Is this where I belong?

Chapter 16: What happens here no longer affects just you.

Okay guys, here's the next chapter. Change of view for this chapter but it must be done. So that's why there are two updates this time. This basically explains what caused Kira's reaction at the end. Anyways, excuse any grammar and spelling mistakes. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam 00 or Gundam Seed and I never will. They belong to Sunrise.

Italics: thoughts, emphasis on words, flashbacks, dream sequences, and yelling.

Humming, a young woman walked leisurely along the beach. Holding her sandals in her left hand, she allowed her feet to sink into the cool tide as afternoon became early evening. The breeze carried the tune she was humming to herself all the way to the other side of the beach if faintly. Making her way to a small but humble home nearby she noticed something close to the tides.

It looked as if someone was lying down... facedown? Quickening her pace she was about to call out to the person but as she got closer she saw something very wrong. Her enhanced sight allowed even in the dim light to see the dark substance underneath the man's body that was slowly seeping into the sand beneath him. Was he even breathing? She thought alarmed. Rushing forward the girl saw no other choice but to call for help.

When the intern saw the patient his mentor was in charge of, he was shocked. Fresh out of Orb's finest medical school, he was immediately given experience. The feeling of nauseousness pervaded his senses daily. The metallic smell of blood invaded his nose as soon as he stepped in the medical rooms that housed patients. No bed was spared but things weren't like they once were. Instead of a scalpel in the doctor's hands, a handle of a rather sensitive machine was what he wielded in his effort to save lives to further keep away germs that could compromise a patient's condition because of the danger of their exposed bodies. It was this reason that machines were the ones inside the operating room.

Regular protocol shifted drastically, but what would never change is the relationship between doctor and patient. The recovery period was an important time for many and he was already becoming accustomed to visiting the patients and talking to them. It was a wonderful feeling to see the look of life in the patient's lives during their recovery.

Checking his clipboard he moved some papers aside to find the ones about the man he was paying a visit too alongside his mentor. It was hard to forget the report that came in from the rescue teams about him.

"What? There was a refugee found wounded? How is his condition?" The startled doctor sat far back in his chair when he received the answer. Looking curiously at the older man, the intern quietly set some files he was supposed to be organizing on the desk next to him. Running his free hand through his hair the doctor's eyes widened. Murmuring to himself the doctor continued talking while the younger man tried to listen.

"The man was horribly burned and had several fractures and broken bones. In this condition he's lucky to still be breathing. He was found several yards away from a crater created by what can safely be assumed to be a stray particle shot located just off the residential area." That was along the lines of what he heard.

Writing furiously on a blank sheet of paper the doctor motioned to the intern to start prepping for the emergency room. As he passed the doctor's desk he caught a few notes that jumped out at him. "It was concluded that this man must have been fleeing from his home and was caught by the shock waves created on impact of beam shot which caused him to fly several feet away and come to a stop."

Shaking his head he scolded himself as he left the office. He let himself get distracted. It wasn't his job to think of what caused it but to fix the results of what happened to people affected. He hated to think how long the individual had to go without much needed aid. At least now he was receiving the help.

A whirlwind of activity after this phone call prepped the staff to get ready. As soon as he was brought in he grimaced at the level of burns the man had. He was lucky the cloths he was wearing (that looked oddly too tight to be civilian clothes) didn't fuse with his skin.

Mostly the material looked like it was falling apart. But even with advances in medical technology the pain would still be there. Even if they could lull it into a sleeping beast it was a beast nevertheless just waiting to be 'awakened' and prey, and there couldn't be too much reliance on painkillers. And care would have to be given to ensure the burns wouldn't lead to infection.

Closely following after his teacher he stopped just in front of said patient's room. When he peeked inside he saw the same two people from before. The girl who was the one who found him and an older man.

Though there was something very odd that left the hospital staff confused. Was it possible for someone to have no records of ever being born?

Groaning, Cagalli ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to relax remembering those supposedly stress reliever exercises of breathing to calm down. Though she was thinking if she ever really got into that crap she would have asked for her money back by now. It was not working like in any other situation.

Cagalli was regretting the decision to be left alone to finish her work. It didn't help that as soon as she finished one stack of important documents (she could have sworn was taller) another was put down in its place by an assistant. The reconstruction was causing headaches all around, especially for the new Chief Representative of Orb. Some things needed her direct approval on the funding of projects and authorization of organizations helping in the refugees that now had no homes. Some of the other Representatives insisted she focus more on rebuilding Orb's forces but Cagalli disagreed. Even if Orb's protection was her first priority, what would the troops have to protect if the damaged nation wasn't rebuilt first?

