The Fading Light

*PING*

"Mister Kira? I hope you're not too busy, but I finished my lunch tray. May I go return it or should I wait for you?"

*PING*

"Mister Kira? May I ask, are there any spare casual clothes I can borrow? Something like a t-shirt and shorts? While I do love my dress, it can be kind of bothersome to wear all the time."

*PING*

"Mister Kira? I know I'm not supposed to wander around, but can you ask if they can make an exception for showers? It's been a few days and I hope the Captain won't mind if I freshen up a bit."

*PING*

"Hey Lacus?"

"Yes?"

"You don't have to call me Mister Kira. Just Kira is fine."

"Oh! Ok. Sounds good. We're on a first name basis then!"

"Haha I guess we are."

"I'm glad. I much prefer to call my friends more casually anyway."

"...W-we're friends?"

"Are we not?"

"I uh I'd like to be your friend."

"Perfect! As my friend, would you like to join me for lunch today?"

"...Actually, I would love to."

Moments later, Kira entered Lacus's room now with two lunch trays instead of the usual one. She was definitely much cheerier ever since Kira got permission from Captain Ramius to let her use the shower a few days ago. Her smile beamed much brighter, and her hair shined more.

"I hope the clothes I got you are ok," Kira said, "I wasn't quite sure of your size so I kinda eyeballed you. Uh n-not like that! I mean uhh you're really pretty and all but I mean what I'm saying is I wasn't oogling at you like a perv. And your dress is kinda poofy so I wasn't too sure on your size. I just picked out what seemed like a large size. Not that you're fat or anything. You've got a great body...BY WHICH I MEAN YOU'RE IN SHAPE AND AND..."

"Heheheh Kira!" Lacus covered her mouth as she giggled.

"Y-yes?"

"Kira, the clothes you picked out for me are perfect. I like an oversized T-shirt and the shorts fit me just fine. I prefer my lounge wear to be comfy. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I just wanted to help you settle in ok. I'm not quite sure how long it will be before we can send you home."

"Yes. I understand that must be quite the challenge. I'm sorry to cause any trouble."

"Oh! It's no trouble at all. I can understand the feeling. Being in a strange place all by yourself. Being...a coordinator surrounded by naturals. It's weird."

"You seem to be doing fine though," she tilted her head gazing into his eyes.

"I...I'm really lucky to have nice friends," he smiled softly.

"The same friends on this very ship?"

"Yes."

"You really care about them, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Tell me about them."

Kira paused for a moment contemplating how exactly he should describe his friend group. Lacus meanwhile just enjoyed the view. His brow furrowed and his lips tilted as his nose scrunched up. After a few beats he sat down with his arms crossed.

"Hmmm."

"Hehehe I'm not asking for the specs on a mobile suit. Let's start with uhhh the one with the brown curly hair."

"Huh? Oh Tolle! He's a bit of a jokester. He likes to see the brighter side of things even if they seem dour. Heh one time he and I tried to modify a dishwasher in the school kitchen for efficiency. Gah we accidentally put the motor in overdrive. Oh man, there was soap EVERYWHERE!"

"Hhahaha oh my gosh, really?"

"Yea! Tolle and I spent at least a month just washing dishes BY HAND."

"Hehe it sounds like you two got a soft punishment,"

"Way too soft. In fact, that's how Tolle met his girlfriend, Mirialia."

"Ohhh is she the one with cute hair?"

"Yea. She was in the room when the dishwasher exploded. Tolle followed her around like a puppy begging for forgiveness."

"Oh no poor baby. But Mirialia seems nice. She more than forgave him if they're dating now."

"Definitely. Milly's always had a kind heart. She kinda reins in Tolle a bit."

"Hehe. I see. How about your friend with the glasses?"

"Ah Sai," Kira paused scratching his head a bit, "Sai's kinda serious at times. When it's about work, he means business. But he's also really good at what he does. Probably top of our class. Although…"

"Hmm?"

"Well," Kira chuckled, "So Sai's parents set up an arranged marriage with er…Flay."

"Flay?"

"The uh girl in the pink dress in the cafeteria the other day."

"Ohhhh."

