Phase-24: Respective Promises

The Impulse landed next to the fallen Gaia, and Shinn quickly went down and extracted Stella from the damaged cockpit. He jumped onto the ground with her in his arms and knelt down.

"Stella, why are you...?" As he watched her, dressed as an enemy, an OMNI Enforcer pilot, wavering in and out of consciousness, memories of his time with her at Diocuia flooded his mind. She had danced innocently, like a child. She had cried. She had been abnormally terrified of dying. She had offered him the shard of a shell, like a precious treasure to a precious person. So he had held her in his arms, and comforted her. He had stroked her cheek and hair. And he had promised to protect her. What was such a pure, candid, fearful girl doing, piloting a mobile suit on a battlefield?! And as an Earth Forces soldier, no less! He shifted her and she coughed a little, and some more. The Savior also landed nearby and its cockpit opened.

"Shinn!" Athrun called, unfastening his safety belt. The Fortuna though remained airborne in MS mode just in case. If there was some other hidden enemy, they would interfere now to prevent their comrade's capture. But as nothing was being detected, Seren could concernedly watch her friends who had landed.

"Mustn't... die... Scared... protect..." The wounded child stammered. But even though she was the one who was injured, it was Shinn who looked like he was in the most pain. Right, Stella was just a frightened child, desperate to protect something, someone... Just the way he had been back then... when he was fleeing with his family on Onogoro Island. Because he had been unable to protect his family, he had been desperate to obtain power, to protect someone... And Stella was someone who needed him, who needed his protection. So he made up his mind. As Athrun jumped onto the Gaia and was about to join him, Shinn carried the injured girl into his gundam... much to Athrun's shock and incomprehension. He called out to the younger pilot, only to be ignored. The Impulse activated and soared.

"What is it, Seren? What about Shinn?" Talia questioned.

"It looks like he's headed for the Minerva with the enemy pilot, who appears to be injured. And I believe she's someone he knows." Canaver answered, stunning the captain and vice-captain of the Minerva. That was crazy! What was he thinking, doing such things on his own accord?! Gladys told Seren and Athrun to return to the Minerva as well. The Fortuna's operator transmitted the orders to Zala who had just climbed back into his unit. The two flew back to their ship.

An alarm rang in the vessel's hangar. The mechanics were just as surprised and confused by the Impulse's sudden and unexpected return. Yolan and Vino went to see what was going on and ask for explanations but Asuka just angrily yelled at them to shut up and get out of the way. Gladys decided to return to the ship with Arthur and have Rey bring back the Gaia.

"Mussn't... die..." Loussier murmured again, causing Shinn to grit his teeth in frustration. He burst through as soon as the elevator door opened, shoving soldiers out of the way, and ran along the corridor. "Protect..."

"It's alright. You're safe now! Don't worry. I swear I'll protect you. I'll properly protect you. I will..." He repeated the reassuring words he had told her upon their meeting, when he had saved her from drowning. "Doctor! She needs help! Hurry!" He shouted upon arriving at the infirmary, taking the medical staff by surprise, all the more so when they took note of her uniform. Wasn't she a soldier from the Earth Alliance?! The Savior and Fortuna returned as well. Athrun and Seren dashed as soon as they set their foot down. Gladys-kanchou was already heading to the infirmary, accompanied by armed soldiers.

"But she's hurt! So please!" Asuka put her down on the bed.

"There's no way I'd treat an enemy soldier without the captain's authorization! I've received no word about this!"

"I'll get whatever damn authorization you need right away! So hurry! What if she dies?!" In his impatience and agitation, Shinn didn't know he had yet again said something he shouldn't have, thus triggering Stella's panicked and violent fit. She saw someone with a Red Coat... a ZAFT uniform, an enemy... and tackled him.

As the captain and her guards neared the medical wing, they heard the easily recognizable noises of a fight, and Shinn yelling "Stop it, Stella!". She raised her hand, signaling her men. They entered the infirmary and aimed. The blonde kid was strangling the nurse with her hands. Asuka, who was on the ground, recovered and saw the soldiers ready to shoot. His eyes widened.

