A/N: Yay a new fic!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny.

Chapter 1: Blood in the Water

-o0o-

Today was the day that I would finally ask for her hand in marriage.

Would she say yes? There is a large possibility of her saying 'yes'. After all, we've been exclusively dating each other for years now. As some people say, we're already at the right age to enter into this kind of commitment. She also never fails to tell me everyday that she loved me. If she didn't have the chance to tell me personally, there would be texts, calls and emails to make up for it. Scrap what I said earlier, there's a zero percent chance that she might say 'no'.

Like a typical girl, she likes watching romance movies. So I figured that my wedding proposal should at least be something of the sort. Better yet, mine should be more romantic than those. I wouldn't want to disappoint her by giving her something that she always sees in those movies.

Now the question was, how should I even propose to her? It was difficult planning my wedding proposal. I had to list down a lot of ideas of a romantic wedding proposal. Should I take her on a trip to Paris and propose in the city of love? What about a candlelight dinner at her favorite restaurant? Or what about surprising her by a dancing mob with me in it? I really had no idea what to do.

I needed to consult someone on this. If there was anyone who was good at making moves with the ladies, Dearka was my man. I called him up and consulted with him. I needed to know if I was on the right track. He said that my ideas were good, but I had to take it on a whole new level. Since my family owned a yacht, he suggested that I should put it to good use, have the candlelight dinner and propose there. We could sail through the small islands of Victoria and savor the breathtaking view during the day and have the dinner in the evening. I could hire musicians to play her favorite song with the violin as well.

My family was up to it. They were in fact, very supportive of what I was about to do. My mother was so enthusiastic and was doing everything that she could to make sure that everything would go smoothly. I could tell that she was really excited for me because she couldn't stop hugging me and kept telling me how happy she was. She even whispered that she also was volunteering to become our wedding planner and I should leave all the preparations to her. I bet that what made her most thrilled was the fact that she would have grandchildren in the near future.

Surprisingly, even my father was helping us out with the plans. He told our butlers to get the yacht ready because I would be using it over the weekend and called some of the musicians he knew to play for us during the trip. He was also suggesting what kind of food I should prepare for the dinner. Frankly, I never expected him to do that. He was usually not interested in those kinds of things, but it seems like he really wants me to settle down already. In truth, he's the one who pushed me to propose.

It was that one afternoon when he surprised me…

There were two knocks on my glass door.

"Athrun." I looked up and saw that it was my father who now entered my office and closed the door that I usually leave open. "Do you have a minute? I need to talk to you."

"Father." I stopped typing my response to the email of the officer-in-charge of our office in Victoria and I closed my laptop shut. It would have to be dealt with later. My father never comes to my office for a chat even though we work in the same company. This must be something really important. "Of course."

He sat down at one of the couches in my office and was silent for a moment. I wondered what it was but I didn't dare rush it out of his mouth. After a few seconds, he began to speak. "Athrun, I think it's about time that you ask your girlfriend to marry you."

I was taken aback by what he said and stood up from my chair. "Father…" But I did not really plan on proposing any time soon as I thought that it was still too early for that. I'm just twenty-six, I'm busy with working for the company that I would eventually take over once my father retires.

"You heard me." He was the type of man that was always straight to his point. "I want you to get married." He stood up and went to where my desk was. "Your marriage will symbolize the eventual merging of both her family's company and ours. With the two most powerful pharmaceutical companies in the industry combined, we would be unbeatable by the other competitors."

So he wanted me to marry her because of power. The two companies were actually very competitive with each other. One tried to have higher profits than the other, employing various cost-cutting measures, research and development efforts, marketing plans, and selling strategies. It was also difficult to see who was really the number one in the industry because sometimes it was our company; other times it was her parent's company. Recently though, we always seemed to tail behind their company. This might be the reason why my father is becoming threatened with their company's presence in the market.

It delighted my father when he found out that I was dating her instead of being infuriated with me. He told me that I chose the right girl. If he could not completely beat his rival, the next best thing to do was to make him an ally.

But of course, her parents still weren't warming up to the idea of the two companies working together. Although they did not resent my relationship with her, they weren't convinced that they should be having a merger with our companies unless they are certain that I would be bound with her through marriage.

