DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny. This is just a fanwork. If I did I'd be much wealthier!
Rouge
[Chapter 1]
"Chairman, your guest has arrived and is waiting in the study." He looked up from his paperwork at the sound of the girlish voice that came from the speaker on his phone. Finishing his thought, he briefly marked his point on the stack of papers and rose from his seat. "Thank you Ms. Hawke, I'll be right out."
Carefully locking down everything on his desk, he paused at the mirror by the door to tidy and straighten himself up before he exited briskly and walked purposefully towards his study. He nodded briefly at his red-headed secretary but was still focused on the papers he was reading and the upcoming meeting that he had. In all actuality he was a little bit irritated at the upcoming ordeal—but his best friend had asked him to do a favor and Athrun being who he was couldn't turn him down, it wasn't his style and wasn't how his Mother had raised him.
When Kira had called from Orb to request that Athrun allow his twin sister, Princess Cagalli Yula Athha, stay with him he had immediately said no. When Kira had elaborated that she would be there strictly for school and not in a political capacity, he had been a little bit more amenable to the idea but still reluctant. He didn't have much use for Princesses, mostly because he didn't enjoy the idea of baby-sitting another spoiled bratty royal interested in his political position and marriageability but it had been Kira—and Athrun had to acknowledge that Kira had one of the worst over protective brother streaks he had ever seen. So he had finaly agreed, at least until she could find accommodations of her own that Kira approved of (which Athrun seriously thought would be never).
Sighing he paused right before the door, gathering his thoughts and prepared for an excruciating hour of small talk and pleasantries. Kira owed him big time. Turning the door knob he stepped into the study and immediately took in the lady who had stood up when he entered and turned to face him. His immediate impression was that this woman looked nothing like his best friend, and for being twins she only vaguely resembled him in the way her hair fell and the shape of her eyes—things you would only notice if you were looking and were intimately familiar with one of the siblings.
"Chairman, thank you very much for humoring my brother and allowing me to stay with you." She spoke first extending her hand to him with a faint smile and her voice was startlingly low and rough but with a hint of warmth. He didn't miss the faint tone of amusement in her voice, and couldn't help but smile at her in return. Walking over he grasped her hand and shook it briefly before sitting down across from her.
"It's no bother, I have plenty of room. I'm surprised he even allowed you to leave Orb to pursue your Ph.D." He continued easily while surveying his guest casually, a remnant of his military training. Her posture and manner was every bit as he expected from a Princess from one of the world's oldest Monarchy's, well-trained and groomed and deliberate. What surprised him slightly was he noticed that she was exceptionally comfortable in her own skin, and while she was thin—it was unlike the usual bird-like diet thin of the other society ladies—but rather a well-toned, athleticism that he only saw in world class athletes or the best trained soldiers. Filing that piece of information away, he made a note to ask Kira about it later. He had never mentioned that his twin sister had any interest in athletics—then again Kira mentioned his sister very little. He spoke about her, but only peripherally his over protective streak extending even to his best friend, as if suspicious that Athrun was going to be the one that would take his sister away from him.
"You have no idea how much I appreciate this, Kira was starting to get wild with his plans for where I would be staying. He started threatening what sounded uncomfortably like a nunnery or house arrest, I thought I was going to kill him at one point." She responded with a laugh but irritation traveled across her face and he smiled at her frustration. It seemed that Cagalli wasn't too fond of Kira's restrictive ways either. "Did you know that he was planning on sending a small fleet of armed guards with me? I can take care of myself you know! It's peaceful now, I don't think anyone out there is out to get me no matter what Kira says—and like I keep telling him, I'm not some stupid fainting girly girl. He should know! I've already proven it to him so many times, you'd think that he'd realize by now that…"
Suddenly she quieted, her eyes wide in mid rant and met his green eyes only to flush pink all over her cheeks. He quirked an eyebrow at her to see if she would finish her thought. He found himself curious about what she could mean by "prove it" to Kira—was she the type to run away from home? And what did she mean by 'out to get her', surely Kira would have told him if there was a serious threat to his sister's life. He didn't realize that while he had gotten lost in his train of thought that he was staring intently at her. Flushing even redder and nervously she finally stammered out the rest bringing him out of his thoughts, "I-I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself."
