Why… Why was this happening?!
These were the words that kept going through Mayu Asuka's head as she ran with her family. Only a few days ago they watched Uzumi Nara Athha's broadcast rejecting the Earth Alliance's demands. Now, their home was facing the wrath of the Earth Alliance, and they were forced to evacuate. They quickly stopped under the cover of trees to catch their breath.
"Dad!" Her older brother Shinn caught up to them.
"Darling…" Her mother turned to her husband in concern.
"It's all right. They'll probably only attack the military facilities." Her father tried to reassure them, before turning to his son. "Hurry, Shinn!"
The family continued to run as the Earth Alliance bombarded Orb with missiles, as the Astrays and ground forces tried to fend them off. The evacuation ship came into view, but the family ducked down when a black mobile suit flew into view, carrying a turquoise mobile suit on its back. The turquoise mobile suit fired and took out several of the Astrays, before landing. Mayu looked up to see a white mobile suit with blue wings fire at the enemy mobile suits attacking Orb, but the shot was dodged and blew up part of the forest, not far behind them. They started to run once more.
"Mayu, hurry up!" Her mother encouraged her as they ran.
Mayu nodded, but heard something clatter nearby. Her blood ran cold, thinking it might be falling debris, but widened her eyes as she saw something pink slide down the hill.
"Oh, no! My cell!" She realized, reaching for it.
"Forget about it!" Her mother said, trying to pull her over.
"No!" Mayu childishly stayed put, attempting to go over to it.
Wordlessly, Shinn dropped his bag and jumped down the hill to try and recover her phone.
"Big Brother!" Mayu pulled out of her mother's grip and tried to go after him.
The last thing she heard was blaster fire from behind as everything went dark.
When she opened her eyes again, everything felt… off. Her mind wasn't clear and everything felt blurry. As her senses slowly recovered, she realized she was in a hospital room of sorts. She felt a breathing mask over her mouth, as well as something covering her right eye. Turning her head, she saw Shinn was sitting on a chair nearby with his head down. Was he sleeping?
"Big… Brother…?"
In an instant, Shinn shot up. His eyes were wide and red. Had he been crying?
"Mayu… Mayu!"
He knelt down by her bedside, clasping her hand with his.
"Thank God… Thank God you're alive…!"
Mayu's eyes wide. She had never seen her brother this emotional before. Wincing, she sat up. "I'm okay Big Brother. What-?"
She froze, realizing why things felt wrong. She looked down to her right arm, seeing only a bandaged stump from the elbow down. She pulled her hand out of Shinn's grip and pulled the sheets back and her heart practically stopped. Her right leg was gone from the knee down. There were several IV lines injected in her body, and it felt numb around the injections, likely from anesthetic. She realized why she couldn't see out of her right eye, as she reached up to feel bandages on her face, presumably covering burn scars. She blinked her right eye a few times. It hurt, but she could still see something. Both of her eyes being fine was a small relief compared to what she had lost.
"Mayu…" Shinn said quietly as she processed the situation.
The girl swallowed the lump in her throat as she took several breaths to calm down. Her head was spinning and her thoughts were a blur, but she didn't want to lose control. She didn't want her big brother to be even more worried then he already was.
"Mayu!"
"I-I'm fine, Big Brother." She said, voice shaking. "I'll… I'll be fine…"
A lie. She swallowed again, trying not to vomit into her breathing mask. Her hand was trembling and there were tears in the corners of her eyes. She was trying desperately to keep her composure, but it was proving difficult. She tried thinking of something else.
"Wh-Where are Mom and Dad?" She asked.
Shinn grit his teeth and looked away. She saw the pain in his expression.
"...th-they're okay, right?" Mayu asked, though she already knew the answer.
Shinn wordlessly pulled out Mayu's cellphone, gently slipping it into her hand. The girl gripped her phone, hand shaking.
She couldn't hold it in anymore, as the tears started falling. Shinn gently hugged his sister as she sobbed into his shoulder. The pain of her wounds and injections only made it worse.
She didn't know when she started screaming as it all caught up to her, or when she stopped.
2 years have passed since then.
Mayu opened her eyes once more, hearing the irritating alarm on her cellphone. Reaching over to the countertop, she pressed the button to turn it off. With a yawn, she sat up, wiping the crust out of her eyes. She reached over to the countertop once more, picking up her prosthetic arm. She carefully slipped it on, making sure she heard it click with the connector on her stump. After flexing it a few times to make sure it was working properly, she reached down, pulling out her prosthetic leg. She similarly clicked it on, before standing up. She walked over to the bathroom, turning on the light to see how she looked.
Her hair thankfully wasn't that messy, but she ran a finger on her face, tracing the burn scar that ran across the right side, going down her body. Whenever she looked closer at it, it felt like she was back in the hospital.
Shaking her head, she started freshening up. She had a long day ahead of her as she started to change.
