"What are you planning to do?" Cagalli demanded urgently from Yang Hui.
"Nothing much. Just keeping a promise."
"You bastard!" Cagalli's fury flared again as she took in Yang Hui's indifferent demeanor. "You're courting death!"
"Oh?" Yang Hui replied flatly, his cold tone and attitude startling Cagalli into releasing his collar and stepping back.
"You... Don't you know Naturals can't pilot an MS!? Don't you realize the enemy is—"
"Andrew Waltfeld, the 'Desert Tiger.' So what?" Yang Hui smoothed the wrinkles in his clothes, his expression detached and icy. "Cagalli, you claim we grew up together... but have you ever truly understood me?"
"You—"
Yang Hui ignored Cagalli's outburst and turned to Kira instead.
"Once the battle starts, you and Mu focus on protecting the Archangel. I'll handle the Desert Tiger."
"But the GINN's performance can't match the BuCUE's in the desert," Kira protested, worried. Even a modified GINN wouldn't stand a chance against the BuCUE in sandy terrain. "Why don't you—"
"No. That's your machine." Yang Hui knew Kira wanted to offer him the Strike Gundam and refused outright.
"But you—"
"Relax. A mere tiger won't be the death of me."
Kira remained uneasy and tried to persuade him further, but Yang Hui didn't give him the chance, turning away with Lyle to break free from the crowd.
At that moment, Sai, his expression conflicted, quietly slipped away from Tolle and the others to approach Yang Hui.
"Yang Hui... can a Natural really pilot an MS?"
"...If you're just trying to prove something, I advise you to give up." Yang Hui didn't look up from the data on his PAD as he answered.
Sai's desire to pilot an MS wasn't born of conviction—he simply wanted to prove himself. To prove he wasn't inferior to Kira, to prove he could protect Flay too, and maybe win her back.
But Sai wasn't Kira. Even if OS systems for Naturals became widespread, Sai could never match Kira's prowess.
Kira was unique, whether among Naturals or Coordinators. Not even Athrun could rewrite auxiliary systems mid-battle based on combat conditions like Kira could, let alone match the abilities of the most elite Coordinators.
If it were a stranger, Yang Hui wouldn't care why they wanted to pilot an MS. But Sai was someone he considered a friend, and he didn't want him risking his life over petty rivalry.
"Why!?"
"War isn't a game. You know how intense MS combat is."
"Of course I know! But Kira—"
"You're not Kira. You don't have his resolve, nor have you endured his suffering. And—"
"Just because he's a Coordinator!?"
"..." Yang Hui's fingers paused on the screen, and he lifted his gaze to Sai. "Even among Coordinators, Kira stands at the very top. Do you understand what that means?"
"I... Why... I just wanted... I just didn't want to lose to him..." Sai lowered his head, tears falling, his clenched fists trembling as his nails nearly pierced his palms.
"If Kira died in battle, would you grieve?" Yang Hui asked him.
"Of course not..." Sai wanted to say "I don't," but the final word stuck in his throat. Did he truly hate Kira? Not really. Though he resented Kira for taking Flay from him, what Sai hated more was himself—his inability to fight like Kira, to protect everyone, to protect Flay.
"If you died in battle, Kira would be devastated. Because all of you are the reason he endures the pain to keep fighting—not just Flay alone, but you, Tolle, Miriallia, Katz, Murrue, Mu, Natarle... every single one of you."
The calm voice struck Sai like a hammer, shattering his already fractured resolve into pieces.
"Matters of the heart are your own business. I won't interfere, nor can I. But Sai... I hope you don't forget that while you cause him pain, you're also the ones who've helped him come this far."
In the end, Sai left in a daze, his mind in turmoil, needing solitude.
"I've noticed you've taken quite a liking to twisting the knife in people's hearts lately, Yang Hui. Have you developed a taste for cruelty?" Lyle teased.
"Young people need hardship to grow."
"Heh, you weren't like this before, Yang Hui."
The Yang Hui of the past would help his comrades grow too, but his methods and attitude were far gentler. Before his companions fully matured, he would shoulder all the pressure and fill every gap himself.
But now...
From Kira to Cagalli, from Cagalli to Sai—his approach had grown far more aggressive, pushing them forward with brutal force. Those who couldn't advance would plummet into the abyss.
"So I'm growing too," Yang Hui mused. Though reluctant to admit it, he had become the very kind of person he once despised. He'd realized this long ago, but fate wouldn't let him stop or change course—it kept pushing him relentlessly forward.
