AN: Pchu here! Okay, it has been like - uhm forever since I uploaded or updated a story? Well, I'm here to say that I'm not updating any story. I apologize for that to anyone who may have previously read any of my stories. Life has been very busy for me and it still is. But, since this story has been completed like a year ago and has been sitting on my desktop - I figured that I will put it up as a Valentine's Day gift to all.
Happy Valentine's Day!!!
Enjoy.
xx Three's A Crowd xx
Ring.
"Hello?"
Athrun's heart leapt when he heard Cagalli's voice sound through the earpiece of his cell. "Hello, Cagalli?"
"Oh, hello!" Cagalli said vibrantly.
Athrun held his breath for a moment. He had a very important reason to have called Cagalli today, but strangely at the moment he was tongue-tied. He had the bad case of nerves.
"Hello, Athrun?" He heard her call out to her over the phone.
He cleared his throat. "Sorry."
"That's fine. So, what did you call me for?"
He took in a deep breath to calm his nerves. They just wouldn't leave him alone. "I was just wondering if you and I could perhaps go out to eat today this afternoon and…"
"Athrun, you know I can't." Cagalli stated before he had the chance to finish his sentence.
Athrun sighed heavily. "Work?"
He heard Cagalli breathe hesitantly over the phone. "Yes. There's a meeting I must attend that focuses on the use of government funds. It's a subject that's been passed over for months and well since there's nothing of major importance in need of attention at this moment, the council figured that we should get this one out the way in order to quiet selected organizations that rely on our funds."
Athrun's eyes widened in shock for a moment. "A meeting? Why would the council order such a meeting on a day like this?"
Cagalli cleared her throat. She answered him slowly in an even softer tone. "Athrun, Valentine's Day is not a government holiday. So, it doesn't excuse me from work."
His heart ached from her reply. His free hand griped at his knee. "Aren't you the Representative of Orb? Can't you call the meeting off?"
It took a while before he heard a reply on the other end. "Well, yes. I am. And I could call it off. But…uhm, well, it is really just a holiday for couples, after all. Am I right?"
Athrun swallowed hard. "Yes, it is." He stated sadly. "I guess I'll catch you some other time then?" He removed the phone from his ear and hung up. He glanced over to his right side where there was a chair. Lying in the chair was a large fresh bouquet of flowers and an elongated black box. He sighed heavily and combed his fingers through his hair as he lowered his head.
Cagalli sighed as she heard the line disconnect from the other side. She lowered the phone from her ear and placed it back on the receiver, lingering her gaze on it for a moment longer. It hurt her to have turned Athrun down, but duties where duties, even one's as stupid as meeting the demands of power hungry CEOs. Or was that the sole reason?
She turned slightly in her chair and reached over to the drawer. She slowly pulled it out and reached into its contents. Raising her hand up to her face, she stared down at the small round ring in her hand. The jewel glistened as the light touched it. It was Athrun's promise ring to her. A promise that he never kept. Cagalli replaced the ring in the drawer and closed it shut. She shook her hand and sighed. Their relationship was a thing of the past, it meant nothing now. Such things didn't fit into the schedule of a very busy Representative.
Cagalli got up from her desk and began walking out the room when the phone rang. She turned slowly. Her eyes narrowed at the phone as it rang. She dreaded to know who it was as she picked up the receiver.
"Hello?"
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"Kira, you shouldn't have!" Lacus exclaimed as she looked down at her gift.
Kira scratched the back of his head nervously. "I was a little unsure of what to do for you. I was definitely not too sure of the gift."
"It's just fine, Kira." Lacus smiled warmly at him. In her hand was a pink version of Kira's torii. It spread its wings at intervals and hopped to and fro being at one moment on Lacus's hand and at the next on her shoulder. She giggled. "What gave you the idea of such a wonderful gift?"
Kira blushed. "Well, I noticed how much you like haros, but I figured that you already had plenty of those. Besides, that's really Athrun's trademark. So, instead I thought that you would rather have your own version of torii."
Lacus continued to play around with the mechanical bird. "I didn't know that you were good with mechanics."
Kira went an ever darker shade of red. "Uh, well no…not really. I had to ask Athrun for help. He's done most of the mechanical tinkering. I just did the programming."
"Athrun was always good at that kind of stuff." Lacus stated nonchalantly. "Either way, I still will think of this as your special gift. Not to mention that Athrun didn't come up with creating a place like this to give me a gift in." She said brightly as she began twirling in the room around.
The said room was filled with an excess amount of pink flowers ranging from roses and carnations to daffodils and even a few white daisies. There were bouquets placed about on tables and chairs and flower petals filled every space not filled by the bouquets. The air had such a pleasant sent about it. It was basically a pink floral garden.
