Chapter 3

Yzak looked into the mirror and scowled. The black suit he was forced to wear was plain and it felt stiff against his skin. It was uncomfortable compared to his usual attire. The reality of the situation was finally starting to dawn on him. He was quickly growing to regret his rash decision to become a bodyguard last night.

He sighed. In any case, he was stuck with it now. Yzak Joule wasn't one to take back his words. He was going to go through with it if it was the last thing he did—figuratively speaking of course. He wasn't planning on getting killed in the Supreme Council Meeting, unless it was done by boredom. Not that he didn't find politics intriguing, he just found some Representatives extremely dull, especially Jeremy Maxewell from Quintilis City. He could literally go on for days about how PLANT should give more budgets to chemical engineering, and somehow that would make the world a better place to live in. As far as Yzak was concerned, it was all a bunch of rubbish. The man was nuts.

The silver haired teen quickly adjusted his tie, and took one last look at himself in the mirror, before making his way out of the hotel room.

The ex-pilot of Buster sat in his car impatiently. His father was late. He promised to drive him to the Council Meeting this morning, and properly introduce himself to his fellow council members. He hated politics and politicians even more. They were always so full of themselves, pretending they know everything. Do they honestly have any idea how many soldiers they've sent to their deaths with their futile demands? No, they don't. Even if they do, they don't seem to care about it.

The blonde heard the car door click open, and the rustling of fabric as his father settled down in the backseat. Then a small thud, as he closed the door behind him. "Sorry to make you get up so early in the morning, Dearka." He said apologetically. "I know you got here late last night, but since I don't know how long you're staying, I need to find time with you whenever I can."

"It's fine, dad. I was up anyways." Dearka told him nonchalantly, pulling the car out of the driveway. "But is it really necessary for me to introduce myself to your friends? Most of them know me anyways."

"They aren't my 'friends', Dearka." He corrected him. "There are no friends in politics. And yes, it is necessary. It's crucial to introduce my heir to my political opponents. I'm sure you haven't met most of the current council members before. Its make up changed quite a lot since the last time you were home."

"Another geezer died of old age?" said the smirking blonde, taking a left turn.

"This is serious business, son." He said solemnly, his eyes firmly fixed onto the passing scenery. "A lot of the council members were removed from their positions after Louise Leitner took over the Council. She's not as radical toward the naturals as she was during the first war, but she'll never have Lacus Clyne's sentiments toward them."

"She's not ruthless enough to start another war, is she?" Dearka questioned worriedly.

"No, she's not. She's trying her best to steer PLANT away from that." He reassured. "But it's the other council members I'm worried about. Herman Gould from October City wants another war, and he's using the current Earth Alliance attacks on civilian shuttles as his platform. He's got a large chunk of supporters. I don't know how long Louise can hold out."

He swore under his breath. "What are Athrun and the other council members doing then?"

"Trying their best like I am." He sighed, shaking his head. "Politics is a mind game, Dearka. Nothing is as simple as it seems. Take the marriage arrangement between the Leitner and the Joule family—"

"What did you say!" The dark skinned teen turned around to stare at his father in shock and disbelief, as the car swerved onto the next lane.

"Keep your eyes on the road!" His father quickly reminded him, grabbing onto the handle above the car door, as the car swerved back to its original lane. "You mean Yzak hasn't told you about the arrangement yet?"

"No, he hasn't." He said breathlessly. Maybe this would explain the strange conversation he had with his best friend before they unboarded the Voltaire.

"Louise and Ezalia made the arrangement for Emera and Yzak years ago to ensure the other's political support. I would say Ezalia benefited greatly from it." He said dryly, openly expressing his dislike toward the silver haired woman. "I'm sure you're perfectly aware of how she went out of power after the fall of Patrick Zala?"

Dearka nodded, keeping his eyes on the road this time.

"After Louise became Chair Woman, she brought her back to the Council, and made her National Defense Committee Chair." He said suggestively. "But do you honestly think she did it out of goodwill?"

Realization dawned on him. "She did it because Ezalia had their arrangements in ink and paper, and the Chair Woman couldn't back out of it."

"Exactly."

Dearka shook his head in disbelief. Politicians were worse than thieves. They threaten, black mail, and even manipulate their own allies to get what they want. "I can't believe Yzak didn't tell me anything about it."