Orb took a big beating and needed more time to recover. She knew they needed more troops to be drafted to replace the ones that were gone. But whenever Cagalli thought of that, her heart clenched. She couldn't ask the people of what was truly now her nation to take up arms when they were probably still mourning and recovering from the traumatic experience. She never felt this unsure in her life. No matter what she did she felt like someone would still be unhappy.

Even though she was raised to eventually fill the position of Orb's Chief Representative, she never thought it would be so soon. And more importantly her father, Uzumi Nara Athha, wouldn't be by her side. She expected his strong presence helping her until she was capable of standing on her own two feet in the delicate job of politics but the "Lion of Orb" wasn't here with her and that made the princess scared and lost. She needed his advice. Cagalli knew she needed to uphold Orb's ideals but how could she now? The people needed a strong leader to guide them forward just like someone important to her said she should be. She couldn't show that she herself was barely keeping afloat.

But she had some important business with some people in particular. She needed to talk to Athrun and Lacus about the dream she recently had. Even if it took awhile, Cagalli managed to grasp it again in her mind. Soon after she woke up she vaguely remembered the experience she had. Slowly over time it became clearer and clearer. Now it was perfectly visible in her mind's eye. Though she was cursing at herself for such a long time and this precious piece of information on Kira locked away in her mind she finally had the key and retrieved it.

But hopefully, both of them would listen, Cagalli didn't doubt Lacus would at least believe it but Athrun was a different story. He barely talked about Kira. He kept skating around the subject but she would make him listen. She had time to talk to Athrun before or after the ceremony that would be taking place today.

Hearing a soft knock on the door Cagalli straightened the papers on her desk. "Speak of the devil..." It was probably about time so Athrun came to escort her. She was secretly dreading this day when she was scheduled to announce a memorial specially built for those who died on Orb's soil. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but the very idea a memorial needed to be created was a reminder of the war that just officially ended with the signing of the treaty. "Come in."

Opening the door, Athrun Zala looked at her from the doorway behind the thick pair of sunglasses he chose to obscure his face. "The driver is here now. He was delayed since he was worried about the possible weather conditions."

Raising a eyebrow Cagalli questioned, "'Possible weather conditions?' I don't believe the weather report indicated anything like that..." Gesturing out the window Cagalli did so to emphasis the clear blue day outside.

"Well, people can't always be right," he teased. "It's supposed to be a huge downpour though."

"Alright then," she said. Standing Cagalli stretched and made no effort to conceal the yawn escaping from her mouth as she walked out the room with Athrun politely holding the door open for her. Their short walk out to the car was not at all boring when Athrun decided to poke fun at Cagalli's apparently lack of manners when no one was around.

"Now Cagalli-sama...I'm sure you know proper etiquette."

Playing along the blonde grinned, "Now Alex...." She began imitating Athrun's tone as she used the name he went by in public. "Is it proper etiquette to question a lady?"

Laughing Athrun shot back, "Wow, I never thought I would live to see the day the "Lioness of Orb" referring to herself as a lady..."

"Well, because I am a girl too bad you were so blind at first to not notice back when we were on that island..." She smirked at his less than subtle red face before she continued.

"...And you didn't notice until you were right in my face." Knowing she got Athrun beat she inwardly congratulated herself on her small victory. Usually Athrun won their little "debates" but she couldn't help in taking pleasure in snagging a point for herself. It was one of the few precious moments where both were happy and acted carefree. And Cagalli adored them, not like she would tell the blue haired Coordinator that. He would probably tease her to no end.

Too bad their moment wouldn't last long. They were already standing outside in front of the hired car that would take the Representative and her body guard to where they needed to go. It would be a long ride so Cagalli purposely brought some papers with her so she could get some work done on the way. Squinting up at sky Cagalli confirmed it was most likely going to rain. The sun was still shining so she hoped the storm would break when everyone was indoors. She already confirmed the number of citizens that would be present and she knew no one liked getting rained on.

Maybe nature feels like it's time to cleanse this tainted ground anew...

"...since the tragedy that happened worldwide. Many lives were lost in a war that has now come to a close. May these beautiful flowers we've once seen grow again."

Cagalli and the other Representatives sat behind the podium where certain people were part of the program to speak, politely clapping at the end of the man's speech. Athrun stood several feet behind Cagalli on guard. The area was one of many that were affected by the attack on Orb. It took awhile to replant the vegetation and make it suitable for its new meaning. This patch of land away from the city gave people the necessary silence and peace they needed. Already a few headstones were dotting the expanse of land but sadly most were empty since there were at most cases no body left.

Applause from the audience sounded in tandem as many people stood up, bowing back the orator gestured for Cagalli to take his place. Getting to her feet Cagalli made her way to stand in front of the hundreds of people that came. The people sat back down to give their young Representative their full attention. Looking out into the crowd Cagalli felt nervousness hold her in a grip. Their eyes and faces so hopeful... They were expecting so much from her... She was glad they couldn't see her hands shaking. Taking the sides of the podium in her hands to stop it Cagalli cleared her throat. She did prepare to make a short speech, but she was never good with words. She spent endless hours the days before planning for just this one day.

