CHAPTER 02: OF FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Cagalli woke up and found herself inside her room. She tried to recall what happened before this, but all he could remember was seeing a white light and then she was taken to a pitch-dark place.
The next thing she knew, she was in her room. Upon opening her eyes, she saw those same emerald eyes, the one that she was staring before she passed out. Their faces were really close to each other. She was both alarmed and embarrassed at the same time. Though he looked really nice to her, her instinct told her to push him.
The man, who is kneeling beside her, was found himself pushed to the floor, "What is your problem?" he answered. He tried to avoid the fall, but failed miserably. "That hurts!"
"Who the hell are you? How'd you get in my room?" she asked in succession. Deep Inside her mind, she knew that she had seen him before. But, where? Where did I see his face? Why is it so familiar?
"I can see that I'm in a very odd position. You already even forgotten in just a matter of hours," answered the other person. He gets up and sad at an empty chair away from her. "Mind if I sit there?" He asked, pointing towards the empty chair.
Cagalli nod. She watched him settle down, she blurted out, "Excuse me, but have we met before?" And what's with this being forgotten? I should be bothered, but I don't feel any danger at all.
The man let out a sigh. He observed her thoroughly. Her eyes, it feels like I'm being pierced. I want to get to know her. He cleared his voice. "Let me introduce myself. Should I entrust her with my name? He thought otherwise. "I'm Dark. Pleased to meet you."
FLASHBACK
He was deeply in thought when a person with straight short white hair approached him. His bangs reached up a little before his purple eyes. He is also clad in black. This person is called Yzak.
"Yo! Athrun, I heard you were being sent to Earth on a mission. Welcome to the club," he said to his surprise.
"Oh, it's you Yzak. Ah.. yes…," came the short response.
"When will you leave the realm?" asked Yzak.
"I'm thinking of an early morning trip. It's the sunrise that I'd like to see when I visit Earth. Some say it's one of the most sight to behold." Now his attention was fixed to Yzak. "How about you, do you have another mission on Earth?"
Yzak nod in response. "Come on, we don't need to talk about me."
Athrun just stared at him with a blank expression.
"Ah yeah, before I forget, I'd like to give you this a piece of advice. "
He leaned closer and whispered, "Your name, take extra care with it."
"Huh? What do you mean? From the manual and the training, it is said that our name, binds us into a contract with the chosen one. And in return, it will be marked on their body," he recalled the lessons at the academy.
"Don't make me repeat myself. This is actually old stuff. Take it from a person who has been to Earth several times. Don't give out your name to a person unless you completely trust -her," he said. He said the last word with a malicious grin.
"What is this all about?" Athrun asked.
Yzak laughed very hard. "You tell me, you're quite popular with women here. Hmm, I wonder if you'll have the same effects to women on Earth. I hear they're something."
"I did not go there to DO that kind of thing, or whatever is on your mind. I'm on a mission." Athrun plainly answered.
Yzak laughed louder. "Always the serious type. " His tone became serious after. "Still, it will do you good to remember this piece of advice. We're the angels from the shadows, supporting the white-winged of you-know-what. We keep ensure that the negative energy is balanced with their positive energy and yet, because of a mistake of one person in the past, we were likened to demons, those devils that devoured souls. That's why, our true name holds power over us."
"Our true name," Athrun repeated. He noticed the change in tone of his friend so he added. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Very well, have a safe trip. Contact your dear friend once in a while. All right?" Yzak said and proceeded to a hallway.
END OF FLASHBACK
"Dark… What a funny name," Cagalli laughed, but after a careful consideration, she said, "but it does suit you."
Hearing Cagalli's remark made no effect to Athrun. His mind drifted somewhere else. I am supposed to choose whom I give my mark, but it just inked itself to this girl. I need to know what happened. But what about this woman? What should I do? I need to contact Yzak and sort this out.
Cagalli repeated his name, as if calling him back to the present. "Dark, as in the absence of light?"
"Yes," was his immediate answer, like an automatic response.
Is he serious? It seemed sketchy to me. "Is Dark really your name or an alias?" This time, her tone was laden with suspicion.
