"You're lying! You're lying!" Flay approached Kira and slammed the table, interrupting his work. "What do you mean by this? Is this pity? You... pity me?"
"Flay..." Kira knew she had misunderstood him. Though sympathy and care weren't entirely absent, the bigger reason was that Kira didn't know how to face his parents. Ever since boarding the Archangel, he had been tormented by his identity as a Coordinator.
Just as he tried to explain, Flay cut him off again.
"Because no one comes to see me, you think I'm pitiful, don't you?"
"Flay... that's not it..."
"Don't joke around! Stop with this act! Why should I have to endure pity from someone like you?"
"Flay..."
He reached out, intending to gently comfort her by touching her shoulder—a gesture he had repeated countless times—but Flay slapped his hand away.
"Shouldn't the one who's sad be you? Shouldn't the pitiful one be you? Poor Kira, lonely Kira, suffering from battle, crying at the drop of a hat... so... so... waaah!"
Her tone dripped with mockery. She was mocking Kira, but also mocking herself. She pitied Kira, but also pitied herself, because she realized—what difference was there between them? Pitiful, lonely, suffering, crying easily... how was she any different? What separated her from Kira?
Kira still had Tolle and Miriallia talking to him from time to time. He had Cagalli's affection, Yang Hui's concern and care. But what did she have? Other than Kira, what else was left for her?
In self-loathing despair, Flay threw herself into Kira's arms, sobbing as she weakly pounded his chest.
"But... but why... why do I have to endure pity from someone like you?!"
Flay realized she had changed too. Her feelings for Kira were no longer about using him for revenge—she had genuinely fallen for him. That was why she was so furious, so heartbroken. Because she realized Kira cared for her and looked after her not out of love, but merely out of sympathy and pity.
Kira instinctively raised his hands, about to embrace Flay, but he lowered them just as quickly, turning his face away from her tears.
"Flay... it has to end... we can't keep going like this. We were wrong."
"What do you mean? What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
Overcome with grief and anger, Flay shoved Kira away and fled the room. Kira didn't chase after her, remaining alone inside, his expression pained.
Had he truly failed to see through Flay's intentions? No—he had actually figured it out long ago. Flay was only willing to be with him to use him for revenge.
But Kira hadn't exposed her, nor had he refused. Because he was suffering too. He also needed a harbor, a gentle embrace to soothe his sorrow. So... between him and Flay, it was more like a partnership of mutual need.
But gradually, perhaps out of shared misery? Or perhaps familiarity had bred affection? Not only had Flay fallen for Kira, but Kira had also developed feelings for her.
A mistaken relationship, mistaken emotions—Kira didn't know how to face them. He didn't dare let himself sink any deeper.
If they continued like this, they might truly fall in love with each other. But... this relationship had been wrong from the very beginning. The outcome would only grow more and more twisted. So...
Since Flay had given him this opportunity, it was time to end it.
...
Upon returning to his residence, Uzumi saw Yang Hui waiting for him.
"Has something else happened?" Uzumi knew how busy Yang Hui was these days. If he had come in person, it must be something important—certainly not trivial matters like scolding Cagalli and then coming to demand an explanation from Uzumi.
"The Yamato Couple has arrived."
"...You found out?" Uzumi frowned at the news.
"It wasn't hard to uncover if I looked into it."
"What do you intend to do?"
"Nothing much. I just want to meet them."
"No!" Until he understood Yang Hui's motives, Uzumi absolutely would not allow him to meet the Yamato Couple. After all, Kira's origins involved far too many complications.
"...Do you really think you can keep this hidden forever?"
Uzumi had no answer to Yang Hui's question. If possible, he would have preferred this truth to remain buried forever—it was simply too cruel. If Kira and Cagalli ever learned of it, they might truly break down, especially Kira.
"I don't plan to exploit this for any purpose. I just want you to consider this carefully: rather than letting malicious actors weaponize this truth in the future, it would be better to tell them now."
With that, Yang Hui left without pressing further for Uzumi to arrange the meeting. He had said what needed to be said.
Regarding Kira's origins and the truth behind them—yes, it was undeniably brutal. Ulen Hibiki was nothing short of a monster, and without exaggeration, he was the root of all the distortions in the Gundam SEED world.
But... buried truths always resurface eventually. Yang Hui didn't want Cagalli and Kira to learn of this from the old lion in his final moments, nor did he want Kira to discover it from the mouths of their enemies.
