Taking Over
Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny, or any of its characters.
"Darnit, Cagalli!" slamming his desk, Uzumi Nara Athha glared up at the defiant blonde. "Don't make me do this."
"Do what?" Cagalli asked innocently, raising her eyebrows. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot.
"You know very well what I'm talking about!" roared Mr. Athha, standing up and shoving a newspaper clipping in front of her face. "THIS! YOUR… CHILDISH PRANK."
"My childish prank? Father, you must be kidding me." she scoffed, and quickly added, "No pun intended."
Trying to calm himself down, he replied coolly, "Yes, your childish prank, which involved… let's see," pretending to read the newspaper, he said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Inviting Meer Campbell to tea, offering her cake which was really made out of shaving cream, hot custard, and sponge. Oh, and bubble tea, where the tapioca was really fish eyes and the tea… CAGALLI YULA ATHHA!" Raising his voice again at the blonde, who was struggling to contain her laughter.
"Father, seriously. Why would I do such a thing? I mean, if I wanted to prank her, I would tell her to crawl into a tunnel saying Athrun Zala was on the other side, and quickly… BOOM. She'd never know it was a canno—"
"CAGALLI! This is serious! I know it was you! Who else would do this to Ophus Campbell's daughter?! Fish eyes?! Sponge?!"
"Hey, fish eyes are good for you."
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT HERE."
"What is then? The fish fins?"
"CAGALLI!"
"The head?"
"…"
"Okay, I'll stop."
"Furthermore, the TEA! WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD REPLACE TEA WITH PE—"
"It's not like it was dirty or anything. Did you know monkeys used their urine to wash themselves?"
"D-did you use monkey uri—"
"Of course not."
"Then what did you u—"
"Father, I'm sure you above all know that some questions are best left unanswered."
"CAGALL—"
"Okay, chill. I'll offer them an explanation and stuff."
"THEY DON'T NEED A DARN EXPLANATION. THEY NEED AN APOLOGY!"
"Yeah, yeah, that thing."
"And you will tell them exactly WHAT you put in that drink to help them anyway you can!"
"Sure thing."
Sighing, Uzumi Athha rubbed his temples. "Please, Cagalli, poisoning the Campbells' daughter isn't going to improve our relationships! It's a crucial moment, so please, I beg you."
"… alright."
"You're dismissed. Go find the Campbells and apologize, okay?"
Turning around, Cagalli muttered under her breath, "Just what exactly is so disgusting about peach juice plus melted cappuccino ice cream?"
When she got outside, she flinched at the bright glare of the sun. Shielding her amber eyes, she looked around. The Campbells were staying in the building right beside hers, so she could drop by her house for a change of clothes before visiting. Looking down at her red t-shirt and khaki pants, Cagalli doubted they would take kindly to her attire, much less her very appearance.
'Might as well just change…' she thought, beginning the one kilometer walk from the government building to her house. Plucking hair and feathers off herself, she pondered about what she could wear. The green dress Myrna made for her? Or maybe just the Orb's purple suit...?
While thinking about this, she walked straight into someone's back. Someone, being…
"Kira!" Turning around at the mention of his name, he raised an eyebrow at his twin sister.
"Cagalli! You're out earlier than I expected." earning a punch from the blonde, he rapidly added, "That means those anger management classes wor— OW!"
Rubbing her first, she glared at him coldly. "For your information, I never even took anger management classes!"
"Really? What were you doing with Lacus then?"
"For your information, I was NOT with Lacus. You only see me with Lacus because she's the only member of the female species you see! Other than me."
"You're a member of the female species?"
"KIRA!"
"Kidding, kidding. So who were you with, then?"
"… Shinn." This response gave way to an awkward silence. Kira stopped dead in his tracks and gaped at his sister.
"Shinn… Asuka? Brother of Mayu Asuka and boyfriend of Stellar Loussier?"
"What?! He's dating Stellar?"
