Phase-19: Gravity of Love

It was still before dawn that the pilot of the Fortuna headed out, dressed in her uniform, Chacha in her pocket. She had spent a sleepless night thinking and thinking. So she had decided to get some fresh air and cool down. She sat down on the bench where Meer had sat during the discussion with the Chairman. For Heine to say such things the previous night and notice she had been pushing herself... she must have gotten really weak and lonely. She had to get a grip and keep it together. But it was true she was isolated. Her isolation was because she had accepted the Chairman's proposal...

'Become a ZAFT soldier', 'Take on the Canaver surname', 'Athrun Zala and Lacus Clyne must be engaged, interact with him as being just friends'... and because of her own personality... she was still too honest, and not selfish enough... she had not imagined it was going to be this difficult. Right now, she felt like she had been played like a fiddle. Tired of fighting a losing battle, she had been unable to resist the Chairman's temptation. But now that she was settling down a bit, she was starting to have doubts concerning that person's methods. He was using a doll like Meer to take advantage of Lacus' influence... and crack her relationship with Athrun. Was he a person to go as far as to send assassins after the real Lacus? Going along that line, if Lacus's individuality was a problem, the same could be said about herself. Those in power usually disliked people like her who despite being shrewd, did as they liked and did not bend to them. He had told them it was alright to just pledge allegiance to their own beliefs, but it could be just a ploy recruit them. In any case, isolating her was really the best way to restrain her actions and weaken her...

Having said that... what about it? There was still no news about Orb, Cagalli, Kira or Lacus. And although there were some worrying points, she still believed Durandal to be the best pick to achieve her goal. For now at least. So she had no intention to rebel against him... fully. It was enough for her to just keep sprinkling seeds of doubts. In her current position, that was all she could do anyway. She could only keep following the path she had chosen, that was, to keep fighting as a FAITH agent from ZAFT.

However, what about her relation with Athrun? Maintaining the current status quo was painful. Yes, she had agreed to it, but she had never thought it would be this painful. Back then, she didn't rely on others that much. Just when did Athrun become so important to her? When did she become so greedy, so dependant on him? So much that she didn't believe she would be strong enough to keep the act? To be so close yet out of reach... It was also exhausting to worry about being found out. They were not allowed to be together in public, and in private they still exerted self-restraint whether due to fear of being discovered, guilt, or sense of duty or other... She didn't feel like she could keep her greed in check forever. One could certainly argue that there was no need to sever their relationship, that this all-or-nothing view was childish, that she was a weakling who couldn't endure this much for the man she claimed to love.

She didn't want to do it because she still loved him, and she felt it would be playing right into the Chairman's hand... but seriously, if they couldn't be together anyway what was the point of keeping this sham up? She really had become weak, much more than she had imagined. She was simply exhausted and weak. Seren had come in order to support her siblings from a distance, and her lover from up close. She knew she should be more understanding and supportive towards Athrun, that he too was suffering a lot. But there was no way she could help anyone when she couldn't even keep herself together. Because the sense of distance and closeness was completely blurred, she was all the more confused and didn't know how to act. So she had to make it clear. Right now, she was starting to lose her grasp on many things, starting with herself, due to her emotional state. And she also knew how much Athrun wanted to believe in Durandal. She did too, but was a lot more critical. It was also for this reason she needed distance, hindsight, perspective. That was when and where she had to draw a line even if they didn't like it.

But even as Seren had taken her decision to keep her distance in both public and private even if it meant breaking it off (as she knew Athrun would never simply agree with it... No well, there was no way he'd simply accept a one-sided breakup either...), she didn't feel any better. She thought of Lacus, Kira, Cagalli, and Rayner. Right now, she really needed them at her side, to hear their thoughts, their advice, or even their teasing. She missed them terribly, like she missed Athrun. Could this place where they couldn't openly be themselves really be the right one for them? So, to dispel the loneliness even slightly and feel closer to those people she missed so much, she started singing. As she sang, Chacha went onto her lap. It was the song Lacus had been singing a lot lately. The title was... right, it was Fields of Hope. While she was singing, the first rays of light shone through.