"I don't think this is something either family wants the public to know."

"Emera Leitner…" The blonde whispered the name under his breath. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"She's Junius City's Representative." His father answered the question with ease. "Not a bad politician, but she's certainly not as ruthless as her mother. She's supporting Lacus Clyne and Athrun Zala with their new proposal."

"No, that's not what I mean." Dearka retorted, scrunching his eye as he tried to remember. "I've heard of that name before in ZAFT."

"She was on the Legacy during the second war. A red coat, if I'm not mistaken."

Dearka raised a brow in question. "She was in ZAFT?"

Tad nodded. "She left after the second war and took her mother's place as Junius City's representative when Louise became Chair Woman."

The blonde shook his head. "What an ambitious family…"

"I guess it's out of the question to even suggest you to take my place when I retire?" He asked with a hint of hopefulness.

"Father, you know I'm not cut out for politics." He said in exasperation. "All I want is a normal life. I've had enough of lies and deceits to last a lifetime."

"I guess it can't be helped if you feel that strongly against it." The older man sighed. "I worry about PLANT's future. Without a doubt, Lacus Clyne will take Louise's position once she retires, but even with her as Chair Woman I can't get rid of that little doubt in the back of my head."

"I don't think I can ever trust politicians." Dearka stated dryly, pulling up to the Supreme Council Parking lot. "No offence to you, dad."

"None taken." He answered. "When you told me you didn't want to follow in my footsteps, I was a little disappointed, but at the same time I was relieved. I don't want this life for you, son. There's too much confusion and manipulation. You never know who you can trust. In the Council Room, it's impossible to tell a friend apart from a foe."

"Or so you keep telling me." Dearka muttered under his breath, as he turned off the car engine.

The Supreme Council Conference Room brought back memories. Yzak served as a representative for a brief while after the first war. Politics was challenging, sometimes crazy even. But most of the time, it was just downright boring. He had no idea how his fiancée and his mother could stand associating with these old geezers.

"Yzak!" A familiar voice called out. He turned around to find a face he didn't expect to see.

"Dearka?" He said the name in disbelief.

"I didn't expect to find you here!" The blonde punched him playfully on the shoulder. "I was dropping my father off. What are you doing here? I don't see your mother…"

Yzak found his predicament quite difficult to explain, especially when his friend didn't know about his engagement. However, he was spared from the painful silence by Tad, as he came up behind the two. "Yzak! I'm surprised to see you here! Did you decide to drop by for a visit?" He said warmly. He was quite fond of the silver haired teen. Yzak had potential in the political field, he knew. He was ambitious, determined, and had a unique view regarding politics.

"I guess you could say that, Mr.Elsman." He said unsurely.

"In any case, enjoy yourself here—if that's possible." He flashed him a knowing smile, "If you're ever free, Yzak, please do come over for dinner. I can't thank you enough for bringing back my son alive."

"It wasn't very hard to do, sir. He's a very capable pilot."

"You're too modest, Yzak." He gave him a friendly pat on the shoulders. "I think I see Jeremy at the corner over there. I must speak with him about his proposal. It was nice seeing you again." He turned to his son. "Dearka, once you're done here, I need to introduce you to George Luftwaffe. Don't take too long, Ok?"

Dearka reassured his father that he wasn't going to spend the whole day talking to his friend, as the older man quickly made his way toward the balding representative of Quintilis City.

"Politicians are boring, aren't they?" said Dearka dryly as soon as his father was out of earshot. "All the ones I've spoken to here today are as dull as hell."

Yzak smirked. "If we can make it out of here alive, Dearka. It would be a miracle."

The two companions shared a brief moment of laughter.

"You still haven't said why you're here." The darker boy brought up the topic once more. "You're not with your mother. I can see that much."

The blonde's persistence was starting to piss him off. "Why is it any of your business what I'm doing here, Elsman." He said icily.

"Because I want you to tell me the truth that you have a fiancée, and you're here to see her." He answered curtly, looking at his friend straight in the face.

His eyes widened in astonishment. "How did you find out?"

"My father." He replied, scanning the room from the corner of his eyes. "But I should've known. Why else would have the Chair Woman let us off the hook for defending the Eternal?"

