Chapter 116: SEED – Three People 2
Cagalli slowly moved toward the weapon and small pouch Athrun had just dropped in his haste, and discovered him hiding behind a rock.
Sensing the situation turn unfavorable, Athrun quickly pulled a small knife from his body and locked eyes with Cagalli in a tense standoff.
But at this critical moment, Cagalli made a fatal mistake—she actually turned her head to kick away the handgun lying on the ground nearby.
Tolle was dumbfounded. At such a moment of direct confrontation, instead of keeping her eyes fixed on the enemy's every move, she was fussing over a weapon no one was reaching for.
He really couldn't understand what was going on in Cagalli's head. Her train of thought was way too strange.
Seizing the opportunity, Athrun bolted, running toward higher ground to secure the vantage point.
Only then did Cagalli realize her blunder. She immediately raised her gun to fire at Athrun, but it was already too late—he had escaped.
Luckily, the Aegis Gundam had been damaged in its fall and could no longer be activated. Otherwise, Cagalli might have been flattened by Athrun piloting it.
Still, she stayed where she was, attempting to wait him out, scanning the surroundings carefully. But after a long time with no sign of Athrun, she relaxed again. Acting as if nothing were amiss, she picked up Athrun's sidearm and began fiddling with it curiously.
That was when Athrun struck. He charged forward, kicking the pistol from her right hand and seizing her left hand firmly.
Before Cagalli could even react, Athrun flipped her over his shoulder, throwing her hard to the ground, and kicked away her last remaining pistol.
At that moment, Tolle judged the timing right. He leapt forward in a sprint toward them.
Athrun dove, pinning Cagalli beneath him, straddling her.
Just as he raised his knife to stab her, Cagalli cried out "Ah!"—suddenly realizing that the person she had been confronting all along was a woman.
Pressing down on Cagalli, Athrun became acutely aware of what his left hand was pressing against.
He hesitated. The knife in his raised hand froze mid-air, unable to come down.
By now Tolle had closed the distance. He pulled out a strip of cloth, infused it with martial arts energy in the style of the "Undefeated of the East," and snapped it like a whip.
With a flick, the strip knocked Athrun's dagger away. Another twist, and the cloth transformed into a long staff.
Tolle unleashed a flurry of strikes on Athrun, raining blows on him without mercy—though he carefully controlled his strength.
At worst it left bruises and swelling, but nothing crippling. After all, accidentally killing or crippling Athrun would spoil the fun.
Athrun was utterly helpless under Tolle's assault. He couldn't even run; each time he tried to move, the staff smacked his legs.
If he stayed still, his face took the hits instead. Counterattack? His hands hurt too much to fight back, and there was nothing he could do.
After a few minutes, Tolle finally vented his anger. Any more and he himself wouldn't have enough energy to keep empowering the cloth. →_→
He spread the cloth wide and, with a swift motion, wrapped Athrun up tightly. Bound head to toe, he was like a mummy, only his head left exposed.
Sitting nearby, Cagalli's eyes practically sparkled with stars as she watched Tolle pummel Athrun one-sidedly, excitement written all over her face.
Once finished, Tolle dusted off his hands as if brushing away nonexistent dirt. Then, in front of Athrun, he lifted Cagalli up, patting the dust and sand off her clothes and even her backside—an obvious show of possession.
Holding her in his arms, he asked gently, "Cagalli, are you alright? Did you get hurt?"
In that moment, Cagalli suddenly remembered—he had just patted her backside. Her face instantly turned as red as an apple.
Like an ostrich, she buried her face deep into Tolle's chest, not knowing what to do.
Only after a long while did she pull away, muttering through her flustered embarrassment, "You big jerk!"
Only then did she remember there was another person nearby—the very-much-alive Athrun.
She walked over and gave the bound Athrun a kick, snapping harshly:
"You're one of those people who attacked Heliopolis, aren't you? I was there at the time, in the Heliopolis you destroyed, you bastards!"
Still unsatisfied, she kicked him a few more times. Tolle didn't stop her; better to let her vent, and cut off any lingering ties with Athrun once and for all.
Enduring the pain, Athrun said, "We never thought Heliopolis would turn out that way. Our only plan was to seize the Earth Alliance mobile suits being developed at Morgenröte."
Cagalli retorted, "Regardless of your excuses, it was ZAFT that destroyed Orb's Heliopolis colony!"
Athrun glared back, defiant. "Don't talk to me about neutrality. Orb was still building those suits in Heliopolis. That's a fact. We had to fight to protect the PLANTs. We couldn't just ignore that, and neither could the Earth Alliance."
Cagalli's eyes blazed with fury. "Because of your invasion, the Earth has been thrown into utter chaos."
Athrun looked away from her burning gaze, sorrow on his face. "My mother was on Junius 7. That was just an agricultural colony. Innocent people died in an instant—including children. Tell me, who could stay silent after that?"
Cagalli fell quiet, finally saying, "I also lost many friends in your attacks."
Athrun shook his head. "There's nothing more to say. Arguing here with you is pointless."
Seeing Cagalli had more or less vented, Tolle stepped forward to ask, "Have you always been the pilot of the Aegis Gundam?"
Athrun kept his mouth shut, refusing to answer. Tolle shook his head. It seemed he had thoroughly offended Athrun this time—the boy wouldn't even talk to him anymore.
Still, there was a way to get him to open up. He only needed to bring up Kira.
"You're Athrun Zala, aren't you?"
Athrun's eyes widened. He couldn't understand how this person knew his name, but unwilling to engage, he shut his eyes and remained silent.
Tolle continued, "I know you. You're Kira Yamato's close friend, right? I'm Kira's friend too. I even helped him rescue Lacus Clyne."
The moment Athrun heard Kira's name, his spirit perked up. He answered Tolle, "Yes, I'm Athrun Zala. Kira… how has he been lately?"
"Just as I thought. When I saw the Aegis, I figured it must be you. Never expected to meet you here, under these circumstances."