When she finished singing, someone clapped, it was Heine. Athrun was with him with an embarassed expression, like he had been caught red-handed. The man with amber blonde hair noted it was just like the songs Lacus-sama used to sing before her style changed.

"Is that so?" Seren smiled and played dumb.

"Could it be a song she didn't release?"

"Who knows..." The girl kept grinning innocently.

"Well, whatever. I know you've always been an early riser, but what are you doing here at the crack of dawn?"

"Thinking about what I'm going to do today. After all we're leaving tomorrow. And you?"

"Today, I'm taking this guy out." Westenfluss wrapped an arm around Zala's shoulders

"Eh? Where to?"

"Sorry but today, it'll be just the two of us."

"A guys outing huh? I get it. Go have fun."

"By the way, I heard him knock on your door this morning. He was looking for you. Since you weren't answering at all we went to the front desk and they told us you had already gone out. You two are really close for him to seek you out when it's still dark..." Heine grinned like he had caught on some juicy gossip. Athrun was panicking a bit...

"As if he'd seek me in this way when he has Lacus!" Seren burst out laughing. "Well, he probably wanted advice from a woman's point of view..."

"I guess that's true."

"Right? Anyway let's eat. I'm getting hungry." After that she kept deftly changing subjects so Heine wouldn't dig any deeper.

Then, it was time for 'Lacus' to leave on another osprey. She and Athrun were saying goodbyes with the others watching from a distance. In spite of his cold and reserved attitude, she still tried to kiss him on the lips but he stopped her, scowling deeply.

"You would at least kiss your fiancée, wouldn't you?" She whispered and tried again.

"I told you I wouldn't kiss another woman! Cut it out already!" He told her off, pushing her back, forcefully turning her around and driving her away. The osprey took off, and so did two mobile suits that were to guard her.

Luna, despite being here, had made a point not to look. She had 'displeasure' and 'jealousy' written all over her face. She returned inside, wondering what she was going to do. Clueless, Shinn followed her. Seren's smile had also gotten a few shades darker as she and the others went after them. When she had noticed Lunamaria's expression she thought 'She's still a child' with a somewhat condescending smile. But the truth was, she was very much envious of Lunamaria who could be so open with her feelings. They called the elevator. Luna wanted to go into town again as it was their last day off, but going alone wouldn't be any fun and she sorta felt sorry for Rey so she was thinking of returning to the ship. When she heard Athrun suggest that she went with Shinn again, her anger and annoyance doubled, and she marched into the elevator without looking at him. Everyone went in and the door closed.

"It's our last the day off. You should use it to relax." The oblivious commander insisted. He was certainly trying to be kind and considerate... but when you're told so sincerely by the person you have a crush on to go have fun with another man, it was quite normal to have your temper take a turn for the worst. Still, wasn't Luna pitiful? Even though she was THAT obvious, how come none of the guys noticed anything?! And Seren, who was not only aware of both Athrun's and Luna's sentiments but also had to deal with her own complicated situation just did not know what to feel. Was his obliviousness a good thing or not? It meant that he didn't even consider other girls so it was good? No, but he also lacked awareness of her feelings when he let other girls be all over him... Seren sighed and shook her head.

"Eh, but..." Asuka felt bad.

"That's right... the commander is okay. You've already relaxed very much... together with Lacus-sama..." Hawke glanced sideways at Athrun who gulped and took a step back. "You should've gone along with Lacus-sama as her bodyguard just like yesterday while you were at it. You belong to FAITH, commander. It wouldn't have been a problem even if you had done that." She went on coldly. Shinn looked at one and the other, wondering what was happening between them.

"Lunamaria!" Zala said. The door opened and the girl walked out on him. "Wait a minute, Lunamaria!" He went after her. She stopped and looked back at him, clearly annoyed. Athrun told Shinn and Heine to go on ahead and they obeyed but Seren was asked to stay when she was about to leave as well.

"Will you hit a woman too?"

