

It was a few hours later, when her scalp began itching from the wig, that Fllay finally ventured to ask where they were heading. Kenji had long fallen asleep, his head lolling back on the headrest. Sakiya… Fllay couldn't see her face, but she doubted a woman as uptight as her would ever sleep when she wasn't supposed to.

"We're going to the orphanage," Athrun replied. He had been driving the last few hours, and Fllay had to admire his stamina. Even if it had been granted to him in the form of altered genes.

The word cut at Fllay. Orphanage. A place for orphans. A place for people with no father or mother. A place for people like her. She nodded, lowering her head in mortification. Her eyes burned.

"I wouldn't have sent you there if it were up to me, but Dr Marie said that the sun and the sea would be good for you," Athrun added, looking in the mirror to assess her reaction. Dr Marie had said she might be resistant to the idea when she talked to him on the phone.

"Dr Marie?" Fllay asked. She was being sent to an orphanage on the recommendation of a doctor who had never seen her in person?

"Yes, you don't know her?" Athrun asked curiously. "Wasn't she staying with you?"

Part of it clicked in Fllay's mind. "You mean Nelia?" she gasped. "But how could she be a doctor? Why wasn't I told?"

"Dr Cornelia Marie," interrupted Sakiya stiffly, "is one of the best psychologists in ORB. She retired years ago. The higher-ups must have called her back in for your case."

It made sense, but Fllay somehow couldn't connect the image of the sweet, humble Nelia with a white-coated, arrogantly professional psychologist. "But-," she protested.

"Yeah, that sounds just like her alright." Fllay turned to see Kenji, head still tilted back. He cracked open one eye to look at her. "It'll be just like her to turn down all the defense ministers begging her to come back and take a look at some of our mentally disturbed soldiers, and cave in when a little girl is involved. That old bat." He laughed sardonically.

"Kenji! Do not talk about Dr Marie like that!" commanded Sakiya. Fllay could see her glaring at Kenji in the rearview mirror, but the boy didn't seem disturbed.

"As you wish, your Highness," he replied sarcastically, and subsided back into silence. Athrun chuckled and pressed his foot down on the accelerator.

Fllay sank back into her seat, deep in thought. She hadn't asked about Nelia's life before she met her, and she hadn't bothered to think about it either. Further proof of her social inadequacies, she thought as she brooded over Nelia's recommendations with regards to her new residence. She had been to wrapped up in her own issues to care.

A few hours later, in the late afternoon, Fllay finally began to see the sea out of the window. Her scalp itched, but resisted the urge to scratch and mess up the wig. She was also hungry, having not eaten anything more than a granola bar for more than twenty-four hours. The bar was actually provided by Sakiya, who had disapprovingly handed it over after Fllay's stomach growled conspicuously.

The last time she had anything resembling a proper meal was at the disastrous picnic, Fllay recalled, twisting the remains of the wrapper in her hands nervously. The afternoon sunlight glittered off the water, which was a sight that she hadn't seen since her Archangel days.

Her Archangel days. Fllay turned her eyes from the window. She wasn't exactly proud of what she did in those days, but it was too late to change them. Now all she could do was to make amends and start over, if possible. Why was it so difficult?

Probably because manipulating people is so much easier than forging actual relationships, she thought. She spent a lot of the trip planning what she would say to Kira in her head, and reworking her lines over and over until she was satisfied with them. But even then, she wasn't really happy with them. Because how could she find the words to express what she really felt?

She enjoyed the silence that reigned for most of the trip, actually. Kenji went back to sleep. Sakiya ignored her. Athrun concentrated on driving. Fllay stuffed the wrapper into her pocket and took a sip of water from a bottle (which was also provided by Sakiya; the woman clearly belonged in the military), watching a pair of seagulls wheel across the water. She couldn't hear them calling, but she was sure they were making quite the racket out there.

She didn't quite notice when the car finally slowed. When it finally jerked to a halt, she broke out of her reverie and focused on the building in front of her.

It had a simple wooden structure. Nothing like her previous residence, really, but it looked cosy. Not at all like the orphanage she envisioned earlier. Somehow she always had the impression that orphanages were cold cement buildings in which the orphans were miserable, but the children laughing and playing tag outside seemed to suggest otherwise.

But Fllay wasn't really concerned with all those details at the moment. Her attention was entirely focused on the brown-haired boy speaking with the pink-haired girl in front of the building.

Unsteadily, she opened the car door and tottered out, clutching the metal frame for support. As though in a dream, she made her way forward towards Kira. Finally, she thought. He looks so sad and serious. Why?

She hadn't taken more than a few steps towards him when a hand latched around her wrist in an iron grip. Startled and affronted, she looked at its owner and met with the enraged eyes of Mizuno Sakiya. "Are you daft?" she hissed. "You're leaving yourself totally open."

