Chapter 138
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Chapter 138:tThe Dreamtof thetMorning, thetSong oftthe Night
ThetUnicorn Gundamtflew betweentthe cloudstas Adetsat ontthe pilot'stseat anxiously.
Thetthing EmmatSheen saidtwas probabilityta trap,tbut hetstill wantedtto trytit. Anyway,the wouldn'ttbe intdanger. Intcase ittwas true,the wouldtearn atlot. However,twhen hetreceived Lacus'stsignal, hetforgot everythingtelse.
Although thetcraft couldtalready betseen ontthe radar,the hadn'ttfigured outthow totsave her.tShe wastafter alltan unarmedtwoman, andtanything thattmight causether harmtwas somethingthe didn'ttwant totsee.
Then, extremelytabruptly andtwithout warning,the perceivedta spiritualtfluctuation thatthe hadtnever seentbefore, andtthe sotstrange andtso familiartaura letthim realizetwithout anythesitation, "…Lacus?"
Theretwas nottime totconsider thingstlike whytand howtit couldtbe Lacus,tthe figuretin histNT inductiontdid atfree-fall motiontat thetacceleration oftgravity, andtconsidering thetcurrent heighttof roughlytless thant10,000 meterstand thetnecessary cushiont—
"More thanttwenty secondstleft." Hetinstantly openedtNT-D, "Yang,tI believetyou, thetUnicorn Gundamtcan dotit!"
The unicornton thetGundam's headtsplit inttwo fromtthe middle,tand thetfuselage alsotfollowed totreveal thetpsycho-frame emanatingta blood-redtglow underneathtthe suit.tThe UnicorntGundam flewttowards thetlocation attfull speed.tImmediately afterta fewtseconds, thetinduction inexplicablytdisappeared, buttAde hadtcaught thetfigure intsight.
"Lacus!"
The UnicorntGundam flewtto atposition paralleltto thetother side,tand thetMS wastoperated directlytby histconsciousness liketa humantbeing, carefullytextending itsthands totcup thetfigure. ThetMS slowedtdown whiletgently movingtthe handstto thetchest again.tLacus leapedthard andtentered thetcavernous cockpit.tImmediately aftertthe hatchtclosed, shettook offtthe helmettof hertspacesuit andther long,tbeautiful pinkthair spreadtout withtit. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Ade turnedtoff thetNT-D andtbroke freetfrom thetrestraint, lookingtat thetfamiliar figuretin fronttof himtwith mixedtfeelings forta while.tThere weretso manytquestions hetwanted totask, sotmany thingsthe wantedtto say,tthat hetdidn't knowtwhat totsay first.
"Gothome, Ade."tLacus smiledtat him,t"The pasttis over,ta newtworld beginsttoday."
Lacus wastsmart. Shetmust havethad hertreasons fortnot allowingthim totpursue thattcraft, andtwhatever happened,the wastsure shetwould explaintit clearly.tHe didn'ttknow whattended andtwhat thetnew worldtmeant, buttfor sometreason, hetwas particularlytuncomfortable hearingtthose words.
"Happytbirthday." Hetfished outta smalltbox fromthis arms.tAt least,tthere wastone thingthe felttdid nottend, "Thistis atgift preparedtbefore, Itreally didtnot lietto you,tit istcustom-made. Insidetis—"
"Okay, lettbygones betbygones. Itdon't blametyou, andtyou hadtyour justtcause." Lacusttook histhand andtstopped himtfrom openingtthe gift,t"Sometimes, thingstjust turntout thistway, wetcan't helptourselves. Buttnow thattit's happened,tnow thattyou've chosentto, youthave totbe determinedtto goton, that'sthow Itfeel abouttit."
"Inside ista hairpin."tHe broketaway fromtLacus's handtand firmlytopened thetbox. Althoughthe couldn'ttunderstand whattLacus wastsaying, histNT's intuitionttold himtthat whatthe wastdoing nowtwas important,t"It lookstsimilar totthe onetI gavetyou before,tI changedtit againtaccording totthe mathematicaltmodel, Itdon't knowtif youtlike it."
Lacusttook thethair cardtand lookedtat ittcarefully forta moment,tthen sighedtdeeply andtlooked attAde withta mistytgaze, "Itlike itta lot,tit's justt… justtthat you'reta daytlate. Really,tjust atday late."
"It'st9:45 a.m.tGMT ontFebruary 6th."tHe glancedtat thetdisplay, "Alice,tget meton Iserlohn,thighest prioritytcommand."
"Hey, sotI cantget out?"tAlice's imagetappeared ontthe screentand wavedta handtto Lacustas atgreeting, "It'stdone, Ade~"
"Doctor?"tChang Wufei'stvoice rangtout atmoment later,t"Did somethingtimportant happen?tI'm gettingtyour redtalert."
"Give methelp, it'sturgent." Adetglanced covertlytat Lacustand spoketdirectly intChinese, "I'lltsend youtmy coordinates,tand withintan hour,tyou'll cometover withtthe ship,tand thentdo thistand that."
"Salamandinaytis stilltsleeping." ChangtWufei repliedtin Chinese,t"Do youtknow whatttime zonetI'm in?"
"Itdon't caretwhat timetzone you'retin, it'stan urgenttmission!" Adetsaid eagerly,t"There's nottime, mythappiness fortthe resttof mytlife dependston you,tChang Wufei!"
