A Fallen Star (Kira Yamato) Entry Six

Another chapter up! To celebrate the end of Azami-chan and my school year. Muahahahaha... anyways...

So, I just wanted to thank those who have been reviewing, and wanted to know if anyone had any questions. If you do, feel free to ask.

Oh, and I'm thinking of putting up my Fullmetal Alchemist Fanfiction up, so tell me what you think about that. :P

R & R!

"Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love."
Jane Austen

ENTRY SIX: A WILL TO PROTECT.

'What's wrong with me? What's wrong with me! What's wrong with me!!'
Mai hit her head against the wall of the cafeteria every time she thought that. Lucky for her, no one else was there, because she was more embarrassed with herself than she'd ever been before.
After talking to the Captain and Mu La Flaga she went to the cafeteria to have some tea and take some painkillers. And after lying her head down on the table for a few minutes, she began to feel better, and realized what she had done.
"I'm such an idiot..." she whispered, before sitting down and staring at the ceiling. "He and the others are leaving soon, too... I wouldn't be surprised if Kira won't talk to me anymore..."
"Why is that?"
Mai yelped and felt her chair lose balance, sending her crashing to the floor.
"Mai! Are you okay?"
"I've been better..."

"How could they resort to such an extreme measure such as destroying Heliopolis and Artemis, all for the sake of this lone and a single G-Machine?" The man named Hoffman questioned.
Marrue, Mu, and Natarle all stood in front of another man's desk on the 8th Fleets main ship. Admiral Halberton sat proudly in that desk, while Hoffman stood beside him, a map on the wall behind them and a pile of papers spread out on the desk.
"None the less, the fact that her crew was at least able to protect the Strike and this ship can be counted as a great victory for the Earth Forces," Halberton defended.
Hoffman frowned. "It would seem that Alaska does not share that view."
"Hm?" both Mu and Natarle mumbled, looking up at the men in front of them.
Marrue turned to the floor, ashamed.
"Bah! What do they know about the reality of space combat?" Halberton sighed and looked at the three. "Lieutenant Ramius has understood my intentions all along. Nothing in this matter warrants any concern."
"Yes, admiral..." Marrue whispered.
Hoffman reached out towards the desk, picking up a sheet of paper. "Now, moving on to the topic of the young Coordinators. Are we to forget all about them?"
"Those two both have their reasons for being here," Marrue explained.
"Oh, really?" Hoffman questioned, raising an eyebrow.
Marrue nodded. "Kira Yamato only wanted to protect his friends. That was the soul reason why he climbed aboard the Strike for us. In all likelihood we would not have made it this far if it weren't for the abilities of that young man. However, his decision was dictated by events beyond his control, and he did suffer greatly for having to fight against his own people. He's a kind, sincere boy. I believe we should repay him for his selfless efforts with our complete trust."
"And the girl?" Hoffman asked.
"Mai Hitamaru was a civilian living on the PLANTS. We had rescued her from an escape pod, and in return she offered her aid to this ship. Apparently, she had been held against her will by the enemy forces. She had hacked into Zaft's military database, and they became aware that she might sell the information. They treated her as a prisoner because they were afraid of her true intentions, and now she has given her trust to us. I think we should return that trust."
"Do you really believe it's really that easy to trust someone?" Hoffman snapped. Half mad, half shocked.
"She has given us the impression that she would not break her word, so our crew members are taking shifts to watch her. She's sweet, kind, and has already helped us several times."
"Not to mention she has a beautiful singing voice!" Mu interrupted.
"Lieutenant La Flaga!" Hoffman snapped.
Mu chuckled softly, rubbing the back of head. "Oops, sorry. Should've kept my mouth shut..."
Hoffman sighed before speaking. "Getting back to the subject of the boy, if we let him go now..."
Before anyone could say anything, Natarle stepped forward. "If I may interject, I myself agree with Captain Hoffman's sentiment." Marrue and Mu turned to her, confused. "Anyone can see he has amazing abilities, and he also knows the secret about the G-weapons. Is it really wise to let him leave?"
"Huh," Halberton grunted. "Zaft now possesses four of those machines. Hardly a secret at this point."
"Bu-but sir! His strength is a diffident asset, so I believe it would be in everyone's best interest to have him join the Earth Forces!"
"Oh?" Hoffman inquired.
Halberton frowned. "But from what Lieutenant Ramius says the boy has no intention of joining the military. Besides, even if he does leave, we do have the other Coordinator."
"But wouldn't it make sense to have two Coordinators fighting instead of one? His parents are Naturals who escaped the collapse of Heliopolis, and as of now are living on Earth. If the military were to force them -"
"You are spouting nonsense!" Halberton snapped, slamming his hand on the desk. "What use would we have for such a soldier?"
Natarle gasped, shocked that he yelled at her opinion. She bowed and stepped back.
"I-I'm terribly sorry, sir."
Halberton sighed, and then stood. "What has past is unimportant. The problem is what we do now. The Archangel will be required to make its decent to Alaska headquarters with its existing roster and personal, including Ensign Hitamaru."

