Minna-san! Overdose of Athrun and Cagalli fiction (hell, if anyone has read/write any good ones, please recommend them to me. :3 :3 severe addiction to AsuCag fanfics recently), and irritation due to lack of romance time between them in Destiny are the perfect reasons this story came into existence. This is a strictly AsuCag one-shot. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED and its characters. If I do, I'd give Strike Rouge a paintover. :p

You, Me, Us and Our Promise

By, Rheianne

Cagalli watched Athrun as she lie down on her bed. He was working on his personal computer, typing furiously away. His fingers moved fast and expertly across the keyboard. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his ability. She was just feeling slightly miffed that she couldn't even type at half his speed.

They had just been at another conference held in Italy. Now they were residing in one of the finest five-star hotels, which the capital of Italy could offer. Athrun, being her personal bodyguard, was given the permission to stay in her suite under the basis of protecting her in case of any emergency. Though, she knew very well that the real reason he was here was because, by having him by her side was the only way that she could sleep comfortably at night. She was aware that her reasons were nothing but selfish.

There were many times that she wondered if he really minded spending so much of his time beside her. Athrun was the kind of guy who would go out of his way to make other's lives easier if he could. It was not as if she had not asked him before. Every time the question was raised, the corner of his eyes would crease. His emerald eyes would look considerably warmer and fill with an emotion she could put no name to. It would take less than a second for him to move so near to her that she could see the tiny stars in his eyes and then he would chide her for being silly.

Subsequently, he would move away as abruptly, leaving her to resemble the colour of a ripe tomato. Sometimes, when nobody was around, he would just leave one or two feathery kisses on her lips before turning away quickly, so that she would not see the blush on his cheeks. She noticed of course, just that she never told him.

The conference today could not have been more boring. Those conferences always were. Yet, Cagalli knew she had to endure on because she now held the responsibility of an entire nation in her hands. She deeply loved all the children of Orb and every inch of their glory land. She certainly did not mind only having less than 3 hours of sleep a day going through paperwork and minutes of those conferences if it could mean a better future for her land and people. As much as she used to hate politics in the past, she had changed. She had to, due to the heavy duty thrust into her hands from her father.

Athrun knew, and he understood totally and completely. After the war ended, instead of returning to PLANT, his home, he loyally chose to stay with her. She never asked him to, and he had never offered. He merely never left her side, following her silently back to Orb. And she was forever glad for his company. She would have collapsed under the extreme pressure long ago if it were not because of his hidden, but strong, presence in her shadows.

The post-war discussion had taken a long time. Cagalli knew that at the moment, they were all still very far from reaching an agreement. There were some selfish parties which would like to benefit from the tensed up situation. None was willing to back down their claims. Yet, these people never realize that even if they were to gain, they were actually gaining at the expense of others. This was precisely the core of the problem. Cagalli aspired to reach an agreement, in which all of them could benefit, without making someone else worse off.

These talks were unquestionably the cause of the migraines Cagalli suffered in the recent weeks. She found herself often looking forward to the end of meetings, when she could finally retire to her own room and slumped down in any available place for a long, good sleep. Being the wonderful bodyguard cum boyfriend that he was, Athrun would always be the one who carried her back to the bed every time she accidentally fell asleep somewhere else. She knew because she would always wake up in the snug and cozy bed in the morning, despite falling asleep somewhere else (which she never remembered).

Tonight was just like any of those post-conference nights. Dead tired and exhausted, she was already on the bed. She refused to even move a single muscle even if there could be a fire starting somewhere. However, she could not bring herself to fall into dreamland. Her thoughts were still very much hovering around the figure illuminated by the laptop's light five feet away from her. All the lights in the room had been switched off, save for the one coming from his laptop.

Athrun was diligently working away on his personal computer. He was working as fast and efficient as ever, not even showing the slightest sign of fatigue. Cagalli had never told him before, but she admired him so, so much. He sat through all those long conferences and meetings with her, yet he had the strength to continue working late into the night. She wanted him around in those meetings because she highly valued his thoughts and opinions regarding the matters discussed.

Talking to him always reignited back the flame of hope she had for the world. That flame was often dimmed by the pessimistic and loud opinions of those opposing her views and ideals. With him around, she knew the flame would always burn bright. It held up the fighting and fierce spirit in her heart to not give up on her ideals and beliefs, which were passed down from her father.

Athrun was fair and could always be relied on to provide excellent, unbiased opinions on many issues. On the other hand, she knew fully well that she was quick tempered, indecisive and could easily be persuaded or swayed to listen to negative judgment of others. Compared to his leadership and reasoning abilities, she would have paled in comparison.

Cagalli assumed that Athrun must be dead tired too after the five-hour conference today. That was true, of course, if he was still human. Admittedly, there were times that she doubted if he was truly human. Even other normal coordinators did not work as long as he frequently did.