Mayu was now dressed in a green and white military uniform with black boots. She dialed a number on her phone as she walked out of the hotel, putting the cell to her ear. It rang a few times, before the other end picked up.
"Oh hey Mayu, what's up?" Shinn's voice asked.
"Where are you, Big Brother?" Mayu asked. "You weren't in our room this morning. You didn't even leave a note, and my alarm was changed."
"I'm out right now and I thought I'd let you sleep in a bit. I took care of the packing, so you should be fine." Shinn said.
"I'm going to be late!" Mayu pointed out.
"Well, there's no official time for the thing, as long as you're there before noon. So just make your way over to the meetup site and you should be fine." He said.
"But that's beside the point!" Mayu sighed. "You do remember what's going on today, right?"
"Yeah yeah, I'll be there, don't worry." Shinn told her. "Just get there in time, yeah?"
"I will, I will." Mayu ended the call. "You don't have to be so overprotective, Big Brother…"
Then again, she couldn't blame him considering they only had each other now. She looked in the distance towards the airfield, seeing the outline of the massive ship.
"So today's finally the day…"
"Uhmm…"
Mayu turned to the right to see that a blonde girl a little older than her was staring at her. She was wearing a blue and white outfit with purple lace.
It was then Mayu realized why the girl was staring. She put a hand over her burn scars. She had gotten used to the odd stares here and there as time went on. The technology to remove scars wasn't able to remove scars on a massive scale, or else it would be harmful to her body. In spite of this, she felt oddly fine with keeping the scars.
After all, it was a constant reminder that her parents died because of her.
"Does it hurt?" The girl asked.
"Ah, it doesn't anymore." Mayu lied through her teeth. "I'm okay."
The girl stared at her a bit longer, before walking off. Mayu watched her leave, before making her way to the airfield.
"Luna! Rey!" Mayu waved.
An older girl with red-violet hair in a red uniform turned and smiled at her arrival. "I was wondering where you've been."
Standing by her was a teen with long blonde hair, who nodded.
Lunamaria Hawke and Rey Za Burrel were her seniors at the military academy, and good friends of her brother. The two supported the Asuka siblings through their academy days. She was glad to know that the two were assigned on the same ship as her and her brother, since she had other people that could help keep him in line.
"You're rather late." Rey noted.
"Ugh, don't blame me." Mayu sighed. "Big Brother let me sleep in and changed my alarm."
"Shinn did?" Rey raised a brow. "That explains things. How very like him."
"Well a young lady like yourself needs your beauty sleep and you have a considerate big brother." Luna chuckled, patting Mayu on the shoulder.
"Maybe a bit over considerate." Mayu grumbled with a pout. "Is Meyrin already on the ship?"
"Mm." Luna nodded. "Already getting things situated as the communications controller."
"I'd better go over and see what the hangar is like." Mayu said.
She was about to go, but saw a moving crowd in the distance. She narrowed her eyes, spotting a familiar face.
"Isn't that…?" Mayu realized with a gasp. "PLANT Supreme Council Chairman Durandal?"
"It is." Rey said, face slightly brightening.
"But who's he talking-"
Mayu's words failed her, as she saw a young woman with blonde hair. The Chief Representative of Orb.
"Orb's Chief Representative, Cagalli Yula Athha." Rey answered. "I don't know what they're discussing but-"
"Rey!" Luna snapped at him, reminding him that Mayu was present.
"I'm fine. But thank you, Luna." Being reminded of her old homeland… it wasn't something she liked at all. She felt conflicted about it considering everything that happened.
"...my apologies." Rey said. "It was not my intention to-"
"No, it's okay, Rey." Mayu put on what was clearly a forced smile.
Rey stared at her, but decided not to press things.
"Anyways, I'd better get to my position." Mayu said, as she walked past the two. She briefly looked in the direction of Orb's Chief Representative before continuing on her way.
"It's twisted, isn't it?" Luna frowned. "She's only twelve, much younger than all of us, but she's going to be on a warship as support."
Rey turned to her as she went on.
"But Shinn insisted on keeping her close to him, and she wanted to be put on as well." Luna sighed. "I worry about her."
Rey remained silent, looking back in the direction Mayu went. Mayu Asuka, one of the youngest to join ZAFT's Military Academy, and widely considered a prodigy in spite of her disability. She could've easily become a Red with her grades and skills, but she elected not to in favor of being a supportive member of the Minerva. I'm curious about her…
Mayu walked through the halls of the Minerva, looking at everything in awe. She was impressed by the craftsmanship of everything.
"It's so incredible…" She took everything in.
She made her way to the hangar, meeting up with a few of the other mechanics. They had already run maintenance checks on the mobile suits, so she didn't have much to do at the moment. She tapped on her monitor and saw the schematics for the mobile suits that she would be helping manage.
Big Brother is going to be piloting this one… Mayu thought, as she saw the design on the screen. So I need to make sure everything goes well for him!
