I'm becoming more active on discord so anyone just a fan of fanfiction, any of my current or future works, or just wanna vibe, come on through.
Discord - GZM5HRMntp
Knock knock knock.
An empty sleep, full of nothingness. Only darkness enveloped his vision. No dream wishing to be shown. This was what Shinn Asuka had long since grown accustomed to when it came to the term "sleep."
Knock knock knock.
Rarely did his mind take him to a distorted plane of existence, a randomizer universe conjured from his conscience with little to no control from himself; the host. He held no longing to experience such a thing anymore. Being a soldier combined with the innumerable wounds he's experienced acted as the only will to press forward each day.
Knock knock knock.
Such a minor necessity couldn't even be deemed as such to him any longer…
"Shinn, Puru, Puru Two, wake up!"
Mind finally acknowledging the cause behind his awakening, Shinn fully stirs. Ignoring the mumbled groans from above, his attentive mind sets in as he rushes for the door. In doing so, he opens it to find none other than a panting Lunamaria with panic written all over.
"Junius Seven…! It's moving!"
Break Room
"How could it be moving though?" An engineer wonders.
Following the news, Shinn alongside the twins and Lunamaria set out towards the location of where a select few were already discussing the sudden news.
"Maybe a meteor hit it." Another reasons. "What if something influenced its orbit?"
"Is it really on a collision course with Earth?" Shinn questioned.
For something to be thrown out of orbit was odd given the little information they held but for an object of such size to also head for Earth? Such a coincidence made the whole ordeal seem too coincidental to him.
One look at the twins told him that they shared in his thoughts. Despite the little knowledge the two had on what even Junius Seven was, a short breakdown brought them up to speed in no time. Shinn was subtly surprised at the focus Puru held.
"That's what Bart said." Meyrin confirms.
"First the robbery at Armory One and now this?" Luna huffs with clear irritation to put it mildly. "How do we even go about dealing with a problem like this?"
For a moment, the uneasy exchanged worried looks telling that none had an answer. One peering out the corner at Shinn told Luna even he didn't have a guaranteed solution.
"Destroy it." A single feminine voice cut through the uneasy silence.
At its source, one Puru Two.
Next to her, Puru looked on.
"Its size is too great to adjust ourselves. Brother, Big Sister Lunamaria, Rey, Sis, and myself are the only active pilots. Even including the Minerva, I cannot think of a strategy in which five mobile suits and the ship can correct its course."
"I mean, no offense, but you are a kid." Another engineer notes. "Battle experience is still new for everybody so-"
"I agree." Now all look to Puru. "I can't think of anything else but to do it."
This was the second time now Shinn and Luna had seen Puru not bubbling with energy. She seemed so reserved regarding Shinn's infuriation and now was no different.
For her to admit such a thing must have been hard on her. She was clearly not one for destruction but it seemed even Elpeo Puru had to accept the harsh choices in war. Including the lives that would be snuffed with it. This was something none of them liked. Not one bit.
"As am I." Rey speaks up short and curtly. "If we want to avoid a collision, we have no choice but to smash it to pieces."
"Easier said than done. That thing is so big, even if we split it in half, it has a diameter of over 8 kilometers!"
"Many of the bodies of those who perished are still there too…" Meyrin voiced which didn't help matters any.
"If we don't act soon, Earth will be hit by the collision. Nothing will remain in the aftermath. Earth will be a desolate sphere floating amongst the stars…"
Shortly after, everyone dispersed leaving only the three. Giving one last glance at a brooding Shinn, Luna can only give her silent words to the twins before departing with Meyrin and Rey.
Depositing a few drinks from the vending machine, a call gains the two's attention in time to catch the cold beverages.
"Orange?" Both wonder in unison to look back at the protagonist. "Did you get this because of our hair?" They deadpan.
Even with dampened moods, Shinn found it relieving to lift the two so easily. Even if only for a moment.
"Maybe." He gives an aloof shrug walking over and taking a seat. "Who knows."
"Shinn-nii, did you forget we can feel your emotions?" Puru beams.
"Your point?" He takes a swig.
"That includes any failed attempts at lying." Puru Two arches a knowing brow.
Choking upon hearing such words, even Shinn couldn't hide the embarrassment of being caught. Much less ignore the cat-like gleam Puru was giving or the amused chuckling of Puru Two.
Wait.
Why had he shifted the glowering mood. There was an urgency that needed attending to and here he had gone and diverged from that focus. Why?
One glance to the girls now lightly bantering over something gave him the only answer he could surmise. Those tender smiles so full of life. It seemed as though they had unconsciously become the latest treasures he wished to cherish. His proclamation over their usefulness earlier with the captain was proof of that.