"I was partly to blame too for yesterday so I don't want to make excuses, but you've misunderstood. And it'll be a problem if you keep acting that way because of such misunderstandings." Athrun sighed at first, before lightly rebuking her.

"A misunderstanding? I don't think there was anything to misunderstand, but very well. I'll be careful in the future... whenever Lacus-sama is around."

"No, like I said..."

"Come on, you two, stop it already. Athrun, Lacus has been quite clear, so there's no need to try and hide things now. It's embarrassing. And Luna, you're being childish. You saw how things are so it's better to quickly give up and accept reality." Seren cut in, trying to settle things by implying they were both wrong.

"Seren! No, that's..."

"Well, I'm sorry I cannot be as mature and cool as you. But if you would pardon me for saying this much, then I am also not sure about giving up on your childhood friend and drifting away from him just because he has a fiancée. It is only my humble opinion, but I find that rather cold-hearted..."

"But considering Lacus's feelings, it cannot be helped, right? Or would you be happy if another girl got close to your fiancé where you're not looking?" Canaver tilted her head. Hawke's eyebrows twitched, just like the corner of her mouth. Not one of them noticed the boy freezing like a deer in headlights at his actual fiancée's words. 'Would you be happy if another girl got close to your fiancé where you're not looking?' ...That was a jab at him... right? It was absolutely necessary and urgent that he talked to her to keep things together and prevent them from deteriorating any further.

"Ah! Is that so? I understand... I understand very well already... the relationship between commander Zala and Lacus Clyne. So don't worry." She saluted and marched away, signaling the end of the discussion. Athrun and Seren both sighed.

"Well then, I'll be returning to the ship so you guys enjoy yourselves." The female FAITH agent waved and walked away, Chacha on her shoulder.

"Ah, wait! Seren!" Athrun ran after her. She had evidently been avoiding a one-on-one discussion with him all this time, but not anymore.

He took her back to his room, closed the door, and pinned her against the wall. He had to clear things at least with her.

"You can't believe that something really happened between Meer and me, right?"

"How improper... bringing another lady to your room and holding her in such a way despite having a fiancée..." The young woman replied cynically. The robotic pet had escaped but it was impossible for her.

"Seren! Stop playing around!"

"Just who is playing around? I'm only doing my best to keep up with your level. I never thought you'd take the pretense that far..." She mocked him again. She knew Meer's conduct had troubled him greatly as well, but she still couldn't help being spiteful to him.

"So you seriously think-"

"Of course not." Seren interrupted him.

"Then why?!" More than doubtful, Athrun sounded angry. She was totally messing with him after all, and he was in no mood for that. The girl appeared surprised at first then blankly looked at him for a time, like she was silently yet very clearly and seriously asking him 'how much of an idiot can you be?'. Finally, the woman hung her head and sighed heavily before gazing up at him again, this time with the look she would give a truly disappointing child, which annoyed him even more. No, well, he usually was the smart one but when it came to matters of the heart that obliviousness of his could really be aggravating after all.

"Then let's consider that I'm the one with an official fiancé. You always see him flirting with me, and then you come to my room one morning and surprise us in our underwear, how would you react?"

"That, that is..." He recoiled, stepping back involuntarily, completely stiff. She smiled derisively at his reaction.

"See? Even if you know, even if you understand, even if you trust... you just can't help how you feel, right? It doesn't mean your heart can accept it."

"So what was that talk about giving up and drifting away?"

"...That... well... I know we both agreed to the Chairman's suggestions... but... I don't feel like I can keep taking such blows time and time again..."

"Wait, you can't mean..." As his green eyes widened in fear, her expression turned very gentle, and extremely sad.

"Things wouldn't change much from the current situation, and it'd be only temporary, until the Chairman decides to break things to the people, right? I love you Athrun. And I want to consider those people as my comrades. That's why I don't think I can keep the act. I don't want us to have to meet in secret even though we shouldn't have anything to feel guilty about. If we can't be together, if we can't be ourselves... then for the time being... it's best to break up." She forced the words out, although it felt like the inside of her mouth had been lacerated in the process. She clenched her fists to stop herself from trembling. Her heart was hammering against her ribs and her eyes were moistening. She was trying to keep calm but her whole body language betrayed her.