"Orb will not attack another nation, will not allow another nation to attack them, and will not intervene in the conflicts of other nations. These words are ones we all are familiar with, live by, and uphold in this nation. To stop the endless cycle of pain we won't contribute to it. War is fueled by hate and anger. But we have the choice to allow ourselves to be consumed by it. Orb is a nation where everyone, whether you're a Coordinator or Natural, can stand hand in hand. It's thanks to all of the combined efforts of many we still stand today. So I'm more than honored to stand here before you dedicating this ground to all those who died on Orb's soil. I hope all of you and your loved ones find your peace."

Finding she couldn't stop the tears from coming she looked down, her hair shadowing her face. Cagalli felt the tears she was barely restraining running down her face. She barely heard the loud applause echoing around her. Raising her head Cagalli felt something cold drop on her face. Blinking she raised a hand to wipe whatever it was away and looked up as another and another cold raindrop came from the sky.

Even the sky seemed to be crying...

"Cagalli-sama, it's time to go." Not having to turn around to see who it was Cagalli nodded. Facing Athrun she wished she could run into his arms and let it all out. She couldn't do that here. Opening an umbrella to shield both of them from the rain Athrun guided her back to their waiting car. Not wanting to meet anyone's eyes Cagalli looked forward but she couldn't help but catch a glimpse of purple hair to her left. Jona Roma Seiran came here today as well with his father along with Rondo Mina Sahaku but she didn't feel like talking with them right now. She knew she would probably meet them later in a meeting at a later date.

Now in the safety of the warm interior of their car Cagalli settled in her seat with Athrun closing the car door as he sat down and told the driver to make their way back to the palace. Even in her mood Cagalli noticed the concerned look the man gave her.

Leaning her forehead against the cool glass of the car's window Cagalli reached her hand out and felt Athrun take it in his own. "I'll tell him... but not now..."

Cagalli exited her private car to make a short trek to Reverend Malchio's home for orphans where Lacus was staying. Kicking some gravel alongside the road she kept silent. She was alone today. The conversation she had with Athrun didn't turn out well. He said she was imagining it (what nerve). She was in no way imagining it. And what great advice did he give?

"Cagalli, I think you should take a vacation."

Well, not that exactly but close enough. It was almost like he thought she went off the deep end! Cagalli's mind was in fine and working order thank you very much. She did not need a vacation. Like a relaxing trip would solve everything! No! Fuming, it didn't occur to her that she was just making herself angrier but even if she saw it she didn't care. Recently Cagalli couldn't as much make a peep about her frustrations. So she threw it in her work and in this case at innocent rocks. At least pebbles didn't kick back.

Thumping her way up the wooden stairs her anger left her blind to a sneak attack. The children long saw Cagalli before she saw them and had a most special way to greet her this time.

"Cagalli-nee!!" Before she could evade the unsuspecting Cagalli found herself at the bottom of a rather heavy dog pile of happy kids.

"These are the times I wish I had better reflexes..." Grunting as the kids one by one got off her as it was now easier to breathe without the extra weight. "Maybe this is like what Kira felt when I jumped on her back then. Though this is probably way worse with five kids because there is no way I weigh more than these kids."

Hearing soft laughter the children moved away from the still annoyed representative as their other nee-san came out to join them. "Well, this is a rather interesting moment."

Giving a tight smile Cagalli said up to the other girl, "Hello to you too Lacus."

Laughing innocently Lacus smiled down at Cagalli. "Well are you getting up? You can't say 'hello' to our guest if you stay down there." Extending a slender hand to help the other girl to her feet.

Using her hand to make it easier Cagalli got up to her feet if barely when a particularly brave child grabbed onto her other hand to pull her in the direction of the door. "C'mon nee-san, you're too slow by yourself so c'mon!"

Sighing, Cagalli smiled slightly as she found some of her anger dissipating. It was hard to stay too mad around such innocent enthusiasm. Even if they were orphans these children retained such hope it was beautiful to see. If she didn't have the duty of being Representative of Orb she wouldn't have minded staying here.

Though there was still one thing here that annoyed her... Did she need another male being difficult to her? She thought as she gave a greeting to the bandaged man. If she was seeing things right he was giving her a smirk behind the face wrappings as if was reminded of their first meeting.

"Let me get this straight... You have two names?" A disbelieving Cagalli leaned back against the bureau facing the man propped by several pillows on the white bed.

Talking with a voice that came from an obviously hoarse throat he said, "Yes, I have two. You can call me either." He asked politely for the glass of water she was holding.