Kira watched happily as Lacus twirled around in the flower filled room. Her feet picking up a few petals here and there that seem to have flowed with the movement of the hem of her dress. Tora (the pink torii) flapped around her as well. It was a very pleasant sight to see.
"Oh, Kira, this is the best gift you thought of so far." Lacus stated as she ceased her twirling. "Thank you for a wonderful Valentine's Day."
"It's not over yet." Kira said as he walked across the room and opened the closet door on the far end of the room.
Lacus stood patiently with curiosity overshadowing her face. She watched as Kira slowly turned from the closet with a serene smile upon his face.
Lacus waited as Kira slowly walked towards her carrying a long, slim black case in his hand. She loved how he would always try so hard to impress her on special occasions such as this.
"Here, this is for you." Kira said as he held out the case in front of her and opened it.
Lacus gasped as he revealed a necklace to her. It had a long slender chain that seems to glisten due to its silvery color. At the base of the chain, was a silver pendent in the shape of a fully bloomed rose. At the tip of each petal was a small round diamond that seemed to hover between the colors pink, blue, and purple like some sort of mixture. She slowly reached out her hand and carefully lifted the necklace out of its case. Her fingers caressed the pendent. "It's lovely."
Kira smiled warmly feeling very satisfied with the response. "Here." He reached for the necklace and unhooked the chain. He signaled for Lacus to turn around and as she did so, he wrapped the chain around her neck and reconnected the clasp.
Lacus turned back around with her fingers still caressing the pendent. She smiled happily at Kira. "Thank you so much." She said before leaning upward and landing a gentle kiss on his lips.
"I'm glad you liked it." He said. He leaned downward to return the kiss, but just as he was mere inches from her face, he heard a knock on the door. His expression went blank.
"Who could that be?" Lacus asked curiously as if she wasn't fazed by the interruption. She turned from Kira and walked out the room in order to seek the answer to her question.
Kira sighed. This couldn't be a better time for someone to come and visit him and he could only think of two people who would ever come and visit him. He turned towards the door and followed in Lacus's path. As he neared the front door, he nearly tripped over at who he saw standing there. "Cagalli?"
Cagalli looked past Lacus to where Kira was standing. "Hi, Kira." She said plainly as if nothing important was going on.
Kira blinked feeling confused. He didn't really want to admit it, but he seriously thought that it would be Athrun standing at the door. Cagalli was usually too busy to visit and since the last war, it usually was just Athrun, and Athrun alone, who would visit, but Cagalli? "Is something wrong?" He blurted out. Obviously, he still couldn't contemplate on why Cagalli would be visiting them on this day of all days.
"No. Why would there be anything wrong?" Cagalli asked feeling annoyed by Kira's question.
"Why don't you come in?" Lacus asked kindly after a while.
Cagalli gave her thanks to Lacus and then walked into the house. Kira's jaw fell opened when he finally noticed what she was wearing. A dress? He wanted to pass out. What was Cagalli doing at their house on Valentine's Day wearing a dress? Not to mention that it was somewhat of a fancy light blue dress. It had lacings at the hem, which nearly touched the floor, and lacings at the top, which was an off the shoulder style dress. Not only was she wearing a fancy dress, but her hair was done nicely in a tight curly bun. This was just so un-Cagalli-ish. He wondered if someone drugged her and forced her to wear a dress making her believe that she was really wearing khakis.
"What are you staring at?" Cagalli shot at Kira as she made her way over to the sofa.
Kira reacted with a slight jump. "N-nothing." He took in a deep sigh before continuing on. "Sorry, I'm just in shock that you're here. I mean, don't you usually have some important matters to attend to?"
He watched as Cagalli held her breath for a moment before answering. "I did." She said as if it really wasn't of any importance to her. "However, my plans got cancelled."
"Cancelled?" Lacus asked shocked. "Is there any reason?"
Cagalli shrugged. "Don't know. Don't care. I needed the day off anyway."
"So, you came here?" Kira asked feeling awfully disturbed. He and Lacus exchanged looks. It was obvious that they both had the same thing on their mind. Cagalli was in a dress, and neither one of them had the nerves to speak up on it.
"I had no where else to go. Besides, I haven't been here in a long while. I'm really sorry about that. You know how busy being the Representative can be." Cagalli replied.
Lacus smiled gently at her. "There's no need to apologize." She looked over and saw Kira just as he rolled his eyes. She frowned at that, but then quickly put on a smile as she faced Cagalli again. "Tea?"
"Sure." Cagalli said.
"I'll get it." Kira said and instantly left for the kitchen. He desperately needed to clear his mind. Not to mention, he believe that there was some matter that he needed to attend to himself.
"So what was it that got cancelled today?" Lacus asked once Kira had left.