"But…" I knew his reasons behind it, yet I could not bring myself to say it out loud.

"But what?" My father was getting impatient because I was not giving him a proper response. "You two have been a couple for a few years now, am I right?"

"Well, yes." I looked down, avoiding his intent gaze. I knew where he was headed.

"Then I see no reason for you to hesitate. I'm sure your girlfriend is already dying to hear a proposal from you." He told me, he was now on his way out of my office. This conversation was done, I was sure of it. He dislikes it when people try to reason out with him, especially when he's convinced himself that he's right and no one else is.

He stopped walking midway and looked at me. "It's for the good of this company and for yours as well. Do you understand?" With that, he was already out of my sight. There was no point in arguing. My father, when he already made up his mind, cannot be talked out of it. Rather, he forces others to see things the way that he perceives them to be.

A few days after that, I decided that I would propose to her. It wasn't solely because of that conversation, but also because we have been together since our college days. It was natural that I should already ask for her hand in marriage. A lot of our friends have been tying the knot lately. There was one wedding that we attended, and the groom asked me as to when I plan to get married. That question was enough to make me feel pressured. It didn't help when it was her that caught the bride's bouquet.

Besides it wasn't as if I was just starting to get to know her. We've been dating since our college days. I didn't really ask her out just because she was our competitor's daughter. In fact, back in college, I just found her really cute. During the first year in the university, I saw her during the freshmen-welcoming event of the upperclassmen. She caught my eye ever since and I wanted to get to know her better.

I remember feeling euphoric back in college when I found out that she liked me as well. It looked like my moves on her working. With my friends' help, I was able to find out what her classes were and enlist in the same ones when the next semester arrived. It was no problem for me since we were in the same course. Determined to get her notice me, I even swallowed all the fear that I had and sat down beside her.

It was during the second week of classes that I made a joke and she laughed heartily. She invited me to have lunch with her, which I immediately agreed to seeing that it was my chance to get closer to her. We ate lunch together often. Then it progressed to us me taking her home after school. We also had those times that we hung out after classes. My feelings for her intensified gradually. From a random crush, I think I was starting to fall in love with her. Sensing the vibe that she was actually reciprocating to my feelings for her, I formally asked her out, and of course, she said yes.

It was during our fourth date when I found out that she was in fact, the daughter of our tight competitor. But that didn't stop me from pursuing her further. We might have to face some arguments and objections from both of our parents, although I knew that we would get through them.

I cannot deny that she really made me happy during the years that we've been together. We went on a lot of dates that had me smiling even when we already parted until the moment that I slept. I always looked forward to spending time with her. It was crazy, how she was always on my mind. This might seem too superficial, but even if we don't do anything unique or different during our dates and just spend time talking to each other and if I was able to hold her hand, I was fine with that.

It was also fun thinking of ways to surprise her during our monthsaries, anniversaries and birthdays. She was the same; she never failed to make me feel so special, that I was the only one that she loved. She was the girlfriend that any guy would want to be with.

Lucky. That was the word that I described myself when I taught about her being with me. It was true that there were other guys that deserved to be with her more, but she chose me, not them. I may not be the perfect boyfriend, but she still chose to stay by my side. For that reason, I am truly lucky. I was lucky to be in love with her and lucky that she's also is in love with me.

Lucky…

If so, then why?

Why am I having second thoughts now?

Why am I suddenly so unsure about what I was about to do?

Why the hesitation?

Why?

"Hey baby!" I felt her lips on my cheek. It startled me a bit that she suddenly did that. But it helped me realize that we were still in the yacht and were having a date.

"Yes Meyrin?" I looked to see her examining my face. It must have been obvious that I was spacing out.

"What's wrong baby?" Her face had a worried expression, and I felt bad for making her feel that way. "Are you feeling seasick?"

"No, not at all." I shook my head. I was used to the waves because we always rode the yacht during the summer season. "It's just…"

She pouted. It seemed like she was now annoyed. Maybe she was telling me some things that I failed to respond to. Of course I couldn't tell her what I was thinking of. One, it would ruin the surprise of the proposal. It would make me guilty if I put all of the efforts of everyone who helped me go to waste. Second, I couldn't really tell her that I was also having a debate with myself and that I was somehow hesitating.

