Heartbeat

(I actually forgot to update. Sorry, sorry.)

Xiao Ran glanced at Cruze, then turned and nodded to the soldiers. Before long, the civilians who had been waiting were lined up under the soldiers' supervision. One by one, they underwent scans and inspections by the sweat-drenched ZAFT soldiers, then boarded the ship after their identities were registered. Seeing the smiles on those civilians' faces, Xiao Ran, standing to one side, could not help but reveal a sincere smile as well.

Not until all the civilians had boarded the Shuttlecraft did Cruze see the Lacus Clyne Xiao Ran had mentioned. He decisively asked, "We have taken in all the civilians as agreed. Where is the Lacus Clyne you are supposed to return?"

"Wait a moment." After speaking, Xiao Ran turned and walked toward the soldiers. As Xiao Ran moved, Cruze's body tensed slightly, but when he saw that Xiao Ran had merely taken a communicator from a soldier, he relaxed again.

"Kira, it's time." After speaking into the communicator, Xiao Ran returned to stand before Cruze. "Lacus Clyne will be handed over to the pilot of the Aegis Gundam after you leave the Archangel. That should be acceptable, right?"

Cruze looked at Xiao Ran, tilted his head with a smile, then turned and boarded the Shuttlecraft. "Of course."

Watching the white Shuttlecraft depart, Xiao Ran returned to the bulkhead door and stood beside Mwu, who had been hiding behind it all along. "It's done."

Recalling Cruze's decisive departure, Mwu asked in confusion, "He just left like that? Does he trust us that much to return Lacus to them?"

Xiao Ran thought for a moment, then shrugged with a smile. "As long as he made a show of it, whether we returned Lacus or not probably did not matter to him at all."

Mwu asked doubtfully, "Why?"

Xiao Ran answered, "I get the feeling he did not care about Lacus's life at all. It would probably have been even better for him if we refused to return her. Then he could rightfully mobilize more ZAFT forces to wipe us out. You have to know, Lacus's father is currently one of PLANT's peace faction leaders. To a certain extent, he is holding ZAFT back."

Mwu fell silent for a while. Perhaps she understood Cruze's intentions as well. If Lacus remained aboard the Archangel, or if anything happened to her aboard the Archangel, then the peace faction would probably turn into a frenzied war faction. If all of PLANT united as one, the current Earth Force truly would not be a match for them.

Shaking her head, Mwu's flowing long hair drifted with the motion. "I'll return to the bridge first. Once Kira and Mu return, we'll leave this sector and head for the rendezvous point with the Eighth Fleet. By then, we can issue the discharge papers for you and Kira to officially leave the Archangel."

Would it really be that easy? Xiao Ran shook his head with a smile, but did not say it aloud. Leaving the hangar and returning to the Living Zone, he found it quiet and peaceful. The civilians who had once gathered in twos and threes out of boredom, chatting or playing cards, were gone. All at once, the Archangel seemed much colder and emptier.

More than ten minutes later, the Strike Gundam and Moebius Zero returned to the Archangel. After a noticeable tremor, the Archangel fired its thrusters at full power and left the sector at maximum speed. Perhaps Lacus and that group of civilians had delayed the ZAFT forces, because after the Archangel departed, ZAFT showed no sign of pursuing them.

The moment Kira returned to the Archangel, he rushed into his room and shut himself in for an entire day. No matter who called for him, he refused to leave. Only the next day did he return to normal.

Three whole days passed peacefully. In everyone's eyes, the Archangel was no longer being pursued by enemies, the enormous burden aboard had been lifted, and they would soon rendezvous with the Eighth Fleet. Though the ship had become quieter, things were generally quite good—at least, filled with joy and relief. Yet amid such an atmosphere, at least two and a half people seemed entirely out of place.

The first was Kira. With Lacus gone, the ship had lost someone who truly understood him, someone who could guide and comfort him. Kira only felt as though something was missing from his heart. When he handed Lacus over to Athrun, he had refused Athrun's request to leave with him. But after returning to the Archangel, he was now forced to endure the loneliness alone after growing used to talking with Lacus, and it made him feel terrible. He did not know what treatment he, a Newtype, would receive once the Archangel joined the Eighth Fleet. Would they restore his civilian status, or have him continue fighting in the Strike Gundam? If possible, with nothing tying him to this ship, he truly wanted to leave just like that—either return to Orb or head for PLANT.

The second was Flay. Having lost her father, she remained silently in her room every day, her expression sometimes conflicted, sometimes pained, sometimes twisted. Flay felt no relief whatsoever. All she had was heaviness, grief, and hatred. She would study everyone who appeared before her with deep, vacant eyes, and she would glare fixedly at Kira with hateful eyes, stabbing once more at Kira's already lonely heart.

As for the last half-person, that was Xiao Ran. He laughed and relaxed with everyone else, but he spent most of his time in the hangar's virtual training machine, diligently training his Piloting Skill and pouring out sweat. Perhaps because his proficiency had increased, Xiao Ran found that he was becoming increasingly adept at piloting D-rank units. His operational mistakes were becoming fewer and fewer, and he could even easily perform maneuvers that had once required most of his concentration.