Handing it towards him Cagalli asked. "Are you trying to be difficult?" This had been going on for awhile now. Cagalli just needed his name. And this guy had the gall to give her two separate names as if he was expecting her to just pick one and be done with it. It took a lot of effort not to yell out in frustration right there.

"No, I seriously have two names. And I would like to remind you that it's not nice to suggest violence against a poor bedridden soul..." he pointed out when he noticed her hands form fists. Taking a long sip of water he coughed slightly as the cool liquid went down his throat.

Grinning Cagalli found a solution. And who cared if he neglected to remind her? She would remember anyway, "Then remind me when you're better since I can't do it now."

"I don't trust someone that gave two names. He could be a danger for all of you."

Finished pouring tea into the blonde's teacup Lacus sat down next to her. The room was unusually quiet as the children long left because of what they deemed "boring adult talk" was no fun.

"I don't think he is. He seems perfectly fine to me. Maybe he just likes having two names. Take Athrun for instance. He could either introduce himself as 'Athrun Zala' or 'Alex Dino.' Though it's probably different cases," she said thoughtfully.

"Lacus, you're saying this as if he was a long time friend of yours. But we're talking about a man you found halfway dead on the beach."

Smiling at her friend Lacus said, "That's true, but that doesn't mean he's a bad person either. He just needs time to recover and he has nowhere to go either. Reverend Malchio did say it was okay for him to stay here."

"I'm still not so sure about that. I'll admit he's an okay guy, annoying, but okay," she said reluctantly. "But if what the doctors said was true his records don't exist anywhere. And Orb's medical databases are shared in a pretty wide network. He was nowhere in the system," pausing she wondered if Lacus was getting her point. "This man literally does not exist anywhere here."

Put into silence Lacus lightly stirred her tea as she thought. Cagalli did have a point but why did she seem so adamant in making him leave? And the pink haired girl believed this wasn't why she called earlier because if Lacus' ears deceived her Cagalli said it had something to do with Kira. But now she wasn't mentioning it. Did something happen between the times she contacted her to now?

"I don't think this is the reason you came here to talk today." Noticing the blonde grimace Lacus asked, "Did you find some trace of Kira anywhere?" The hope in her voice rang as if she sung it.

Smiling weakly Cagalli nodded, "I know this may sound strange. But you need to hear me out completely. And no interruptions like "that's impossible!" and whatnot." Satisfied by Lacus' earnest expression Cagalli told the pink haired girl about her "dream." Lacus was a good listener. She never broke eye contact with Cagalli and that reassured her she was taking it seriously. As she finished with her thoughts Lacus finally spoke after a brief silence.

"So you talked to Kira in your "dream?" Did she sound alright?"

Nodding Cagalli reaffirmed it. "She seemed perfectly fine. Though can't say the same for myself. Of course she had to see me when I was practically a walking corpse!"

Beginning to put the pieces together the former pop idol asked, "Cagalli did you tell Athrun this too?"

Not answering the blonde looked away. That was what made her upset earlier. Athrun didn't believe it. And she left so quickly too. Maybe it would have been better if she stayed and tried to talk things out and convinced Athrun she wasn't making it up. But her anger was still clouding any rational thoughts of anything regarding the blue haired Coordinator. And why shouldn't he believe it? He was Kira's best friend. Shouldn't he be the person (besides Kira's parents and herself as her long lost twin) that wanted to believe she was alive the most?

Snorting as she tried to conceal those thoughts, "Of course I did. And you want to know what he said? 'You should take a vacation 'or whatever!"

"Well, that does sound like an interesting idea."

"What?" Cagalli asked confused.

Turning to her friend Lacus said, "Didn't Kira tell you where she was? You could take a short 'vacation' to check the place yourself, can't you?"

Frowning, Cagalli remembered Kira's words in staying in Orb. Even if she disagreed it made sense. And she didn't know how long it could possibly take for a "rescue" mission. Not to mention the possibility of less than friendly reception of someone just coming into this new "dimension" to take back someone that belonged over here. It's one thing for one person to come like in Kira's case. But a whole ship full of people? That was practically like declaring war if anything. Heck, you could write it off as an invasion even if they were not planning on staying or taking over anything.

As impulsive the blonde was the war made her grow up and realize actions like that could be deadly. Since they didn't know any vital information about this other "dimension" besides only what Kira had said and that they had something like their "Gundams" too. Even what she said before she was beginning to have doubts in what she said.

"We'll come get you!"

Now that she thought about it the obstacle seemed to be much bigger than what it looked like in that one moment. And it could just make things much worse if she tried it. But if anything the pink haired girl seemed to disagree.

