Crossroads
One of the perks of having no gravity was that one could float around with near constant momentum. More importantly, one would be able to avoid making loud footsteps, a perk Kira was currently taking advantage of. After waking Lacus up and waiting for her to get dressed, Kira immediately clutched her hand and pulled her with him. If this wasn't such a stressful and stealthy situation, Lacus would've really enjoyed holding hands with someone like Kira. Alas, her other hand was preoccupied with clutching Haro tightly as she hoped he wouldn't make a sound.
"Kira," she whispered, "You don't have to do this. You'll get in so much trouble."
"Maybe, but it's the right thing to do."
That was all she needed to hear. For the first time since she arrived on the Archangel, Kira spoke with so much conviction. Internally, Lacus admitted…..that he was really hot right now. Kira's eyes kept darting around to check for anyone not asleep and wandering the halls. He looked up hearing some chatter ahead. Without warning, Kira used his hand to shove Lacus against the wall hoping to hide her behind him.
"Ahem Kira?" Lacus whispered gently.
"There are people up ahead."
"Right. Uh I don't mean to be rude, but uh…..could you reconsider the placement of your hand?"
"Huh?"
Glancing back, Kira blushed as he removed his hand from her chest. Although also blushing, Lacus could barely stifle her giggle.
"Next time you want to cop a feel, maybe take me to dinner first?" she flirted.
"Shh," Kira raised a finger to his lips as the chatter ahead started getting louder and closer.
Lacus tucked herself neatly into the corner behind Kira. It became clear that Sai and Miriallia were walking down the hall towards them. Kira, being the non-soldier/non-spy that he was, leaned against the wall almost too conspicuously as he tried to hide Lacus behind him.
"Kira?" Sai asked upon spotting his friend.
"What are you doing up?" Milly also asked.
"Oh y'know. Just taking a walk. You know how I be," Kira awkwardly smiled as he now rested his back against the wall.
Mentally, Lacus groaned at Kira trying to be casual.
"….Ok," Milly said skeptically.
"Anyway, Kira, I'm really sorry for what Flay said to you earlier. I think she's having trouble processing all that's happened, and she just lashed out at you. I'm sure she didn't mean it."
"Huh? Oh it's no trouble, Sai! All good! You two should get some rest. It's late," Kira quickly waved away the apology hoping Sai and Milly would move on.
"….Kira are you feeling ok?" Milly asked.
"Perfect! Nothing to worry about!"
"Dude what's going on?" Sai crossed his arms, "You're acting weird."
"Well maybe I'm just a weird guy!"
"….."
"….."
"….."
After a few bouts of awkward silence, Lacus finally popped her pink hair out from behind Kira's shoulder.
"Hello! I apologize for Kira's behavior, but we really need to get moving."
"…EHHHHH?!"
Sai and Milly's eyes widened when they saw the Pink Princess appear from behind Kira. They looked back and forth at the two coordinators before finally connecting the dots.
"Kira!" Sai scolded.
"Please Sai, Miriallia, just pretend you didn't see us. I don't want to get you involved."
"Kira, are you really planning on giving her to ZAFT?"
"Milly, I'm sending her home. It's the right thing to do!"
Sai and Milly looked at each other for a moment as they thought about this awkward position that they were all in. Scratching his head, Sai let out a breath and shook his head. Milly also chuckled realizing what Sai had decided.
"Well, keeping a pretty girl hostage like this is what the bad guys do."
"Sai! You can't call her pretty!" Milly slapped his arm, "Kira's the only guy who gets to call her pretty! Besides, you're engaged!"
"OW! What does that have to do with anything!"
"What wait?" Kira asked with a confused face as Lacus continued giggling behind him.
"Bottom line is, we'll help you. Someone's gotta load up the Aile pack and open the hatch for you anyway."
"But Sai…"
"Decision's made. Let's get a move on," Milly hurried the group up.
