The Freedom of Destiny

A/N: Whew, so I did take the tiniest of breaks from this fanfiction after the last chapter, but now I'm back on track. I'd actually like to know whether or not you guys actually appreciate this story (thank you to my twelve reviewers), so please, I beg of you, leave me a review! They're part of my motivation! Tell me anything, anything at all about the story! I want to hear what people think of it.
WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATERIAL OF A SEXUAL, NON-CONSENSUAL NATURE. ALSO, THERE IS SOME MENTION OF SEXUAL ACTIVITIES AND MINOR DESCRIPTIONS. IF THIS SORT OF MATERIAL OFFENDS YOU, PLEASE SKIM OVER THE PARTS; YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ THEM IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO. I HAVE GIVEN YOU ADEQUATE WARNING.
Disclaimer: Gundam SEED Destiny is the property of Bandai, Hajime Yatate, and Yoshiyuki Tomino. I own Harmony and the plot; that's it.
Dedication: This fanfic is dedicated to one of my closest friends, Kate. Thanks for the inspiration and all the times that you've been there for me. This story is for you.

Phase 5: Unwanted Advances

Sunlight streamed in through the slightly parted curtains. Shinn groaned snuggled closer to Kira; trying to block out the light. He heard shuffling across the room; confused he raised his head and blinked blearily. Looking over to the source of the noise; he spotted Harmony coming out of the bathroom, completely dressed. He turned bright red, suddenly grateful for the blanket.

Harmony smiled and rolled her eyes. She pointed at the blanket, and than her eyes; which she covered. Shinn took that to mean that she hadn't seen anything. He ducked his head back down as she left; closing the door softly behind her; he dimly heard the lock click.

Deciding to see if he could get a little more sleep, Shinn returned his head to its resting place on Kira's shoulder. The older Coordinator's arms were still wrapped loosely around him, providing warmth and comfort. Shinn gave a small smile before drifting off into a light sleep.

~*~
Lunamaria poked her head into Rey and Shinn's deserted room; she frowned, puzzled. Where could Shinn be? Leaving the empty room, she wondered if perhaps the moody pilot had gone for a walk about the base; or had gone back out into the town to explore a little. But than, there was always the possibility that he'd never come back from the town the day before.

Shaking her head to clear her head a little, Luna could only hope that Shinn returned soon. After all, they had a meeting with the chairman at noon...
~*~
“Shinn, Shinn love wake up.”

Opening his eyes so they were mere slits, Shinn yawned and gazed lazily up at his lover, “Morning.” Kira smiled down at him.

“Looks like someone was tired,” he teased, laughing and rolling away as Shinn tried to slap him playfully. Propping himself up over Shinn, Kira smiled and kissed him softly. “Come on, I think it's late enough.” Tilting his head to the side, Shinn made out the digital display on the clock on the night stand; it read 9:22.

“Mmm... it's not that late though...”

“No; but Harmony says that there's a concert arranged for later this morning,” Kira frowned. “It seems that the fake Lacus is putting on a concert here to raise moral. I'd like to see what this one looks like.”

Shinn frowned as well, “Well, the crew members seem to appreciate her look a lot...”

Kira leaned down to rest his forehead against Shinn's, “And what do you think?”

“Me? Well, if you ever try to dress like her; I'll need a LOT of Kleenex.” He leaned up and kissed Kira's nose gently. “But I like how you dress; don't go changing it on me.”

Kira smiled and rolled off of him once more, “Would you like to come to this concert with me?”

“You mean, like on a date?”

“If you want to think of it that way; than yes.” Shinn leaped up and tackled Kira; throwing his arms around his neck. Kira stumbled a little; but kept his balance, his arms wrapped around Shinn.

“Yes! I'd love to go out with you!”

Kira smiled and untangled himself from Shinn's arms, but not before stealing another kiss, “Get dressed than, it'll be starting soon.”

Smiling to beat all hell, Shinn gathered his clothes from the floor; ducking into the bathroom to shower quickly first. Waking up with your ass still caked in biological fluids is not exactly a pleasant feeling, before getting dressed. Kira had pulled on his own clothes by the time Shinn exited the bathroom. Smiling, Kira held his hand out, which Shinn immediately took, smiling as well.

The couple left their hotel room; making sure it was locked, before joining Harmony in the lobby.

“The happy couple finally up!” she came over, a mischievous look in her eyes. “A warning would've been nice. I get back to the room at midnight to find you two curled up stark naked, clothes all over the floor, and with your naughty bits nearly uncovered by the blanket!”

Shinn turned beet red, Kira chuckled, “But you were expecting that, weren't you Harmony?”