"Anyway, when it was announced, Sai sent Flay a formal letter of confession. It was all fancy with flowers and whatnot. The envelope was pink with intricate patterns and everything. Oh man the whole school talked about it for weeks."

"My how regal haha."

"Yea."

Kira seemed to pause for a moment. He looked away in deep thought, not knowing he was making his feelings rather obvious to an observant Lacus.

"You don't seem too excited about this arranged marriage Sai has with Miss Flay," Lacus gently prodded.

"Huh? Wha no I mean I'm happy for him. Really."

"Hmmm. What do you think of Miss Flay?"

"Well I uh think she's pretty."

"Now Kira you can't just go around calling every girl pretty. You need to update your vocabulary if you're going to properly express how you feel."

"KIRA I WILL NOT ACCEPT THAT!" Mr. Pink bounced about.

"Sigh. I mean she's great and all," Kira exasperated, "But she and Sai are engaged. I shouldn't mess with that."

"Hmm," Lacus looked away slightly disappointed, but she put on a masking smile just as she'd always done, "Well. Personally, I believe we should let our hearts decide. I'm not saying you should break them up. I just think you should do what you feel is right."

"I guess," Kira said looking up.

Despite feeling conflict brewing inside of him for having a crush on his friend's fiancé, Kira looked at Lacus's beautiful cerulean eyes and felt a calmness wash over him. Somehow everything just felt so right with the world. There was no war, no warship, no opposing sides, just Kira and Lacus.

"Hey," Kira started, "Would you like to go somewhere?"

"Mister Kira," Lacus blushed, "Are you asking me out?"

"I uh well I just thought that y'know being cooped up in here isn't all that fun and I figured you'd like to go for a walk and I well…"

"Hehehehe I accept Kira. You are correct. Being stuck in here isn't the greatest of activities."

Boldly and almost non hesitantly, Lacus stood up and took off the comfy T-shirt Kira had given her. Immediately panicking, Kira blushed upon seeing her pink lacy bra. In a flash he turned away, covering his eyes.

"PERVY KIRA PERVY KIRA," Mr. Pink screamed as loudly as he could ricocheting everywhere across the room.

"Hehe That's enough, Mr. Pink," she giggled after catching the crazy robot, "We shouldn't bully our friends like that."

"I should uh step outside," Kira said.

"Hehe Of course, Kira. I'll come out when I'm ready."

"R-right."

Quickly, Kira stepped out of the room and leaned against the corridor wall. His hands covered his burning face as he breathed in and out trying to cool himself off. Inside the room, despite showing a cheeky air of confidence, Lacus also knelt down with her hands on her head.

"OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH," she internally screamed, "Why did I do that?! Why did I nonchalantly take off my shirt IN FRONT OF A STRANGER!? Get it together Lacus! Get it together! You're a good girl, Lacus. You're a good girl. Happy thoughts. Innocent thoughts. Fresh cut flowers. Puppies. Brunch by the lake."

Despite steam practically coming out of her ears, Lacus was able to calm herself from the embarrassment. Mr. Pink simply rolled around in confusion (silently for once, but Lacus took what she could get). After pulling her composure together, Lacus changed into what Kira called her poofy dress. Admittedly the skirt is rather poofy, but it was cute. She stopped by the mirror to smooth out her hair a bit and wash her face. She straightened out her hairclip and looked over herself once more.

"Lacus please," she mumbled to herself, "This isn't a date. This is just two friends going for a walk."

Finally composed, she opened the door to find Kira waiting for her outside.

"Shall we?" he asked, extending his hand.

"Yes. We shall," she smiled wrapping her arms around his.

They walked in comfortable silence down the halls of the Archangel. By now things had calmed down since Lacus first arrived. Most of the refugees kept to themselves trying to relax and not worry about the current predicament. Sure, the ship was floating aimlessly in space with very little supplies, but sometimes it was best not to worry so much. Most of the crew were out and about monitoring and maintaining the various systems around the Archangel. That left Kira and Lacus ample time to stroll about uninterrupted. Soon, they approached their destination. Kira pressed a button and the doors opened to a spacious dark room. The wall in front of them was made entirely out of glass. Lacus's eyes widened at the bright sight before her. The windows showed the deep vastness of space, but with it were also countless little stars shining as brightly as they could.