I massaged my elbow and thought of something else to tell her. "I'm sorry baby. I was thinking about work. I think I forgot to reply to the email that the operations manager sent me. It was even marked as urgent." That was a horrible lie. Work did not even passed through my thoughts. Now I felt bad that I had to lie to her. Now that I think about it, did I really get to send the email?

She giggled and the next thing I knew, she was already sitting on my lap. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me, which I reciprocated. The feeling of guilt did not disappear even while we kissed. But I should just stop thinking about it. Why was I even thinking about those thoughts? I love her, she loved me and I'm asking her to marry me, which is normal.

"Baby, stop thinking about work." She told me as she wrapped her arms around me. "We're here for our date so you can forget about all those stuff."

I pulled her closer to me and apologized. "Sorry about that. I won't think about work any longer." I should also put it out of my mind. Maybe it was just those kinds of feelings that people get when they're about to do something as big as this. Second thoughts had to be normal. Nicol, my friend, when he was about to get married to his long time girlfriend, also talked to me about how he was suddenly so unsure of what he was going to do. Eventually though, he pushed through with the marriage. Although now I think that they're not doing so well with their relationship and were now planning to get divorced.

Our case was different. I'm sure it was.

She giggled once more. "That's good! I'd feel really neglected if what's occupying your mind is your work and not me." She stayed put on my lap and was now talking to me about what happened to her during the days that we were unable to see each other. To make up for not paying attention to her a while ago, I listened attentively to everything that she said. I made an effort to give long responses to what she said instead of one-word answers that would enrage her yet again. I replied to things she told me about her dog finally learning how to sit and roll over, her sister's new boyfriend, and even superficial things like her dilemma on whether she should buy a new Hermes bag, a Chanel one, or both of them. There was a part of me that wanted to laugh at myself for engaging in that kind of conversation.

The sun was beginning to set, and she told me that she was getting hungry. I smiled at her and told her to get dressed for dinner, as what she had on was a skimpy two-piece bikini. At least after she puts on more fabric, I could now stop glaring at the men that were abroad the ship for gaping at her. If they weren't here to help me with my proposal, I would have beaten them up.

The dinner went on without a hitch. It was a good thing that the waiters, kitchen crew and the musicians were following the plan. The music while we were eating was lovely to listen to. I couldn't believe that Meyrin's favorite song, which was something that I wasn't really fond of because of the upbeat and annoying tune, became so mellow and smooth. The food was divine. My father has good taste. The appetizers really complimented the main course, as well as the dessert. Meyrin also enjoyed the food and the day so far, which was a big relief for me.

We talked some more during dinnertime. Meyrin appeared to be done talking about what happened during the times that we didn't spend time with each other and started to ask me about what I was doing. I had to admit, I felt uneasy that she kept asking me one thing after the other. She was asking me about how my mom was doing, what I've been busy with in the company, what time I always got home, what time I slept because according to her I wasn't returning some of her calls and texts. I gave her answers to her questions that seemed to satisfy her enough not to become suspicious or anything of the sort.

Finally it was time to ask the big question. I felt another wave of hesitation. Why won't this feeling go away? I didn't need it right now. My pocket, the one that contained the wedding ring, felt so distant from me. My hand didn't want to reach for it.

What was wrong with me?

Sure she can be shallow sometimes… Okay fine, I admit, most of the time. But I'm sure that she'll outgrow this kind of attitude when we finally get married and have kids. She really can't continue to act like she's still in college after all.

Sure she can be conceited at times, but I had to admit that she really has something to brag about. It just tends to go overboard and appear annoying and bitchy to some people.

She can be impatient, but if it's for the people that she cares about, she really tries to stretch her patience to the limits. Most of the time though, she loses it.

I wanted to slap myself. Now I was thinking about all her flaws and end up countering all that I've been saying. Yes, she has these kinds of imperfections, but it wasn't the reason why I fell in love with her. It doesn't encapsulate what she truly is completely. I fell in love with her because I found her amazing and good-hearted despite all that. No human is perfect and I accepted that fact. I also told myself that I would be patient with her flaws because I love her and promised myself that I would put up with it as long as I can.