Cagalli combed her finger through her bangs. "Just some meeting about government funds, nothing special. It's no surprise that it got cancelled. It's a subject that no one really wants to touch."
Lacus looked at her surprised. "Why is that? I would think that's a very important issue to discuss."
"It is important, but I'm sure you know how it is to be able to come to a consensus with everyone about where and to whom our funds should go to and for what purpose and in what amount." Cagalli sighed. "The list just goes on."
"I see." Lacus said quietly. "Though, as a leader of your people, you shouldn't keep them waiting. A leader needs to address the needs of her citizens as soon as possible with very little delay. Otherwise, the citizens can become restless and distrustful towards the government and its leader for having lack of response to its people's needs."
Cagalli lowered her head. The last thing she wanted was to lose the trust of the citizens of Orb. Strangely, what Lacus said to her reminded her of something that Athrun had said to her once before. Cagalli looked up suddenly. The thought of Athrun caused her to blush. "Uh, I think I understand."
"I'm glad." Lacus said before giving a warm smile.
Just as the topic seemed to have settled between them, Kira showed up with a tray of three cups with tea. He placed it on the table between Cagalli and Lacus and took a seat next to Lacus. He reached down and lifted one and handed it to Cagalli.
"Thanks." She stated as she received the cup from Kira.
He then did the same for Lacus and received a smile of gratitude from her. He took the last cup for himself and began sipping slowly from its rim.
"I was thinking." Lacus said with a high level of authority that worried Kira greatly. "Since Cagalli is here with us, she should join us for dinner tonight when we go out."
Kira choked on the bit of tea that didn't quite make it down his throat yet.
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"What is this place called again?" Cagalli asked enthusiastically while peering around the restaurant from her seat.
"The Misty Dove." Kira replied dully.
"The Misty Dove? How can a dove be misty?" Cagalli asked sarcastically.
"I don't know." Kira exclaimed. "It's just a name, you know, one that they thought of to attract couples on a day like this."
Cagalli stared at him blankly.
Kira frowned. "You do know today is Valentine's Day, right? Remember?" He asked slowly.
She didn't answer him right away. Cagalli first opened her menu and perused through the list. "Yes, I know its Valentine's Day. It only occurs once a year, you know. So, if you ask me, it doesn't make since to call this place the misty dove."
Kira sighed. "I give up." He muttered under his breath. He had tried all he could all throughout the day and even on the way to the restaurant to drop the hint to Cagalli that he wanted to be alone with Lacus. It was no use. It was like romance didn't exist in the world that Cagalli comes from. Obviously, he knew where such behavior was coming from and only one name came to mind…Athrun. Kira straightened up a bit in his seat and watched Cagalli as she stared at the menu. He wondered if he should dare ask her if she had thought of making plans with Athrun instead of tagging along with them. As he opened his mouth to say something, he felt a nudge at his side. He looked to his left and saw Lacus give him a look that said "I know what you're about to do, but I don't recommend it." Kira held his tongue bitterly and looked away. Now he fully understood the meaning of two's company but three's a crowd.
"Cagalli," Lacus spoke up softly. She waited until she was sure that she had Cagalli's full attention when she looked up from the menu. "I'm very grateful that you would go through the trouble of joining us for dinner tonight. I'm sorry if it might have altered any plans that may have come up recently." Lacus smiled and watched as Cagalli looked away shyly.
"Uhm, well, er….no! Thank you for inviting me!" Cagalli blurted out once she found the words she was looking for. "It was no trouble at all. I'm more than happy to spend today with you two."
Lacus continued to shine her smile as Kira sat quietly at her side. She knew that he wasn't going to dare get involve in this conversation. She knew that he had tried so hard to steer Cagalli away from his already planned evening. "I'm glad to hear it." She responded. "However, you didn't necessarily have to get all dressed up just to spend time with us. I know how much you disdain wearing them. May I ask what the special occasion is for?"
Kira's head shot up. After being around Lacus for so long, he knew when she was trying to use her words to get through to people. He had to smirk when he noticed Cagalli's discomfort from being asked that question. He then looked sideways at Lacus and received a nod from her that puzzled him at first; however, the realization had hit him and he then knew fully well what he needed to do, or else the rest of the day would be ruined by having to babysit his love-ignorant sister. He cleared his throat. "If you two would excuse me…" He got up from the table and left the two girls behind.
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"Something on your mind?" A young girl with red pigtails just happened to found herself asking a random question to a man that was sitting on a lone stool at the local café. She just couldn't help herself when she saw how down he appeared to be on such a joyous day - joyous to some, that is. However, this wasn't just any man. In fact, coincidentally enough she knew who this guy was. That's why it wasn't so odd for her to just go up to him and ask such a random question. "I hope you're only here for the fabulous coffee they make here and not to mope around. They have bars for that, but I don't think you're someone who would drown your sorrows in alcohol. Am I right, Athrun?"