This innate desire was something he had nearly lost familiarity in. Gazing longingly at the two, he could envision it. A warped memory of himself and his late sister Mayu conversing over simple-life topics. Enjoying the parallel, he fails to notice the new arrivals.
"Oh."
Blinking back into reality, his eyes widen ever so slightly to the sight of both Athrun and Cagalli before reverting to normal.
"Athrun." He responded calmly.
"Guess you all heard, huh? May we come in?"
"Sure." Shinn nods followed by the twins.
"I don't think we've properly introduced ourselves, have we?"
"Given the hecticness earlier, we couldn't exactly stop and talk."
"Cagalli Athha. Orb Representative."
"Elpeo Puru~. The one and only, hehe."
"Puru Two. The puru anyone can have a normal conversation with." She greets with an amused smirk.
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
Chuckling at the two's antics, both teens look to the protagonist.
"Shinn Asuka. A soldier aboard the Minerva." Following Shinn, all eyes go on the other male. "That just leaves you. So, which do you want to go by? Alex… or Athrun?"
"Why does he have two?" Puru wonders with a quizzitive demeanor.
"For work reasons, I assure you." He chuckles though the sigh that follows carries a noticeable weight. "Let me get back with you all on that. I'm… still deciding."
"Athrun…"
"Hmm, alrighty then!" Puru gestures confidently with arms at her hips. "Until you decide, I deem your new name to be Athlex. No, wait, Althrun. Ooh, let's take the L out of Athlex and make it Athex. Yeeaaaaah, that's much better! Nice to meet'cha Athex!"
"... What?"
Following the normal response to the not normal declaration, two facepalms sound in unison.
"Puru/Sis…"
"... Pfft, haha!"
Eyes moving from one to another, all eight sight orbs land on the lone blonde stifling her fit of laughter.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be… haha."
"It's been a while since I've seen you smile like that." The words of "Athex" chuckles, causing the young woman to remember where she is.
"E-Excuse me."
"No need to apologize." Shinn waves off. "At times like these, positivity helps. Better than what some on board are currently thinking probably."
"Given Junius Seven's sudden descent, what are people saying?" Cagalli asks.
"You can't guess?"
"I don't want to." She reiterates focusing on the nonchalant soldier who remains silent for but a moment.
"... Guess it can't be helped, right? It's beyond our control. It might end up being easier for us on the PLANTs since it'll eliminate all kinds of hassles." He peers a single eyelid.
He could practically see the rage in her eyes surface to the forefront.
"How can you talk like that?!" She rises slamming the table. "Guess it can't be helped, right? It'll eliminate all kinds of hassles? Do they have any idea how serious this is?! What could happen to Earth?! How many people will die as a result?! Do they not realize what they're saying?!"
"Cagalli, simmer down. We're all right here." Just off his words alone, anyone could see her rebuttal all but ready. Though, maybe it was because it was "Athex" that she heeded his words.
"So is that the way you people from ZAFT think?" She wonders with balled hands for Shinn's own eyes to narrow ever so slightly. "We went through that war too. We all suffered! And finally, under Chairman Durandal's administration, things seem to be changing. Is that not the case?"
"Just because change comes, doesn't mean the mistakes made are forgotten."
"What do you-"
"Shinn." Athex cuts off. "I can understand why you dislike Orb but-"
"Dislike? Understand?" In response, the beverage used meer moments prior is crushed with a shaky grip.
His once peering eyes become unbound with a rage that catches the voice of Cagalli.
"Shinn-nii/Brother!"
It was a sudden exclamation. As quick as he was about to blow, they had intervened. Eyes shaking profusely, they slowly cycle from Cagalli past his childhood friend towards the twins.
So lost in his sudden spur of vehemence, he failed to notice how ragged his breathing was. He could practically feel the hairs lower with each exhale.
Relinquishing the drink, he stands. Moving towards the door, he drops the item, never pausing in his motion as he vanishes around the corner.
Releasing a breath she hadn't known to have held, Cagalli pants placing a hand on her chest.
"Who was…?"
"Shinn Asuka. A resident from Orb." At his words, Cagalli's eyes widen for Athrun to nod in affirmation. "He was the first friend I met alongside Kira. Though I question if I can even call myself that now…"
"Athrun…"
"Go." Looking up, he meets the determined expression belonging to Puru and Puru Two.
"You said you're friends, right? Friends help each other, don't they?"
"What Brother needs is someone that understands his history. We shouldn't stick our noses in this one."
At a loss for words, Cagalli follows next.
"It's amazing. You're both so young yet not only are you capable of piloting mobile suits, you both show a surprising level of maturity."
"Hey! I'll have you know I'm plenty mature when I want."
"Sis, no offense but you're the furthest thing from that."
"Nuh-uh!"
"Spell mature then."
"Easy! M-u-"
"My point exactly."
"Huh?"
"Athrun." Cagalli calls while the two are distracted. "Go."