"Wow!" she gasped, "Oh Kira. This is beautiful."

"Yea. Welcome to the Observation Deck. It's a nice quiet place. I sometimes come here to sit and think."

"It's so peaceful."

"Yea."

"Thank you, Kira, for letting me visit this special spot of yours."

"Uh well I mean it's y'know uh open access to the crew and all. So y'know I…"

"It's special to you. And I'm really honored you'd share it with me."

"PRETTY!" Mr. Pink chimed in.

"Anytime, Lacus. I just figured you'd want to see something other than the four walls of your cabin," he blushed.

"You're so sweet," she blushed almost as brightly as him.

With the stars shining down on them and Mr. Pink once again oddly silent, Kira and Lacus took a second to cherish the moment they were having. Their eyes could not tear themselves away from each other. In fact, this whole time, Lacus was still clinging the Kira's arm. For this brief moment in time, Kira had forgotten his crush on Flay. And Lacus had forgotten that she was…engaged.

*BEEP BEEP*

Abruptly, Kira and Lacus shook their heads at the loud interruption by the PA system.

"Attention all officers and ensigns. Attention all officers and ensigns," Miriallia's voice boomed across the ship, "Please report to the bridge for an important announcement. All officers and ensigns to the bridge for an important announcement."

Snapped back to reality, Kira's shoulders slumped in disappointment. Lacus could only give a weak understanding smile.

"Well, I guess I'll have to take you back," he said dejectedly.

"No no it's ok. I know the way back."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It's ok. It sounds like a very important announcement. You should probably get going."

"Ok. But you head straight back! I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Hehe. I'll be fine. It's sweet of you to worry about me."

"Ok."

Just as he was about to float off, Lacus quickly grabbed his sleeve.

"Huh? Lacus?"

"One sec."

Pulling him square to face her, Lacus rubbed his hair to brush away any stray strands. Then she straightened out his sleeves and buttoned up his collar before brushing his shoulders to finally straighten out his uniform. Kira blushed even harder at how Lacus was cleaning him up. His was basically a tomato when she leaned down to his waist to pull at the hem of his uniform.

"There! Since you're going to a big meeting, you must look presentable."

"I'm not a soldier, Lacus."

"I know. But even so, it pays to look neat. Maybe you'll catch the eye of Miss Flay."

"I uh…"

"Chop chop, Kira! Being punctual is a vital skill too."

With a nod, Kira turned and floated off towards the bridge. Mr. Pink bounced into Lacus's hand before she turned in the other direction and headed back once again to her quarters.

*BANG BANG BOOM*

Kira tried to shake the sweat from his face as he stepped on the thrusters of the Strike. Alarms beeped everywhere around him at the bright red Aegis Gundam zoomed past his right side. Turning as quickly as he could, Kira brought up his laser rifle and took a few shots at the red mobile suit just as it transformed into suit mode.

"How did it end up like this?!" he growled to himself.

One minute there was absolute joy and relief on the Archangel. The 8th Fleet had contacted them and set up a rendezvous. Professionals were finally taking over as Kira and his friends could be relieved of their duties. The crew almost threw a party upon seeing the three advanced scouting ships the fleet sent to ensure the Archangel was still in one piece. Little did they know that joy would be short lived as ZAFT commander Rau Le Creuset along with Athrun Zala piloting the Aegis ambushed all four ships. Honestly the Earth Alliance was holding on fairly well considering all they had were a few mobile armors, La Flaga's Mobius Zero, and the Strike. However, Athrun and the Aegis kept Kira very occupied for the moment. Both suits flew around each other trading laser fire back and forth. The Strike's Aile pack did its best to keep up with the Aegis's speed, but Athrun's training was really pushing Kira's limits. The former friends continued trading blows as their laser swords slammed into their shields. Kira blinked a little after glancing at his power meter. He definitely did not want a repeat of his previous battle against Athrun. They were already so close to leaving this military life behind. Getting captured would certainly ruin everything. Before the two Gundams could exchange another blow, bright light popped up on their screens.

