Gundam SEED Fan Fiction ❯ Sojourn ❯ PHASE 04 Destination: Earth ( Chapter 4 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: PaolaAdara 
Of internal clocks, EAF, and surprises
Anime/Manga: Gundam SEED Fan Fiction | Genre(s): / Romance / Drama / Comedy / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 07.12.2006 | Updated On: 07.12.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 8.0K | Visits: 402 | Status: Work In Progress
Of internal clocks, EAF, and surprises
Anime/Manga: Gundam SEED Fan Fiction | Genre(s): / Romance / Drama / Comedy / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 07.12.2006 | Updated On: 07.12.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 8.0K | Visits: 402 | Status: Work In Progress
Title: Mobile Suit: Gundam SEED Sojourn (4/?)
Author: Paola
Disclaimer: Mobile Suit: Gundam SEED Sojourn is based on characters and situations that belong to Sotsu Agency, Bandai Studios, and TV Asashi (and other production affiliates that have the right of ownership). No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Considerations: Similarities to other stories/events/passages are purely coincidental unless otherwise cited.
“In life we make the best mistakes we
know how to make. Then, with luck,
we go out and make new ones.”
- Joan Oliver Goldsmith
PHASE 04
Destination: Earth
The Goddess of Victory involuntarily cracked an eye open as sleep was leaving her, but she really didn’t want to get up just yet. She was still comfortably snuggled under her blankets, and she knew that if she just tried hard enough to will herself back to sleep, she would be able to do it. It had been, after all, a long time since the last time she slept soundly.
She groaned and rolled to her side, and just when she was about to be sent back to dreamland, her eyes widened as sudden realization hit her like a ton of bricks. The blonde shot out of bed, and any remnant of sleep her subconscious was trying to get a hold of, shattered into trivial pieces. As she brushed her teeth, she felt she couldn’t freshen up fast enough.
Cagalli Yula Athha bounded out the door at a speed she hadn’t known she possessed. She was so excited that she wished the bridge to be just a corner away from her sleeping quarters, but as luck would have it, the bridge remained a number of corridors from her room.
She settled on running instead, for drifting will take a longer time. Turning sharply around a corner, she found herself being thrown back as she hit someone.
“Whoa!” she exclaimed. A hand caught her arm and prevented her from drifting farther back. She looked up and saw whom it was. “Athrun!”
“Good morning to you, too, Cagalli,” he greeted, smiling at her.
Cagalli raised an eyebrow. “How do you know if it’s morning or not? I mean, how can you be sure, seeing that it’s always the same outside?”
“I wasn’t a soldier for nothing.”
She mock glared at him, momentarily forgetting what she was excited about. “Yeah, but I’m sure the sun rises at a different time at the PLANTs than on Earth, well, at least compared to Orb.” Then she looked curious. “Don’t you get your internal clock all messed up?” she asked as both of them started to drift towards the direction Athrun had come from.
He looked puzzled. “What do you mean? I haven’t really stayed for long on Earth,” he answered, noting that he really hadn’t spent much time back when he was on Earth, neither when he was still with ZAFT, nor when he came to talk with Kira.
“Yeah, but being a soldier must’ve required you to, I don’t know, skip sleep?” she shrugged.
Athrun chuckled a little. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, but,” he thought of a way to make her relate to his situation more easily, “let’s put it like this: when you were with the Desert Dawn, I’m sure there were times when you didn’t sleep for days at a time, right? But you’re internal clock still works the same.”
“Well, uh, you see…um…not really,” she stuttered. “I know it’s morning because my biological clock tells me so, and it’s not, ah, messed up. But how do you know yours isn’t?”
He looked at her inquiringly, not quite getting what she was trying to tell him.
Cagalli blushed, embarrassed at what she was going to explain. For heaven’s sake, she was already sixteen! “Uh, Kisaka, well, Kisaka didn’t like me missing sleep, so no matter how late I stayed up, he, ah”---she scratched her head---“he insisted I still take lotsa naps...” She trailed off. “I never really stayed up for twenty-four hours straight.”
Athrun looked amused. “My little spoiled princess,” he joked fondly.
The Orb princess playfully slapped him on the arm.
“Okay, then let’s put it this way. Ever stayed up all night because of an exam?”
“Yeah.”
“Then being a soldier’s like that. But at the end of a mission, we sleep at night, the same time we usually do. The adrenaline keeps us up the whole day, so by night, we retire to our quarters just like what we used to do back when we were students.”
“Then your life must’ve sucked real bad! I couldn’t even curse the day enough when I miss a night’s sleep because of tests. I can’t imagine how you guys must’ve felt.”
The former Justice pilot chuckled. “You get used to it.”
Cagalli halted in her tracks and turned towards him. “By the way, where were you headed?”
Athrun tugged at her arm, making her float towards him. “I was supposed to wake you up, but I guess I was late.”
The blonde looked distracted for a moment before her eyes widened. “I forgot!”
He looked at her curiously.
Then she smiled widely, her eyes brimming with happiness. “We can go back to Earth today!” Cagalli felt giddy all over again. Sure, the war had ended, but the only way to feel the real deal and to let the novelty of peace sink in was to go back to the place she really belonged, the place she’d always call home.
He grinned at her cheerfulness. He pushed himself off the floor to gain momentum, Cagalli in tow as they began floating along the corridor once more. “That’s the other reason I came for. Kisaka asked me to go ‘fetch’ you,” he said, borrowing the man’s term.
Cagalli looked over the blue-haired teen, pondering the humor he found on that certain word. Chalking it up to private jokes, Cagalli shrugged and resumed being giddy, which, in all honesty, was something she never thought would ever be associated with her. Maybe today was, indeed, a special day.
“We’ll be going home! I can’t wait!” She couldn’t seem to keep her hands to her sides as she gestured wildly, emphasizing her point.
As they drifted along the end of the hallway, Cagalli was mildly surprised when Athrun pulled her towards another passageway she was sure didn’t lead to the bridge.
“The bridge is that way,” she informed him, jerking her thumb towards the other direction while trying to halt their movement.
“I know.”
She looked at him weirdly, but he couldn’t see it since he was still leading them as if Cagalli weren’t protesting at all. “Athrun!” she half-shouted.
The addressed chuckled. “Sorry, Cagalli, but this is the other thing Kisaka asked me to do.”
“What? Get me lost?” she retorted, annoyed.
“No. Make you eat breakfast.”
“I’m not hungry!” Cagalli never missed meals, but right now, she was too excited for that.
“Well, I am.”
Cagalli pulled at his hand, but he proved to be too strong to be moved. “Then go eat by yourself! Argh! Athrun!” she protested. She didn’t know whether to be touched by his patient effort or be discommoded by it. “Kisaka can’t tell me what to do!” She knew that wasn’t true, but she’d be damned to tell Athrun that now.
He suddenly rounded on her, catching her by surprise. And since he was still holding her wrist, she was pulled closer to him by the action. Their faces were inches apart, and she had to struggle to keep herself from turning into a tomato. She gulped down the lump in her throat, knowing she couldn’t keep her beet-red blush from surfacing. Somehow, their proximity was bringing up memories she still didn’t know how to handle. The touch of the lips before the final battle. The thought of him falling in love with her. The innocent kiss dropped with ease to soothe her then offended cheek. Those uncharacteristic feelings that attacked her left her breathless. Another lump formed in her throat, and this time, she found it hard to swallow.
She could feel his breath tickling her cheek as he spoke, “Okay, let’s have a deal. If you eat breakfast, I’ll even go with you to tell Kisaka that he has no say in your daily routine. How about that?”
“O-okay. D-deal,” she stammered, a red streak running amuck on her cheeks.
“Deal,” he turned back and began leading them again. “But I get to remind you to not miss meals next time.”
She fought the pout that she felt was coming while she let him waft her around. “You’re just going to do what Kisaka does. I have a feeling I got the raw end of the bargain here.”
He just chuckled at her.
When they reached the mess hall, they found Kira and Lacus enjoying their breakfast.
“Good morning!” Lacus greeted as soon as they stepped inside.
Kira looked up from his meal. “Hey, good morning!” Seeing his sister’s mildly surly expression, he turned to Athrun, who was fetching two trays of food from the counter, and asked, “Anything wrong?”
Cagalli plunked herself down on the seat beside Lacus. “Ledonir Kisaka and Athrun Zala are ganging up on me.”
Lacus’s eyes slightly widened. “Oh my!”
Athrun placed a food tray in front of Cagalli and sat himself beside Kira. He looked at Lacus and assured her it wasn’t like that. “Kisaka was just taking care of his charge,” he told them.
Kira and Lacus shared a confused look, while Athrun silently chuckled at Cagalli’s disposition.
o-o
Yzak drifted along the corridors of the Eternal, looking for the bridge. He had taken a shuttle from the Archangel to the Eternal since he didn’t fancy conversing with his mother in a room filled with people whom he knew had once disliked, if not hated, the PLANTs council. Had his mobile suit not been worn out to almost complete retirement, he would’ve taken only a split second to come racing back home. But, as luck would have it---or lack thereof---he was stuck with the Archangel and the rest of the bloody faction and Naturals, and only had this spare shuttle to get him to the Eternal to converse with his mother.