Athrun looked behind him immediately when he heard someone address him by his name. "Meyrin?" At that moment his day did a complete spin. He went from feeling miserable to being utterly shocked. "I thought you were in PLANTs training new CIC operators." He looked at her in surprise. It's been over a year since he last saw her and it was a definite change, with the exception of the pigtails. She definitely appeared as if she aged by a couple years, which didn't cause her to look so young anymore, though Athrun knew that if she let her hair out from the pigtails that she would look like a lovely, sophisticated young woman.
"I was." She said plainly as she seated herself next to him. "But I'm here on a special cause."
Athrun raised his eyebrow. "Which is?"
Meyrin giggled. "To see if I can assist in making your day any better."
Athrun opened his mouth slightly. He decided not to go any further into it and just went ahead and answered her previous question. "I was thinking about a lot of things."
"Really?" She replied, only with a more serious tone. "Things not going the way you hoped it would?"
Athrun sighed. "It's not that I expected them to, but….I don't know." He began rubbing his temple out of frustration. "I just feel like an idiot. Ever since…" He shook his head.
Meyrin watched silently as he closed his eyes. He seemed to have reverted back to his thinking mode. She thought it was best to wait until he spoke first.
"I want to tell her how much I really feel about her; however, I don't think I'll ever get that chance." He finally spoke up after taking the time to think on it.
While waiting on Athrun to speak, Meyrin had accepted a glass of water that the waiter had given her. She took a sip from it before responding. "I'm guessing you're talking about Cagalli." She didn't say anything afterwards hoping that Athrun may say something, but he didn't. "What exactly happened between you two after the war ended?" She asked serenely hoping to see if he'll at least reply to that question.
"I wish I really know what had happened. I just know that there was quite a bit of disagreement between us during the war. I…" He hesitated for a moment. "I also made a promise to her. I believe I disappointed her by not keeping that promise. She no longer wears the ring I gave her. It was suppose to be a symbol of that promise. I doubt that she ever forgave me for it."
Meyrin watched him as he spilled out his thoughts to her. She really felt sorry that so much time was allowed to pass by without neither him nor Cagalli trying to figure out a way to resolve their broken hearts. "I say that today would be a great day."
Athrun looked up at her puzzled. That was the most random incomplete statement he ever heard.
Meyrin just continued to smile at him despite the look she was receiving. "You heard me. It's a great day for you to go to her and apologize for whatever wrong you may have done to her. I really think that you two should take the time to talk things out."
Athrun's lips curled into a smile. It wasn't exactly a smile per say, but rather a try at a smile. It pretty much meant that he thought it was cute how Meyrin was trying to help him solve his problem, but he didn't feel that she was really capable of understanding what he was going through. "It's not that simple. Besides, I did try to see if she was available today so that we could talk, but with her being the Representative, it wasn't likely."
Meyrin frowned slightly. Not that she was disappointed with the answer she had received, but rather that she was in deep thought. "Well, did you think that perhaps she was only making it seem as if she was too busy for her to get out and spend some time with you. If you really think about it, if it's been over a year since the war and neither one of you have made an attempt to solve this, why would today be any different? And you know what day today is, right? She may not have been able to handle seeing you today."
"Er…" His mouth hung open in shock. That was the last response he expected to come out of her mouth. He decided that maybe discussing this with her was the best thing he could do. "Then what do you suggest I should do? Interrupt her plans and demand to settle this once and for all?"
"Sounds like a plan to me." Meyrin said cheerfully, reverting back to her youthful personality. "By the way, apologies go great with gifts."
Athrun smiled. "I appreciate the help, but I don't need that great of help."
Meyrin giggled. "I'm glad to see you're smiling. Well then that means my mission is done." She stood up from the stool after sipping the last ounce of water from the glass. "Maybe next time I should actually take on the adventure of buying some coffee and not taking the safe road of just drinking a free glass of water."
Athrun's eyebrows rose. "Mission? Oh, by the way, what was the real reason for you coming down here to earth?"
She looked at him puzzled for a moment before she decided to reply, but before she could do that someone called her name from the other side of the café.
"Hey, Meyrin! There you are, I've been looking all over the strip for you."
Athrun stared in shock as a young man, who probably was the same age as him, walked up to them and placed his hand on Meyrin's shoulder just as he leaned in and gave her a kiss on her cheek. His mouth practically hung open. Was this the same Meyrin?
"Uhm, this is Leon." Meyrin said to Athrun after she settled down her fit of giggles from the kiss. "Leon, this is Athrun."
"Ah, so this is the Athrun Zala I've been hearing so much about." Leon said with a British accent as he extended his hand to Athrun.