"You can't be serious!" Athrun raged. He could somehow tell her real feelings... but even just the fact that she would consider separation upset him terribly.

Like hell I'm serious! ... was what she wanted to shout.

"But I can't do it anymore! I'm sorry!" Seren pushed him back and ran away before he could crush her resolve in an embrace. Chacha quickly flew after her. She took refuge in her own room, locked the door, leant against it, and slid down to a sitting position, holding her knees. Right, she had taken her decision, and declared it. All that was left was to see it through. But right now, she needed to settle her heart and devote all her strength to make sure she could appear normal again, talking, behaving, and interacting with him as if nothing had happened. Her tiny friend slipped through the gap to touch and nuzzle her face. She cradled him in her trembling hands and hugged him tight.

In the Minerva, Captain Gladys was looking through Heine's file. He definitely wasn't a regular reinforcement. She thought of Gilbert. Really, she had no idea what this man could be thinking.

Both Shinn and Luna decided to go out on their own. Shinn went for a lonely drive on a bike along the coast. Lunamaria thought about joining up with her sister. Seren had returned to the ship like she had said and was typing on her laptop in her room. The screen showed a world map centered on the Pacific Ocean, with Orb being indicated, and the center of a radar circle. The window read 'FORECAST SEA ROUTE ARCHANGEL'. That ship, those people were always on her mind after all, right now even more so.

Heine and Athrun went to a bar. Westenfluss was glad that things appeared to be going well between Athrun and his fiancée, but he was worried that the atmosphere seemed to worsen between Athrun and Seren even though they had been so close back then. He understood why she was putting distance, but it was lonely after all. Well, Athrun had Lacus-sama so it would be fine but he had heard that Seren could no longer be with her boyfriend, and since she wasn't the type to rely much on others, he feared she was straining herself, and he wanted to support her, and be at her side. She was a really good woman.

"Being her childhood friend, you really didn't develop feelings for her other than that?" Heine questioned as he recalled some particularly... gentle... expressions Athrun had when gazing at Seren.

"We're friends... and... I have a fiancée."

"So you chose Lacus-sama over Seren huh? Then you won't say anything if Seren finds a boyfriend?" The GOUF's pilot looked straight into Zala's eyes. There was no trace of playfulness in his expression. He was serious. Noticing that, Athrun's eyes widened, his breath caught in his throat. His heart raced, and the strength of his grip holding his glass increased to stop the trembling of his hand.

"...No... I'm not in a position to say anything. She will be the one to choose her partner." A faint smile was curving Athrun's lips as if he too was just feeling a bit lonely that his friend was growing apart but understood the circumstances. Like he was saying 'it can't be helped'. He could never give him his blessing, but he was not allowed to reveal to whom Seren had already promised her future either. He still wanted to believe in that promise. But Seren had broken up earlier... and now that?! What the hell was happening?! Seren was able to smile and pretend she was happy that he and 'Lacus' were 'getting along'... aside from him, everyone was likely deceived by that smile of hers... But unlike he and Meer who were pretending (although he admitted Meer was going too far), Heine was completely serious. Athrun hung his head and clenched his fists. What in the world were they doing, the both of them?!

Asuka too was deep in thought as he recalled the debate of the previous day. What the Chairman said"But humans are creatures who will easily think the opposite once they realize a profit can be made. That also cannot be helped." ..."The history of mankind is fraught with people exclaiming such things; who incite others to fight, think of war as an industry, and who manufactured wars themselves... all for their own profit." What Athrun-san said "Someone once told me, "one kills because someone is killed, and then gets killed because he had killed... Just when is that going to end? ...Just how is that going to bring us closer to peace?"" He also recalled what Representative Attha had bellowed "Why are such things necessary in the first place?! In this time and day?! We made a pledge not to repeat the tragedies of the past! We were committed to following a path that we could proceed along hand in hand!" And despite her words, she allied with the Earth Alliance that had previously destroyed Orb, and offered them the Minerva on a silver platter. The Earth Alliance that made locals work like slaves by taking their family hostage, the Earth Alliance that oppressed people wherever they were... like Conille Almeta's village... "Even now, hiding in the shadows of this war, we'll find LOGOS without a doubt, since they're also the nucleus of Blue Cosmos. That's why the difficulty lies there. As long as they're pulling the strings, the PLANTS and the Earth will probably continue to fight. I would like to do something about that if I can... but that itself, will be more difficult than anything else."