"WHAT?! You were really planning on asking him out?!"
"WHAT??!?! WHO SAID THAT?!"
"WHAT!??!?! I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WERE WITH SHINN!"
"WHAT?!??!?!? I MEANT FOR ANGER MANAGEMENT CLASSES!"
"AAAAAAAAH?!?!?! YOU'D GO TO SHINN FOR ANGER MANAGEMENT CLASSES?!"
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?!"
"CAGALLI, ARE YOU MESSED IN THE HEAD?! IF YOU NEED ANGER MANGEMENT CLASSES, THEN SHINN DEFINITELY NEEDS THEM TOO!"
"KIRA, STOP YELLING AT ME DARNIT! EXACTLY. HE'S taking anger management classes so I'm asking HIM to teach ME what HE learned!"
"… oh." Resuming their little walk towards their house, he said, "Anyways, don't forget to go apologize to Meer, okay?"
"Why is everyone telling me that again and again? I have a heart, y'know." Eying her brother who suddenly began to cough violently, she added, "I mean, it's not like I fed her poison or something."
"Cagalli, if you didn't learn anything from biology, please, let me teach you. Urine is TOXIC."
"Okay, seriously! WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK I PUT URINE IN THERE?!"
"Meer said it tasted like urine!"
"Is she serious?" Cagalli pulled a face.
"What? Why?"
Sighing at her brother's cluelessness, she crossed her arms and leaned on her right leg. "How does she know what urine tastes like if she's never tried it?" This statement made Kira stop once again, dead in his tracks.
"N-no way… you're suggesting that…?"
"Yes way. Meer Campbell, daughter of Ophus Campbell, has drunk pee before." Unable to contain herself any longer, Cagalli erupted in laughter and began to cry laughing.
"Holy smoked salmon! Meer, drinking pee… WOW." Kira joined his sister and began to double over laughing, causing some guards to glance their way and raise eyebrows.
"Anyways, I didn't put urine in there." Still giggling, Cagalli straightened up and continued walking, leaving Kira behind.
"What? Wait. If you didn't put urine in there, what'd you put? It certainly looked like it." said Kira, catching up to his sister and resumed his walking pace.
"Peach juice and melted cappuccino ice cream. With some… other flavours added." Cagalli smiled to herself, as she certainly knew what those 'other flavours' were, and they, my friends, were going to be her little secret. Her DIRTY little secret.
"I don't think I even want to KNOW what those other flavours were." shuddering a bit, Kira began to wonder how exactly they were related.
"No, you don't. Anyways, I wouldn't tell you." snickering, Cagalli skipped away, but then paused. "Oh, and me too, I wonder how exactly I'm related to someone like you." With those words, she laughed again and skipped into the house, leaving poor Kira staring at where she was and scratching his head.
Inside the house, Cagalli ran up the golden stairway and up into her room. Opening the door, she found it stuck.
"Darn this door. What's wrong with it?!" Shoving against the door, she continued to shove and shove until a maid came by and stared at her weirdly.
"Um, Miss. Athha?"
"Yes? Ah, please don't mind me. I'm… trying… to get… this… DARN… door… OPEN!" However, despite these words, the maid found it very difficult to divert her eyes, as the way she was trying to do that… was quite disturbing.
"Miss. Athha, do you need some assissta—"
BANG.
"Ah, crap! THE DOOR BROKE!" Facepalm`ing, the maid went off to find the repairs crew, leaving Cagalli staring at what was left of her door.
"Moron." Cagalli spun around, and immediately made a disgusted face at who it was.
"Eck. It's you."
"What's with the attitude?" Shinn Asuka asked, making the same disgusted face back at her.
"I never knew you were dating Stellar!"
"Does it really matter?"
"Of course it does! Why didn't you tell me?"
"You never asked."
"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be, eh? Well, you acted single SO it is not my fault."
"Huh?! What am I supposed to do to act like I'm in a relationship? Go around with a pin saying "I have a girlfriend, sorry." on my chest?!"
