A Fallen Star (Kira Yamato) Entry Four
"You can't say that civilization doesn't advance, however, for in every war they kill you in a new way."
Will Rogers
ENTRY FOUR: KIRA
Mai laughed at the pink haired teenager sitting across from her, while they sat outside on a beautiful spring day. This was the Clyne mansion, and the girl was Lacus Clyne.
"I thought it was a great concert, Lacus. You really outdid yourself."
Lacus took a sip of her tea before placing the cup back on the saucer. "I couldn't have done it without your help, Mai. You know that much. It's because you helped me in rehearsal that I do so well."
"You always do the same for me. I couldn't say no."
"It's a shame Athrun wasn't here to see it, though."
Mai's eyes clouded with sadness. She looked over to her side, where Mewmo was playing with the navy blue Haro between her paws. "Brother will always be with me, in my heart. I know that. Mother's there too."
Lacus giggled, "You know, I think it's time you found yourself a boyfriend."
Mai's face turned red. "No it's not! I'm doing just fine!"
"What about Mr. James? He seems like a nice young gentleman."
"Rondai? Are you kidding! Ewe! You're as bad as Father!" Lacus giggled again. "It's not funny!"
The GAT-X105 Strike raised a blaster gun to its enemy, the GAT-X303 Aegis. It was an odd sight, considering both pilots had once been friends. Maybe they still were.
"Athrun, open your cockpit!" The Strike's pilot called.
The teenager named Athrun did exactly that, at the same time as the Strike. The same brown haired boy looked up to the other boy, their eyes meeting. There was another person there as well, a young woman with long pink hair sitting on the lap of the first boy.
She waved. "Athrun! How good it is to see you again!"
The singing in the cafeteria ended, followed by clapping.
"That was beautiful, Mai. So much better in person." Nicol complemented her.
She frowned, "Are you saying I suck on television?"
"No! No, I'm not." he chuckled.
Mai smiled. "Shaina always said her little brother played the piano. So I guess that's you?"
The boy nodded. "Yeah. I do, but I want to become famous with my music. It's a weird hobby, huh."
"No, it's pretty neat." Mai comforted him, smiling. Then suddenly, she gasped, clapping her hands together. "That's it!"
He looked at her oddly. "What's it?"
"How about I write the lyric's for a song, and you write the music. My manager won't say no to a favor if I ask her, so whenever you have time off on the PLANTS, you and I could practice. We could play it at one of my concerts! It'll be fun!"
He continued to stare at her, before smiling gratefully. "Would you really do that? Even for someone you just met?"
She nodded. "Of course! Even though I just met you I can tell you're a kind person, besides that, you and I are friends. As long as you promise you won't forget about it."
"Don't worry. I promise."
The Strike's pilot headed back to its battle ship, the ships' second in command yelling at him through the intercom.
"Kira, you disobeyed my orders and you --"
Kira sighed as she continued, knowing how much trouble he would be in on his return.
The left screen inside his cockpit flashed, and when he turned to look at it the screen zoomed in on an object floating in space. To him it looked like an escape pod, exactly like the one Lacus had been in.
'What the...'
Kira was confused about this new escape pod. Where had it come from? How did it get all the way out there?
Knowing he already was in trouble, he decided to take the pod with him, just like last time. As he headed towards it, his commander questioned his actions, but he didn't answer. Instead his Gundam picked up the pod in its arms and headed back to the ship.
Many soldiers pointed their guns at the new escape pod, unsure if it would be different then the last time. A man stood in front of it with a small device in his hands. Moments later the pod opened, slowly at first.
But once it was opened, everyone gasped.
Inside was a girl, with semi-long dark blue hair. Her eyes were closed and her chest rose and fell as she slept.
"Not again..."
"Where do you think she came from?"
"Is she a natural or a coordinator?"
Kira stared at her as his friends murmured to themselves; other soldiers asked these questions as well. Kira did to, but there was something else on his mind. This girl seemed familiar to him.