Damn it.
A crewmember had directed him to where he was now, but he was having doubts whether the man was playing him for a fool or not. He’d been traversing the passageway for a while already, but he still seemed far off from his destination.
He snarled. He wasn’t really known for his patience, and he didn’t much care if the people around him got fed up with his dangerously thin forbearance. He was wont to look out only for his own person---and sometimes, his comrades and friends when his conscience gnawed at him---so he never really did try to see things in other people’s perspectives.
Yzak growled deep in his throat, and had a kid heard him, the kid would’ve gone white, if not think the Duel pilot a complete whack job---good thing there weren’t any kids in any of the three ships. With a frustrated sigh, he had to struggle real hard to keep himself from hunting the said crewmember down.
Screw that ass. Where the hell am I?
No matter how many battleships Yzak had been in, he still found himself lost in the ship’s labyrinth of hallways that he should’ve memorized had Lacus’s faction not stolen it. He wondered for a brief, detached moment why the ship wasn’t designed the same way as the Vesalius. It was a property of ZAFT, so it would make more sense if the interiors and hallways were patterned after the other existing ZAFT ships.
As he turned around a corner, he finally spied the lift that he suspected would take him to the bridge, and just as he was about to press the button, he heard the faint swish signaling him that someone was about to get off. The metal door slid open and revealed the towering form of Andrew Waltfeld, the Desert Tiger who was supposedly siding with ZAFT during the battle.
The thought of his defection made Yzak wonder, for the umpteenth time, if he had been fighting for the right thing all along---if he had been free from the fallacies of the past. If ZAFT had the right cause all this time, then why did people change allegiance from ZAFT to the neutral forces of the Archangel? Athrun Zala, Dearka Elsman, Lacus Clyne, Andrew Waltfeld, Martin DaCosta, and so many others whose names he hadn’t found time to know.
It had started out simple, as simple as war could get. The only thing to acknowledge was the mission to eliminate the Naturals…to protect the Coordinators’ race from the jealousy of those who weren’t genetically enhanced. But during the last phase of the war, there had been a lot of issues needed dealing with. He came to know that the Archangel wasn’t with the Earth Alliance Forces; that the Kusanagi and the Eternal were fighting, along with the Archangel, to preserve both races and to eradicate thoughts of inequality between gene pools. Then it had struck him hard, he almost wanted to hit himself for not getting it earlier. All were human. All had the right to live. None had the prerogative to finish off one another. And only a few understood that.
“Yzak Jule,” he heard Waltfeld say.
“Captain Waltfeld.” Yzak was dreading the inevitable exchange of pleasantries with the former ZAFT leader. No matter how long he had been in the military, he never quite got the hang of superficially talking with military leaders, whom he knew were just stalling before telling him and the other soldiers what they really wanted done. It was such a fake conversation. But then he realized, he didn’t fancy a heart-to-heart either.
The man smiled at him, which took him by surprise. He really didn’t expect such a casual approach.
“Call me Andrew.”
He nodded, which was the only thing he could do at the moment.
“Lacus told me you wanted to contact the PLANTs?”
“Yes.”
“All right. Full steam ahead,” he chuckled good-naturedly. He stepped off the lift and gestured for Yzak to get on. “I’ve asked the crew to vacate the bridge for the time being to give you privacy.”
Yzak was again surprised at how trusting these people were.
Andrew chuckled at his nonplussed look. “Don’t be surprised, kid. This ship is led by the Pink Princess, what did you expect? Hostility?”
Yzak found himself thanking the man before the door shut and the lift began to ascend. When he reached the bridge---and found out it was, indeed, empty, just like what Andrew Waltfeld promised---he hurriedly contacted his mother. The conversation that transpired after…well, Yzak was still wondering whether he would be shocked, annoyed, confused, or whatever emotion his persona would and could come across given the matter of their tête-à-tête.
o-o
Kisaka eyed the monitor stoically. He had been discoursing with an EAF delegate for quite sometime, discussing landing arrangements and temporary residential settlements for the crew and those who still couldn’t return to the PLANTs due to certain political matters. No matter how much he tried to take over the situation, the officer seemed dead set on taking things to and talking matters with Cagalli, seeing as how she---the representative had reasoned---was the daughter of the late Lord Uzumi; ergo, the rightful heiress to the throne. He had explained that he was in-charge of the princess and had all the rights to speak for her, but the officer didn’t let up, promising that he would only discuss this with the princess once, then he would gladly step away and let her live a normal teenage life, until, of course, she decided to take up the position as Chief Representative of Orb.
Kisaka fought the urge to sigh in defeat. He guessed he could grant the EA official this one time, knowing full well that the officer just wanted to see for himself how the princess would handle the situation.
“Princess Cagalli is currently having breakfast. I will ask her to speak with you as soon as she gets here.”
The EA representative seemed content with that. “All right. I will wait for her call. For the time being, I will be conferring with the Archangel.”
The screen blinked blank. This time, Kisaka sighed.
o-o
Cagalli finished off her breakfast seconds before everyone did. The four of them were talking about trivial things, nothing remotely concerned with their present condition, which was fine by her.
She had learned a little later that Kira and Lacus were at the Kusanagi just to check up on things. Well, Kira was there to do just that and Lacus was just along for the ride. They’d be going back to the Eternal in a few minutes to see the transport ships from the PLANTs.
She had wondered about Dearka and Yzak’s situations, but Lacus assuaged Cagalli’s curiosity by informing the blonde of Dearka’s plan to go back to Earth with them and of Yzak’s ongoing talk with his mother, though the Pink Princess still didn’t know Yzak’s would-be decision. It was actually fine with her if they all wanted to go back to Earth with the rest of the crew who were originally living on the blue planet. She figured it wouldn’t be too hard to settle living conditions seeing as how she would want to roof all of them in her residence anyway. She’d always thought that would be fun, like an extended sleepover. Except, of course, she never thought she’d be “sleeping over” with war survivors---and people like Dearka and Yzak whom she was hardly acquainted to---and not those people she was once classmates with. It could be a way to get to really know Kira, his friends and former enemies---those being Dearka and Yzak, whom she found quite interesting---Lacus, and Athrun.
She inwardly sighed in relief that she didn’t blush at the thought of “getting to know” the blue-haired pilot. Nonetheless, Cagalli would just talk it over with Kisaka.
“I thought you weren’t hungry?” the boy she was having a hard time trying not to think of, asked, taking a sip from his water bottle.
“Maybe all that being forced to go here made me hungry,” Cagalli’s reply made the other three people with her laugh. “Not funny.”
Kira tried to stifle his laughter. “Of course not,” he told her, biting the inside of his lower lip.
“Where are you off to anyway?” Lacus, being the first one to control her giggles, asked.
“To the bridge. I’m going to talk to Kisaka about our re-entry,” the blonde answered, getting up from her seat. “And speaking of that, I’ve to go there now.” She shot Athrun a mock glare, which he shrugged off with a boyish grin.
“Oh yes,” the Pink Princess exclaimed softly, as if remembering just now the significance of today. “That’s the other reason why we came here.”
Cagalli cocked her head to the side as she looked down at Lacus inquiringly.
“I need to talk to you and Kisaka about the landing arrangements of the Eternal,” then she added as an after thought, “or maybe to an EA representative.”
Cagalli scooped up her empty tray and discarded it on the counter. She walked back to the table and smiled. “Oh that. No worries. I’m sure Kisaka has already arranged for that. Erica Simmons must’ve taken care of that with the peeps at Morgenroete.”
Kira stood up and placed Lacus’ empty tray on top of his to be deposited on the same counter. He smiled when Lacus thanked him. “Erica Simmons. She seems to be always prepared, don’t you think so?”
Before Kira could perform his task, Athrun called, “Kira?” He popped the last piece of fruit in his mouth, and Kira must’ve picked up on his tone when he took Athrun’s food tray as well.
“Just because we’re best friends doesn’t mean you can treat me as a servant.”
Athrun laughed. “Thanks. I’ll try to keep that in mind.”
Cagalli watched the easy interaction between the two boys, and she wondered how much they’d had to suffer from being on opposite sides of the war in its earlier stages. She knew it had hurt both of them to a degree she couldn’t even begin to imagine, let alone comprehend. The tears she had witnessed fall from Athrun’s eyes back when he was rescued by Orb were enough to tell her the depth of their friendship and how much it had been killing him to fight Kira. But now, they had gained peace, and there were no sides to be on anymore. She was glad to note that the war did not estrange the two boys she cared about, one her brother, and the other the person whose place in her life she was still trying to figure out.
Lacus stood up. “That was a nice meal. Maybe we can get going?” the last part was directed at the princess.
Cagalli saw Athrun finish his water before standing up, at the corner of her eye. “Yeah. I was about to say the same.”
o-o
Kisaka heard the idle chatter of four teenagers as they entered the command center of the Kusanagi. He turned around and saw his charge happily talking with her friends, and his heart swelled at the thought that the end of the war could finally let the girl he had come to think of as a daughter, live normally.
The bridge was empty except for the five of them.
“Morning, Kisaka,” the said girl called, drifting towards him.
The other teenagers greeted him as well, and he nodded to acknowledge them.
“What’s our status?” Cagalli inquired, glancing at the consoles desultorily.