“Mm... as much as I want to say yes, you two have a way of blowing my expectations out of the water,” she responded lightly, smiling. “But anyways, let's get going to that concert! See what Lacus' competition is like.”

The trio exited the hotel. The three of them managed to squeeze themselves on the motorcycle, Shinn wedged up at the front in Kira's lap; the older Coordinator's arms acting like bars on either side of him. The drive wasn't very long, and they managed to find parking and seats on a grassy knoll over-looking the stage.

Snuggling himself close to Kira's side, Shinn rested his head on his shoulder, completely relaxed. An arm came to rest gently around his shoulder, pulling him closer.

Loud music started playing. It was an upbeat temp; Shinn actually found himself liking the original song much more than this remix.

“Hello my brave Zaft soldiers!” Straining his neck to look up; Shinn spotted what look to be a custom pink Ginn. It seemed to have been specifically designed for this; and if he looked closely enough, he could see the Lacus look-a-like perched in its hands. “I hope you're all doing well today!”

Kira's hand tightened almost imperceptibly on his shoulder. Shinn shot a curious look at him; Kira's eyes were slightly hard. Lacus and he were close; Shinn remembered. It must be painful to see one of your closest friends masqueraded as in such a... degrading costume.

She hadn't changed the lyrics at all. But unlike Lacus, who Shinn remembered from a broadcast concert of her own, was much more demure and wouldn't dance across the stage like that. Not mention... was the impostor even wearing a bra? It was a miracle it seemed that she hadn't knocked herself out, what with them bouncing around like that.

Harmony nudged him, “Shinn-san.” He looked at her curiously, spotting the binoculars in her hands; she gestured with them, “I think that Luna-san is looking for you Shinn-san.” She offered him the binoculars, which he took, training them on the spot that she'd indicated.

Luna was easy to spot in her trademark mini skirt with her Zaft uniform. She seemed agitated, and kept turning to Athrun; asking him something to which he shook his head, looking worried himself. Shinn sighed; looked like his fellow soldiers were missing him. He'd better get back before they started up a search party for him. He didn't want to go, but he knew that he'd have too.

He leaned closer to Kira for a moment, pressing a gentle kiss against his jawline, “I have to go... the others are looking for me.”

“Hmm? Oh, okay,” Kira seemed a little distracted, but did give him a soft kiss on his temple before Shinn stood up to leave. “I'll call you later, okay?”

“Yeah, I'll see you Kira.” Shinn hurried down the hill for the entrance to the base. He flashed his ID at the guards, who let him in with a curt nod. He raced past them and several other soldiers back to his quarters on the Minerva to change into his uniform.

Emerging from on board, he was just straightening the collar when Luna came pelting around the corner, “Shinn! There you are! I was looking for you everywhere!” She grabbed his hand and began pulling him roughly along behind her, “Come on! We have to hurry, the chairman's here and we've been called to meet him! If we don't hurry we won't make it in time!”

“Huh? Wha-what? Luna!”

Shinn stumbled as he tried to keep up with her maniac pace, his hand shot out steadying himself on a nearby wall. Luna didn't stop her reckless pace to say hello to her sister, instead, Shinn shouted a, “Good morning Meyrin!” at her while the older Hawke sister pulled him towards their destination.

Finally, she slowed to a walk outside a rather attractive building, headquarters at Diokia. Here, they met up with Athrun.

“Morning Shinn, I didn't see you last night,” Athrun greeted. “And than Luna mentioned that she hadn't seen you around this morning. We were worried.”

Shinn hurried to make up a plausible excuse, “Ah, well, I kind of ran into a friend of mine. We were catching up and lost track of the time...”

Athrun gave him a suspicious look, but said nothing else on the subject, “Nervous Shinn?”

“Maybe... just a little.”

“Wow! I never knew you got nervous Shinn!” Luna sounded shocked.

“ Of course I do! Why wouldn't I?!”

“You just seem so tough all the time, it's just a shock that you do.” Shinn snorted, crossing his arms. He began to tune out Luna as she began to prattle on to Athrun about something or another; he really wasn't paying attention.

A tight coil seemed to have settled into his lower stomach. He'd noticed the dull ache that emanated from his behind that had been there since this morning, but this seemed different. Shinn remembered hearing about people who could 'sense' the future, and while he'd never put any stock in the subject, this feeling just felt like something he shouldn't ignore. After all, he'd only survived the attack on Orb by relying on his instincts; and he'd relied on those same instincts and feelings when he'd been with Kira, so he saw no reason to ignore them now.

This time however, they seemed... different. Dark almost, as if they were trying to warn him, telling him to run before something terrible happened to him. But he never got the chance to run, instead, he, Athrun, and Luna were escorted into headquarters and onto a balcony where lunch was waiting for them.

As well as the chairman.