*BOOOOM*

To the surprise of everyone on the battlefield, Le Creuset's flagship, the Vesalius, had fired its Gottfried cannons right at one of the Earth Alliance ships. Its laser pierced right through the center of the ship's hull completely destroying it and everyone inside.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Kira winced at the high pitch scream reverberating on the comms.

The blinding pink light from the explosion caused everyone to freeze. Ginns watched in awe while the Strike and the Mobius Zero stared in disgust. Kira was shaken to his core, completely frozen and unable to even flinch. His chest twisted in pain as he remembered promising Flay that he would keep her father safe. Crackling static from the open channel pulled Kira back to reality. He blinked a bit once the voice of second-in-command Natarle Badgiruel came alive.

"Attention ZAFT forces," she began, "This is the Archangel of the Earth Alliance Forces. Currently in the care of this ship is PLANT Supreme Council Chairman Siegel Clyne's daughter, Lacus Clyne! We came across a life pod with her on board and took her in for humanitarian reasons. However, should you decide to attack this ship, we shall consider that as abandonment of your responsibilities to protect Ms. Clyne. We will then take care of this situation as we see fit!"

If Kira wasn't already shocked by the death of Flay's father, he would undoubtedly be stunned at what just happened. Athrun meanwhile stewed in fury. Shaking his head at the unfathomable actions of the Earth Alliance he smashed his fists on the console in anger.

"So this is who you choose to protect, Kira?" he screamed into the open channel with fury, "You choose to fight with the likes of these people?!"

"Athrun I….I didn't know they'd do something like this. My friends would never put someone in harms way like that!"

"Mark my words, Kira. I will come for you. I will save her…..by any means necessary."

The bright lights of the retreat flares prevented Athrun from ranting any further. Following the signal, all forces from either side returned to their respective vessels. Once the Strike was docked, Kira jumped out of the cockpit and beelined towards the bridge. Mu from the corner of his eye caught the hotheaded teen and jumped after him.

"Hey kid! Slow down!" the Lieutenant called out.

"How could they do this Mu? How could they make someone innocent like that into their shield?!"

"Look I don't like the move either. It sucks and frankly is beneath us. But what's done is done. Natarle bought us some time and I think it's best we use it wisely."

"You're not seriously defending her, are you?"

"I'm just looking at the hand we're dealt with. We can't take back the announcement. And frankly this situation is very complex and far above our pay grades. I agree with you. Putting an innocent girl in front of us to block bullets is a bush league move. But we're in the here and now. Going up to your superiors and arguing isn't going to solve anything."

"…this is why I'm not a soldier," Kira growled before floating off.

After changing back into his blue uniform, Kira rushed down the halls. His only thought was to make sure Lacus was ok. Anger still permeated through his mind wondering how Natarle could even fathom holding an innocent girl like Lacus as hostage. He had just spent hours telling Lacus how good these people can be. Would she still believe him after all this?

"WHERE IS MY FATHER SAI!? WHERE IS MY FATHER?!"

Kira's thoughts were interrupted by hysterical screaming and crying. Immediately he rushed to the source to find Flay on the floor sobbing into Sai's chest with Miriallia awkwardly standing by. Milly turned to send Kira a look of concern and shrug. Kira stepped forward slightly.

"…..Flay," he spoke up.

"LIAR!" Flay snapped at him, "You promised me he'd be alright. He'd be ok! Why didn't you protect him? Huh? Big strong coordinator and you couldn't do shit!"

"Flay!" Sai scolded her.

"Why didn't you do your best!" Flay screeched ignoring Sai.

"Flay! Kira did the best he could!"

"Did he? Did he really? He's a coordinator! Maybe he wasn't fighting seriously! Maybe he's been taking it easy because he won't kill his own people!"

Taken aback by that harsh accusation, Kira was left speechless. Sai and Milly didn't have words to say either and could only send Kira apologetic glances as Flay continued to weep in Sai's arms. Overcome with emotion, Kira left the room and ran away. Unsure of a true destination, Kira just let his feet take him wherever. Soon, he arrived at the Observation Deck and floated towards the window. With all his might, he smashed his fists onto the glass and let out a loud frustrated scream.

"AHHHHHHHHHH," he cried out with tears floating in the air.