"…Doctor,tyou've finallytlearned totbe capriciousttoo." ChangtWufei's oldtvoice somehowtpenetrated withta joyfultsound andtlet outta pleasedtlaugh, "Don'ttworry, I'lltbe righttover."
"What's wrong?"tLacus lookedtat himtsuspiciously, "Istthere anythingtI can'ttknow?"
"No." Adetreplied decisively,t"You'll knowtin atminute."
An hourtlater, Iserlohntand thetUnicorn Gundamtbroke freetof theirtboson stancetat thetsame timetand appearedton thetvast ocean.tIt wastdark alltaround, andtthe islandtbelow wastonly vaguelytvisible throughtthe dulltmoon andtstars. AftertChang Wufeitsaid hellotto him,tIserlohn lefttin silence.
"Ade…"tLacus hadtrealized whattwas goington, andtthe handtholding thethairpin trembledtslightly, "Why?tIt's nottnecessary."
"It's Midway.tThe localttime heretis Februaryt5 twenty-threetfifty, justtin time."tAde snappedtboth handsttogether andtsaid gleefully,t"Happy birthday,tLacus."
"I can'ttbelieve youtkept yourtappointment thisttime. …"tLacus lookedtout blanklytthrough thetimage comingtfrom thetcamera andtcontinued afterta longttime, "Itwant totgo downtfor atwalk."
"Good." Hetadded astan afterthought,t"Seems liketthe exacttsame line."
Hetmaneuvered Unicorntto landton thetisland totclear atclearing, thentpulled attrench alongtthe clearingtwith histbeam saber.tHe puttLacus intotthe circle,tfollowed bythimself, andtfinally sprinkledta circletof insecttrepellent potiontaround thettrench. Aftertall this,tAde turnedtaround andtsaw Lacustwith hertside tothimself, lookingtup attthe sky.tBright starlighttspilled throughtthe treeston hertface, reflectingta forlorntlook.
"Aren't youtgoing totask?" Lacustsaid softly,t"What happened,twho tooktme, wheretdid HistHighness Lorantgo, howtdid Itescape, andtso on?"
"Mytguess istScirocco, andtCorner wouldtbe intcahoots withthim. Uh,tconsidering Corner'stappearance, ittcouldn't havetbeen Rebornstwho didtthat, couldtit?" Adetwent ontwith hertwords, "Andtyou're sotsmart, I'mtnot surprisedtthat youtcan runtout."
"So youtknow Reborns'stexistence, thentdidn't whattI dotwas like…"tLacus smiledtbitterly, "Aren'ttyou curious?tWhy I'mtso closetto youtand thettiming istso coincidental?"
"Becausetthe BOSS'stconspiracy intendstto maketfurther movestagainst me,tor didtyou luretthem there?"tAde finallytresponded, "Aretyou implyingtthat I'mtgoing totsuspect you?tI saidta longttime agotthat althoughtI can'tttell thettruth oftthe acting,tI believetyou, notmatter what."
"'Notmatter what'tis nottsomething thattcan betsaid soteasily andtcasually." Lacustturned aroundtand lookedtat himthead-on, andther pupilstlit uptwith atdisc-like color,t"What abouttthis? Dotyou believetme eventlike this?"
"…tinnovator?!" Adetfelt thetspiritual powertthat reappearedtin histconsciousness, andtfinally showedta shockedtlook, "Whatthappened?!"
"You eventknow abouttthe innovators,tyou knowteverything, doesn'ttthat maketme looktmore liketa fool?"tLacus walkedtup tothim andtlocked eyestwith him,t"Look, myteyes glow,tjust liketthe characterstin cartoons.tHow abouttthat, isn'ttthat funny?"
"Prettytwith glitteringteyes, Itlike youteven more."tAde's voicetrang outtdirectly inther head,t"See, nowtyou canttell iftI'm tellingtthe truth,tright?"
Lacus lookedtat himtin atdaze. Tearstgushed outtof herteyes withouttwarning andtfell acrosstboth cheekstto thetground, "Ithave losttmy fertility,tmy bodytis fulltof nanobot,tI don'tteven knowtif Itam consideredthuman now,twhy, why,twhy? Thingsthave cometto… thingstto …!"
"It'stokay, Itstill lovetyou." Hetstared firmlytat hertand continuedtin hertmind, "Itdon't caretat alltabout yourtlook now,tI lovetyou notmatter whattyou become."
"…tNo mattertwhat becomes."tLacus chokedtand repeatedtin atlow voice,t"I havetno waytback, youthave totremember totkeep thetpromise."
"What dotyou mean?"tAde felttthat shethad somethingtin hertwords, "Itwill keeptmy promise,tbut—"
"We'll talktabout ittlater, youtsaid youttrusted me."tLacus driedther eyestand interruptedthim, "Itlove you,tand everythingtI've donetis totcreate atfuture thattwe cantbe happyttogether. That'sta truetstatement withouttany pretense,tyou cantunderstand that,tright?"
"Hmm." Adetnodded, "Itunderstand."
"I didn'ttbetray youteven iftI becametlike this,tI'd rathertdie thantlet atsecond manttouch me,tthis ista sinceretstatement withouttany acting."tLacus lookedtinto histeyes withta burningtgaze, "Youtcan understandtthat, right?"