Her thoughts were interrupted as an alarm blared throughout the area. It was slightly muted, meaning it came from the airfield.
"What's going on?" One of the mechanics asked.
Mayu stood up, listening carefully. She heard explosions and gunfire through the walls.
A battle…?
Without hesitating, she broke into a run towards the bridge. The explosions outside kept getting louder and more frequent. Once she arrived, she saw the others were already sitting and giving directives through the communicators.
"Hold on, you can't be here-" One of the officers started.
"Let her stay!" Captain Talia Gladys ordered. "We have no time to squabble and she's one of our best mechanics!"
"Meyrin!" Mayu said, running up to her friend and Luna's sister at one of the monitors. "What happened?"
"We're not sure who, but three of our mobile suits have been hijacked and are creating damage everywhere!"
"Which ones?" Mayu asked.
"Chaos, Gaia and Abyss." Meyrin confirmed.
Mayu realized they were in trouble, as she remembered the specs and functions of the machines, but recognized one name was not among them.
"Then the Impulse…?"
"Still with us. It's about to launch to intercept them." Meyrin said.
"Big Brother…" Mayu gently clenched her fist.
"Impulse, standby for takeoff. Pilot, proceed to Core Splendor."
Shinn Asuka dashed into the hangar, practically jumping into the open cockpit of the Core Splendor.
"Sword Module selected. Opening Silhouette Hangar two. Silhouette, standby for takeoff."
As the announcement continued to go on, Shinn went through the controls one more time, making sure everything was in order. The monitor lit up, reading "Generation Unrestricted Network Drive Assault Module."
Shinn took a breath, adjusting his helmet one more time before placing his hand on the lever.
"Core Splendor, take off!"
He pushed the lever forward, activating the thrusters and taking off. The Sword Silhouette and Leg Flier Modules were flying right after him.
Back by the destruction, Cagalli Yula Athha was being pulled up onto one of the fallen ZAKU Warriors by her bodyguard. Alex Dino, or rather, Athrun Zala opened the cockpit up. "Get in!"
"What?!" Cagalli said, stunned.
Athrun ignored her confusion and picked her up, jumping in and closing the hatch behind him.
"You…" Cagalli watched Athrun pressing the buttons and activating the ZAKU Warrior.
"I can't let you die in a place like this!" Athrun declared.
The ZAKU's eye came to life, as it stood up amongst the rubble, exhaust coming out of its chest vents. The Gaia Gundam noticed it and turned to face it. The pilot inside was the same blonde girl that Mayu had met.
"What now?" She asked.
The Gaia aimed its beam rifle and fired, as the ZAKU dodged to the side.
"What-?"
The ZAKU rushed forward, ramming the Gaia with its shield. It was pushed back from the force, but stood strong.
"This guy…!" The Gaia drew out a beam saber. And charged forward. The ZAKU pulled out a beam tomahawk, and blocked the sword strike with its shield. It slashed twice more, the second knocking the ZAKU back.
The Chaos Gundam landed behind and rushed in with its own beam saber. "Stella!"
Athrun grit his teeth. "Another one!"
He tried moving back, but the right arm of his ZAKU got sliced off. But before the Chaos could deal more damage, it was shot in the back by several missiles. The three mobile suits looked up to see a small jet fly in with three other flying parts. Before their very eyes, they watched as the parts changed and combined, forming a white and red mobile suit with a pair of massive blades on its back.
"What?!"
The Gaia had to jump back to avoid being sliced in half by one of the swords it had drawn. It combined the two swords at their hilts to make a double-edged blade, swinging it down and igniting the edge to form a massive beam sword.
"Why is this happening?" Shinn asked from inside the cockpit of the Sword Impulse Gundam. "Are you trying to start another war?!"
The Sword Impulse rushed forward and raised its blade to fight off the enemy. Back on the Minerva, Mayu clutched her cellphone, watching as her brother went into battle.
It was as if the nightmare was starting all over again.
A/N: Hello everyone! EpicLinkSam here with another fic, and one for a favorite mecha anime show of mine, Gundam SEED Destiny! Here we'll be following the POV of a character that did not survive their original fate, and see how much they end up changing, if anything changes at all.
This fic is different from my other ones. If you read this one without having prior knowledge of Gundam SEED Destiny, you will be fairly lost about several things, as this will focus much more on original events, with canon events being mostly unwritten and skipped over (as the focus of this story is on Mayu) if there aren't any major changes. In way, this would be more of a companion piece to the original show. I recommend watching the three main Cosmic Era Gundam installments (SEED, SEED Destiny and SEED Freedom) before reading this fic, so you can get the most enjoyment out of it.
Also, Gundam SEED Destiny is actually my favorite Gundam show, and second favorite mecha anime (behind Code Geass), so no complaining about the original, please. I'm not writing this out of spite, I'm writing this because I love the show. If you're here to complain, you're in the wrong place.
Feel free to leave a review. See you all next time.