Full Summary:

The city's most prized possession, the Green Diamond, has mysteriously vanished. The situation becomes more frantic when a member of the police has been declared missing as well. Athrun Zala is called upon to solve the mystery of his missing partner and the robbery of the valuable gem. Assigned to work with his partner's younger sister, he finds his hands full. As the mystery unfolds, the two find more challenges to overcome—some unrelated to the task at hand. Will Cagalli and Athrun be able to set aside their differences and solve the building mysteries?

Archerygurl:

Hello my dear readers! How glad I am to see that you're interested to see what this story is all about. I hope I do my part and keep you entertained and guessing. ;)
This story is sure to be full of mystery and suspense.
There will also be humor and romance every now and then since it IS centered around Athrun and Cagalli (themostsuperawesomecoupleever)
Keep me updated as to what you think and what you'd like to see.
Your voice is important to me and, heck, I'm easily influenced...

Disclaimer- I do not own Gundam Seed or anything of the sort. Just the idea for this story. Though I was inspired after watching a show called "48 hours" or something along those lines.

Enjoy!

A Heart's Diamond

Chapter 1

Shocking News


The morning rays shone through the window causing the blonde to stir slightly. She buried her face within her arms before realizing she wasn't lying in her comfy bed. Her eyes flickered open as she looked around the room. Though it hadn't been her intention, she seemed to have fallen asleep in the dining room. Standing abruptly, she made her way to a bedroom. The door was ajar so she let herself in without knocking. To her surprise, the bed was neatly made and a note lay at its head. She lifted up the piece of paper and unfolded it. She grimaced at the nickname, but recognized it as her brother's handwriting.

Hey Cags,

I came in pretty late last night; you were already asleep so I decided not to wake you. Seems things didn't work out as I had planned, but I think I have a lead. What I have so far has led me to Heliopolis. I'll be back by Wednesday. There's no need to worry about the details. I'll be in touch with you soon.

-- Kira

Cagalli smiled. It was just like her brother to worry about her when he was the one out on a dangerous mission. She folded the note back up and placed it in the drawer. There really was no reason to worry. It wasn't the first time he had gone out on his own. On many occasions he would search for his own clues, and most times he would be successful. He was known as 'The Ace', the one who could solve any mystery.

A gentle breeze entered the bedroom through the window. Apparently Kira had kept it open the night before. She shook her head, remembering the times he had lectured her about keeping the windows open while the air conditioning was running. After closing the window, the girl went about her regular morning routine and soon found herself brewing a cup of coffee when the phone rang.

"Hibiki residence, this is Cagalli," the blonde said as she sat at the table and glanced at the newspaper.

"Official as always," the mocking voice came.

"Ah, hey Miriallia," Cagalli said as she read the heading. "What's up?"

"Not much, just pretty bored. And since you're off duty today I figured we could hang out, maybe see a movie or go to the mall?" the brunette suggested in her hopeful voice.

"Sure, just give me an hour and I'll be ready. Can you give me a ride? I think Kira took the car," she asked as she peeked out the window to confirm that the vehicle had been taken.

"Yeah, no problem. See you then."

After hanging up Cagalli skimmed the article that had first caught her attention. It read 'Orb's Precious Emerald Still Not Found'—the very case Kira was currently working to solve. The article stated that the gem had been stolen two days before, in broad daylight. The Orb museum had been hosting its annual exhibition. As such, people from all over the world were touring. Encircled by tourists and security officers, Orb's most prized possession was a sight to behold. Yet it was snatched in less than thirty seconds. Suddenly, in the middle of the crowd's excitement, the lights had shut down. A moment later, the emergency lights had lit up the rooms, but the jewel was nowhere to be seen.

Cagalli, along with other detectives, had been called in to witness the video taken by the security cameras. Even after viewing the tape hundreds of times, the group was unable to retrieve any clues. It simply vanished within seconds; some even began to believe the rumor that it was an act of magic. Still, the case was not to be dropped. Instead, it was assigned to Cagalli's brunette brother and his partner, Athrun Zala. Though Cagalli had longed to be selected for such a mystery, she knew and accepted that it was too sensitive a case for her. She was glad enough that her brother would share any information he received and valued her thoughts as though they were his own.

