Several days later, Athrun and Dearka gradually regained consciousness. Yang Hui brought some fruits to visit them.
"Why are you here?"
"I should be asking you that, Cagalli. I heard you've been hanging around here nonstop these past few days. Aren't you afraid of sparking rumors?" Yang Hui asked with a wry smile. He knew that sparks would fly between Cagalli and Athrun, but others didn't. If word got out that the princess of Orb's Athha family was involved in a scandal with the son of ZAFT's Defense Committee Chairman, it would cause quite a stir.
"I... It's because of you guys that I can't go anywhere else! Where else am I supposed to go? Stay locked in my room?"
"Do you really not understand why you were confined?"
"Hmph!"
Yang Hui shook his head and placed the fruits on the bedside table before asking Athrun, "How's your recovery going?"
"...Yang Hui." Athrun's emotions were complicated when facing Yang Hui. On one hand, he was furious—Nicol's fate was unknown, and he was angry that Yang Hui had also joined the war, standing against him. On the other hand, he couldn't let go of their past friendship.
"Nicol is alive. He's in the room next to yours."
"Eh?"
"Dearka is fine too. His room is right across from yours. It's just that none of you three can get out of bed yet and still need rest, so you didn't know."
"This... I see..." The news that Nicol and Dearka were alive filled Athrun with relief, but his mood quickly darkened again. He had thought they were dead, and in his grief and rage, he had not only killed Kira's close friend but also... Kira himself.
"Yang Hui... I... I destroyed the Strike." Athrun forced the words out, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face. "And the Skygrasper... that was... your comrade, right? I... I had no choice. We... we were..."
"Enemies. So I don't blame you," Yang Hui finished for him, offering comfort.
"Why... why!? Aren't you sad!? They were your comrades, your friends! Don't you feel anything? Don't you hate me?"
"Why should I be sad? And why would I hate you?"
"You... have you really become this cold and heartless?" Athrun gritted his teeth. He and Kira had been friends, yet also enemies. He had killed Kira, and it pained him deeply. So why did Yang Hui, who was Kira's comrade, show no emotion? Shouldn't he hate him right now?
If you don't hate me, how can I justify it to myself?
"We're on opposing sides. Even if we're friends, killing each other is inevitable—because we're soldiers. If Kira really died by your hand, that would be the best outcome. I'd rather he die by your hand than by a stranger's."
"Yang Hui! You—"
"Besides, Kira's death hasn't been confirmed yet."
"What!? Impossible! I... I was sure..." Athrun couldn't believe it. To kill Kira, he had self-destructed the Aegis at point-blank range! The Strike's cockpit had been breached—there was no way Kira could have survived at that distance!
"Cagalli, do you remember what happened back then?" Yang Hui turned to her.
"I remember... It was brutal..."
"Was a body found in Strike's cockpit?"
"No... nothing!"
Right! No body was discovered in Strike's cockpit!
Only then did Cagalli realize something was amiss. Even with Aegis Gundam's self-destruction, it couldn't have completely vaporized a body—there should at least be traces left. Yet among the recovered wreckage of Strike, no remains were found. That could only mean...
"Someone must have rescued him. At any rate, we can't confirm Kira's death."
Athrun lowered his head, tears falling as he murmured repeatedly: "That's great... truly... that's wonderful... Kira's alive... I didn't kill him... thank goodness..."
"There's one more thing you should know—Tolle is also alive."
"Tolle?"
"The Skygrasper pilot you shot down."
"How is that possible!?" Athrun was stunned anew. Tolle's situation was entirely different from Kira's. Athrun had activated Aegis's self-destruct sequence and evacuated before the explosion knocked him unconscious, leaving Kira's fate uncertain. But Tolle? He'd watched the man die with his own eyes!
Aegis Gundam's shield had been hurled directly into the Skygrasper's cockpit. How could any pilot survive that?
"Paralyzed below the waist, lost his left arm, right face disfigured—but he's clinging to life."
"..." Athrun fell silent. Alive, yes, but in such a state that death might have been kinder.
"Where there's life, there's hope. Don't despair, Athrun. You're too naive—never forget that both Kira and Tolle were your enemies, at least until now."