"Pleasure." Athrun said as he returned the gesture and shook hands with him.
"Most of what I've heard didn't come from Meyrin, though. You've got quite a name on yourself you know." Leon continued.
"Don't make him feel so uncomfortable." Meyrin said to him as she nudged him in the side. "Sorry Athrun, but we must go now. I hope I helped you out a lot."
Athrun smiled at her kindly. "Yeah, you did. Nice seeing you again." He told her before she left with whom he figured to be her boyfriend. Athrun sat for a moment, thinking about the conversation he just had with Meyrin. What she said seemed right to him and it helped him make up his mind about his next decision. That is until he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the number displayed on the screen. It wasn't a number familiar to him, but he decided to answer it anyway.
"Hello?"
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"Seafood salad sounds good to me, how about you Cagalli?" Kira asked from across the table with a huge grin on his face.
"Seafood salad?" Cagalli asked blinking. She looked down at the menu at the suggested selection. It did seem tempting to have, but something else on the list caught her eye. "I don't know, but hey look here! I think I would rather try the broiled steak stuffed with red peppers and topped with mushroom gravy." Her eyes sparkled at the idea of being able to eat something that sounded so delicious.
The waiter standing at the table raised his pencil up to the small pad that he held in his hand and began to write down the order.
"What?" Kira said. "No, wait!"
The waiter stopped his writing and looked down at Kira puzzled, as well as Cagalli.
"What?" She asked.
"Steak? C'mon, Cagalli, that's too much." Kira said while furiously scanning through the menu.
"Too much?" She asked still feeling confused. "You know I can pay for this myself if that's the problem…"
"No, that's not the problem!" Kira stressed out. "What's wrong with just a seafood salad?"
Cagalli frowned. "Nothing, I just don't feel like eating seafood."
Kira sighed, but kept his face buried in the menu. "Fine then, order the garden soup."
His suspicious sister raised an eyebrow when he suggested that and decided to look down at the menu for herself. "Carrots, greens, peas, corn, what am I a baby?"
Kira rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine then. Order whatever you like, as long as it's not steak."
Cagalli pouted, but she looked for something else to eat anyway.
"Have you decided yet, ma'am?" The waiter asked feeling a bit impatient after the little bit of roundabout that he had to endure.
"Yeah, sure. I'll have the onion casserole." She said responding to the waiter.
The waiter began jotting it down. "Will that be whole or partial, ma'am."
"No!" Kira shouted. By this time, customers nearby were starting to stare at them.
"Now what?" Cagalli said annoyed.
"Onions? You ordered something with onions in it?" Kira asked disbelievingly.
"And what's wrong with that?" Cagalli countered.
"Order something else." Kira once again buried himself in the menu.
The waiter sighed heavily.
Cagalli grumbled. "Fine! I'll just have the garlic sautéed shrimp and fish platter."
"What?"
"What?!"
"Why would you order that?" Kira asked in what almost, and most clearly was, a whine.
Cagalli glared at him dangerously. "Wasn't it you not too long ago who tried to get me to eat seafood in the first place? What's wrong now?"
Kira decided not to exchange facial expressions with her and just hid his face behind the menu. Not after that death glare she just gave him. "Well, I thought you claimed that you weren't in the mood for seafood."
"Well, I changed my mind." She replied through clinched teeth.
"Well, order something else." Kira responded.
"What!" Cagalli nearly screamed out. "I will not order something else!"
"You have to!" Kira retorted.
"And why should I?"
"Just do it!"
The two siblings stared dead straight at one another into the other's eyes. Neither one bothered to drop the gaze as if it was some mutual concept that if one of them were to lower their gaze first, it would mean defeat.
"Uhm, I'd like to order the seafood salad. It seems rather delicious and very pleasant to my health." Lacus said to the waiter when she finally felt that the time was just right for her to be able to order without any interruptions.
"That's one seafood salad. Thank you ma'am." The waiter said with a great sense of gratitude as he took her order.
Ironically, at that time the siblings decided to tear gazes from one another. "Uhm…" Cagalli said suddenly, feeling a bit embarrassed about the situation that just took place in front of all the people who were now staring at them. "I guess I'll order the same thing as well."
"Is that a final decision?" The waiter asked not only addressing Cagalli, but Kira as well.
"Yes, fine with me." Kira said sheepishly. He too was feeling a bit embarrassed.
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"Is this your final decision, sir?"
"I believe so. Just give me one minute."
"As you wish. However, you should know that we close in ten minutes."
Athrun looked up at the clerk with a stunned look and then glanced down at his watch. It read 9:50 pm. "I had no idea it was getting late."
"Yes, and I suggest that you make a decision fast. Though, I already agree to the selection that you have made, why don't you stick with that?" The store clerk said to him.
