Gundam Seed Destiny Fan Fiction / Gundam SEED Fan Fiction ❯ Eternal Destiny ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

"Eternal Destiny"

a Gundam Seed Fanfiction

Chapter Seven

Started: September 2006

Words: 17,052

Good News

82CE late April, Orb Union

Since the archangel's departure over a week ago, Athrun had anticipated Kira's communications with a toxic mixture of hope and dread. Would today be the day Cagalli was found? Was she safe? Was she all right? Was she being treated well? What was she doing now? Was she getting enough sleep? Eating properly? Was she having any trouble with the pregnancy?

Whenever his focus wavered, even for one free moment, Cagalli was all he could think about. He tried to be diligent and stay focused. He threw himself into his work, bi-daily meetings with the Prime Minister, conference calls with foreign ministers, meetings with project leaders, committee leaders, and various heads of state. Then there was the data Lacus and he had found and the little Plant had shared with them concerning Dr. Crisner and her Genesis project to review.

But thoughts and concerns for his wife still persisted in dogging him.

It scared him how the country continued to run on, even without Cagalli physical presence there to lead it. He was sure his wife wouldn't appreciate the implication, but it was true. The only reason he could do her job so well right now, though, was because she'd spent the last decade carving out her place, her role in the government. She'd made her mark, and that mark helped everything run.

That, and because he was able to rely heavily on their secretaries and the Prime Minister. Gracia and Risa had been indispensable. Working together, the two women had set about rearranging Cagalli's normal schedule to better fit Athrun's abilities, redistributing and delegating various tasks to Toshihiro and his staff or other capable counselors. It was a lot of work, but things were getting done. And so far, no one other than the Council of Royals knew for certain that their Head of State was Missing in Action.

Well, some things were getting done, Athrun thought sourly, scanning the document in front of him.

"Zala-sama?" Risa called out, breaking through his reverie as she poked her head in the door.

"What is it?" he asked, gratefully looking away from the letter.

The young woman straightened her shoulders and entered the office proper. She stepped up to his desk, hands folded politely before her, and then announced, "Forgive me, sir, but go home. Now," she ordered calmly.

Athrun blinked. "What?"

"It's seven-thirty, sir," Rise pointed out. "Most of the building has already left for the evening. There are no projects or papers that need to be finished before next week. I've already typed up your outline and notes for tomorrow's meetings--and, it's past time to go home, sir. If you leave now you'll make it in time for the boys' bedtime. You could read them a bedtime story," she added cheekily. "Consider it practice."

"Risa..."

"I've already called down for you personal car, sir."

Athrun sighed and fell back against his chair. "I'm not going to win this, am I?" he asked, wondering minutely why he even wanted to protest.

"No, sir," his secretary agreed, smiling back at him.

"Very well." he sighed, closing the folder file and reaching for his bag. But she stopped him again when he went to pack away several other folder files.

"You won't be needing those, sir," Risa told him, her lips twitching in a semi-failed effort to control her emotions. "You're under orders to take the evening off."

"I am, am I?" he returned, just barely amused. He would have to have a word with Lacus later, he thought. "And just who sent these orders?"

Risa's expression cracked completely as she held out a slip of paper. "Cagalli-sama, sir."

He stared at her for a moment, uncomprehending. And then his hand snatched the paper from her fingers before she could say another word, eyes greedily drinking in the few simple words related through the transcript.

"Found her. Told you we would. She'ssafe and healthy. A bit angry.Staying on the island for the night;will return to AA tomorrow. Call then with details. Promise. Take care and rest easy. ~Kira

P.S. Take the night off. That's an order. ~Cagalli"

Athrun wasted little time after that in leaving the office and broke more than a few speed limits. What would have normally been a forty-five minute drive was accomplished in less than a half hour. One thought played over and over in his head: They found her. Cagalli was safe. They found her. She was all right.

Lacus was at the door to greet him when he pulled into the drive.

"Risa called ahead after you left to let us know you were on your way," she explained as he approached the entrance.

The half-question was answered first by his expression. "They found her," he reconfirmed, falling inside the door and into her waiting embrace. He dropped a quick little peck against her cheek and held on tight for an extended moment, shared relief washing over the pair before he finally pulled away.

"I know. Thank goodness," Lacus breathed, pulling away but keeping hold of his hands, which she squeezed in reassurance. "Caridad is upstairs monitoring the boys' bath. Murrue-san is expected to call soon. Hopefully she can tell us more about what has happened."

"That would be good. Kira's message was brief, but he did say they were still on the island," Athrun thought aloud, frowning. "I wonder why."

Lacus shook her head, sharing a small frown. "Have you eaten yet? There's still time to sit down to something warm. You look like you've lost a little weight."

"Probably." Athrun sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, grimacing at the griminess he encountered. "I haven't been eating or sleeping very well this past week."

"No, you haven't," she agreed before admonishing lightly, "Athrun must remember to take care of himself as well."

She led him into the kitchen where the two cooks in charge were cleaning their domain with a passion. They both flew into a flurry when Athrun and Lacus entered.

"Athrun-sama! You're home early, sire. Would you like some dinner? Please sit, and I'll fix you a plate right away. Would Lacus-sama like to repast as well?"

"No, thank you. I'm still quite full from the delicious meal served at dinner. Some tea would be appreciated, though, thank you."

"Of course, ma'am. Please just sit right there and rest yourself. Athrun-sama, here you are. If you want anything else, please don't hesitate to ask, sire."

Athrun had barely polished off half of the plate before the quick pitter-patter of bare feet slapping against marble and stone floor heralded the arrival of three excitable boys, followed by the more sedated Caridad.

"Athrun-nii! It's Athrun-nii!" nine-year old Seri shouted excitedly, hurtling himself across the kitchen are to throw himself at Athrun.

"Ahrun-ni-chan!" William echoed his foster brother's actions. "Will you tell us a story tonight?"

"I think I can do that," he responded with a wide grin as one of the cooks set out several pieces of cake and tall glasses of milk. The boys cheer heartily, though whether for the moist chocolate cake or his easy agreement, he couldn't be sure.

"Athrun, you made it home tonight," Caridad noted pleasantly, coming in with a more subdued Gilliard and tilting his face up for a light, affectionate kiss. "You look happier than you have recently, too. Did something good happen?" she asked, petting his cheek in a way mothers had a habit of doing.

"As a matter of fact, yes," he answered, watching the boys plow into their desert enthusiastically. "It seems your son has managed to find my wife," he told her softly, smiling across the family table at her.

"Thank goodness!" Caridad exclaimed breathing out a sigh of relief before bombarding him with questions he had no answers for. Yet.

"I hope to know more when Murrue-san calls," he confessed, handing her the the message Kira has sent and watching her read it.

"Which should be soon," Lacus began just as a servant entered the kitchen area looking for them.

"Lacus-sama, Captain Ramius and Captain Flaga are on the phone, ma'am."

Lacus shared a knowing look with Caridad as Athrun and Gilliard both darted from the room. The two women followed at a more sedated pace and walked into the home study to witness the younger boy excitedly recounting his day to his foster parents.

"It sounds like you've been busy," Mwu announced with an indulgent smile. "You're not giving your teachers or Yamato-san any trouble, though, are you?"

"He's a delight to have around," Caridad interrupted, smiling pleasantly. "And the boys love having another friend to spend their afternoons with."

"As long as it's not too much trouble," Murrue worried, but despite her almost sad shining eyes, she was smiling. "Hopefully we won't be out for too much longer. Another couple of weeks at most, I'm thinking."

"Gilliard," Caridad began with her soft but commanding voice. "It's time to say goodnight to your mother and father now, and then let's go get ready for bed."

The boy looked ready to protest, but Murrue was quick to add, "We'll call again in two day's time, and hope to hear a good report then, too."

"Goodnight, kiddo," Mwu put in. "You be good and try not to get caught in too much trouble, all right?"

"Mwu!"

But Gilliard grinned. "All right. You'll be home soon?"

"We hope so, but you know we can't make any promises."

"I know," the twelve-year old responded bravely. "Okay."

"Goodnight, champ," Mwu called; Murrue echoing with her own, "Goodnight, Gil."

Lacus and Athrun waited until the door had closed completely behind Caridad and her young charge, but Murrue was already talking before they could even begin to bombard her with questions.

"We don't know very much more than you do at this point either, but Kira's found her, and we know where he is," the Archangel captain began with no nonsense. "Our coordinates," she continued, sending them the information, "and that of the island where Kira and Cagalli are now. We found it this morning. The property of one Dana Rothwell."

"'Rothwell'?" Lacus keyed in. "Any relation to Tobias Rothwell?"

"A daughter," Murrue confirmed. "And niece of one Helena Crisner."

"Is this an attempt to force our hands?" Athrun asked, frowning. "Countries have gone to war for lesser insult. Just what is Rothwell thinking? The Euro-Asian Fed, for that matter?"

"I don't know, but I believe Kira intends to find out. He sent a transmission coded with his personal signature stamp requesting that the Archangel not move to collect both him and Cagalli until tomorrow after noon. We're to make a slow leisurely approach to the island."

"Noon?" Lacus frowned. "Why so late? Surely any questions he has could be answered tonight."

"We'll have to ask him tomorrow," Athrun announced. "You'll have them contact us as soon as they're safely onboard?"

"Of course," Murrue answered with a firm nod. "I'm sure they'll want to talk to you both immediately anyway."

"And what of the crew?" he asked. "Are any of them suspicious?"

"Not that I can tell," Mwu returned. "The kids are giving a good show, but then, this is all only simulated battles--games, really. Not much like the heat and confusion of a real fight."

"No, but it's training," Athrun reminded the older captain needlessly. "A training I hope they won't ever need to use."

"I could drink to that," Mwu agreed with a flashing grin and an understanding nod. "We'd best be letting you two off. You both look like you could use that drink, and a little extra sleep."

"Something I intend to appreciate in full, just as soon as my wife has safely returned," Athrun returned before signaling off with a dismissing, "Captains."

****

A New Start

76 CE June 17th, Athha Estate, ORB Union

"You're still here."

She sounded slightly surprised, as if she didn't quite believe her eyes, and he answered her surprise in kind. He hadn't heard her approach, but the doorway she stood in had been opened he recalled as he turned away from the TV to watch her warily.

