For those that are sitting there, and going... "Another engagement story, this is so typical/unoriginal." Believe it or not, it's supposed to be. In my British literature class, we were studying comedies, and how structured they are. And even though they have to have similar ideas behind them, they can all turn out delightfully unique.

And so I present, my own attempt at a traditional comedy. This is one of those things, that I plan on continuing no matter how many reviews I get, simply because it's my own writing experiment: A challenge in making something original, out of a mold.

If it gets a little crazy, my apologies. I'm just... like that. In terms of setting, I'm thinking Victorian here, but this could end up completely historically inaccurate, so don't lean on that idea too much.

Author's note at the bottom addresses my two other stories, and how I plan to manage them all.

Now, onwards!

"You've got to be kidding me..." Cagalli muttered in disbelief.

"No."

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

The thought took a moment to register, before she grabbed the nearest irreplaceably expensive object and attempted to break it, quickly held back by a mob of servants.

"Priceless... Ming...Vase!"

"Please put it down Miss!"

"There's no way I'm going to-!"

And that's the last thing she remembered... before hitting her head on the side of a table during the struggle and passing out, only to wake up in her bedroom. Shooting up on her bed like an arrow, she bolted to the door. Locked.

Trapped.

Slowly backing away from the door, she frowned for a moment, before retreating to her bed and flumping back onto the mattress, pulling a pillow over her head and muffling swears into it.

Uzumi Athha stared at the grandfather clock's pendulum as it swung back and forth. It was an heirloom, probably the oldest in the house, and definitely old-fashioned.

Then again, maybe he was old-fashioned too. Not that he meant to be... Back then, perhaps he had just been a bit too worried to think clearly. Or he just wasn't thinking.

In any case, all that he could to was watch the minutes pass by, until they would be here. The people he hadn't seen in almost 15 years.

The family that was soon going to join his household. After all, it was their son that his daughter was supposed to marry.

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Cagalli punched her pillow for the n-th time, completely frustrated. How had she forgotten! No, she hadn't forgotten! Her father hadn't reminded her! Besides, this wasn't really the type of thing to spring on a girl!

The fact she was engaged? Oh yeah, definitely one not the most wonderful surprises. Unique, yes but wonderful? Hardly.

It probably measured as high up on the "wonderful scale" as getting wisdom teeth out, or shaving rabid lions with a rusty razor.

Because apparently, in just half an hour, she would be meeting the guy she had never known... But had been engaged to for... HOW LONG? A good 15 years! What a surprise to spring on a girl... Happy 21st birthday Cagalli! You're engaged! And they're coming to meet you, RIGHT NOW!

Shudder. Gag. Suicide...

Or escape.

She carefully examined her options. The door was locked... but there was still the window. Walking over to it, she peeked outside. No guards... Then again this was the second floor so it'd be a painful fall anyways... Unless she got something to break her fall or something.

The wheel in her brain started turning as she began to eye the purple drapes flanking the window...

The doorbell rang. Lord Uzumi took a deep breath, and motioned for a servant to answer it. Then, making an earnest effort to compose himself, he walked into the large foyer.

"Welcome, welcome! It's wonderful to see you all."

A rather tall woman nodded, then took a long glance of the house. "What a quaint house… I suppose she'll be coming to live with us then. Where is my daughter-to-be?"

Uzumi winced... hopefully not visibly. Cagalli was his daughter. Only his. And from that sentence alone, he could tell that the family hadn't changed, and that Cagalli was going to hate them.

"It's just the two of us, so the house is big enough. And my daughter is upstairs in her room, getting ready. Shall I send for her?"

The woman's husband shook his head. "I'll send someone." Nodding to the young blue-haired man beside him, he then began to follow Uzumi into the living room. Uzumi paused for a moment, studying the young man. He seemed familiar... reminded him of someone...

But it couldn't be.

Shaking the thought out of his head, he turned and continued walking forward.