Yzak shrugged. "I would have told you about it if it ever came up, but I don't exactly make a hobby out of telling people about my personal life."

"But I'm not just anyone Yzak, I'm your damn best friend!" He protested. "Isn't this something a little too important to leave out?"

The silver haired teen didn't know how to answer. It was out of the question to tell him that he didn't feel comfortable talking about girls with him. But Yzak was spared the trouble of coming up with a reply, as a familiar voice called out their names. "Yzak! Deaka!"

This voice belonged to no other than the renowned pilot of the Justice. Yzak instinctively clenched his fist at the sight of the man. "Athrun, you bastard." He shouted, making several people turn to him in surprise.

The blue haired teen raised his hands defensively. "You haven't changed one bit, Yzak."

"Neither have you, you arrogant jerk."

"So how's the life of a Representative, Athrun? Is it as boring as we think it is?" Dearka asked humorously, quickly changed the subject.

"If you mean I would rather put a bullet in my head than sit through another meeting, then yes it is." He grinned. Being together with them reminded him the days of his early adolescence, when he was still the pilot of the Aegis.

"Glad we see eye to eye for once." said Yzak coldly. The teen in front of him irritated him to no end just for being alive. There was something about him that pissed Yzak off. Maybe it was how he earned respect from others without even trying. Or maybe it's how he's better than him in everything he did. Either way, his resentment toward the other only grew since the moment they've met.

"How do you think this conflict's going to turn out?" The blonde questioned, remembering the earlier conversation he had with his father. "My old man doesn't think things look too good right now."

"It's not." Athrun answered wryly. "We're at a stalemate. Half of the council supports the idea of sending PLANT to war and the other half doesn't. I don't know who is going to be the first to change sides, but that person determines PLANT's future."

"The damn bastards must be crazy to want another war." Yzak's body stiffened. "Do they have any idea how many people they're sending to their deaths?"

"They haven't seen the battlefields like we have, Yzak. To them it's just another political decision." Athrun shrugged helplessly. "We're trying our best, but it doesn't seem like it's going anywhere. Herman Gould's got a lot of support."

"He's a smart man. There's nothing much we can do against him that we haven't tried already." said the songstress as she walked up to the trio, Kira following closely behind. "It's nice to see you again Dearka, Yzak."

"The pleasure is all mine, Lacus-san." The blonde greeted courteously, as he moved aside to make room for the ex-pop star and her renowned bodyguard. "How do you like the life at PLANT, Kira?" He asked out of curiosity.

"Just fine, Deaka. It's quite different from Orb, but overall it's just a city like any other." The kind-hearted pilot of the Freedom answered, casting him a side glance. "Have you heard from Milliallia lately?"

Dearka cringed at the sound of her name. It's common knowledge that the girl had dumped him a week after his decision to return to PLANT two years previously. And it's also common knowledge that the ex-pilot of Buster never really got over the incident. "No, I haven't." He answered, rubbing the back of his head nervously, "How is she?"

"Same as always." He flashed him a soft smile. "She's coming up to PLANT tomorrow for a photo exhibition. She said if possible she would like to get together with you for coffee or something of the sort."

His lips suddenly felt dry. Milliallia was coming to PLANT. After two years, he was finally going to see her again.

"She also said to bring the girl you mentioned to her last time. She really wants to meet her." Kira added as an after thought. "Just who is this girl, Dearka? How come I haven't heard about her before?"

The blonde tensed. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. The last time he had spoken to Milliallia, he was bragging about this terrific chick he was "dating", and how he was totally in love with her. But the truth was, he was exaggerating. The girl was only a one night fling. He couldn't even remember her name for god's sake! He just felt like he had to make something up to convince Milly that he was over her. Now that she expects to meet the girl, what was he going to do?

"My private life is not exactly something I put on public display, Kira. You know how it is." He said casually, borrowing Yzak's words from earlier. The brunette didn't question him, but he was sure he didn't buy it. Heck, it sounded like a lie even to his own ears.

"Dearka, didn't you promise your father to introduce yourself to some old geezer a while back?" Yzak cleverly reminded him. "I think he's waiting for you."

"Right." He said hurriedly. He sent his best friend a grateful look before excusing himself.

"Dearka." His father said in surprise, as the blonde approached him. "I thought you forgot about it."