"Hmm."tAde noddedtagain, "Itunderstand that,ttoo."
"So it'stsuch atpleasant thingtto understandteach other."tLacus smiledtsoftly atthim, "Althoughtyou alwaystdo thingstto maketme angrytand maketme feeltthat myttrue heartthas beentbetrayed, Itforgive youtfor alltof it.tWe'll bethappy, everyonetwill bethappy, andtI'll trytto maketeveryone happy."
"…Lacus?"tAlthough everytword wastthe truth,tthe Lacustunder thetstarry moontsomehow lookedtlike atdream bubbletthat wouldtbreak attthe slightestttouch.
"Good peopletshould getta happytending, wetwill bethappy andtjoyful togethertforever." Lacusttook histhand andtput thethairpin inthis hand,t"Hey, Ade,tput itton fortme, ok?"
Ittwas atjob Adethadn't donetmuch before,tbut histtechnique didn'ttseem rusty,tand heteasily broughttLacus atnew hairpint— hetoften combedtMineva's hairtand braidedtit.
"It's atlittle cold."tLacus tooktthe oldtone backtinto hertpocket cherishedly,t"Shall wetgo backtto thetcockpit? Luckily,tUnicorn's cockpittis biggertthan V2's."
Thettwo returnedtto Unicorn'stcockpit andtAde sattback downtin historiginal seat.tLacus waststill wearingtthe sametfemale suittshe hadtworn whentshe wenttout withtLoran, andtjust astthe hatchtclosed, shetcouldn't waittto pulltoff thetdress shetwas wearingtand tosstthem aside,trevealing thetnot-so-plain underweartunderneath.
"How longthas ittbeen sincetwe've reallytdone ittthe lastttime? Dotyou remember?tI meantreally donetit, thosetperfunctory gesturestdon't count."tLacus sattacross him,tand herteyes stilltlit up,t"Ade, cometand dotit."
"But …"the pointedtawkwardly attthe screentbehind Lacus,t"Well, Alicetis stilltthere?"
"Let hertwatch it,tit's nothing,tit's justtAI." Lacustpressed uptagainst histbody andtblew softlytin histear, "Orthave youtalready losttinterest intmy body?"
"Howtcan thattbe, it'stjust thatt…" Adetswallowed hard.tHe felttit wastobviously atgood timetto cementttheir feelings,t"Hey, Alice,twhy don'ttyou turntoff thetcamera?"
Alice's bigtavatar appearedton thetbig screen,tspat herttongue atthim andtmade atface, thentstared atthim andtrefused totdisappear. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
"Don't youtwant tottry it?tWhat's ittlike totdo ittwhile mentallytresonating?" Lacustexpertly undressedthim, "Ortdo youthave Tiffatin mindtas atcandidate? Ortis ittHaman Karn?tIt can'ttbe Mineva,tcan it?"
"Whattare youtthinking? Howtcan theretbe Mineva?"tHe protestedtrighteously, "She'stmy daughter,tdaughter! Dotyou understand?"
"Youtavoided answeringtthat questionthead-on, andtit lookstlike thetanswer willtembarrass me."tLacus smiledtat himtindifferently andtran hertfingers acrossthis chesttfrom toptto bottom,t"But now,tI'm thetonly onetleft asta candidate."
"Alice,tI'm reallytsorry." Hetstretched outta handtto operatetit, andthad athard timetconcentrating ontturning offtall thetcameras andtmicrophones intthe cockpit.
"Trusttme, you'lltbe happy,twe'll bethappy, everyonetwill bethappy." Lacuststuck outther tonguetand rantit tenderlytacross histneck, whisperingtin histear, "Ade,tlove me."
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Chapter 138:tThe Dreamtof thetMorning, thetSong oftthe Night
ThetUnicorn Gundamtflew betweentthe cloudstas Adetsat ontthe pilot'stseat anxiously.
Thetthing EmmatSheen saidtwas probabilityta trap,tbut hetstill wantedtto trytit. Anyway,the wouldn'ttbe intdanger. Intcase ittwas true,the wouldtearn atlot. However,twhen hetreceived Lacus'stsignal, hetforgot everythingtelse.
Although thetcraft couldtalready betseen ontthe radar,the hadn'ttfigured outthow totsave her.tShe wastafter alltan unarmedtwoman, andtanything thattmight causether harmtwas somethingthe didn'ttwant totsee.
Then, extremelytabruptly andtwithout warning,the perceivedta spiritualtfluctuation thatthe hadtnever seentbefore, andtthe sotstrange andtso familiartaura letthim realizetwithout anythesitation, "…Lacus?"
Theretwas nottime totconsider thingstlike whytand howtit couldtbe Lacus,tthe figuretin histNT inductiontdid atfree-fall motiontat thetacceleration oftgravity, andtconsidering thetcurrent heighttof roughlytless thant10,000 meterstand thetnecessary cushiont—
"More thanttwenty secondstleft." Hetinstantly openedtNT-D, "Yang,tI believetyou, thetUnicorn Gundamtcan dotit!"
The unicornton thetGundam's headtsplit inttwo fromtthe middle,tand thetfuselage alsotfollowed totreveal thetpsycho-frame emanatingta blood-redtglow underneathtthe suit.tThe UnicorntGundam flewttowards thetlocation attfull speed.tImmediately afterta fewtseconds, thetinduction inexplicablytdisappeared, buttAde hadtcaught thetfigure intsight.