“Everything’s ready for our re-entry, if that’s what you mean.”
Cagalli nodded. “Oh yeah, Kisaka, Lacus has something to talk to you about.”
Kisaka’s eyes darted towards the Pink Princess. “Oh? What is it, Ms. Clyne?”
Lacus gave him her usual, friendly smile. “Oh, please call me Lacus.”
“All right. What do you have in mind, Lacus?” Kisaka agreed, humoring the gentle-mannered pop singer.
“I would want to know the landing arrangements for the Eternal. It is, after all, a ZAFT ship.”
Athrun, Kira, and Cagalli looked at Kisaka expectantly.
“About that…”
“Oh! I forget. What’s left of the mobile fleet will be collected by a carrier ship from the PLANTs. The soldiers will be picked up as well, so we will not have anything from the ZAFT military except the ship itself and some of the crew,” Lacus informed him.
Kisaka’s face showed relief that his workload concerning the ZAFT vessel wouldn’t be too much. “Erica Simmons was here a moment ago and she had already talked with the people at Morgenroete about the Eternal. Good thing the military will be taking back its possessions and people because it will be harder to arrange for them as well.”
Cagalli frowned a little. “Speaking of which, Dearka will be going back with us. So is Athrun. I’m still not sure about Yzak, though.”
Kisaka looked pensive for a moment. He had almost forgotten about the pilots. Although Athrun Zala and Dearka Elsman had defected to their forces, they had still been ZAFT-affiliated. And Yzak Jule was another issue since he had only been a little on their side against the EA at the last stage of war.
“Cagalli, it’s all right. It’s less complicated if we don’t,” he heard Athrun speak, and was faintly amused at the tinge of disappointment lacing his voice.
Looking at his charge, he saw her mildly glare at the former ZAFT soldier. “Oh hush, you.”
“Cagalli,” he called, gaining the attention of everyone in the room, “I’ll leave it to you.”
“Wha---?” she was suddenly taken aback by his easy answer. “Are you sure? I mean, this could be fun!”
Ledonir Kisaka was suddenly alarmed at the mischievous glint in the blonde’s eyes. It had only been a day ago since he had asked her not to worry herself over political matters.
“I didn’t mean it that way, Cagalli. I’m still sticking to what I told you yesterday. I’m just saying that it’s your decision, much as it is theirs,” he said worriedly, convincing himself that he was just schooling her and not really handing duties to her yet.
Cagalli grinned widely. “Lighten up, Kisaka! I’m just kidding!”
He gave an audible sigh of relief, which made everyone chuckle. Out of the corner of his eye, he witnessed his charge duck her head as she bit her lip. He stopped laughing and looked over at her. “Anything the matter, Cagalli?”
She seemed a little hesitant. “I-ah…”
Kira seemed to sense her hesitation, so he tugged at Lacus’ hand and gave her a small smile. He turned to Kisaka. “We better head back to the Eternal.”
Kisaka looked confused for a minute before nodding.
“Yes, of course. Thank you for accommodating us!” Lacus said cheerfully, understanding what Kira was trying to do.
“Later, Athrun, Cagalli,” Kira waved, pulling Lacus along as they floated out of the bridge.
“Yeah,” Athrun waved back then turned his attention back to Cagalli after the doors swished closed.
Kisaka watched as Cagalli took a deep breath and looked up, sharing one hesitant smile. “I accept, Kisaka.”
Again, Kisaka looked confused, but this time, so did Athrun. “I’m glad you accept, Cagalli, but if you don’t mind my asking, what is it that you’re accepting?”
Cagalli raised her eyebrows in mild disbelief. She flicked her eyes towards Athrun and saw that he was confused, too. “Uh, guys, you, you know, don’t have to play, uh, dumb,” she gave an embarrassed laugh.
Both men looked at each other then at the princess. “We’re not,” Kisaka assured her. “What is it, Cagalli? Why are you so flustered?”
She glared at the two of them but gave in. “When we get back, I’m not going to be taking over the position immediately,” she said in one breath. “I’ll---as much as I hate it---will go back to school, Kisaka.”
Kisaka, in an unexpected and uncharacteristic motion, turned his back on Cagalli, grabbing Athrun with him. In hushed tones---but still audible enough for Cagalli---he whispered to the blue-haired teenager, “She’s always like that, my man. Always gets embarrassed when she admits her mistakes.”
Both of them shared a small laugh.
“Yeah, I’ve witnessed that a few times already,” Athrun whispered back, trying to hold down his chuckles, but failing.
“HEY! I’m still here! I can hear you, you know!” When both men still didn’t look at her, she raised her voice a couple notches higher, clenching her fists, “I swear! I’m gonna kill you both!” She could swear they had planned this.
Athrun finally moved towards her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “We’re kidding, Cagalli,” he said, a smile playing on his lips.
Kisaka smiled at her. “I’m glad, Princess Cagalli. I will help you get everything fixed for your friends as soon as I can, assuming, that is, that they will be staying at our house and will want to get back to school?” he directed the last part at Athrun.
Cagalli answered for him instead. “About that, Kisaka. I was meaning to tell you about everyone’s living conditions when we get back to Earth. I know Kira’s parents would want him to go home, so would Miriallia’s and Sai’s, but about the others, can they roof with us? I mean, it’s a pretty big house, and the whole of the left wing is pretty much unoccupied…”
“That would be easy to arrange, Cagalli. And it will be a good thing to do to promote peace between Naturals and Coordinators. But this will not interfere with your studies. Understand, young lady?”
Cagalli beamed. She raised her hand and tucked her pinky and ring finger in, saluting her guardian. “Roger that!”
“By the way,” Kisaka’s face turned serious, “an EA delegate wants to speak with you.”
Cagalli looked every bit puzzled. “I thought I wasn’t going to be involved in any political matters of the state for the time being? Not that I’m complaining or anything.”
“As much as I would like to keep you from all of these, the EA seems intent on talking to you. It’s just minor details, I suppose, but it will be just this once. After this, they will lay off until you claim the position.”
She looked pensive. “All right.”
Kisaka put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Think of this as hands-on schooling. After all, you will have to take up consular and diplomatic studies in school. That is, if you still plan on taking up your father’s position.”
Cagalli nodded but her expression made her look like she had tasted something unpleasant.
“That won’t be too bad,” Athrun soothed.
“We’ll see about that,” she frowned.
“I’ll leave you alone to converse with the EA delegate. I’m sure you still know the communication channels for them?”
“Yeah.”
“All right then. His name’s Kichiro Schroeder. He’s a new officer, elected only at the last phase of war, so he was thought to be the good choice to handle talks like this one. Simmons said he’s more or less moderate about the Natural-Coordinator issue, so he seems to be just the right candidate, all right,” he gave his charge a little of the delegate’s background.
“How does Erica know that?” Cagalli asked.
“He used to be her superior, and since she trusts him, then maybe we should, too. Anyway, I’ll be back in a few minutes. I don’t think this will take too long,” with that, he floated out of the bridge.
o-o
Cagalli sighed when the doors closed. She did say she wanted to take over as soon as possible, so this would be a good opportunity for her to get started.
Athrun’s gaze dropped from the doors towards Cagalli. “Guess that’s my cue. I’ll see you later then.”
Cagalli watched as he floated after Kisaka. “Uh---” When Athrun turned to look at her, she found herself tongue-tied. She got a little miffed at herself for even thinking of asking him stay, knowing full well she was capable of doing this on her own.
“Yes?”
The blonde shook her head. She was Cagalli. She could handle this. Besides, how hard could it be?
Athrun nodded then let a smile play on his lips. Cagalli was, once again, dazzled.
Damn it.
When she was left alone in the room, she berated herself for thinking out of line. She should have been thinking of going back to Earth and not let thoughts of a certain someone fill her head with things she wasn’t even ready to deal with yet. Sometimes, she hated being a teenager. She never liked how all the other teenage girls she knew acted around the guys they liked, and she certainly wasn’t going to be one of them. So, she decided. She wasn’t going to act like them. So what if she had confusing feelings for the former Justice pilot? It didn’t matter.
With a resolute air, she floated towards the communication panel and inputted the codes needed. “This is Cagalli Yula Athha of the Orb’s ship, the Kusanagi. I wish to speak with Mr. Kichiro Schroeder please.”
“Princess Athha,” the receptionist greeted her. “A moment please.”
Cagalli stared at the screen that displayed the Earth Alliance insignia, waiting for her call to be patched through.
“Princess,” a man in his late thirties or early forties acknowledged her warmly.
“Representative Schroeder,” Cagalli greeted back. “I was informed that you wish to speak with me?”
“Ah yes. Nothing much really. I just want to discuss a little something with you. I’ve always thought of Representative Uzumi Athha as a good friend.” The man seemed sad. “I’m sorry for what happened.”
“All is good, sir. And thank you.” She really didn’t feel like talking about her father, but she was thankful that the man she was talking to respected him. If Schroeder were, indeed, a good friend of her father’s, then she wouldn’t have problems with him. She had been dreading the attitude of the EA delegate, but he seemed friendly enough and respectable. Cagalli was beginning to like him, and she only wished he wasn’t some sick man playing her for a fool. She figured she had to check on the little information the man had given her, with Kisaka. Better to be safe.