Now all in agreement, the four teenagers floated towards the pilot locker rooms. Kira and Lacus were quickly ushered inside while Sai and Milly stood watch. Without thinking, Kira opened his locker and pulled out his pilot suit before stripping his uniform. Slightly surprised, Lacus covered her face with Mr. Pink and initially looked away. However, curiosity might've gotten ahold of her as she turned her eyes back to peek. She blushed a little and was slightly disappointed to see that he was already zipping up his suit.
"Alright," he said opening another locker, "Here, put this on over what you're wearing."
Kira had pulled out a less fashionable space suit and was about to hand it to Lacus. However, he looked up and down and realized they hit a slight snag. Lacus tilted her head wondering what the holdup was, but it didn't take long for her to realize why Kira was a little stuck.
"I guess you're right," she sighed.
"Uhhhh."
"This dress is a little poofy."
Once again, without hesitation, Lacus decided to strip in front of this boy she just met. Kira this time cowered behind the spacesuit as Lacus undid her dress's straps and began shimmying out of what Kira called her poofy skirt. She bit her lip trying to keep a calm façade despite being rather embarrassed at this interaction. Well only mostly embarrassed. A part of her was actually really glad that Kira was not only looking but couldn't take his eyes off her. Granted he was still hiding behind the space suit, but still. After getting over the initial flustered feelings, Lacus soon rolled up her skirt and tucked it into the torso of the space suit. With their helmets secured, Kira and Lacus exited the locker room. Sai and Milly turned and were immediately surprised by Lacus's now enlarged stomach.
"Hmm? Is something the matter?" Lacus asked.
"Uhh nothing," Sai nervously chuckled, "I just didn't realize Kira moved that fast. You're already pregnant – OW!"
"Sai!" Milly scolded while slapping his arm again.
"Teehee," Lacus giggled.
Jokes now out of the way, the group hustled down towards the hanger. Milly had programmed the system to attach the Aile pack while Sai timed the hatch to open on Kira's signal. Kira jumped first and arrived at the Strike's cockpit while Sai and Milly guided Lacus to Kira. As soon as Kira settled into his seat, he reached out to pull her into his lap.
"Thank you, Sai, Miriallia, for your help. I greatly appreciate it," Lacus smiled and waved.
"Get home safe, Lacus."
"I do hope we can meet again in the future as friends."
"Honestly, Lacus, I hope so too."
"Kira…"
"Hmm? Sai?"
"You'll come back to us, right?"
"Huh?"
"You won't….you won't leave us for your friend over at the Vesalius, right?"
"Sai!" Milly scolded again.
"Uhhh," he paused for a moment, "No. I won't leave you guys. I promise to come back," Kira reassured despite being taken aback.
"You better!"
"Hey! What are you guys doing up there!" Murdock yelled from below.
Sai and Milly pushed off just as Murdock and his crew entered the hanger. Quickly, Kira closed the cockpit and booted up the Strike. The locks released the mobile suit allowing Kira to walk it onto the catapult. Just as Milly set up, the Aile pack, shield and blaster were equipped onto the Strike as it locked into the launch pad. With no way to halt the launch procedure, all of the hanger crew dispersed into the safe zones. Kira lowered his and Lacus's visor just as the bridge called into the cockpit.
"Kira-kun?!" Captain Ramius's face appeared on the screen, "What are you doing?!"
"The right thing," Kira pressed a button shutting off the comms and turned to Lacus, "Hold on tight. This is kind of a bumpy ride.
Nodding, Lacus wrapped her arms around his neck and held tightly.
"I GOT A BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS!" Mr. Pink exclaimed.
Soon, the Strike launched, and Kira pushed for maximum thrust. Quickly, he turned the mobile suit and made a beeline for the Vesalius that was chasing the Archangel. Not wanting to start a fight, Kira activated the open channel and hailed the ZAFT ship.
"This is the Strike of the Earth Alliance Forces' Archangel," he announced, "I am bringing Lacus Clyne to you. In return, I demand that the Nazca-class ship halt its pursuit of the Archangel. I will hand her over on the condition that the pilot of the Aegis meets us alone. If these conditions are not met, I will retreat with Ms. Clyne in my possession."