"Meyrin, come here." I called her attention as I stood up and went to her side. Slowly, but not surely, I motioned her to stand up, which she did willingly. I felt myself swallow hard; I must have been trying to gulp down all the uncertainty that I was feeling. But alas, it was still there, stronger than ever.

With the look on her face, I guess she kind of figured out what I was about to do. Her eyes still reflected surprise, which was typical. I knelt in front of her, and with all of the willpower and determination I had left in me, I got the box that contained the ring out of my pocket. I felt like my hand was screaming: "You'll regret this!" But of course, that's just all the negative thoughts clouding my mind.

My right knee felt really heavy as the upper half of my body depended on it. It wasn't because I was overweight or anything, it must be that pessimism bringing me down. But I will overcome that. I opened the box and presented her the diamond ring that my mother chose. With the most genuine voice that I could muster, the words finally came out of my mouth. "Meyrin Hawke, will you marry me?"

"YES!" I could tell that she was overjoyed because she was a bit teary-eyed even though I didn't even prepare a very dramatic speech to say to her. "You don't know how you made me so happy Athrun!" She sprung onto me and I enclosed her with a hug. I could hear the other crew of the yacht, musicians and cooks applauding to congratulate us.

"Meyrin Zala." I heard her whisper. This was the first time that I heard that and I felt like it was kind of awkward, that it really didn't fit her. Or maybe the reason why I was feeling this way was due to the fact that my father rushed me to ask her already. In time, I would eventually ask her, but to be forced by my father for the sake of the business? Maybe this was why.

But the feeling was still there.

After half an hour of being overjoyed, Meyrin seemed pretty tired and I told her that we should call it a night. She agreed and we were supposed to go to sleep, not until one of the crew of the yacht approached me, his face drained of color. I escorted her to the quarters and was supposed to go inside with her, but one of the men tapped my shoulder. I told her to go ahead, and closed the door.

He motioned me to a place in the yacht were there were no people that could hear what we were talking about. "Sir, we have a problem." I could see beads of sweat rolling down from his brows.

"What is it?" I tried to remain calm as possible.

He leaned closer to me to whisper his concern. "The engines have been malfunctioning. We've been trying to fix it, but it's getting out of hand. We're starting to worry because it's not getting any better; rather it has started to overheat. If it becomes worse, it might just…"

His voice trailed off and I continued to look at him. Was he joking with me? If it was, then it wasn't a good joke to make, especially when we were in the sea at this time of the night.

But the look on the guy's face told me that he wasn't.

"How did this happen?!" My voice was higher and it was evident that I was starting to get angry. I was confident that the yacht was in good condition because my father even told the crew to prepare it for us. "Did you not check the condition of this yacht before we started sailing?"

"We did Sir!" He was stuttering. "We're terribly sorry for overlooking this difficult situation."

"Apologizing doesn't help." I ruffled my hair out of annoyance. I realized that it doesn't help as well.

"I suggest that we should start evacuating soon before something bad happens." He told me.

He was right. This was not the time to scold them for their mistakes. "How many lifeboats do we have?"

"3, sir. One boat can fit 5 people." I made a mental headcount. There were three musicians, two kitchen cooks, four yacht crew, me, Meyrin. It was a relief that we had more than enough boats for all of us. Finding people to help and rescue them was something that we'll think about after we got off the boat. Also dealing with the current was something that we also have to worry about.

"Tell everyone to evacuate." I told him and hurried to tell Meyrin as well. He was then shouting to everyone else in the boat. It was a bad idea, because they started to panic. I wanted to punch him for doing that but I had to go and get Meyrin. "And also, put on the distress signal."

"Yes sir." He saluted me and rushed to turn on the distress signal.

"Athrun," I saw her leave the cabin, the expression on her face was stained with worry. "What's happening?"

Grabbing her by the shoulder, I gently dragged her to where the lifeboats are. I could see the four musicians loading the first boat carrying their instruments and belongings with them, which I wanted to punch them for because they were supposed to let the women ride the boats first. I made a mental note to never hire these four cowards again. But then again this wasn't the right time to be thinking of these things; I'd have to deal with them later. Safety comes first.