Athrun hadn't been one hundred percent sure he would still be here tonight, either. When they'd finally parted ways in the uneasy light of predawn that morning it had been amidst hesitant and embarrassed looks and mumbled wishes of 'good night'. He'd retired back to the rooms that had been his years before--a twist of fate that they were the same ones assigned to him again for this visit. Cagalli had returned to hers. Just like a countless number of nights they had between them.

He'd slept late, not rising until almost noon, and in the light of day the sins of the night had come back to taunt him. Crushed by the weight of his thoughts, Athrun had done the only thing he could think of to do: he'd escaped.

Borrowing one of the cards from the garage had seen to his means, and he'd left without breakfast or lunch of any sort, taking straight to the open roads and leaving the source of his confusion far behind. But he couldn't outrace the resulting turmoil inside of him so easily. Athrun had spent the entire day out; not returning until well after nightfall, long after the last wedding guest had finally taken their leave.

When asked he was informed that Cagalli was working and couldn't be disturbed. There had been a time when he was a welcome distraction to her work, when he would claim the spot on the lounge that he'd come to think of as 'his' and would work on some program or schematic while she sat behind her desk and did more important work. At a loss, unable to move forward or backwards without first talking to the woman, Athrun had staked out a place in the den in front of the television screen. He wasn't sure how long he'd been there before she found him.

"Cagalli," he greeted cautiously, sitting up just a bit straighter.

She hovered in the doorway, not coming, not going, just standing there, one arm holding the other as she rocked back and forth, carefully not looking directly at him. "I wasn't sure if you were staying or going. You took off this morning without saying."

"I left my bags," he pointed out. He flashed guiltily on the memory of driving and thinking he could just leave his bags; that bags could be replaced.

"Oh." She looked at him and then away quickly.

He shifted nervously against the sofa cushions, unsure how to say what needed to be said between them, how to ask the questions that needed to be asked. Instead, he slid into the easy dialogue they'd managed years before.

"Are you finished with your work for the day?" he asked.

She forced her hands down to her sides, taking a fortifying breath before slowly easing into the room. "Yes," she answered. "What are you watching?"

"A political debate show." He flicked a quick glance over the screen before focusing back on her. "You'd like it; the host is a young woman with a conservative-liberal view."

"I don't usually watch TV," she remarked with forced casualness as she stepped ever closer to the sofa, further into the room.

"You're free now, right?" he offered, half-worried she'd declaim and leave; half-worried she'd stay. "Or was there something more you're going to do?"

"I--no. I guess not," she finally answered, coming around to sit on the couch next to him. She left almost a complete meter of space in between them. It felt like the distant to the moon and back separating them.

They sat, acutely aware of the other person sitting beside them, trying desperately to ignore him or her in favor of the TV. And then one of the guest interviews said something that ensnared Cagalli's focus, and she exploded angrily, forgetting her reasons for being uncomfortable, forgetting that technically, she and Athrun no longer had the easy relationship that had allowed her to vent about so many issues.

"Why the greasy little toad!" she hissed, capturing Athrun's amusement as he turned to watch her with interest. "What does he know about--"

But even as Cagalli was getting warmed up to shout more at the innocent screen, the host made a comment that echoed Cagalli's sentiments so exactly that the blonde ended up hooting with delight instead. Beside her, Athrun found himself more enchanted with his companion than the program they were supposed to be watching together, and he spent much of the remaining hour sitting there watching her, Cagalli too focused on the screen to notice.

He had thought about just leaving today. He didn't need his luggage--clothing could be replaced. He'd done it last time he'd left Orb. The proof of it was still hanging in the closet upstairs--he'd actually been surprised to see most of his old wardrobe still there. He had thought someone, if not Cagalli herself, would have removed his remaining articles from the house, but his room had remained almost exactly as he had left it years before, missing only the few things he'd had forwarded. It had been a shock.

It had been a shock that continued to ride his system since the moment he'd arrived in Orb a few days ago. A shock that had ridden into overdrive when he woke up this morning, covered in the mess and scent of sex. Of Cagalli.

Yes, he could have just run, but it wouldn't have solved anything. For over two years he'd suffered from the gapping wound in his chest. If he could, he wanted to finish it one way or another. He needed to know if the previous night had meant to her, for them. Was it just a one time thing, or would she allow them to have another chance? He was scared to admit how much he hoped it could be more, but he thought he was prepared enough to live with the possibility that it would never be more. That they would never be more. That their time was past.

He wanted her. He'd never really had any difficulty admitting that. And despite the years, despite the distance they'd forcibly kept between them, he still wanted her. He thought he could ignore it, forget about it, forget how he felt when he looked at her, when she looked at him, when they touched, her voice.... He'd discovered he couldn't. It had hit him like a punch in the gut, and he'd wanted her.

He realized he wanted her even more now--distance had done nothing to cool his emotions--but he had to face the very plausible reality that he might not be able to have her. Just like last time.

Two years was a long time, though. They were both different people from who they'd been; he realized that, but they were also, in some ways still the same. In some ways they would never really change. He'd wondered how much she had changed, but sitting here, watching her attempt dialogue with the screen, he felt like those two years might never have happened.

"She's right," Cagalli said, snapping Athrun from his introspection. "Lacus made her choice three years ago when she refused to take Plant's offered commission to the Supreme Council. She chose to stay here on Earth, as a member of Orb."

"Because of Kira?" Athrun suggested, curious if the PLANT idol had ever discussed her reasoning more with Cagalli than she ever had with him.

"Maybe," Cagalli allowed with a one-shouldered shrug. "Probably, but I'd like to believe it's also because she believed in me, believes in what Orb is meant to stand for."

He thought he knew, but found himself falling into the easy familiar pattern of drawing her out, forcing her to say was she was thinking, to articulate. He asked, "And what's that?"

"Freedom." Cagalli answered firmly, only now turning to look at him directly. "Justice. Peace."

Her eyes sparkled, glittering with that internal light that was her belief and passion. He wanted to bask in that light. "Cagalli," he breathed, realizing he'd reached out to caress her cheek only when she pulled back from him.

"It's late," Cagalli said, turning back towards the screen. "I was heading to bed."

"Of course. Forgive me for keeping you from your much needed rest," he replied, old habits dying hard as he slipped back into the speech patterns and protocol Alex Dino had learned to use so often in order to spend any bit of time with the young Representative.

Cagalli did not move to stand or leave. After a moment of tense silence, her hand bridged the gap stretching between them and brushed against his. She didn't move at all save to brush her fingers over his, weaving and interlocking, exploring their texture and shape wordlessly.

Nerves tingled, electric impulses that sent a shiver of awareness rushing through his system. He'd never thought of his hands as erogenous before, but Cagalli's simple ministrations were quickly reeducating him. And still she did not speak, did not move away or towards him.

"Cagalli," he finally had to say.

"Come with me," she cut him off before he could say anything else.

He blinked, swallowed, and managed a nervous, "Excuse me?"

"I said," Cagalli enunciated, turning to him now to look back directly in his eyes, boldly, challengingly. "'Come with me'. All the guests have gone. There's no one left but the servants and us, and they're loyal to me. So... come with me. To bed," she added, as if even now, she needed to clarify.

"Are... are you sure?" he found himself asking. It was a strain to hold himself completely still, to not try and rush her, demand she explain her intentions fully or simply to roll her back against the sofa and cover her with his body. Having tasted her once--twice-- having enjoyed the sweet torture of her body moving against his, he realized he could easily become addicted. Addicted to her--wasn't he already?

A pink tongue darted out to lick at dry lips; it snared his attention, and he was still watching her lips as they formed around the word "yes." She stood, still holding his hand, smiling as she pulled him up towards her and repeated the word when he stood before her, bare centimeters' space between them.

"Yes."

He leaned in towards her, wanting to taste her, to feel her lips against his, and answered back, "Yes."

She moved, stepping back before he could met her lips; he followed, all the way to her bedchambers, stepping inside far enough to allow her room to close the door behind him and throw the lock. That tiny sound was like a bullet's retort, enough to snap him out of his stasis.

"Cagalli," he started, but his mouth was dry, and he had to try again. "If we do this, again, I mean," he said, eyes darting to the other room where he knew her bed sat, waiting. "What do you expect to gain from this?"

She frowned, but didn't release him, and answered with a question instead. "When will you return to Plant?"

"I--I don't know," he tried for honesty. "I haven't bought a return seat yet."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. Do... do you want me to leave?" he couldn't help but ask.

"I don't know," Cagalli echoed and finally looked away. "I never wanted you to leave in the first place. If I'd've had my way, I would never have let you leave before," she said softly, still playing with his fingers. "But Kira was right."

"Kira was?"

She looked up at his face, and her eyes were shining with more than just passion and spirit. "I couldn't keep you. I wasn't enough. I know that now. Just like I know you'll leave again. I just... I just wanted to know how long before I'd have to watch you go again."

"Cagalli," he was forced to swallow, forced to choke back the well of emotions that crushed against his chest. "I didn't leave because I didn't want to be here."

"You're a warrior, Athrun, a fighter and a defender. I know that," she bit out, squeezing his hand now. "Do you think I didn't know or understand that after I'd had time to really think about it?"

"Then why?" he couldn't help but asked, and this time he didn't allow her to pull away when he reached up to cup her cheek.

"I really screwed it up before, didn't I?" she breathed, and he could hear them--the tears that shined in her eyes but refused to fall.

"Cagalli," he whispered, stepping closer, leaning into her, bringing her face closer to his. "I don't want to leave. I'll stay as long as you want me to."

Her eyes shut against the sight of him, as if the very act of looking at him was painful to her. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Athrun. It doesn't suit you."

"I have every intention of keeping it. If you want me," he allowed, his lips a deep breath's distance away from hers.

She turned away, and his lips brushed along her cheek instead.

"Do you want me?" he asked against her cheek, and she shivered.

"You know I do," she answered angrily, annoyed with herself and him.

"No. I don't," he replied, ignoring the jolting leap of triumph in his gut to force her face back forward. He waited until she relented and looked at him again. "I don't know what you want or what you need, Cagalli. I thought I did, once, but I don't know what happened."

"War happened," she announced flatly.

"It did," he agreed. "And... it really messed me up, Cagalli; to the point where I didn't know anything anymore. I'm sorry. I am sorry, but... I want to know. I want to know you again, to know what you want, and to know if I can--"

"I want you," she cut him off again, trying for seduction, stepping into him, pressing her body to his, and his eyes fluttered under the assault of the sensation.