"Kira just cares about you, I think you'll always be his baby sister to hi-"
"Older." Her voice sliced through his, interrupting him before he could finish his response. He blinked at her trying to catch up to her conversational pace. "Huh?"
"I'm older. Don't listen to that idiot, I'm the older one." She tossed her head proudly a wide grin on her face as she held up a triumphant fist. "He hates to admit it—but I'm older then him by exactly 7 minutes and 13 seconds."
Athrun couldn't help it—he burst out laughing at the ridiculous turn this conversation had taken. This all felt so refreshingly normal, and it felt nice to not have to go about the pleasantries and dance steps of his typical conversations of late. All work, all negotiations, all politics. Between his laugh he shook his head, "You're telling me that you and Kira still fight about that?"
She snorted at him though her eyes were dancing merrily as she leaned back in her seat, her posture relaxing from the proper poise she'd carried until then. "Of course not—I've already won that fight. You can't argue with our medical records—Kira just hates when I bring it up."
At that moment his head turned when one of his maids entered, carrying in a tea tray covered in small sandwiches and the like, what he referred to as bird food privately. Nodding thanking her, he waited for her to leave before turning back to the tray and starting to pour the tea. "Do you take cream or sugar with your tea, Princess?"
"Why is it always like this? Do they really think this is enough to be filling? It's an epidemic, I swear. Dainty food fit for a lady—more like an anorexic." she mumbled with disgust, before good naturedly smiling at him. "Just cream thank you, Chairman and please, just call me Cagalli. The food looks amazing by the way."
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow and she colored again, clearly she had not intended or realized she was talking out loud, he couldn't resist teasing her as he handed her the pink rose tea cup, "Amazing for a lady?"
Flushing even redder he maintained his calm façade as she suddenly started sputtering, realizing he had heard and doing her best to fix her faux paus. "You weren't supposed to hear that! I always forget you Coordinators have such good hearing—crap! It's not that it doesn't look good, it really does—it's just I always-wait did I just say Crap? Shit, father's going to kill me—no MANA'S going to kill me. Damnit—It's good! It's good! See-?"
He watched as she snatched up a pink macaron and took a bite of it, before abruptly choking and frantically sipping the hot tea. Hiding his mouth behind his hand to try and cover his laughing, he watched as she finally set the tea cup down and somehow managed to start breathing again and frazzled looked at him, "MMMM. That was so delicious, I must give my compliments to the chef."
He burst out laughing again, putting his tea cup down to try and catch his breath he watched as at first she glared at him before she dissolved into laughter as well. Any tension between them broke and he shook his head trying to inhale oxygen back into his lungs. It seemed like this Princess wasn't as he had expected, and nothing like he'd imagined. "Please call me Athrun then, Cagalli. You don't have to kill yourself trying to prove to me how delicious the food, and I don't mind the cuss words. Believe me, I know someone who can't go ten minutes without cussing so your secret is safe with me. I won't tell your Father, or Ma-what was it Mana?"
She smiled widely at him, and he felt oddly rewarded by the beaming look on her face. "Thanks then Athrun, you have no idea what punishment I was in for. It's not the food. I…I just ….I'm always starving after these stupid teas. What's the point of food if you're still going to be hungry? And seriously WHAT IS WITH ALL THIS PINK ATHRUN?! Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean you have to throw pink paint on everything. I haven't been around this much pink since I visited Lacus—and trust me I love Lacus but I do my best to never enter her house because I didn't know you could put that much pink anywhere."
She gestured wildly at the pink rose covered tea service, and then the pink desserts and pink napkins her chagrined and pained expression hilarious to see. He sighed a little sheepishly pressing a button to call for a staff member, "I'm afraid that's my fault. When I took the position all the entertaining supplies were worn so I needed to order new ones. As I was too busy with the transition and didn't care too much I asked Lacus to do it for me before she left for her position in Orb—and ….well you see what happened."