"I know you can't just sit around doing nothing about this." The pink princess took Cagalli's hands in her own as she looked determinedly in the other girl's eyes. "And it must mean something that you two were able to speak to each other. If Kira is still staying with that person, it means she has at least one ally in this other dimension."

"We should try doing our best on our side too if she's trying her best to make the best of it. But eventually we need to bring her back home. I just... I just really miss her..." Finally letting the tears to fall Lacus felt something break inside of her when she uttered those words.

Pulling the other girl into a comforting hug Cagalli thought it was her turn now to comfort someone, "I miss her too..."

In their shared sadness they left the tea forgotten.

Wiping away stray tears before she got back into the vehicle she closed her eyes once inside and sitting back in her seat. Lacus was right. Cagalli didn't feel right doing nothing. Lacus herself looked barely able to restrain herself either. Since Kira was alive and well it didn't seem right to push the evidence under the rug so to speak. Cagalli knew it and so did Lacus...and Athrun, but could she really include him if he didn't believe it? Shaking her head Cagalli knew the answer. Athrun still knew about it. Even if he was disbelieving towards it he knew about it at least.

But what of everyone else that knew Kira? Murrue Ramias? Andrew Waltfeld? Mwu would never know. He was dead too (How could Cagalli tell Kira that when the time came?). Or more importantly, Kira's adopted parents. Kira's mother was also staying at Malchio's care while her husband went away on business similar to Cagalli work came knocking when something called war ended. But she couldn't help but think he was using this as an opportunity to get away. While Kira's mother stayed in Orb. She mostly kept to her room though she politely greeted Cagalli when she brought in the tea for the two of them to them presumably return to the shadowed room she inhabited there.

Cagalli felt her gut twist whenever she saw the older female. Whenever she spent time with the kids Cagalli wondered if she thought of Kira when she was young. Kira was the Yamato's only child. One time Cagalli asked Caridad if Kira had any siblings, she shook her head and had a sad look in her eyes. Not wanting to press the subject she didn't go deeper. Though even if it was a touchy area to broach upon the older women admitted Kira was her and her husband's dream.

They wanted a child so long but they just weren't capable in producing a child on their own. They were very close in using the solution of a turning one of the embryos into a Coordinator to ensure the child would survive. But when Kira came along they didn't need to. And it was a happy time raising her even though she wasn't truly theirs. She was still like a daughter to them.

And they were glad she had a happy childhood. Though she was shy Caridad-san said. She even had proof when she showed a picture of Kira much younger hiding behind her skirt on her first day of school while her father was encouraging her to not be afraid of this new experience. Cagalli herself never had to experience that. She was home schooled by tutors growing up. So she never had any academic peers and had to go through the social nuances of public school. This perhaps attributed to her brash nature towards others. Though from a few other pictures shown by Kira's mother she slightly wished she did.

As Kira got older she seemed to get less shy. A recurring thing in events onwards was Athrun. Though he made fewer appearances after the age of thirteen since that was around the time he left. The last picture was a group shot of her and friends she made in the technical school she attended before the war struck Heliopolis. She recognized basically all of the faces in the shot. Mirallia, Tolle, Sai, the girl named Flay, and Kuzzy whom she wasn't as familiar with as the others.

But all of them except Flay and Tolle made it back to Orb. Back home to their families. She recently started talking to Mirallia a bit through e-mails and the occasionally phone call. She seemed to be fine but Cagalli knew she was still mourning over Tolle and now Kira. Even though she and Dearka seemed to be forming a tentative relationship that Cagalli noticed which probably took root from being on the Archangel together. Though Dearka will have to have his work cut out for him in wooing her he seemed to be pissing her off more than winning her over.

And these people were also ones she had yet to impart the dream. She thought her best bet was with Athrun and Lacus. And already one person was skeptical. The 50/50 odds so far weren't very appealing.

"Cagalli-sama? We're here."

Looking up and seeing the smiling eyes of the middle aged driver Cagalli gave a nod she heard, "Thank you, I'll be about an hour. Can you come back then?"

"Alright Cagalli-sama," he said as the Representative exited the car as his phone rang.

Fumbling in his pocket he brought out his phone and pressed the "accept call" button. Putting the phone to his ear he answered, "Hello..." Listening to the voice on the other line he smiled to himself, "Ah, Alex. It was nice of you to call... Oh? You want to know where Cagalli-sama is? I'll send you directions. It's a shame you weren't with us. So I take it your coming to escort her back home?" He asked when he heard an engine come to life in the background he had the hunch Cagalli-sama's bodyguard was coming.

Humming in agreement he responded to the younger man's question, "I'll be driving around the facility to get something to eat. Even though she said it was fine to come back in an hour. It wouldn't be necessary to have two cars. I can make it back there to pick you up if you wish..."