"Good," he said as soon as he could speak again. He kept the one hand on her cheek and the other in her hand, but he didn't move to hold her. "I want you, too."

"You're a real ass, you know that?" she grumbled, and he smiled.

"You're not the first to tell me so; I might have to start believing it," he confessed, and then for the sheer joy of it on his lips, he said her name again. "Cagalli, tell me what you want."

"I just told you--"

"What do you want from me?" he stressed.

"I--damn it. You're not going to make this any easier, are you?" she groused, looking away again. When she finally looked back, there was a determination that shone in her eyes.

"Just hold me," she whispered finally, leaning into him, resting her forehead against his shoulder. His arms came up around her, holding her as commanded. "Tighter. Hold me tighter, Athrun. Don't let me go."

He held her tighter for a moment, and then he picked her up, ignoring her squawk of protest as he carried her into the other room and over to the bed. He set her down, taking care not to overbalance himself or drop her, and she propped herself up on her elbows to glare at him as he turned to take first her shoes and then his off. Then he climbed into bed with her, still fully clothed.

"Shouldn't we be getting naked," she pointed out, nervousness entering her voice as he reached out for her, pulling her against him again.

"Not tonight."

"You want to have sex with our clothes on?" she asked incredulously and he grinned back at her.

"Not tonight," he repeated. "You want me to stay, right? And I want to stay, for as long as you'll let me. So, tonight, let me," he whispered, pulling her against him and tucking her closer. His hands ran along her body, anywhere they could touch, and lightly, as if still marveling in the fact that he was touching her, that he could touch her. His lips brushed against her temple before dipping lower to brush along her cheek and lips.

"You know, other than that one time aboard the Eternal, we've never shared a bed before. Let me stay here with you and hold you. I'll stay, and there'll be another time for love making. But not tonight."

She wanted to protest, to yell at him for being a dummy. Now as a damn good time for sex in her opinion. Why wait? She wanted him, he wanted her, so why couldn't they just get naked and do it already? But Athrun was holding her loosely, his hands still running up and down in a soothing, stroking motion and before she could formulate a proper defensive argument to their lack of horizontal dancing, she was drifting off into the void of sleep.

****

Contact [April]

82CE late April, Mid-Pacific Region

She could feel his eyes eating her up, but she didn't complain. She was doing her own visual feasting. It felt like it had been years since she'd last seen him, and for a moment she couldn't speak. Emotion choked her voice.

"Cagalli," he whispered, reaching out to touch the screen. Her own hands were fisted in her lap to prevent echoing the movement.

"Athrun," she managed to return. He looked terrible--tired, no, exhausted. She recognized the tell-tale signs of stress and overwork only too well. He looked wonderful. He licked his lips and she had to close her eyes briefly. Oh, how she wanted to press her mouth to his, to feel his body against hers and just bask in the warmth she knew when his arms wrapped so securely around her.

"How are you?" he asked, and she had to force herself to concentrate. They didn't know how long they would have this channel secure for. Despite PLANT's cooperation with the reversal of the neutron jammers, communication was still iffy at best.

"I've been worse," she admitted softly. Yes, she could have just lied and said she was fine, but he would've known it wasn't very truthful, and she'd made a promise to herself, to him, to be as honest as possible. "You?"

"You're safe," Athrun breathed and finally managed to pull a smile. Her insides danced and fluttered, and she finally gave up the resistance to reach out for him.

"Yes," she answered, fingers brushing against the cool, impersonal screen. "We're okay, Athrun," she confirmed, gathering her frayed and tattered composure to add, "We're all okay. I--" And then her composure cracked, and she whispered brokenly, "I'm sorry."

"Cagalli?"

"I'm sorry this happened," she rushed to say, needed to say. "I really wanted to be there when you got back. You got stuck having to take care of Orb for me, and I know you must be hating it."

Athrun cut her off before she could continue. "Just make sure you make it back safely," he told her.

"I will. Promise."

"Cagalli, I love you," Athrun said, and she felt sick with the need to touch him, hold him. "Orb is doing fine, Cagalli. Just like I promised. So please don't worry about things like that. You'll be back home soon, and I promise you your job is right here waiting for you. As am I."

"It'll probably be another two weeks at least before we can return," she reminded him. "I looked over the route Murrue's planning on taking. It's quite the roundabout path."

"I know." And now he sighed, as if the knowledge they wouldn't be able to see and hold each other for another two weeks was as unbearable to him as it felt to her. How had they ever managed for the months he'd spent living in PLANT? "In order to avoid raising any more suspicious. We agreed on that before the Archangel left Orb. But why didn't you leave last night?"

"Kira wanted to talk." And then she told him everything; everything she had learned over the past two weeks about the Medol Colony, her parents, the Genesis Project. Amazingly, their connection held.

"You've been keeping up with the news?" he asked finally when she'd finished.

"I have," she confirmed. "Is the Euro-Asian Fed still trying to pressure us for that agreement?"

"They are." Athrun frowned. "Some of the councilors are for the agreement."

Cagalli shook her head firmly. "No. We can't. We can't get involved in another--"

"I know." His lips twitched in amusement at her, and she would've been annoyed if she hadn't enjoyed seeing him smile finally. "I agree, you know I do. That's why the Prime Minister and I have been working upon a revised treaty agreement that I think you'd approve of. We're set to send it to the other governments just as soon as your signature is on it."

"You work quick, Mr. Zala," she tried to tease and was rewarded with another smile.

"I couldn't leave everything sitting on your desk waiting for you to get back," he told her. "Would you like to see it now or after you get back?"

"No, this isn't something we can sit on for two weeks; the sooner the better," she sighed. "In fact, let's have Gracia discreetly send me some other work, too. I'll just go stir crazy if I'm stuck on this boat without something to keep me occupied."

"Not too much," he cautioned. "And I wouldn't let the good captain hear you referring to her ship as a 'boat'."

"I'm not sick or recovering, Athrun," Cagalli groused, sitting back rather forcibly in the com chair. "I hardly think reading through reports is going to be too much."

"Are you really okay?" he asked, the worry he'd managed to keep out of his voice earlier suffusing it now. "You're not hurt?"

"I'm--really, Athrun," Cagalli slumped, losing the will to argue with him. "I'm not hurt, I'm not sick. I'm fine. Perfectly healthy, even. Just restless and wishing I was home already, working. When... when I get home there are things... we should probably talk about," she hedged.

"I... yes," he agreed, nodding.

She forced a little cheeky smile onto her face and informed him liltingly, "It's a date."

****

The Flames of War [May]

82CE May, Mid-Pacific Region

"...The Earth Alliance was a temporary union among the major nations of the world in response to the terrorist threat we were facing ten years ago. It was never meant to be an extended union. The situation and circumstances that surrounded the union of the Earth Alliance no longer exist. The Euro-Asian Federation desiresitsindependence and a return to autonomy. We are calling for other nations' governments to step forward and unite as our forefathers did under a common banner of peace. Make the pledge of peace. Reinstate the United Nations and let's all work together to create a peace-filled, war-free world for our children and our grand children..."

Cagalli clicked the screen off with a disgruntled jab and turned to peer out the observation window.

"What are you thinking about?" a soft voice asked from behind, and she didn't bother to turn around as Kira came up beside her.

"That people are a bunch of idiots," Cagalli shared gloomily, "destined to make the same crummy mistakes over and over again."

"All doom and gloom, huh?" he teased, nudging her with his shoulder.

"What did you want, Kira?" she asked, shooting him a look. "You didn't come up here to play punching bag to my bad mood."

"No, not really. I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing." He turned around and leaned back at the railing, looking inward while she remained looking out. "You... you really had us worried, you know?"

"I know," she replied softly, shooting him another look, this one more understanding and affectionate than the last. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too. It was my security system that failed to protect you."

"No one's perfect, Kira, not even you." She shrugged philosophically. "Someone found a way to get around your program, and knowing you, when we get back home, you'll lock yourself up until you've redesigned it to your satisfaction, and I won't see you for weeks on and because of it."

"Not quite." He grinned. "The adjustments were actually pretty simple. The program's already realigned, and I'll be able to load it when we arrive."

"Figures," she muttered with an amused grin.

"Cagalli..." he began, his voice taking on that delicate tone that warned he was about to start a topic she would not be happy with.

"I really don't want to talk about it," she told him quite adamantly. She leaned forward on the railing, pressing her face close to the glass and squinting in the sunlight.

"I was raised as an only child," she went on, filling his silence. "So were you. My mother died before she and father could have another child, and father never remarried. I didn't mind so much, really. But... finding you..." She slumped sideways, half-leaning on him, half not. "I felt close to you, closer than just gratitude because you saved my life on Heliopolis."

"I didn't save your life," he corrected. "I just put you in an escape pod."

"Which saved my life when Heliopolis was destroyed," she pointed out. "And then you did it again in the desert. No, don't," she ordered when he started to protest. "I liked you, Kira. I liked you and felt closer to you than I ever have with another other person. Even Athrun. There was just... something. Finding out we were siblings, twins... It settled something inside me. A tension I didn't understand, I guess, finally had an explanation. It was good.

"But her?" Cagalli continued with frustration. "I felt nothing like that from her. She's a complete stranger to me," she concluded sullenly.

"Cagalli," Kira sighed. He reached out and pulled her against him. "I don't care about you because we share genes," he told her softly but sincerely. "I care about you because I like you; I like the person who Cagalli is. I would like you even if you weren't my sister."

"You," she began with a warning hint of exasperation. But whatever she was about to say died with a sudden alertness. "What's that?" she demanded.

He blinked. "I--"

Before he had a chance to finish, the alarm sounded and a young voice came over the intercom. "Red Alert! All hands report to battle stations. Repeat: Red Alert! All hands report to battle stations."

Kira frowned even as he took after Cagalli, running for the lift. "There were no drills scheduled for today," he answered her unspoken question as the doors hissed open.

"Ramius wouldn't just call a Red Alert for nothing," Cagalli growled, chewing on her lip as she thought. "We're still in International waters; we're not scheduled to enter the Asian Union's territories until tomorrow afternoon," she continued to herself as the lift pulled to a halt and released them onto the bridge.

"What's going on?" she demanded before she'd even step fully onto the bridge.