Who was she?
Kira yawned. He was tired, since it was his turn to keep an eye on the sleeping girl. His friends and he were taking shifts. He looked at her sleeping figure in the bed across from the one he was sitting on, and felt himself turn red.
To him she was beautiful, the way she slept like some sort of fallen angel. The fresh wet cloth on her forehead would sometimes fall to her pillow, so he'd just smile and put it back. The way she was lying, so if she opened her eyes she'd be staring at him.
What bothered him though, was no one knew her identity. There had been no I.D. in her bag, only a laptop, some more clothes, a gun and a small black robot cat. At first the cat had been obsessed with his own robot pet, a green bird called Birdie, but after a while it started following a female friend of his. His friend took a liking to the cat as well.
Something deep down told him he wanted to be the one to find her awake. To see her look at him for the first time, to see what she acted like, and to hear her voice.
Kira tried to shake the thoughts out of his mind, but with little luck, and he sighed.
"Birdie?" The little robot bird on his shoulder sounded, and it nudged his cheek.
Kira smiled.
"Mommy!" a voice called. It belonged to a child, a girl around seven years of age running through the dark streets of a large city.
Tears fell from this child's big blue eyes as she ran. She had no idea where to go, but she did know she had to keep running. Snow fell from the dark sky.
She cried for her mother again, but still nothing. "Brother!" she tried.
Nothing.
Her feet slipped from under her and she crashed to the cold concrete below. The girl didn't get up; she only continued to cry, wanting so much for her world to end.
"Sweetheart, why are you crying?"
The small child gasped and looked up, a grown woman kneeling down in front of her, with blue hair and green eyes.
"Mommy?" she whispered. Her bottom lip trembled and she ran into the woman's arms.
"What's wrong dear? Are you hurt?" she asked, stroking the back of her head.
"I was scared, Mommy. I was so scared..."
"It's okay dear, Mommy's here now."
A loud bang echoed in the quiet streets, and the girls mother fell limply to the side. The child screamed, turning in the direction of the gunshot, her clothes covered in her mothers blood. A figure stood there, holding a gun in his hand, glaring at the two in front of him. At first she didn't recognize him, but as he stepped closer to kill her next, she did. It was someone she never expected. Someone who she held close to her heart. He stood there, dressed in the familiar red of the Zaft uniform.
It was Athrun.
Mai gasped for breath as she awoke suddenly from her nightmare, her cheeks wet from a mixture of sweet and tears. Her vision was blurry at first, but after a while it became normal again, and she sat up. A warm cloth fell to her hand and she realized it had been on her forehead. It must have been wet and cold once, but it hadn't been replaced for a while.
She flinched at the sudden pain in her head, and when she looked up again she realized Mewmo was staring at her from the desk in the corner; the backpack beside her. Mai smiled and tried to stand, but at first she stumbled, holding on to the bed post. Once she regained her balance she walked over to the desk.
Her laptop was running, but only the words, "Access Denied" flashed on the screen.
It's a good thing I have top security on that thing, she thought, closing its lid. Otherwise this whole thing would be pointless.
She checked the other contents of her bag, only to find everything but her gun was still there. She expected that, sighed.
"Mewmo, you wouldn't know where we are, would you?"
"Mew?"
"Thought not..."
Mai looked down at herself, and decided she needed a change of clothes, so she reached into her bag and chose something.
/people/LQZhwa/photo/dQB5wSyxRn/
(Note: I don't know if it's possible to put music or pictures in a chapter, so if you could tell me, I'd be grateful. For now though, the only thing I can do is give you guys the URL. Before you copy it into the address bar, type in www . imeem. com)
Mai spun around, approving her clothes before sitting down. When she thought about it, it was the only Lacus-like thing she owned, simply because it had been a gift.
Mewmo jumped off the desk and onto her lap, and she chuckled.
"Did you miss me?"