"How's your head?" Miriallia asked.
Mai sighed and nodded slowly, adjusting the ice pack in her hands and pressed it to the back of her head.
"It's getting better," she lied.
In fact, her head was killing her, as if the painkillers had done nothing.
Mir placed a glass in front of her friend, and sat across the table.
"So..." she started, gaining Mai's attention. "What were you so upset about?"
Mai turned away, knowing her face was red. She didn't exactly want to tell anybody what she did.
"Nothing..."
Mir laughed, "I don't believe you, you know. I might not have known you for long, but I can tell you're lying."
"I-Im not lying."
"Then why's your face so red?"
Mai looked back to her, knowing Mir wasn't going to let this go.
She sighed. "Fine. Can you keep a secret?"

"According to this, were supposed to receive a new mobile suit to take with us to Alaska..." Kojiro mumbled as he stared at the clipboard.
It was his job to bring in the new supplies with the rest of the staff.
"We get two Skygraspers? Wait a minute! These are designed for use in the atmosphere!"
He looked up, seeing two red, blue and white mobile armors were being transported into the hanger.

"The replacement personnel were lost along with the Advanced Fleet, so you can see our problem." Hoffman explained. "We no longer have additional crew to allocate to the Archangel."
Marrue nodded slowly.
Halberton, who had been staring at the map on the wall, turned again to the three Archangel personnel.
"Now, because of the unfortunate incident with Heliopolis being destroyed, it's even more critical that we get the Archangel and the remaining two G-weapons with all their data down to Alaska."
"Two G-weapons, admiral?" Marrue asked.
Halberton nodded. "Six G-weapons in total had been made by the Earth Forces, and all but one was being held at Heliopolis. We held the last one at the Lunar Base, because there were some errors with its system. We feared if the enemy found the location of this mobile suit they would attack the base as well. So we wish that you bring it down with you to Alaska, making it safe for the time being."
"Yes, but sir, how could we -?"
"We must get the G-weapon development back on track!" He interrupted. "Zaft will no doubt continue to send new machines into the battle field." He sighed, staring down at the papers on his desk. "It burns me; those pencil pushers who've been wasting valuable resources on concessions, simply see the number of soldiers lost in battle field as figures on paper."
There was a pause, as Marrue and the others thought about the two teenagers on the ship.
"Very well, sir." Marrue saluted, smiling. "I'll be sure to deliver that spirit of yours when we reach Alaska."
Mu smiled as well before joining Marrue. "As a surviving mobile armor pilot that is one order I can not refuse!"
Halberton saluted to them in return. "I appreciate that."

