Forever - A Gundam Seed Fanfic

I gaze out of the window of the observation deck, watching as the stars whizz past. It feels surreal.

I’ve lived on the PLANTS all my life, the only child of Yuri Amalfi, one of the most influential members of the PLANT supreme council. Growing up, I had only the best. My parents protected me and tried to hide the horrors of the world from me; the growing tension between the coordinators and the naturals, the escalating promise of war. But nothing can truly be hidden. My parents were always to busy with work. I often got mad at them then, but now I understand that all they were trying to do was to maintain the peace. Despite their best efforts, and the efforts of many others, war still broke out.

I was a lonely child, back then. I lived an exclusive life. I guess that was why I threw myself into my piano playing, day after day. There was a piano room at our mansion. It had floor to ceiling windows that let in rays of sunlight, warming up the room, even in winter. I would spend hours at the piano, perfecting my pieces and letting out my heart to those black and white keys. I composed my own pieces too. Sometimes I would simply play on the keys and just let the music take shape, not knowing what I was going to play next until I played it. Over the years, my piano skills improved, and I remember when father would bring a few of his colleagues home to hear me perform. I would swell with pride – I lavished in the attention. There was a time where all I wanted to do was become a concert pianist – but then all that changed.

Junius Seven was the event that completely altered the course of my life. I remember that day, not so long ago, that turned my life upside down. I was watching TV with my parents, when the news headline came up. I could not believe the destruction, the total and utter devastation. All those innocent lives – lost. Junius Seven was an agricultural colony. They were all good people. What had they done to deserve this? That was when I decided to do whatever I could to protect those that I loved. I decided to get involved in the war 

Against my mother’s will, I enrolled in the ZAFT military academy, where I leant a range of combat skills, as well as OS programing. I was consistently one of the tops of the class in all areas. I was so full of hope, so desperate to make a difference. I did not want to hurt people, but I couldn’t let people get hurt because I was too weak to do anything. ‘Remember Janius Seven,’ I told myself, ‘Remember what the earth forces did to those innocent people. 

I constantly worried whether I was making the right choice. Maybe I should’ve stayed out of the war. Maybe all I was doing was making the problem worse. But I knew one thing for certain – I just wanted the war to end. For it to be back to how it was before that fateful Valentine’s Day. I was too young and naïve to appreciate peace back then. I guess that it’s only when something is lost that one truly realises how important it is.

Many of the others were like me – desperate to do their part to protect their friends and families and to bring an end to the war. I met Athrun Zala in my second week at the academy. He really stood out, with his striking blue hair and thoughtful personality. Athrun was incredibly skilled at combat coming first in all his classes, but he hated having to use it against anyone, and his indecision was his biggest weakness. When I first met him all I could think was that something terrible must have happened to him. He was so determined, so desperate. There was something broken in the intensity of his gaze. Something not quite right. It was later, that I found out that Athrun had lost his mother in the Bloody Valentine 

I got teased by some of the other boys, sometimes. Yzak with the silver hair would call me a coward for not wanting to fight. I ‘d let it slide. It didn’t really bother me. So what if I didn’t want more people to die pointlessly?

I had been at the ZAFT training academy for nearly a year when they announced that they needed some of us to join an elite team under the charge of Rau Le Creuset. Being one of the top students, I was chosen for the team. I was more than happy to oblige. This was my big chance to make a difference. To do something to help. Athrun was chosen too, along with Yzak, Dearka, Miguel, Rusty and Olla.

When the time came for us to leave, we were allowed to see our families for the last time. My father was so proud. I could see the happiness in his eyes. My mother, not so much. She was reluctant to let me go. She was against me joining the military from the very beginning. But, she could do nothing to stop me. I was nearly 15, and I was eager to see the world and to do my part for the war 

When it was nearly time to go, I went back into the piano room to play for the last time. Memories of childhood drifted to me like the notes of a song. The time I had gotten so absorbed in the music that I lost track of time and stayed up all night playing the piano. Of one of my earliest memories, when I was little more than a toddler, and my father had shown me the piano for the first time. My much younger self was amazed at the machine that made sound at the press of a key. It was sunny, that day. It was always sunny in the piano room.

I was rusty after so many months on not playing, my fingers awkward on the keys, but soon the music came back to me and I played more beautifully and desperately than I had ever before. My love and passion for the music completely overwhelmed me. I would do anything to protect my homeland and my parents’ honour.

My parents came to see me off. My father patted me on the shoulder and told me how very proud he was. My mother held me close and sobbed on my shoulder, begging in a hoarse whisper that I would return home safely. I promised her, for what else could I do? Then I turned around and boarded the ship that would take me to my destiny and future. I never looked back. If I had, they would have seen the tears glistening in my eyes.

“Nicol?” I turn at the sound of Athrun’s voice. “Are you alright? 

I nod and give him a small smile.

“Just remembering the past.”

Athrun looks a little worried but he shrugs. “Commander Le Creuset wants to see you,” he says, “He’s going to brief us about our mission. 

All thoughts of home drift away. This is it. This is what I’ve been training for. My chance to make a difference.

I follow Athrun down the corridors of the ship and to the command room. Le Creuset is lounging in an armchair, and the rest of the team are gathered around a holographic map in the centre of the room 

“Athrun, Nicol, how nice of you to join us,” says Le Creuset. Yzak glances up and smirks. I ignore him.

“Sorry we’re late. So, what have we missed? 

Le Creuset gets up from his seat and floats over to the map.

“The Earth forces have built secret weapons at Heliopolis. 

Heliopolis? I thought that was a neutral colony.

“We have been informed that they have built mobile suits that we believe are very advanced, technologically. It is our job to capture the weapons and unleash their capabilities.”

“But Heliopolis is meant to be neutral, isn’t it?” I blurt out.

Yzak glares at me. “If it were a neutral colony, they wouldn’t be manufacturing weapons for the Earth Forces.”

I have to admit he’s right. Heliopolis must be supporting the war, then. Is there any place that’s safe, anymore?

“We’re on course to reach Heliopolis in two days’ time,” says Le Creuset, “I have been informed that there are five mobile suits in all. You will take the suits by whatever means possible, and leave. Remember, your priority is to capture the suits without damaging them.”

As we are returning to our quarters, I notice that Athrun is looking troubled. His emerald eyes are downcast and his mind seems to be elsewhere 

I grab his shoulder to stop him. “What’s wrong?”

Athrun looks up, a worried expression on his face.

“Something is going to go wrong during the raid.” He says softly, “I don’t know what, but I just have a feeling."

He turns and leaves, and I am left staring at the figure of my best friend as he drifts down the corridor.