However, after several days of training, his Piloting Skill proficiency had surprisingly increased by only three points before ceasing to move at all. His Space Combat Proficiency was slightly better, but it was stuck at 49 without any further progress. Realizing that he had likely hit a bottleneck, Xiao Ran stopped wasting time on virtual training.

Just after Xiao Ran returned to his room and cleaned himself up, Mwu summoned him to the bridge. The moment he entered, he heard Bargyll give a light snort. Seeing the expression on her face—clearly acknowledging him but pretending to be dissatisfied—Xiao Ran instantly found it rather amusing.

Although Bargyll often clashed with Xiao Ran, he did not feel the slightest dissatisfaction toward her. He knew exactly what kind of person Bargyll was: cold on the outside, warm on the inside. Everything she said and did carried an unmistakable military bearing. She was conscientious about her duties, and she would sternly condemn things soldiers should not do. Naturally, she disliked Xiao Ran, who often acted in ways that violated the standards expected of a professional soldier. It was not only Xiao Ran—even Mu, with his carefree manner, received the same treatment and was often criticized.

Especially after Xiao Ran took it upon himself to return Lacus to ZAFT, Bargyll, despite understanding the priorities involved, had tacitly accepted his actions. After all, the civilians aboard and the Archangel itself could not be put at risk, and it was also to save the reinforcements. Still, she had her own opinions about the way Xiao Ran had handled it.

Of course, she had not been the one to step forward and turn Lacus into a bargaining chip, so she did not know that all of this should originally have been handled by Bargyll herself. In her heart, she perhaps knew that Xiao Ran's actions had not been wrong in any way. Yet for some reason, Bargyll simply disliked Xiao Ran, who talked more than he acted. More importantly, whenever she argued with him, she had never won. Instead, she only ended up fuming with anger.

It had to be said that even though she was a soldier with exceptional professional discipline, she was still a woman in the end. Sometimes, when a woman was dissatisfied with a man, no matter what that man did, all it would provoke was more dissatisfaction.

Hearing Xiao Ran's voice, Mwu looked up and smiled brightly at him. "You're here. We've already rendezvoused with the Eighth Fleet."

"We've already linked up?" Xiao Ran turned his head in surprise. Beyond the reinforced glass windows, a massive fleet of warships, their red and yellow lights flashing, was practically right before his eyes. Their steel hulls were staggered row after row, arrayed neatly before him. The sheer impact was something one or two warships could never provide.

"Yes. General Harborton will be coming aboard the Archangel soon." Mwu looked rather happy, and her voice was full of delight. "After all, he personally pushed this project forward, so he has high expectations for the Archangel and the Strike Gundam. General Harborton specifically said he wanted to meet you and the industrial university students later."

"Mm, it makes sense for him to meet Kira and the others. They've contributed quite a bit." Xiao Ran nodded with a smile, looking relaxed. "So does joining up with the Eighth Fleet mean we're free now?"

"I've already explained your situation to the general. He will personally come aboard later to announce the arrangements for you, but there's a strong chance he'll agree to let you leave." Mwu smiled softly, then paused and lowered her head. "Um... Xiao Ran..."

Xiao Ran looked at Mwu strangely, feeling his heartbeat speed up. "Hmm?"

Mwu suddenly raised her head and shook it with a smile. "It's nothing... I just wanted to ask where you would want to go after leaving."

Xiao Ran opened his mouth, lowered his head, and rubbed his nose. He casually replied, "Probably back to Orb. I'd still be a teacher."

Hearing Xiao Ran's answer, Mwu looked at him and smiled gently. "Orb... Yes, being a teacher really does suit your personality."

"Right? That's what I've always thought too." Xiao Ran felt as though Mwu was radiating an enticing aura at that moment, making his heart pound uncontrollably. He looked deeply at Mwu, as though he wanted to imprint her in his heart, then forced himself to turn his head away.

Perhaps noticing Xiao Ran's abrupt movement, Mwu stood up. Her full figure trembled with the motion, causing Xiao Ran to hold his breath, as though afraid that even his breathing might disturb her.

Looking at Xiao Ran's somewhat helpless expression, Mwu did not know why, but she felt rather pleased. With a faint smile, she said one sentence before turning and leaving the bridge. "There isn't much time. I still have things to take care of."

Xiao Ran nodded lightly. "Mm."

"Wait for me, Captain." Bargyll rose as well, floated up, and followed Mwu.

Only after the elevator doors closed did Xiao Ran shake his head and sigh. He mocked himself inwardly. Seriously? I felt nothing for someone as popular as Lacus, but I ended up falling for Mwu instead? Is this what someone my age is supposed to like? Sigh, I've probably been holding it in for too long and messed up my brain. What a tragedy. But if you knew we couldn't leave the ship at all, Mwu, would your expression be quite something?