"Discharge papers?" Tolle asked as Captain Hoffman and Natarle handed the group of teenagers each a sheet of papers.
"You mean we were soldiers all along?" Miriallia questioned.
She had just finished a long conversation with her blue-haired friend, and had decided to talk to Tolle about something else. It turned out most of her friends were there. Mai had gone to check things with the Strike.
"Assigned to the Archangel of the 8th Fleet?" Kuzzy whispered.
Natarle stared at the remaining sheet in her hand, then looked around the room.
"Where's Kira Yamato?" she asked, but just sighed after the others looked at each other. "Never mind, just give this to him later."
Natarle placed the paper on Kira's bed, while Hoffman explained the situation.
"Though it was an emergency situation, the fact is it's illegal for civilians to take part in combat. We want to avoid any potential problems, so this is our solution. You've been recognized as volunteer soldiers having entered the military, so don't lose those."
"What about Mai? Is she discharging with us?" Mir asked, hoping for a different answer then the one she already knew.
The others all looked at her, and all but one began to think about the new addition to their gang. They hadn't known her for long, but they all had grown pretty fond of her.
Natarle sighed. "Mai Hitamaru has actually volunteered. She will be staying on the Archangel as the new pilot of the Strike."
Mir frowned. She knew if Mai had wanted to come with them she was more then welcome, but she wouldn't. She wanted to stay.
Hoffman decided to continue. "Furthermore, any information you have learned on duty is confidential. Even after -"
"Excuse me?" Flay interrupted from the back of the group.
Everyone in the group turned around to face her, wondering what she wanted.
"You were not involved in combat." Natarle said. "Therefore, you do not need to go through these procedures."
Flay slowly shook her head and stepped in front of the group. "No, that's not what I want to ask. I would like... to join the Earth Alliance Forces."
"What!?"
"Fl-Flay?"

Mai sighed, pulling herself out of the Strike by the side of the cockpit. She tossed her hair to the side and looked around the hanger.
She had checked the Strike's current condition, and decided it would be best not to change anything after all. Kira had done a brilliant job, considering he had changed the program in mid-battle.
Her feet touched the metal bridge in front of the Strike, and she held on to the railing to stop herself from floating away. Her eyes widened at something she was sure hadn't been there before she went into the Strike. Even without the colors, she knew what it was.
The GAT - X104 Ecran.
Mai pushed off the railing and headed towards the new Gundam, managing to grab another railing right in front of it.
'How did it get here?' she asked herself. 'Did the 8th fleet have it all this time?'
"Ensign Hitamaru?"
At first Mai ignored it, but soon realized it was her that this new voice was asking for. So she turned around, only to see Halberton standing there.
"You are Ensign Hitamaru, am I correct?"
Mai blinked, but quickly raised her hand to salute. "It is an honor to meet you, admiral. I apologize; I'm still new to being called an Ensign."
He nodded, slightly smiling at her. "I was looking for Kira Yamato when I found you instead, and decided to say hello, since I've heard a lot about you. The report says you managed to increase the weapon speed of the Archangel. Is that true?"
"Yes, sir. But it wasn't all that much." Actually, Mai wondered if the Vesalius even had noticed.
"Splendid!" he chuckled. "I would like to ask you to do the same to our ships once the shuttle leaves for Earth."
Mai couldn't believe he had just asked her that. She looked away for a second, knowing if she agreed many more people would die. But this is what she agreed to when she joined the Earth Forces.
"Of course, sir."
"Good." He sighed and turned to face the Ecran. "It's a nice feeling that some of your people would help us."
"Sir?"
Halberton smiled. "I'm sure you and I will be able to talk again soon, so I wish to talk to Mr. Yamato before he leaves."
The two saluted each other, but Mai couldn't help but be confused. As he left, she thought about what he meant, and wondered if he thought that Coordinators were monsters.
"Well, that was interesting..." she whispered once he was out of earshot.
"Mew!"
Mai jumped and spun around, seeing her little black companion attempting to float towards her.
"M-Mewmo? Why are you here?"
"Meeeeww..."
She smiled and reached out for her, helping the cat grab a hold of her shoulder. She wasn't like a real cat, but her paws were filled with material to keep her from falling off.
"Were you upset that I left you?" Mai asked, but Mewmo only tilted her head in return.
"Well, I..." she cut herself off, feeling her eyes wander to the lift over viewing the hanger.
'I wonder...'

