Lost Memories/Amnesia Girl Chapter 43
"Mare behind you!" Kira barked shooting the head off of a near-by GINN.
"Thanks Kira," Mare muttered. She shook the thoughts of her sister away activating the GuAIZ's beam claws slicing off the legs and arms with ease. As long as she's not distracted, Amarante's fighting at her full potential. We have to get her mind off of her sibling, Kira thought.
"You're being reckless Mare. Focus on the battle instead of your feelings or else stay here and protect the ships Amarante!" Athrun ordered.
"No no! I can help!" Amarante begged. She didn't want to sit around and protect the ships, besides Kira promised that she could remain with them.
"Then start acting like yourself!" Athrun barked. Amarante cringed in her cockpit, Athrun was right but what about her sister? She wasn't strong enough defeat her on her own.
"Don't yell at her Athrun. She's a gentle individual that has been through a lot from the time that she was a child to now. Athrun you can't bark and boss her around like you would your own fellow soldiers. You have to treat her more gently," Kira replied. Amarante felt her eyes water at the words Kira expressed. Even though they were enemies and Kira stole her memories and her lover, Kira was always so compassionate towards her. Athrun gets carried away sometimes, Kira thought with a groan.
"Kira," Athrun gasped.
"Getting through her by fear and harsh tones isn't the right way to motivate her. Mr. Waltfeld taught me that," Kira answered before turning to Amarante. "Go with Dearka, they're going to stop the nukes ."
"Alright," Amarante said gently gunning her thrusters racing off in the direction of the Buster. It's amazing how much of a child she still is. She's still very gullible and naïve, Athrun thought with a sigh. There was still so much she needed to learn in this world.
"See, nothing to it," Kira said with a smile. "Your commanding tone is the reason why she commonly bulks at your commands." I just hope that she won't run into her sister when she's over heading over to Dearka, Kira thought worriedly.
"Well at least now we won't have to worry as much," Athrun replied with a sigh.
"You're still going to worry about her at the same level you are now," Kira replied.
"I am not," Athrun growled defensively. He had no reason to worry if she was with Dearka and most likely Yzak.
"Whatever you say Athrun," Kira chuckled. Oh Athrun you never want to appear weak in front of anyone, Kira thought.
"There she is…that little brat," Amaranta muttered watching her sister's customized GuAIZ fly across the battlefield. She dies today! This is for you…Mom, Dad! Amaranta thought pulling the trigger. Amarante cried out feeling her mobile suit rattle about. It couldn't be…she should be escorting the nukes, Amarante thought cringing at the thought of fighting her sister. She felt tears stream out of her eyes as her heart began to panic.
"I…I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT YOU!" she screeched firing blindly at her sister.
"Amarante stop it!" Waltfeld hollered into his ear piece. She cringed looking at the monitor through tears. On the other end Waltfeld watched the little girl he took under his wing break like glass. Looking up at the screen, Lacus frowned.
"But, I can't," Amarante murmured dodging machine gun rounds with a swift barrel roll.
"I taught you that if you weren't in the right state of mind for a battle than you can't be on the battlefield. Return to the ship immediately. You're hopeless in this state," Waltfeld barked.
"But, I," Mare muttered. She let out a squeak feeling another round hit her in the back. Tears floated around her face inside her helmet.
"Amarante, just return to the ship," Waltfeld sighed. I can't believe I let him down. No, you can still right this! Amarante thought going on the offensive.
"No…I can do it," Amarante replied with a sorrowful smile. They're all counting on me…And I can't allow myself to let Dad down again. I want to get through this…Nicol, just wait for me for a little while longer, she thought blinking the tears away from her eyes. She quickly cut communication between her and the Eternal. "Mara, I…I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU ANYMORE!" With her new resolve, Amarante charged her sister's machine ripping the shield off her machine.
"Why don't you burn in hell?" Amaranta hollered firing into Amarante's mobile suit with the Strike Dagger's Vulcan canons. In response Amarante dug the beam claws into the shoulder of the Strike Dagger with the intention of holding on for dear life.
"Then we'll go together Mara! We shared a womb so we'll share death!" Amarante chuckled getting ready to self-destruct.
"You don't have the guts!" the older sister snapped.
"I'm known to do a lot of stupid things," Amarante chuckled evilly.
Flashback
"I won't let you!" Amarante cried out blindly firing at the jeep. She barely noticed that tears were falling from her eyes. She heard an explosion which forced her to open her eyes. The enemy jeep was up and flames and her commander's was safe. She let out a sigh of relief as Kirkwood's BuCUE approached her.