"Stella!" He jumped into action and pried the hysteric girl away from the nurse. Seeing that, Gladys stopped the guards who raised their weapons. Athrun shoved his way inside then, Seren right next to him, and shouted the younger pilot's name. A few seconds later, Lunamaria, still wearing her civilian clothes, was standing behind them. The momentum had made Shinn fall back on his rear, his back to the bed. He was doing his best to immobilize Stella, who was struggling to break free with all she had, without hurting her. He repeatedly apologized, begged her to calm down, saying she'll be fine... until she simply fainted in his arms.

"Who authorized you to bring an enemy soldier aboard the ship?! It was extremely foolish and a serious violation of military regulations! What you did is a violation of military law, article 4, section 2, and goes against article 11, section 6. What would you do if this resulted in damage or loss of life?!" Captain Talia Gladys sharply reprimanded Shinn. Athrun was waiting outside the room, his arms crossed, learning against the wall. Seren was next him, against the wall too, her arms folded behind her back, her head turned towards the door. Rey, and Lunamaria who had changed into her military uniform, were overseeing the loading of the Gaia onto the ship. But then, Luna left.

"I'm very sorry." The pouting boy replied, not sounding very sincere.

"I understand you know this girl. Stella, was it? When, where, and how did you meet?"

"On the coast of Diocuia, I saved her from drowning. I had trouble understanding her situation. At the time, I thought she was surely a victim of the war."

"But she's in fact the pilot of the Gaia. She was operating that thing. You do understand that, right?" She narrowed her eyes at him, making him recoil slightly. He apparently did understand that much. It was then the captain received a communication from the medical staff who had examined Stella. They wanted her to come right away if possible. She looked at Shinn's now worried expression and agreed.

The nurse who had been nearly choked to death was resting in the lounge, being comforted by her female colleague. A number of curious crew members, including Meyrin and Vino, were there too. Well, more than resting, she was complaining about how much she had suffered because of that girl. Meyrin wondered why Shin would do something like that, bringing back an enemy pilot...

Talia and Shinn came out. The two FAITH members took a step forwards but the captain raised her hand, signaling for them not to follow. So they simply watched them leave, unaware that Lunamaria who had been on her way to the captain's office too, immediately hid behind a corner upon spotting them. Hawke looked at them for a time, lowered her head, and left. Athrun and Seren walked away as well.

Upon arriving at the examination room, Asuka was shocked to see Stella strapped to the bed and got angry at the doctors. She was injured for crying outloud! Sure, she had been over-excited earlier, but that wasn't a reason for going that far!

"That's not the problem here. It looks like this girl's one of the Alliance's Extended." He revealed, shocking Shinn even more. Gladys, however, had expected such a thing. "I've given her medication to put her to sleep, but honestly I don't know how long it's gonna last. I did a simple examination before treating her but the results were unbelievable for practically every test I performed." The physician showed the captain said results. Shinn also inspected them from over her shoulder. "First, I found abnormally high levels of many natural chemicals. Also, several substances not normally found in the human body were detected." The man summarized. Talia presumed those alterations had been done artificially with drugs. The doctor was of the same mind. He couldn't draw hard conclusions until they ran more tests in a specialized facility but the data they had already obtained was consistent with what they had found in that laboratory.

"I see." The captain handed the file to the young pilot who took it and looked through it too.

"She suffered some serious injuries during the battle, but given these facts I can't be sure how she'll react to medical treatment. The important thing-" He stopped himself when he saw the patient opening her violet-pink eyes.

"Stella?" Shinn approached her. Both his voice and expression were so caring, so gentle and showing sincere worry and relief that it was hard to believe that he was the same rough, impertinent and belligerent kid everyone was used to.

"Who are you?" She asked coldly, glaring at the boy who recoiled, stunned and distraught. "Where is this?" She demanded again as she could not recognize the place or people. Fear caused her to rampage again, struggling against her bonds. The nurse frightfully stepped back. Still, the perfectly secured and solid straps played their role. However, the more she would exert herself against her restraints, she more she would hurt herself. Her nails were digging into her palms, drawing blood. Red droplets flew and stained her sheets and pink patient gown. Shinn covered her and hugged her.

"It's alright, Stella! It's alright, I'm here for you! Calm down! You can tell, can't you? It's me, Shinn!" At his words, the girl stopped struggling and, still gasping for breath, slowly took a better look at his face. Since it seemed that her memories were reconnecting, Asuka heaved a relieved sigh and smiled faintly as he withdrew a bit.