"I just want to make certain that this is the best I can find." Athrun said as he scanned the cases that displayed underneath the glass countertops.
"This must be some girl, then?" The clerk said as he crossed his arms in front of him. A stance he usually takes as he's waiting for a customer to make a decision.
"She is really important to me. But really, I was hoping that if I got her something really special that it will perhaps help ease any anger she may still harbor towards me." Athrun said as he lingered over one spot since something had caught his eye.
"Hm, that kind of gift, huh?" The clerk began rubbing the underside of his chin. "My boy, I think I may have the perfect thing for you."
Athrun looked up as the clerk left to go into the storeroom in the back of the store. He waited patiently before the clerk returned with a medium size case in his hand.
"I usually don't showcase these." He said as he settled the case down on the counter. "They're only for really special cases, and I do believe yours is a special case. However, if you don't mind me asking-?"
"Go right ahead and ask." Athrun responded before the clerk could finish his sentence.
"Does this special girl have a name?" He grinned cunningly at the young gentleman before him.
Athrun grinned back at him in response. "I could give you a name, but I doubt you would take me seriously."
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Kira, Cagalli, and Lacus sat at the table eating silently to themselves. It was an odd scene to everyone else in the restaurant considering the fact that the two siblings were no longer arguing. Every once in a while eyes would divert to their table to see if either one would give so much as a gesture to say something just so they could ready themselves for another outblow. None had ever came. But then again, it's only been five minutes.
"How is the salad, Lacus?" Kira asked her in order to rid themselves of the deafening silence and mainly because he rather not say anything to Cagalli at the moment in case it started another argument.
"It's wonderful, wouldn't you say so Cagalli?" Lacus asked her.
Cagalli tinged. She hated to admit it, but the salad was really good, but she was still upset that she couldn't eat what she really wanted to eat. "It's okay, I guess. But it's no steak."
Kira had to bite his lip to keep himself from responding. It'll be over soon. He kept telling himself. Though he didn't know how long exactly until it would be over. He looked down at his watch, 10:05. Less than an hour before the night would be completely ruined. He sighed.
"What was that?" Cagalli asked irritated. At this moment, anything seemed like it would piss her off especially since she couldn't get the steak that she wanted.
"Nothing." Kira stated without looking at her.
"Look, be happy that I ordered what you asked me to. Don't expect me to be happy about it. If you don't like my response then that's your problem!" Cagalli said. Her voice rising with each word and as it did the nearby people started scooting their chairs in the opposite direction or found an excuse to leave their tables.
Kira looked up at her feeling annoyed himself at her response. "Wait, I-"
"Kira!" Lacus called out.
"What?" Kira said aloud and pouted. He really wanted to put Cagalli in her place for once, but whenever he was ever close to it, Lacus would always interrupt him.
Lacus smiled innocently at him.
Kira heaved in a slow sigh before looking at her again with a more serene and relaxed expression. "Yes."
"They're playing music. It would be nice if you'd ask me to dance." She said with a cute pouty expression on her face that Kira just couldn't resist with all his will.
He just smiled at her. "Alright." He stood up and presented his arm to her and awaited for her to take it. Though, the thought didn't seem awful to him. Anything that would allow him to get away from Cagalli and that doesn't allow her to interfere seemed awfully nice.
"I hope you don't mind, Cagalli." Lacus said to her as she stood up with her hand in Kira's.
Cagalli shook her head. "No, I don't. Go ahead." She said, though it had somewhat of a hint of sadness to it. She watched as Kira and Lacus moved to the dance floor and began to dance along to the slow-paced music. She sighed. Maybe it was a mistake to intrude on them on such a day. She thought seeing them would take her mind off things, but instead it kept her mind on a particular someone. "Maybe I should leave." She muttered to herself.
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"I'm really sorry about this, Kira, but you know I just couldn't leave her alone." Lacus said quietly as she and Kira twirled around to the tempo of the music.
"It's okay. To be honest, I didn't want her to be alone as well. It's just that she can sometimes be so difficult." He rolled his eyes at the thought as Lacus giggled along. "What's really bothering me is what is taking Athrun so long to get here. I called him ages ago."
"Be patient. I'm sure he'll be here." Lacus assured him.
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After taking one last bite of her salad, Cagalli decided to get up and leave. She couldn't take watching Kira and Lacus enjoy themselves any longer. She lifted up her dress by an inch so she wouldn't trip on her way out since she was walking as fast as she could. She didn't bother with the looks she was getting from the other people at the restaurant. They were probably happy that she was leaving for all she cared.
"Miss, is there something wrong?"