Drumming his hands on the steering wheel the driver's mouth formed an "o" shape as he listened to Alex's request. "So you want to come here yourself? Is this okay with Cagalli-sama? Oh... I see. You've called her already and confirmed it. Alright then, I should be able to pass you on my way back if you take the main road. Call me when you make it here okay?"

Hearing the answer the driver quickly hung up. At ease that the young Representative agreed with the plan. And why would her bodyguard lie? He didn't think so as he drove away. Not that he really knew Cagalli was not aware of this in the slightest.

Inside the facility Cagalli looked beyond the glass to see her mobile suit, the Strike Rouge, behind it. Not wanting to look at the other mobile suit next to it. The platform right on the level of the cockpit led to the other one, Justice, Athrun's Gundam standing tall and strong beside her own.

The decision to rebuild the Justice was made by what was left of the Three Ship Alliance with Kira and the Freedom's disappearance (or in some other's minds, destruction or worse yet death). To defend Orb in crisis since Athrun had nothing holding him to the PLANTs. With his mother gone before the war even started and his father's death right before it ended meant Athrun was parentless as she and Lacus. Athrun didn't want to be in the spotlight even though he was being referred to as one of the heroes that helped stop the war. He and the unknown pilot of the Freedom were praised as being the most powerful force to grace the battlefield and the almost unorthodox alliance between the three flagships formed.

Though not everyone had positive things to say about the Freedom. In fact most often it was the opposite. Some people believed it caused more complications as soon as it appeared. They had grudgingly admitted to themselves that the Freedom made a difference. However, they stood by their beliefs in the chaos it helped create. But in the end it helped bring peace. Didn't that count for something?

There were several news segments debating just that. Though Cagalli turned it off or changed it as soon as she heard the loud voices arguing back and forth from the speakers. What did they know about it? They didn't know Kira or Athrun. How could they understand the reasons and factors that contributed to their decisions? Better yet, they didn't know how any of them were forced into these roles. All they had were pieced together information that they used to come up with their own conclusions.

If Kira was here Cagalli wouldn't be surprised if her twin made it difficult for anyone to track her down. She would probably be staying with Lacus in peace far away so she couldn't hear the awestruck and accusing voices. Even if the treaty made it so the war was over, how long would it last? Hate was still just under the surface waiting to explode.

With people like Blue Cosmos still around and Athrun's father's supporters still around neither side would calm their rage and hate. They were waiting, Cagalli knew it. When would an Earth Alliance or ZAFT official come knocking on Orb's door to form an alliance? The Earth Alliance did it before when asking for the Mass Driver and that ended in tears. Her father and the other Representatives gave their lives to ensure the Earth Alliance didn't get their hands on it.

"Would I be so willing to do the same?" she said speaking her thoughts.

"If your thinking what I think your thinking, you would..." Spinning around amber eyes met green.

"...Athrun...?"

Stepping farther in the room Athrun gave her an intense look saying. "Why did you leave? Is it what I said? Please don't walk out on me like that again..."

"I'm so sorry... But why didn't you give me a chance to convince you? You made it seem like there was no possibility..." The blonde hoped Athrun got the message. She couldn't put a voice to what she was thinking but hoped he would see the truth in her eyes.

Closing the gap between them Athrun pulled Cagalli into his arms. Holding her close he whispered in her ear. "You seemed so sure... I thought about it for awhile after you left you were going to go 'wherever' to find Kira right that instance. But Lacus called me saying where you were heading right after visiting her."

Grumbling in his chest Cagalli didn't know whether to be angry or not at the singer.

Holding her away to look into her eyes Athrun asked, "So you're going to go through with this?"

Nodding Cagalli removed Athrun's hands to hold in her own. Cagalli needed to at least see where Kira disappeared for herself. She wasn't asking to actually go there...yet. If anything it would take much longer to plan for such a thing. Like who was going to make the journey and how would they approach whoever was taking care of Kira. They couldn't seem threatening or the others Kira was with would think they were a threat and less likely to trust them.

But even with the risks it didn't feel right to just leave Kira there. She wasn't asking for the impossible. She just wanted to see for herself. But when the time came for them to truly retrieve Kira there was no force in existence that would stop Cagalli from coming too. She needed to personally hit the brunette for making her and the others worry even if the others would argue this wasn't in Kira's control. The others wouldn't deliver the message right anyway. It wasn't satisfying if Kira didn't really experience it for real and not in a realistic dream... connection whatever.

"If you're serious about this, then I'm going with you." A surprised Cagalli looked up at Athrun. She didn't expect Athrun to support this nonetheless volunteer to go when he expressed the absurdity in the notion of Kira being in a different universe.

Smiling playfully it reminded her of how he smiled to her earlier. "I can't just leave the Chief Representative out on her own. I wouldn't be doing my job."