"You... I don't know you. I have no idea who you are!" She yelled, filling the boy who had once saved her and bandaged her wound with dismay. Although it was uncertain whether she truly did not remember or she was fiercely denying some sort of warm nostalgic feeling, flashes of this boy wrapping a handkerchief around her ankle. Tears streamed down her face as she repeatedly screamed Neo's name. Shinn stepped back, unable to do anything but whisper her name.

"There are unusual patterns in her brain waves as well. There's a possibility that her consciousness and memories are also being controlled." The physician prepared and shot her with a sedative.

"No... I don't like this place... Neo..." Stella muttered, her body slumping back down on the bed.

"Her memories...? How can that be..." Asuka, stunned, incredulous, staggered backwards, hitting the equipment.

"They're trying to decide how to deal with the Lodonia Laboratory incident, but in the meantime, we are to treat Stella Loussier as an unrecoverable loss." An officer informed Neo aboard the JP Jones. Out of the three 'Cradles' before them, one was now empty. In the two others, Sting and Auel were having their 'maintenance' done.

"I was careless." Roanoke spoke regretfully. But the man believed on the contrary that the commander had been able to bring out their full potential, and Lord Djibril recognized his achievements. However the masked one did not care about that. "A 'loss'... huh? Well, I guess that's the military term for it." He recalled Stella's smiles whenever she would cling to him and he would stroke her hair. "Whatever, I understand." He concluded, prompting his subordinate to salute and leave. Then he turned to the medical staff. "I hate to trouble you but could you erase Stella from their memories?" Neo requested. The personnel complained not about it being sad for them or something, but about how much work that required him to do. Nonetheless, he folded.

Following Trine's orders, the LHM-BB01 Minerva ascended and left the Lodonia Lab to return to port Turkios. Gladys was in her office, looking through the files taken from the lab and compiling data on her computer. Lunamaria sat at her desk, ruefully gazing at a photograph she had taken just earlier of Athrun and Seren meeting with Cagalli Yula Athha and Kira Yamato. She then looked at the disk recording the conversation. She had spied on her comrades. It was far from the best feeling. But that wasn't all that left her shaken. Athrun being engaged to Seren and not Lacus Clyne, the assassination attempt on the supposedly real Lacus, the Chairman's orders to them... If those were true, then what were they all doing? What should she be doing? She put the objects down and leaned back against her armchair, more confused, perturbed than ever.

Athrun was sitting on his bed, his elbows on his thighs, his hands tightly clasped, his head down. Rather than the captured soldier or what they had discovered in that facility, he was much more perturbed, distressed by his reunion with Kira and Cagalli. They had met, talked, and separated again without finding a solution. It seemed like their views, their senses of justice had misaligned. They no longer understood each other. It was not a simple quarrel though. Confusion, doubts, misconceptions, mistakes, disagreements, discord... He knew that because of those, they would have to fight each other again on the battlefield, pointing their swords at the other so they would not lose anymore comrades, like he had lost Heine. Yet, he loved them as much as ever. But no matter how much he thought about it, Athrun could not find a way out of this dilemma. The young man unclasped his hands, revealing a pendant. That pendant was Haumea's charm that Seren had offered him in the last war. Now, it also had the engagement ring she had recently given him, before they left for the PLANTs. That pendant was a proof of their promises. Their promise to stay friends, to love each other... And they had promised their future to the other. What about their promise now? Just when could it be fulfilled?

That was right. Normally, he would be discussing things with Seren right about now and they would comfort each other. But his current position made it difficult. It wasn't just about the fact that his official fiancée was Lacus Clyne, or even that Seren herself had broken up with him. If there was a true, strong need for it, he would not hesitate to go up to her and make his feelings clear like he had previously done. It was Heine. For all the respect, admiration and attachment Athrun had for him, when it concerned Seren, he also felt threatened by his existence and was jealous of him. Heine could be open with her, casually touch her and flirt with her, when Athrun could not. He could not even express his displeasure about it. When Heine was killed, he was truly and greatly saddened about it, and resented Kira for his implication. Yet, there was no denying that a small part about him felt something akin to 'relief' which in turn kindled a sense of guilt that burned and bruised him and made it harder to forgive himself, or go seek Seren. There was nothing he could do about his raging emotions, leading him to curse in boundless frustration, and tightly grip his pendant.

