Disclaimer: I do not own Mobile Suit Gundam SEED or any of its characters.

AN: This story is part of a writing challenge my sis Seigi-san and I came up with, just to see how different our stories would be. So go check out her story "Bittersweet." It's sure to be excellent.

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A massive white battleship floated above the sparkling blue ocean, speeding towards what would soon be its new home, having just returned from several tense months in space. A few crew members relaxed on the upper deck, enjoying the feeling of fresh air on their faces for the first time in months. Excited chatter filled the ship's hangar and hallways, the crew members making plans for a future on the island nation, many of them never having lived on Earth before. However, things were much different below the bridge in the officers' quarters, someone reliving the past, rather than looking forward to the future.

How did this happen? Why? A soft sigh broke the silence of the small room, the same questions she had been asking herself refusing to leave her mind. You said we would go home together after everything was all over. Maybe find a small place near the beach. But now…..now what happens?

You said you'd come back……you promised, she slammed a fist against the metal desk, ignoring the pain that shot up her arm. Though I guess you weren't totally wrong, she laughed despite herself, pressing her palm to her face. I just didn't expect like this, she pillowed her head on her arm, her exhausted mind returning to the events she had been replaying over and over, unable to figure out just how she had ended up in her current state.

"Commander La Fllaga has severe burns and shrapnel wounds, and our scans show he suffered trauma to his head," the doctor explained to the young captain, her gaze fixed on the bandaged man hooked up to several machines, his chest rising and falling with each breath he took the only sign that he was still alive. "We were able to stabilize him during surgery. He's lucky Mr. Yamato found him when he did," he continued, checking one of his patient's vital signs.

"Will he be alright?" The captain asked in a trembling voice, afraid of what the doctor's answer might be. Just a few short hours ago she had thought she had lost him forever, watching helplessly as his mobile suit took the full force of the Dominion's positron cannon. Somehow able to sense him, Kira had found his cockpit floating amongst the debris of the battlefield, the teen's frantic message giving her renewed hope that she hadn't lost him. But now, he looked so fragile. So vulnerable. 'I can't lose you again,' she blinked back tears, the thought too painful to bear.

"He has a very long road ahead of him, but he does have a good chance of regaining consciousness, and his wounds should heal. We just don't know what condition he'll be in when he does," the older man said somberly.

"I want to stay with him," she stated firmly, dark eyes holding their familiar, determined glint. True to her word, she spent nearly every free moment she had by his bedside, telling him about her day, or the plans they had made to settle down in Orb, hoping that just somehow she would be able to help him.

"That doctor didn't know how right he was," she sighed, splashing some water into her tear-soaked eyes, the cold liquid relieving some of the sting she still felt. "I just didn't want to believe it….believe that he would forget…..," she mumbled, collapsing onto her bed, they day finally catching up to her.

"How is he doing," Kira's gentle voice broke the silence of the room, causing the young woman to jump slightly in her chair.

"The doctor says he's getting stronger," she managed a weak smile. "They just don't know when he's going to wake up," her smile fell slightly, reaching across the bed to push his scraggily bangs out of his face.

"He'll wake up soon. I'm sure of it," the teen smiled, gently squeezing his older friend's shoulder. "I'm sure he's happy that you've been here with him," he smiled gently, sitting down beside the brunette.

"I thought maybe he could hear me," she replied quietly, a hint of sadness in her voice. "I didn't get a chance to thank you properly for finding him," she muttered, her gaze still fixed on the blonde, his chest rising and falling with each steady breath.

"I wanted to do something to repay both of you. You two did so much for me," he explained, pleased that he had been able to help his mentors.

"You're a good kid," she smiled, gently ruffling the teen's messy hair. As if hearing the two, a pair of blue eyes blinked open, slowly adjusting to the sudden brightness of the sickbay. Those eyes scanned the room, filled with confusion from the unknown surroundings.

Dark eyes shot open, as if not believing what she was seeing, her purple eyed companion in a similar state. "Mwu…..you're awake…," she stammered, her heart racing, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes.

His cerulean eyes regarded her for a moment, trying to process just what he was seeing. "Mwu…is that me?" His normally strong voice was barely audible, void of its usually cheery tone

Nodding, she choked back a sob. "You don't remember," her expression fell instantly, the doctor's ominous words echoing in her muddled mind.