After the announcement, Kira parked the Strike at the midpoint between the two ships. Fortunately, the screen showed the Vesalius slowing down and deactivating its engines. The Archangel behind them had done the same. Feeling a little concerned, Lacus actually hadn't let go of Kira this entire time.
"Don't worry, Kira. The hard part's almost over," she jokingly chirped.
"Heh. I should be telling you that."
*BEEP BEEP BEEP*
The display showed that a single mobile suit had launched from the Vesalius. Kira gripped the controls tightly as he saw the red Gundam streak towards him and Lacus. Moments later, the Aegis arrived prompting Kira to raise the blaster at its head. Pressing a button, Kira opened the free channel again.
"Are you Athrun Zala?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Open your cockpit."
Athrun did so revealing his red space suit. On the other side, he saw the Strike opening up. He couldn't really make out the exact faces, but Athrun could clearly see a greenish blue space suit and another normal white one. Although he had a hunch that really was Lacus as she was holding a bright pink orb.
"Say something," Kira nudged Lacus.
"Huh?"
"He can't quite hear you, so he needs to confirm that you're you."
"Oh. Right!" she nodded, "Hello, Athrun. It's nice to see you again."
"DAMN IT!" Mr. Pink also chimed in.
"Heh," Athrun smirked, "That's Lacus alright."
"Alright. I'm sending her to you," Kira announced.
"Wait!" Lacus exclaimed before Kira could push her out, "Kira, turn of the comm for a second."
"Huh?"
"Please? A princess's last request."
"Uhhh ok?"
Kira switched off the comms leaving all parties in the dark. Slowly with the help of space's zero gravity, Lacus turned on Kira's lap so she could face him.
"Kira, I need you to promise me something. Please?"
"Ok."
She looked down and placed her hand on his heart. Though perplexed, Kira blushed slightly at the gesture.
"I need you to promise, Kira, that no matter what happens, you will stay true to yourself and listen to your heart. You're a good person, Kira. And I know you just want to do the right thing. I trust that if you believe in yourself, you'll know what the right thing to do will be, just like now with you sending me home."
"I-I…"
"Promise me, Kira. Listen to your heart and trust yourself. Ok?"
"….Ok. I promise, Lacus."
"Good. Thank you for all you've done, Kira. From the bottom of my heart, I am grateful for your kindness. I really hope we'll meet each other again. Be safe." she smiled caressing the side of his helmet with her other hand.
"I will. Get home safely, Lacus."
With a final nod, he gently pushed her out of the cockpit towards an awaiting Athrun. Moments later, Lacus arrived safely in Athrun's arms. She gave him a simple smile which he returned. But back was his serious face as he turned to Kira. Realizing that he wanted to talk, Kira opened the comms again.
"Kira!" Athrun hailed, "Come back with us! You have no reason to fight for the Earth Forces!"
"….Athrun, I don't want to fight you. I don't want to fight anyone. But people I care about are on that ship. My friends are all onboard. I….I have a duty to protect them. I can't leave them behind like that, not even for you."
"Sigh. Still as stubborn as ever. Fine! But don't do anything stupid!"
"Why? You're taking all the stupid with you!"
With those final words, both pilots retreated into their cockpits and drifted away. Lacus couldn't help but giggle at the minor banter.
"You two really are old friends," she commented.
"Hmm."
*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*
Suddenly both Gundams' consoles lit up as the Vesalius restarted their engines and launched a white custom mobile suit. The Archangel in response launched the Mobius Zero. Both young pilots were surprised to see their superiors launch into battle. However, before a single shot could even be fired, Lacus had leaned forward and opened a public channel to address everyone.
"Commander Rau Le Creuset!" she addressed him directly, "Cease all activity at once."
Athrun and Kira sat by with wide eyes as Lacus began using an authoritative tone that contrasted with her usually kind voice.
"Are you trying to turn this location into a battlefield?" she continued, "Are you going to endanger a representative of the Junius Seven Memorial Delegation here?"
"I…uh?" the masked commander stuttered.
"I will not allow this. Cease all combat operations at once."
"…."
"Can you not hear me?"
"….sigh. Yes Miss Clyne."