His mind swirled with countless thoughts doubting himself. Was Athrun right? Was he fighting on the wrong side? Was Flay right? Was he really not doing his best to protect his friends? It felt like every move he made was the wrong one. Should he even be piloting the Strike if all it did was bring suffering and stress onto him? Who was he supposed to believe and trust anymore? Was he doing the right thing?"

"Kira?" a soft voice called out to him.

Turning around, Kira caught a glimpse of pink hair. Lacus had shown up with Mr. Pink in hand. She tilted her head and furrowed her brow in worry. For some reason, Kira just froze, unsure of what to do right now. Lacus tossed her spherical toy robot in a random direction letting him play by himself for a bit. She floated closer to Kira reaching out her hand to wipe his tears. Shaking his head, Kira stepped back slightly and wiped his face with his sleeve.

"Are you ok?" she asked sweetly.

"I-I should be asking you that. Are you hurt?"

"No. Miss Flay does have a bit of a grip, but I wasn't harmed."

"I-I'm sorry you had to go through that. We…..well I'd like to believe my friends and the Earth forces aren't usually like that."

"Well, I don't blame her. Not entirely anyway. I….don't really know how I would react to seeing my father perishing in front of me."

"Hmm."

They floated close to each other in comfortable silence, content to look out onto the stars for a bit. Kira felt a calm come over him, with a bit of slight confusion. Here Lacus was just threatened and put out as a hostage, and yet she was asking him if he was ok. Maybe she was putting on a brace face. She was too kind to worry about him.

"Are you sure you're ok? Were you not scared?" he asked hoping to pry past what he thought was her mask.

"Hmm. I would say I was more confused with what was going on. I don't know Miss Flay but somehow it never crossed my mind that she would hurt me…even though she did say multiple times that she'd kill me if ZAFT harmed her father."

"…..wait she WHAT?!"

"Kira Kira! Calm down. It's fine. Everything is fine. We were on the bridge, and I think just the hysteria and fear was getting to her. I promise I was never in any danger," she blushed internally feeling really touched that Kira cared for her so much.

"T-that still doesn't make it right. Also given how things escalated, you really shouldn't be wandering around on your own."

"Awww. But Mr. Pink gets so bored."

"I WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS!" the bouncy ball floated by right on cue.

"Honestly, I probably couldn't keep him inside even if I tried," she chuckled.

"Oh?"

"Yes. He has a lockpicking function. A gift so to speak so that I could sneak out every now and then."

"Sneak out? Like a princess from her tower?"

"Hehe yes. Something like that. It's….not easy being the daughter of the Supreme Council Chairman."

"I'm sorry."

"Hehe stop apologizing. You have nothing to feel sorry about."

Suddenly she reached out again and successfully cupped his cheek. This time, Kira didn't flinch and instead leaned into her hand.

"The fighting is over. Yet you seem sad," she whispered.

"I don't like fighting. I don't want to kill anyone. It doesn't help that I'm a coordinator fighting against coordinators."

"Hmm."

"I just want to protect my friends. But it's a lot of pressure being the only one able to pilot a mobile suit. There are so many things to keep track of. What if an enemy gets too close to the ship? Or another ship damages the Archangel. Then you add those advance fleet scouts. And on top of that…." Kira winced as he vented his stress.

"On top of?..."

"Sigh….I had to fight my best friend."

"Oh?"

"He pilots the Aegis, the red mobile suit. We were friends as kids. My mother would make us cabbage rolls as snacks while his mother was away on business. We did everything together. It felt like having a brother."

"What happened?"

"His mother passed. She was on….Junius Seven."

"Oh no…"

"His father shipped him away to military school. We lost touch over the years. But I never dreamed Athrun and I would stand on opposing sides."

"I see," Lacus sighed while taking both of Kira's hands into hers.

Her expression was filled with empathy and sorrow as she rubbed her thumbs on Kira's hands. She took a moment to feel how smooth his skin felt. Clasping her hands together, she held his own up between them caressing them gently to show him that she understood how he was feeling.