"Are you alright?" he asked her as their enemy retreated. Kirkwood exited his mobile suit joining her on the ground. Kirkwood placed a hand on her shoulder but she was dull on the inside as he helped her stand up. Their commander's jeep appeared soon after with a furious Waltfeld. Kirkwood backed away from Amarante as Waltfeld stomped to them.
"WHAT THE HELL GOT INTO YOU?" he demanded. He was using his deadly battle tone which Amarante hated to hear. He grabbed her by her shoulders staring into her eyes. Amarante stared back still dull inside. Her shoulder shot up with pain because his hand was so tight.
"Well…I," Amarante said above a whisper. Her skin turned pale because of the fear welling up in her.
"DO YOU WANT TO GET KILLED? AND WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU CRYING FOR? THAT LITTLE STUNT YOU DID BACK THERE COULD HAVE GOTTEN YOU KILLED! SO DO YOU WANNA DIE OR SOMETHING? IS THAT IT? DO YOU WANNA DIE?" Waltfeld argued shaking the girl. Amarante shook her head no as DaCosta got out of the jeep.
End Flashback
"I'll do anything to protect anyone I love! I felt that way about you…but you've lost that special place in my heart!" Amarante snapped typing in the sequence to self-destruct.
"Stupid girl," Dearka sighed seeing the two mobile suits dart across the battlefield. "Well let's make this one well-placed shot…If not Amarante's a goner." Carefully watching their flight pattern Dearka released a single round hoping to separate the two machines. Reluctantly Amarante released her sister's machine stopping the self-destruct sequence.
"Dearka!" Amarante snapped angrily. "I was going to kill her!"
"That's not like you! Get your head on straight!" Dearka barked.
"I am thinking straight! They're all counting on me! I can't let them down!" she growled. Well I'm glad her resolve is back, but it's unlike her to really want to kill someone, Dearka thought.
"That's not what I'm talking about! Don't stoop to her level!" answered Dearka.
"BUT she was going to kill me! I remember overhearing Athrun say, 'will you shoot it down or be shot down?' I won't be shot down!" she continued.
"That's still your sister! I know you'll feel horrible after this war is over IF you kill her!" Dearka barked. "You're still so young Amarante…both of you are. Young, confused and horribly manipulated. Look at your sister, how long has she been manipulated by your father?"
"Dearka," Amarante mumbled. Am I really that easy to read? Is this how I'm so easily manipulated? I can't let this happen to me anymore, Amarante thought with a sigh.
"I wasn't hard to put two and two together, especially when your sister is on the other side and you told us that you weren't really well acquainted with her," Dearka replied.
"Dearka then what can I do?" Amarante asked.
"You're a fancy pilot, I bet you could fight like Kira," Dearka teased.
"But I," Amarante began.
"JUST shut up! Where's the girl that got the best of me in Banadiya?" Yzak demanded. Amarante chuckled softly, letting tears of happiness fall out of her eyes. How could I be so foolish…How did I let my sister manipulate me so much that I refused to believe that anyone loved me, Amarante thought. "Shiho back Amarante up, the rest of us will proceed to destroy G.E.N.E.S.I.S. and the nukes!"
"Yes sir!" Shiho barked. "Amarante, we all have faith in you. So let's stop your sister."
"Yeah," Amarante replied. I just hope I can, Amarante thought.
"Mare," her sister sneered, "you're really going to believe this crap? Do you really believe that these people are going to continue to love you? What about that kid that loved you? He didn't love you enough to stay with you! Now do you really think that he loved you? This kid pitied you! He felt sorry for you!"
"Don't…Don't you ever say anything about Nicol! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO HE WAS! Nicol…Nicol was kind and loving and-and I never sensed that he pitied me! HE loved me! It's not like you know what true love is! He died trying to protect Athrun! Not like you'd ever die for anyone so why don't you SHUT THE FUCK UP AMARANTA! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME, MY LIFE, AND THE PEOPLE I CARE ABOUT!" Dearka chuckled, she said fuck. I'm almost a little shocked. Amarante charged her sister's machine letting out a war cry piercing the head of her sister's strike dagger with her beam claws. Damn, there goes my main camera! Amaranta thought.
"You bitch," Amaranta growled throwing the GuAIZ off of her machine.
"Shiho aim for the legs or the arms, let's incapacitate her," Amarante ordered.
"Yes Ma'am," Shiho answered shooting Amaranta's shield as her friend retreated to use her beam rifle. Damn, Amaranta thought falling on to her controls. She released the shield as it exploded into a thousand pieces. My armor is getting to the critical point…one more hit and I'll be done for, Amaranta thought with a grumble.
"Shiho," Amarante chuckled softly.
"Yes? What is it?" Shiho asked.
"Don't call me Ma'am, especially since I defected," Amarante answered. "Let's finish this quickly. You go for the right side, I'll go for the left."