"Then why did it take you so long you idiot?"

In an uncharacteristic sign of affection Cagalli hugged Athrun. Snuggling back into his arms happy Athrun was here with her now. Surprised Athrun looked down on the head of blond hair. He was the one always initiating such things. Though it warmed his heart even more when Cagalli said to him, "Thank you..."

Even if Athrun was now supporting her in this decision, she was curious. Cagalli couldn't help but ask why the change of heart. And she did do just that. Even as soon as the words left her lips she felt like snatching them back.

"I think I owe you that. And it's hard to explain." Athrun began. "But I saw the look in your eyes and it was so sure. Even right now I have some reservations in allowing you to go through with this."

"Why?"

Seeming embarrassed Athrun though looked her in the eyes. "For one thing, I didn't want you to get hurt. And I'm not talking physically. You handle yourself just fine. But it was your heart I was worried about. I was worried you would get your hopes up just to have them fall out from under you."

Stunned Cagalli felt like retorting back. But the fact Athrun wanted to prevent such hurt from happening touched her. But it wouldn't be like her at all to be passive. "Athrun there are some things we need to put our hopes on. And this is one of them."

Silenced Athrun thought deeper into why he didn't believe. Of course the very thought of Kira was happy. She was his best friend and someone he knew would always have his back. Even if the image of the once innocent naive Kira were now tainted with this new one he was seeing. They were almost back to the way they were before but who was he kidding? Not any of them would be the same. But everything he did say just now was in fact true. But he didn't think he could go so deep into it.

The people he cared for were slowly going down in number. His parents, Nicol, Kira... It looked like Cagalli was all he had left here. Dearka and Yzak were back in the PLANTs taking care of things there. And their trust needed to be rebuilt again. He did a lot of questionable things during that time. Even if those two now understood what Athrun has been going through they just needed more time.

And he didn't want to see Cagalli cry anymore. He saw her cry when her father was dead. And again when they couldn't find Kira she cried. He didn't like it. Those two times made Athrun promise himself he would do everything in his power to prevent that from happening.

And when he was younger, Athrun saw his fair share of Kira crying too. The two looked practically the same when they cried. And it felt like he was seeing both of them in Cagalli's face. Athrun's heart broke twice when he saw that.

Maybe Cagalli would now understand why he was unsure about this. But maybe now was the time not to let his feelings and forced logic override the truth.

"Remember Cagalli. We're here just to look. Don't go off being the hero. You're on "vacation" and the council will be expecting you to come back in one piece."

Rolling her eyes Cagalli said, "I believe we've been over this before. Don't worry. There's nothing out here anyway." And Cagalli was right. Since the battle of Jachin Due the area was left alone. Probably a few space pirates passed by to retrieve any equipment they would use but otherwise there was no force they needed to worry about coming to attack them from around the stray carnage. "And besides, I never specified how long I'll be gone," she added.

Though as soon as she finished when Cagalli gazed at her surroundings it was hard to believe in what seemed like a short while ago this was where the final battle was. The one where she managed to hold her own alongside her friends and allies with the odds stacked against them. As she surveyed the area Athrun looked in the opposite direction. The Kusanagi also there was flying amongst the area.

She was glad Athrun came along. She felt safer with the red form that was the Justice nearby. Looking at her sensors Cagalli saw nothing. She didn't want to stop until they at least located exactly where Kira was talking about. As soon as they did a quick sweep of the area they would begin a more thorough search. When Cagalli gently lifted her hand off the controls to turn on the comm. link with Athrun to ask if he identified anything she felt a strange feeling in her hand. The tingling feeling indicated possibly she left it unmoving for awhile so it fell asleep. Shaking her hand a bit soon as Cagalli touched the controls something caught her eye.

In front of her was a puzzling sight. There was no air in space... So why did it seem like there was swirling in front of her? The blackness of space seemed to be whirling around in a circle. Cagalli watched what Kira described what she saw in their shared dream. Those were the images she was talking about! One of them was some sort of tall structure that reached up to space with solar panels... Another was strange mobile suits moving across the land... Then to an even stranger one. Two mobile suits in space...they looked like they were fighting. With beam sabers out they circled around each other striking out occasionally.

Without thinking Cagalli felt drawn to whatever was showing this. This "portal" was tugging at Cagalli and she was doing nothing to stop it. Briefly for a moment she heard a voice in the back of her head.

"Cagalli, what the hell are you doing?! Get away from there!"

It was too late. Cagalli was already being drawn inside. Before Athrun could get there the Strike Rouge was gone almost like a fading mirage...

Now in the same position Cagalli was in Athrun slammed his hand against the cockpit's side. Whatever was just there wasn't open for him. He couldn't get to Cagalli... First Kira now her... everything was falling apart before him.