"But what about you?"
"I'm fine. I have these two after all."
"It's spelled m-a-t-u-r-e, Sis."
"No way! I know for a fact it's m-u-h-c-h-u-r-e!"
"Sis, the amount of wrong that is…" Puru Two sighs.
"Right back at you, Puru Two. Big sis knows the best after all~."
"Thanks, Cagalli."
Stepping out, he looks both ways before departing.
The ties that bind not only him and Kira but Shinn is a connection unlike any other. One that he's called into question. His own actions that led him here, the status of the one and only Kira Yamato, and the chosen candidate to pilot the Impulse, Shinn Asuka.
His time with Kira, both as friend and foe had a major effect on him. Who he was as a person as well as who he wanted to be. Here he was now going through the same predicament with his other friend he's reunited with. He thought he found peace with not fighting anymore like Kira.
So why?
Why had the recent battles begun to swirl something deep within? Why could he not find it in himself to answer these new harboring questions?
Stopping to peer out the transparent glass into the deep void he's fought in countless times, he continues on.
The cosmos and its inhabitants would prosper if all coil;d simply get along. However, the cause for power and control floods the human consciousness which leads to war. How sad that truth is.
To protect what one cherishes, one must take up arms. One must take lives to ensure the vast majority of others can see another tomorrow. To fight… is to live. Doing nothing… can only lead to one's downfall. Not just them but those around them.
He gave up the life of a soldier to ensure Cagalli's wellbeing but also to separate himself from the tiring life of battle. He wasn't Kira. He couldn't simply give it up.
"Just because change comes, doesn't mean the mistakes made are forgotten."
An epiphany, a seed, had taken root and now it was sprouting, manifesting into the realm of understanding Athrun was now perceiving. Oh the irony.
Forced into that Zaku, he held not only his life but Cagalli's. He had control. Being aboard the Minerva when they were evading the enemy, he wasn't. That ill feeling of helplessness was something that was like an ill taste he wanted out. He'd felt it before during his ventures with Kira and the Archangel. He hated it then the same way he did now.
Athrun understood now. Not just his own revelation but Shinn's as well. The lives lost during that tragic incident spurred the youth forward. Anger, scorn, malice; all of the negative emotions culminating through conflict pushed him forward. To avenge the fallen. To make a change. To bring peace.
The same cause that led Athrun to pilot his first mobile suit.
"No matter where we each may be..."
"No matter what we each may go through..."
"We'll always be friends..."
"Forever!"
The words uttered by their younger selves spoke of a promise. One Athrun was now intent on keeping. Not just for his own self but to ensure that his childhood friend doesn't fall down the dark path he found himself on once upon a time.
Stopping at the hangar, he had to only look a little way over the bridge to spot the lone male staring off at the mobile suits.
"Come here often?"
Eyes no longer transfixed on the machines, thoughts absent, Shinn turns to the emerald-eyed male. Exuding a hum, Athrun takes that as permission to proceed stopping next to him. Noticing the small pink flip phone down at Shinn's hand, his eyes soften.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Shinn simply denies. "My family was killed because of the Athhas. We believed in the nation and its ideals. The very same the Orb Representative was spouting…" Noticing the male 's shaky grip elevate, Athrun remains quiet. "By believing in someone else, in a future full of falsehood, they paid the price at Onogoro. That's why… I can't get behind ideals. My body, my very soul as of now can only reject any notion conceived by the Orb Representative and the nation itself."
"Is that why you became a soldier? To do what couldn't be done by others? With your own power?"
"I chose this path… for so many reasons." Shinn breathes a long breath cooling his nerves. "Even if our pasts are similar, you can understand to a degree. Can't you, Athrun?"
"... Sadly, I do."
"Sorry. Again."
"Don't be. Your nature with Cagalli and Orb is natural given what happened. If anything, I should be the one apologizing."
"So even a renowned soldier like yourself can still make a simple mistake. Good to know you're not so perfect like the media says."
"Heh, I'm far from it. I'm just as human as you are. But it's because of that… that I can tell the path you're going down isn't good."
"Is that why you're here? To persuade me to stop being a soldier?"
"No. I'm here… as your friend and as one with combat experience."
"Anything you say won't change my mind, Athrun."
"I know. But I can't afford to allow another mistake to be made when I have the ability to stop it." Now Shinn is the one to peer at Athrun.
"I don't need a babysitter. If you keep your focus on me, you'll only get killed. Besides, I can handle myself in battle."
"I know. You saved not only my life but Cagalli's as well. Something I'll be forever grateful for. As well as forcing all three stolen gundams to flee. I won't have to worry when we fight together."
"Are you sure about this? What about Alex Dino? He's supposed to protect the princess." Chuckling, Athrun leans forward against the railing as does Shinn.