Schroeder nodded. “I wish to know the current condition of the ZAFT affiliates you have on board.”
Cagalli took a deep breath and began explaining their situation. She informed him of her decision to make Kisaka a head figure to represent her until she took up her father’s position, her decision to let the intermittent council of Orb work for a while, and her plans to let her ZAFT-affiliated friends stay in her residence. She also told him about her plans to ask the government of Orb to help with Dearka and Athrun’s problem with ZAFT during their defection.
“Kisaka and I think this can foster encouragement for more Natural-Coordinator interactions and communication.”
There was a short pause as Schroeder probably pondered what she had just uttered. She did believe what Kisaka had told her. If she planned on setting a good example for the people she would soon be leading, it would be good to start now and with that move.
“That’s a little idealistic, Ms. Athha. Even now that the war has officially ended, there are still people who are not satisfied with what happened. I am very much aware of Orb’s neutrality before the last stage of war, but I’m sure there are Orb civilians who feel negative towards the Coordinators. This move might be too bold and too soon.”
“There probably are. I know that the Coordinators had hurt a lot of people during the war, but if no one takes the initiative to do something about it, then I don’t see any fruits from this peace in the future. We can’t always just let everything go at its own pace.”
“I understand what you’re trying to say, but it’s still too early to talk for them. Orb hasn’t even recovered and now you want its government to speak for the Coordinators who are in conflict with ZAFT.”
Since Orb had been nothing but close to neutral during the last phase of war, the EA had taken a position in its government, but Cagalli would change that.
Cagalli placed her palms down on the space below the console, face determined to prove to Schroeder that what she was proposing would benefit them. “Please don’t get me wrong, sir. I’m not saying we have to intervene for them right now. No, sir. I’m planning to have them with me for the time being until they plan to leave, and only then will I want to do that, and that is, if they still want the help. And there have been Coordinators living in Orb even before the war broke out, so I don’t think it will be a problem to see the future Chief Representative helping in this way a few Coordinators who used to be on the other side of the war.”
Another short pause.
“I’ve always trusted your father’s decision, so I hope I’m doing the right thing when I tell you that if you really think this is for the best, then I won’t object anymore.”
She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, and was a little embarrassed when Schroeder chuckled---apparently, he noticed. “Thank you, Mr. Schroeder. I think everyone’s off to a good start.”
“All is well that ends well, Princess Cagalli. I hope we can talk again some other time. You seem to be pretty keen on politics.”
The blonde beamed at the compliment she never expected she’d receive. “I’m afraid I won’t be dealing with anything like this for a long time, sir. I’ll be going back to school and will leave all the political whatnots to Kisaka for the time being.”
“Ledonir Kisaka, yes. I’ve spoken to him a while ago. He seems very intent on taking care of you, if you know what I mean, young lady. I think he’ll do just fine taking over for you. For some unknown reason, I believe that man just gained my trust,” he smiled.
“He’s thoughtful that way.” Cagalli cleared her throat. “If there isn’t anything else…?”
Schroeder nodded, as if remembering what else to tell her. “Oh yes. Please tell Mr. Kisaka to send me your coordinates and your ETA. A conference shall be held the day after you land. I will have to ask for the audience of the Eternal’s representative as well. And if you want to attend it and your guardian allows, I’ll be glad to have you there.
“I’m positive that you’ll make a fine representative one day, Ms. Athha. You will do your father proud. Good day, Princess.”
“Good day, Mr. Schroeder.” The screen went blank, and Cagalli felt proud of herself for handing it quite well, at least according to Kichiro Schroeder. She gave herself a mental pat on the back. Way to go, Athha.
Bouncing on her heel, she fled from her position and went straight for the door. Upon exiting the bridge, she spied Kisaka a little ways down the hall, looking out the glass window. “Kisaka,” she called, floating towards him.
Kisaka tore his eyes away from the view outside and faced the energetic princess. “Cagalli, how did it go?”
She flashed him a happy grin. “Oh, it’s okay. You didn’t tell me he was a friend of my father’s.”
“Might have slipped my mind. Was he trouble?”
She shook her head. “Not at all! He was really polite. I can’t believe someone from the EAF is that kind!”
“Not everyone in the EAF is like Murata, Azrael, Cagalli.”
“Yeah. By the way, where is he?” Looking around, she found Kisaka alone.
“Athrun Zala?” When Cagalli nodded, he continued, “He’s at the docks.”
“Oh. All right, I’ll go there.” Before she could go on her own way, she remembered what she was supposed to tell her guardian. She turned around and relayed Schroeder’s message.
“Go ahead then. I’ll call on you upon the go signal to enter the Earth’s atmosphere.”
Cagalli paused for a while then jumped into the unsuspecting arms of her guardian. “Thanks, Kisaka, for protecting me.”
Her guardian---and somewhat of a parent figure---returned the embrace. “Always my pleasure, Princess.”
Cagalli chuckled a little. “You know I hate it when you call me that, but you do it anyway.” For a brief moment, she contracted her hold. “We’re going home, Kisaka.” Her chest tightened and she felt the unmistakable moisture in her eyes.
Kisaka gave her a gentle shove and smiled. “Yes, we are.” He ruffled her hair. “No need to cry. Now off you go. You don’t want to make him wait, now do you?”
Cagalli blinked. Then her eyes widened at the unexpected jest from her guardian. “Kisaka!”
It had been a long time since she last heard her guardian laugh with not a single trace of worry or anxiety.
o-o
Dearka wandered the empty halls of the Archangel. Half of the crew was at the hangar while he guessed the other half was at the bridge. He didn’t feel the inclination to be there at the bridge, especially when he knew she was there. The crew of the Archangel might not have treated him differently than the other people stationed at the ship, but somehow, he didn’t think it would be appropriate for him to meddle with their affairs and the discussions about their return to Earth.
He halted in mid-air and resorted to walking, shoving his hands in his trouser pockets. When he left Earth to help protect the Archangel, he never imagined he’d be going back with the same people. Heck, he didn’t even think he’d be returning to Earth. He guessed things just happened in their own accord. He shrugged to himself. It didn’t matter.
When he reached another corridor with a long stretch of reinforced plexiglass lining one side of it, he chanced upon the blue planet, and all the thoughts he was avoiding barraged his mind like how a malfunctioning tennis ball machine would. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was scared. He’d been so used to waking up every morning getting ready to head out and battle, to take orders and execute missions. He was thankful for the final ceasefire, for the end of war, but he couldn’t help but feel strange at the prospect of living a new lifestyle. The novelty of peace was bringing up mixed feelings in him, and he was mildly surprised at the discomfort he was experiencing. They all fought for peace, in one way or another, so why was he uneasy?
He had been following the orders given to him blindly, but here he was, one of the survivors of the war. They had made a lot of bad judgments during the war. He had made a lot of mistakes. He never really gave a good goddamn about them because he had accepted that, even as a Coordinator, he was still very much susceptible to committing blunders.
“Hey there,” he heard someone call from behind him, cutting off his train of thought.
He turned around, feeling a strange sensation in his stomach at recognizing the voice. “Miriallia.”
“Don’t you want to know our landing arrangements? We’re talking about that at the bridge.”
He kept his eyes on her as she drifted towards him looking curious. He didn’t even take his eyes off her when she had settled beside him. “I wanna be surprised.”
Miriallia giggled at his answer, but when he blinked, her face turned unreadable. “Hey, Dearka…”
He didn’t know what was happening. He hadn’t said anything to upset her, had he? They hadn’t even been talking for more than a few seconds. Heck, he didn’t even know why he was so concerned. They weren’t even friends.
She looked away and was still silent for a few beats. “I want to say sorry…for treating you bad back then.”
Dearka was honest-to-goodness surprised. He didn’t expect that. At least not anytime soon. He massaged his neck. How was he going to reply to that? “Uh, that’s okay. I was a prisoner of war then, so, ah, yeah, that’s okay.”
The brunette in front of him bit her lower lip. “Still, I was unreasonably cruel. I-I shouldn’t have done that. I mean, I shouldn’t have tried to drive that thing in your face.” She looked up only to look away again, blushing in embarrassment. “That was really out of line.”
After a small pause, he smiled a small smile. “It was partly my fault, too. I’m sorry for being a jerk. I didn’t know…” he trailed off, not wanting to continue for he wasn’t sure if he should bring up that guy’s name.
She shook her head. “It’s okay.”
“Then we’re good now?”
Miriallia laughed a little, and Dearka was glad to hear her. “We’ve been good since yesterday, silly. I just wanted to clear the air between us.”
“Yeah.” He diverted his eyes to the view outside, imitating Miriallia’s actions.
Dearka was afraid of not knowing what might happen to them when they touched down on Earth. He had a vague idea of his future if he had returned to PLANT, but his mind came up blank thinking of what was in store for him on Earth. He was off to a new adventure. He was scared, but he was still willing to venture forth.
A good goddamn.
Spying at the Natural beside him at the corner of his eyes, he somehow felt that he made the right decision to return to Earth. Yes, they had made a whole load of unthinkable mistakes, but with luck, they could go out again and make new ones.
He sighed.
Yeah, that was what mattered.