"Mew!"
She looked around the room, unable to tell the difference between an Earth ship and a Zaft one. She knew one thing though, and that was that this wasn't the same room as the one on the Vesalius.
"I wonder..."
/people/TXpA14w/music/6oDR8cIp/rietanakamizunoakashi/
(Note: Go here to listen to her song, same here as above.)
Music echoed in the empty room, and Mai looked down to the cat. On it's back showed an open compartment, and she knew it was where the music data was kept. She smiled, stroking the robot cat on its head.
"Good idea, Mewmo."
"Mizu no naka ni yoru ga yureteru
Kanashii hodo shizuka ni tatazumu
Midorinasu kishibe
Utsukushii yoake wo
Tada matte iraretara
Kirei na kokoro de
Kurai umi to sora no mukou ni
Arasoi no nai basho ga aruno to
Osiete kureta no wa dare
Dare mo ga tadori tsukenai
Soretomo dareka no kokoro no naka ni
Mizu no nagare wo shizumete
Kureru daichi wo uruosu shirabe
Ima wa doko nimo nakutemo
Kitto jibun de te ni ireruno
Itsumo, itsuka, kitto
Mizu no akashi wo kono te ni
Subete no honoo wo nomikonde nao
Hiroku yasashiku nagareru
Sono shizukesa ni tadoritsuku no
Itsumo, itsuka, kitto
Anata no te wo tori..."
The music stopped and Mai smiled, but quickly realized the pair of eyes staring at her from the finally open door. Those eyes belonged to a boy with brown hair and violet eyes wearing a blue outfit, one she knew belonged to an Earth Forces soldier.
Why is it always singing girls with robots, Kira thought to himself as he stared into her eyes, which were more beautiful then he imagined.
"Y-you're awake..." he muttered and an awkward silence followed, "You're voice... it's beautiful."
She smiled at this new boy. "Thank you. Does that mean you liked it?"
The boy blushed before scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, most of the ship did."
"Your ship, meaning an Earth Alliance ship, right?" He nodded, and she sighed.
"That's not good..."
The boy gave her a worried look, "Are you with Zaft?"
Mai sighed again, "Not exactly, no."
The two teens walked together down the hall, the brown haired boy walking behind Mai, her hands tied lightly behind her back. She knew the reason, it was because even if she got away, there was no where to run. She had promised that she wouldn't run, but he still had to take his normal precautions. Mewmo sat on her shoulder, keeping an eye on the boy as they walked.
Mai looked around the ship while she walked, ignoring the eyes of onlookers. She had never seen the inside of an Earth ship. 'It's not that different...' she thought to herself.
"So... is it alright for me to know your name? Or do I have the right to remain silent?" she joked, earning a smile from the boy behind her, even though she couldn't see it.
"My name is Kira. Kira Yamato."
'Yamato? That sounds familiar...'
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kira. It would better under a different situation, but it's a pleasure none the less." Mai sighed and smiled to herself. "It seems I've only been getting in trouble lately..."
"How about you? What's your name?"
She flinched suddenly, 'That's a good question...'
"It's, uh, Mai... Mai Hitamaru," she answered, saying the first available name in her mind. The name Hitamaru belonged to a friend of hers, who was currently living in orb along with her foster parents. Ami (Aw-me) was her name, and she was one of Mai's four friends from Lunar Prep school.
"Mai? That's a nice name. It means brightness, doesn't it? I think it fits."
Mai tried to look back and him, but with not much luck. How many people knew what someone's name means off by heart?
"Um, thanks."
"Mew?"
Mai looked to her robot friend, whose head was tilted to the side, confused. She chuckled softly.
"What's your cat's name? I have a friend who's grown attached to it, and it has been bothering her for a while."
"Her name's Mewmo; I've had her forever. Man this ship is huge! Where the heck are we going?"
It was Kira's turn to chuckle. "We're almost there, don't worry."