Setting aside the newspaper, Cagalli decided that it was time to let her own brain relax. She headed for the bathroom to take a nice, long, warm shower before spending the day with Miriallia. After drying her hair and putting on a pair of jeans and a fitted, black tank top, Cagalli was ready for the day ahead. She waited patiently for her friend to arrive. After the bell rang, she opened the door revealing a cheery, blue eyed girl.

"So, how's Kira doing?" Miriallia asked as the two entered the mall.

"He's good, just working on the Green Diamond case," Cagalli replied as she entered the mall.

"Hah, he's probably stressed that nothing's been found out yet," the auburn haired girl teased.

"Actually, I think he's on to something," the blonde replied, causing Miri to glance at her with a surprised expression.

"That's awesome, but hey, let's go to the jewelry store," she said pointing in the direction of the extravagant store.

"Why…? We'll never be able to afford that stuff," Cagalli said crinkling her nose.

"Oh come on, it's just window shopping. Besides, look who's there!" she said as she nudged her head in the direction of two red headed girls. Cagalli nodded and the two walked over to the store. Before making it over they ran into someone unexpected.

"Lacus!" Cagalli said, gaining the pink haired girl's attention. She glanced over at the two girls and smiled before approaching them with a huge bag.

"Shopping, I see," Miriallia joked.

"It's actually business related," Lacus said assuring. When her friends didn't look convinced she continued. "I came in earlier after speaking to the security office. It seems their security cameras have some differences with the ones in the museum. If we can find any significant changes and apply them to our tapes we may be able to obtain essential clues," she finished. Cagalli shook her head and Miri was standing with her mouth agape. "Is there something wrong?"

"Of course you're working diligently on your day off," Cagalli said laughing.

"I don't understand how you guys do it. It's too much for my little brain to handle," Miri said, tapping her head.

"Oh, it's not too difficult. My father always tells me anything can be done so long as you put in the right about of time and planning. Also…" Lacus said, slightly blushing. "I would like to provide as much help as I can to Kira."

Cagalli grinned and nodded. She knew the close bond that had developed between Lacus and her brother after they had both joined the police force. It annoyed her at first, but she grew quite fond of the pink haired detective. The two had even solved a couple of mysteries together. The blonde offered to help Lacus investigate the tapes later and the pink princess beamed in response. By this time one of the two red headed girls had noticed the group of three and waved, motioning for them to enter the store as well.

"Hey Meyrin, whatcha guys up to?" Miri asked as they approached the siblings.

"Onee-chan's dreaming about owning half this store," the girl in pig tails replied as she rolled her eyes.

The older sibling shot Meyrin a glare causing the other girls to giggle. It was true that everything in this store was unreasonably priced.

"It is true though, Luna," Cagalli said, bringing her back to reality. "The only way we could afford any of these pieces is if we all chipped in."

"Just those," Luna said pointing to a pair of diamond earrings. "How much are those?" she asked the clerk.

"This pair sells for $1,500, ma'am," the clerk replied. "Would you like to try them on?"

Luna nodded, her eyes glazed by the sheer beauty of the earrings. Meyrin simply sighed. After trying them on, the girls couldn't help but admire the way it shone in under the right light.

"Maybe when you've retired you'll have enough," Cagalli said patting the magenta haired girl on the shoulder.

"I'd do anything to have them," Luna said, sighing deeply. Meyrin rolled her eyes again and Lacus simply smiled.

"Anything?" Miri asked, grinning.

Luna nodded, her eyes showing a hollow emptiness.

"Miri, stop it," Cagalli scolded, playfully smacking the auburn haired girl on the arm. "I think it's time we leave," she added, gaining nods from the others.

"There's a nice nail salon on the other side of the mall," Meyrin said, hoping the news would bring the girl out of her trance.

"Yes, we can get manicures," Lacus added. She smiled when Lunamaria finally gave in and the five headed over to the salon.

"Cagalli, have you heard anything about the Green Diamond mystery?" Luna asked as she glanced over to where the blonde was sitting.

"Not much really. Kira's still looking into it," she responded, looking up from the sports magazine she was reading.

Cagalli wasn't much of a sports fan, but it beat reading the girly, fashion oriented magazines. While the others were ecstatic to have their nails done, especially since Lacus had offered to pay, Cagalli decided to sit in the waiting area.

