This is my very first fanfic ever! And it's a Gundam Seed one! I hope you like it a lot because I'm putting in a lot of work and time on this story. It's about Nicol's sister. I know it's weird sounding, but hey, it's my fic and I can do what I want with it…right? Right. So here's a bit of character info:

Name: Rin (I love that name!)
Age: Fourteen (a year younger than Nicol)
Appearance: A lot like Nicol, only her hair is longer, but most of the time she blow-dries it straight. Oh, yeah, and she dyed it electric blue.
Personality: To be described throughout the fic…besides, it changes a lot

That's it for now. Enjoy the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or their characters (save for my own, in other words, Rin). So there. But…I'd really really really like to own Nicol and Kira and Athrun and Cagalli and I'll just shut up now since there's nothing I can do about it…

CHAPTER ONE: A HARSH REALITY

"I'm home, mother!" Rin called at the top ofher lungs as she swung open the door. Excitedly, she dropped down her suitcase and ran to the bottom of the first floor's staircase, waiting expectantly for a call from upstairs.

Rin had been sent away to boarding school ever since she was eight years old. Sure, she saw her parents occasionally, but six years had passed and she couldn't wait to catch up. Now that the school was closing (not enough students), Rin was free to come back home for good instead of for a three-day period every few months.

No one answered her right away. Strange, she thought. Their cars are in the driveway. Maybe they didn't hear. She tried again, louder: "Mother, I'm back!" Still no answer.

That's when Rin did a double take. There was no one playing on the piano. Normally her older brother by one year, Nicol, would be playing the piano day and night, practicing so that one day he could do a proper concert. This time only silence awaited her.

Rin never liked her brother. He was so gentle and kind-hearted, the complete opposite of her. Not that she was mean or anything, but she was hyper and daring and took lots of risks.She was also very smart. So was Nicol, but he specialized in the musical arts. Rin was better with the technology part of things.

But in the silence, she realized that this was not normal. She ran to the piano room to find no one there. She ran all around the house, looking for any signs of life besides herself. Finally, at the kitchen, she found a note on the counter. It read:

Welcome back, Rin! Your father and I are very sad that we can't be here to greet you, but we were asked to meet with someone and we will be returning shortly. As for your Nicol, I know you'll be happy to hear this even though I don't think it was a wise decision, he has joined the war. He's been with a special team, the Le Creuset team, ever since the tragedy of Juneus 7. He actually came home to visit last weekend. You just missed him. There are some homemade brownies in the cupboard. I made them just for you. Enjoy them! We'll be back soon. Love, Mom

Instinctively, Rin reached for the brownies in the cupboard and began munching on the delicious chocolate as she re-read the letter. Nicol joined the military? She couldn't believe this. He was too nice to do something like that. He wasn't gutsy enough either. Rin, on the other hand…she would be made for that type of thing. And, truth be told, she really wasn't that proud ofher brother for his decision. Well, she's never liked him, so why should she change?

After finishing off the brownies, Rin went over to the mailbox to check for letters. As a child, it had always been a fun game to check for mail. She hadn't done it in six years. Opening the box, she found one single letter. She inspected it carefully. It's from the military, she realized. Maybe Nicol sent Mom and Dad something. Rin returned inside and ripped open the envelope. She read the letter slowly. But with each passing second, the meaning of the words began to hither hard. Her hand shook violently, and she dropped the letter. Then she ran upstairs to Nicol's room.

Once inside the room, Rin dug through his closet and found what she was looking for: his diary. She opened it up and began scanning through pages. Finally she found the right page:

I've made my decision. I know war isn't really my thing, but I feel like I should do my part in the war. If I could help make a difference, then no one would have to suffer anymore. Besides, if I do this, maybe Rin would be proud of me.

Her breathing was coming in shallow gasps by now. Still, she read on, knowing that there was more:

She might not have respected me as a brother, but I always appreciated having her for a sister. But it might be a very long time until I see her again. I'm just sorry I never had the chance to tell her how much I care about her.

At this, tears formed in her eyes. Rin slammed the book shut and threw it against the wall, screaming. "AAAHH!" Her fist hit the wall next, hard enough to make a dent in it. "AAAHH! AAAHH!" The tears came down at that moment, and she sank to the floor. "How could I have been so stupid!" she moaned, coughing and gasping and sobbing altogether. "Why couldn't I have been nice to him at least once! AAAHH! Aaahh…"

She should have known better than to be so rude to her older brother. If only she could have realized sooner…because now she'd never have the chance to tell him that despite all her actions, she still loved him deeply.

Rinhated herself for waiting until his death to realize this.