"--This ship is on a training mission," Captain Ramius was saying urgently to the Alliance uniformed officer on screen.

"You are unauthorized to be in Earth Alliance waters," the other captain responded. "You have been warned. If you and your ship do not evacuate immediately, we will be forced to fire."

"These are free waters!" Ramius protested. "You can't--"

But the other captain had canceled the connection.

"Dammit," she growled turning away from the screen and seeing Cagalli. "Generals Athha, Yamato, it seems we have a bit of a problem," she announced tightly.

As if to back up her words, Miriallia's voice shouted out, "Captain, they've targeted missiles!"

Kira was already jumping back in the lift.

"Wait a minute! Kira!" Cagalli called after him, darting inside seconds before the doors closed. "Are you planning on going out there?" she demanded.

"That ship is planning on attacking us, Cagalli," he pointed out. "Yes, I'm going out there. This is part of what this training exercise is for. We'll give the Archangel as much coverage as possible, that way you can get away."

The lift door opened again and the training captain joined them. "I hope you aren't planning on getting into one of the suits yourself, Little Miss Kitty," Mwu teased her, but there was a tenseness around the lines of his face that belied the lightness of his voice.

"Are you?" she returned fiercely as the door opened again and they spilled out into the bay.

"These are my kids we're training here," Mwu replied, quickly surveying the handful of pilot trainees scurrying into their cockpits. "My job is to keep an eye on them and make sure they don't get themselves seriously hurt. They know their job."

"As do I," Cagalli answered, shoulders firming as she watching Kira run over to a suit separate from the others. She didn't think she recognized the design. "Keep an eye on him, too, captain."

"As if that kid needs it," he retorted as she turned back to the lift.

"We can always use an extra bit of back up," she frowned. "Now get out there. I plan on making it back to Orb in better shape than I left!"

"Where are you going now?" he called after her.

"Back to the bridge, where else? I have a job to do, too!"

The ship swayed under her feet as the helmsman tried to evade being hit. It made her more nauseous than she could remember from times past, and she was a slightly greenish shade by the time the lift spilled her back onto the bridge.

"Let the pilots handle as many of those missiles as possible. Save our resources," Ramius was commanding, while Cagalli clung to Miriallia's chair for support.

"Have they tried contacting us again?" Cagalli asked.

"No."

"Captain, we have incoming!" shouted one of the younger crewmen.

"Dammit," Ramius growled, gripping her own chair. "What do we have on that ship?"

"EA Man-o-War class xxx Triton," Miriallia announced quickly, fingers dancing over her touch screen pulling up more data.

"What's a man-o-war doing out this far south?" one of the more experienced soldiers pulled in for this exercise asked incredulously.

"Continue launching our suits," Ramius ordered. "A Man-o-War should prove good targeting practice for those children."

"Carthis," Miriallia called into her headset, "you're cleared to launch."

"Flaga, taking off."

"Which suit is Kira in?" Cagalli asked, searching the screen for one of the special suits she'd seen in the hanger.

"He's piloting the Amity," Miriallia whispered. "The blue and gold one there."

"Captain!"

"What is it?"

"Their launching mobile suits," the young man announced, his voice twittering in a give-away sign of nervousness.

"All pilots, we have incoming!" Miriallia shouted into her headset. "Read, thirty mobile suits, strike-class and--what the hell is that?"

The blood drained from Cagalli's face as she stared in horror at the image on her screen. Reaching over Miriallia's shoulder, she jabbed the comm. frequency for the Amity. "Kira, are you seeing this?"

"I see it," he answered, his face popping up on screen next to the Amity icon. "Don't worry, Cagalli. We'll take care of it."

"Dammit, Kira."

"It's okay," he insisted. "It's not your fault. Captain Ramius, we're ready to engage. Please remove the Archangel to a safer location as soon as possible. If necessary, we'll cancel the exercise and return to Orb. Cagalli's safety is more important than an exercise."

"Understood."

Kira switched over to the open channel before continuing. "Pilots, your mission is to protect the Archangel. Remember your training and your purpose for being here on this ship: Specials do not kill needlessly. Form up on your teams."

"Captain," one of the ensigns aboard the bridge shouted. "They're coming!"

"Evasive maneuvers!" Ramius barked.

"Okay kiddies," Mwu's voice came over the comm. speakers. "This is what you've been training for. No pulling punches today. This is the real deal."

"Dammit!" Cagalli growled. "We can't just run! There's no place *to* run to! This continues, and we'll have no choice but to attack that ship." She darted forward and slapped the hailing frequency. "This is the Archangel of the Orb Union's First Fleet calling the Earth Alliance vessel Triton. Triton, please respond!"

"Unless you're calling to offer us your surrender," the captain of the Triton announce, his image flickering onto the view screen, "there's no point in trying to hail us. Are you offering to surrender?"

"This ship is out on a training maneuver, dammit!" Cagalli shouted at him. "Orb is a neutral nation! You have no right to--!"

The screen went blank as the Alliance ship cut the connection, and the representative leader let loose with a colorful expletive.

"Cagalli?" Ramius called for her attention even as the same ensign from before warned of more incoming suits and firing missiles.

'Shit,' Cagalli thought, fists balled at her sides. If we start fighting here, it'll only make matters worse once word gets out.

"You're not honestly considering surrendering to them, are you?" Ramius questioned, and several of the bridge crew members looked around, sharing worried and nervous glances.

"No," Cagalli answered, forcing her shoulders back and chin up. "There should be no need for that. Open up a communication channel again, on all available channels," she added. "And leave it open. I want it broadcasted loud and wide."

Mirriallia grinned as her fingers raced over the screen before proudly announcing, "Ready, Representative."

"Good." She turned to face the forward screen and announced in a clear, strong voice, "This is Cagalli Yula Athha of the Orb Union aboard the First Fleet's Archangel. Triton, if you do not cease in your unprovoked attack of this vessel, we will have no option but to defend ourselves. This is your final warning. Triton, stand down."

"They're firing missiles!"

Cagalli closed her eyes to fight of the wave of inevitability that washed over her. "So be it. Captain Ramius," she continued, turning to the other woman, "defend your ship as you see necessary. Captain Flaga, cripple that vessel in accordance to the special forces code."

"Yes, General!" two voices chorused back.

"Cancel transmission," she ordered as Ramius started shouted out demands. Communication between the pilots continued to play through the bridge as Flaga split his pilots into three teams to engage the enemy. Cagalli sank into the representative's chair that had been placed there for her use and watched as her people were forced into another battle they didn't want.

And when she thought things couldn't get much worse, the ensign called out more bad news.

"Captain, we have a new incoming signal! Unregistered, coming from the east!"

"On screen," Ramius ordered.

"Mobile armor?" someone asked.

"No, look more closely. That's a mobile suit. It must be a new model, though. I've never seen anything quite like it."

"We better try and contact it," Cagalli suggested. "If possible, I would like to try and not have to fight that thing, too."

"The Triton seems to have noticed it as well, captain," the ensign called. "They've sent a squad out to meet it."

"Shall we peruse?" Flaga asked over the speakers.

"No," Cagalli answered, watching six blinking red dots disengage from the fighting diagram on the side screen. "Let them go. Focus on the Triton and the forces in front of us."

They'd find out soon enough whether this new arrival was going to prove helpful or not.

****

No Decent Reason [recent past]

82 EC April, Mininova Island (privately owned), Pacific Ocean near the Equator

"So Mother said Phillipe was madly in love with this girl, and--Cagalli!" Dana Rothwell broke off in mid-sentence with a delighted cry. "Good morning!" the blonde woman bubbled, standing from the breakfast table where she sat with her aunt to motion her honored guest forward. "Come in, please, come in! Help yourself to some breakfast. Oh, and look!" she continued on in gay excitement. "That outfit is simply perfect for you! You look radiant! And your brother's here, too. It's a pleasure to have you join us, Kira Yamato. Please, come in and sit down."

"In a better mood this morning, I see," Cagalli replied with forced cheer, taking what she'd come to think of as her seat at the table.

"Oh, yesterday," Dana grimaced. "Yes. I do apologize for my atrocious behavior, but you understand I'm sure, how stressful work can be, and I'm afraid this time it was simply horrible."

"I didn't realize modeling was so difficult," Cagalli answered, resisting the urge to bite off Kira's head when he handed her a plate of assorted foods.

"Oh, it's not," Dana confessed with a breezy little laugh and wave of a hand. "It can be a lot of fun, traveling all over the world and meeting different people, getting to wear fabulous, sexy outfits. As far as hobbies go, it's easily one of my favorites."

"Well, if you children are going to talk business," Crisner interrupted, pushing to her feet, "then I'll take my leave. You, missy," she added with a pointed look towards Cagalli, "don't be forgetting your supplement drink."

"Supplement drink?" Kira asked, looking up curiously.

"Shut up," Cagalli muttered, taking the tiny bottle and gulping it down quickly.

"Oh, yes! You must be careful with your health!" Dana gushed, and Cagalli was proud of herself for resisting the urge to chuck the tiny glass bottle at the other blonde's head.

A lighter blonde than her own hair color, Cagalli thought suddenly. Rothwell had darker eyes than her, too. It was a rich dark brown instead of the lighter, brighter color of her own. There were small similarities, but really, they weren't anything really alike.

"After all," Dana was continuing, "you'll be the first woman to give birth to the toted fourth generation coordinator! Quite a momentous occasion for all of humanity," she proclaimed, and unwittingly, Cagalli's hands traveled to the growing lump of her belly. She suddenly felt huge and heavy, and horribly insignificant under the weight of those two little lives.

"But, of course, you don't care about such things," Dana added, watching her closely. "Coordinator or natural, we're all just human beings, isn't that right Cagalli?"

"What is it you want?" she demanded softly, losing all pretense of nicety.

"I told you before!" Dana gushed in her overly-cheerful voice again. "I just want us to enjoy a little chat! Don't be so suspicious! Really!" she teased.

"You didn't have me kidnapped just to chat about the weather and this year's fashions," Cagalli retorted.

"No, that's true," Dana returned with a sharp smile, and the overly-false cheerfulness slewed away to reveal the fiercely alert woman behind the mask. "There are so many important momentous occasions happening all over the world. We are fortunate to be alive right now, to witness them all. Don't you agree, General Yamato?"

"There are many things to be grateful for in this world," Kira replied smoothly, neatly pouring two glasses of fruit juice and setting one down in front of Cagalli.