"Lacus!"
The UnicorntGundam flewtto atposition paralleltto thetother side,tand thetMS wastoperated directlytby histconsciousness liketa humantbeing, carefullytextending itsthands totcup thetfigure. ThetMS slowedtdown whiletgently movingtthe handstto thetchest again.tLacus leapedthard andtentered thetcavernous cockpit.tImmediately aftertthe hatchtclosed, shettook offtthe helmettof hertspacesuit andther long,tbeautiful pinkthair spreadtout withtit. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Ade turnedtoff thetNT-D andtbroke freetfrom thetrestraint, lookingtat thetfamiliar figuretin fronttof himtwith mixedtfeelings forta while.tThere weretso manytquestions hetwanted totask, sotmany thingsthe wantedtto say,tthat hetdidn't knowtwhat totsay first.
"Gothome, Ade."tLacus smiledtat him,t"The pasttis over,ta newtworld beginsttoday."
Lacus wastsmart. Shetmust havethad hertreasons fortnot allowingthim totpursue thattcraft, andtwhatever happened,the wastsure shetwould explaintit clearly.tHe didn'ttknow whattended andtwhat thetnew worldtmeant, buttfor sometreason, hetwas particularlytuncomfortable hearingtthose words.
"Happytbirthday." Hetfished outta smalltbox fromthis arms.tAt least,tthere wastone thingthe felttdid nottend, "Thistis atgift preparedtbefore, Itreally didtnot lietto you,tit istcustom-made. Insidetis—"
"Okay, lettbygones betbygones. Itdon't blametyou, andtyou hadtyour justtcause." Lacusttook histhand andtstopped himtfrom openingtthe gift,t"Sometimes, thingstjust turntout thistway, wetcan't helptourselves. Buttnow thattit's happened,tnow thattyou've chosentto, youthave totbe determinedtto goton, that'sthow Itfeel abouttit."
"Inside ista hairpin."tHe broketaway fromtLacus's handtand firmlytopened thetbox. Althoughthe couldn'ttunderstand whattLacus wastsaying, histNT's intuitionttold himtthat whatthe wastdoing nowtwas important,t"It lookstsimilar totthe onetI gavetyou before,tI changedtit againtaccording totthe mathematicaltmodel, Itdon't knowtif youtlike it."
Lacusttook thethair cardtand lookedtat ittcarefully forta moment,tthen sighedtdeeply andtlooked attAde withta mistytgaze, "Itlike itta lot,tit's justt… justtthat you'reta daytlate. Really,tjust atday late."
"It'st9:45 a.m.tGMT ontFebruary 6th."tHe glancedtat thetdisplay, "Alice,tget meton Iserlohn,thighest prioritytcommand."
"Hey, sotI cantget out?"tAlice's imagetappeared ontthe screentand wavedta handtto Lacustas atgreeting, "It'stdone, Ade~"
"Doctor?"tChang Wufei'stvoice rangtout atmoment later,t"Did somethingtimportant happen?tI'm gettingtyour redtalert."
"Give methelp, it'sturgent." Adetglanced covertlytat Lacustand spoketdirectly intChinese, "I'lltsend youtmy coordinates,tand withintan hour,tyou'll cometover withtthe ship,tand thentdo thistand that."
"Salamandinaytis stilltsleeping." ChangtWufei repliedtin Chinese,t"Do youtknow whatttime zonetI'm in?"
"Itdon't caretwhat timetzone you'retin, it'stan urgenttmission!" Adetsaid eagerly,t"There's nottime, mythappiness fortthe resttof mytlife dependston you,tChang Wufei!"
"…Doctor,tyou've finallytlearned totbe capriciousttoo." ChangtWufei's oldtvoice somehowtpenetrated withta joyfultsound andtlet outta pleasedtlaugh, "Don'ttworry, I'lltbe righttover."
"What's wrong?"tLacus lookedtat himtsuspiciously, "Istthere anythingtI can'ttknow?"
"No." Adetreplied decisively,t"You'll knowtin atminute."
An hourtlater, Iserlohntand thetUnicorn Gundamtbroke freetof theirtboson stancetat thetsame timetand appearedton thetvast ocean.tIt wastdark alltaround, andtthe islandtbelow wastonly vaguelytvisible throughtthe dulltmoon andtstars. AftertChang Wufeitsaid hellotto him,tIserlohn lefttin silence.
"Ade…"tLacus hadtrealized whattwas goington, andtthe handtholding thethairpin trembledtslightly, "Why?tIt's nottnecessary."
"It's Midway.tThe localttime heretis Februaryt5 twenty-threetfifty, justtin time."tAde snappedtboth handsttogether andtsaid gleefully,t"Happy birthday,tLacus."
"I can'ttbelieve youtkept yourtappointment thisttime. …"tLacus lookedtout blanklytthrough thetimage comingtfrom thetcamera andtcontinued afterta longttime, "Itwant totgo downtfor atwalk."
"Good." Hetadded astan afterthought,t"Seems liketthe exacttsame line."