"I'm sure it won't take long," Luna assured as she looked at her freshly done nails. "Since Athrun is on the case it'll probably be solved in no time," she added as she blew on the tips.

Cagalli shrugged her shoulders before turning her attention back to the magazine in her hands. Though she flipped through the pages, her mind was elsewhere. Athrun Zala. She had heard that his skills matched those of her brother—and as a team they were unstoppable, but she had never witnessed his skills with her own eyes. She couldn't help but be curious to see how he would approach the case. Lacus' soft voice brought Cagalli back from her thoughts.

"With Kira and Athrun working as a team, I'm sure the mystery will be solved fairly quickly," Lacus said, gaining a nod from Miriallia.

"Is Athrun really that great a detective?" Cagalli asked.

She hadn't realized that her question would result in some disbelieving looks.

"Are you serious?" Luna asked, unsure if she had heard the blonde correctly. "He's like… the most amazing detective.

Cagalli frowned. She had hoped for proof, not some fangirl's perspective. It was obvious that Luna had fallen for his looks. Cagalli herself couldn't help but admire the boy's attractive looks and charm. However, she had long convinced herself that deep down he was some egotistical, shallow individual did what he did to attract girls from all over. She refused to fall for someone of his stature. Lacus saw Cagalli's disappointed look and smiled.

"Together they really are an incredible duo. Not only are they both intelligent, they have an uncanny understanding of one another. Before you joined the police force, there was one case that the two were working on that involved the mystery of a serial killer," she began, gaining the attention of all the girls. "I'm not sure of the details, but Athrun had gotten himself captured on purpose. Somehow, he was able to alert Kira of the details and in no time the criminal was arrested. Their method was a mystery itself," she finished, shaking her head.

"Mr. Zala is incredibly brave," Meyrin said in a dreamy voice.

"Putting himself on the line like that…" Luna said as her voice drifted off.

"They really are something. I sure wouldn't want to mess with them," Miri said as her nails were finished up.

Cagalli nodded. She had heard a similar story to the one Lacus had shared, but she still wondered. Although the boys had a close bond, she didn't understand why Kira would go off on his own to find clues at times. Perhaps both needed their alone time. It perplexed her, but she decided not to worry about it. A couple minutes later everyone was satisfied with their polished nails and it was time to leave the mall. Luna's shift was beginning in a half hour so Miri offered to drive Meyrin home. Lacus, therefore, was to take Cagalli home. Neither minded. They now had time to investigate the information on the mall security cameras.

"Are you sure Kira won't mind that I'm here so late?" Lacus asked as she sat on the couch in the family room.

"Actually, Kira's not here at the moment, but there's no way he'd mind. Especially since it is you we're talking about," Cagalli said as she placed the tape into the VCR.

The pink haired girl's cheeks slightly matched her hair and Cagalli couldn't help but giggle. It was too easy to embarrass Lacus. The two sat and watched the tapes for an hour or so with no significant changes popping up at them.

"If anything, the cameras in the museum have better footage than the ones in the mall," Cagalli said in an obvious tone.

Lacus nodded in response, but the two continued to replay the clips of the jewels disappearance. Another half hour passed before the phone rang. Cagalli sprang up to answer it.

"Hibiki residence… yes, this is Cagalli," she replied as she listened to the caller. Before she could say another word her eyes widened and she felt the strength in her hand drain as the phone fell to the floor. She repeated the words she had just heard in her head, as though it were not possible. The three words she never expected, or wanted, to hear.

"Kira is missing."

Archerygurl:

;0

Did you know it was going to be Kira?!
What's a poor girl to do? Go out and save her brother of course! But not before getting her act together and consulting others.
Expect our favorite blue haired coordinator in the next chapter!
Until next time, ciao!

...

OH, wait wait wait!
I have good news and bad news.

Good News: My birthday's on the 20th of August- 3 days from now! I can't wait!
Nah, it's ok... you don't have to get me a present. ;)
Oh, butttttt, you could be kind enough to click that "submit review" button at the bottom of the page. I would be eternally grateful. 3

Bad News: Education
Yeah, classes are starting up next week. I've got crazy amounts of packing to do. I'm also visiting some friends before we're separated and I'm locked away in my dorm room.
Why this may concern you: I'm not going to be with my beloved computer for a while. ='(

Still, I do promise to update! So please keep your eyes open for that next chapter!