"Such as your wife, you family," she expounded with an easy wave of her hand. And then she studied him a moment before her brown eyes sliced across to Cagalli, and her head tilted, chin resting contemplatively against her expressive hand.

"Yes, family is a truly miraculous thing, isn't it?" Dana continued after only a moment. "My dear, wonderful auntie has already informed me of your discussions yesterday. If you are honestly interested," she went on, fiddling now with her silverware. "I can give you the names and contact information of the others. You are the last. Both the last I've spoken to and the last to be born. The others are all scattered across the globe. It took me years to track them all down once I made the decision to start. Most had done their best to hide their origins, of course. Still, three were already dead, never reached adulthood; two others died during the wars. The others, however, are all well and good, living practically normal lives, I guess you could say."

"Good. I'm happy for them," he said softly.

"I'm sure. But please don't misunderstand," she spoke now to Cagalli. "Our shared genetics was not the reason for my requesting your presence here, Cagalli, or, at least not entirely. I confess that I had rather deduced that your brother might try and follow you, probably even succeeding in finding this island. But you were my goal. I truly do wish to talk with you."

Dana picked up her coffee cup and stood, striding calmly towards the door and then pausing to make sure they would follow. "Let's continue this conversation in the other room, shall we?" she threw out at them before exited.

"Come on, Cagalli," Kira gently directed, standing up and waiting to help her up, too.

"Why," she hissed back at him. "Why the hell should we have to follow her?" She threw her napkin down and ignored his offer of assistance before stomping off after the other woman.

"Such a small country, the Orb Union," Dana stated before Cagalli had even fully entered the study room. She stood staring at a world map hung on the far wall and didn't turn around until Kira had joined them as well. "Of course, without wars it wouldn't even be half as significant. Why, it's almost amazing how important it's become during the last two wars alone. It never held so much political or militaristic power before the Reconstruction Wars."

She strolled over to the large desk and idly played with a few folders. "But then, your country's major source of income isn't from tourism but from weapons design and manufacturing."

"Morgenroete," Cagalli named off the leading manufacture that supplied almost half of Orb with jobs alone.

"Yes. The number one weaponry designer and manufacturer in the entire Earth Sphere," Dana agreed, the sugared sarcasm returning to her voice, "nestled safe and sound in the bosom of Orb's naturalistic arms."

"I don't think I like the implications you're making," Cagalli returned, low and dangerous as she continued to stare at the other woman.

Brown eyes flashed, narrowed before flicking to the folder she was touching. "Then let me make another," she offered, picking the plain folder up and practically tossing it at her. "Here. Do you recognize these?"

Cagalli frowned back distrustfully before flipping the folder open. She nearly dropped the folder, so shocked by what looked back at her. "What the hell are you doing with these? Where did you get these?" she demanded hoarsely.

"Cagalli?" Kira asked, stepping forward and concerned.

"They're the newest mobile suit and mobile armor designs produced by the creative little minds of Orb's engineers," Dana answered his concern sweetly, but her eyes never came off Cagalli.

"That doesn't explain what you're doing in possession of these plans," Cagalli returned, quickly pulling herself back together, thrusting the folder at Kira. "These are classified materials."

"Funnily enough, the Atlantic Federation was of the same opinion," Dana mused as Kira quickly flipped through the folder's contents. "I understand General Amberlain wasn't too pleased with the state of his military base, but the life-size model of this was left unfortunately intact."

Kira's head snapped up. "They've actually built one?"

"Maybe more than one," Dana suggested, "but there was only one at the Valley."

"The valley?" Cagalli repeated.

"Death Valley," Kira answered. "In the Californias."

"But... that's not possible. There can't be one of these suits," Cagalli told them. "No one even has access to these records except--"

"Expect for the leader of the Orb Union and her military leaders," Dana answered. "Oh, and the engineers working this particular project. And the Atlantic Federation who is busy building these."

Cagalli's head snapped up, eyes blazing at the implication Dana was laying at her feet.

"Which begs the question, how exactly did the Atlantic Federation get these very top secret, highly classified plans unless the Head Representative of Orb herself cut a nice little deal with them and sold the plans for a tidy little pay off?"

Cagalli was half-way across the room and growling. "How dare you. I specifically denied any request for--"

"At least, that's what I thought," the taller blonde continued right over Cagalli, "when I first saw these: Orb's double playing the former Earth Alliance, possibly in alliance with Plant and Zaft." Rothwell paused, turning away from the map to study the fuming political leader. "Except, you aren't, are you? You haven't."

Dana sighed and sank into the chair behind her desk. "You had no idea the Atlantic Fed had these plans, did you, which means someone else in your government's responsible for selling private records to foreign governments."

"Dana," Kira stepped in. "How did you get these records?"

"I took them," she answered simply. "I also wiped them from the Atlantic Fed's database, but if they had a back-up somewhere..."

"Did you bring me here just to show me this," Cagalli asked fully restrained. "To accuse me of selling out my morals and ideals?"

"Partly," Dana answered bald facedly. "Partly because I wanted to talk to you about something else. This was actually just something that came to my attention recently, and I'm afraid it's put me in a rather poor mood. I'm sure almost being blown up might be a contributing factor....

"Please, sit," she offered and waited until Cagalli reluctantly sank into a seat across from her. She looked over to Kira to see if he was going to sit as well, but he just retreated to the side wall and stood at ease, watching.

"I would like to leave sometime today," Cagalli reminded her.

"Of course," Dana returned graciously, smiling and nodding. "As I said earlier, originally I just wanted to talk. Enjoy a little tete a tete, compare political and social views; maybe see if the great Orb leader really believed what she has been saying on the screen for the last eight and a half years. Regardless of its geographical size, Orb's a big player in the political arena. The treaty the new Euro-Asian Federation is trying to get Orb to agree to? My father's one of the persons trying to push it."

She could see where this was all going, Cagalli thought with disgust. "So you brought me here to threaten me and try and convince me I should sign it?"

"No, I brought you here because I wanted to," Dana returned just as mockingly. "Because I could. And contrary to what you believe, I wanted to see for myself if you were going to stand by what you've been saying; that you're *not* going to sign an agreement to go to war on behalf of the European Federation. You see, I don't agree with my father in this matter, on a lot of matters really.

"These," she added snapping a hand disgustedly towards the folder, "just make everything worse!"

****

A Chance Meeting [May]

82CE late April, Mid-Pacific Region

"Captain! EA forces have reached the incoming suit and---holy shit!" the young ensign exclaimed, earning several head jerks in his direction.

"What?" Ramius demanded as she braced for another potential impact. Those rookie pilots were good, but they weren't catching all the incoming fire.

"They're gone!" the ensign answered.

"What?" Cagalli barked, her own head snapping up and away from Miriallia's screen.

"The squad sent after the incoming suit, ma'am, has been completely wiped off the screen," the boy replied. "They're gone. All of them. Just like that! How can any one suit dispatch that many in under a minute? It must be a Gundam! I mean--"

"Focus, trainee!" Ramius snapped. "Status reports of our troops?"

"Two suits down," Miriallia answered. "Another critically damaged. In process of recovering all three pilots now."

"Damn. What about the General and Captain Flaga?"

"Captain, I have another incoming signal," the communications' ensign shouted, "coming from the same direction as that unidentified mobile suit!"

"Dammit! We don't need another witness to this!" Cagalli growled, grabbing hold of Miriallia's chair to brace for another impact.

"Captain, the unidentified mobile suit has engaged engaged the remaining EA forces; it's ignoring our own suits," Miriallia announced, "and I have another mobile suit in critical condition."

"Captain, we're being hailed by the new arrival. It's coming through on encryption," the communications officer announced. "It's... it's the Vanguard, sir."

"On screen!" Cagalli snapped before Ramius could.

"It seems like you're causing problems again," Yzak wasted no time in greetings. "That's what you get for running around with a troublesome ship."

"Chairman Joule," Cagalli replied coolly, standing taller than a moment before, but maintaining a firm grip on a nearby controller's seat. "A pleasure."

"Representative Athha," he returned with a small nod. "I see you've been found." His eyes coursed over her in undisclosed visual assessment before adding, "And I must say, your current garments suit you much better than those other uniforms you insist upon wearing."

"Yes, I'm sure you would think so," she answered, with a half-forced smile, refusing to look at or adjust the loose filmy garment that would have looked better placed on Lacus in her opinion. "But I thank you. And may I add how grateful I am to see you not sitting on your ass back in Orb. Can we assume than that our unidentified belongs to you then?"

"You can," Yzak confirmed, "and I would appreciate it if your trigger-happy pilots would refrain from shooting at Zaft property."

"I'll be sure to inform them to be careful. But you know," she admonished lightly, sending a nod off to Miriallia as the young woman quickly keyed in the new information for the pilots, "he could have just sent out his information upon approach."

"And have the Atlantic Federation know that Zaft has gotten themselves involved in a mess like this? Zaft would never behave so inelegantly," he returned markedly. "As it stands, you have managed to keep that ship adequately occupied so that they have yet to notice us, and I would like to keep it that way. I would also like to request the Zadkiel be allowed to board your ship until we can rendezvous at these coordinates, say, in seventy-two hours?"

Cagalli glanced at the scrolling coordinates being fed through the connection. "I suppose we can arrange for that." And then because she was feeling more relaxed and confident than she had since she'd seen Kira standing in the dining room three days prior, she teased, "You'll have dinner ready?"

"Complete with sparkling grape juice," he returned, lips twitching.

"It's a date then. And, Yzak!" she called before he could cut her off. "Thank you."

He nodded, a quick jerk of his chin in acknowledgement, and then the screen went blank. "Kira, you heard?" Cagalli called over Milliallia's shoulder, eyes focused once more on the battle playing out on the fore screen.

"He's one of Yzak's," he confirmed. "And it shows. He's dealing with that new suit right now, allowing us time to take care of the rest. We're almost finished with--"

"Captain, the Triton's weapons systems are down!" one of the ensigns interrupted.

Kira grinned. "We're almost finished here, Captain. Why don't you call some of our suits back."

"Agreed," Ramius responded, shooting off commands to her crew. "Officer, send out the recall message. Get me--"

"Cagalli," Kira began again, and she turned to watch his face on Milliallia's view screen. "I want to--"

"Understood," she cut him off already knowing what he wanted. She trusted him, but still, she couldn't help but add, "Just be careful, Kira."

