A/N: Alright here is chapter 2!
Azmaria Eve: Thanks for the review! And I love your profile avatar! :)
*Song for this chapter: Tears on the Runway, Pt. 2 by Issues
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny!
Chapter 2: Tears
"How can I help you sir?"
Kira eyed the man at the gate of the Seiran mansion suspiciously.
"Is the Chief Representative of Orb here?" Lacus interjected with a sweet smile.
Kira's violet eyes widened and then he placed a gentle hand on her lower back as she stepped forward.
"Who is asking?" the guard snapped warily.
"My name is Lacus Clyne," she began and the guard's eyes widened.
"Lacus Clyne? The singer from the PLANTs?" he questioned with a slightly surprised expression.
"That is correct," Lacus blinked with cerulean orbs.
"One moment…" the guard trailed off and pulled out his radio.
"Hey, I've got someone claiming to be Lacus Clyne wanting to see Mr. Seiran's fiancé."
Kira and Lacus exchanged glances as someone spoke back to the man. He looked up at the couple in front of him and frowned.
"I'm sorry, she's not seeing visitors at this time."
Lacus frowned, "That's unfortunate."
Kira clenched his jaw and couldn't hold back any longer.
"I'm her brother and I want to see her!"
The guard's eyes widened again, "Her brother?"
"Yes."
The gate keeper shook his head, "I was given strict orders to allow no one inside to see the Chief Representative."
"Kira…" Lacus said in a calm voice as she watched the brown haired coordinator tense up.
He took a deep breath, "Thank you for your time. Let's go Lacus."
The pink haired songstress followed him back to the car where they both got in. Kira didn't bother to start the engine and pulled out his phone.
"I'm calling Athrun. I want to know what has recently happened between Cagalli and this Seiran guy," he spoke as he dialed his best friend's number.
Lacus sighed and turned in her seat to see a white van pull up to the gate. She blinked with a confused expression as she read the side of the vehicle.
"Wedding dress outfitters?"
Kira was in the middle of talking on the phone and he paused. He turned to the woman next to him.
"What did you say?"
Lacus lifted her finger and pointed at the white van where several people climbed out and began carrying equipment inside.
"Wedding dresses?!" Kira exclaimed breathlessly with a horrified expression.
He dropped his phone and Lacus caught it before it fell between the seats.
"Kira! What's going on?! Answer me damn it!" Lacus heard Athrun shouting on the other end of the line.
"Hello Athrun," the songstress spoke pleasantly into the phone as Kira trembled with wide eyes in the seat next to her.
"Lacus! Tell me what's going on!"
"Well, you see, we went to Miss Cagalli's estate but she wasn't there. We were told the last person she was seen with was Yuna Roma Seiran."
At the mention of Yuna's name, Athrun released an audible growl.
Lacus continued, "Kira decided we should come to the Seiran's estate which is where we are now. They would not allow us to go inside, but Miss Cagalli is here."
Athrun was silent on the other end of the line before he asked hesitantly, "Did you say something about a dress?"
Lacus was only half listening to the blue haired coordinator on the phone as she reached for Kira.
"Are you alright?" she asked him with a concerned expression.
"Cagalli… what's happening?" Kira mumbled, "There's no way she would get married without telling any of us."
"Maybe they're here to fit someone else for a wedding dress," Lacus suggested.
"We can only hope… but I'm not so sure."
Lacus frowned, "I thought she already liked someone."
Kira huffed, "So did I."
"Lacus!"
The pink haired coordinator jumped, "Oh Athrun! I'm sorry!"
"Did you just say a wedding dress?!"
"Please don't overreact. We aren't sure who they're here to see," Lacus spoke calmly.
"That bastard Yuna," Athrun growled, "If he's done anything to her I'll kill him!"
"That's it," Kira spoke as he stared at the Seiran estate.
Lacus frowned, "Kira?"
"I'm going to see her, even if they say I can't."
Athrun could hear every word of what his childhood friend was saying and asked, "Lacus, what is he going to do?"
Kira reached for the phone and put it against his ear again.
"I'm going to get in there and find her tonight. I want to talk to her and make sure she's alright," the brown haired coordinator said bluntly.
"Be careful Kira," Athrun warned, "Cagalli is an important political character, so don't do anything that could jeopardize her."
"I know that. I'm fairly certain that everyone here is a natural… So I'll have a slight upper hand sneaking around."
Athrun sighed uneasily, "Please let me know how she is."