Shinn stopped his bike on a rock outcropping and inhaled deeply. The cliff, the salty smell of the sea, the crying seagulls, the sparkling and gentle waves, the rock formations... he definitely wasn't conscious of it, but the scenery was quite similar to some sections of the coast of Onogoro Island. And yet, it calmed him more than anything. When he looked around he saw a pretty girl with short blonde hair and a blue dressing singing and dancing innocently, happily, just like a child... and was mesmerized by her for a time. He smiled, closed his eyes, and reported his attention to the sea. But then he heard a scream. When he looked, the girl had disappeared, and he immediately feared the worst. He ran along the ledge to the outcropping where she had been and he saw her. She had fallen in the sea and she was drowning?! She couldn't swim?! No way! He hurriedly removed his baggy maroon pullover and jumped. She was sinking. He quickly swam to her, grabbed her around the waist and pulled her up to the surface. But overcome with fear, she was struggling like a madwoman, hitting, scratching him, nearly drowning him. He held on, though. Once he managed to get behind her again and keep her high enough that her chest was above the surface and her head tilted back, the sight of the sky calmed her down. And both floated on their backs.

Like this, Shinn brought her to the rocky shore. He was still helping her. Suddenly, when the water was at their knees, they stumbled and fell. They stayed there, sitting, recovering their breath. Then he started scolding her.

"Were you trying to die, you fool?! What were doing in a place like that without paying attention when you can't even swim?!" He yelled, unaware that he had spoken her taboo word, which caused another fit of hysteria. His anger abated when he saw her trembling and gripping with fear, saying she didn't want to die. She tried to escape, but she was heading towards the deeper waters, putting her at risk of drowning again, so, he went to stop and bring her back. However, she once again struggled bitterly, like a psychotic. She elbowed him hard in the face, forcing him to let go. Seeing her act like that, the pilot of the Impulse, couldn't help but think she must have had a truly traumatic experience. She kept repeating that she was scared, she didn't want to die, she didn't want to be killed, she didn't want to get shot... and the soldiers who behaved horribly in the war were those of the Earth Forces. So Shinn grabbed her and pulled in her very tight hug. "Okay, I get it. You'll be alright. You won't die. Don't worry. I'll... I'll protect you." He had no idea he had just vowed to protect an Earth Alliance pilot, one he had been fighting all this time. Stella recalled Neo, and started settling down again. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed in the boy's chest. "I'm sorry. It was my fault. I'm really sorry. You're safe now, okay?"

After a time, they climbed onto the rocks. Shinn stayed at her side all this time. And now, the sun was setting. She was still whimpering, and he was still comforting, saying he was going to protect her. And, for the first time, she properly looked at him.

"Protect me?"

"Yeah, so you don't have to worry. You won't die, definitely not." He placed a hand on hers that was on her lap.

"Protect me..." She repeated, taking his hand so that it cupped her own cheek, started to feel relieved. The boy nodded. Comforted, Stella closed her eyes, taking his warmth that seeped from the hand on her cheek. Then he checked on her and noticed the blood flowing from a cut on her ankle and tied his wet handkerchief around it. He smiled at her and stood up, wondering what they should do. They were surrounded by steep cliffs they couldn't climb, and since she couldn't swim, they couldn't leave by the sea either. There was no choice but to call for help. There was only one way, and despite knowing it would get him in trouble, it couldn't be helped. He broke his ID tag. The Minerva received his 'emergency signal'.