Shaking her head in disbelief at his stupidity, Cagalli replied, "No, obviously you put a pin saying, "I have a boyfriend, sorry." What are you, stupid?"
"But I don't HAVE a boyfriend!"
"At least you'll act more like you're taken!"
"Does it really matter?! How does me being in a relationship change anything?!"
"It changes my opinion of you. I guess instead of being a teapot boiling with hot water, you're more like… hm…" Pausing to think, she eyed him up and down.
"A gorilla drinking beer." answered Kira, who suddenly walked up the stairs.
"Okay, you two are like, unbearable. What exactly have I done?!" Shinn complained, pouting.
"Number one, you got a girlfriend before I did. Number two, yo—OH MY GOODNESS CAGALLI, YOUR DOOR!" gasped Kira, staring at the remains of the originally orange door.
"Crap." muttered Cagalli, inching away slowly from her brother… hoping he wouldn't notice the distance increasing between them…
"CAGALLI, I SEE YOU MOVING AWAY AND YOU ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE. THIS IS THE 23529827389572TH TIME! STOP. BREAKING. DOWN. YOUR. DOOR!"
"I'm sorry! I was just trying to get in but the door wouldn't budge!"
"WELL YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO BREAK THE WHOLE DO—oh crap what the heck is that smell?!" All three of them turned towards Cagalli's door, where they suddenly saw some ants filing out from under the door.
"… oh no." whispered Cagalli.
All three of them continued to stare at the door, while backing away slowly from it and huddling together. Suddenly, they saw the door come out, in two pieces (thanks to Cagalli), and they saw exactly what made the door unable to open.
"Okay, and I thought I was messy." Shinn said, staring in horror at her room.
"This isn't messy. This is like, UGH. CAGALLI!" yelled Kira, shaking his sister back and forth.
"GEEZ WHAT'S WITH EVERYONE YELLING AT ME THESE DAYS! IT'S NOT MY FAULT!"
The room, definitely didn't look like it belonged to the daughter of a leader of a country. Far from it. There was a huge pile of garbage blocking the door, and even though it was in a black plastic bag, there were holes in it, where many unidentifiable materials were seen oozing or sliding or crumbling out. The bed was the only neat thing. There were flies, ants, cockroaches, potato bugs… and even a mouse scampered across the room. The drawers had clothes flung on top of them and stuffed inside them and just all over the room.
2 hours later.
"I'm really sorry about what I did, Meer. I hope you feel better soon." said Cagalli, wiping some (fake) tears from her eyes as she stared at the pink-haired impersonation of Lacus.
"It's okay, darling. I'm alright, and as long as our relationships are still the same, then it's alright with me." fluttering her eyes at the blonde, Meer gave a coy smile which send shudders down Cagalli's arms.
"Uh, yeah. Are you okay?" the blonde asked, eyeing the medical equipment around the blue-eyed girl.
"Oh, yes! I recovered from… ah, the 'tea incident'. No permanent damage. Thank you for the, ah, cake as well. No permanent damage there either, after puking it out for 2 hours."
"Is that so? Then I'm glad to hear that." replied Cagalli in a monotone.
"Yes, I'm happy to say I will be up and running again in a week or so!"
"Is that so? Brilliant, great for you."
"I know right? I can't wait to start school here!"
"Is that so? Gre—wait, what?! You're going to school here?!" Cagalli stood up and stared at the surprised girl in disbelief.
"Yes, that's what daddy said. He said we're going to Zala High. Is that the same school as you?" Sighing in relief, Cagalli shook her head.
"No, I attend ORB Secondary. Zala High is on the other side of ORB."
"Oh, I see. Yeah, Daddy said that since I'm engaged to Athrun Zala, the Zalas' son, I might as well go to the same school as him and get to know him better! Isn't that great? Apparently he is THE hottest guy in ORB!"