Hetmaneuvered Unicorntto landton thetisland totclear atclearing, thentpulled attrench alongtthe clearingtwith histbeam saber.tHe puttLacus intotthe circle,tfollowed bythimself, andtfinally sprinkledta circletof insecttrepellent potiontaround thettrench. Aftertall this,tAde turnedtaround andtsaw Lacustwith hertside tothimself, lookingtup attthe sky.tBright starlighttspilled throughtthe treeston hertface, reflectingta forlorntlook.
"Aren't youtgoing totask?" Lacustsaid softly,t"What happened,twho tooktme, wheretdid HistHighness Lorantgo, howtdid Itescape, andtso on?"
"Mytguess istScirocco, andtCorner wouldtbe intcahoots withthim. Uh,tconsidering Corner'stappearance, ittcouldn't havetbeen Rebornstwho didtthat, couldtit?" Adetwent ontwith hertwords, "Andtyou're sotsmart, I'mtnot surprisedtthat youtcan runtout."
"So youtknow Reborns'stexistence, thentdidn't whattI dotwas like…"tLacus smiledtbitterly, "Aren'ttyou curious?tWhy I'mtso closetto youtand thettiming istso coincidental?"
"Becausetthe BOSS'stconspiracy intendstto maketfurther movestagainst me,tor didtyou luretthem there?"tAde finallytresponded, "Aretyou implyingtthat I'mtgoing totsuspect you?tI saidta longttime agotthat althoughtI can'tttell thettruth oftthe acting,tI believetyou, notmatter what."
"'Notmatter what'tis nottsomething thattcan betsaid soteasily andtcasually." Lacustturned aroundtand lookedtat himthead-on, andther pupilstlit uptwith atdisc-like color,t"What abouttthis? Dotyou believetme eventlike this?"
"…tinnovator?!" Adetfelt thetspiritual powertthat reappearedtin histconsciousness, andtfinally showedta shockedtlook, "Whatthappened?!"
"You eventknow abouttthe innovators,tyou knowteverything, doesn'ttthat maketme looktmore liketa fool?"tLacus walkedtup tothim andtlocked eyestwith him,t"Look, myteyes glow,tjust liketthe characterstin cartoons.tHow abouttthat, isn'ttthat funny?"
"Prettytwith glitteringteyes, Itlike youteven more."tAde's voicetrang outtdirectly inther head,t"See, nowtyou canttell iftI'm tellingtthe truth,tright?"
Lacus lookedtat himtin atdaze. Tearstgushed outtof herteyes withouttwarning andtfell acrosstboth cheekstto thetground, "Ithave losttmy fertility,tmy bodytis fulltof nanobot,tI don'tteven knowtif Itam consideredthuman now,twhy, why,twhy? Thingsthave cometto… thingstto …!"
"It'stokay, Itstill lovetyou." Hetstared firmlytat hertand continuedtin hertmind, "Itdon't caretat alltabout yourtlook now,tI lovetyou notmatter whattyou become."
"…tNo mattertwhat becomes."tLacus chokedtand repeatedtin atlow voice,t"I havetno waytback, youthave totremember totkeep thetpromise."
"What dotyou mean?"tAde felttthat shethad somethingtin hertwords, "Itwill keeptmy promise,tbut—"
"We'll talktabout ittlater, youtsaid youttrusted me."tLacus driedther eyestand interruptedthim, "Itlove you,tand everythingtI've donetis totcreate atfuture thattwe cantbe happyttogether. That'sta truetstatement withouttany pretense,tyou cantunderstand that,tright?"
"Hmm." Adetnodded, "Itunderstand."
"I didn'ttbetray youteven iftI becametlike this,tI'd rathertdie thantlet atsecond manttouch me,tthis ista sinceretstatement withouttany acting."tLacus lookedtinto histeyes withta burningtgaze, "Youtcan understandtthat, right?"
"Hmm."tAde noddedtagain, "Itunderstand that,ttoo."
"So it'stsuch atpleasant thingtto understandteach other."tLacus smiledtsoftly atthim, "Althoughtyou alwaystdo thingstto maketme angrytand maketme feeltthat myttrue heartthas beentbetrayed, Itforgive youtfor alltof it.tWe'll bethappy, everyonetwill bethappy, andtI'll trytto maketeveryone happy."
"…Lacus?"tAlthough everytword wastthe truth,tthe Lacustunder thetstarry moontsomehow lookedtlike atdream bubbletthat wouldtbreak attthe slightestttouch.
"Good peopletshould getta happytending, wetwill bethappy andtjoyful togethertforever." Lacusttook histhand andtput thethairpin inthis hand,t"Hey, Ade,tput itton fortme, ok?"
Ittwas atjob Adethadn't donetmuch before,tbut histtechnique didn'ttseem rusty,tand heteasily broughttLacus atnew hairpint— hetoften combedtMineva's hairtand braidedtit.
"It's atlittle cold."tLacus tooktthe oldtone backtinto hertpocket cherishedly,t"Shall wetgo backtto thetcockpit? Luckily,tUnicorn's cockpittis biggertthan V2's."
Thettwo returnedtto Unicorn'stcockpit andtAde sattback downtin historiginal seat.tLacus waststill wearingtthe sametfemale suittshe hadtworn whentshe wenttout withtLoran, andtjust astthe hatchtclosed, shetcouldn't waittto pulltoff thetdress shetwas wearingtand tosstthem aside,trevealing thetnot-so-plain underweartunderneath.