Seren too was on her bed, resting on her side. The collar of her uniform was slightly open. One hand was petting Chacha, but the other was playing with the engagement ring Athrun had gifted her that was dangling from her neck, usually hidden under her uniform instead of being at her finger. However, truly resting was also impossible for her. Whenever she closed her eyes, all those scenes flashed in her mind. Durandal convincing her to pilot the Fortuna and hide her engagement to Athrun; her time with Meer, and with Heine, her talks with the Chairman, Athrun's expression when she had broken up with him, Heine's confession and death... and the faces of her siblings as they parted ways... Would things have been different had she made other choices? Not much... Even if she had returned to Orb, she had a feeling that Athrun would have still stayed at the PLANTs. Then, she would have had to fight him too. And she didn't want... just couldn't have left him alone here. She surely would have been even more anxious than she was now. At least, she could still see him and talk to him whenever she wanted. Besides... The young woman touched her lips, recalling his kisses. A slight blush crept up her cheeks. She shook her head to make it go.

W-well, anyway, things should ultimately be fine with Athrun. But while acknowledging her own faults and powerlessness, as well as just how dearly she missed them... she could not help the anger and resentment she felt towards Orb, and her siblings... all the more so since she had not felt like they would earnestly do as she had asked and return to Orb to regain control of the country. They were going to fight again. She could tell that much. Why?! Why won't they listen?! Why won't they understand?! The girl curled up in a ball. She missed her family. She missed Athrun. She missed the time she could be unreservedly comforted and pampered by them. She wanted to run to Athrun, hug him tight, and be hugged and kissed by him. She wanted to snuggle up to him. But she couldn't, not when she remembered Heine's confession, or Durandal's request. He had said it was only temporary, but how long was that temporary situation going to last? Could he even be trusted? Did he truly attempt to have Lacus killed? As her uncertainty and anxiety swelled up, so did her urge to run into the arms of the man she loved. But instead, she kissed her engagement ring, proof of their promise, and held it close to her chest.

But that familiar feeling of love, of yearning that could not be fulfilled (at least not easily) that she was experiencing again, just like she had two years ago... was Shinn not going through something similar right now? Seren recalled his expressions through the zoom of the Fortuna's monitor. There was something terribly desperate about his feelings for that girl, Stella, and his wish to do something for her. No, more than wish, it was much closer to a need... Right, he seemed to need her like Kira needed Flay. She was definitely as important to him as Flay was to Kira. It seemed to her that Shinn desperately needed someone to protect, an innocent and suffering one, maybe like like his sister, or what he, himself used to be? She could not tell whether that attachment was that of a family or what a man had for a woman. It was difficult for Seren to see that girl as anything but a child, but it might be different for Shinn. Well, Shinn could be quite the child himself. However, position-wise, their situation was more like what herself and Athrun, or Kira and Lacus, had found themselves in during the last war. Loving an 'enemy', wanting to protect them no matter what, and acting in unimaginably reckless ways for their sake regardless of the consequences... Seren, Kira, and Athrun, despite being rather good kids, were equally guilty of charge and unrepentant about it. So what would a hothead like Shinn do? It wasn't hard to guess. Now what should she do about it? Should she even do something about it? Or so she ran away from thinking about her own situation.

Asuka went to visit Stella on her sickbed. She was muttering in her sleep and calling 'Neo' again.

"How tragic... for you not to remember anything..." He looked down at the jar in his hand that contained the pink shell shard she had gifted him. The considerate nurse left the room. The boy knelt down next to the bed. "You were piloting the Gaia." He sadly, fondly stroked her forehead and cheek. "For you to be... in a place like that..." His voice cracked. His touch, however, had awoken her.

"Shinn...? Shinn..." Her weak voice sounded interrogative at first, but then she clearly appeared to remember him, and rejoice about it.

"Stella."

"You came to see me, Shinn." Loussier turned her face towards him and smiled faintly.

"Yes, yes, Stella." He closed his eyes in sheer relief and happiness. "You know who I am?" He got closer to her. Stella nodded and spoke his name again.