He was right, because when they turned another corner they stood in front of a door, and Kira stopped. "See?" Mai nodded, while he knocked.
"Come in."
The door opened as the two walked in. It wasn't a large room, just with a desk and several chairs. Three pairs of eyes looked up at her. Two women and one man stood around that desk.
The man chuckled, "I see our guest is finally awake."
"Kira, can you wait outside?" The woman in the middle asked. She stood there proudly, her brown hair under her commander's hat.
Kira nodded, and taking one last look at Mai he left. She watched him leave and sighed.
"I do realize that you people have guns, so is it alright if I get these ropes off? It's a little uncomfortable to stand like this," she told them, smiling the whole time.
The man chuckled and floated behind her, untying the rope behind her.
"I apologize for the rude welcoming, but these are hard times." The woman told her.
Mai rubbed her wrists, since the position hurt her arms. "That's alright. I understand that there is a war going on. You're only doing what is right; I respect that."
The woman nodded and sat down in her chair. "You seem to know about war. My name is Marrue Ramius, and I'm the commander of this ship. This is Natarle Badgiruel and Mu La Flaga."
Mai smiled at them, "It's great to meet you all. I'm Mai Hitamaru."
"Mew!"
She chuckled softly, "And this is Mewmo."
Marrue smiled, "You're welcome to sit."
Mai did, in the chair in front of the three adults.
"Is it alright if we ask you a few questions?" Marrue asked. She nodded. "What were you doing in that escape pod all the way out here?"
Mai blinked, 'And yet another good question...'
"I am just a plain citizen from the PLANTS whose big brother is a soldier. He joined shortly after the destruction of Junius 7, since our mother was a victim." They didn't say anything, just continued to stare. "My brother was said to have been home for a break, so I went to visit the base. While I was there I found something I wasn't supposed to. Four mobile suits the military had stolen from the Earth forces. They found me there and kept me as a prisoner, thinking I knew too much. I was kept on one of their military ships, and I escaped from there." She looked at her hands folded on her lap. "I don't believe this war is anyone's fault, it's simply a war of greed and un-trust. My brother is the opposite, since he believes Naturals are to blame." She looked up, and her eyes met those of the woman in front of her. "I've been thinking a lot lately. About everything that's been happening, and I... well, I want to join the Earth Alliance."
"You can't possibly be serious!" Natarle snapped.
"I need to prove to my brother that he's wrong. In my opinion war is a cowardly escape from the problems of peace. Even if I fight on this side of the war, it's better than doing nothing..."
Marrue, still keeping an eye on Mai, frowned at the young teenager. "How do we know we can trust you? How do we know you won't leak information to the enemy?"
"You're right, you may be deceived if you trust too much, but you'll live in torment if you don't trust enough. I can't prove to you I'm trustworthy, but I can tell you this: This war has changed my family. I want to do whatever it takes to end it, so my mother may rest in peace. That's all I want."
They stared at her, until finally Marrue smiled and nodded. "Okay than. I'll believe you."
Natarle turned in shock to the other woman. "What? Commander, you can't just trust someone because they say you can!"
"Easy, Natarle. For a while we'll have people taking shifts to watch over her, until we know we have her complete trust. Is that okay, Mai?"
Mai smiled, "Of course!"
"What do you think about this, Lieutenant?" Marrue asked the man.
He chuckled and turned to Mai, "I say we need all the help we can get." He raised his hand towards her, and she took it. "Welcome kid."
Mai stared in the bathroom mirror at herself, wearing her new Earth outfit. Pink and white with a white underskirt and white stockings. Mai admired the way they made their uniforms, much better than Zaft. She sighed.
"Brother will never forgive me for this..." she whispered. Mai, herself, couldn't even believe she was doing this.
"Hey, Mai?" Kira called from outside of the bathroom "Are you ready?"
Mai smiled and turned towards the door. "Coming!" Mewmo looked up at her from the bathroom counter, and Mai rose out her hand. Mewmo climbed to her shoulder, and it was easier for her since there wasn't much gravity.