"Is that so?" said Cagalli sarcastically. "Then, I guess we won't be seeing much of each other after this."
"I know, right? I tried to ask Daddy if I could stay here, but he said no, and that I had to go live with the Zala family! Oh, Cagalli, I will miss you so much!" Holding her arms out, Meer stared up at Cagalli hopefully, who reluctantly gave her a hug. When they parted, Cagalli vowed to take a shower and throw out the orange dress she was wearing at the moment.
"Anyways, I think I have to go…"
"So soon? But…" Meer sat up straighter, and gazed at Cagalli with pleading eyes. Cagalli, unfortunately for Meer, totally did not care nor see.
"If you need to find me, you know where I'll be. Get better soon!" with those words, she walked out.
Walking down the hall, Cagalli fumed. Fumed about how Meer was going to Zala High, and not ORB Secondary.
"Stinking Zalas. What's so good about them?" she grumbled, but deep down, she knew the answer. The problem was, she didn't really have a 'deep down'. She continued to mutter to herself as she walked back home. For the second time that day, she crashed into someone going up the stairs. "DARNIT, WATCH WHERE—Oh! Father!"
"Cagalli. Did you apologize to the Campbells?"
"Yes, yes, I did! I apologized to Mr. and Mrs. Campbell, and to Meer herself. Happy?"
"Good girl. Come, I have something to tell you." As they walked back to Uzumi Athha's office, Cagalli could not help but feel a flash of fear as they entered his clean office.
"What is it, Father? Has something gone wrong?"
"No, no, not at all."
"Then…"
"As you know, this side of ORB has ORB Secondary, right?"
"Yes, I know. The other side has Zala High." Cagalli's voice sneered at the name Zala.
"Well, I was just talking to Mr. Zala, and we have agreed to combine the two schools."
Cagalli went into shock. Combine the two? "Wait, Father…"
"It will be in the centre of ORB, so no worries. You will attend there, along with your brother and Shinn."
"But, Father, why?" Cagalli bit her lip as her father sighed and rested his head on his hands.
"It was stupid of us to separate ORB in half. This way, we can unite the whole of ORB and be united with each other. Cagalli, I know you don't like the Zalas, but…"
"Father, this is… you know just as well as I do they don't desire peace! They want to take over ORB, and control this side of it! They can't be given any more power than they already have! Father, I objec—"
"Cagalli! Enough." Holding up his hands to stop any further remarks, he continued, "I know, they will be very dangerous if they are given any more power. But we are not giving them any more power. We are simply uniting the people! There is no exchange of power! Cagalli, you have to see…"
She had enough; she cut him off before he could finish. "I understand. Only on two conditions, though." Her father's eyebrows rose, but he allowed her to speak. "That I am able to oversee the construction of the new building, and that they also have someone from their side oversee it."
"Very well. I will have that arranged."
"Thank you, Father." She turned around to leave, but not before saying, "If they cross one millimeter of the line, I will certainly put them back in their rightful place." Chuckling, her father simply shooed her away, not hearing her mutter, "Rightful place, under my foot."
Author's Note: ... failed first attempt? I don't know. It's been a LONG time since I've written any fanfiction.
Some AsuCaga fans might remember my old stories... I don't know. They might recognize the writing style, or might not. If some of you do, congratulations! I am planning on updating the ones from my old account (in fact, I would update right on there, but I cannot seem to find the password or the email account for it), but probably on my LJ which I'll give out later.
Cagalli: I place a bet this won't even make it to the second chapter.
Kira: Cut her some slack! I bet third.
Shinn: Yeah, that's a lot of slack.
Kira: It is! See, in this chapter there were approximately 3,000 words! She can at least write another 3,000 words, but not 6,000.
Shinn: You know what, I'm just going to say she can make it to the second last chapter and then suddenly lose inspiration. That's what happened last time.
Author: * throws a piggy bank at the three of them * Anyways, please read and review! Thanks; see you next time!
Cagalli: Hopefully.