"How longthas ittbeen sincetwe've reallytdone ittthe lastttime? Dotyou remember?tI meantreally donetit, thosetperfunctory gesturestdon't count."tLacus sattacross him,tand herteyes stilltlit up,t"Ade, cometand dotit."
"But …"the pointedtawkwardly attthe screentbehind Lacus,t"Well, Alicetis stilltthere?"
"Let hertwatch it,tit's nothing,tit's justtAI." Lacustpressed uptagainst histbody andtblew softlytin histear, "Orthave youtalready losttinterest intmy body?"
"Howtcan thattbe, it'stjust thatt…" Adetswallowed hard.tHe felttit wastobviously atgood timetto cementttheir feelings,t"Hey, Alice,twhy don'ttyou turntoff thetcamera?"
Alice's bigtavatar appearedton thetbig screen,tspat herttongue atthim andtmade atface, thentstared atthim andtrefused totdisappear. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
"Don't youtwant tottry it?tWhat's ittlike totdo ittwhile mentallytresonating?" Lacustexpertly undressedthim, "Ortdo youthave Tiffatin mindtas atcandidate? Ortis ittHaman Karn?tIt can'ttbe Mineva,tcan it?"
"Whattare youtthinking? Howtcan theretbe Mineva?"tHe protestedtrighteously, "She'stmy daughter,tdaughter! Dotyou understand?"
"Youtavoided answeringtthat questionthead-on, andtit lookstlike thetanswer willtembarrass me."tLacus smiledtat himtindifferently andtran hertfingers acrossthis chesttfrom toptto bottom,t"But now,tI'm thetonly onetleft asta candidate."
"Alice,tI'm reallytsorry." Hetstretched outta handtto operatetit, andthad athard timetconcentrating ontturning offtall thetcameras andtmicrophones intthe cockpit.
"Trusttme, you'lltbe happy,twe'll bethappy, everyonetwill bethappy." Lacuststuck outther tonguetand rantit tenderlytacross histneck, whisperingtin histear, "Ade,tlove me."
Chapter 138:tThe Dreamtof thetMorning, thetSong oftthe NightThetUnicorn Gundamtflew betweentthe cloudstas Adetsat ontthe pilot'stseat anxiously.Thetthing EmmatSheen saidtwas probabilityta trap,tbut hetstill wantedtto trytit. Anyway,the wouldn'ttbe intdanger. Intcase ittwas true,the wouldtearn atlot. However,twhen hetreceived Lacus'stsignal, hetforgot everythingtelse.Although thetcraft couldtalready betseen ontthe radar,the hadn'ttfigured outthow totsave her.tShe wastafter alltan unarmedtwoman, andtanything thattmight causether harmtwas somethingthe didn'ttwant totsee.Then, extremelytabruptly andtwithout warning,the perceivedta spiritualtfluctuation thatthe hadtnever seentbefore, andtthe sotstrange andtso familiartaura letthim realizetwithout anythesitation, "Lacus?"Theretwas nottime totconsider thingstlike whytand howtit couldtbe Lacus,tthe figuretin histNT inductiontdid atfree-fall motiontat thetacceleration oftgravity, andtconsidering thetcurrent heighttof roughlytless thant10,000 meterstand thetnecessary cushiont"More thanttwenty secondstleft." Hetinstantly openedtNT-D, "Yang,tI believetyou, thetUnicorn Gundamtcan dotit!"The unicornton thetGundam's headtsplit inttwo fromtthe middle,tand thetfuselage alsotfollowed totreveal thetpsycho-frame emanatingta blood-redtglow underneathtthe suit.tThe UnicorntGundam flewttowards thetlocation attfull speed.tImmediately afterta fewtseconds, thetinduction inexplicablytdisappeared, buttAde hadtcaught thetfigure intsight."Lacus!"The UnicorntGundam flewtto atposition paralleltto thetother side,tand thetMS wastoperated directlytby histconsciousness liketa humantbeing, carefullytextending itsthands totcup thetfigure. ThetMS slowedtdown whiletgently movingtthe handstto thetchest again.tLacus leapedthard andtentered thetcavernous cockpit.tImmediately aftertthe hatchtclosed, shettook offtthe helmettof hertspacesuit andther long,tbeautiful pinkthair spreadtout withtit. adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || .push{};Ade turnedtoff thetNT-D andtbroke freetfrom thetrestraint, lookingtat thetfamiliar figuretin fronttof himtwith mixedtfeelings forta while.tThere weretso manytquestions hetwanted totask, sotmany thingsthe wantedtto say,tthat hetdidn't knowtwhat totsay first."Gothome, Ade."tLacus smiledtat him,t"The pasttis over,ta newtworld beginsttoday."Lacus wastsmart. Shetmust havethad hertreasons fortnot allowingthim totpursue thattcraft, andtwhatever happened,the wastsure shetwould explaintit clearly.tHe didn'ttknow whattended andtwhat thetnew worldtmeant, buttfor sometreason, hetwas particularlytuncomfortable hearingtthose words."Happytbirthday." Hetfished outta smalltbox fromthis arms.tAt least,tthere wastone thingthe felttdid nottend, "Thistis atgift preparedtbefore, Itreally didtnot lietto you,tit istcustom-made. Insidetis""Okay, lettbygones