Except Shinn, everyone who had gone out had returned to the ship. Seren had been on the Fortuna most of the day, then trained and talked with Ray. Since his voice, his appearance, his... atmosphere... reminded her of people she knew, she had wanted to talk to him one-on-one. She was also worried that he was too rational, professional, and didn't let up enough. He was young so it was good to laugh, cry or get angry a bit more. Especially in the army, you didn't know when you were going to die so you should enjoy life more, do things he wanted instead of just cleaning up after Shinn. No, but he was still needed clean up after Shinn and guide him after all. He had an important calming and stabilizing effect... In any case, she had done her best to take her mind off things!

But a little before the emergency signal was sent, Seren had been in her room, typing on her computer, the top part of her jacket unbuttoned, when Athrun came to see her. She hesitated, but allowed him in. Now Athrun was coming straight back to her?! Was her heart even ready?! She thought she had been clear enough when expressing her wish to put some distance between them but maybe not? Was he just going ignoring her wishes? Did he not care if things were awkward between them as a result? Since just the two of them was going to be awkward after what she had done. But after all it was not like she could avoid him forever. It was fine as long as they maintained a professional and amiable relationship and refrained from being intimate. He sat on the bed close to the desk where she was. He looked quite tired. The girl sighed once she recognized the smell of alcohol coming from him. Even though they were leaving the next day, he had drunk more than usual and was in this state... Just what was he doing?

"...So, what did you come here for?" Seren asked somewhat sharply as he still was not saying anything.

"...I needed to see you... Is that bad?" He retorted moodily, resentfully, glaring at her like blaming her for the fact that he became like this. She didn't reply and kept staring at him. But then his eyes started flitting about nervously. "...Say, about Heine, you..." He stopped himself.

Would he sound like a clingy child if he told her his true feeling? He knew that Seren still loved him, and he still believed in her, that even though she had broken up, nothing would really change, or happen. Nothing would happen between Heine and Seren, just like nothing would happen between Meer and himself. She was just angry at him for what happened that morning and he acknowledged he was partly to blame. There should be an improvement once she had calmed down. Normally. But were things really that simple? And Heine was a precious friend who had confided in him. Yes... right... But who the hell could stay calm in this situation?!

Athrun grabbed his childhood friend's hand and squeezed it. He had already noticed those two's closeness, but right after Seren had broken up with him, Heine was going to confess to her?! That was no joke! Of course he would feel shaken, distressed, anxious! Surely she knew which line should not be crossed, but still! Weren't those two getting along TOO well?! Weren't her attempts at deflecting Heine's moves a bit lukewarm and lacking in firmness?! He understood that Seren might have it hard but to think she would suggest... and even one-sidedly break up with him! Did she think it wasn't difficult for him too?! He squeezed her hand tighter and felt her stiffen, like she was fighting the urge to withdraw her hand. That irked him so much he suddenly pulled her in, flipped her over and pinned her on the bed.

"Athrun?! What ar-" She started struggling, but was silenced once his lips crashed onto hers... He didn't want to hear. He wanted to let her know, remember... with a kiss ardent enough to carve the depth of the pain, the fierceness of his anger, and the intensity of his love... When her resistance ceased, he became gentler. As he pulled away, the thread of saliva linking their lips snapped. Her cheeks were dyed a faint red, her mouth was still slightly open and her chest was heaving as she was catching her breath. Ah, he really loved her, and that expression of hers was truly alluring, even her traces of confusion and anger... But his green eyes were glaring at her.

"I'm not accepting this situation as easily as you think! You're not the only one feeling insecure!" Athrun pulled the collar of her T-shirt down and kissed her neck, he licked, sucked, and lightly bit the same spot until it left a mark. "I won't let you forget or downgrade my feelings for you." He cupped her cheeks with both hands, and kissed her lips again before backing away and heading to the door. "I understand this is hard on you, and you're only trying to protect yourself, that's why you're trying to keep your distance... but to me, you're the sole cure to this unease, so sorry but I can't let you get further away than that." He left after a last look at her. Still on the bed, Seren kept looking at the door. She touched her lips. It was like he had tried to devour her very soul. The sensation and warmth were still there. Her first kiss after a long time tasted like alcohol.