"Athrun, what happened to Cagalli? We've lost her signal."

Whispering the words so softly the person had to listen carefully, "She's gone... Cagalli's gone..."

Stunned Cagalli looked around her feeling as if she woke up from a dream she felt dazed. Slightly changing her position Cagalli felt a wave of nausea hit her. Trying not to move too fast she tried to only move her eyes.

Looking in front of her Cagalli noticed a familiar sight... Weren't those the two mobile suits she seen before? Why were they still fighting? They didn't seem to notice her. But if they did could she fight back? Just the thought of exhilarating right now turned her stomach. She really didn't want anything like puke floating around the cockpit. Closing her eyes Cagalli clenched her eyes shut to make some sense and relief come to her...

...And it was very tempting to keep them closed. The darkness seemed to welcome her with waiting arms to dull her senses and make it right again when she woke up.

Hearing an annoying beep Cagalli reopened her eyes. Why was it so hard to stay conscious? She thought as she shook her head to stay awake. In the few minutes Cagalli afforded to "doze" off the two mobile suits seemed to notice the third wheel nearby.

Expecting some form of attack Cagalli braced herself to defend against anything they would throw at her.

But that's when she heard a familiar voice call out to her from the radio.

"Cagalli!?"

Tilting her head to the side Cagalli knew that voice... But it couldn't be... It was coming from one of machines that she knew. Since even an idiot could notice it racing towards her but at least its beam saber was not pointed at the Rouge. The other one didn't move as it appeared to be watching the other one leave in favor of the Rouge. It was still holding it's beam saber as if it was just waiting for the other to come back as soon as if finished it's business to start up again exactly where they left off.

But one thing confused Cagalli when she felt the darkness creeping up again. If this was who she thought it was... Why wasn't she in the Freedom?

"Kira?"

I should've mentioned this in the previous chapter but I originally wrote it in this one. This applies to any omake that concerns sentient mobile suits.

These parts showing sentient mobile suits don't affect the story. But are to show a POV that takes no side but sees things for what they are but they will have some development of their own in time. And there will be mobile suits referring to themselves or others as "he" mostly but here there is mention of a "she".

Missing piece

When I awakened, I expected my brother unit, Freedom, to be my side. Just like when I first came to be. I was used to seeing Freedom's form standing next to mine in those simple but boring days where we waited for the day to come where we would finally be piloted. But I never imagined we would be separated...

Humans think of this as missing someone important. I would think I'm only feeling a fraction of what they feel but my feelings had to count for something. Freedom and I... we're meant to be together. Both of us were made to complement the other, not to fight against each other. But as machines our pilots make that choice. We were meant to fight side by side, launching from the specially designed ship made for us to fight in the name of justice and freedom. Our names were chosen for that very reason. We were made to be symbols of something mankind desperately fights for. Whether it is for what is right or a struggle against oppression.

It didn't feel right to wake without Freedom. Why should I be here when he isn't? Where is he? What about his pilot? If he was destroyed couldn't they just rebuild him like they did me? I had no answers and I didn't want to be left in the dark of the fate of my other half. The only company I had was the one who called herself Strike Rouge...

I thanked her for taking care of my pilot when I found she was the one along with her pilot who brought him to safety. But she rebuffed me. She came into the war late like I. But she still seemed itching for combat. I wanted to shake my head at such foolishness. We as machines don't seek war on our own. We're meant to be the swords and shields of our pilots, striking their enemies for them and protecting them from physical harm. They would probably never think how our bodies time and time again protect their own. They take it for granted. We shield them from the up close personal death that was once how things were done. It's too simple to aim our guns and fire at another. At least you can't see the life leave the enemies eyes when you make a kill. But with newer technology means bigger risks. We are products of this new generation. Weapons of old are now becoming obsolete. Freedom and I are supposed to be the most advanced our universe has to offer.

But to think in a few years that may not to be the case. The rapid growth of technology keeps moving faster. Soon we may be left in a far off hanger to gather dust our former glory overshadowed. Or to one day be defeated in combat by this ominous future generation's swords. But the future is not now my pilot and this nation needs me in the present. But when I think of it...this nation needs Strike Rouge too. I think as her form reflects against my optics.

Well, she's not Freedom but she's all I have...

...though I wouldn't think she would like being called sister...

Author's Notes: Now here it is. Lacus came across a mysterious man on the beach and Cagalli is now in 00. So she was the one who interrupted Kira and Setsuna's match. One can only guess how complicated her presence will serve with Celestial Being.

I just recently got the image of Cagalli being sent to Kira with a note saying, "From Cosmic Era with love".... I'm not even going to ask where it came from.

Anyways... I'm going to be on vacation so this will be the last update until I get back. You can check my profile for the details on that.

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