Cagalli looked up and noticed that the greeter was the one who had addressed her. "Uhm no, nothing is wrong. I-I just need some fresh air, if you would excuse me." Cagalli watched as the greeter bowed to her, signaling that she may proceed on and she did so. She walked out into the night, brisk air and stood for a moment some feet away from the front door. She inhaled deeply and then exhaled audibly and then took in her surroundings. "Now what?" She asked herself for she just realized that she really didn't have a way to get back home since it was Kira who drove them there. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. This is the worst day ever invented. Cagalli remained in that same spot with her eyes closed for a while thinking about what her day would have been like if she and Athrun were still together. Athrun… That was all it took. Tears began rolling down her cheeks. She let out a sob and tried to cover it with her hand, but it was of no use. Though, it wasn't long before she felt someone grab her by the hand.
"Are you alright?"
She took a moment to respond. Mainly because she wanted to control herself so that she could sound more convincing when she replies to this person. She lowered her hand from her mouth and turned around. "Yeah, I'm…Athrun!" She stared wide-eyed at the said person that was standing right before her. She lowered her gaze to where he was holding on to her hand and then quickly snatched it away. "What are you doing here? How did you know I was here?" She asked angrily.
Athrun stared at her a bit emotionlessly. He half expected her to act that way anyway, but it was still an attitude that he didn't approve much of as well. "How I know, is not really important." He said half-heartedly. "However," he gave her a softer look. "Why I am here is because I wanted to, no, I needed to see you tonight."
"What?" Cagalli uttered out softly. "Why? I told you-"
"That you had a meeting to attend to today, am I right?" Athrun looked at her knowingly. "It looks like you're free now, unless you call eating out with your brother and his fiancée being too occupied to deal with other people?"
Cagalli looked away. "I knew Kira was up to something." She mumbled under her breath. She looked back up when she felt Athrun grab her by her hand again.
"Look Cagalli, this has gone on for far too long now. We haven't really been seeing eye-to-eye on things since the last war and I must admit that I am partly the blame of that."
"Partly?" Cagalli asked sarcastically. She saw Athrun give her a stern look and she lowered her gaze guiltily. "Sorry."
"No, I'm sorry." He lifted his other hand to her face and brushed a bit of her hair off. "I'm sorry for being such a fool and not keeping my promise."
Cagalli looked away from him at the mention of his promise. She didn't like to recall that period where she felt so miserable because Athrun wasn't able to hold up to his promise, but was he really to blame? She closed her eyes. She could still feel the warm touch of his hand on her face. Strangely, after all these years it still sooth her. A moment later, she opened her eyes again and slowly turn back to look at him when he hadn't continued talking. She looked at him serenely and for once noticed how nervous he looked by just being in her presence. "Athrun?" She said as she lifted her hand to his.
"Yes?" Athrun asked bewildered. He had lost the confidence to continue on when he noticed her look away from him, but now he felt confused that she was even looking at him so lovingly.
"You're right. You are just partly to blame. If I hadn't…if I hadn't agreed to the marriage then…then…" She lowered her gaze. She was at a lost for words. What could she say? The reason why she jumped into marriage was for the sake of her country? That Orb meant so much more to her than he did? That's not true. You mean so much to me Athrun. I just didn't know it then.
"It's alright."
Cagalli looked up to him in awe.
Athrun smiled at her. "We were both foolish, Cagalli. You really don't need to explain anything to me. We were just young and ignorant and were caught up in our own worlds. I senselessly jumped up at first chance and went to join ZAFT without fully assessing the situation nor without talking it over with you. Not to mention that I also selfishly aborted my number one and most important assignment: staying and protecting you."
Cagalli shook her head vigorously. "No, no I put my country first and pushed you to the side…"
"It's okay, Cagalli." Athrun tried to reassure her.
"No it's not okay!" Cagalli blurted out. At this point tears were starting to leak from her eyes. "Making my people happy was so important to me and I did anything for them…"
"Cagalli…" Athrun tried to interrupt.
However, Cagalli continued on and as Athrun interrupted, her voice grew higher in volume. "…even if it meant having to marry someone that I didn't want to marry!"
There was a brief moment of silence before Athrun began. "Cagalli, I-"
"No! I really didn't want to marry Yuuna. I was scared and felt lost. I didn't know what to do. I was stupid and naïve that I didn't even realize how much you meant to me. It was my fault! I-"
Before Cagalli could finish her ranting, Athrun had sealed her lips with a kiss. It was all he could do to stop her at the time. He felt his face heat up because he felt a little embarrassed for being so direct. But however embarrassed he felt, it seemed so enchanting to be able to feel what it was like to have Cagalli in his embrace again and the sweet honey taste of her lips in his. Though, what felt like an eternity was for only but a few seconds as he and Cagalli parted.