And just like that, with mere words, Lacus Clyne forced Le Creuset to turn about face and head back to his ship. Athrun meanwhile was still stunned at how Lacus was able to reel in the famed ZAFT commander.
"Athrun?"
"Huh?" he shook his head, breaking out of his stupor.
"Aren't you going to take me home?"
"Uhh right."
With both ZAFT suits retreating, Kira and Mu turned around as well.
"I'm gonna be honest. That was really cool. I can see why you have a crush on her," Mu jabbed.
"Yea…..uh I mean…"
"Haha no worries, kid. Ok well maybe worry cuz you're in a whole lotta trouble."
"…..yea."
"A princess. Hah you sure know how to pick 'em."
A few hours later, Kira stood in the middle of the captain's quarters with Mu and Natarle flanking him. Captain Ramius sat at her desk in front of Kira with a very serious look on her face. All the officers had their sleeves down and wore their military hats as this was practically a military court marshal.
"The defendant fails to understand how much he threatened the ship's safety as a result of his actions. Slowing down and losing momentum could have not only severely damaged the ship but also could have led to the loss of the only onboard G-weapon," Natarle made her case against Kira.
"You mean the loss of our pilot, right?" Mu retorted.
"Grr."
"Anyway, I believe taking a civilian hostage goes against Article 4 of the Corsica Treaty," Mu looked up after reciting the rules from a handbook.
"However, the actions taken come under Exception Section C of the same article titled 'Extreme Measures During Wartime.'"
"Eh? Wait I've never heard of that," Mu worried as he flipped through the book, "Well, either way thanks to Kira's actions, the Nazca-class withdrew. I see this as a win-win! We released the hostage and avoided combat."
"A combat that could have been avoided anyway had the defendant not violate military rules and disobeyed the chain of command!"
"Sigh," Captain Ramius groaned, "Kira Yamato, do you have anything to add to the record?"
Keeping a stern face, Kira clenched his fist and took a few breaths before responding. He was still angry at how the crew treated Lacus, but upon thinking about her for a few moments he calmed down and decided against going on a huge diatribe. Besides, like Mu said, arguing with his superiors wouldn't get him anywhere anyway.
"I didn't rescue her to use her as a hostage," Kira grumbled.
"That's right! If anything, you wanted her as a girlfriend!" Mu commented eliciting a groan from everyone in the room.
"Will the defense please keep irrelevant comments to themselves…" the Captain scolded.
"Well….there's an argument to be made that Kira's feelings toward the Pink Princess are rather relevant to this conversation!"
"Mu, please, you're not helping…" Kira facepalmed.
"Anyway," Captain Ramius began, "Kira Yamato is in violation of Article 3: Section B, Article 10: Section F, as well as Article 13: Section 3 of military law. Per these rules, a guilty soldier would be sentenced to death."
A sudden chill ran down Kira's spine. He completely froze and was astonished to hear Ms. Murrue had delivered such a stern and harsh verdict. But something was amiss. The Captain's serious gaze softened into a more caring smile. Kira wasn't sure what to think of that shift considering they just sentenced him to death.
"However…such rules would've applied if Kira Yamato was actually a soldier of the Earth Alliance Forces to begin with," Murrue continued.
"Phew!" Mu relaxed.
"Captain!" Natarle stood up incensed by this decision.
"As such!" Murrue raised her hand, "We as officers of the Archangel have no jurisdiction on holding Kira Yamato, a civilian, to the letter of military law. I call upon Kira Yamato to consider his actions more seriously from now on."
"Uhhh wait…does that mean?"
"It means don't do crazy stuff without permission from now on, ok kid!" Mu got up to pat him on the shoulder.
"Ehhhh not quite, Lieutenant."
"Eh? Captain?"
"While we can't sentence Kira to any military punishments, I do believe he should be subjected to at least some punishment so that he may reflect upon his actions. As such, Kira, you will be taking time to wash all the dishes in the mess hall for the rest of the week or until we rendezvous with the 8th fleet. Whichever comes first."
"T-thank you, Captain."
"Court adjourned then."