"But—"
"I don't know why you chose to join this war, what you're fighting for. But I understand Kira and Tolle. They hated battle, yet knowingly walked into danger to protect their friends. That was their resolve. Your belated remorse and self-loathing only dishonor them!" Yang Hui rebuked Athrun sternly.
"And you?" Cagalli challenged. "What's your reason?" She'd never before questioned Yang Hui's motives, having simply branded him a traitor.
But days of confinement had given her much to ponder, and Yang Hui's words now clarified certain truths.
"Me?" Yang Hui chuckled bitterly. "I just refuse to cower under tables when danger comes, placing my survival in others' hands."
"What!? Then Orb—" Fury ignited in Cagalli's chest. She'd never imagined Yang Hui's upheavals in Orb stemmed from such selfishness!
"And isn't Orb merely a larger version of myself?" Yang Hui turned to meet her gaze.
"This..."
Cagalli found no rebuttal. Athrun too stayed silent. They recognized the truth in Yang Hui's words. Hadn't Orb become exactly as described—all ideals and principles without matching strength? When crisis struck, wouldn't they too tremble beneath tables?
"Rest now. We've notified Carpentaria Base—they'll retrieve you in a few days."
"Yang Hui! I..."
"The next time we meet will likely be on the battlefield. I hope you take this time to seriously consider why you're fighting. I'd hate to kill a hesitant version of you—that wouldn't be satisfying at all."
With those words, Yang Hui left the hospital room, leaving behind a conflicted Cagalli and Athrun.
His words weren't just meant for Athrun—they were equally directed at Cagalli. In Yang Hui's eyes, everything Cagalli had done was reckless. She didn't truly understand her own actions or motivations, acting purely on impulsive whims.
Yang Hui was subtly telling Cagalli that he wasn't denying her the possibility of fighting, but rather hoping she'd find a meaningful reason for it. If she persisted in meaningless battles, she'd never set foot on the battlefield.
Of course, whether Cagalli would grasp his meaning was another matter entirely.
...
After leaving Athrun's room, Yang Hui checked on Dearka and Nicol. Seeing they were recovering well, he felt relieved—soon, he could return all three safely to the ZAFT Forces.
Once his visits were over, Yang Hui headed to Dawn Company, where he unexpectedly ran into Lowe and his team again.
"Why are you back here? Didn't you just upgrade the Red Frame?" Yang Hui asked.
"You don't know?"
"Know what?"
"The Mass Driver—it was commissioned to us junk dealers by Reverend Malchio."
"Ah... I actually didn't know that." Yang Hui was genuinely unaware. He knew the Atlantic Federation had outsourced the Mass Driver's construction to private companies, but not specifically to junk dealers.
"Well, I thought you knew everything."
"I'm not omniscient!"
"Is there even a difference? When I found out you piloted that Mobile Suit, I nearly wet myself," Lowe exaggerated.
"...Seriously?" Yang Hui facepalmed in exasperation.
"Of course! Haven't you heard what people call you? 'Angel,' 'God,' 'Demon'... basically anything but human." Lowe spread his hands teasingly. Initially, he'd only been interested in Yang Hui's Mobile Suit, but after hearing about the Dawn Gundam's combat record from Professor, he'd been genuinely shocked.
"Pfft. Do you see wings on me? A halo? Maybe a tail and horns?" Yang Hui rolled his eyes.
"Who knows? Maybe you're hiding them. Let me check!" With that, Lowe began patting Yang Hui down, determined to uncover any hidden wings or horns.
"Get off me, damn it!" Yang Hui snapped, kicking Lowe in the rear.
"Hey, just joking around!"
"Get lost!"
"Come on, you're not that petty." Lowe slung an arm around Yang Hui's shoulders with a grin, but his expression quickly turned serious. "By the way, Yang Hui—I heard Orb took in ZAFT prisoners?"
"Yeah," Yang Hui replied automatically before blinking in surprise. "Wait, since when do you care about this stuff?"
"Ah, I witnessed a deathmatch and was a bit shaken," Lowe explained. He had been nearby when the Strike Gundam and Aegis Gundam fought, watching the entire brutal battle filled with killing intent—a fight where neither cared about t
heir own injuries and wouldn't stop until the other was dead.
"...So? What are you trying to say?"
"Nothing, just... why does this world have to have wars?"
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