"The Triton's communication and propulsion systems are now down, Captain. The Triton is a dead fish."

"That's it, ladies and gentlemen," Ramius called. "Fire the retreat signals, I want everyone strapped down and ready to be leave this area in under ten minutes!"

"Captain," Milliallia called, "I have everyone but two of the recruit suits, Captain Flaga, the General, and the Zaft suit. The Aka and Midori are not returning."

"What?" Ramius barked.

"The Strike Aka and Strike Midori," Millie continued. "They're the last of the recruit pilots, but they aren't responding to the retreat signal. They're following General Yamato out to the Zadkiel, sir."

"What the hell are they doing? Mwu!" Captain Ramius barked sharply. "What the hell is going on out there?"

"I'll get them," her husband responded, but Kira broke in.

"Don't bother, they're with me. Go ahead and return to the ship; We'll be right behind you in a minute with our guest."

"I'll leave it to you then, Kira," the instructor acknowledged, turning his suit back towards the Archangel.

"Captain, the Triton has signaled their retreat flares as well. Their mobile suits are falling back."

"Captain Flaga's mobile suit has landed," Millie called out. "That's everyone but Kira, the Aka, Midori, and Zadkiel."

Ramius nodded. "Let General Yamato know we're only waiting on him now to leave."

"Yes, Captain. They are heading back now. ETA one minute and forty."

"Understood. Ensign, plot a roundabout course for the coordinates Commander Joule sent us and then make sure we get there exactly in the amount of time requested," Ramius continued, raising her voice loud enough to be heard by the entire bridge crew. "I want us out of here as soon as the General and those suits have landed. Be ready for it. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain!" came the chorused response as everyone set to their tasks with relieved vigor.

"Are we really just going to leave?" one of the crew members whispered, too loud to avoid being overheard.

"And what would you suggest we do?" Cagalli demanded, whirling around to pin the unfortunate young man with a fierce piercing look.

"I--I'm sorry, ma'am," the rookie stuttered.

"No, finish your thoughts, ensign," Ramius was quick to join in at a more moderate level. "The Triton is a crippled ship," she pointed out. "They are in no shape to fight or defend themselves. Should we continue our defense? Why else would we stay in this area now?"

"But they saw us," the younger officer protested. "They know who we are. Won't the Alliance come after us now?"

"What would you suggest then, ensign?" Ramius asked, suddenly cool.

One of the other ensigns attempted to quiet his friend, but the girl stood proudly, defiantly. "The threat should be eliminated," she answered with equal coolness.

"Do you really believe that?" Cagalli hissed, eyes narrowed. Her eyes flicked over the remaining young faces in the crew. This was a training expedition, she reminded herself, but still, she couldn't cull the ball of fury roiling in her gut-- the ball that had gained shape the moment the Triton had refused to back down from their incomprehensible stand-- and she exploded.

"If you don't already know Orb's reasons for doing something then you don't belong on this ship!" she snapped, fists clenched at her sides in a physical effort to restrain her anger. "We are leaving this area, ensign, because that ship is not our enemy. We were forced to protect ourselves, and we did. To do anything more than that would be an aggressive act on our part, and that is not Orb's way. We defend ourselves if and when need be; we do not attack heedlessly. That is why we are leaving that ship alone, why we are leaving.

"Would anyone else care to continue to question the motives or actions of this ship?" she added loudly, swinging her gaze across the faces of the other crew members.

"No, ma'am," came the chorused response from the suddenly nervous crew members.

"Good." Cagalli nodded but still couldn't rid herself of the anger that was dragging at her, clawing up her insides. "Miriallia, will you let Kira know that I'm on my way down. I'd like to have a word with him and those two pilots," she growled, striding towards the lift doors. She paused at the doors, turning back towards Murrue. "Captain, would you care to join me?"

"Certainly," Ramius nodded, hard-pressed to hide her grin as she left orders with her crew and slipped inside the lift beside Cagalli. They rode in silence broken only when the lift doors opened again to spill them out into the organized chaos of the hanger bay.

The hanger was a flurry of noises--from the hissing of coolants to the raised shouts of voices coming from various pilots who thought to actually argue with the medical staff, to the mechanics who were shouting off diagnostics. She zeroed in on the Amity, the suit Kira had been assigned to, right away and found it off towards the end of the queue. Settled next to it was the unfamiliar Zaft suit; The Zadkiel, Yzak had called it.

Captain Flaga was already striding brusquely across the hanger towards the two Strike suits docked near Kira's Amity, a small mill of gawkers eagerly following his progress. "Teoli! Evans!" he called sharply before Cagalli's and Murrue's presence could be noted. "What the hell did you two think you were doing out there? Get down here and explain yourselves!" he ordered, standing importantly before the red and green flagged suits.

Two pilots scrambled out of the cockpits, dragging off their helmets and snapping to attention before the other surreptitiously gathering officers and pilots.

"Sir," the man spoke first. "We were fulfilling our assigned duty, sir."

"Yes, sir," the woman agreed. "We were assigned to support the General."

"You were ordered to return to the ship," Cagalli interjected before Mwu could, stalking right into the middle of the gawking crowd and pushing through before they could think to properly make way for her. "You disobeyed those orders."

"We weren't ignoring them, ma'am," the man returned, an almost sullen note coloring his voice.

"We merely delayed in executing them until our original orders were also fulfilled, General Athha," the woman explained while the others standing around to witness the public dressing down shifted and stood straighter with nervous excitement.

"There was an unknown pilot out there still," the man added, standing a little bit taller himself and sounding more respectful than he had a moment before. "We couldn't leave General Yamato out there unprotected, without any backup."

"No, we mustn't have that," Ramius muttered with amusement before she could stop herself.

Cagalli shot the other woman a glare before turning on the two young pilots. "That unknown pilot was marked as a friendly."

"Marked as 'Zaft', you mean," another pilot muttered from within the crowd with undisguised distrust.

"And was not attacking us," Cagalli pushed on. "Your orders were to cripple the Triton and then return to the ship!"

"It's all right, Cagalli," Kira said cajolingly as he joined them.

"No, Kira, it's not all right. They disobeyed a direct command and--"

"And we're safe," he interrupted, coming up to stand between her and the two younger pilots. "It's okay," he repeated gently, offering her his best kindly smile.

She glared at him...but felt that ball of anger inside of her slowly start to unclench and unwind, relaxing. "Fine," she finally answered with a clip. "This is your pet project, your little adventure game. You deal with them," she announced with a wave of a hand to indicate her lingering disgust and annoyance with the two pilots. Then she whipped around, sighting on another possibly problematic situation.

"Pilot," she called out as the Zaft-suited solider approached. "Is it safe to assume you received your orders from your flag ship prior to joining us?"

The pilot tugged the flightsuit's helmet off, and the grinning young woman underneath nodded smartly. "General Athha, yes, ma'am, I did."

"Good. Then you know we will be rendezvousing with the Vanguard within the next three days," Cagalli continued, ignoring the press of people watching them. "In the meantime you will be given a level three security clearance upon this ship; I trust that you'll keep out of any trouble while aboard. Commander Joule usually has very high standards of pilots, and that in itself speaks well for you...?"

"Jeri, General," the young woman responded. "Jeri Bruster. And that's perfectly clear, General Athha. Commander Joule also requested that my services be available in case the Archangel should cross any other unreasonable parties."

"Somehow I doubt that's quite how your commander would have stated such an offer," Cagalli mused.

The Zaft pilot colored slightly. "No, ma'am. It wasn't. His exact words were more along the line of," she paused, taking in a deep breath and looking over Cagalli's shoulder at the wall. "I'm to keep my ass on this cursed ship and make sure not to let one of those idiotic guppies you have piloting those suits gets themselves killed while I'm here. The captain also said I'm to potentially offer a few training tips while present."

"Oh dear," a rather amused Ramius exclaimed from behind the unsuspecting pilot. "It sounds like Commander Joule is in fine spirits."

"It sounds like," Mwu responded, "he still hasn't forgiven us for making it through that first war. And after he tried his damnedest to sink us, too."

"He wants you to 'train' some of my pilots, is it?" Cagalli latched onto. "Fine. You can start with these two. Teoli, Evans, wasn't it?" she asked, turning a questioning look towards Mwu before facing the two pilots. "You can be assigned to escort duty. After you've seen to the maintenance of your suits, you're to accompany Pilot Bruster here. Show her around the ship, where she can stow her gear, bunk in, and relax. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," the two pilots called out, snapping back into attention.

"Captains, is this arrangement agreeable with you?" Cagalli turned to Mwu and Ramius.

"Well, I suppose so," Mwu frowned. "Though there'll need to be some measures taken to address today's situation, you understand," he added, shooting a discreet look towards Kira.

"That's fine. Captain Ramius?"

"It's perfectly fine with me, Cagalli," Murrue returned with a welcoming smile towards the Zaft pilot. "It helps to have someone available to show our guest around. The Angel is a large ship, and it's easy to get turned around or lost."

"Fine. Pilot Bruster, thank you for your assistance in today's matter," Cagalli told the grinning pilot standing before her. "I trust you'll understand if I say we're hoping that we can avoid needing your service again in the future."

Cagalli fixed several key persons with a look before nodding and swiveling on heel to stride away.

"I should probably be getting back to the bridge," Murrue announced. "Captain Flaga, I trust your pilots are capable of assisting the maintenance staff with the repairs for their suits?"

"It'll get done, don't worry," he responded. "You just see that word about this gets back to Orb before the Atlantic Fed makes a real mess of it."

"We're trying to establish a connection now. I'll leave this to you then. General," she added with a nod towards Kira.

"Right!" Mwu called out as his wife walked away. "You heard the pretty lady, kids: you're responsible for your own suits. Go over them from top to bottom and back again, make sure everything's in working order. There's no guarantee that we won't be attacked again at any time. Let's go. Get inspecting those suits! And Teoli, Evens--you know this isn't over yet. You can bet we'll be having a little talk. You understand me?"

"Yes, sir," the pair called out as the captain and general turned away.

"Congratulations, Teoli," one of the other pilots called out jeeringly once the higher ranking officers were well off and away from hearing. "Not only did you screw your chances for Special Forces, but you scored baby sitting duty in the process. Nice one."

