Separate

A/N: Inspired by the song, Wo Qui Non Coin from Cowboy Bebop. It's such an adorable song!

Warning: Minor AU

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED.

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My dearest friend

left me here.

He has blue hair and green eyes;

we were together all the summer days and nights

-

He pouted, throwing the rubber softball against the wall. The child was alone at the deserted school. It was summer; the air was crisp and hot accompanied with the dry wind blowing through the landscape. Tree leaves rustled overhead, just as a pair of birds flew out of their nest.

"He's late."

Frowning despondently, he walked towards a tree and crouched underneath it, trying to absorb the cool shade into his body; the softball was left to bounce and roll to a stop on the heated tarmac ground.

He wiped the sweat that formed at the base of his neck and waited uneasily by himself. No one was on the playground; no one was on the soccer field. Usually teeming with voices and laughter, he found the silence unnerving; a suffocating silence so strong that his voice cracked when he muttered to no one in particular, "So quiet…"

His eyes kept straying back to the entrance of the school, hoping that he didn't forget or he wasn't so caught up with his 'secret project' that he lost track of time.

"Maybe I should go look for him…but what if he's coming here right now and we don't see each other along the way? But what if he isn't coming? Then…should I wait here?"

The twelve-year-old thought back to his mother gesturing him to do his chores.

"…I guess I'll wait. I don't have anything fun to do at home anyway."

The young boy groaned and flopped down into the dry grass; he closed his eyes and waited patiently for his friend to arrive.

-----

Feeling something heavy land on his cheek and startling the sleep out of him, he smacked his face. The 'something' was sticky and when he opened his eyes to look at it, there was nothing visible in his palm.

"It's just a drop of ice cream, Kira," came the soft laugh.

Kira stared at his friend who was holding a vanilla ice cream in one hand, the sun above glazing the blunet's hair in a wreath of amber. He found his voice and croaked out accusingly, "You're late."

Athrun sat down beside him and handed him the ice cream, glancing down into the violet depths. "Yeah, sorry." He smiled whimsically, "At least I came?"

The brunet grinned, "If you didn't by dusk, I would've started looking for you."

The two boys sat underneath the breezy shade, watching the summer sky change in color from bright blues to deep reds and purples. Summer was such a beautiful season.

-

My Athrun-chan

went away from home.

He is patient and kind with me

even though we never left each other's side

-

He cried as discreetly as possible behind a cherry blossom tree, trying not to attract attention from passing strangers. Athrun stood in front of him, at a lost of what to do or say; he had just announced that his parents decided it was for the best if they left Japan.

"…" Kira offered him a watery smile and Athrun had to blink back his own tears. It wasn't fair.

He mumbled weakly and slid down the tree, drawing his knees to his chest. The blunet's heart tore at all sides, watching his best friend - the person he spent all his summer days with - fall into desolation. He walked towards him silently, and held the shorter boy in a hug, trying to smother out the hurt. Kira clung on and tears slid down his cheeks, landing along Athrun's neck; with each shuddering sob, he hugged the boy tighter.

Words weren't needed in the exchange of comfort and lost. - 'I'll be back…Wait for me?'

-

I haven't wiped my tears away

in hopes that he would come back and dry them for me.

Be by my side;

hurry and return

-

Two years have passed since Athrun left his world, and every week or so, he would write to him and tell him of his escapades during the elapsed time. Kira still missed his friend greatly, but this letter exchanging helped relieve the loneliness he felt.

However, even that wasn't the answer when one day, he received a letter, not from Athrun, but from his father. Although, it was not personally addressed to Kira rather to his parents, the contents of the letter revolved around Athrun and Kira and it was clearly evident that his mother was troubled after reading the text.

"Kira, honey, you can't write letters to Athrun anymore."

The stone dropped into the pit of his stomach and he blurted out quickly, "What do you mean I can't write to him!"

"Athrun's father and mother divorced and Athrun left with his mother. He didn't enclose their address, only a request for your letters to stop."

"He…" Kira shook his head in disbelief and grabbed the letter in his mother's hand, shakily reading it through. It was only composed of a few sentences but one in particular caught his attention:

"Please, tell your child to refrain from writing letters to this address."

Dismayed, he looked up hopefully, "Does that mean that Athrun's going to return here?"

"I don't know."

-

Spring and autumn passes quickly

but everyday I wait for you.

I want you here.

-

Sitting alone in the park, he basked in the summer sun and inhaled the sweet smells of freshly bloomed flowers. Every year on this day at this time, he would sit here on this bench and reminisce about Athrun.

…How it had been eight years since he last saw him; how it had been six years since he last wrote to him. How much time it had been since they last spoke, touched, and shared laughter.

Why did Athrun never write to him after he moved?

Kira sighed and leaned back, resting his head on the backside of the bench. "Only Athrun would know the answer to this…" The brunet had made sure to write every week to Athrun, even if he would never see those letters.

"Where are you?" The young man muttered hollowly, "For all I know, you could be…dead."

"No…" Clearly troubled, he struggled with his inner thoughts; he clenched his hands into fists. "I have to have more faith than that. I'll wait for you."

"But for how long…?" He felt the prickling sensation of sadness sweep into his body and he lowered his head. "…No. For as long as it takes, I will wait."

Kira got up from the bench, and stretched. "You'll be back. You promised."

He trekked along the path, his lips twitching into a soft smile in the afternoon sunlight; he had left his thoughts and doubts behind at the bench. Twin birds flew out of the trees and the faint chirrups from them were the only sounds in the otherwise calm garden. He strayed from the path and went towards the flowers, touching the lily petals lightly.

"…Kira."

-

So hurry, return; be my other side.

-

He turned his head, and his gaze lingered on the young man; the striking emerald eyes stared at him in surprise. Without breaking eye contact, they walked towards one another. In his hand, the blue-haired man had a vanilla ice cream treat. They stopped a few ways from each other, surveying their best friend's features and how much they changed from their childhood days.

Kira took a step forward just as Athrun's eyes softened; he offered him the ice cream cone. The brunet smiled, feeling the shock wear off, and he took the cold dessert, murmuring softly to him, "You're late."

"Yeah, sorry." He gave him a dreamy grin, tears appearing. "At least…I came."

Violet eyes also lighted with water, he responded, "If you didn't by the end of our lifetime, I would've started looking-"

Athrun embraced him in a warm hug, and all Kira could do was hug him back, dropping the forgotten ice cream cone.

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End

Sorry for adding to the redundancy of the topic about Athrun and Kira parting but the song just fits.

Edit: Oh my god. You found me. -is totally embarrassed haha-

Thank you for your valuable time readers.

Constructive criticism is definitely welcomed.

Spyrit