"Meyrin ride this boat." I motioned her to ride the boat. "I'll go on the next one."

Her face was now stricken with horror. "What? No!" She wriggled out of my grasp and started to run back to the cabin. It was a good thing that I was able to grab a hold of her again and pull her back. What was she thinking? Wasn't she able to comprehend that we needed to get off this boat as soon as possible?

"What are you doing?!" I couldn't help but talk to her with a loud voice. "Are you insane? Get on the boat!" It was now more of a command rather than gently convincing her to do what I tell her.

"B-but…" It was obvious that she was in a state of panic, even then, she still refused to comply with what I said. "But, Athrun, my things are still in there! I have to get them!"

"Never mind those! Just leave it and get on the boat!" Really, she was unbelievable. We were in this kind of life-threatening situation and she still thinks about her cell phone and designer bag.

"No!" She shook her head and was trying to break free on my hold on her hand. She really acted like a spoiled brat at times. I knew that she really would not get on the boat unless she gets her things. I sighed and let her win.

I realized that it was dangerous to let her get it. "I'll get them for you. Just get on the boat." I've been repeating that to her a number of times now.

"Really?" She stopped resisting after I just said that.

"Yes, so hurry up!" I ended up pushing her on to the boat, where she was handed a life vest to wear. Their lifeboat descended down and I dashed to the cabin room to get her things so that she could stop her whining.

I entered the room and was shocked. She brought a lot of things with her. We were supposedly only staying overnight and she brought a really big luggage. Heck I only used those kinds when I was out of the country for a month. And I really didn't want to know what she brought with her to have such a big one.

The bigger problem was, she already unpacked most of the stuff that was inside the luggage. There were clothes everywhere, pairs of shoes, bags and jewelries all over the room. So those were what she brought with her. So that was why she didn't want to leave without bringing all of her things. Quickly, I tossed all the things inside, not even caring to fold or store them properly.

Maybe I should have organized the things a little because when I was trying to close the luggage, it couldn't. There was a heel of her shoe that wasn't inside of the luggage, there was a pair of pants falling off, and her handbags were making the luggage bulkier so I couldn't close it.

I knew she wouldn't like what I was about to do, but I was running out of time. Opening the luggage yet again, I chose random things that I just tossed aside, a pair of jeans, shoes, clothes. When everything else seemed to fit, I zipped it shut and headed out of the room. I didn't care about salvaging the things that I brought with me; those were just clothes anyway.

When I finally went outside, I realized that everyone else already rode a boat. Even the crewmen were not on the yacht anymore, which was a good thing. Everyone else was safe. The bad thing was that I was the only one left and I don't really know how to make this lifeboat go down by myself. I guess I had to try.

Loading the lifeboat wasn't a task that could be easily done alone. It was really heavy, although it was manageable. But since its capacity was five people, it also was a long one. I needed someone at the other side to carry it to attach it to the hook on the other side. Unfortunately for me, there was no one else left to help me. Realizing that there was little time left, I just threw the lifeboat down to the sea. It would have taken me forever if I tried to attach it to the hooks. It was a good thing that the boat was facing upwards when it landed in the water.

"Athrun!" I heard Meyrin's distant voice. "Hurry up!" I looked at her and felt like they were already half a kilometer away from the ship.

"Did you manage to get it?" She shouted. I figured that it was her things. I waved and pointed to the luggage in my hands.

I hurriedly put the life vest on. I got a hold of Meyrin's big luggage and tossed it into the ocean as well. She would really get mad if she knew that I left some of her things behind and got some of her things that I salvaged, wet, but it didn't matter right now. Taking a deep breath, I also jumped to the ocean.

The current wasn't so strong, but I had a difficulty getting a hold on myself. While trying to breath, there would be salt water getting on my face. For a few seconds, I couldn't open my eyes because it was sore from all the salt water that got on my eyes. A hard thing bumped me. It was Meyrin's luggage. I held on to it and propelled myself towards the boat that was drifting away. I pushed myself faster, my left hand trying to swim towards the boat, while my other hand was on the luggage.