He watched it, running everything that has happened to him in his mind. The Strike towered above him, hiding him in its shadow.
Kira thought about his best friend. How they met after so long, only to find out he was invading Heliopolis as a soldier.
How Marrue was forced to push him into the Strikes cockpit, starting everything.
How he managed to meet someone so nice to him, who barely knew who he was.
And how he was going to Orb, leaving everything and everyone behind.
"Suddenly getting nostalgic now that you're disembarking?"
Kira turned around, coming face-to-face with Halberton, who stepped up beside him.
"Kira Yamato, I presume. I've read about your actions in the report."
"Um, yeah..."
"Hm..." he mumbled, turning to the Strike. "Once again, I can't help but shake my head in amazement at the sheer abilities of you Coordinators. These were only meant to counter Zaft's mobile suits, but with you guys inside piloting them they suddenly become extraordinary super weapons. Not only that, but you're only children. You look and act just like us, but you're genes are altered to make you completely different."
"I wouldn't go that far!" Kira argued, not trying to be rude.
Halberton turned back to him, "It has also been explained to me that your parents are Naturals?"
"Huh? Y-yes sir, that's correct."

w w w . imeem . com/people/TXpA14w/music/6oDR8cIp/rietanakamizunoakashi/

"Part of me wonders what they wanted to achieve by making you a Coordinator."
Kira's eyes widened slightly, considering he had never thought about that before.
"In any case," he continued, "I'd like nothing more than a way to end this war. A quick one at that."
"Mizu no naka ni yoru ga yureteru
Kanashii hodo shizuka ni tatazumu
Midorinasu kishibe.
Utsukushii yoake wo
Tada matte iraretara
Kirei na kokoro de."
The two looked around, only seeing the blue-haired teenager leaning on a railing, her voice echoing throughout the hanger.
"Kurai umi to sora no mukou ni
Arasoi no nai basho go aruno to
Osiete kureta no wa dare.
Dare mo ga tadori tsukenai
Soretomo dareko no kokoro no naka ni."
Even though he had heard that song before, he couldn't help but become shocked at her voice. Halberton didn't notice Kira's red face, or his stare, and instead just chuckled.
"Well, Lieutenant La Flaga was right; her voice is beautiful."
The two continued to listen for a while, as did a lot of workers in the hanger.
"Ima wa doko nimo nakutemo
Kitto jibun de te ni ireruno
Itsumo, itsuka, kitto."
"Sir!" Someone yelled, tearing their attention away from the song. A soldier ran up to Halberton, saluting to show his place on the military food chain. "The Menelaos would like you back at once."
Halberton sighed. "Here we go again. They just won't let me have a decent chat with you guys!"
"Ah..."
"What I really wanted was to thank you for protecting the Archangel and Strike up until now," he saluted. "May you live to see the dawn of a better era."
Following the other soldier, he began to float away.
"Sir!" Kira called after him, and he turned.
"Mizu no akashi wo kono te ni
Subete no honoo wo nomikonde nao."
"Ahh... so what happens now to the Archangel, and to Lieutenant Ramius and Mai?"
"The Archangel will be heading to Earth just the way it is. So they'll be returning to the battlefield. Ensign Hitamaru will be defending it."
"Well, admiral, I thought -"
"I know exactly what you're concerned about; you posses certain abilities that are very attractive to our military. However it's not as if we would be sure of victory if we had two Coordinators, wars not that simple. Don't flatter yourself."
"Anata no te wo tori."
"B-but, if I had the power to make a difference, then shouldn't I put it to good use?"
The soldier told Halberton that they must go, but he raised his hand to silence him.
"Only if you have the will to do it! Anyone who lacks the will never does see it to the end; your friend seems to understand that."
And with that he left, leaving Kira with his thoughts.