Meantime, in the Archangel, Cagalli and Rayner were lying together in a snug embrace. He was petting her hair as her head rested on his chest, but both their expressions were absent-minded. They were thinking of their missing family member. They were together, but Seren could not be with Athrun like this. And those two were not with them, on this ship, as should be their place. Of course, Kira was also thinking about them as he stood at the rear of the ship, watching the ancient ruins that had sunk in the ocean. Lacus and Haro joined him. She praised the beautiful and mystical scenery before leaning her head against his shoulder. He wrapped his left arm around her shoulders and agreed. She naturally guessed that rather than the seascape, his mind was taken by his missing sister and friend, and their words.

"What is the truth...? I actually do understand where they're coming from, and that makes everything confusing again. If what they said about the PLANTs is true, then we..." Kira leaned back against the 'windowsill' and lowered his head with an anxious, wistful expression. If Athrun and Seren were in the right, then what the Archangel was doing would really be nothing but needless, if not harmful interventionism. He also acknowledged that there were problems with Orb too. So what was the best solution? However, Lacus had no answer either... which was why she had decided to go and see with her own eyes what was happening at the PLANTs. They needed more leads in order to find their way. But her declaration had completely shocked Kira who protested. It was much too dangerous for her to go to the PLANTs!

"Don't worry, Kira." The pink-haired girl smiled reassuringly. This situation was like a reversal from that time. Worried about him, she had been against allowing him to fight aboard the Freedom again, knowing how much he had suffered because of it. But he had comforted her. He knew what he could do, what he had to do, and had fully accepted the pain and responsibility that went along with it. Now it was her turn. She could not be the only who was still running away from her responsibilities. Kira, Cagalli, Rayner, Seren, Athrun... everyone was fighting. She too would fight in her own way. "I'm alright, now." Her smile deepened. "Now is the time for me to go. Please let me go. Okay, Kira?" She pleaded.

Andrew Waltfeld, who was watching the news from the bridge, was struck with an idea. Indeed, after having gone to all the ZAFT bases on Earth and finished her "Comfort Tour", it seemed that 'Lacus Clyne' was now about to return to the PLANTs...

A black limousine stopped at the entrance of a ZAFT base. A soldier opened the door and a man in a suit with wavy black hair to his chin and black round sunglasses came out, followed by Lacus who greeted everyone in a loud bright voice, waving. However, this 'Lacus' was not the one who had been visiting the various ZAFT outposts, but the real one. That said, clothing aside, only those who knew her exceedingly well could tell from the difference in appearance. It was a different story for her manager though. He might be speaking using the same dialect as the real one, but his face, voice and skin tone were totally different. Not like the people cared about who the manager was as long as he did his job well. Still, as Lacus' faithful aide, Waltfeld was doing quite a good job impersonating the manager and hurrying the soldiers to prepare the shuttle. They were really tight with time. Although none of the soldiers or civilians here had any idea how much that was true as they all rejoiced at this opportunity to see and talk with their idol. Indeed, Lacus and Waltfeld had to leave before Meer and her manager arrived.

Lacus and Andrew sat in the waiting area. An announcement sounded that Lacus-sama's shuttle would leave earlier than scheduled and take off as soon as it was ready and other various instructions. Meantime, the songstress was calmly going through a sign session. Waltfeld was watching her, his eyes wide behind his sunglasses. But really, there was no reason for him to be surprised. It was only natural. After all, she was the original and thus accustomed to this sort of sudden developments.

Some time later, Meer and her manager arrived in a pink limousine. They complained that no one had come to greet them. At the same moment, an officer went to fetch Lacus. The shuttle was ready for take off. They followed him. Meer was still angrily looking around and whining about not getting any attention as she walked through the hall with her group. But then, soldiers who had already received 'her' sign were shocked to see her again in this place, in a different outfit, and asked why she was here.

Andrew and his subordinates knocked the pilots out and he removed his wig. Lacus made a silent but sincere apologetic gesture. Meer's party dashed through a hallway, much to the officer's surprise and disbelief, and burst into the control room.

"Crap, she's the real one!" The manager exclaimed, obviously referring to the pink-haired person already in the shuttle. The singer at his side glared at him and made an aggravated noise. "Ah! No, no! She's a fake! She's an impostor using a fake name!" He corrected himself and raised an angry fist.

"Stop the shuttle! Take off is aborted!" One of the operators of the control room barked.