"Tsk. Who'd listen to the rambling of a drunkard?" She turned over, curled up in a ball, and buried her face in her pillow. "Geez, what was that? ...If that's truly what you think, hurry and talk to the Chairman already..." Her muffled voice came out.

And so, waiting for the rescue, they found refuge in a cave. Shinn made a fire and a makeshift drying rack using driftwood. They sat back to back to preserve a minimum of decency. He was topless, while the only thing she was wearing was her underwear. He questioned her about herself, her name, if she was from this town...

"My name... Stella. City... I don't know..."

"Then who are you usually with? What about your father and mother?"

"I'm with Neo... Sting... Auel. I don't know about father or mother."

"I see. You must have gone through a scary ordeal too."

"Scary?"

"Oh, sorry! Don't worry, you're safe now!" Asuka corrected himself in a hurry for fear that she would have another fit. "I... hum... I'll stay right here, to protect you."

"You'll protect me? I won't die?" She asked hopefully.

"No, you won't die. You'll be fine." He smiled reassuringly back at her. "Oh, I'm Shinn, Shinn Asuka. Do you understand?"

"Shinn?"

"Yes, Shinn. Can you remember it?"

"Shinn..." Stella repeated. She stood up and went to get something in the pocket of her dress that was hanging to dry. When she faced Shinn, the red-faced young man averted himself. She gave him what was in her hand. The surprise made him look again, but he instantly amended himself and picked the object. It was the fragment of a broken seashell. It had a pretty iridescent pink hue. Although it was clearly precious to Stella, she was still giving it to him, so he thanked her. She smiled and sat down at his side, her knees against her chest. The soft and gentle warmth they were both feeling in their heart did not come from the fire.

It was night when the rescue team headed by Canaver and Zala came. They had been warned soon after his visit to her room. Seren had tried to stop Athrun from coming as she had doubts concerning his level of inebriation and only one of them was enough, but for some reason, he got all stubborn and insisted on going. And she had no authority over him. Shinn and Stella were already dressed when they arrived.

"Calling us out on an emergency on your day off? When you do something, you always have to do it with a bang, don't you?" Athrun commented sarcastically. Shinn came out, shielding his eyes from the ship's strong light. "Just how did you get yourself stranded in a place like this?"

"It's not that I got stranded. It's just... that..." The Impulse's pilot turned slightly and Stella came out too, only to instantly hide behind Shinn like a shy child. A soldier went to fetch them on a zodiac inflatable boat. Since Shinn was thought to be alone, they only had one blanket that the boy wrapped around her shoulders. Once they were safe on the boat (and he kept holding Stella securely in his arms) Seren handled the aftercare. Shinn seemed to be alright so Seren started checking Stella for injuries. Given her instability, things might have gone unnoticed. She patched up the blonde girl's ankle injury. Stella had almost gone wild once Canaver had begun removing the handkerchief but Asuka had calmed her down and retied the cloth himself. Seren also gave food and water to the two kids and let Stella play with Chacha. As expected, the cute flying squirrel managed to lift the spirit of the shy, slightly despondent girl and make her smile and giggle.

Asuka explained the situation. He had seen this girl fall from the cliff and dived to save her and they had managed to get here, but she couldn't swim so they had been unable to move from here. He couldn't even tell if she was from Diocuia or not because she had not given any clear answers about her origins. He believed she had lost her parents in the war and gone through some terrible experiences. He knew her name, Stella, but not her home.

"If we know nothing but her name, we'll have no choice but to take her back to the base and find out more about her there." Athrun pondered. But then, Stella heard her comrades calling her from the cliff. Her face lit up as she turned to look in their direction. As they understood the situation, the ZAFT boat went to dock at a nearby pier and they took a jeep to drive to the cliff from which Stella's friends had called. The saw a car coming the opposite way, stopped the jeep and honked the horn to draw attention. The sports car stopped as well. Stella called Sting. Auel was surprised to see her in a ZAFT jeep. The two boys steeled themselves and reversed the car. Sting and Auel, as well as Stella and Shinn got out of their respective vehicles and the blonde girl ran to her friends.