"Do you realize what you're saying?" Natarle asked the redhead in front of her.
Flay nodded slowly. "Look, I'm not saying this just for the fun of it. I've thought about ever since my father died; when they destroyed his ship."
"That means you must be the daughter of Vice Minister Allstar." Hoffman questioned.
"Yes; My name if Flay Allstar. I was in deep shock when I lost my father... All I could think about was how I couldn't bare what happened, and how I didn't want to be where I was. But when we joined up with the Fleet, and I realized I could finally land safely on Earth, I couldn't help feeling uneasy about something."
"Uneasy?" Natarle asked.
"Should we now let ourselves feel safe? Will we finally able to live in peace? I don't see how it's possible; a war is still being fought on Earth, and in space. The truth is that I never gave the matter much thought while living in neutral territory. My father was desperately working to find a way to end this war. If this is how it is, if true peace and true security can only be secured by our willingness to fight, then so be it! I am prepared to inherit my fathers will and fight!"
"Flay..." Sai whispered.
Flay began to sob into her hands as Sai wrapped his hands around her. "Even though my abilities may not end up being of any use..."
Once Natarle and Hoffman had left with the upset redhead, Sai turned to the others.
"Like she said, a war is still being fought on Earth and in space..."
They looked at each other before staring at their papers.

Kira looked around for his friends as he waited near the shuttle. A line of passengers in front of him waited for their turned as well. He saw a little girl, who smiled and began to float towards him.
"Come back, Elle!" her mother called after her.
The girl, Elle, laughed and hugged Kira, then reached into her bag, pulling out a small, paper flower. Just like the ones that they sent over the ruins of Junius 7.
"Thank you for protecting the rest of us until now," she told him.
At first he was shocked and confused, but then he smiled, bending down to her level.
He took the flower from her hand, "Thank you for this."
Again she laughed and turned around, heading back to her mother. But once she was there, she waved back at Kira.

The group stopped, staring at one of their members when they heard the sound of ripping paper.
"Sai!" Tolle said.
"What Flay expressed was exactly my sentience as well," he explained, letting his paper fall to the floor. Sai smiled. "Besides, it wouldn't be right for me to leave her alone, now would it?"
Tolle smiled, and ripped his own paper as well.
Miriallia called his name, shocked at what he had done.
"The officer said the Archangel is short handed. I'd feel partly responsible if sometime down the road it got shot down."
Mir nodded, and did the same.
"You too, Mir?" Tolle asked.
She nodded, "If you're planning to stay Tolle, then so am I."
The group heard another rip, and turned to look at their last member: Kuzzy.
"You're all staying; can't expect me to leave."
"You're a fool, Tolle said to Sai.
"So are you," he answered.
"You're the fool."
"Guess you're right."
Together they laughed, but shortly their conversation continued a little more.
"Mai will be happy that we're not leaving." Mir told them.
Tolle nodded, turning to Kira's bed. "Yeah, but he'll be leaving, won't he? S'pose so..."

"Brother!"
"Come on, Mai! You have to keep up!"
"Brother, wait for me, please!"
"Haha! You're so slow!"
"Big brother! Wait!"
"They're waiting for us! We have to hurry!"
"Ah!!"
"MAI!!"

She sighed at her once lost memory, and shook her head. Why did it have to be that memory she had to remember? The one that had changed the way Athrun had treated her when they were younger.
Mai looked to the combat uniform neatly folded in her hands, one that looked exactly like Kira's. No, that was wrong; it was his. Her's was still in her new locker.
But she had discovered something while she was cleaning out his locker, like Marrue had asked:
She had become addicted to his scent in the short time she'd known him.
Mai sighed again, but this time in defeat, and let her hair fall around her face before placing his uniform into the box at her feet. All she really wanted to do was crawl into a corner and sulk under her own little cloud of sadness and confusion, but she refused to let herself do that. She had to be strong, for her mother's sake.
"All hands, level one battle stations!"
"Mew?" a familiar noise sounded from behind her as the sirens rang in her ears.
She had forgotten about the poor little robot, and gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry; I got carried away."
And after that, she opened her own locker, got changed, and her and her companion went off towards the hanger. She was completely oblivious to the small, chained necklace stuck on Kira Yamato's locker.