On that last word, Kira exited the chamber to find Sai and Miriallia anxiously waiting for him in the hallway. Upon seeing their friend, they both rushed towards Kira peppering him with questions.
"Kira! Are you ok?"
"They didn't punish you too hard right?"
"They're not gonna throw you out the airlock?!"
"Guys guys it's ok. Everything is fine," Kira reassured them, "They didn't punish me too hard. Only a week's worth of dishwashing duty."
"Oh that's a relief," Miriallia let out the breath she'd been holding, "I got put on laundry duty for the entire ship."
"How come you two get the easy jobs. I have to clean all the toilets! Even the ones the mechanics use!" Sai groaned.
"Heh luck of the draw I guess," Kira shrugged.
"More like perks of being the ace pilot."
With the stress of impending punishments gone, the three friends decided to make their way towards the cafeteria for a snack. Despite floating in sorta comfortable silence, Sai felt the need to bring up a small elephant in the room.
"Kira."
"Hmm?"
"Y'know, Kuzzey heard you talking to Lacus, and he said that the pilot of the Aegis is your friend."
"…..oh."
"I don't mean to offend, Kira, but I was a little worried."
"S-Sai I can explain…"
"No need. You came back. That's all that really matters. I…we really appreciate everything you do for us, Kira."
"I-I'm sorry to make you worry, Sai."
"Oh stop with all his gloomy grumble bumble," Milly smiled, "We're all friends. Nothing will change that. We're here for each other no matter what!"
"Right!" Kira nodded.
"Ah shoot," Sai glanced at his watch, "Milly, we gotta report for our shift on the bridge!"
"Oh right right! Well take care Kira. Seriously, we're grateful for you," she kissed his cheek before heading off with Sai.
With Sai and Milly leaving, Kira headed towards the hanger elevator thinking upon what his friends told him. He'd be lying if he said there wasn't at least a small part of him that considered leaving with Athrun and Lacus. After all, shouldn't coordinators work with coordinators? But after hearing what Sai and Milly said to him, Kira realized that maybe he was on the right path. Besides, he only had to hold on a little longer. They were meeting the 8th fleet soon anyway. Soon Kira entered the elevator feeling a bit better about the whole situation but not realizing a redhead in a pink dress was listening one corridor over.
A few days later Sai and Kuzzey sat down in the cafeteria enjoying a meal together. While Sai finished his plate, Kuzzey didn't have as big an appetite and just played with his broccoli.
"Something the matter, Kuzzey?"
"Do you remember what Captain Ramius said when she first met all of us with the Strike? That she wouldn't let us go until we met the proper authorities?"
"Ahh right. I guess that would be the 8th fleet then."
"Yea. Do you think they'll just let us go?"
"I hope so. Maybe we'll just sign an NDA and call it a day?" Sai joked as he got up to drop off his plate into the wash bucket.
"I'm serious! And what about Kira? He's way too involved in all this."
"Yea that is going to be tricky."
"They'll take it easy on him, right? After all we're just volunteers," Kuzzey hoped as he dumped his dirty plate full of food into the same wash bucket.
"Hey man what gives!" a voice from the kitchen yelled out.
Kuzzey and Sai turned around and peered into the kitchen window. The sight both startled and slightly amused them. An angry Kira had stomped his way over to his friends. The Strike pilot had now adorned a hairnet, an apron, and pink rubber gloves that went almost to his elbows.
"Kuzzey, you gotta dump the leftover food into the waste bin. You can't just dump a dirty plate like that into the wash bucket with all the other plates. Now they've all got food particles!
"Wha I…sorry Kira I didn't realize you were back there!"
"Sigh now I gotta dump this whole thing and wash it with extra soap. Just be more careful and considerate."
"Ok. Sorry again."
"Heh I didn't realize your shift started early, Kira," Sai chuckled.
"Yea well after Murdock made me clean out the Strike cockpit, they sent me over here. The chef had heard about my punishment and told the staff to take a nap after lunch leaving me with all these dishes."
"You did the right thing, Kira."
"I know. I just really want to nap right now."