"No, she'll die if you do that. Look at her armor, it's already broken and brittle. The best thing now is to leave or force her to retreat," Shiho replied.
"Alright," Amarante began, "Mara! You have to go now! Return to your ship immediately…or else…I'll have to shoot my one and only sister. I still love you so please…just retreat."
"LIKE HELL! I'M GONNA KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO MOM AND DAD!" Amaranta screeched raising her beam rifle. Amarante sighed softly shooting her sister's rifle out of her mobile suit's hand. She continued at the machine destroying all appendages carefully. I never knew she had it in her. I can't believe she would do this to her sister. I think it's over kill for her to shoot off every appendage, Shiho thought keeping all other mobile suits from the dueling sisters.
"I'm gonna put you on the outside of the battlefield, there you can call someone to come pick you up," Amarante said with a sigh.
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH ME!" Amaranta hollered playing with her controls trying to get her mobile suit to move. DAMN! WHY ARE YOU STALLING NOW? Amaranta thought hitting her controls. I'll self-destruct then, I'll take her down with me Amaranta thought with a sinister laugh. She pulled out the device only to find it was deactivated since the Strike Dagger had stalled. Screaming at the top of her lungs Amaranta kicked and punched the monitors inside her machine.
"Don't do that Amarante!" Shiho demanded.
"If I leave her here…she'll just die. I can't do that to my sister," Amarante sighed once again.
"I'll back you up then. I can't leave my best friend unprotected," Shiho said with a gentle smile. Tossing her beam rifle Amarante picked up her sister's wreckage gunning her thrusters making a beeline to the edge of the battlefield. Shiho followed after keeping all enemy mobile suits and armors away from the pair. At the edge, Amarante tossed her sister's machine into space emitting an emergency beacon over Earth Forces airwaves before leaving her sister behind.
"Let's get the nukes," Amarante ordered.
"Yes Ma…I mean sure," Shiho replied.
"At the end of this war…I hope you don't get in trouble for aiding us. I'm sorry if anything happens to you," Amarante sighed.
"Don't worry about it…I should have followed you. Even though you were in your amnesiac state, you knew what was right. So I should be apologizing to you," Shiho answered.
"Shiho," Amarante replied. A near-by explosion rattled Shiho's and Amarante's machines destroying Amarante's shield. She cursed to herself silently since she had lost her beam claws.
"I don't care what side you're on. We're gonna live through this battle!" Shiho announced proudly.
"Right!" Amarante answered resorting back to her beam rifle. Flying through the battlefield Amarante and Shiho shot off the heads of near-by mobile suits. Shiho's attention was caught by a frenzied beep and a written message causing her gut to churn. Feeling a strange sensation Amarante stopped quickly gunning her thrusters in reverse. It must be Rau le Creuset, Amarante thought a green streak of light piercing through the right leg of her machine. It bubbled in the heat before exploding. Amarante let out a small twirling through space from the explosion. Commander le Creuset! Shiho thought catching Amarante's machine. Did it get both of my legs? Amarante thought her monitor telling her that the balance was off.
"Mare stay away!" Mu ordered flying in front of the two girls. "CGUE pilot get Amarante and yourself out of here. Amarante take your machine back to the Eternal you're mobile suit isn't in any condition to fight."
"But Mu!" Amarante retaliated. She couldn't believe that Mu would be doing this at a time like this. Even if both legs were blown to pieces the upper body
"GET GOING! You can make yourself useful on the bridge!" Mu hollered at her. She felt tears well up in her eyes as she heard the anger in his voice. She was one of those girls who would immediately start crying if she was being yelled at.
"Ah…Y-Yes sir," Shiho answered leaving Commander le Creuset and the Strike pilot now named Mu. She wanted to mouth off to the pilot but he seemed to deeply care about Amarante and her wellbeing.
"I can still fire…I guess…just get me back to the Eternal," Amarante sighed. I can't believe that I'm out of this war. Damn that Rau le Creuset. I can't believe this is happening to me, Amarante thought.
"Dearka's also off the battlefield. So don't feel like you're the only one. At least, that's what Yzak…I-mean-Commander-Joule has told me," Shiho replied quickly. "I feel like your personal taxi Maremare."
"Maremare? Please don't call me that," Amarante replied shooting at anything that charged them.
"Why?" Shiho asked curiously. Amarante seemed even sadder now.
"Because Nicol would call me that while I was in the hospital. Just to make me smile he would say, 'You're my Maremare' or 'You're my cuddly Marebear.' It was corny and stupid but it made me smile and took my mind off the pain. Please don't call me that," Amarante explained solemnly.
"Understood," Shiho replied bringing her closer to the Eternal.