-To Be Continued…
Reference/s:
“Yes, they had made a whole load of unthinkable mistakes, but with luck, they could go out again and make new ones.” - This is reflective of the quote above, which, as cited, is from Joan Oliver Goldsmith.
A/N:
Fine, i won't ask for reviews anymore! Sniff, sniff. I'd settle for knowing that people view this (and reading it, hopefully).
...Back to happy self!
Author: Paola
Disclaimer: Mobile Suit: Gundam SEED Sojourn is based on characters and situations that belong to Sotsu Agency, Bandai Studios, and TV Asashi (and other production affiliates that have the right of ownership). No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Considerations: Similarities to other stories/events/passages are purely coincidental unless otherwise cited.
“In life we make the best mistakes we
know how to make. Then, with luck,
we go out and make new ones.”
- Joan Oliver Goldsmith
PHASE 04
Destination: Earth
The Goddess of Victory involuntarily cracked an eye open as sleep was leaving her, but she really didn’t want to get up just yet. She was still comfortably snuggled under her blankets, and she knew that if she just tried hard enough to will herself back to sleep, she would be able to do it. It had been, after all, a long time since the last time she slept soundly.
She groaned and rolled to her side, and just when she was about to be sent back to dreamland, her eyes widened as sudden realization hit her like a ton of bricks. The blonde shot out of bed, and any remnant of sleep her subconscious was trying to get a hold of, shattered into trivial pieces. As she brushed her teeth, she felt she couldn’t freshen up fast enough.
Cagalli Yula Athha bounded out the door at a speed she hadn’t known she possessed. She was so excited that she wished the bridge to be just a corner away from her sleeping quarters, but as luck would have it, the bridge remained a number of corridors from her room.
She settled on running instead, for drifting will take a longer time. Turning sharply around a corner, she found herself being thrown back as she hit someone.
“Whoa!” she exclaimed. A hand caught her arm and prevented her from drifting farther back. She looked up and saw whom it was. “Athrun!”
“Good morning to you, too, Cagalli,” he greeted, smiling at her.
Cagalli raised an eyebrow. “How do you know if it’s morning or not? I mean, how can you be sure, seeing that it’s always the same outside?”
“I wasn’t a soldier for nothing.”
She mock glared at him, momentarily forgetting what she was excited about. “Yeah, but I’m sure the sun rises at a different time at the PLANTs than on Earth, well, at least compared to Orb.” Then she looked curious. “Don’t you get your internal clock all messed up?” she asked as both of them started to drift towards the direction Athrun had come from.
He looked puzzled. “What do you mean? I haven’t really stayed for long on Earth,” he answered, noting that he really hadn’t spent much time back when he was on Earth, neither when he was still with ZAFT, nor when he came to talk with Kira.
“Yeah, but being a soldier must’ve required you to, I don’t know, skip sleep?” she shrugged.
Athrun chuckled a little. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, but,” he thought of a way to make her relate to his situation more easily, “let’s put it like this: when you were with the Desert Dawn, I’m sure there were times when you didn’t sleep for days at a time, right? But you’re internal clock still works the same.”
“Well, uh, you see…um…not really,” she stuttered. “I know it’s morning because my biological clock tells me so, and it’s not, ah, messed up. But how do you know yours isn’t?”
He looked at her inquiringly, not quite getting what she was trying to tell him.
Cagalli blushed, embarrassed at what she was going to explain. For heaven’s sake, she was already sixteen! “Uh, Kisaka, well, Kisaka didn’t like me missing sleep, so no matter how late I stayed up, he, ah”---she scratched her head---“he insisted I still take lotsa naps...” She trailed off. “I never really stayed up for twenty-four hours straight.”
Athrun looked amused. “My little spoiled princess,” he joked fondly.
The Orb princess playfully slapped him on the arm.
“Okay, then let’s put it this way. Ever stayed up all night because of an exam?”
“Yeah.”
“Then being a soldier’s like that. But at the end of a mission, we sleep at night, the same time we usually do. The adrenaline keeps us up the whole day, so by night, we retire to our quarters just like what we used to do back when we were students.”
“Then your life must’ve sucked real bad! I couldn’t even curse the day enough when I miss a night’s sleep because of tests. I can’t imagine how you guys must’ve felt.”
The former Justice pilot chuckled. “You get used to it.”
Cagalli halted in her tracks and turned towards him. “By the way, where were you headed?”
Athrun tugged at her arm, making her float towards him. “I was supposed to wake you up, but I guess I was late.”
The blonde looked distracted for a moment before her eyes widened. “I forgot!”
He looked at her curiously.
Then she smiled widely, her eyes brimming with happiness. “We can go back to Earth today!” Cagalli felt giddy all over again. Sure, the war had ended, but the only way to feel the real deal and to let the novelty of peace sink in was to go back to the place she really belonged, the place she’d always call home.
He grinned at her cheerfulness. He pushed himself off the floor to gain momentum, Cagalli in tow as they began floating along the corridor once more. “That’s the other reason I came for. Kisaka asked me to go ‘fetch’ you,” he said, borrowing the man’s term.
Cagalli looked over the blue-haired teen, pondering the humor he found on that certain word. Chalking it up to private jokes, Cagalli shrugged and resumed being giddy, which, in all honesty, was something she never thought would ever be associated with her. Maybe today was, indeed, a special day.
“We’ll be going home! I can’t wait!” She couldn’t seem to keep her hands to her sides as she gestured wildly, emphasizing her point.
As they drifted along the end of the hallway, Cagalli was mildly surprised when Athrun pulled her towards another passageway she was sure didn’t lead to the bridge.
“The bridge is that way,” she informed him, jerking her thumb towards the other direction while trying to halt their movement.
“I know.”
She looked at him weirdly, but he couldn’t see it since he was still leading them as if Cagalli weren’t protesting at all. “Athrun!” she half-shouted.
The addressed chuckled. “Sorry, Cagalli, but this is the other thing Kisaka asked me to do.”
“What? Get me lost?” she retorted, annoyed.
“No. Make you eat breakfast.”
“I’m not hungry!” Cagalli never missed meals, but right now, she was too excited for that.
“Well, I am.”
Cagalli pulled at his hand, but he proved to be too strong to be moved. “Then go eat by yourself! Argh! Athrun!” she protested. She didn’t know whether to be touched by his patient effort or be discommoded by it. “Kisaka can’t tell me what to do!” She knew that wasn’t true, but she’d be damned to tell Athrun that now.
He suddenly rounded on her, catching her by surprise. And since he was still holding her wrist, she was pulled closer to him by the action. Their faces were inches apart, and she had to struggle to keep herself from turning into a tomato. She gulped down the lump in her throat, knowing she couldn’t keep her beet-red blush from surfacing. Somehow, their proximity was bringing up memories she still didn’t know how to handle. The touch of the lips before the final battle. The thought of him falling in love with her. The innocent kiss dropped with ease to soothe her then offended cheek. Those uncharacteristic feelings that attacked her left her breathless. Another lump formed in her throat, and this time, she found it hard to swallow.
She could feel his breath tickling her cheek as he spoke, “Okay, let’s have a deal. If you eat breakfast, I’ll even go with you to tell Kisaka that he has no say in your daily routine. How about that?”
“O-okay. D-deal,” she stammered, a red streak running amuck on her cheeks.
“Deal,” he turned back and began leading them again. “But I get to remind you to not miss meals next time.”
She fought the pout that she felt was coming while she let him waft her around. “You’re just going to do what Kisaka does. I have a feeling I got the raw end of the bargain here.”
He just chuckled at her.
When they reached the mess hall, they found Kira and Lacus enjoying their breakfast.
“Good morning!” Lacus greeted as soon as they stepped inside.
Kira looked up from his meal. “Hey, good morning!” Seeing his sister’s mildly surly expression, he turned to Athrun, who was fetching two trays of food from the counter, and asked, “Anything wrong?”
Cagalli plunked herself down on the seat beside Lacus. “Ledonir Kisaka and Athrun Zala are ganging up on me.”
Lacus’s eyes slightly widened. “Oh my!”
Athrun placed a food tray in front of Cagalli and sat himself beside Kira. He looked at Lacus and assured her it wasn’t like that. “Kisaka was just taking care of his charge,” he told them.
Kira and Lacus shared a confused look, while Athrun silently chuckled at Cagalli’s disposition.
o-o
Yzak drifted along the corridors of the Eternal, looking for the bridge. He had taken a shuttle from the Archangel to the Eternal since he didn’t fancy conversing with his mother in a room filled with people whom he knew had once disliked, if not hated, the PLANTs council. Had his mobile suit not been worn out to almost complete retirement, he would’ve taken only a split second to come racing back home. But, as luck would have it---or lack thereof---he was stuck with the Archangel and the rest of the bloody faction and Naturals, and only had this spare shuttle to get him to the Eternal to converse with his mother.
Damn it.
A crewmember had directed him to where he was now, but he was having doubts whether the man was playing him for a fool or not. He’d been traversing the passageway for a while already, but he still seemed far off from his destination.
He snarled. He wasn’t really known for his patience, and he didn’t much care if the people around him got fed up with his dangerously thin forbearance. He was wont to look out only for his own person---and sometimes, his comrades and friends when his conscience gnawed at him---so he never really did try to see things in other people’s perspectives.
