Title: Reassurance
Rating: T
Summary: Liu reassures Agnes while they're waiting to launch. Scene addition to volume 2 of the Gundam Seed Freedom novelization.

Liu looked over the incoming data and frowned. Their launch was being temporarily delayed.

The others were laughing and talking as they waited, but Agnes remained quiet.

The prospect of fighting against her former comrades was making her anxious, no doubt.

And she was probably still worried about Shura too.

Liu sighed, then opened up a private communications channel.

Her face appeared on his viewscreen.

"You wanted to speak to me?" Agnes said. She sounded surprised.

"Don't mind Redel," Liu advised gently. "She's just teasing – like all brothers and sisters do. It means she thinks of you as one of us now."

"Oh," she said, sounding slightly more mollified.

"Believe me, Redel's really excited to have another girl on the team. She gets tired of having to hang out with her big brothers all the time."

"Doesn't she have Ingrid?" Agnes asked.

"Well, we used to spend more time with Ingrid and Orphee when we were younger. But since they took over as Prime Minister and Secretary of State, we haven't gotten to see them as much. It's taken some getting used to. We all used to be together all the time when we were in school. And after school, we'd study together and eat together too."

"I have no idea what that's like. I'm an only child."

"Lucky you," he said, smiling.

"You don't like having so many brothers and sisters?" she said uncertainly.

"I do – most of the time. But sometimes I just want to be alone. And that's just not possible with a large family like ours."

"But you live in such a big palace. Surely you all have your own rooms."

"We do, but that's not enough."

"Because you can read each other's minds?" she guessed.

"That too," he agreed. "Privacy is hard to come by with our abilities. And it makes it impossible to cheat when you're playing cards. Or anything else, for that matter."

She smiled at that.

"Then why haven't you ever beaten Shura at sword fighting?"

"Oh, it doesn't help then. I can tell what he's going to do; I just can't move fast enough to deflect him."

"That must be frustrating."

"It is. But I've learned to accept it. And I'm still faster than everyone else. That's why Shura leaves me in charge when he's not around."

She looked down.

"I wish he was here."

"I know. He misses you too."

"No, he doesn't."

"Yes, he does."

"Then why did he send me away, while he stayed behind at Artemis?"

"Because he had no choice. Aura and Orphee ordered him to. As punishment for failing in his mission."

"Oh," she said in dismay.

"He doesn't blame you," Liu reassured her.

But Aura and Orphee do.

"Why didn't he tell me?" she asked.

"He was afraid you wouldn't leave him if you knew the truth."

She was silent for a long moment.

"He was right," she admitted reluctantly. "I wouldn't have."

"Don't worry," he said. "Shura cares for you as much as you care for him."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I read his mind," he said impishly. "And because… because he asked me to look after you."

"He did?"

"Of course. You're very important to him."

"I'm not so sure about that," she said self-consciously.

"I've never seen him ask a woman to dance before. But he asked you. And he wouldn't have saved you if he didn't care about you. He'll come back here eventually, and you'll be together again. You just have to wait until then. Trust me."

Her face brightened, and he was struck by how beautiful she was when she was smiling.

For a moment, he regretted that he hadn't asked her to dance first.

If I'd asked you first, would you like me better?

But he didn't need to ask. He already knew the answer.

Though he was taller, more outgoing and more charming, it made no difference.

His sparkling wit had always made him popular with the ladies, but Moonlight Valkyrie was no ordinary lady.

Clearly, she preferred the strong, silent type.

In this case, it wasn't only in sword fighting that Shura was superior.

Liu smiled wryly to himself.

I guess that's just my lot in life.

But at least he'd helped set her mind at ease.

And for that, he was glad.

The End!