The young blue-haired man walked calmly up the stairs, pausing occasionally to study a hanging painting, or ask a servant for directions to the young lady's room. To be honest, he wasn't terribly young. He was twenty-one, the same age as Lord Uzumi's daughter, if he remembered. Stopping in front of the door he was directed too, he took a deep breath and knocked.

"Hello? I've been sent to call you down."

"Wha-! You're here already! Just, go downstairs and wait! Don't come in!"

The young man frowned slightly, feeling sympathetic. She sounded rather hectic, and distressed. She must be frantic.

"I'm afraid I can't, Miss. I've been instructed to take you down directly."

"I don't care! I'll be there in a minute!" She insisted.

Sighing, he placed a hand on the doorknob, only to find it... unlocked? Well, from the outside at least. So this young lady had been locked in? Well then, she definitely couldn't come downstairs on her own.

He took a deep breath.

"I'm going to come in now. My apologies, but if I don't take you downstairs-"

Swinging the door open, he momentarily forgot the breath. Because it appeared that... the young woman was halfway out the window!

Dashing over, the door swung shut firmly behind him. Trying the knob he numbed with shock. Locked. He'd just locked HIMSELF in! Turning around, he made a bolt for the window, just in time to see her... JUMP OUT!

He grabbed the girl's hand, and started to pull her up. "Miss, I know that you must be very nervous, but I assure you that-"

"NERVOUS! I'm not nervous, I'm FURIOUS! I wouldn't go downstairs if my life depended on it!" She retorted angrily.

"I think right now it does!" He hastily pointed out, beginning to try to pull her up. "Taking your own life is not the answer!"

"Hey! What are you doing! I'm not trying to kill myself! I want to GO! Leave! Not get back up! Let me go!" She protested hotly.

"I definitely can't just let you fall out a window!" He explained, still trying to pull her up.

"LET GO! I made a rope with the drapes! I'll be fine!" She cried, leaning down with all her weight. She felt his grip slip a little and smiled.

The young man paled. His grip was slipping! He quickly clamped his other hand onto her wrist and pulled again. "Even if you won't die, I can't let you escape either!"

"Don't tell me you WANT to marry me! Just let me go and we can get this silly engagement business past both of us!" She insisted, frowning at how both his hands now had a firm hold of her right arm.

Suddenly, the sound of something ripping caught both their attention. Instinctively they both looked down to check their own clothing then looking back up, noticing the tear in the drapes, now makeshift rope. Their eyes widened simultaneously, and both began pulling as hard as possible in opposite directions.

"Let GO!"

"I CAN'T!"

"LET ME GO!"

"I WON'T!"

"Gravity IS on my side you know!" She cried, planting both feet against the brick wall and pushing against it for leverage, praying that no one was outside, and could see her.

"But I'm male! I'm supposed to be stronger!" He protested, pulling hard into the building.

"Wha- What kind of attitude is that! You chauvinistic jerk!" She cried, now trying to swat away his hands with her free arm.

Another tearing noise.

"The rope's about to snap! What part of 'LET GO' do you not understand!"

"What part of 'I CAN'T' do you not understand?"

Suddenly, a distant voice interrupted their argument.

"Cagalli! Why aren't you downstairs yet!"

Cold blood drained through their faces, and they exchanged a frantic look. Taking this opportunity, Cagalli pulled her arm with all her strength. He didn't budge an inch.

"Let go! You're going to break my arm off!" She snapped. He was momentarily fazed in shock, and almost let go. Using the slight -pardon the pun- window of opportunity, she swung herself downwards. The young man, still holding onto her arm, felt himself slip... OUT THE WINDOW!

"OH NO YOU DON'T!"

"OH YES I DO! If you won't let go, then YOU'RE COMING WITH ME!" She cried, finally taking his moment of unbalance to throw her body weight down and heave herself away from the wall, launching him out the window in the process.