Yzak growled deep in his throat, and had a kid heard him, the kid would’ve gone white, if not think the Duel pilot a complete whack job---good thing there weren’t any kids in any of the three ships. With a frustrated sigh, he had to struggle real hard to keep himself from hunting the said crewmember down.
Screw that ass. Where the hell am I?
No matter how many battleships Yzak had been in, he still found himself lost in the ship’s labyrinth of hallways that he should’ve memorized had Lacus’s faction not stolen it. He wondered for a brief, detached moment why the ship wasn’t designed the same way as the Vesalius. It was a property of ZAFT, so it would make more sense if the interiors and hallways were patterned after the other existing ZAFT ships.
As he turned around a corner, he finally spied the lift that he suspected would take him to the bridge, and just as he was about to press the button, he heard the faint swish signaling him that someone was about to get off. The metal door slid open and revealed the towering form of Andrew Waltfeld, the Desert Tiger who was supposedly siding with ZAFT during the battle.
The thought of his defection made Yzak wonder, for the umpteenth time, if he had been fighting for the right thing all along---if he had been free from the fallacies of the past. If ZAFT had the right cause all this time, then why did people change allegiance from ZAFT to the neutral forces of the Archangel? Athrun Zala, Dearka Elsman, Lacus Clyne, Andrew Waltfeld, Martin DaCosta, and so many others whose names he hadn’t found time to know.
It had started out simple, as simple as war could get. The only thing to acknowledge was the mission to eliminate the Naturals…to protect the Coordinators’ race from the jealousy of those who weren’t genetically enhanced. But during the last phase of the war, there had been a lot of issues needed dealing with. He came to know that the Archangel wasn’t with the Earth Alliance Forces; that the Kusanagi and the Eternal were fighting, along with the Archangel, to preserve both races and to eradicate thoughts of inequality between gene pools. Then it had struck him hard, he almost wanted to hit himself for not getting it earlier. All were human. All had the right to live. None had the prerogative to finish off one another. And only a few understood that.
“Yzak Jule,” he heard Waltfeld say.
“Captain Waltfeld.” Yzak was dreading the inevitable exchange of pleasantries with the former ZAFT leader. No matter how long he had been in the military, he never quite got the hang of superficially talking with military leaders, whom he knew were just stalling before telling him and the other soldiers what they really wanted done. It was such a fake conversation. But then he realized, he didn’t fancy a heart-to-heart either.
The man smiled at him, which took him by surprise. He really didn’t expect such a casual approach.
“Call me Andrew.”
He nodded, which was the only thing he could do at the moment.
“Lacus told me you wanted to contact the PLANTs?”
“Yes.”
“All right. Full steam ahead,” he chuckled good-naturedly. He stepped off the lift and gestured for Yzak to get on. “I’ve asked the crew to vacate the bridge for the time being to give you privacy.”
Yzak was again surprised at how trusting these people were.
Andrew chuckled at his nonplussed look. “Don’t be surprised, kid. This ship is led by the Pink Princess, what did you expect? Hostility?”
Yzak found himself thanking the man before the door shut and the lift began to ascend. When he reached the bridge---and found out it was, indeed, empty, just like what Andrew Waltfeld promised---he hurriedly contacted his mother. The conversation that transpired after…well, Yzak was still wondering whether he would be shocked, annoyed, confused, or whatever emotion his persona would and could come across given the matter of their tête-à-tête.
o-o
Kisaka eyed the monitor stoically. He had been discoursing with an EAF delegate for quite sometime, discussing landing arrangements and temporary residential settlements for the crew and those who still couldn’t return to the PLANTs due to certain political matters. No matter how much he tried to take over the situation, the officer seemed dead set on taking things to and talking matters with Cagalli, seeing as how she---the representative had reasoned---was the daughter of the late Lord Uzumi; ergo, the rightful heiress to the throne. He had explained that he was in-charge of the princess and had all the rights to speak for her, but the officer didn’t let up, promising that he would only discuss this with the princess once, then he would gladly step away and let her live a normal teenage life, until, of course, she decided to take up the position as Chief Representative of Orb.
Kisaka fought the urge to sigh in defeat. He guessed he could grant the EA official this one time, knowing full well that the officer just wanted to see for himself how the princess would handle the situation.
“Princess Cagalli is currently having breakfast. I will ask her to speak with you as soon as she gets here.”
The EA representative seemed content with that. “All right. I will wait for her call. For the time being, I will be conferring with the Archangel.”
The screen blinked blank. This time, Kisaka sighed.
o-o
Cagalli finished off her breakfast seconds before everyone did. The four of them were talking about trivial things, nothing remotely concerned with their present condition, which was fine by her.
She had learned a little later that Kira and Lacus were at the Kusanagi just to check up on things. Well, Kira was there to do just that and Lacus was just along for the ride. They’d be going back to the Eternal in a few minutes to see the transport ships from the PLANTs.
She had wondered about Dearka and Yzak’s situations, but Lacus assuaged Cagalli’s curiosity by informing the blonde of Dearka’s plan to go back to Earth with them and of Yzak’s ongoing talk with his mother, though the Pink Princess still didn’t know Yzak’s would-be decision. It was actually fine with her if they all wanted to go back to Earth with the rest of the crew who were originally living on the blue planet. She figured it wouldn’t be too hard to settle living conditions seeing as how she would want to roof all of them in her residence anyway. She’d always thought that would be fun, like an extended sleepover. Except, of course, she never thought she’d be “sleeping over” with war survivors---and people like Dearka and Yzak whom she was hardly acquainted to---and not those people she was once classmates with. It could be a way to get to really know Kira, his friends and former enemies---those being Dearka and Yzak, whom she found quite interesting---Lacus, and Athrun.
She inwardly sighed in relief that she didn’t blush at the thought of “getting to know” the blue-haired pilot. Nonetheless, Cagalli would just talk it over with Kisaka.
“I thought you weren’t hungry?” the boy she was having a hard time trying not to think of, asked, taking a sip from his water bottle.
“Maybe all that being forced to go here made me hungry,” Cagalli’s reply made the other three people with her laugh. “Not funny.”
Kira tried to stifle his laughter. “Of course not,” he told her, biting the inside of his lower lip.
“Where are you off to anyway?” Lacus, being the first one to control her giggles, asked.
“To the bridge. I’m going to talk to Kisaka about our re-entry,” the blonde answered, getting up from her seat. “And speaking of that, I’ve to go there now.” She shot Athrun a mock glare, which he shrugged off with a boyish grin.
“Oh yes,” the Pink Princess exclaimed softly, as if remembering just now the significance of today. “That’s the other reason why we came here.”
Cagalli cocked her head to the side as she looked down at Lacus inquiringly.
“I need to talk to you and Kisaka about the landing arrangements of the Eternal,” then she added as an after thought, “or maybe to an EA representative.”
Cagalli scooped up her empty tray and discarded it on the counter. She walked back to the table and smiled. “Oh that. No worries. I’m sure Kisaka has already arranged for that. Erica Simmons must’ve taken care of that with the peeps at Morgenroete.”
Kira stood up and placed Lacus’ empty tray on top of his to be deposited on the same counter. He smiled when Lacus thanked him. “Erica Simmons. She seems to be always prepared, don’t you think so?”
Before Kira could perform his task, Athrun called, “Kira?” He popped the last piece of fruit in his mouth, and Kira must’ve picked up on his tone when he took Athrun’s food tray as well.
“Just because we’re best friends doesn’t mean you can treat me as a servant.”
Athrun laughed. “Thanks. I’ll try to keep that in mind.”
Cagalli watched the easy interaction between the two boys, and she wondered how much they’d had to suffer from being on opposite sides of the war in its earlier stages. She knew it had hurt both of them to a degree she couldn’t even begin to imagine, let alone comprehend. The tears she had witnessed fall from Athrun’s eyes back when he was rescued by Orb were enough to tell her the depth of their friendship and how much it had been killing him to fight Kira. But now, they had gained peace, and there were no sides to be on anymore. She was glad to note that the war did not estrange the two boys she cared about, one her brother, and the other the person whose place in her life she was still trying to figure out.
Lacus stood up. “That was a nice meal. Maybe we can get going?” the last part was directed at the princess.
Cagalli saw Athrun finish his water before standing up, at the corner of her eye. “Yeah. I was about to say the same.”
o-o
Kisaka heard the idle chatter of four teenagers as they entered the command center of the Kusanagi. He turned around and saw his charge happily talking with her friends, and his heart swelled at the thought that the end of the war could finally let the girl he had come to think of as a daughter, live normally.
The bridge was empty except for the five of them.
“Morning, Kisaka,” the said girl called, drifting towards him.
The other teenagers greeted him as well, and he nodded to acknowledge them.
“What’s our status?” Cagalli inquired, glancing at the consoles desultorily.
“Everything’s ready for our re-entry, if that’s what you mean.”
Cagalli nodded. “Oh yeah, Kisaka, Lacus has something to talk to you about.”
Kisaka’s eyes darted towards the Pink Princess. “Oh? What is it, Ms. Clyne?”
Lacus gave him her usual, friendly smile. “Oh, please call me Lacus.”