"Sorry, but you're a little late." Waltfeld mockingly answered him. A screen above the windshield showed the control room, including the fake Lacus that everyone believed was the real one and her manager. "Now, we're really taking off." He turned to Lacus who smiled and agreed. Meer watched, her brows furrowed in a fierce yet confused glare, a fist hiding her mouth. An officer ordered the mobile suits to sortie. The shuttle left the ground and started rising. Several teams of AMA-953 BABI, successor to the DINN, took flight to intercept it. AMA stood for Aerial Maneuver Attacker. This model had been developed to maintain ZAFT's superiority in the atmosphere as the DINNs and others were getting outclassed by the new aerial mobile suits deployed by Orb and the Earth Forces. As most machines nowadays, it was a transformable model that could turn into a mobile armor. It was armed with a chest-mounted MGX-2237 "Ardor" Multi-Phase Beam Cannon, a QFJ91 12-barrel Missile Launcher on each wing, two MMI-GAU2436 22.5mm 4-barrel Machine Guns on each wing, as well as two handheld weapons, a MA-M343 Beam Rifle and a MMI-M182 Aerial Gun-launcher.

TFA-4DE GAZuOOts (the improved version of the TFA-2 ZuOOt) in tank mode started shooting large "Falcone" surface-to-air missiles from the ground while the BABIs in MA mode fired their beam rifles, gun launchers and wing missiles. The shuttle had been locked on. The beams and projectile were zooming straight towards them.

"Damn! Get up there!" Andrew swore, gritting his teeth and pulling the lever with all he had. But right as the missiles were closing in, about to hit, beams and shells detonated them all. The people in the shuttle sighed in relief.

The confused pilots turned their BABIs back into mobile suits, only to have the Freedom rushing at them and slicing their heads. Some fired their multi-phase beam cannons but Kira smoothly evaded them and shot their heads and arms with his "Xiphias" rail cannons and "Balaena" plasma beam cannons before quickly incapacitating the remaining ones with his beam saber. The officers in the control room, Meer, and her manager could only listen in stunned disbelief the expressions of shock, followed by screams, of the BABIs' operators dropping like flies. Yamato then headed towards the base, maneuvering between the beams and streaming shells. He silenced the GAZuOOts, fired at a hangar, and zoomed in front of the control room. The air pressure cracked all the windows and terrified those inside. They screamed as their shielded themselves. However, Kira paid them no mind.

Having accomplished his goal of protecting Lacus and given a clear message to leave them alone, he joined up with the successfully hijacked shuttle and contacted them. Waltfeld thanked him. Their songstress' daring plans never failed to surprise him, but it should be okay now. Kira was still worried though, and wanted to come along but Lacus gently yet firmly turned him down. He had to stay with the Archangel. They couldn't leave Rayner alone to protect Murrue-san and Cagalli. Earth was certainly going to see many more fierce battles. And there was Seren and Athrun.

"But..."

"I'll be okay. I promise that I'll return... to you. So please." She smiled reassuringly. He was still reluctant.

"You've come this far. Now stop being selfish. I'll protect her with my life, on your behalf." Andrew vowed.

"Waltfeld-san..."

"Trust me and leave her to me."

"Kira." Clyne insisted.

"Understood. Please look after her. Really, be careful, Lacus! I mean it!" Kira begged. Then, they were disconnected. Lacus watched with tears in her light blue eyes as the Freedom slowed down and the distance between them increased. But she was still smiling because she knew that even if their paths diverged now, the distance between their hearts was closer than ever. So although this separation made her uneasy, she knew she would be alright. Kira too was full of apprehensions and fear for her safety. But he had chosen to believe in her. So all he could do now was to keep his amethyst eyes locked onto the soaring shuttle until the very end.

Can we someday go to the place we dreamed of, even if it's in a far distant future? We want to be wrapped in warmth. We want to stay forever by each other, holding hands and embracing. Yet sometimes we just can't be honest. We want to protect. How can we protect? Still so young, we are always confused and don't know how things will turn out. That's why people make promises. But do those promises shackle our support our hearts? Even if laughter is too far on the horizon, still, to advance, even if awkwardly.

Author's note: And here's the first chapter of the new year. A wistful and contemplative one. This also marks the last of the year-end celebration mass release.

Next chapter: 'Phase-25: Unfulfilled Feelings'