"You're joking." Cagalli looked at him aghast, imagining all the furniture covered in pink and sighed. "I should have known it was Lacus. The first time I walked into the Plant Ambassador's home after she arrived I felt like I'd walked into a pink nightmare that I couldn't escape. For a minute I swear I thought I was dreaming and something seriously had gone wrong with my eyes. I don't know how it doesn't bother Kira."
Just then a butler entered and Athrun grinned as he asked him to bring the usual, to which Cagalli curiously eyed him, waiting for him to leave Athrun smiled at her before explaining, "I was relieved to hear that you also disliked the bird food tea tray's—and asked him to bring us my usual. Hopefully that'll fill you up better, afterwards I'll show you where you're staying. I have to apologize though, I'll be in meetings all day so won't be able to entertain you after that. I'm sure you don't need me to really babysit you as much as Kira was demanding."
"Hell no. Kira's insane, I'll be fine." Settling back even more into her armchair, he went back to studying this surprising and refreshing new guest. Wearing well-tailored masculine cut khaki pants and a loose elegant blouse she had her blonde hair neatly pulled back into a smooth chignon, she wasn't the least bit dainty and sweet—but confident and in command of her space. To be honest he had expected a lady much like Lacus, the type of politician's daughters and princess that were normally paraded around him. Even now as she relaxed in her seat, he could feel the confidence and spirit radiating from her—it fascinated him. "You know, you're nothing like all the news stories, articles, tabloids, and pictures make you out to be like."
"Of course not." She snorted again before making a dismissive wave of her hand. "That's Princess Cagalli Yula Athha, daughter of the Chief Representative of Orb. You should know, in front of our people and the world I represent Orb, so I am prim and proper and everything a Princess should be, but here-? Behind closed doors what's the point?"
She sipped her tea and grinned at him, before he could interrupt, "Of course I try and be myself as much as I can. 'Sides I like you, I've got a good feeling about you Athrun. I'm sure you won't go running to the press to spill all the secrets of the real Cagalli, Kira would kill you—and then I would."
She said it happily but he sensed the slight threat beneath her words. Shaking his head quickly, he laughed a bit nervously, "Thanks—I think. You don't need to worry, your secrets are safe with me. Are you always so quick to trust strangers?"
He was serious, for all she said and Kira's concerns he wondered if she was this relaxed with everyone. He hardly believed that he was really that charming, despite what all the magazines said in PLANT. She shook her head as she put down her cup and met his eyes honestly, "Nope, but Kira said I could trust you with my life and I believe him."
It was spoken so innocently and with such absolute faith that he blinked, startled. The magnitude of that statement he packed away to evaluate later, the doubt and bitterness that it brought ate at him as the guilt of the lives he couldn't save weighed on him. She noticed the change of expression and confused she cautiously reached out, "Athrun? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." The words came out harsher then he intended before he smoothly schooled his face into careful passivity and smiled blandly at her, falling into his usual more practiced Chairman persona. "It's nothing, I apologize for concerning you."
She recoiled from him, surprised at the sudden change before nodding slowly and sitting back up in a more proper way to mirror him. He continued before she could ask any more uncomfortable questions he didn't want to answer, "While you are here I ask that you stay out of certain areas of my residence, I'm sure it's the same for you in Orb but there is some classified information that I keep here as well, you are also aware I'm sure of the consequences if you do end up in those areas. My staff is here to serve you as well, and I have briefed them on your stay. Please make yourself comfortable, and I have also prepared rooms for your bodyguard and assistant. My chief of staff will assist you with managing your day to day needs, I'm afraid I'm also quite busy and I usually have my meals on the go."
She nodded, thankfully not saying anything about the abrupt shift in the conversation. He noticed her eyes narrow slightly as she studied him, but then it was gone and she was smiling an equally practiced smile at him, their earlier camaraderie fading, "I understand completely Athrun, I do not want to trouble you in anyway and will keep to myself. I am quite capable on my own."
They lapsed into an awkward silence exchanging mindless pleasantries as they ate the snacks waiting for the real food to arrive before suddenly she sat up eyes wide and frantic, a horrified expression on her face. "Athrun. Please don't tell me you let Lacus decorate the guest rooms."
Notes: Phew! Chapter 1 is done! I'm super rusty ^! I hope you liked it! Now to the fun stuff!