While they were still in Orb, if Cagalli and Kira were tormented by the truth, Yang Hui could still help them. But once events reached the timeline of the original story, it would be beyond his control.
Just after leaving Uzumi's residence, Yang Hui's PAD buzzed in the car. Seeing it was a top-priority encrypted message, he immediately instructed the driver to pull over, activated a secure lockdown protocol, and even deployed a signal jammer to block all surrounding transmissions.
After decrypting the message, Yang Hui's eyes widened, and his lips curled into an exaggerated grin.
"Finally made contact with him!"
...
Far away in space, PLANT had recently undergone significant changes. The election for the new PLANT Supreme Council Chairman had just concluded. With the war against the Earth Forces intensifying and ZAFT's military situation at a stalemate, Patrick Zala had skillfully leveraged the Heliopolis apology and reparations incident to overpower Siegel Clyne, securing his position as the new Chairman.
This marked a dramatic shift in the Supreme Council's dynamics. Under Siegel Clyne's leadership, the moderate faction had been completely overshadowed by the radicals.
It also signaled the final severance of ties between Siegel Clyne and Patrick Zala, longtime friends who had now irrevocably parted ways.
"That damn Patrick!"
The moment Siegel Clyne returned home, he locked himself in his study, furious at his own powerlessness to stop his old friend's reckless actions.
"Knock, knock—"
"Who is it?"
"Father, it's me."
"Lacus? Come in."
Lacus entered the study, and Siegel Clyne managed to suppress his anger, though the lingering frustration remained impossible to conceal.
"Is something the matter?"
"Father, you've already lost."
"...So you're dropping the act now?"
"Yes."
Lacus showed no surprise at Siegel Clyne's question. After all, he was her father—no matter how skilled her performance, she could never deceive his discerning eyes. All this time, while she had carefully crafted the image of a naive, innocent heiress, Siegel Clyne had merely been playing along.
"Has it really come to this?"
"Yes. Everything has unfolded exactly as he predicted. By now, you should acknowledge it too." Lacus sat across from Siegel Clyne, speaking with a seriousness devoid of her usual childlike charm. Even Siegel Clyne couldn't help but marvel at how terrifyingly capable his daughter truly was.
"...Indeed. That boy... he's truly a monster. Did he foresee today's situation as far back as a year ago?"
Equally unsettling to Siegel Clyne was Yang Hui, who remained far away on Earth.
After the tragedy of Bloody Valentine, Siegel Clyne had secretly invited Yang Hui to PLANT for a private meeting. Back then, Yang Hui had laid out his predictions for the future: ZAFT's retaliation against Earth would lead to countless casualties, creating an irreparable rift between the Earth Forces and ZAFT. Even close friends like Siegel Clyne and Patrick Zala would eventually part ways—even become enemies—because Patrick Zala would cling to racial superiority, refusing any peace negotiations that involved coexistence with Naturals. As a moderate, Siegel Clyne would become an obstacle to Patrick Zala's complete control over PLANT and ZAFT, destined to be eliminated.
At the time, Siegel Clyne hadn't believed Yang Hui. He trusted his old friend—though radical and extreme, surely Patrick would never turn against him. But now...
Siegel Clyne had been stripped of his position as Chairman. The hostility radiating from Patrick Zala was unmistakable, forcing him to reconsider Yang Hui's warnings.
"So, Father, we must prepare ourselves early," Lacus reminded him.
"What is his plan?"
"To move our forces underground and relocate to L4."
"L4?"
"Yes. He has already offered support and secretly built his own strength there."
"...Orb's situation can't be much better either. How will he assist us?"
"I don't know. But I trust him. If he says he can do it, he will."
"Hmm?" Siegel Clyne paused, his expression turning peculiar.
In a way... his daughter was deeply hidden, a master of disguise with far-sighted vision and ruthless political instincts—a born strategist.
But whenever Yang Hui was mentioned, she would trust him unreservedly—an attitude quite unbecoming of a politician. He himself was the best example; if he hadn't placed too much trust in Patrick Zala, he wouldn't have been pushed to the edge of a cliff now.
"Do you... like him?" Siegel Clyne asked Lacus. The only explanation for his daughter to trust someone so completely, even to the point of unreserved faith, was this possibility.
"Yes, Father." Lacus neither blushed nor concealed h
er feelings, answering naturally and frankly.
"But you and Athrun..."
"If Yang Hui didn't exist, if Chairman Zala weren't so fanatical, I would have married Athrun."
(End of Chapter)