"I'll go in, see her, and get out. No one will know I was inside," Kira stated.
There was a pause and Kira spoke again, "Athrun… are you returning to ZAFT?"
The blue haired coordinator was silent for several moments before answering hesitantly, "I… I don't know."
Kira closed his eyes. He could sense his friend was torn.
"Athrun needs to find his own way," Lacus said suddenly, "He needs to do what he feels is right and what he believes in."
Kira gave the songstress a warm smile, "You catch that, Athrun?"
"I did…" Athrun replied.
"I'll talk to you later," Kira said and hung the phone up.
"Athrun seems to be struggling right now," Lacus stated.
Kira nodded, "I wonder what they're saying to him now that he's back in the PLANTs."
"It's tough to tell."
Kira started the car engine and pulled onto the main road. He drove back toward the orphanage with a thin frown on his lips as he thought of how he was going to sneak onto the Seiran estate grounds that night.
…..
The night was cold and windy. Kira parked his car about a mile from the Seiran estate. The brown haired coordinator was dressed in all black and moved silently down the sidewalk with a serious expression. Kira frowned when a chilly gust hit him square in the face. It ruffled his already messy hair and made his eyes water. He finally arrived at the front gate of the Seiran estate and stared at it from across the street. There were many bright lights illuminating the gate as well as the grounds. Kira narrowed his violet eyes and saw that there were a couple guards patrolling the courtyard.
"If I get by them I should be alright… but I need to be careful," he mumbled to himself.
The coordinator clenched his fists. It was now or never. He took long strides toward the tall fence that surrounded the grounds. Kira leapt into the air and propelled himself over the fence where he landed on the grass with a soft thud. The edges of the courtyard had less light and Kira sidestepped down the fence until he was on the far right side of the grounds. The guards patrolled the well-lit areas with guns strapped to their hips. Kira watched them from the shadows and frowned.
"I've got to distract them somehow."
There was a lone tree several yards in front of the coordinator. Kira made a mad dash to it and hid behind the trunk. He glanced down and saw several rocks resting at the base of the plant. The coordinator's eyes widened and he picked up a couple of them.
Kira took one rock and threw it as far as he could. His superior physical abilities allowed him to gain extra distance. The two guards both turned quickly as they heard the rock hit the ground. Kira threw the second one which sent the two men running.
"Now's my chance!" Kira said as he took off at a sprint toward the mansion while the guards were distracted.
He found a smaller door on the side of the estate and forced it open. It was dark and silent inside. Kira carefully moved with one hand touching the wall to guide him through the halls.
'Cagalli, where are you in here?' he thought as he began his search.
….
Cagalli had cried herself to sleep and was completely under the covers of her bed. She took deep breaths and dried tears adorned her cheeks. No dinner had been brought to her as her instructor had ordered. Her stomach grumbled as she slept and the walls around her creaked from the wind outside.
Cagalli's eyes snapped open as she heard someone jiggling her door knob. She bolted upright in bed and stared through the dark at the giant wooden door with wide amber eyes.
"Who's there?" she called out cautiously.
"Cagalli? It's me, Kira!"
Cagalli was at the door in seconds, "Oh Kira! What are you doing?!"
"I wanted to see you but they wouldn't let me. I needed to know that you were okay."
Cagalli wiped stray tears from her eyes, "I've been better."
"Why are you here? And why were there people for wedding dresses here earlier today?" Kira whispered.
Cagalli reached for the door knob and tried to open it. She sighed, the servants had locked it, so no one was getting in or out without a key.
"Cagalli?"
"I'm marrying Yuna Roma Seiran," Cagalli said quietly.
"Why?" Kira pushed.
"He's my fiancé," Cagalli began crying, "It was arranged between his father and mine. I have to do it."
"No you don't. You don't need a husband, let alone a husband that you can't stand," Kira spoke.
"I've already agreed to go through with it."
"What about Athrun?" Kira questioned urgently.
"Athrun left me!" Cagalli said as more tears ran down her face and she tried to control her outburst, "He left me all alone!"
"I talked to him Cagalli, he's worried sick about you."
"It doesn't matter. He left me with a ring and an empty promise. I didn't know when or if he was coming back," Cagalli sputtered, her voice full of emotion.
"He hurt you. I can tell. Everyone makes mistakes Cagalli. I know you don't want to marry Yuna. You have the right to marry someone that you love, not someone because you're being forced."