Snapping to a salute, the chairman gave a small smile as he greeted each one of them, taking Athrun's hand, “Ah, Athrun, it's good to see you again; I hope that you've been well.”

“Yes, thank you sir.”

Than Shinn, “You must be Shinn Asuka; I've heard a lot about you lately. I'm glad that I assigned you as the pilot of the Impulse.”

“I'm honored sir!” Durandul turned to Lunamaria.

“And you are?”

“Lunamaria Hawke sir!” Durandul smiled softly as he looked at all of them.

“I'm sorry about this rather last minute meeting, but I just felt that we needed to meet and talk. I hope that it is not an inconvenience to you Gladys kanchou,” Talia shook her head; he gestured to the seats at the table. “Please, sit down. We have much to discuss.”

The four pilots, Rey had arrived before them, took their seats at the long table. Durandul took his seat across from them, lacing his fingers together he gazed calmly at them from over his hands. Athrun broke the silence, “Are there any plans to bring this war to an end soon?”

Durandul sighed, his eyes drifted closed for a brief moment, “Unfortunately, the Earth Alliance will not compromise. It's often harder to take the path of peace than the path of war.”

“But-” Shinn stopped himself; this was the chairman, he couldn't speak flippantly in front of him! Durandul looked towards him, a look of amusement perhaps on his face.

“Permission to speak freely Asuka-san.” Shinn looked down, embarrassed.

“Thank you sir,” he took a deep breath. “I think that finding alternatives to war is important. But it's important to fight when it's necessary to protect the ones you love,” here he thought of Kira, Harmony, Luna, Meyrin; even Athrun. “And to protect civilians who are living peacefully.”

Athrun chose here to interject, “However, someone once told me... if you kill someone for killing someone else, than the cycle will never stop, and there will never be peace. At the time, I couldn't come up with a reply; and I still haven't found one.”

Durandul nodded, dropping his hands so that they rested on the table, “That's the problem. Why do people keep fighting? Why does this war continue? What do you think Shinn?”

Surprised that someone as important as the chairman was asking for his opinion, all Shinn could come up with was, “Uhh...” Oh yes Shinn, lovely. Very articulated, gathering his scattered thoughts, he tried to come up with a half-decent response that wouldn't end with him sounding like a total idiot, “I think... it's because of factions like Blue Cosmos and the Pacific Earth Alliance... or those who see fighting as a way to bring their ideals, however wrong and cruel they may be, to fruition.”

“That's definitely a factor. However, there's a deeper cause that's much more difficult to deal with.” Durandul stood, walking over to the edge of the balcony where a brand new mobile suit stood, “Take a look at that machine. Model ZGMF-X2000. That's the Gouf Ignited.

“During a war, countless numbers of these machines get destroyed, and new ones are created to replace them,” Durandul stepped back a little, turning to face them, arms behind his back, “Think about the profit to be made on each one of these machines. If you think of the industry-”

“Chairman!” Talia seemed a little nervous about the whole subject, “We shouldn't be talking about this.”

He turned away from them to look back at the mobile suit, “But it's the truth. For those who are in the business of making these machines, war is profitable. Their products are destroyed during combat; so they develop bigger, better machines to take their place. As long as there is profit, than those who profit will want to create the conditions of war.”

Shinn could imagine the voices of soldiers as they fought; he himself had acted like that... and, Kira had too. Everyone had at one point been so consumed with fighting their 'enemy' that they'd, in some way, been fighting for those who wanted the war to continue.

“There are those who have encouraged those voices and controlled war as an industrial plan. That group is the Logos.”

“Logos...” Shinn murmured quietly.

“Blue Cosmos is a faction of Logos,” Durandul turned slightly so he could look back at them. “As long as they've got us playing their game, the war will never end. If possible, I would like to do something about this. However, it is probably the most difficult thing to do.”

Silence fell on the small group. Shinn found himself mulling over all this new information, trying to fit it into the complex puzzle that this war and its politics were playing. He stared at his hands for several long moments. Several things seemed to fit, and he could agree with the chairman's vision for the future; a way to the end the war, in fact in that regard, he sounded a lot like Kira.

Lunch arrived shortly after, and conversation settled into lighter matters. Talia and the chairman were completely silent, and ate in silence as well even though they sat beside each other. Rey too, seemed quite; while Luna chatted idly at Shinn and Athrun. Shinn only joined in because of the uncomfortable feeling of eyes on him.

A quick glance out of the corners of his eyes showed that Durandul was watching him intently from across the table. Shinn pretended not to notice the scrutiny, and instead tried to focus on the conversation between Luna and Athrun.