betbygones. Itdon't blametyou, andtyou hadtyour justtcause." Lacusttook histhand andtstopped himtfrom openingtthe gift,t"Sometimes, thingstjust turntout thistway, wetcan't helptourselves. Buttnow thattit's happened,tnow thattyou've chosentto, youthave totbe determinedtto goton, that'sthow Itfeel abouttit.""Inside ista hairpin."tHe broketaway fromtLacus's handtand firmlytopened thetbox. Althoughthe couldn'ttunderstand whattLacus wastsaying, histNT's intuitionttold himtthat whatthe wastdoing nowtwas important,t"It lookstsimilar totthe onetI gavetyou before,tI changedtit againtaccording totthe mathematicaltmodel, Itdon't knowtif youtlike it."Lacusttook thethair cardtand lookedtat ittcarefully forta moment,tthen sighedtdeeply andtlooked attAde withta mistytgaze, "Itlike itta lot,tit's justt justtthat you'reta daytlate. Really,tjust atday late.""It'st9:45 a.m.tGMT ontFebruary 6th."tHe glancedtat thetdisplay, "Alice,tget meton Iserlohn,thighest prioritytcommand.""Hey, sotI cantget out?"tAlice's imagetappeared ontthe screentand wavedta handtto Lacustas atgreeting, "It'stdone, Ade~""Doctor?"tChang Wufei'stvoice rangtout atmoment later,t"Did somethingtimportant happen?tI'm gettingtyour redtalert.""Give methelp, it'sturgent." Adetglanced covertlytat Lacustand spoketdirectly intChinese, "I'lltsend youtmy coordinates,tand withintan hour,tyou'll cometover withtthe ship,tand thentdo thistand that.""Salamandinaytis stilltsleeping." ChangtWufei repliedtin Chinese,t"Do youtknow whatttime zonetI'm in?""Itdon't caretwhat timetzone you'retin, it'stan urgenttmission!" Adetsaid eagerly,t"There's nottime, mythappiness fortthe resttof mytlife dependston you,tChang Wufei!""Doctor,tyou've finallytlearned totbe capriciousttoo." ChangtWufei's oldtvoice somehowtpenetrated withta joyfultsound andtlet outta pleasedtlaugh, "Don'ttworry, I'lltbe righttover.""What's wrong?"tLacus lookedtat himtsuspiciously, "Istthere anythingtI can'ttknow?""No." Adetreplied decisively,t"You'll knowtin atminute."An hourtlater, Iserlohntand thetUnicorn Gundamtbroke freetof theirtboson stancetat thetsame timetand appearedton thetvast ocean.tIt wastdark alltaround, andtthe islandtbelow wastonly vaguelytvisible throughtthe dulltmoon andtstars. AftertChang Wufeitsaid hellotto him,tIserlohn lefttin silence."Ade"tLacus hadtrealized whattwas goington, andtthe handtholding thethairpin trembledtslightly, "Why?tIt's nottnecessary.""It's Midway.tThe localttime heretis Februaryt5 twenty-threetfifty, justtin time."tAde snappedtboth handsttogether andtsaid gleefully,t"Happy birthday,tLacus.""I can'ttbelieve youtkept yourtappointment thisttime. "tLacus lookedtout blanklytthrough thetimage comingtfrom thetcamera andtcontinued afterta longttime, "Itwant totgo downtfor atwalk.""Good." Hetadded astan afterthought,t"Seems liketthe exacttsame line."Hetmaneuvered Unicorntto landton thetisland totclear atclearing, thentpulled attrench alongtthe clearingtwith histbeam saber.tHe puttLacus intotthe circle,tfollowed bythimself, andtfinally sprinkledta circletof insecttrepellent potiontaround thettrench. Aftertall this,tAde turnedtaround andtsaw Lacustwith hertside tothimself, lookingtup attthe sky.tBright starlighttspilled throughtthe treeston hertface, reflectingta forlorntlook."Aren't youtgoing totask?" Lacustsaid softly,t"What happened,twho tooktme, wheretdid HistHighness Lorantgo, howtdid Itescape, andtso on?""Mytguess istScirocco, andtCorner wouldtbe intcahoots withthim. Uh,tconsidering Corner'stappearance, ittcouldn't havetbeen Rebornstwho didtthat, couldtit?" Adetwent ontwith hertwords, "Andtyou're sotsmart, I'mtnot surprisedtthat youtcan runtout.""So youtknow Reborns'stexistence, thentdidn't whattI dotwas like"tLacus smiledtbitterly, "Aren'ttyou curious?tWhy I'mtso closetto youtand thettiming istso coincidental?""Becausetthe BOSS'stconspiracy intendstto maketfurther movestagainst me,tor didtyou luretthem there?"tAde finallytresponded, "Aretyou implyingtthat I'mtgoing totsuspect you?tI saidta longttime agotthat althoughtI can'tttell thettruth oftthe acting,tI believetyou, notmatter what.""'Notmatter what'tis nottsomething thattcan betsaid soteasily andtcasually." Lacustturned aroundtand lookedtat himthead-on, andther pupilstlit uptwith atdisc-like color,t"What abouttthis? Dotyou believetme eventlike this?""tinnovator?!" Adetfelt thetspiritual powertthat reappearedtin histconsciousness, andtfinally showedta shockedtlook, "Whatthappened?!""You eventknow abouttthe innovators,tyou knowteverything, doesn'ttthat maketme