"Kira!"
The brown-haired boy turned around, seeing his friends float towards him.
"Finally!" he said once they reached him, "I couldn't find any of you guys, so I..."
Tolle placed a rolled up paper into his hand, cutting him off. "This is meant for you; it's your discharge papers."
Kira blinked at them, questioning their behavior.
"You're going alone," Sai explained, "We've all decided to remain here."
Tolle nodded, "Yeah. With the Archangel; the military."
Kira couldn't remember the last time he was so confused. "You're staying? What do you mean?"
"Flay decided to volunteer, -" that didn't help "-so we decided we'd do the same."
"All hands, level one battle stations!"
"You over there!" A man from the shuttle called. "We're leaving!"
"Uh, please wait a moment! He's coming!" Tolle called back, earning Kira's attention again. "Think of this as destiny; so long. Help us by making sure you get to Earth safely."
Tolle pushed Kira towards the shuffle, and at the same time he and the rest of the group headed for the bridge. If they weren't trying to make him feel bad, it wasn't working.
"Keep yourself alive!" Sai called as they floated away.
"No matter what happens please don't be tempted to join Zaft!"
Miriallia smiled, enjoying an inside joke, before she said: "I'll make sure to tell Mai you said goodbye!"
Before he knew it, they were gone, and the soldier was nagging at him.
"Listen, if you're getting on, make it quick!"
It was becoming hard for him to inhale, to feed his lungs, and the two soldiers past behind him didn't help.
"Lieutenant La Flaga will be launching in the Zero. It's fine; we finished the repairs."
He realized how hard it was to fill his lungs, almost as if he was drowning in his surroundings. He stared at his hands - one holding the paper flower and the other his discharge papers and voices began to overflow his mind.
"Thank you for protecting the rest of us till now."
"Just because my genes are a little different doesn't mean I'm not human."
"I imagine things will be hectic, even on Earth."
"We're all looking towards the same future."
"Kira, you have the power to make a difference, don't you? So why not put it to good use?"
"I can't go back, not now."
"I need you to understand."
Kira crumbled the discharge papers in his hand, throwing it behind him as he floated off, yelling to the man in front of the shuttle.
"Please, go without me!"