Cagalli wiped her eyes and clenched her fists, "It's my decision, now get out of here before you get caught."
Kira sighed, "What have they been doing to you here? This isn't the Cagalli I know. She would never give into pressure like this."
"I've been alone Kira. They chipped away at me until I couldn't take it anymore. I waited for Athrun to come back and save me. He said he'd always be there and he'd protect me… he was gone when I needed him most."
Kira swallowed dryly on the other side of the door. Cagalli was right. Athrun had left her high and dry and gone to the PLANTs. He hadn't bothered to contact her, and she was left defenseless to deal with the situation on her own.
"I don't think you should go through with this," Kira whispered.
"It's not your choice."
"When can I see you instead of talking through a door?" Kira asked.
"You can come to the party next week that Yuna and I are hosting before our wedding."
Kira's eyes bulged, "When is this wedding happening?"
"In two weeks."
Kira shook his head in frustration, "This will haunt you the rest of your life if you go through with it."
"Goodnight Kira," Cagalli stated, "I'm done talking about this."
"Alright…"
The princess was surrounded by silence once again and she got back into her bed. Her brother's words played over and over again in her head. She didn't want to make an alliance with the Atlantic Federation that was sealed through their marriage. She didn't want to start a family with that purple haired idiot and winced at the thought of having his children. It was a dilemma.
She clutched her pillow and bit her lip, "Damn it all."
…..
Kira sped down the road with a frown on his face. Cagalli was different.
"What are those bastards doing to her in there?" he muttered and pulled his cell phone from the glove box.
It was around three in the morning but he dialed Athrun Zala's number anyway.
"Hello?"
"Athrun!" Kira exclaimed.
"Kira? What's going on? Did you talk with Cagalli?"
The violet eyed boy sighed, "I did."
"You sound like something happened." Athrun said cautiously.
"Athrun… she's getting married to Seiran."
"No…" Athrun trailed off, "Why?"
"She says she's doing it for Orb."
"How does her marrying that bastard help Orb?" Athrun snapped.
Kira shook his head, "I don't know. She was manipulated into it and feels like she has no way out."
"Why didn't she say no? He was always trying to be near her when I was around. He would flirt and get close to her whenever he could," Athrun said distastefully.
"She said she's having a party next week for their upcoming wedding and that I could see her then," Kira spoke.
"When is the ceremony?"
"Two weeks."
Athrun was silent and then stated quietly, "This is my fault."
Kira sighed. He wasn't going to completely disagree. Cagalli relied on Athrun for support and to be there for her. When she needed him the most, he was gone.
"Did she say anything?"
"About what, Athrun?"
"About me… leaving her," he said carefully.
"She did, but I don't feel like it's my place to tell you how she feels," Kira replied.
"Is she angry? She has every right to be," Athrun told him.
"I think she feels like she's not important to you," Kira said.
"That's not true," Athrun countered quickly.
"Then you should tell her that."
Athrun paused and then spoke lowly, "Kira… I gave her a ring before I left."
Kira's eyes widened, "You what?"
"I gave her a ring, my feelings for her…" the blue haired coordinator trailed off.
"Athrun, if you feel that strongly about Cagalli, then come help her. Don't let her do this. It's going to change the rest of her life. I don't want her marrying a man that she doesn't love and that doesn't love her in return. Cagalli is special and deserves someone who will stay by her side and love her. She needs a husband who will cherish her," Kira explained.
"You're right."
"Plus, you don't want to see her having baby Yuna Seirans do you?" Kira asked jokingly.
Athrun practically hissed on the other end of the line, "Don't go there. He better not lay a hand on her or touch her in that way."
Kira pulled his car into the orphanage's driveway and turned the engine off.
"Alright… I'll talk to you later. I hope to see you soon," Kira said to his childhood friend.
"Right…" Athrun replied.
…
"Why the hell did you turn down an offer to rejoin ZAFT?" Yzak Joule snapped at Athrun as he escorted him to the space terminal.
"I have something more important waiting for me back home," Athrun answered dryly.
"More important? And home? The PLANTs are your home, or have you forgotten?"
"Let him go," Dearka Elsman rolled his eyes.
"Idiot!" Yzak spat with disgust.
"Girl troubles?" Dearka elbowed Athrun suggestively.
The blue haired coordinator's eyebrows shot up, "No!"
"That means yes," Dearka grinned.
A/N: Alright, that's it for this chapter! I have up through chapter 5 written so far. Reviews are nice. Flames are not. Thanks!