"Why is my precious little boy all alone? Are you crying?" Asked by a dark blue-haired woman wearing a gardener's hat, and on one hand is a box of her gardening tools. She found the little boy sitting under a tree with a sullen face.
"I lost Tori, Mom," he answered as he faced her with tears almost flowing down his face.
"Tori? The robot bird you were tinkering?" She asked.
"Yes. The one I was supposed to give to Kira."
"Don't be sad. We will find it. It might not have gotten that far."
"What if we will not find it anymore?"
She sat down next to the boy.
"Don't give up. The Zalas aren't the type to give up easily. Let me tell you a story. When I was younger, my mother told me that if something is meant for you, it will not miss you or it will comeback to you. To be honest, your father wasn't my ideal man."
"Really?" Athrun was shocked with the revelation of his mother. His parents have a really good relationship, and this revelation is quite surprising.
"He's stiff, super serious, strict, and always grumpy, like when he is at home," she said, which made the two of them laugh.
"So, Father has always been like that."
"Yes! When we first met, he was so rude. I wish we didn't meet again, but you know fate is kind of funny sometimes. We met again under unexpected circumstances quite a few times. Slowly, I realized that I already fell in love with him. He might look scary, and he's not affectionate, but he has so much love to give. And he always made me feel loved so dearly. He just shows his love in a different way."
"So how did you end up together?"
"Well, he's already in the military at that time, so maintaining a relationship with someone like him is quite hard. There's no guarantee he will come back alive and in one piece. So, I let him go. He was about to be dispatched on a mission at that time."
"How did Dad react?"
"Of course he didn't like it, but he respected my decision. But he said that he would come back for me."
"What happened afterwards?"
"You're really curious?" Lenore smiled tenderly at her son. "I told him that if he comes back alive, I might give him a chance. And he did return alive. Also, you know how marriage works in PLANTS. I was told that I was compatible for marriage with your father."
"I hope to find a love like yours when I grow up, Mother."
"I hope you will find someone you'll love dearly too, my darling. And just like how your Dad and I are destined to be together, if Tori is meant for you it will come back to you."
"How will I know if a person is meant for me, Mom?"
"They say when you meet the same person again and again accidentally and more frequently, even in places where you least expect to meet the same person, then you are meant to be in each other's lives."
"Huh? It's getting more complicated, Mother. How will I know? I met a lot of people quite a few times."
"HAHAHA You will know it when you find that person. I just want to share a little bit about me and your father."
TORI. They heard the bird and saw it flying above the tree. Then, it landed on Athrun's arm.
"See? It returned." Athrun smiled at his mother and nodded.
He felt a gush of fond memories as he reminisced about the moments he shared with his mother in this mansion. It's been a while since he returned to their old home in the lunar city of Copernicus. It's still peaceful and serene. His mother's vegetable garden is now barren since no one is living in the mansion to take care of it, and the caretaker doesn't really stay there.
"Earth to Athrun! "A woman is in front of him, calling his attention. She looks like a mess but still managed to look beautiful. Her hair is tied in a bun, and she's carrying an infant in her arms. Motherhood really looks good on her.
"What are you spacing out about?"
"I was just reminiscing about my past here in this house."
"Well, it's been a while since you returned here." Then, they heard a loud baby cry from the crib. "Oh! I really thought our youngest was already asleep."
"Let me take care of him," Athrun said, lifting the baby from the crib. He coaxed him with a bottle of milk. Then he looked at the woman, who is now sitting on the sofa beside the wide glass wall. Despite looking so tired (well, the two of them because the twins kept them awake the whole night since they refused to bring nannies for this vacation), she glows radiantly like the sun as she hums a lullaby to their other son. She emanates warmth just like the golden threads of her hair and the amber color of her eyes.
She noticed him looking at her and smiled at him.
Dear Mother, I think I now understand what you meant when you said that I will know it if I have found the person who's meant for me. I've found her, and she's now the mother of my children.
The End.