Lovely Melody

Author's note: This is a one-shot that's been running through my mind of several days. It takes place before the events in Gundam Seed where Lacus and Athrun are still engaged. I hope you enjoy it. Please review if you ever have the chance.

Disclaimer: I do not own Mobile Suit Gundam Seed/Destiny or the song featured in this fan fic.

The second Athrun stepped inside the Clyne mansion, he could hear the sounds of a piano. It played the soft melody of a familar song that he knew only too well. Seconds later, it was joined by a beautiful female voice.

shizukana kono yoru ni anata wo matteru no
ano toki wasureta hohoemi wo tori ni kite

He couldn't help but smile as he heard his fiance sing. She was beautiful, smart, kind, and had a wonderful voice. Lacus was everything he could wish for in a future wife.

His heart began to beat fast as he walked down the mansion's hallway. A cream colored rug was under his feet, muffling his footsteps. Dozens of pictures of Lacus and her family lined the walls. It was as if he was walking down time. The first photographs were of Lacus when she was a baby. As he moved on, he saw more mature versions of the pink haired songstress.

The sound of the music grew in volume as he neared the large wooden doors. His hand reached and pushed it lightly, making it creak open. The music stopped as the door opened all the way, and his body was revealed.

"Athrun!"

Athrun saw pink as Lacus ran into his arms. He could smell the sweet floral scent of her hair as they embraced each other. They stayed like that for minutes. A middle-aged pianist stood up from the piano stool and silently exited the room to give the two lovers their privacy. Finally, Athrun broke the embrace to take a good look at his fiance. He found himself staring into her large blue eyes. Due to his time at the Zaft training academy, it had been weeks since he had last saw her.

"Oh Athrun. I've missed you terribly. It's been lonely here without you," Lacus said, breaking the silence. She stepped away from him and made her way towards the grand piano sitting in the middle on the room.

Lacus looked like an angel with her white one-piece dress. It exposed her shoulders and thin arms and reached an inch below her knees. On her feet were a pair of matching high heels that made her legs appear longer than they really were. She wore no jewelry and her pink hair flowed down her shoulders without anything holding it up. Athrun was indeed a lucky man to be engaged to such a lovely woman.

"I see you've been practicing for your debut concert," Athrun said.

For weeks, Lacus had been taking singing lessons for concert that she was going to perform tonight. He knew that it had always been her goal to sing music and spread peace around the Earth and Plants. After years of hard work and practicing, Lacus was finally one step closer to fulfilling her dream.

"Oh yes. I'm very nervous. I'm unsure of what to do if I mess up." Lacus couldn't help but worry.

Athrun showed his concern by widening his dark blue eyebrows. "Is there something wrong, Lacus?" he couldn't help but ask. His right hand reached out and he stepped forward to move closer to his fiance and touch her on the shoulder.

"What do you do when you're nervous?"

That question certainly took him of guard. It took him several seconds to comprehend what was going on. Then, it hit him. Lacus was nervous about performing in her first concert. He couldn't help but laugh when he thought about it, but he kept a serious look on his face to avoid hurting her feelings.

"Hmmm." Athrun rubbed his chin. "Remember that time I had to give then opening speech to one of my father's parties?" he asked.

Lacus answered him by giving a small nod. "I thought it was wonderful."

"Well, I was actually quite nervous that time," the young Zaft soldier admitted. Lacus showed her surprise by widening her large blue eyes.

"I didn't know that," she exclaimed.

"Well, before I started speaking, I saw your face. Somehow, it gave me the courage to do my speech," Athrun said, a smile crossing his lips. "When you sing. Just think of a person important to you that you don't want to let down."

"Wow. Thank you Athrun." Lacus stepped away from the paino and made her way to her fiance. "You'll be at my concert tonight, won't you?" she asked.

"I wouldn't dream of missing it."

"Lacus, you have five minutes until your performance," a male voice called out.

Lacus looked up from the chair she was sitting on. Her long pink hair was done in pigtails and she wore an aqua blue dress that reached to her ankles. On the left side of the dress was a slit that reached to her mid-thighs. Pink lip gloss was spread on her lips, but other than that, she wore barely any makeup. With a small sigh, she stood up and and her way towards the mirror, her silver heels make clacking noises as she walked.

Just from peeking in the mirror, she could tell that she looked gorgeous. Anyone who looked at her would think that she was a confident woman. But she wasn't...

Was it even possible for the daughter of Siegel Clyne to even feel insecure and nervous? Or even worried?

Yes, it was. After hearing Athrun tell her about the one important person to think about, she could only think of him. He was her fiance. It was only natural. She was supposed to meet him before the concert started, but for some reason, he called in to say that he would be running late. Now she had no one to give her the courage she needed.

From behind the curtain, she could hear the voices of hundreds of people as they filled the concert hall. In one minute, she was going to sing in front of dozens of important Zaft officials. That was enough to make hands shake and her legs feel weak. She barely had the strength to walk onstage.

What was she going to do?

Hundreds of pairs of hands clapped as Lacus walked onstage. From where she was standing, she could only see bright light as it fell onto her face. The people in the audience were dark blurs as they clapped. Even if Athrun was here, she wouldn't even be able to see him.

Before she could do anything else, the paino music started. The words to the song that she had practiced so hard, all of it, was gone from her head. She felt like an empty shell. Already, people were beginning to notice.

She couldn't do this. This wasn't meant for her. The hands that held her microphone clenched, and her knuckles began to turn whiter than her pale skin. Her head lowered and a tear fell out of her eye.

When you sing. Just think of a person important to you that you don't want to let down.

An important person? Who could that be? Was it Athrun?

Maybe that important person didn't have to be just one person. It could be billions of people. She thought of all the citizens of Plants and Earth that she wanted to bring together. That was her dream.

taisetsuna mono dake wo hikari ni kaete
tooi sora koete yuku tsuyosade

Her piano player was taken by surprise. He was only seconds from stopping the song. A relieved sigh escaped his lips as his fingers pressed the keys.

As she sung, she thought of not only Athrun, but the billions of people that lived on Plant and Earth. She hoped that, one day, war would go away and peace would be left behind.