The lifeboat seemed so far away. Especially when the current was preventing me from reaching it. The seawater kept splashing on my face but I had to open my eyes to keep track of where the boat was. My life vest was also a nuisance because it makes it harder to reach the boat. Meyrin's luggage too was making it harder.

"Just a little more." I kept telling myself as I swam towards the boat.

Reaching the lifeboat, I tossed the luggage first and tried to get on. As expected, it was also a challenge without anyone to help me get on. My weight prevented me from successfully getting on the boat. When I tried to get on, the boat would incline to the side where I was on and would flip.

Damn it. This was really hard. As I tried to climb on, I kept thinking to myself: "Was this a sign that I was proposing a wrong thing to do?"

After a few attempts of trying to get on the boat, I heard a loud explosion behind me. I didn't have time to look at what it was because I felt something hit my head.

-o0o-

He was finally regaining consciousness. His eyes started to flutter open, but he immediately closed it because the bright light penetrated the room and was overwhelming his eyes.

"You're finally awake!" An unfamiliar voice was talking to him, he presumed. "Thank goodness!" He heard her footsteps trailing off, and heard the door closing a few seconds after.

Opening his eyes again, he was looking at the white ceiling. He shifted his head to the left and saw a wall that was painted light green. A window was also there and its blue and white striped curtains were moving slightly as the wind blew. When he looked to the right, there was a lamp on the wooden table, cabinet, chair and a door. It was an ordinary room.

He slowly sat up and examined the room one more time. He had no idea why he was here and how he got here in the first place.

The door opened again and a blonde girl entered the room, holding a glass of water. He also had no clue as to who this girl was. She was probably the one that was talking a while ago. She walked towards him while he just sat there, unable to comprehend anything at the moment.

She seemed delighted as she handed him the glass of water. "Here, drink this." He took it without saying a word and drank from it. It felt good. His mouth and throat were feeling dry and the cold water was enough to quench it.

He finished it in no time and the girl got the empty glass and placed it on the table. He observed her as she pulled the chair next to the bed and sat, facing him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him.

"I'm fine." He answered her, while feeling more and more uneasy. Why was she asking that? Who is this girl? What even happened? He needed to ask her a lot of things that were on his mind.

"That's good! I guess you just needed time to rest." She smiled again.

"Where exactly am I?" He asked, trying not to be rude. At first he hesitated to ask her, but then again he was really clueless.

"You're in Orb." She told me in a cheerful tone. "Well, you're in my house to be more exact."

"Orb?" He repeated, although he didn't seem to know that were was a place called 'Orb'. "I'm in Orb?"

She nodded at this man that seemed to have no recollection about what happened to him. Then she realized that of course, he wouldn't be able to recall how he got to her house. "Some of the fishermen saw you floating unconscious in the ocean while they were catching fish. Then they brought you here to my house because they didn't know what to do with you."

He thought about what she just said. Why on earth was he even floating in the ocean and unconscious at that? Ocean? Why was he even at the ocean? He contemplated as to why it happened to him, but his mind was blank. He could not think of anything that would give him answers. He didn't understand why he couldn't come up with anything to help him figure out all the things that made him so confused. He closed his eyes and tried to think about it harder, but there was nothing.

"The hospital's pretty far from where I live. It's a good thing that my neighbor's a doctor, so he treated you here." She told him. "He advised me to let you get some rest and that you'll be awake after a three days or so. It's really a relief that you're fine now! Your head was bleeding the first time I saw you."

Now that she mentioned it, there was a throb of pain that came from his head that he felt after he woke up. He flinched at the realization. He brought his hand to his head to find that there was a band of clothing tied to it.

"Ah wait!" The blonde girl exclaimed, making him forget momentarily about the pain on his head. "I'm Cagalli! You are?"

"Me?" He started to panic yet again. She just nodded yet again and waited for him to answer.

Reluctantly, he looked at the eyes of this woman that had beautiful hazel eyes and spoke.

"I don't know."

-o0o-

A/N: Tadaaa! Done! I've had this idea for a long time and it's only now that I decided to write it down. Review! Hihi.