An awkward silence passed as none of the friends wanted to ask the glaring question between them. Sai, finally deciding to bite the bullet, broke the ice.
"You heard everything we were talking about, huh Kira?"
"Sigh kinda."
"Well? What do you think is gonna happen to us?" Kuzzey asked.
"I don't know. But I think Miss Murrue is a lot nicer than you think. Maybe we'll all get let off the hook and be able to go home."
"That's the dream."
"Captain Ramius and Lieutenant La Flaga aren't the ones I'm worried about. It's second-in-command Badgiruel I'm worried about. Whatever report she writes is not gonna be pretty."
"Well. By then, hopefully we'll all be at home and won't have to worry about that," Kira shrugged.
During this exchange, a little girl in red overalls waddled her way over to the counter. On her tippy toes, she wiped down little crumbs off the plate and put it on the counter.
"Hi Mister!" she greeted cheerfully.
"Hi Elle," Kira smiled back.
"Thank you for the cookies. They were delicious."
"No problem. Thank you for properly clearing your plate in the waste bin!" Kira glared at Kuzzey.
"Hey Mister, aren't you normally the pilot of the big robot that protects us and stuff?"
"Uhh y-yea."
"Thank you. I really appreciate you taking on the bad guys," she smiled with sincerity.
"Y-you're welcome."
*BLARE BLARE BLARE*
Red lights flickered all across the Archangel as the PA system lit up.
"ALL PERSONNEL TO BATTLE STATIONS. ALL PERSONNEL TO BATTLE STATIONS!"
"A battle!?" Elle panicked.
"Elle, go find your mom and stay with her, ok?" Kira instructed.
"Ok. Be safe, Mister!" she nodded before running off.
Jumping over the counter, Kira raced off to the hanger while Sai and Kuzzey headed towards the bridge. Fueled with adrenaline, Kira sprinted down the hall as fast as he could and did not see the flash of red and pink in his way.
*CRASH*
"Ahhh!"
"Woah!"
Immediately getting up, Kira reached out and picked up whoever he knocked down.
"Flay?"
"Kira?"
"Are you ok?"
"Uhh yes…..Are you wearing an apron? And rubber gloves?"
"Huh? Oh shoot. Uhhh no time to explain. Get to one of the safe zones, ok?"
"Right…..Wait Kira! I want to tell you something."
"Sorry Flay. I gotta run. We'll talk after!" Kira said as he continued sprinting towards the pilots' locker room.
Left bewildered, Flay stood look on as Kira ran away from her. Despite putting on an innocent face, she changed her demeanor and scrunched up her face once Kira was out of her sight. Her hands balled up into a fist and her eyes glazed over as her brows furrowed.
"I'll nail you yet, Kira Yamato."
Things weren't going super great. However, the odds haven't been in the Archangel's favor for a while now, especially since it was a three-versus-two fight. Mu was trying his best to fend off the Buster Gundam, but the ballistic rounds did nothing against the mobile suit's phase shift armor. The Duel Gundam meanwhile aggressively pursued Kira and the Strike. Kira had no chance to even think as the Duel speedily kept rushing him with its beam saber. He tried to fire off some laser shots to keep some distance, but they all were effortlessly blocked. A small miscalculation caused Kira to react too late and the Duel slashed right through the Strike's beam rifle. The blue and white Gundam backed up a bit before Kira pulled out his own beam saber. However, Milly popped up on his comms screen with a terrified look.
"Kira! Kira!"
"Huh? Milly?"
"Kira! The Blitz got past the Archangel's defenses! He's attacking us point blank!"
"What!?"
Kira looked to his side camera to see flashes of light coming from right under the Archangel's bridge tower. Immediately he tried to turn around, but the Duel met him right away and slammed its shield onto the Strike. Looking to his other side, he spotted the Mobius Zero trying to zip around the Buster, but it didn't look like Mu would be able to disengage soon. A cold shiver ran down Kira's body. His eyes darted back and forth as his mind tried to think of a million ways to get out of this situation. For a moment he just froze, worried that this would be the end and that he had failed his friends.