Mai floated to the door and went outside, seeing Kira there waiting for her. She smiled at him, "So where are we going now?"
"I thought I'd give you a tour of the ship. We can find your room, too. What was the number again?"
"I think it's room 113..." she said, reaching into a pocket in her Earth Alliance top jacket. She found what she was looking for; a piece of paper. "Yeah, it is."
Kira smiled, "That's good."
"Why?"
"I'm just down the hall from you."
"Really? You're right, that is good! Whenever I need help I'll come to you then, okay?"
Kira blushed, but she didn't notice. "Y-yeah... sure..."
Mai looked away from him, but what she saw ahead of her made her stop. She stood there with a puzzled and confused stare. Kira noticed she stopped, and looked at her, before following her gaze. Standing there was a group of teenagers, all talking to each other. Mai's look turned slightly scared. She was worried how these people would act towards her, after all not everyone in the world was as kind as Kira.
"Umm..." she muttered.
Kira chuckled softly before calling out to his friends. "Hey guys! Over here!"
The four teenagers turned, smiling as they saw their friend. Three male, the last female. Together they floated towards the two. A boy with brownish blonde hair and orange shades led the way, followed by another two boys, one with short blue hair and the other brown. The girl - with brown hair and blue eyes - smiled and followed as well.
"Hey, Kira." The one with shades said.
The girl pushed past her male friends, getting right in Mai's face, smiling the whole time. "So you're one of us now, huh?" She raised a hand in front of her. "I'm Miriallia Haw, but you can call me Mir for short. It's nice to meet you!"
Mai stared at the hand, mostly because of the surprising greeting. Not long after she smiled warmly at the new stranger. "It's nice to meet you too, Mir!"
The three boys looked at each other, and one-by-one began to introduce themselves.
"I'm Tolle, Tolle Koenig."
"Kuzzey Buskrik."
"My name's Sai Argyle."
Mai smiled at them as well. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you. I'm Mai."
Tolle smiled, "I see you already met Kira."
She nodded happily, "Yes. Kira's been very kind to me."
To Mai that didn't sound too bad, but Kira earned looks from each of his friends, and he blushed slightly.
"What?"
"Kira--" Tolle started, but Sai interrupted him.
"Was that you singing earlier?"
Mai nodded. "Yes. I didn't disturb anybody, did I?"
"No," he answered.
"You have a nice voice, Mai." Mir told her new friend. "I'd love to hear it again!"
"Of course, anytime."
A growling noise caused the six teenagers to stop, and Mai's face turned red. "Oops... I forgot I haven't eaten in a while."
Seeing their expressions she laughed to herself, and shortly after they joined in too.
Mai explained her story to her new friends while eating her lunch. They had their own lunches as well, but Mai had a lot of talking to do, so she was slower then the rest.
"Wow, that's quite a story." Sai said after her story.
Mai nodded, swallowing her last bit of curry. "I didn't know ship food tasted so good."
Mir giggled. "Do you like your food?"
"Yeah. The food I'm used to all tasted the same. And the food I had on the last ship was horrible, even though I only had it once."
"Hey Mai. You said you came from the PLANTS, right?" Kuzzey started, gaining everyone's attention. "Are you a Coordinator?"
"Kuzzey!" Miriallia snapped at him.
"What? It's common sense..."
"But that doesn't mean it's not rude."
"Miriallia." Mai said calmly, still with that smile on her face, and everyone turned to her. "It's alright. Would it change your opinion of me if I was?" Kuzzey shook his head, but slowly. "I'm a Coordinator." Silence followed, but she ignored it. "Just because my genes are a little different doesn't mean I'm not human. We're all looking towards the same future."
They stared at her as she took a sip of her warm mint tea, enjoying the pleasant taste touching her lips. She ignored their looks, for she knew she had said nothing wrong.