"Command-Dad," Amarante tried to say only to be interrupted by her father.
"I'm glad you're back safe and sound," Waltfeld cooed gently. "Take a position on the bridge when you get on board, DaCosta will help you." Communicating with the hanger crew Shiho brought Amarante's machine inside.
"Thank you Shiho," Amarante answered with a sigh. It was the last of the war and here she was sitting on the side line not able to accomplish anything.
"You've done more than you think Amarante," Shiho answered sensing her friend's disappointment. Gently Shiho placed the disabled mobile suit on the ground.
"What do you mean? The only thing I've done is defeat my sister and that's no real great task if you look at this whole battle. The other three in her team are probably on the battlefield somewhere. I haven't accomplished anything Shiho," Amarante sighed again. Leaning back in her seat she waited for Shiho to give her some response.
"Don't even say that Amarante! Like I said you've done far more than you think. All of us are fighting to stop this war from taking more innocent lives. So don't give up just yet! Remember, there are things we have to do after the war is over – cleaning up, unsolved political matters, and rebuilding. We'll all have our jobs after this war. I think you told me once that we're all pawns in this war…but even pawns can take down a greater foe from time to time. But I have to get back out there; I'll see you after the war Amarante!" Shiho persuaded. Amarante could only groan, watching her friend leave the hangar. Shutting down her machine, Amarante opened the hatching floating out to a joyous uproar. She flinched seeing the joyous faces as the mechanics and other crew members patted in her shoulder and head with praise.
"Great job out there Amarante!" the chief replied tapping her helmet.
"But I didn't," Amarante began.
"You left here believing that you couldn't accomplish a thing and you've returned not killing a single soldier. That's something to be proud of Amarante," the chief answered sending her towards the elevator.
"Amarante!" a familiar voice called out to her. It was none other than Kirkwood, her first love. He joined her in the elevator pulling off his helmet.
"What?" she asked curiously taking off her own. Tossing their helmets away Kirkwood wrapped his arms around her.
"I still love you Mare," he whispered into her ear. Pulling away he kissed her face repeatedly. His stomach dropped seeing a look of disgust on her face.
"Don't even say that," Amarante grumbled.
"Amarante but I really do! I REALLY do. Amarante I love you! I could never stop thinking about you after I gave you to him and even though I moved on…I still loved you! Amarante please, let's rekindle our love. You cannot deny that you still love me!" Kirkwood replied shaking the girl.
"Kirkwood stop! Nicol…Nicol is, was my soul mate and I'm not going to trample on his memory," Amarante answered as the door opened.
"Amarante…I need you," Kirkwood murmured.
"You don't need me…you WANT me," Amarante answered entering the locker room.
"Amarante," Waltfeld called out hearing the elevator open.
"Yeah! Anything you need help with Dad?" Amarante answered floating over to his chair.
"We don't need any help right now but feel free to stay here," Waltfeld told her.
"Dad about what happened earlier," Amarante began.
"Don't even worry about it Amarante, you're still be my little girl," Waltfeld cooed placing a hand on hers. She blushed softly still wondering why Waltfeld cared about her deeply. What made him love her and care for her? Looking down at Waltfeld's controls Amarante quickly pressed the button opening lines to the hangar.
"If you can, repair my GuAIZ so it can at least fly I would be sincerely grateful," Amarante asked before releasing her finger from the button.
"Amarante what are you doing?" Waltfeld demanded. His daughter had just come back safe and sound and now she wanted to go back again? He was not going to allow it this time; she was going to stay in a place where Waltfeld didn't have to worry about her.
"Well after the fighting's done, someone needs to help clean up," Amarante answered cheerfully.
Waltfeld sighed, "Just be careful."
"I know Dad," Amarante answered. "I know how to take care of myself."
"But I'll always worry about you because you're my daughter, and you'll always be my daughter Amarante. I want you to know that," Waltfeld replied sending his daughter off to the elevator.
"Don't worry I won't disappoint you!" Amarante cheered leaving the busy bridge.
"She sure is a busy body," Lacus chuckled.
"She lives up to her name…Amarante, the flower that never fades," Waltfeld answered in response.
YEAAHHHHH! LAST CHAPTER! Not the best but I suck at action. Don't worry there's an epilogue that I have to finish writing. This is a total of ten pages wow…Sorry that this isn't the greatest chapter ever.
WoofumsPup
P.S. If you could tell me where I wrote the part where Shiho destroys Amaranta shield so I can delete it PLEASE let me know. I can't find it ;A;
P.P.S. I also have a tumblr account (which I rarely post on) but it is nicolxamarante
Um, I think I need a better name for it as well w
Well I'll see you guys for the epilogue!
P.P.P.S. HAPPY NEW YEAR!