"You have a kind soul, Kira. One not fit for war. But at the same time, you have a passionate heart. You care deeply for all your friends, and you just want to do what you believe is right. Athrun is the same way. He fights to protect his people because that's what he believes is right. There's no law that says either you or him must be wrong. In a way, you are both right. However, I do hope you and he can work this out and come to an understanding. Friends shouldn't fight, not like this."

"Hmm…..wait, you know Athrun?"

"…..sigh yes. It's rather complicated," she looked away with a shy smile.

"How so?"

"Well…your friend Sai isn't the only one embroiled in an arranged marriage."

"Huh?...OH," he realized letting go of her hands.

She pouted slightly at this action, but Mr. Pink floated by to help her compose herself. As the robot landed in her hands, she smiled slightly reminiscing on some of the fond memories she had of Athrun.

"Like Sai, Athrun came over thinking he had to put on a grand gesture of some sort. He brought flowers and even made me a toy spherical robot. He named it Haro. I thought it was so cute and sweet. So, he just kept making more and more. I have a whole litter of them back home. I bring Mr. Pink with me because he's my favorite. Pink is my favorite color and Mr. Pink is kinda sassy."

"Heh I can see that. Seems like Athrun hasn't changed one bit."

"Really?"

"Yup. Before he left, he made me my Birdy. He's my Haro. I let him fly around or hang on my shoulder from time to time. Birdy represents our memories together. And to never forget one another."

"Hehe. See! Athrun is so sweet and sentimental…but."

"But?"

"He can be rather stoic at times. Very by the book. And so serious. I guess it's the military training his father put him through. And again he's great, but I don't really…love him. Or at least love him like bride should love her husband."

"Oh? Really?" Kira unconsciously perked up.

"Yes. I consider him a very close friend. He can be very considerate when he wants to be. But…I dunno. I don't really feel that spark, you know?"

"I-I see."

"And sometimes I feel as if he's going through with this engagement because of duty rather than love. I don't know about you, Kira, but personally, I'd like to marry a man I love," she sent him a smile while staring deeply into his eyes.

"Me too," he smiled back with a tinge of red in his cheeks.

"It would be nice if you two no longer had to fight each other. I'd like for all of us to be friends."

"I'd like that too."

After taking Lacus back to her room, Kira went back to his to lay down. He kept the lights off as he rested on his bed in deep thought. Birdy flew around the room before landing on his chest. Kira sat up as Athrun's robotic gift jumped up and settled on his shoulder.

"What do you think I should do, Birdy?"

"Tori!"

He lifted his hand so Birdy could hop onto it. The little robot rotated his head a bit as Kira stared back at his companion. Letting out a deep sigh, Kira got up from his bed. For the first time in his stay on the Archangel, he felt full conviction in what he was about to do. Opening his door, Kira briskly walked down the hall. His head was on a swivel with his eyes darting around. Hopefully everyone was already asleep, and the halls would be clear. Soon, he arrived at his destination. He tried to quietly open the door, but Mr. Pink came alive and rolled to his feet.

"Haro! Haro!" the ball cried out.

"Shhh! Mr. Pink be quiet!" Kira tried to shush to toy.

To no avail though, as Lacus groggily got up from bed.

"Huh? What's going on?" she tried to rub her eyes.

"Get dressed. We don't have a lot of time."

"Kira? Is something the matter?"

"Lacus….I'm sending you home."

AN: Hello everyone! Happy 2024! In honor of Gundam Seed Freedom opening TODAY (well Jan 26th in Friday but times zones :P), I wanted to post this next chapter of my story. Gundam Seed shaped so much of my life as a child. It is by far without question my favorite anime series and Kira and Lacus are my all time favorite couple. I wanted to add a bit more context and flavoring this go around. The original series obviously had Lacus greatly impact Kira and I wanted to give them more time to develop their feelings for one another. I'm also saying this right now, I'm basically cutting out the...Flay arc. I wasn't a fan of it in the series and I don't particularly like Flay. I also won't try to completely vilify her, but with my rewrites we're going to skirt around the whole Kira stole Sai's girl and whatnot. Anywho, I hope you enjoy the read. If you like my stuff and are also fans of comic book heroes Nightwing, Spider-Man and more, feel free to check out my other works: How to Be Chalant and Everyday is an Adventure with You .

Thanks again everyone!