"Hey Zala." Her use of his last name indicated her annoyance at not being able to figure him out.

Those long fingers which were typing away moments ago came to a halt. Piercing emerald eyes met hers. His eyebrows raised questioningly.

Cagalli felt her face twitched. For some reasons, his silent attitude annoyed her further. "Are you going to stop anytime soon? Can't you just leave them for tomorrow? The light from the laptop is quite a nuisance." In actual fact, she wished that he would allow himself to rest more and not work himself out so much. His workaholic attitude really made her worry.

Somehow, Athrun knew that she was just making excuses to make him stop working. He smiled at her apologetically and turned back to his laptop. There were simply some things which had to be completed first. His heavy sense of duty hindered him from procrastinating and delaying something which could be accomplished today to the next day. (AN: dammit… I wish I have those kind of work attitude. --;;; glares at Athrun)

Amber eyes widened. Cagalli was taken back when she noticed Athrun's typing speed doubled and those long fingers of his were a blur of motion. It took a hell lot of her willpower to refrain herself from stomping over to him and snapped his laptop shut. She understood his workaholic attitude completely. Even if she was to forcefully stop him from working now, he would just pretend to doze off, and then returned to his work after he ensured that she had fallen asleep. Feeling helpless at not being to do anything, she contented herself with shooting daggers at the laptop and its owner. If looks could kill, she would be buying white lilies for his grave now.

Cagalli observed him mutely from her place on the bed. If he refused to stop working to sleep, then she would not too. For some childish reasons, she did not want him to work alone. Even though she could do nothing to help him, she just wanted to stay by his side. Strangely, perhaps… that was also the reason he stayed by her side all this while as she rebuilt Orb. He did not want her to struggle alone.

It took Athrun another ten minutes or less, as Cagalli grew increasingly impatient. Granted, patience was not one of her natural attributes. Finally, he was satisfied with the amount of work he completed and proceeded to turn the laptop off. Then, he stood up and gave his long limbs a good stretch. Cagalli swore she heard a few bones popping. That idiot.

In her mind, she was already formulating a plan to secretly kidnap his laptop when he was not looking and hide it in her wardrobe. Athrun would not dare to look through her personal clothing. Or else, she would happily skin him alive. Never mind that the fault was hers in the first place.

So much was she dwelling in her own thoughts that she did not notice that he had moved up to her and was now standing right beside her bed. Surprise in her amber eyes, she watched as he knelt down in front of her so their faces now leveled. His larger hands took hold of hers, which had unconsciously gripped her blanket tighter.

"Look at those circles beneath your eyes. You should have slept earlier, princess." His warm baritone voice sent shivers down her spine. For all she cares he could be sprouting out nonsense. She often felt a certain calming tenderness spreading in her heart just by listening to his voice alone.

Despite that, her lips formed into a pout. Princess, princess. She always disliked being called as such. Firstly, she, in no way, behaved like those pretty groomed-up elegant ladies of the royal class at all. If anything, she gave others the impression of a street punk, more than a princess. Secondly, that word sounds really… ugh… frivolous. She felt uncomfortable being called as such because… deep down inside, she felt she was too inadequate, too lacking, to deserve such a term of endearment. It was not as if she never told Athrun about it before, but his answer was her undoing.

"Despite what you may think, I am fully aware of the way you fidget every time I use the term and I also understood your reasons behind it. The Cagalli I know would never think of herself as a princess…She will not deem herself worthy to be called as such because she's too loud for her own good, hesitant, indecisive, rash, reckless, occasionally foolish, boisterous… (He stopped because the blonde looked fully ready to punch his pretty face then). And that's EXACTLY the reasons why I call you one. Those who deemed themselves worthy of such title are often vain, conceited, proud and think far too highly of themselves. But you're none of those. You're honest… you're kind, adorable, straightforward, lovable, innocent, virtuous, down-to-earth… to a point that, as much as I hate to say this, you're not suitable to be a politician. (pause) And I shall continue to call you a princess for as long as you're with me because I want you to be permanently reminded that… in my eyes, and also in the eyes of all who love you, you're this kind of beautiful… until you believe it yourself… Cagalli-hime."

Her eyes had gone moist hearing him, half-doubting his words. That baka had too sugary a mouth for his own good. After he said all that, he gave her such a sweet smile which made her felt giddy all over. Damn Justice pilot. She had felt like jumping into his arms and never let him go.

She allowed her thoughts to stray no further when she heard his deep voice again. "Penny for your thoughts? And how many times must I tell you that sulking is bad for your face muscles?"

Cagalli rolled her eyes upwards and retorted, "Forget it, mister. You'll never be able to afford it with your current pay. And I don't give a damn if sulking is bad or not." Instinctively, she placed her hands on his chest and tried to push him away. She did not dare to let him come too close, but deep down she wished that nothing, neither space nor time, could separate them. The more she resisted the closer and tighter he held on to her. Unwittingly, in the midst of tugging and shoving, he had pulled himself up into the bed with her on his lap.