"Hey, hey, they're red uniforms." Auel commented in a low voice.

"Shh!" Sting harshly signaled him to keep quiet before Stella jumped into his arms. "What happened to you?" He asked her.

"She fell into the ocean. I just happened to be close by." Shinn said as he walked over to them, accompanied by Athrun and Seren (with Chacha back on her shoulder). "But what a relief. We didn't know anything about her and weren't quite sure what to do."

"Is that so? We're sorry for the trouble. Thank you very much." Oakley replied politely with a smile of circumstances. Athrun and Seren felt someone staring at them and turned to the boy with ligh blue hair behind Sting, but Auel had already averted his eyes and was looking away innocently. They recalled having seen those three at the spaceport of Armory One and were puzzled by this coincidence. The jeep driver maneuvered. The two FAITH members said goodbye. "ZAFT has been taking really good care of us in many ways." The Phantom Pain head pilot continued. Of course, the Coordinators had no idea how cynical that phrase truly was. And in response to that, Auel was once more hatefully glaring at the ZAFT soldiers climbing back into the car.

As the nape of her neck was pricked again by the glare of that blue-haired boy, Seren recalled how off that 'Sting's words, that could in be interpreted in various ways, had felt and could not help but wonder... was this really a coincidence? But it was not like she could start interrogating them now out of the blue because of a mere hunch. And who knew how the boys with her would react if she caused trouble now, especially since Shinn seemed to be so taken with that girl... So she decided to let it go and not think about it for the time being. Her years as a diplomat had taught her to dissect people's words and attitude in order to discern their true motives and influence negociations in her favor. Now it had become a habit, or a professional quirk. She used to discuss those things with Athrun but now it seemed best to keep quiet about it...

"Shinn, you're leaving?" Stella went to him, sounding really sad and distraught.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. But look, your brothers are here now. So you'll be okay, right?" Although Shinn wanted himself reassuring, she still hung her head, whimpering with a dejected expression. "Umm... hey, I'm sure we'll meet again, okay?" With his encouraging words, she hopefully looked up at him again.

"We're going, Shinn. Okay?" Athrun told Asuka, and confirmed with Sting who nodded. The jeep drove down the road.

"I'm sorry, Stella! But I'm sure that we'll meet again! I mean it!"

"Shinn..."

"Or rather, I'll come see you again, Stella!" Shinn kept looking and yelling up until the very moment they disappeared around the corner, just like Stella kept repeating his name. Seren wondered How Shinn intended to go see that girl again given he knew absolutely nothing about her, not where she lived, or how to find her. She really wished he would stop making such irresponsible, baseless promises, especially since she seemed to be the vulnerable, unstable needy type. After all, wasn't it Stella would feel abandoned if he failed to go see her? But Canaver knew that if she voiced those thoughts, it would turn into yet another argument where he would childishly, stubbornly refuse to see reality and insist that it would be alright and he'd find a way... so she remained silent. However, it was her second time seeing that girl, so wasn't it plausible that they would see each other again? But would that really be mere "coincidences" piling up? And would that really be a good thing? Canaver wasn't so sure about either.

Auel and Sting voiced their surprise at this totally unexpected sort of contact with the enemy as they returned inside the car.

"Shinn, you said you'd protect me..." The blonde girl continued staring at the corner where Shinn had gone with terribly sad and disappointed eyes, obviously feeling like she had been abandonned. As Sting called her again, she closed her eyes and got in the car too and they drove away in the opposite direction from the ZAFT jeep.

Frozen and faded is our promise, and emotions are all denied in silence. Mutual attraction faces opposition. Even so, we can't look away. We need to confirm. We need to connect. Wielding an incomplete love, we are actually scared. We thought of the people who bore the same dreams and changed their paths. Our hearts were overwhelmed by things that were forbidden to the touch. How many wistful nights must still pass by?

Author's note: warning: The bitterness will grow stronger from now on... although it won't exceed a certain level and remain bittersweet. :)

Please understand 'gravity' here as both 'graveness' and 'gravitation' ^^

Next chapter: Phase-20: Departure