He made a made grab for the rope, but it quickly tore under the tension of both their weights.

He closed his eyes and prayed.

"Today had looked like it was going to be such a nice day too..."

"Cagalli!" Uzumi called, rushing up the stairs. He knew it was a bad idea not to go get her himself. Flinging open the door, he faced...

An empty room?

"Cagalli!" He called aloud again. He began to search the usual places... closet... under the bed...

His in-laws-to-be entered the room. "Is everything all right?"

"He stood up, and suddenly felt a breeze hit his face. Eyes widening, he dashed to the window. "Oh no..."

Open window, shred of velvet on the windowsill, drapes missing...

"I... I think you may want to sit down for this."

Cagalli lay still amongst... whatever she had fallen into. Whatever it was, it was soft, but itchy.

"Hay?... We fell into our hay wagon?"

She looked beside her to find the young man rubbing the top of his head, which probably hit something on the way down. "Hay?" She echoed.

"Yeah... Well, our horses have to eat something." He shrugged. "Now stop being silly. Let's go back into the house."

He was silenced with a sharp "Sshhh!", then felt himself get shoved back into the hay.

"What do you think-?" He hissed quietly. Under the hay, he could barely make out her desperate expression. Admits the tiny crack of light that weaved their way through the hay, and cast a dizzy light on her face, he could read her countenance. It was pleading with him to cooperate. Other then that, he couldn't make out the rest of her figure under the hay. It wasn't just her hair... it was her eyes. The golden hay was just... natural camouflage for her.

Unlike him with midnight blue hair, and startling emerald eyes, and a black suit. He probably stuck out like giraffe in a flock of sheep.

"Please be quiet! I hear my father upstairs!" She begged.

He paled. Lord Uzumi! And that meant that... THEY were there too! They'd kill him if they knew he'd let the young Miss jump out a window. Quickly squirming to hide himself a bit better, he failed to see her confused expression at his reaction.

They lay there covered in hay for quite a while. Time passed and neither of them knew how much. Both were too nervous... too anxious to check.

It's a funny thing that happens, when monotony kicks in. Either you feel terribly bored, and the time passes really slowly. But then you body kind of gets used to it... and... especially if you're hiding, suddenly time seems to go by, kind of quickly.

"Hey... you okay there?" He whispered for assurance. A slight nod was her response. "When do you think it would be safe too?..."

"Probably now..." She muttered... straightening up and brushing hay off her herself. Shaking her head, pieces of straw were flying everywhere. She watched the young man crawl out form under the hay too.

"By the way, if you couldn't tell from my father yelling, I'm Cagalli." She extended a hand and grinned.

The young man stared at it for a while, then at her. "I-I'm Athrun." Biting his lip, he slowly went to shake her hand, then paused.

Wait a minute... Why was it so dark out? And why was it so much colder?

...And why was the wagon moving?

And... where were they?

Apparently she had been asking herself the same questions, because the moment he turned to her, she turned to him.

And their mouths dropped.

Then it clicked.

The great escape plan... had worked!

A bit… TOO well.

Ahh yes. Try to escape, and end up lost, with the person you were trying to run away from to begin with? What could be better for Cagalli?

So some people might be wondering, "Where on earth did you go for a month?" Well besides being a lazy pig, I've been thinking of ideas. And for the first time ever, I had more than one! I have... three.

Neighbors with a twist, a traditional comedy, and matchmaking (aka, something completely different). And so I thought for days, wondering which one to write.

Now I present for the first time ever, three stories at once. Updates will definitely not be as often as I used to be able to promise, but I'll make an honest effort to manage all three. In terms of which I'll update most, it'll probably be the one I end up liking most, have the best idea for, or the one that people seem most desperate to see updated (threats would be... noticed, but not ENCOURAGED, persay). Most likely, I'll just go by the number of reviews the fic gets.

Eagar to see feedback on this, and any of the other three I have up.

Periodic-Prose