It was then she screamed at him and pushed him with all her might. "Gahhhh… hentai! Move your ass off my bed!"

"Oh, just shut up, Cagalli." Athrun grabbed her shoulders securely to prevent anymore movement from her and pressed his lips firmly onto hers. He learned much earlier that it was the perfect, and of course, most enjoyable, way to shut loud-mouthed princesses up.

His tongue gently coaxed her mouth to open and he could taste the sweetness within. He always enjoyed kissing her for she taste sweeter than anything he could think off. Better than ice-cream, candies and chocolate. Athrun was never been a fan of sweet stuff, but Cagalli was definitely an exception. He would die a happy man if she would only give him a kiss like that everyday.

He shifted his mouth to another angle so that he could explore her sweetness deeper. Their tongue mingled, each trying to dominate the other. Even in a kiss, they fought for dominance. Cagalli was a damn good kisser even though she was inexperienced. He would kill any other man who dared to kiss her like this. He would personally and cheerfully blast the other guys off her proximity with his Justice heavy-duty lasers.

They broke apart minutes later due to severe lack of oxygen. Cagalli immediately turned away to hide her deep scarlet face. "D-Don't ever do that again or I-I'll punch the daylights out of your pretty face."

Athrun stifled to bite back laughter. Careful, Athrun. Women always say one thing, but meant the other. And they blame us for not understanding them! A certain buoyant blonde ex-Mobile Armour pilot had been a good mentor when it came to the never-ending mind-baffling mysteries of women.

A goofy smile on his lips, he pulled a reluctant blonde close to him. Soon enough, he could feel the tautness in her body relaxed and she leaned into him. Putting two arms around her in a cradling manner, he let his chin rest on the top of her head and sniffed her hair. He was not surprised that it smelt so good.

Athrun cuddled her like he would to a child. They stayed in the position for a good 30 minutes, content with each other's company. He listened to her as she sighed into his arms. "Athrun, what would become of us?"

He stroked the soft skin on her arm and asked her gently. "What do you mean, princess?"

"I'm not as naïve as to think this relationship will last forever, Athrun. You know that, as well as I do. One day, we'll have conflicts. It could be regarding us, or the issues around us. As you know very well, there are still a lot of tension in the air between the naturals and coordinators. God knows when they can finally learn to accept one another peacefully. In addition, PLANT is your home. I-I know that even though you're staying here now, you're still going to return to PLANT one day, sooner or later. As for me, I will never leave Orb behind. Separation is going to be inevitable." She finished off so softly that Athrun could barely hear her. Her melancholy tone, which she tried so hard to hide, sliced his heart.

The silence of the night enveloped them again as they watched the darkened sky through the balcony in front of the bed. Athrun's hands continued to massage her arms with soothing motion. Finally, he spoke softly, but firmly.

"We may eventually separate one day. But, if that day were to come, I will not leave you with abhorrence in my heart. I will leave you with longing and sadness. Then, when we're apart, I will miss you every single minute of the day. There will never be a day which goes by without you running through my mind, whether intentionally or not. But, I will hold on… I will hold on, and do the thing that I must do. Finally, after I have accomplished my destined task… please bear in mind that it may very well take years… I will go back to the shores of Orb to find you again and plead you to take me back. It doesn't matter if you're married or if you have ten kids running through the house… I will go down on my knees and beg until… until I could no longer see the reminiscence of the love that we shared years ago in your soulful eyes anymore." He let out the breath he had been holding. "I promise you this, Cagalli."

This time, Cagalli could not stop the tears from running down her cheeks. Her hands went to her face to hide the onslaught of tears. She could hear the truth and sincerity in his steady voice. She never doubted his words. Athrun made no motion to wipe her tears as he often did when she was upset. It was only when she felt wetness on her shoulders that she understood.

My strong, accomplished, determined and unyielding Athrun was crying as well.

Moments later, Cagalli took his hands in hers, holding them firmly, willing the strength to flow through both of them. She placed his hand on her bosom, directly on her beating heart. Here I gave my only heart to you, Athrun.

Then, she moved up and whispered faintly, but surely, into his ears… so that it would be a secret known only to both of them. Neither Fate nor even Destiny would be able to discern or prevent it.

"I couldn't wait, my prince."

Owari

Erm, I'd actually cried when I was writing out the last few paragraphs. This story strikes a deep chord in me. Every scene played in my mind and every emotion echoed in my heart. Admittedly, I'm really a pathetic hopeless romantic. (swt) Well, this fic have been a total darling to write… it's a good break from the heavy writer's block I've been suffering from these past few months.

I surely hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Comments would be very much appreciated and loved. They are the best things an author could ever wish for. :)

Thanks… and much love,

Rheianne