Her breathing was heavy as she waited in the Strike, holding her stomach with her crossed hands.
Mai didn't feel sick like before, but now she was scared. She was alone; her brother probably thought she was dead, her father, too; she was most likely going to kill people, whether she wanted to or not. She was almost hyperventilating. Mewmo seemed to know Mai was troubled, and kept tying to play a certain lullaby that her mother used to sing, but was stopped every time.
The cockpit was open, but no one was paying her any attention. Most of them were helping Mu with his Moebius Zero, and he didn't seem to like this.
"That doesn't go there!" he yelled at them. "Be careful; not like that!"
Hearing this made her smile a little: At least he was there. He was already like a big brother to her.
"Are you feeling okay?" someone asked, and Mai realized it was him.
How he got there, she didn't know, but all she could seem to do was nod.
"You're probably just nervous; it'll get better."
She tried to smile, managing to squeeze her stomach harder without him noticing.
He chuckled, "I think it's about time they work on female suits, don't you agree? That male suit does not do you justice."
That made her laugh.
She knew he wasn't being perverted (well, sort of, she knew better than to ignore words like those); instead he was trying to change the subject to ease her mind.
"Thank you," she said, smiling up at him.
He smiled back, "Anytime."
"Mew?" They turned to the forgotten black robot.
"Why's that here?" he asked her.
"She followed me here, and she won't leave. It's actually kind of comforting..."
"Alright, then. Just don't let it get in the way, alright?"
She nodded, and he floated away.
"See what trouble you cause me?"
Mewmo only tilted her head to the side, making Mai laugh again, but with less enthusiasm.
The minutes seemed to just drag by, until Mai left the comfort of the Strike to check on the battle. She saw Mu, and automatically she knew he was arguing with Marrue over the comlink.
"Hey! Why are we still on standby?" he questioned loudly. There was talk on the other side, which she couldn't hear as she approached. "Those four machines are it again! The Eighth Fleet is in trouble!"
He nodded to Mai when he noticed her, and she was close enough to hear.
"Lieutenant La Flaga..." Marrue's annoyed voice said on the other line.
"It's not as if my mobile armour and Mai's Strike will make much of a difference, but still..."
"We have to try," Mai agreed.
Marrue looked at them both, then sighed. "Our ship hasn't been signalled to join in yet; please remain on standby."
"But that's..." Mu started, but she turned the comlink off.
End of discussion, that's basically what she meant.
Mu sighed, looking at Mai. "I guess we'll have to wait."
She nodded, and he went back to arguing with the crewmembers.
Back in the Strike, she tried to sleep, but it was no use. Nothing could possibly cause her to relax, not at that time. Not while she was preparing for battle.
"All hands prepare for atmospheric entry interface!" someone yelled over the intercom, and Mai heard Mu and the mechanic, Kojiro, start their own little argument.
"Descending?" Mu questioned. "With the situation were in?"
"What good is it gonna do to yell at me?" Kojiro snapped back. "But I guess it's better than sitting around doing nothing."
'Maybe... maybe I won't have to fight, after all...'
Mewmo, still attaching herself to Mai's shoulder, tilted her head again. Mai sighed, slowly closing her eyes, wishing for sleep.
"Even if we lose the Zaft ships and Ginns..." her eyes opened in shock, her breathing stopped completely, "There's still those four machines."
Her heart started beating rapidly in her chest as she reached for the edge of the cockpit, pulling herself out. She spun in the direction of the older men's earlier conversation, only seeing the last person she thought she would, and her breathing started again. Only, it was heavy, as if her lungs were full of water. If her grip on the edge hadn't been threateningly tight, she would have floated away.
"Hey, Kid!" Kojiro called.
Kira nodded towards him. "I'll stand by in the Strike. Still at level one battle stations, right?"
Finally, their eyes met, and he smiled. Still confused, she reached her hand out towards him, and he took it, bringing himself to a stop.
"Kira?" Mai started, but only realized how hard it was to speak. "Why are you -?"
"I'll take over the Strike; you didn't change anything, did you?"
Slowly, unsure of what to do, she nodded.
"That's good."
"Why... what made you come back?"
Kira smiled, before using their still connected hands to pull her closer, into a hug. Her heart stopped again, shocked at this movement, and she felt the red in her cheeks.
"I guess it was my will to protect," he whispered.
When he pulled them apart, she felt him close her hand, and cold metal froze her skin.
"I found that in the locker room; it has your name on it."
Kira turned away, heading into the cockpit where she had just been. She stared at her hand, seeing her locket, with Mai engraved on the front.
Mai looked up to see the cockpit beginning to close. "Wait, Kira -!"
She wanted to tell him to get out, and tell him that this was her job, but she couldn't. He had smiled at her right before it closed, and the words were taking out of her mouth.

'What am I going to do now...?'
"Mew?"
Mai turned her head to her, forgetting the robot, which had started to rub her cold head against the teenagers cheek.
"The Duel and Buster have broken through!"
"Lieutenant La Flaga!"
"Yeah, I know! Marrue; let us fight until the last second!"
"Don't be ridiculous! You want us to..."
Mai didn't hear the rest. Instead, she felt herself being drawn to it, almost like a magnet.
The Ecran.
If she couldn't fight in the Strike, after all that time she had to prepare, she'd find another way.
It was just pure luck that another way was there, or maybe it was curse. She was, after all, a good luck charm and a bad one.
"I'm not going to let them fight alone!"

In life, we're all forced to make many choices. But I don't think any of us ever had to make a choice as tough as her's.

Miriallia Haw