“All right. What do you have in mind, Lacus?” Kisaka agreed, humoring the gentle-mannered pop singer.
“I would want to know the landing arrangements for the Eternal. It is, after all, a ZAFT ship.”
Athrun, Kira, and Cagalli looked at Kisaka expectantly.
“About that…”
“Oh! I forget. What’s left of the mobile fleet will be collected by a carrier ship from the PLANTs. The soldiers will be picked up as well, so we will not have anything from the ZAFT military except the ship itself and some of the crew,” Lacus informed him.
Kisaka’s face showed relief that his workload concerning the ZAFT vessel wouldn’t be too much. “Erica Simmons was here a moment ago and she had already talked with the people at Morgenroete about the Eternal. Good thing the military will be taking back its possessions and people because it will be harder to arrange for them as well.”
Cagalli frowned a little. “Speaking of which, Dearka will be going back with us. So is Athrun. I’m still not sure about Yzak, though.”
Kisaka looked pensive for a moment. He had almost forgotten about the pilots. Although Athrun Zala and Dearka Elsman had defected to their forces, they had still been ZAFT-affiliated. And Yzak Jule was another issue since he had only been a little on their side against the EA at the last stage of war.
“Cagalli, it’s all right. It’s less complicated if we don’t,” he heard Athrun speak, and was faintly amused at the tinge of disappointment lacing his voice.
Looking at his charge, he saw her mildly glare at the former ZAFT soldier. “Oh hush, you.”
“Cagalli,” he called, gaining the attention of everyone in the room, “I’ll leave it to you.”
“Wha---?” she was suddenly taken aback by his easy answer. “Are you sure? I mean, this could be fun!”
Ledonir Kisaka was suddenly alarmed at the mischievous glint in the blonde’s eyes. It had only been a day ago since he had asked her not to worry herself over political matters.
“I didn’t mean it that way, Cagalli. I’m still sticking to what I told you yesterday. I’m just saying that it’s your decision, much as it is theirs,” he said worriedly, convincing himself that he was just schooling her and not really handing duties to her yet.
Cagalli grinned widely. “Lighten up, Kisaka! I’m just kidding!”
He gave an audible sigh of relief, which made everyone chuckle. Out of the corner of his eye, he witnessed his charge duck her head as she bit her lip. He stopped laughing and looked over at her. “Anything the matter, Cagalli?”
She seemed a little hesitant. “I-ah…”
Kira seemed to sense her hesitation, so he tugged at Lacus’ hand and gave her a small smile. He turned to Kisaka. “We better head back to the Eternal.”
Kisaka looked confused for a minute before nodding.
“Yes, of course. Thank you for accommodating us!” Lacus said cheerfully, understanding what Kira was trying to do.
“Later, Athrun, Cagalli,” Kira waved, pulling Lacus along as they floated out of the bridge.
“Yeah,” Athrun waved back then turned his attention back to Cagalli after the doors swished closed.
Kisaka watched as Cagalli took a deep breath and looked up, sharing one hesitant smile. “I accept, Kisaka.”
Again, Kisaka looked confused, but this time, so did Athrun. “I’m glad you accept, Cagalli, but if you don’t mind my asking, what is it that you’re accepting?”
Cagalli raised her eyebrows in mild disbelief. She flicked her eyes towards Athrun and saw that he was confused, too. “Uh, guys, you, you know, don’t have to play, uh, dumb,” she gave an embarrassed laugh.
Both men looked at each other then at the princess. “We’re not,” Kisaka assured her. “What is it, Cagalli? Why are you so flustered?”
She glared at the two of them but gave in. “When we get back, I’m not going to be taking over the position immediately,” she said in one breath. “I’ll---as much as I hate it---will go back to school, Kisaka.”
Kisaka, in an unexpected and uncharacteristic motion, turned his back on Cagalli, grabbing Athrun with him. In hushed tones---but still audible enough for Cagalli---he whispered to the blue-haired teenager, “She’s always like that, my man. Always gets embarrassed when she admits her mistakes.”
Both of them shared a small laugh.
“Yeah, I’ve witnessed that a few times already,” Athrun whispered back, trying to hold down his chuckles, but failing.
“HEY! I’m still here! I can hear you, you know!” When both men still didn’t look at her, she raised her voice a couple notches higher, clenching her fists, “I swear! I’m gonna kill you both!” She could swear they had planned this.
Athrun finally moved towards her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “We’re kidding, Cagalli,” he said, a smile playing on his lips.
Kisaka smiled at her. “I’m glad, Princess Cagalli. I will help you get everything fixed for your friends as soon as I can, assuming, that is, that they will be staying at our house and will want to get back to school?” he directed the last part at Athrun.
Cagalli answered for him instead. “About that, Kisaka. I was meaning to tell you about everyone’s living conditions when we get back to Earth. I know Kira’s parents would want him to go home, so would Miriallia’s and Sai’s, but about the others, can they roof with us? I mean, it’s a pretty big house, and the whole of the left wing is pretty much unoccupied…”
“That would be easy to arrange, Cagalli. And it will be a good thing to do to promote peace between Naturals and Coordinators. But this will not interfere with your studies. Understand, young lady?”
Cagalli beamed. She raised her hand and tucked her pinky and ring finger in, saluting her guardian. “Roger that!”
“By the way,” Kisaka’s face turned serious, “an EA delegate wants to speak with you.”
Cagalli looked every bit puzzled. “I thought I wasn’t going to be involved in any political matters of the state for the time being? Not that I’m complaining or anything.”
“As much as I would like to keep you from all of these, the EA seems intent on talking to you. It’s just minor details, I suppose, but it will be just this once. After this, they will lay off until you claim the position.”
She looked pensive. “All right.”
Kisaka put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Think of this as hands-on schooling. After all, you will have to take up consular and diplomatic studies in school. That is, if you still plan on taking up your father’s position.”
Cagalli nodded but her expression made her look like she had tasted something unpleasant.
“That won’t be too bad,” Athrun soothed.
“We’ll see about that,” she frowned.
“I’ll leave you alone to converse with the EA delegate. I’m sure you still know the communication channels for them?”
“Yeah.”
“All right then. His name’s Kichiro Schroeder. He’s a new officer, elected only at the last phase of war, so he was thought to be the good choice to handle talks like this one. Simmons said he’s more or less moderate about the Natural-Coordinator issue, so he seems to be just the right candidate, all right,” he gave his charge a little of the delegate’s background.
“How does Erica know that?” Cagalli asked.
“He used to be her superior, and since she trusts him, then maybe we should, too. Anyway, I’ll be back in a few minutes. I don’t think this will take too long,” with that, he floated out of the bridge.
o-o
Cagalli sighed when the doors closed. She did say she wanted to take over as soon as possible, so this would be a good opportunity for her to get started.
Athrun’s gaze dropped from the doors towards Cagalli. “Guess that’s my cue. I’ll see you later then.”
Cagalli watched as he floated after Kisaka. “Uh---” When Athrun turned to look at her, she found herself tongue-tied. She got a little miffed at herself for even thinking of asking him stay, knowing full well she was capable of doing this on her own.
“Yes?”
The blonde shook her head. She was Cagalli. She could handle this. Besides, how hard could it be?
Athrun nodded then let a smile play on his lips. Cagalli was, once again, dazzled.
Damn it.
When she was left alone in the room, she berated herself for thinking out of line. She should have been thinking of going back to Earth and not let thoughts of a certain someone fill her head with things she wasn’t even ready to deal with yet. Sometimes, she hated being a teenager. She never liked how all the other teenage girls she knew acted around the guys they liked, and she certainly wasn’t going to be one of them. So, she decided. She wasn’t going to act like them. So what if she had confusing feelings for the former Justice pilot? It didn’t matter.
With a resolute air, she floated towards the communication panel and inputted the codes needed. “This is Cagalli Yula Athha of the Orb’s ship, the Kusanagi. I wish to speak with Mr. Kichiro Schroeder please.”
“Princess Athha,” the receptionist greeted her. “A moment please.”
Cagalli stared at the screen that displayed the Earth Alliance insignia, waiting for her call to be patched through.
“Princess,” a man in his late thirties or early forties acknowledged her warmly.
“Representative Schroeder,” Cagalli greeted back. “I was informed that you wish to speak with me?”
“Ah yes. Nothing much really. I just want to discuss a little something with you. I’ve always thought of Representative Uzumi Athha as a good friend.” The man seemed sad. “I’m sorry for what happened.”
“All is good, sir. And thank you.” She really didn’t feel like talking about her father, but she was thankful that the man she was talking to respected him. If Schroeder were, indeed, a good friend of her father’s, then she wouldn’t have problems with him. She had been dreading the attitude of the EA delegate, but he seemed friendly enough and respectable. Cagalli was beginning to like him, and she only wished he wasn’t some sick man playing her for a fool. She figured she had to check on the little information the man had given her, with Kisaka. Better to be safe.
Schroeder nodded. “I wish to know the current condition of the ZAFT affiliates you have on board.”
Cagalli took a deep breath and began explaining their situation. She informed him of her decision to make Kisaka a head figure to represent her until she took up her father’s position, her decision to let the intermittent council of Orb work for a while, and her plans to let her ZAFT-affiliated friends stay in her residence. She also told him about her plans to ask the government of Orb to help with Dearka and Athrun’s problem with ZAFT during their defection.
