Our Last Dance

By: EmpathicReader

A/N: A sudden pang of inspiration (?) to do this fic. It is true that Seed Destiny didn't have much Athrun and Cagalli interaction. And the suspicion that they might have drifted apart is heart-wrenchingly more inclined towards a 'yes'. ENJOY!

Cagalli snapped her head upwards. A slight frown present on her face; annoyed that someone had interrupted her train of thoughts. Her frown dissipated when the familiar intense emerald gaze overlooked her. Cagalli sighed inwardly. She could never frown at this man. This bloody idiot of a man whom she held so dear. Cagalli stood up as she took some time to scan over his profile. He donned a white polo shirt, which fully accented his long arms and muscled torso. His black slacks and matching leather shoes only gave him the classical look of a… Cagalli paused to think of a word. A gorgeous man. Cagalli had the decency to blush at her thoughts.

Cagalli watched him intently as the air between them escalated into something tenser. A light playful breeze played with her short blonde locks as she watched her companion think of something to say. Cagalli sighed and decided to get the ball rolling. No point standing around doing nothing, right?

"Let's sit at the bench Athrun." Her voice came out weaker than she intended it to be. Cagalli made a beeline for the spoken bench when she received a small nod from Athrun. Cagalli stared at the vibrancy of the colours that splayed across the sky, letting a semi-comfortable silence settle between them.

"You said about having to talk." His baritone voice carried over to her ears, making a slight shiver run down her spine. Although his face was calm, throughout the many years they spent together, Cagalli knew the small signs of nervousness he displayed. For example, he would breath deeper than usual. Or let a small frown wriggle onto his face. It made her wonder how much she was sacrificing for Orb, her country, her responsibility. For even the subtlest signs he displayed, it would forever be burned into her mind. No time for second thoughts. Cagalli thought as she steeled herself.

"So how are things going on between you and Meyrin?" she asked, congratulating herself inwardly for keeping the bitterness from her voice. Although she was not facing him, she could feel him frowning at her topic. She could even feel the waves of fear rolling off him as the fact dawned to him. He must have realized that I might be breaking off from him. Cagalli thought bitterly.

"What do you mean, Cagalli? Don't tell me that you doubt me?" Athrun asked somewhat agitatedly. Cagalli let a small tired smile weave onto her face as she turned to face him.

"I would never do so… But your actions prove otherwise for a perceptive woman such as I. Over the years, you, above all people should know how much I observe the actions a person takes before passing my judgment." Cagalli said as she laced her fingers together and close her eyes to enjoy the salt flavoured wind blow at her face.

"Cagalli. Meyrin needs me. But I…" Athrun never had a chance to finish the sentence for Cagalli had her hand cover his mouth. Cagalli cupped his face and forced Athrun to look at her directly. She focused her amber pools at his jade ones as she said, "Then go to her. For she needs you… As much as Orb needs me."

His green eyes widen as his mouth opened slightly. Athrun closed his mouth as he let his brain register the meaning of her words. Cagalli could practically see the gears working in his head. He opened his mouth to articulate his thoughts when she cut in, "Meyrin has no one left. You are her alternative source of strength. By taking you away from her would force her into depression. Whereas I…" Cagalli paused as she felt her heart get torn to pieces at her own cold hearted words. Tears formed in her eyes as she blinked hard to shoo them away.

"Whereas I, have Kira, Murrue, Lacus, my loyal comrades in the battlefield and most importantly, my fellow citizens to fall back to. I cannot be selfish and snatch away the last of her remaining support while I have that many people to help me out in life…" Cagalli continued as she looked into Athrun's intense emerald gaze. His jaw tightened, Cagalli noticed. Anguish wormed its way into her stomach as she squeezed his arm lightly.

"This is would be the best, ne?" Cagalli asked letting a soft, bitter laugh erupt from her throat. Athrun was silent for a second before answering quietly, "The best for Meyrin, Orb and her people. But what about us? Why can't we try before saying that it is useless to hold onto the love we shared?" Cagalli was not unprepared for this question as her mind whizzed with a thousand replies.

"Because our love is only but a small sacrifice for thousands… Including Meyrin…" Cagalli replied as she stared up at his face. She caressed his cheek lightly before continuing peppering it with a little humour, "There is always a price to everything. To achieve perfection… Or something close to that, we have to give it our full attention… Just as finishing a school assignment takes one hour of frying our brain cells to complete it flawlessly." Cagalli leaned forwards to brush her lips lightly against Athrun's as he finally understood her decision… His decision… Their decision…

Athrun crushed her smaller form into his as he inhaled her unique scent of spring and fresh flowers. He felt her arms looping around his torso and squeezing him closer to her. It seemed like eternity before they finally released each other from that hold. The soft whistle of the wind, whispers of the lapping waves and rustle of the palm trees created the perfect rhapsody for them. The faint chirping of the crickets gave the melody a small livelier beat to it. Cagalli felt her hands move on their own as one placed itself in Athrun's bigger and warm hand while the other rested on his shoulder. Old childhood memories of dancing lessons rushed to her. Her mind focused on Athrun as she felt his arm warp around her trim waist and pull her body closer to his. A small squeeze of her hand was the only signal she got before they were moving in the familiar circles of a waltz.

Cagalli prayed to heaven not to let her mess up. She looked at Athrun, his green eyes unfathomable as she stared into them. The soothing melody at the background made her semi-tense body loosen up as she enjoyed the dance with him. Then, she was released from his hold. Her free hand slid down his arm as she twirled so gracefully and dip slightly before she was being pulled back into place. Arms entwined, bodies separated by a single strand of hair, they glided elegantly on the sand. It must have been hours before they stopped.

Athrun hugged her tightly before releasing her slightly. One of his arms slithered between them and caressed Cagalli cheek. Her eyes were glassy as a warm smile placed itself on her face. Athrun closed his eyes as he felt her fingers trace his face. They started from his eye brows, over his eyelids, down his nose and brushed over his lips. A soft hue of rose, bright splash of orange and yellow, a faint dab of red and violet was painted artistically on the big canvas that was the sky. The setting sun was their witness as they kissed on the beach of the island where it all began.

A/N: Let's see… I celebrated my birthday not to long ago so this can be my present to all!