"Shut up, Brueller," Reina Evans snapped back, shooting the other pilot a scathing look.

"We did what was right," her partner, Markil Teoli, insisted with a frown. "I stand by my decision."

"You're gonna hafta, aren't you?" another pilot chimed in. "In any case, General Athha sure wasn't too happy with you both."

"Man, but I was surprised when she came storming in here like that! Did any of you guys know that Cagalli-sama was on board with us?"

"I don't think she was when we left Orb."

"Man, you guys really are clueless," Jeri laughed at the group of them as she sauntered over to her suit.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Figure it out, guppy," the Zaft pilot returned, hooking her helmet over her shoulder as she sauntered back towards her suit. "Why the heck would you bring out a tired old warship at a time like this when everyone's getting all tensed up and ready to go to war with each other?"

"This is a training mission!" one of the rookies called out.

"Keep serving yourself that line of bullshit, but don't expect other people to eat it," the shaggy-haired blonde replied.

"It's the truth!" another insisted.

"Whatever," Jeri brushed them off, hooking a foot in her feed line and tugging. "Are you guppies going to just stand around all afternoon whining about it or are you going to see to your suits like you were told to? Just because you were able to take down one man-o-war doesn't mean there aren't others out in the waters."

"And there's still that new mobile suit out there, too," Markil Teoli grumbled.

"Yeah, there is," Jeri agreed, shooting the man a considering look.

"If you need anything for you suit," Reina Evans called out from the base of the Zaft suit, "just let me or Markil know, and we'll make sure you get it."

"Why?" Jeri couldn't help but ask suspiciously. "I'm not an Orb suit."

"No, but your suit's faster and better than ours," the other pilot replied with a little shrug. "Yours was able to keep up with that other suit. If we do have to come up against it again, I'd be a lot happier knowing your suit was in top shape."

"I'll keep that in mind, but I don't think I'll need to take you up on the offer," Jeri nodded, turning a critical eye over her Zadkiel. "Most of this is all just superficial cosmetic damage."

"Well, if you need anything--" Reina began.

Markil finished, "You heard the general: We're your people."

Jeri snorted. "You mean you're my babysitters."

"Other way around, I think," Reina corrected. "We're your guides, but I think you're meant to be our babysitter."

"Hn. Really." Jeri almost laughed. "Interesting take on it."

"Yeah, well, General Athha's an interesting person," Markil agreed.

"I've heard that about her." Jeri ran a hand through her shaggy mop and cursed a glance over the other two suits that were yet being tended. She noticed their suits looks like mostly cosmetic damage, too. "Listen, why don't we check out our suits and then you two can show me where to go chill. Sound good?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"You don't have to be all formal with me," Jeri laughed. "The name's Bruster. It's good enough for you guppies."

*****

Athrun and the Prime Minister [May]

82CE Orb Union

"Toshihiro," Athrun greeted with an accompanying nod as Risa showed the prime minister into his office.

"Athrun," the elder politician returned cordially.

"May I get you anything, sir?" Risa asked while Athrun continued to observe the man, weighing how much information he should share.

"Tea, hot and with lemon," Toshihiro answered swiftly, easing himself into an armchair. "I'll be blunt, Athrun. I don't know how much longer we'll be able to hold off the news that Cagalli's missing. Certain people are beginning to ask questions I'd rather they'd not be asking and more people are waiting for answers I don't want to tell them."

"About that," Athrun began leaning back against his chair and tapping his fingers against the edge of his desk. "Our previously missing head of state has been found. She's aboard the Archangel and should be back in Orb before the end of the month, so that's one problem solved."

"Thank Haumae!" the Prime Minister exclaimed heavily with relief. And then the man leaned forward demandingly. "Where was she? When was she found? Why wasn't I informed sooner?"

"General Yamato found her on Friday," Athrun answered easily, not bothering to hide a small smile as he continue, "but she wasn't in our custody until Sunday afternoon. I've been informed that the matter has been resolved, and there is to be no persecution or any reference made in regards to the supposed abduction. It never happened," he stressed, watching the prime minister carefully.

Toshihiro struggled, but finally he managed to say, "I... see." The man released a heavy breath and frowned.

Athrun nodded. He understood well enough what a delicate situation this could be if it got out that the Orb Head Representative had been abducted unwillingly from her own private residence and there were no formal repercussions. But then, he also understood the reasons behind the decision Kira had made. That Cagalli backed that decision tied Athrun's or anyone else's hands in the matter. All they could do now was try and control the damage before it got too far out of hand.

"Cagalli's asked that the matter remain classified," he informed the Prime Minister to make sure the man realized his hands were tied in this matter--no matter what he might have liked to have done. "But that still leaves us with having to explain how she got out of Orb without alerting anyone, and why. So--"

"Zala-sama," Risa called through the intercom. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Ms. Zandus is here to speak with you. Shall I send her in now, sir, or schedule an appointment for later?"

With a quick look of confirmation to Toshihiro, Athrun replied, "Now's perfect, thank you. Please show her in." To the man sitting across from him he asked, "Can I count on your aid in creating a workable, believable story we can spread around?"

"It shouldn't be too hard to work up a believable story," Toshihiro replied. "Sometimes a reputation can come in handy, and Cagalli-sama does have a small history of sneaking away from time to time. "

"From time to time," Rumi Zandus agreed, striding purposefully into the office. "Among other things. And I'm hoping we can use that to our advantage again now. Athrun-sama, as you know, we have a full Parliament meeting schedule for the end of next week. A meeting that Cagalli-sama is required to attend as head of state. We can't just reschedule the entire Parliament! Something must be decided about what the rest of Parliament will be told when Cagalli isn't there. My aides and I have been trying to construct several possible stories to feed the public, but I--"

"Let us update you a bit first," Athrun suggested as he motioned for the public relations specialist to have a seat. "I believe we can work this all around to fit everyone's best interests. Somehow."

Rumi eyed him suspiciously, but she took the seat he motioned her towards, preparing herself--or so she thought--to deal with the worst.

****

The Lion and the Crane [past]

[Aprilus Colony, PLANT; Post-Second War]

Cagalli stepped clear of the shuttle amidst a group of personal guards and attendants. The entourage rather annoyed her more than anything else, but she put up with it. It couldn't be helped when her newly appointed Special Forces General not only insisted but was also part of the entail.

Out on the greeting pad there were several familiar faces, but not the one she'd secretly hoped to see the most. Lacus, at the lead of the greeting party, caught her searching look and her long pony-tailed head shook minutely. Cagalli released a heavy exhale that was just shy of being a sigh and then forced herself to straighten and step back into the public persona of Orb's Head Representative.

"Cagalli," the pink-haired young woman greeted warming, holding out her hands as the young representative approached. Cagalli took them both firmly and completed the gesture of warm welcome with two quick kisses to the cheek while media bulbs flashed repetitiously, showering them in silver light. Within hours, images of her and Lacus greeting each other would be swimming across news screens.

"I'm sorry," Lacus whispered as she drew Cagalli to her side and began to make the formal-informal introductions.

"It doesn't matter," Cagalli insisted, fixing a fictitious smile across her face. "We can talk about it later. Let's just get through this first. It's been a long trip, and there's still a lot more to do."

"If you're sure," Lacus agreed.

"I am. I came here for a purpose, and I'd like to see to it as quickly as possible so I can get back to Orb," Cagalli informed her as they approached the first waiting official.

Not all of Plant had turned out to greet her--for which she was immensely grateful. In fact, not even a majority of the Supreme Council was in attendance, but she would be meeting with them all individually and as a whole within the next week. Still, it was nearly ten minutes of introductions before Cagalli was greeted with a semi-familiar face.

"Commander Joule," she nodded politely to the person queued to greet her before Lacus could introduce them.

"Princess," he returned the slight with a quick jerked nod. "Welcome back to Plant. I'm sure you'll find a reason to enjoy your stay."

"The Cities might not possess the splendor of Earth," she allowed, "but there is a beauty to them none-the-less."

"Cagalli, the car is waiting to take you to your apartments," Lacus spoke calmly, smiling pleasantly, standing easily between the two sardonic persons. "I wondered, Chairman Joule," she addressed the taller young man properly, "If you would be so kind as to accompany us during the drive? I know Representative Athha has been away from Plant for a long time and might appreciate your insight into the Cities now that the war has ended."

"I'm sure the princess is exhausted from her travels," he tried to protest politely.

"Not so much," Cagalli interjected with overly-force sweetness. "Unless you fear the soporific quality of your voice?" she shot before turning to give her thanks and make arrangements to meet again with the other gentlemen who'd come to greet her.

Kira stepped forward to flank her, practically attaching himself to her elbow as they exited the terminal, crossed to the waiting car, and slid into the backseat first before helping her inside. Lacus followed with Yzak pulling the door shut behind them all.

"You both look tired," Lacus wasted no time in announcing as the car pulled out into the light traffic.

"I could say the say for you," Kira returned, smiling softly across at her.

"It's almost over," Cagalli reminded them.

"This was just the easy part," Yzak interjected dourly staring out the tinted glass window. "Maintaining peace after what has already been allowed to happen once will not be easy."

"Things worth having are never easily attained," Cagalli answered, stretching her shoulders and neck. "Gods, but I'm tired."

A worried frown pulled at Lacus's lips. "Have you been getting enough sleep?"

"Not you, too, Lacus. Please," Cagalli begged, massaging her tired facial muscles. "I get it all day from Kira as it is. I sleep when I can, but there's so much work to left to do--"

"There will always be work," Yzak interrupted with a clipped tone. "That's never an excuse for mistreating your body."

"I'm surprised to hear that from a soldier," she retorted, meeting his disdainful look equally.

As if to throw her off, he suddenly smirked and crossed his arms. "You shouldn't be. A soldier's responsibility is to protect one's country, one's home and people," he added with a seemingly careless wave towards the passing landscape outside the car. "That goal cannot be accomplished effectively if you fail to keep your body at its optimum health," he told her loftily.

"It is equally as important for those who lead," he continued while she sat across from him, biting her tongue, "whose responsibility it is to lead and guide their people. You can't do your job if you're sick or unwell. For those of us who have accepted the role as leaders of our people it is imperative that we maintain our health and well-being because of the stress we are under daily to make the right decisions, the best decisions. You don't take the time needed to care for your body, yourself. How can you be trusted with the care of an entire country?"

