Characters: Athrun Zala, Dearka Elsman, Miriallia Haww, Sai Argyle

Pairings: None

Time frame: GS post ep 40

Killing

Miriallia freely admits she has been avoiding Kira. Though, it is probably better to specify not Kira, but instead the person he spends virtually all his time with.

Best friends, very obviously.

She is perfectly justified in it, of course, and no one has even looked at her twice for it. Not even Kira. Indeed, some almost applaud her for it. It isn't regular occurrence to come face to face with your boyfriend's killer and then to be able to refrain from pulling a gun on him.

But Miriallia manages, in fact.

She can almost completely banish the thought from her mind.

She is busy enough for that and practically spends no time at all alone anyway so she has no time to dwell on it.

Problem being only that the Archangel isn't that big and running into them, particularly him, is of course only a question of time.

Miriallia has hoped to win game against time; avoid them both till the war is over or death finally catches up with all of them.

She has no such luck. Preceded and announced by Torii, Miriallia expects Kira to enter the cafeteria. It isn't. Torii lands on Athrun Zala's head, hopping up and down and then settling on his shoulder.

Torii never stays with anyone other than Kira volunatry, Miriallia thinks. Apparently Athrun Zala poses the lone exception to that rule. And many others.

She clenches a fork in her fist and only notices too late that with Dearka sitting with her and Kira not being here, that the killer of her boyfriend would of course chose to come to the next best person: his teammate.

Clenching her teeth, her whole body frozen stiff and she can't bring herself to move. Dearka throws her a cautious glance as Zala joins them. Next to her Sai shifts.

Being a very reserved person, Athrun hardly spends time with anyone other than Kira, so Miriallia can't imagine what made him come to them. Kira wouldn't have possibly…?

Miriallia listens with half an ear to the flat conversation, trying to find the courage to move.

"Where's Kira?"

"He fell asleep." A fondly exasperated sigh. "In the middle of making zero-gravity adjustments. In Freedom."

Dearka snorts. "What? Like an oversized plush toy?"

"And you didn't wake him?" Half-accusing. From Sai.

A miniature pause. "He needs the rest."

Silence.

"Anyway Dearka, Murdoch-san wants you down in the hanger."

Groaning. "Alright. Alright. But again?"

He is grumbling some more but still gets up immediately, drawing Zala along with him.

Miriallia is shaking when they are gone.

A hand rests on her shoulder. "You did very well," says Sai.

Miriallia doesn't think so.

She has to do better.