"Alex Dino's role for the moment is done. What both Cagalli and the Minerva need is Athrun Zala. A pilot capable of a lot of good out in the field than inside a ship."
"You'll need clearance."
"Don't worry. I have a feeling that won't be an issue." Athrun reassures with a pat to Shinn's shoulder. "I'll be keeping an eye on you, Shinn Asuka."
"Hmpf, watch all you want Mr. Famous. This conflict will end by my hands."
"Big words. I'll hold you to it. Oh, and Shinn?"
"What?"
"It was good catching up. We'll have to do this more." With that, he left.
A myriad of things began to manifest within his mind. Despite the small disruption he caused, Athrun had been not only understanding but even went as far as to suggest apologizing.
Whatever trials and tribulations he faced, it showed.
Hangar
From over the blaring intercoms, the familiar voice of Meyrin calls notifying of the remaining time before launch.
Now donned in his space suit, helmet in hand, Shinn gazes at the pieces of his Impulse. True to its name, there were times when an urge would resonate. Whether over something meaningful or less.
There was an innate desire to see it through. Every time he entered that cockpit, that desire manifested allowing for him to make any vision he wished a reality.
"Once more, Impulse." He murmurs. "Lend me your strength!"
"Brother!"
Looking over, he spots the twins floating in his direction for Puru to nonchalantly crash into him. Once more, like himself, their space suits have replaced their previous attires.
"We're all fired up and ready to go!" She roots for a chuckle to escape.
No matter how grim the situation was, it amazed him how cheery this one could be.
"Sis, now is the time to be serious."
"But I am serious! Do ya want me to spell it for ya? Do ya? Do ya?"
"No. I'm good."
"Hehe."
Smiling fondly at their antics, his mood settles as his eyes glaze over the mobile suits.
"Did you and Athex patch things over?" Head whirling around to the curious gazes, it takes but a moment for his mind to register the words spoken. "Yeah. We're good now."
"Yay! See, I knew the power of friendship couldn't be broken!"
"Haha, it's certainly something. I'll agree with that."
"It's rare to see such positivity before launching." Looking to the voice belonging to none other than Athrun, Shinn steps forward for both to clasp hands.
"Is that a bad thing?" Puru Two wonders.
"No. It's something that's actually quite needed."
"Ready?"
"Yeah."
"Let's get this show on the road!" Puru grins running and diving over the railing like a swimmer.
"Hey, Puru!" Her sister shouts, giving chase towards their Qubeleys.
"I still have my worries. But, you've said your piece about them. The captain and chancellor trusts your decision and so will I."
To hear something so simple yet so meaningful, it meant a lot coming from his childhood friend.
"Thanks, Athrun."
"Let's go." Nodding, both separate.
Watching as Athrun settles into the Zaku, his orbs trace over the still damaged gundams.
Had the crew been given more time, he could have piloted one of them.
Beginning the operations sequence for the Impulse, the voices from the bridge sound.
"Detecting heat emissions indicating a battle at Junius Seven! They're… mobile suits!"
"Abort launch!" Meyrin sounds next. "The situation has changed. The Joule Team is engaged with an unknown opponent at Junius Seven."
"Unknown?" Shinn furrows in confusion.
"All units, alter your equipment for anti-mobile suit combat."
"Good thing that's the only form of combat our Qubeleys currently have, ain't that right Puru Two?"
"Bogey One also confirmed! Green 25, Delta!"
"They're here too, huh? This just got interesting." Puru Two comments.
"Tch."
"What's the situation?" Athrun questions.
"We have no information. What remains unchanged is that our mission is to support the Joule Team!"
Just as the words spoken by Lunamaria propelled him forward yearning to make such a change a reality, once again his own silent thoughts permeated his mind.
Save them. As many as possible.
Eyes opening, he gazes at the countless stars before him.
"Shinn Asuka, Core Splendor, let's go!"
"Teehee! Elpeo Puru, Qubeley Mk-II, ready to launch!"
"Puru Two, Qubeley Mk-II, ready!"
"Rey Za Burrel, Zaku, taking off!"
"Lunamaria Hawke, Zaku, I'm heading out!"
"Athrun Zala, Zaku, departing!"
From atop the Minerva stands the invisible gundam with K inside. Watching the mobile suits fly into the distance, a fond smile makes itself known.
"Insecurities lead to understanding. Shinn, Athrun, by seeing the depths of each other's scars and what the other desired, you were capable of creating a new reality which your alternate selves couldn't. What lies ahead is shrouded in mystery that even I cannot foretell. Protect that which all life holds dear, my Fate Changers!"
Noz7: now shinn might enter seed mode more often with the two of plu on the ship.
Who knows, only time will tell ;)
Sheploo: Poor Shinn... Got Twin Menaces to look after...
Two menaces and then some lol.