It was a rather dull conversation, and Shinn lost interest rather quickly in it; and instead let his mind wander to other matters... his mind drifted to Kira and Harmony... he wondered what they were doing right now. He wondered when Kira would call him, probably later, and he'd be able to talk to him, see what he was doing, see how Harmony was and if she'd found anything on her sister.

Lunch finished, and the group stood all at once. Shinn was about to leave behind Rey and the others, when the chairman called him back, “Ah, Asuka-san, why don't you stay? I have a few things I would like to talk to you about.”

“What? Oh! Of course sir!” Shinn snapped a hasty salute. Athrun cast a glance over his shoulder, but said nothing and left with Luna and Rey.

“If you will excuse me chairman, I have a few things to deal with on my ship before we leave in two days time,” Talia disappeared after them, leaving Shinn alone with the chairman.

Nervous now, just as had been earlier, Shinn followed the chairman back inside headquarters. The two walked throughout the twisting hallways before stopping in front of a pair of double doors flanked by guards. Durandul nodded at them, and they opened the doors. They entered.

Durandul gestured at a couch overlooking the harbor, “Please, make yourself comfortable.” Nodding, Shinn missed the rather suggestive look the chairman was giving him, he was just grateful to sit down; his behind still hurt from the night before, but it was something he was willing to live with if it meant he could be with Kira.

He was jerked out of his thoughts by a hand running rather... forcefully along his thigh in what he supposed was a lover's gesture but it just didn't feel right. It was too forceful, too rough; so much unlike Kira. He recoiled from the touch; especially when he realized just who it was coming from.

“Ch-chairman!” Shinn scooted farther away; only to have Durandul mirror his movements, the older Coordinator positioning himself over Shinn effectively pinning him to the couch. Shinn moved backwards as quickly as he could, until his head met the armrest and his movement was corralled.

Instinctively, his hands came up in fists, beating at the chairman as he turned his head away. His legs thrashed wildly as he tried to escape.

“Feisty little thing aren't you?” Durandul purred, tilting his head so he could kiss him. Shinn managed to bounce his forehead off Durandul's nose. Recoiling, an angry look passed across the chairman's face; he slapped Shinn, hard. Shinn's head spun from the impact, and his cheek throbbed. Somehow, he knew it would leave a bruise.

Than, as if it had never happened, Durandul stroked Shinn's injured cheek, “If you do what I say, than no one has to get hurt.”

Shinn whimpered but said nothing. His eyes dulled suddenly, and his body went limp, accepting defeat. He knew that even if he did manage to injure the chairman enough to escape, he'd be arrested and put to death; leaving Kira with no way of knowing what had happened to him.

Kira...

The mere thought of the older Coordinator gave Shinn some consolation. He kept his head turned away, and retreated into himself. Burying his face into a pillow, he bit down on it and focused on not crying out or making any noise.

A blaring noise issued from Mayu's cell which Shinn had stowed in the inside pocket of his jacket. Durandul frowned in confusion, pulling it out, he glanced at the idea for a moment before a look of pure anger twisted his features. He roughly placed it on the nearby coffee table before returning to what he had been doing before.

Shinn's eyes widened in his self-imposed, cloth blindfold; the only person it could be... Kira! He bit down harder on the pillow and swore that whatever happened, Kira wouldn't know.
~*~
“Kira-san? What's wrong?” Harmony asked as she came up beside him. “You've got this look on your face...”

“Shinn's not answering his cell.” Frowning, Harmony crossed her arms, about to chastise him. Kira cut her off, “Yes Harmony, I've realized that he could be in the middle of something, but I've been trying to get a hold of him for five hours now, and still nothing.”

“I'm sure... he has an explanation for it...” Harmony murmured quietly; she could tell that Kira's thoughts had taken a much darker turn. “And I'm sure it has nothing to do with you Kira-san! Shinn-san loves you very much, I can tell. He's probably just busy! Or maybe he hasn't gotten your messages yet, give him a little more time before you jump to any conclusions. I'll try calling him later, okay?”

Kira nodded, trying to accept what Harmony said as the truth, but this nagging suspicion inside of him refused to let him believe it in its entiriety. Something just didn't sit right with him.

He just didn't know yet how dead-on that was.
~*~
Whew! I'm terribly sorry that it took me so long to get this finished. And umm... yeah I know there are no details, but I just couldn't find the stomach to write it; I was sick just thinking about it. Honestly, this is not something that anyone deserves to experience, and I just couldn't bring myself to convey it to you all. That and I don't think that anyone who is actually reading this story supports Gil/Shinn.

So, please leave me some reviews (I've noticed the lack of them). They make my day and make me want to update faster. I've actually planned everything out for this story completely, and we are almost at the one third mark. Yes, that's right, we're almost a third of the way done this story. I hope you all stay around till I've finished it.

Kat.