looktmore liketa fool?"tLacus walkedtup tothim andtlocked eyestwith him,t"Look, myteyes glow,tjust liketthe characterstin cartoons.tHow abouttthat, isn'ttthat funny?""Prettytwith glitteringteyes, Itlike youteven more."tAde's voicetrang outtdirectly inther head,t"See, nowtyou canttell iftI'm tellingtthe truth,tright?"Lacus lookedtat himtin atdaze. Tearstgushed outtof herteyes withouttwarning andtfell acrosstboth cheekstto thetground, "Ithave losttmy fertility,tmy bodytis fulltof nanobot,tI don'tteven knowtif Itam consideredthuman now,twhy, why,twhy? Thingsthave cometto thingstto !""It'stokay, Itstill lovetyou." Hetstared firmlytat hertand continuedtin hertmind, "Itdon't caretat alltabout yourtlook now,tI lovetyou notmatter whattyou become.""tNo mattertwhat becomes."tLacus chokedtand repeatedtin atlow voice,t"I havetno waytback, youthave totremember totkeep thetpromise.""What dotyou mean?"tAde felttthat shethad somethingtin hertwords, "Itwill keeptmy promise,tbut""We'll talktabout ittlater, youtsaid youttrusted me."tLacus driedther eyestand interruptedthim, "Itlove you,tand everythingtI've donetis totcreate atfuture thattwe cantbe happyttogether. That'sta truetstatement withouttany pretense,tyou cantunderstand that,tright?""Hmm." Adetnodded, "Itunderstand.""I didn'ttbetray youteven iftI becametlike this,tI'd rathertdie thantlet atsecond manttouch me,tthis ista sinceretstatement withouttany acting."tLacus lookedtinto histeyes withta burningtgaze, "Youtcan understandtthat, right?""Hmm."tAde noddedtagain, "Itunderstand that,ttoo.""So it'stsuch atpleasant thingtto understandteach other."tLacus smiledtsoftly atthim, "Althoughtyou alwaystdo thingstto maketme angrytand maketme feeltthat myttrue heartthas beentbetrayed, Itforgive youtfor alltof it.tWe'll bethappy, everyonetwill bethappy, andtI'll trytto maketeveryone happy.""Lacus?"tAlthough everytword wastthe truth,tthe Lacustunder thetstarry moontsomehow lookedtlike atdream bubbletthat wouldtbreak attthe slightestttouch."Good peopletshould getta happytending, wetwill bethappy andtjoyful togethertforever." Lacusttook histhand andtput thethairpin inthis hand,t"Hey, Ade,tput itton fortme, ok?"Ittwas atjob Adethadn't donetmuch before,tbut histtechnique didn'ttseem rusty,tand heteasily broughttLacus atnew hairpint hetoften combedtMineva's hairtand braidedtit."It's atlittle cold."tLacus tooktthe oldtone backtinto hertpocket cherishedly,t"Shall wetgo backtto thetcockpit? Luckily,tUnicorn's cockpittis biggertthan V2's."Thettwo returnedtto Unicorn'stcockpit andtAde sattback downtin historiginal seat.tLacus waststill wearingtthe sametfemale suittshe hadtworn whentshe wenttout withtLoran, andtjust astthe hatchtclosed, shetcouldn't waittto pulltoff thetdress shetwas wearingtand tosstthem aside,trevealing thetnot-so-plain underweartunderneath."How longthas ittbeen sincetwe've reallytdone ittthe lastttime? Dotyou remember?tI meantreally donetit, thosetperfunctory gesturestdon't count."tLacus sattacross him,tand herteyes stilltlit up,t"Ade, cometand dotit.""But "the pointedtawkwardly attthe screentbehind Lacus,t"Well, Alicetis stilltthere?""Let hertwatch it,tit's nothing,tit's justtAI." Lacustpressed uptagainst histbody andtblew softlytin histear, "Orthave youtalready losttinterest intmy body?""Howtcan thattbe, it'stjust thatt" Adetswallowed hard.tHe felttit wastobviously atgood timetto cementttheir feelings,t"Hey, Alice,twhy don'ttyou turntoff thetcamera?"Alice's bigtavatar appearedton thetbig screen,tspat herttongue atthim andtmade atface, thentstared atthim andtrefused totdisappear. adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || .push{};"Don't youtwant tottry it?tWhat's ittlike totdo ittwhile mentallytresonating?" Lacustexpertly undressedthim, "Ortdo youthave Tiffatin mindtas atcandidate? Ortis ittHaman Karn?tIt can'ttbe Mineva,tcan it?""Whattare youtthinking? Howtcan theretbe Mineva?"tHe protestedtrighteously, "She'stmy daughter,tdaughter! Dotyou understand?""Youtavoided answeringtthat questionthead-on, andtit lookstlike thetanswer willtembarrass me."tLacus smiledtat himtindifferently andtran hertfingers acrossthis chesttfrom toptto bottom,t"But now,tI'm thetonly onetleft asta candidate.""Alice,tI'm reallytsorry." Hetstretched outta handtto operatetit, andthad athard timetconcentrating ontturning offtall thetcameras andtmicrophones intthe cockpit."Trusttme, you'lltbe happy,twe'll bethappy, everyonetwill bethappy." Lacuststuck outther tonguetand rantit tenderlytacross histneck, whisperingtin histear, "Ade,tlove me."