"I did." He admitted guiltily. "Yzak had to remind me."

"Well, I'm just glad you have a responsible friend like him." He laughed, and turned to the girl next to him. "Emera, this is my son, Dearka."

She flashed him a polite smile, and extended her hand forward. "I'm Emera, Emera Leitner."

He took her hand in his. "Dearka Elsman, it's a pleasure to finally meet you, councilor. You have no idea how much I've heard about you."

She blinked. Confusion evident on her features. "I can't tell whether that's a good thing or not." She said unsurely, tilting her head to one side.

"Oh no, I assure you, everything I've heard about you was positive." He flashed her his signature smile. "So, my father mentioned to me earlier that you were in ZAFT before. What kind of mobile suit did you pilot?"

Dearka may not know much about politics, but this was something he did know about.

"ZGMF-X2000 GOUF Ignited." She beamed. "It was a good machine. Saved my life in more than one occasion. What about you, Major?"

"ZGMF-1001 Blaze ZAKU Phantom." Dearka answered; stuffing his hands into his pants pocket, as he shifted his weight from one foot to another. "Councilor, your ship was a part of the Lunar Fleet during the second war. Am I correct?"

"You're right about that. But I was on the other side of the moon from where Voltaire was."

He was taken back. How did she know what ship he was on? "Forgive me for asking, but have you heard of me before?"

"Of course. You are one of the most distinguished pilots in ZAFT. I know more about you than you probably give me credit for." She said suggestively, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"Try me." He smirked. "Dearka Elsman. You were a member of the famous Le Creuset Team in the first war. You piloted the GAT-X103 Buster. After a battle against the Archangel, you were issued MIA. However you were actually alive and well aboard the ship. The next time we saw you was at the Battle of Jachin Due. However you were fighting alongside the Freedom—"

Dearka blinked. "… I find it oddly unsettling that you know this much about me."

Laughing at his discomfort, she quickly added. "Before you start freaking out, I should say I was the one who processed your case regarding the situation with the Eternal. I read your entire file."

"And memorized it." He added uncertainly. "I guess I should thank you for sparing my life though."

"Don't thank me, thank Yzak. He was the one who made sure I went easy on you." She told him kindly, brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes. "He might be a bit difficult sometimes, but he's a good person."

"I still can't believe you're engaged to him." The words accidentally slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself. His father coughed uneasily.

Dearka ruffled his blonde curls nervously. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend you, councilor." She stared at him blankly for a second before shrugging it off. "Don't worry about it. It's not exactly something that's public knowledge after all. For you to be surprised like that, it can't be helped."

"Just exactly how close are the two of—" Dearka stopped in mid sentence, as he noticed his father's threatening glare. "Your parents." He quickly finished. Of course the blue haired girl wasn't stupid, she knew this wasn't the question he intended on asking, but she decided to play along.

"As close as politicians get. They used to be friends when they were our age." She told him weakly. "It was nice meeting you Dearka. Tad, I think the meeting's about to start soon. We should get going."

He nodded in agreement. "You can go on ahead, Emera. I want to have a word to Dearka first."

The light blue haired girl did as she was told, leaving the father and son by themselves. From the corner of his eyes, Dearka saw her approach his best friend.

"That's too personal of a question to ask the representative, son." The older man told him critically. "You better be glad she wasn't Herman Gould. Otherwise—"

"If it was Herman Gould, I wouldn't have wanted to know such details about his life anyways. He's not the one engaged to Yzak!"

The blonde said the last sentence a little louder than he should have. Several people turned to stare at him in suspicion, including a certain said individual. Dearka could feel his best friend's glare piercing a hole in his back.

"Actually, Dearka, I'm quite glad you're not going into politics. You would be slaughtered…" His father shook his head in exasperation, as he laid a hand on his shoulder. "I should head to the meeting. Why don't you go out and have some fun. I'll see you when I get home."

"Good luck, father." Dearka saluted, a mischievous grin evident on his face. "I will be praying for your safe return. From now on, I refuse to come within ten meters of this building. I'm afraid dullness might be contagious."

"Maybe Elena dropped him on his head one too many times when he was a baby…" He muttered under his breath as he quickly walked away, carefully hiding his face from his peers' questioning gaze.