"I can't remember anything," he frowned, trying to figure out where he was. Who he was. His mind was a jumbled mess of images, but none of them making any sense. "I guess I'm in some sort of hospital," he sighed, settling his head back down into the soft pillow.

"The sickbay of a battleship," Kira spoke up, the young man unable to hide his own sadness. The older pilot had been like an older brother to him, helping him to grow into the person he now was. He hadn't meant for this to happen when he brought the blonde back to the Archangel, and seeing the captain's sadness made it that much harder.

"I guess that explains how I ended up in here," he sighed in frustration, staring at the bandages that covered nearly every inch of his body. He tried to move his limbs, but found himself wishing he hadn't as pain coursed through every inch of his body. Grimacing, he swore under his breath, having no idea just how he had ended up in such a predicament.

"I'm sorry……," she stuttered, dashing out of the small room, fresh tears rolling freely down her cheeks.

"Maybe things really were too good to be true? That what we had wouldn't last," she sighed, her voice tinged with sadness. Attempting to push the memory from her mind, she buried her face in her pillow. "I'm happy he survived. That he's going to be alright. I just didn't know it would hurt this much," she mumbled into her pillow. "What do I do now?" She sighed, before drifting off to sleep after what felt like an eternity, the past few weeks having taken their toll on the battleship's captain.

A soft knock on the metal door startled the brunette, the woman lifting her head from the computer screen she had been looking at, hoping that work would maybe offer a welcome distraction from her current situation.

"Murrue?" The office door hissed open, revealing her younger friend, a sad smile on the teen's face. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, Kira," she returned her gaze to the bright screen, her fingers typing quickly on the keyboard. "I'm fine. No need to worry," she looked up briefly, plastering a fake smile on her lips.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," he looked away. "I just wanted to help both of you."

"Don't blame yourself," she stated firmly. "If anyone is to blame here, it's me. I couldn't even handle the Dominion," she sighed, continuing to stare at her laptop. "Besides, the doctor warned us. I guess we should have expected it."

"But that doesn't make it any easier," Kira's words were tinged with sadness. "We're here for you. If you need us," the young man sat down in the chair across her desk.

"I know, and thanks," she managed a weak smile, finally saving her work before flipping the computer shut.

"I talked to the doctor after you left," he explained. "He said there's a good chance Mwu will get his memories back, but that it just takes time. And he doesn't appear to have suffered any lasting damage."

"I see," her expression instantly lightened from her friend's words. "Did he say how long?"

"He couldn't say," Kira frowned at the uncertainty of it all. "He did say that most people with his kind of amnesia do eventually remember."

"I hope he's right," she let out a soft sigh, running her fingers through her dark locks. "Did you talk to him?"

"He had a lot of questions. About you. The ship. Where we were going. He was worried he had upset you," Kira frowned, remembering the lost and confused look in his blue eyes. "I told him…about the two of you. That you two had been very close. It seemed to make him happy," he smiled warmly.

"I know what I want to do," she stood up, her fingers smoothing out the crisp white fabric of her uniform. He had always been there for her. He had been her adviser. Her friend. Her lover. And now she would be there for him, no matter how painful or difficult it was.

"I think both of you will be just fine," his smile grew, hopeful that his friends would have the same bright future the end of the war offered them all.

"You're back," a weak smile peeked out from the bandages covering his face. His blue eyes regarded his visitor for a moment, the brunette seeming like an enigma. He couldn't deny she was easy on the eyes, the thought of being with such a beautiful woman instantly boosting his ego. He sensed in her tremendous inner strength, but at the same time a need to have someone to take care of her.

"I wanted to apologize….for yesterday," she explained. "I'm sorry for running out like that," her fingers nervously toyed with a strand of dark hair.

"Don't be," he stated firmly, his deep voice still weak. "That kind of thing would be hard for anyone. I probably should be the one apologizing….for not remembering someone as beautiful as you," he managed another small smile.

"You don't have anything to apologize for. It wasn't your fault," she closed her eyes, the image of his mobile suit being obliterated by the Dominion's positron canon forever burned into the inner depths of her memory.

"Well then, neither of us has anything to apologize for," he managed a weak chuckle, his familiar laugh causing her lips to curve up in a small smile. She knew the road ahead of them would be bumpy to say the least, but she would stay by his side, just has he had done for her. I'll be right here with you, she closed her dark eyes, now flashing with her signature determination. Refreshed by new hope, she smiled. Things weren't always as bad as they seemed.