"What am I supposed to do…"
Meanwhile, miles away from all the commotion, Lacus sat on shuttle having been transferred away from the Vesalius. She had been enjoying herself with a small glass of apple juice and the latest fashion magazine, but her body had tensed up all of a sudden. Her chest began to ache. Fear overwhelmed her. Her throat dried as she clenched her teeth. This had never happened to her before. Worry had filled her mind in a way that she had never experienced. She looked to her left out the window and into the deep vastness of space. As she gazed out into the stars, only one thing was on her mind. She blinked and quietly uttered a single word.
"Kira…"
All of a sudden, with all the stress and worry coming down upon him, Kira closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was a moment of silence as all the alerts, explosions, laser fire, unnecessary noise went away. Flashes of his friends ran through his mind. Sai. Tolle. Miriallia. Kuzzey. Miss Murrue. Mu. Flay. Little Elle…..Lacus. Slowly, Kira opened his eyes and he felt so focused. The Duel charged at him, but for some reason everything looked so slow. Reacting quickly, Kira pressed on the thrust and the Strike easily dodged the Duel's attack.
"What the?!" Yzak, the pilot, reacted.
*SMASH CRACKLE CRACKLE*
Out of nowhere, the Strike appeared and slammed its saber right into the side of the Duel just next to the cockpit. Thinking that would be enough, Kira turned around and sped off to save the Archangel.
"You think you're hot shit, do you!? Get back here!"
Furious, the Yzak fired off a barrage of lasers. But for whatever reason, Kira effortlessly dodged each blast. The Strike was moving at speeds unheard of and Yzak grew more and more frustrated each time. In no time, Kira had arrived back at the Archangel and spotted the Blitz.
"I WON'T LET YOU SINK THE ARCHANGEL!" he screamed as the Strike came down to slash at the Blitz.
"What the hell!?" Nichol, the Blitz's pilot, exclaimed as he narrowly dodged the Strike's attack.
Not giving him any room to counter, Kira brought the Strike up and kicked the Blitz in the face. From the behind, the Duel charged forward again hoping to bring its saber down. Again Kira looked behind and saw everything in slow-motion. With a twist of the throttle, the Strike sidestepped the beam saber and pulled out an armor schneider combat knife. Without hesitation, Kira stabbed the knife right into the open damaged area near the cockpit and kicked the Duel away. The attack had caused an internal explosion in the cockpit and the Duel's color faded from a dark blue to a lifeless grey.
"MY EYE! MY EYE!" Yzak screamed all over the ZAFT comms.
The Blitz flew over and quickly grabbed the Duel. Kira watched as the Buster gave up pursuit of the Mobius Zero and retreated with the Duel and Blitz. Mu flew over just Kira let up on the thrusters and landed on the Archangel. Letting out a breath he didn't even know he was holding, Kira leaned back into his seat and let go of the control. Blinking a few times, he looked up to see the sun. Upon squinting a little bit, Kira started to see a series of little dots. Bit by bit, those little dots seemed to be getting closer and closer.
"Kid! Hey Kira!" Mu hailed.
"Huh?"
"I have no idea what the hell was that, but you were incredible. Great job!"
"I-what…"
"You did good, Kira. We can finally relax now. The 8th Fleet is here. The hard part is over."
"R-right. The hard part is over…"
AN: Hi Everyone! Happy Lacus's Birthday (Feb 5)! I'm honestly on such a Gundam Seed bender that I couldn't wait to get this chapter out! One of my readers had mentioned possible changes I could have made such as keeping Lacus on the Archangel a little longer. And while I do love that concept, it admittedly has been one I've read a lot. Gundam Seed is the reason I got into fanfiction and I've read countless variations of how Lacus stayed on the Archangel with Kira. And while again I loved that concept, I kinda wanted to make my story my own. Although at the moment it may seem like I'm kinda sorta following the series with little twists here and there, I will be skipping over some parts that I feel don't necessarily need to be changed. Like I'll probably keep the desert arc with Waltfeld and the ocean arc mostly the same? So we may jump over that to when they arrive at Orb the first time. I'll have to think about it. But if any of you readers have any suggestions please feel free to comment!