She told herself she could sit there and listen to him expound on and not comment. She thought she could. She would have, too, she told herself, but Yzak's last comment stung too close to her own insecurities for her to remain quiet when smacked in the face.

"Well excuse me," Cagalli sneered. "I didn't realize you were an expert in running your own government, Chairman Joule. Perhaps you would like to tell me how I should be doing my job because, obviously, I'm doing it wrong and you apparently have the answers."

"Cagalli," Kira said, a low warning. Lacus, however, remained silent in her seat, hands folded in her lap as she quietly observed the two.

"To begin with, have you tried eating anything in the last five hours? In the last week even?" Yzak snapped, eying her body in a critical way that had Cagalli shifting self-consciously where she sat. "I've seen soldiers coming from the field who look better than you do right now. After your trip, you should be thinking of relaxing for at least a few hours, but here you are, pushing forward. That's careless; you'll end up making mistakes because of that carelessness. You might also consider that some exercise in your daily routine will help you sleep better at night. Better sleep will lead to better focus, and you'll be less tired during the day."

She didn't give him another chance to continue, and it was only the seat belt and her tattered dignity that kept her in her seat. The temptation to either hit him or draw her weapon rode her, but her weapon was tucked safely out of reach, away in her travel case. "Don't try to think for me, Joule. I can think for myself."

"Past events speak differently," he replied shortly.

"One person alone can't change the minds of thousands," she challenged.

Yzak's evident disgust returned as he spat, "You just arrived and already you're making excuses!"

"The truth is never an excuse!" she shouted.

"Then take responsibilities for your mistakes!"

"You think I'm not?" Cagalli's palms hurt. She realized she'd managed to draw blood, watched the sharp crescent moons grow and fill when she relaxed her hands, and like that, the will to continue the fight slid away. "I was trying to help Plant, too," she told him.

"Some help," Yzak scoffed. "Especially after Orb joined the Alliance." He shifted against the car seat and shook his head. "Let me tell you, princess, that was a lot of help right there, I assure you."

"Do you think it's easy?" she asked, feeling some small spark try to reignite, but she was too tired. He was right. They were all right. She hadn't been sleeping well. She was tired, drained, exhausted beyond her limits.

"Running a country, leading it," she pressed on wearily, "trying to do your best to protect your people, innocent lives who aren't soldiers or military but just normal men and women, children. People who have never even seen or held a gun before..."

"And you believe your role is so difficult," he countered, but the heat had also left his voice. But he refused to give up the challenge. "If so, then step down," Yzak told her. "Leave it behind and let someone who is better qualified than you to handle the difficulties."

"And allow the same damn thing to happen?" Cagalli cried. "Allow Orb to be caught up in another war?" A hand pressed against hers, and only then did she realized she'd fisted them again. She took a deep breath and returned Kira's reassuring squeeze. "No," she spoke assertively. "I won't run away. I won't back down. I did, before, and Orb is suffering for it right now. I will do everything in my power to prevent Orb from suffering anymore."

"Then we're agreed," Yzak announced with matching determination. "I will do everything in my power to prevent Plant from suffering anymore. Six settlements, Princess," he reminded her coldly. "In a span of five minutes, Plant lost six settlements. More people lost their lives in those five minutes than Orb has suffered during both wars combined. Our loss, our suffering is greater than any other nation on Earth. If there is any way to prevent something like that from happening again, then I will do it."

"No one here wants that to happen again," Lacus pointed out calmly. "That's why we're together now, talking. This Alliance between Orb and Plant will go further to ensure that something like this doesn't happen again."

"You hope," Yzak returned, turning to look out the window at the passing storefronts.

"We hope," Cagalli agreed.

****

Blowing Off Steam [May]

[Present- 82 CE May]

There was something immensely satisfying about aiming a gun, squeezing the trigger, and watching that tiny hole appear on the target screen. She'd shot off three clean practice rounds before realizing he was there. He handed her a fourth clip without comment, and she shoved it into her weapon before speaking.

"What are you doing here, Kira?" she growled as she aimed her firearm.

"Nothing really," he answered, sliding down to sit against the wall and watch her. "There's no place else I need to be now. I've already seen to my suit, and the battle review won't be for another couple hours--time for the pilots to see to their suits and maybe catch a quick nap, so I'm on free time for a few hours."

"Shouldn't you be training or something?" she sneered, emptying another clip before disengaging her weapon. "This is a training mission, isn't it?"

"Everyone came back, Cagalli," Kira said gently. "We're alive."

"We lost two suits," she returned, jerkily pulling the pieces of her firearm apart.

"But the pilots survived."

"And on the man-o-war?" Cagalli demanded. "What about the crew of the Triton?"

"I don't know," he answered. In his mind he replayed the battle the same as her, looking for something he might have missed. "We were careful," he finally told her, "but our main goal was to protect you."

"I don't need your protection, dammit!" she shouted, throwing the pieces of her gun at him. He caught them without a wince and snapped the pieces back together.

"You are vital to Orb's future, Cagalli," he said softly.

"It's not an excuse," she growled, reaching over to release the next target. The disc flew out over the blue water, and he shot a series of neat holes through its center.

"No, it's a reason, an explanation," he answered. "Others could lead Orb, but no one could do it like you do. There isn't a single person on this ship who wouldn't give their lives to protect yours." He reached out and grasped her shoulder. "Even me."

"I don't want--" she began before snapping her jaw shut.

Kira tugged invitingly, and Cagalli fell against him, shaking. He held her loosely, rubbing her back gently as she fought to regain her composure, until her shivering abated, and she exhaled the stress she'd attempted to bottle up inside her.

She didn't cling to him--that was simply too undignified, but she accepted the strength and support he offered, leaning into his warm body and just breathing, the gun still in her hand, resting against his waist, the safety thankfully on. After another moment she pulled back to look at him, his familiar eyes looking back at her.

"Don't die for me," she said baldly.

Kira smiled. "I'll try not to if you try not to put yourself in danger."

****

Interlude - Of Zafties, Guppies, and More [May]

[Passing Time Aboard the Archangel]

Reina Evans dug her elbow into her partner's ribs.

He growled but didn't give up possession of her throat, scraping his teeth across her skin with a growl. "It can wait."

Markil Teoli locked his arms around her torso, blocking his softer part from her sharp elbows. They tumbled over the narrow bunk and off the edge, and Markil rediscovered just how un-funny the funny bone was.

Reina snorted as she pulled herself off him and crawled over to where her pants had landed in their enthusiastic post-battle party for two. "Come on," she huffed, fighting back the desire to laugh at him. "Get up, get dressed, and let's go."

"Don't wanna," Markil groused, rolling over to sit up with the wrangled sheet draped across his lap. A second later his pants smacked him in the face. "Jeesh, can't we do it later?" he complained.

"Better to get started sooner," she replied, walking the room purposefully, collecting discarded articles of clothes and straightening up as she dressed in a fresh uniform. When she turned and found him still sitting, contemplating his shorts, she barked. "Come on! I know you're just as interesting in finding out what's going on as I am!"

He leaned back against the bunk and looked up at her pleadingly. "You're the girl. Can't you just go and attempt, I don't know, 'girl talk' or something?"

Reina's eyes narrowed. She stared down at him, hands planted on her hips. "You are coming with me," she told him decidedly. "There's a reason the General asked us to come on this training exercise, and it's not just to gauge the other pilots. Now get up."

Markil sighed and groused some more, but he did get dressed. "How much do you think Zaft knows?" he asked as he finished straightening his uniform.

"That's what we're going to find out," Reina returned grabbing her pass code card and keying the lights to power-save mode.

They found the Zaft pilot almost exactly as they had left her in a spare bunk room. She hadn't unpacked her bag--obviously, she didn't plan to be staying very long--but a quick glance discerned the fact that there were fresh fatigues packed at the top within quick and easy reach. The pilot had stretched out on a chosen bed with a music player plugged in. Her eyes were closed as she rested, but she wasn't asleep.

"There something I can help you with?" Bruster asked without cracking an eyelid.

"That's what we're supposed to ask you," Reina returned, a smile coloring her words overly friendly even to her own ears. "I mean," she stared again, this time with a blush coloring her cheeks.

"You hinted at there being an ulterior motive," Markil rushed in, "a reason for us being out here that didn't have to do with training."

That seemed to catch the Zaft pilot's interest. She peeked up at them lazily. "Did I?"

"Yes." Markil stared back at her unflinchingly while Reina shifted nervously beside him.

Bruster sighed and tugged at her ear piece as she moved to sit up. "And, so?" she asked, bored. "What? You want me to take it back or something?" She leaned back against the bunk wall, elbows propped on her bent knees as she continued to study them, tried to assess them.

"No," Markil answered, seeming to struggle with his better judgment. "I was actually hoping you'd expand on it a bit more."

Bruster's eyes narrowed in suspicion before she could smooth the reaction away. "What are you thinking?"

"It's just that," Reina started, pausing hesitantly before continuing in a rush, "Cagalli-sama wasn't on board when we left Orb, but she is now. We've been coasting along islands for the last two weeks, but now we're sailing through mostly open sea, all but avoiding the islands."

"Add to that the reports of Cagalli-sama being absent from Orb, Athrun-sama taking to the press by himself as he has been, and General Yamoto," Markil joined.

The last seemed to definitely snare the Zaft pilot's interest. "What about him?"

"He went somewhere last week," Reina answered dutifully before turning to her partner. "Remember the captain snapped at Borris?"

"Yeah," Markil grinned none-too pleasantly. "I thought he was going to crap his pants. So, I'm thinking that maybe something else is up."

Bruster shifted against the wall. "So why you talking to me about it? I'm Zaft, remember?"

"Maybe," he allowed, "but it also seems like you know something."

"Or at least suspect something," Reina provided.

"What do you want me to tell you?" Bruster asked, lazy with amusement.

"The truth," Markil demanded. "Why are you here instead of back on your own ship? Why did Zaft even get involved in that battle?"

"What was that mobile suit?" Reina asked.

"I don't know." Bruster shrugged, choosing to answer the last. "Never seen or heard of anything quite like it. It might even be a little better than mine, and that's saying something. I don't think it was a natural piloting it, either. His reflexes were too good, even for an experienced pilot."

Markil and Reina shared a quick look while Bruster wasn't looking and then turned back to the Zaft pilot, ready to press their inquisition.

****