"Bullshit! You just refuse to let us share your burden!" Lyle snapped.
"..."
"What if time's short? What if we're short-handed? Is any of this harder than when a dozen of us stood against the whole world?"
"...Sigh."
"So, Yang Hui..." Lyle placed a hand on Yang Hui's shoulder, speaking earnestly. "Stop carrying everything alone. Stop worrying so much about our safety. This is our choice—mine, Setsuna's, Tieria's, even Sumeragi and Wang Liu Mei's. We were prepared the moment we made that choice."
"...I know."
"Then respect us! Yang Hui, you're looking down on our resolve!"
"..."
Yang Hui stared blankly into the campfire, and Lyle lost the will to berate him further. With a scoff, he turned to leave—but not before throwing one last remark over his shoulder that made Yang Hui tremble.
"Sumeragi and Wang Liu Mei have been worried sick about you."
...
Crackle, crackle—
The silent night was broken only by the sound of burning firewood, the mournful wind having stilled entirely.
Yang Hui remained motionless, his gaze fixed on the flames, eyes dull as memories flooded his mind, replaying everything that had led him here.
Gundam 00 World. Having just arrived in a world both familiar and unfamiliar, he joined [Celestial Being] to fight against the world alongside his comrades, gathering hatred before quietly withdrawing with it all.
Gundam AGE World. In an absolutely disadvantageous situation, he researched technology, mentored the younger generation, fought bravely, became a hero, and led his companions through life-and-death crises time and again, ultimately achieving victory in the war.
And now...
Slap!
A sharp slap landed on his own face, the stinging pain bringing clarity back to his lost eyes.
"Tch... I really am... an incompetent commander, aren't I? Mephis."
[Based on the Commander's current behavior and state, affirmative.]
"Haha, when did it even start?" Yang Hui mocked himself.
[According to mission records, the Commander's dereliction of duty began after the incident involving "Yurin L'Ciel."]
"Yurin... huh?"
His thoughts drifted back into memories—the moment Luna Gundam was hit, Yurin's fate unknown. In that instant, Yang Hui's heart seemed to stop, realizing just how terrifying the word "loss" could be.
After that, Yang Hui changed. Even he hadn't noticed the shift. On the surface, he still gathered everyone's strength, keeping them united in their shared efforts.
But in truth, he silently shouldered more and more pressure, taking on greater risks alone.
After arriving in the Gundam SEED world, he resolved to enter the political arena he once despised most, bearing the responsibility of a nation, formulating plans, executing them, and confronting increasingly dark realities with more and more unspeakable orders.
Under the dual pressures of himself and the outside world, he became ruthless, radical, offering little explanation to others and caring even less whether they understood.
[Commander, the reconstruction of Prometheus Fortress is not something you can handle alone.]
"..."
Slap!
Another slap struck his face, forcing himself to sober up further.
"Damn it, when did I become so hesitant? How pathetic!"
Shouting at the sky, he expelled the suffocating weight in his chest. Suddenly, Yang Hui felt his heavy heart lighten, his smile regaining its old brightness and confidence.
"Do what you want! Why overthink it? Lyle!"
"Figured it out?" Lyle stepped out from the shadows nearby. He had never left, only observing from the dark to see if Yang Hui would change.
Just as he once told Graham:
"We test the world, and the world tests us."
Now was no different. It wasn't just the world—as comrades, they too had been watching Yang Hui's changes. If this continued, Lyle would truly have doubted whether his past choices were right.
"Figured it out! To hell with international situations and external pressures! So what if we're up against the whole world? Worst case, we'll do it all over again!"
"Damn right! Worst case, we'll take on the world again! It's not like we haven't done it before!"
"Let's go! Time to sleep. I'm exhausted from all this."
"Bullshit! I'm the one who's exhausted! I'm your damn bodyguard—I have to stay awake even when you're sleeping!"
"Then let's sleep together... Ugh! Disgusting!"
"You bastard! You're the one who said it!"
...
The next day, Yang Hui approached Murrue, Natarle Badgiruel, and Mu again, presenting them with a request.
"I'd like to commission the crew of the Archangel on behalf of Orb. While en route to the Alaska base, please escort me and the young princess of the Athha family of Orb, Cagalli Yula Athha, back to our homeland. In return, Orb will provide the Archangel with supplies."
"Huh!?" X3
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