Disclaimer: All the Gundam Seed and Destiny characters belong to their creators. I do not own any of them and I am simply a fan who loves to write stories.
Note 1: Please pardon my English. I know I suck at it because English isn't my first language.
Note 2: I apologize if some parts don't make sense; if u do please just send an email and I would gladly explain it to you.
Note 3: Sorry if I have some English grammar problem and spelling.
Note 3 ½: .+…+ means thoughts of the character
italic sentences…-means song, dreams and thoughts (You can tell them apart :))
"…" saying
"CAPITAL LETTERS" character yelling.
(a/n: Author's note)
In this story, the characters don't act like their character in the series.
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What Time Can't Erase
Prequel: And then there was just him and I..
It was an open field with little trees and less flowers that grew on the green grasses. There was nothing in site aside from many tomb stones and flowers in form of bouquets. The place was too quiet and holds many grieving memories that others can't let go off. That day, dark clouds hover over this grieving place and let its tears fall. There, a girl stood in front of the tomb stone with no tears on her face other than the sky's tears. Her amber eyes shows how lost she was in this cruel world. She was with someone she loved and now everything changed and she is once again left alone. Just exactly how this girl can live now that everything she thought would last forever, has vanished so quickly in front her eyes? It was just as if it was yesterday when she watched her mother leave her in her grandmother's care and the warm look her grandmother welcomed her with. She remembers the days when her grandmother would happily cook her her most favourite dish, spaghetti but now, she was gone—she'll never be able to taste it again let alone ever see her again. She wanted to cry yet no tears were left from all the pain she has endured from the past. She knew deep down her grandmother, whom she treated as her own mother, would not like to see her cry. But how can she be able to stand up on her two feet without anyone beside her? Is that even possible?
The air blew in her direction and the rain had stopped falling down. And not once did she remove her sights from her grandmother's tombstone. Without realizing the footsteps behind her, a mother held her son's hand and stopped just behind this little girl who stood quietly still. She let go of her child's hand and squatted down so that she can see this child in front of her at her level. This woman slowly placed her hand at this little girl's shoulder and slowly made her whole body turn into her direction. The mother knew deep down the condition of this child in front of her without this little girl saying so. The way her condition reflected her eyes, it was enough for anyone to understand or even think of understanding the situation of this pitiful girl.
"Do you happen to be Cagalli?" the woman calmly asked her. There was no answer—not even a nod.
"Is this person..." she looked at the tombstone quickly and then to the girl. "your grandmother?"
"Grand....mother?" the little girl looked at the woman whose emerald eyes stared at her anxiously hoping to seek answers for the questions she had asked. But she slowly turned her mother around and approached her grandmother's tomb. "Grandmother" she gently brushed her hand across her name. The tears she thought she had lacked fell for the first time in a very long time. She fell to her knees and placed her hands on top of her face and cried her heart out. The mother didn't know what to do other than letting this girl grieve. Her son stood behind her without a word.
"Cagalli..." the little boy's mother had broken the silence. "Your grandmother had asked me a favour" she continued yet the little girl still kept crying.
"She asked me to take care of you.. to protect you from harm when she leaves this world. She told me if she went away, she doesn't want to see her granddaughter cry because it will make her cry"
The little girl immediately stopped crying once she heard that her grandmother will cry if she sees Cagalli cry. She whipped her tears quietly and turned her head to see the mysterious woman again. The woman wrapped her arms around her and whispered, "You are not going to be alone anymore. My son and I are here for you"
Her words were comforting. Her warmth was similar to the warmth that she has received from her grandmother's hugs. She knew that this woman is a good woman and can easily trust her. At that time, she could not say how thankful and lucky to have found a kind and gentle woman like her grandmother to take care of her.
The brunette woman stopped hugging her and stood up. She reached out her hand to her and she accepted. Cagalli slightly turned to her grandmother's tomb stone bidding her farewell for now.