Fllay hadn't even seen her get out of the car. But when she took a second look, she saw that Sakiya's hand was in her bag, no doubt clenched around the handle of a pistol or something similar. She cast a cursory look at her surroundings. Kenji had also gotten out of the car and had a hand inside his jacket, no longer carefree or smiling. Only Athrun was completely relaxed, leisurely turning off the engine and removing the key from the ignition as though there was no threat whatsoever.

"It's alright, Miss Mizuno," Kira spoke up for the first time. Fllay fixed her eyes on him, but he seemed to be looking at Sakiya, and Sakiya alone. "The coast is clear."

Sakiya didn't seem convinced. "Yes, sir," she said, albeit reluctantly. She released the younger girl's wrist, but Fllay, past the impulse, didn't start off again. Instead, she merely continued studying Kira from beside the lieutenant.

He seems thinner too, Fllay remarked silently. She didn't like it, not at all. It implied that he was still stressed, and she didn't want that. She always thought that once the war was over, Kira would be much better, but it looked like she was wrong. Why?

The pink-haired girl approached her. Fllay's eyes refocused from Kira to her. "Come on in, Miss Fllay, we've been waiting for you," Lacus said warmly.

Fllay wasn't used to hearing herself being addressed as "Miss" by anyone the same age as she was, so she found that she had no reply to Lacus' welcome. She dumbly let Lacus guide her into the building, turning her head to look at Kira as she passed. He avoided meeting her eyes and instead joined Athrun a few feet behind. Does he not recognise me because of the wig? Fllay thought inanely. No, it's not possible. Something's wrong.

Inside the building, a blind man sat at a table. At least, he acted as though he was blind. "This is Reverend Malchio," Lacus introduced cheerfully. "He's in charge of the orphanage. Reverend, this is Miss Fllay Allster."

The reverend nodded and held out a hand. Fllay noted that his face was turned slightly to her left, not exactly fixed on her, which confirmed her guess that he was unable to see. "A pleasure to have you staying with us, Miss Allster. Our place is unfortunately not as large as you'd be used to, but we hope you'll bear with it."

Fllay automatically took his hand, and for the moment, focused on the man in front of her instead of the boy behind. "The pleasure's all mine, Reverend," she said without thinking about it. Her mind was busy running through thoughts that bordered more on Does he really not mind having me stay here with all the kids?

Reverend Malchio gripped her hand firmly for a moment, then released it. "Well then, do take a seat," he offered. "It wouldn't be hospitable of me to have you standing all the time you're here."

Fllay pulled out the chair that was closest to her, but before she could sit, Kenji strolled in cradling her bag and yelled, "Hey, princess, I am not your slave. Carry your own stuff next time!" He chucked it at her.

Fllay tried to catch it, but her hands missed and the bag hit her midsection, winding her. She let out an "oof" as her breath was forced out of her lungs. "Sergeant Mizuno! Please don't throw things in here!" Lacus reprimanded. Kenji just shrugged and stuck his hands in his pocket.

"Well, now that Fllay's settled in, I guess we should go back now," Kira said, drawing everyone's attention. "Athrun and I still have to plan the route for Cagalli to get to the Justice Hall on the day of the trial. We'll make a move first," he added.

Athrun bid goodbye to the room. "See you another time," he called out. "Lieutenant Mizuno, do try to keep your brother from getting bored," he requested politely as he made his way out.

"Yes, sir!" Sakiya snapped back, straightening her back as she replied.

Fllay was acutely aware that she had very little time. "Wait, Kira..." she dropped her bag and reached out after him, her feet clattering against the floor unsteadily.

He looked back, not meeting her eyes this time either. "I'm sorry Fllay, maybe another time," he said, putting a definite stop to any argument she might have countered with. The door shut after him, and Fllay's hand landed on wood instead of flesh.

Their first real exchange since he was reported as MIA, and those were the words he said. Fllay's heart ached as she forgot the fact that she had an audience and slid to the floor, trying not to cry.

A/N: I'm really exhausted right now, and this has been a long and taxing chapter to write, so if it's not up to standard, I'm so sorry. I also realised that I spammed a few random new characters in, so to compensate for that I'll bring in Fllay's old friends next chapter. I hope. Anyway, kudos to RedCrimson for hitting the nail on the head. You and I really think alike in a lot of ways.

And I know that the orphanage is on the Marshall Islands, but to make my life easier I'm putting it on the mainland.

This chapter is part of the mass upload of 18/02. Why 18/02? Because it's my 18th birthday, and I suppose I'm obliged to give out presents. I would love reviews too, so would you please make me a very happy person and review? xD