"Athrun?" Cagalli panted partly due to her constant ranting and the other part for she was shocked when Athrun had kissed her so abruptly.
Athrun tightened his embrace around her as he gave her a deep hug. "None of that matters to me anymore, Cagalli. All that matters is that I have you here with me now." He then released his hold of her and then dug into his pocket. He pulled out a black box and held it before Cagalli.
Cagalli gasped. "Athrun…"
"This is my promise to you. Never again will I leave your side." He opened the box to reveal a ring that had an intricate flower design around its band with small diamonds trailing along and a fair sized emerald jewel on top. "Will you accept me into your life again?"
Cagalli wiped away the last of the tears from her eyes. She stared down at the ring and almost wept again. As she stared at it, she knew that she would never part from it. The emerald, it reminded her too much of his eyes. "Yes, I accept." She said almost inaudibly, but Athrun heard her clearly as he removed the ring from its case and slipped it onto her finger. "I will never leave your side as well." Cagalli whispered to him as he leaned in to kiss her again.
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"Where's Cagalli?" Kira shrieked once he and Lacus finished their dance and returned to the table. "Where the heck did she go?"
"Kira, calm down. I'm sure she hasn't gone too far." Lacus said to Kira, sounding a little worried herself. "Maybe we should ask the greeter, he may have seen where she's gone to."
It didn't take long for her to say that before Kira bolted towards the entrance and nearly rammed into the podium in which the greeter was standing behind. "My sister! Where did she go?"
The greeter looked at Kira questioningly. "Who would that be, sir?"
"My sister Cagalli! This tall, blonde hair…"
"Oh, right. She stepped outside a while ago."
"She did what!" Kira looked to the door frantically and then without a second thought ran out the door. Once he reached outside he looked around frantically from side to side, but there was no Cagalli in site. He then began racing up and down the front area of the restaurant.
"Uh sir, wait!" The greeter called out to him, but was unable to stop him before he raced out the door.
"Is there something wrong?" Lacus had asked once she caught up.
The waiter looked at Lacus and recognized that she had come to the restaurant with the gentleman who had just run out the door. "Yes, I was about to tell him that his sister had left me with this note to give to whoever asks for her. If you would be so kind as to give it to him for me, madam?"
Lacus smiled at him serenely. "Of course." She took the note from his hand and proceeded out the door. Once she was outside, she noticed Kira running back in her direction.
"I can't find her." He panted once he reached her. "I can't believe her. And Athrun's yet to show up either!" He sounded highly frustrated over the situation.
"Kira…?" Lacus said calmly as she lifted her hand to him to reveal the note. "The greeter said that Cagalli left this with him just before she left."
Kira looked at the note oddly before taking it from Lacus's grasp. He opened it and began reading it aloud.
Kira, I'm sorry to have suddenly walked out on you. You and Lacus have done so much for me today and I am grateful for it. I would like to apologize for my rude behavior and my intruding on your's and Lacus's time. That is why I took the liberty to up and walk out, especially since I knew well enough that you were dropping hints at me all day that you two wanted to be alone and now I understand that. Give my regards to Lacus for being so caring and highly considerate of my feelings. There's no need to worry, Kira. I am not alone because Athrun is with me or rather I am with him. Many thanks goes to the both of you.
Cagalli
Kira stared down at the paper in shock. He couldn't believe what he was reading.
"That's so lovely." Lacus commented as she listened to Kira dictate the note. "I guess we accomplished what we wanted for the both of them."
Kira only nodded his head numbly in reply.
"Shall we continue on with our evening? I know that you wanted to do something really special for tonight." Lacus said to Kira.
Kira looked at her slowly. Strangely, he didn't appear as happy as Lacus was. "I'm sorry, Lacus, but I don't think I feel up to it any longer. I'm rather exhausted." He looked away from her feeling guilty and very defeated.
Lacus only smiled. "It's okay. You did have a rough day today and you've done enough for the both of us, well four if you count Athrun and Cagalli. Let's go home, shall we Kira?"
Kira looked down at Lacus hesitantly, but once he saw her innocent smile, he couldn't help but smile himself. "Sure, lets."
He and Lacus began walking towards the car hand in hand. Once they reached it, Lacus turned to Kira. "And because you've been so thoughtful today, once we get home I'd like to finally be able to give you my gift."
"Your gift?" Kira asked bewildered, but all he received was another kind smile from Lacus as he opened the car door for her. He just shrugged it out, though, knowing that it would be better to wait until they got home to find out. Once she seated herself in the passenger seat, Kira leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "Happy Valentine's Day, Lacus."
"And to you as well, Kira."
Kira closed the door and proceeded to the driver's side.
AN: I hope you all enjoyed this oneshot. Please R&R. Again, Happy Valentine's Day to all!!!
-Pchu