“Kisaka and I think this can foster encouragement for more Natural-Coordinator interactions and communication.”
There was a short pause as Schroeder probably pondered what she had just uttered. She did believe what Kisaka had told her. If she planned on setting a good example for the people she would soon be leading, it would be good to start now and with that move.
“That’s a little idealistic, Ms. Athha. Even now that the war has officially ended, there are still people who are not satisfied with what happened. I am very much aware of Orb’s neutrality before the last stage of war, but I’m sure there are Orb civilians who feel negative towards the Coordinators. This move might be too bold and too soon.”
“There probably are. I know that the Coordinators had hurt a lot of people during the war, but if no one takes the initiative to do something about it, then I don’t see any fruits from this peace in the future. We can’t always just let everything go at its own pace.”
“I understand what you’re trying to say, but it’s still too early to talk for them. Orb hasn’t even recovered and now you want its government to speak for the Coordinators who are in conflict with ZAFT.”
Since Orb had been nothing but close to neutral during the last phase of war, the EA had taken a position in its government, but Cagalli would change that.
Cagalli placed her palms down on the space below the console, face determined to prove to Schroeder that what she was proposing would benefit them. “Please don’t get me wrong, sir. I’m not saying we have to intervene for them right now. No, sir. I’m planning to have them with me for the time being until they plan to leave, and only then will I want to do that, and that is, if they still want the help. And there have been Coordinators living in Orb even before the war broke out, so I don’t think it will be a problem to see the future Chief Representative helping in this way a few Coordinators who used to be on the other side of the war.”
Another short pause.
“I’ve always trusted your father’s decision, so I hope I’m doing the right thing when I tell you that if you really think this is for the best, then I won’t object anymore.”
She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, and was a little embarrassed when Schroeder chuckled---apparently, he noticed. “Thank you, Mr. Schroeder. I think everyone’s off to a good start.”
“All is well that ends well, Princess Cagalli. I hope we can talk again some other time. You seem to be pretty keen on politics.”
The blonde beamed at the compliment she never expected she’d receive. “I’m afraid I won’t be dealing with anything like this for a long time, sir. I’ll be going back to school and will leave all the political whatnots to Kisaka for the time being.”
“Ledonir Kisaka, yes. I’ve spoken to him a while ago. He seems very intent on taking care of you, if you know what I mean, young lady. I think he’ll do just fine taking over for you. For some unknown reason, I believe that man just gained my trust,” he smiled.
“He’s thoughtful that way.” Cagalli cleared her throat. “If there isn’t anything else…?”
Schroeder nodded, as if remembering what else to tell her. “Oh yes. Please tell Mr. Kisaka to send me your coordinates and your ETA. A conference shall be held the day after you land. I will have to ask for the audience of the Eternal’s representative as well. And if you want to attend it and your guardian allows, I’ll be glad to have you there.
“I’m positive that you’ll make a fine representative one day, Ms. Athha. You will do your father proud. Good day, Princess.”
“Good day, Mr. Schroeder.” The screen went blank, and Cagalli felt proud of herself for handing it quite well, at least according to Kichiro Schroeder. She gave herself a mental pat on the back. Way to go, Athha.
Bouncing on her heel, she fled from her position and went straight for the door. Upon exiting the bridge, she spied Kisaka a little ways down the hall, looking out the glass window. “Kisaka,” she called, floating towards him.
Kisaka tore his eyes away from the view outside and faced the energetic princess. “Cagalli, how did it go?”
She flashed him a happy grin. “Oh, it’s okay. You didn’t tell me he was a friend of my father’s.”
“Might have slipped my mind. Was he trouble?”
She shook her head. “Not at all! He was really polite. I can’t believe someone from the EAF is that kind!”
“Not everyone in the EAF is like Murata, Azrael, Cagalli.”
“Yeah. By the way, where is he?” Looking around, she found Kisaka alone.
“Athrun Zala?” When Cagalli nodded, he continued, “He’s at the docks.”
“Oh. All right, I’ll go there.” Before she could go on her own way, she remembered what she was supposed to tell her guardian. She turned around and relayed Schroeder’s message.
“Go ahead then. I’ll call on you upon the go signal to enter the Earth’s atmosphere.”
Cagalli paused for a while then jumped into the unsuspecting arms of her guardian. “Thanks, Kisaka, for protecting me.”
Her guardian---and somewhat of a parent figure---returned the embrace. “Always my pleasure, Princess.”
Cagalli chuckled a little. “You know I hate it when you call me that, but you do it anyway.” For a brief moment, she contracted her hold. “We’re going home, Kisaka.” Her chest tightened and she felt the unmistakable moisture in her eyes.
Kisaka gave her a gentle shove and smiled. “Yes, we are.” He ruffled her hair. “No need to cry. Now off you go. You don’t want to make him wait, now do you?”
Cagalli blinked. Then her eyes widened at the unexpected jest from her guardian. “Kisaka!”
It had been a long time since she last heard her guardian laugh with not a single trace of worry or anxiety.
o-o
Dearka wandered the empty halls of the Archangel. Half of the crew was at the hangar while he guessed the other half was at the bridge. He didn’t feel the inclination to be there at the bridge, especially when he knew she was there. The crew of the Archangel might not have treated him differently than the other people stationed at the ship, but somehow, he didn’t think it would be appropriate for him to meddle with their affairs and the discussions about their return to Earth.
He halted in mid-air and resorted to walking, shoving his hands in his trouser pockets. When he left Earth to help protect the Archangel, he never imagined he’d be going back with the same people. Heck, he didn’t even think he’d be returning to Earth. He guessed things just happened in their own accord. He shrugged to himself. It didn’t matter.
When he reached another corridor with a long stretch of reinforced plexiglass lining one side of it, he chanced upon the blue planet, and all the thoughts he was avoiding barraged his mind like how a malfunctioning tennis ball machine would. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was scared. He’d been so used to waking up every morning getting ready to head out and battle, to take orders and execute missions. He was thankful for the final ceasefire, for the end of war, but he couldn’t help but feel strange at the prospect of living a new lifestyle. The novelty of peace was bringing up mixed feelings in him, and he was mildly surprised at the discomfort he was experiencing. They all fought for peace, in one way or another, so why was he uneasy?
He had been following the orders given to him blindly, but here he was, one of the survivors of the war. They had made a lot of bad judgments during the war. He had made a lot of mistakes. He never really gave a good goddamn about them because he had accepted that, even as a Coordinator, he was still very much susceptible to committing blunders.
“Hey there,” he heard someone call from behind him, cutting off his train of thought.
He turned around, feeling a strange sensation in his stomach at recognizing the voice. “Miriallia.”
“Don’t you want to know our landing arrangements? We’re talking about that at the bridge.”
He kept his eyes on her as she drifted towards him looking curious. He didn’t even take his eyes off her when she had settled beside him. “I wanna be surprised.”
Miriallia giggled at his answer, but when he blinked, her face turned unreadable. “Hey, Dearka…”
He didn’t know what was happening. He hadn’t said anything to upset her, had he? They hadn’t even been talking for more than a few seconds. Heck, he didn’t even know why he was so concerned. They weren’t even friends.
She looked away and was still silent for a few beats. “I want to say sorry…for treating you bad back then.”
Dearka was honest-to-goodness surprised. He didn’t expect that. At least not anytime soon. He massaged his neck. How was he going to reply to that? “Uh, that’s okay. I was a prisoner of war then, so, ah, yeah, that’s okay.”
The brunette in front of him bit her lower lip. “Still, I was unreasonably cruel. I-I shouldn’t have done that. I mean, I shouldn’t have tried to drive that thing in your face.” She looked up only to look away again, blushing in embarrassment. “That was really out of line.”
After a small pause, he smiled a small smile. “It was partly my fault, too. I’m sorry for being a jerk. I didn’t know…” he trailed off, not wanting to continue for he wasn’t sure if he should bring up that guy’s name.
She shook her head. “It’s okay.”
“Then we’re good now?”
Miriallia laughed a little, and Dearka was glad to hear her. “We’ve been good since yesterday, silly. I just wanted to clear the air between us.”
“Yeah.” He diverted his eyes to the view outside, imitating Miriallia’s actions.
Dearka was afraid of not knowing what might happen to them when they touched down on Earth. He had a vague idea of his future if he had returned to PLANT, but his mind came up blank thinking of what was in store for him on Earth. He was off to a new adventure. He was scared, but he was still willing to venture forth.
A good goddamn.
Spying at the Natural beside him at the corner of his eyes, he somehow felt that he made the right decision to return to Earth. Yes, they had made a whole load of unthinkable mistakes, but with luck, they could go out again and make new ones.
He sighed.
Yeah, that was what mattered.
-To Be Continued…
Reference/s:
“Yes, they had made a whole load of unthinkable mistakes, but with luck, they could go out again and make new ones.” - This is reflective of the quote above, which, as cited, is from Joan Oliver Goldsmith.
A/N:
Fine, i won't ask for reviews anymore! Sniff, sniff. I'd settle for knowing that people view this (and reading it, hopefully).
...Back to happy self!