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2 months had passed and Cagalli seemed to have been slowly recovering from the shock of her grandmother's death. The pain she has endured was slowly fading away. Before she realized, she was adapting to the Zala's lifestyle—leaving each day with smile and more hope.
However, she still remembers her first night when Mrs. Lenore Zala and her son, Athrun brought her to their house. The house was very spacious containing many rooms and a small garden with a small fountain at the backyard. This house gave Cagalli a very warm feeling of happiness and security—it was a feeling she thought she'll forget once her Grandmother passes away. For a while after she moved in, her heart was still heavy from all the unhappy memories and emotion she had received after her Grandmother's death. Each day, they helped her out to sort her feelings with all the love, care and laughter.
Unfortunately... that happiness didn't last long..
Mrs. Lenore Zala kept a secret—she has tuberculosis which explained why Cagalli found cloths with blood stain in them. No one knew that she was very ill, not even her son, Athrun. She found out 3 years ago and started taking her medication right away. However, as time went by, her condition kept getting worse and the medication got way too expensive that she couldn't afford it anymore. Because she didn't want both the children to worry about her, she kept it as a secret. After 2 years (before she met Cagalli), the doctor told her that the most she can live was 3-5 months but she was able to live happily for a year with both Cagalli and Athrun.
One day when they were coming home from school, they found her unconscious on the ground and therefore, called the ambulance which then rushed her to the hospital.
It's already been 7 hours later that there was no sign of her being conscious which made both of them very uneasy. More hours went by; they found themselves asleep—Athrun was laid down on the couch while Cagalli rested her head on the side of her bed. Cagalli held her hand all night.
Cagalli felt a slight movement of her hand which woke her up.
"Mrs. Lenore?" She asked loudly which caused Athrun to wake up also. He soon went to the other side of the bed calling his mother's name
She began to cough, again. Her heart rate was rising which alarmed both Cagalli and Athrun.
"Athrun.. call the doctor!!" Cagalli said as tears began to form in her eyes. Athrun was about to get a doctor but Mrs. Lenore gently pulled his arm back.
"Cagalli.. Athrun..." She replied back weakly and held both Athrun and Cagalli's hand (one in each hand).
"Athrun... promise me.. that you'll be by Cagalli's side forever... don't ever leave her okay? For me, can you... learn to love her? " she continued to say.
"Okay, I promise! I'll be by her side and I'll love her. Mom! Please.. don't leave us mom.." Tears were falling from both Athrun and Cagalli's eyes.
She pulled both their hands and placed Athrun's hand over Cagalli's hand. "You only have each other now.. please... take.... care... of.. him.. Cagalli" she said with her dying breath. The doctors came and checked her condition but it was too late.
She was dead.
2 weeks later, her funeral was held where she was buried beside Cagalli's Grandmother. They both stood there silently while everyone around them was leaving one by one. Cagalli found a small flower on the ground that she bent down and picked it up. She placed it on top of her tombstone. Athrun silently watched her and hugged her gently.
This scene of seeing someone dying.. was too painful for her. First, it was her grandmother and now it's Mrs. Lenore. Why was it that everyone around her were leaving her? She quietly cried in his arms.
A single rain dropped from the sky. It shortly began to rain—with both of them still standing in front of the tombstone, weeping.
He didn't cry that day. He just held me so tightly as if he didn't want me to leave him too. I realized that the person in front of me was also in deep pain even though he didn't show it.
At that moment, I promised myself that I'll stay with him too. I'll protect this person from pain and suffering and be his light where he can feel safe and be happy.
Maybe it was that time I realized I was starting to slowly love him.
After this painful experience, we decided to live together. With only the two of us left, we strived to be happy.
7 years went by, my feelings for him got stronger and stronger. I really believed that we were truly happy but....
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Cindy: I hope you enjoyed it! This will be shorter than my other story. I know that this chapter is a bit boring but it will get interesting! Please review! Your thoughts mean a lot to me!
P.S. I'm sorry for not being able to update my other story for a year now. I will update it ASAP.