Well, she's sharp. I give her that.
Before she could continue asking, she suddenly remembered that he is trespassing her personal space, her room. "Oh wait, what are you doing in MY room? Did father let you in? Get out now!" No… father wouldn't do this kind of thing. So then… who is he? Upon realizing, she took the defensive stance.
Athrun noticed the change in the atmosphere. "I'm afraid I cannot do that. The thing is, I think we just entered into an involuntary contract," he stood and went to Cagalli. This is probably the best thing to do. He planned to show her the contract mark placed on Cagalli's left chest. He reached and pointed his finger towards the location of the mark.
Noting that he is aiming for her breast, Cagalli mistook this for sexual advance, and so she pulled his hand, and sends him flying to her bed on his back. Afterwards, she leaned on him with her legs to prevent him from moving. "Pervert! Just tell me who you are!" She commanded.
"I won't make a fuss if I were you," Athrun said in a tight voice. I've been pushed and pulled two times in a row.
Cagalli wasn't even listening. "Who are you? What are you doing here? What are your motives?" Cagalli pressed more and continued with her questions. She unaware of the noise they were making.
Downstairs, his father was sipping his morning coffee when he heard the commotion upstairs. Is Cagalli awake? He placed the cup on the table and went upstairs. He knocked and entered.
He stared at Cagalli who seemed unmindful of his presence. "What are you doing Cagalli? What is all the noise about?" He asked. He was very surprised to see Cagalli. Her two knees were pressed on the bed, as if she is combating an unseen person. Cagalli is still wearing her pajama, but her hair is in disarray.
Finally noticing his presence, Cagalli turned around. "Father, who is this guy? Who let him in?" Cagalli asked in a high voice.
His father stared at her. "Huh? What are you talking about Cagalli?" he responded.
Cagalli repeated her question and directed her stare towards Dark, "This guy? Who is he? Why was he inside my room?" She asked in disbelief.
Her father stopped from where he stood, "Are you feeling well? A guy? I don't see anyone inside your room. Are you having a hallucination?"
Cagalli shifted her gaze and locked it towards her captive's eyes. Sensing the confusion, he answered, "He couldn't see me nor hear me."
This comment left her dumbstruck. What the hell is going on here?
She tried once more, "Father, this guy… in my bed? Couldn't you see him? Hear him? He's just beneath me," she pointed.
Her father nodded his sideways, " I think you need to rest. I found you lying on the ground unconscious. Maybe you were too tired. I mean you passed out earlier, while chasing the supposed comet." He half-closed the door. "I'll call Kira to let him know that you wouldn't be able to come to school today. I'll cook something for breakfast, but before I bring your food, please sleep a little more."
When the door was already shut, Cagalli decided to relax her grip and sat in her bed. "What just happened? What did you do to father? She blurted out.
Athrun rose from the bed and sat opposite her. Looking at her, he said, "If you have let me finish what I was saying… doing, then you should not have looked stupid in front of your father," he said. Obviously he was annoyed.
"You… take it back or else-" she said.
"Okay, okay. I was just teasing you. You know, you have the habit of attacking people who are not even finish talking, " he laughed.
"Well, you happened to be in someone else's room without properly knocking. This is not a laughing matter. You're the one being rude, you know," Cagalli countered.
"Okay. I understand. Anyway, as I was saying, I think, though I'm not 100% sure, but I think I just accidentally made a contract with you," he explained.
Cagalli stared at him with that I-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about look.
As if reading her thoughts, Athrun replied. " Do you remember what happened earlier at dawn?"
Cagalli tried to think back, "Hours ago? Well, I did remember going out of the house with father, chasing after the other parts of the Millennium... Oh yeah, I saw it crash in the middle of the forest, at the foot of the mountain. I also remember seeing a man," then realizing that the man looks like the person in front of her, " are you saying you were that man?" she asked in a surprised voice.
"Ah huh. What I don't understand is how did you get that mark?" he asked, pointing at the sole feather mark on Cagalli's chest. "Well, this is what I have tried to point to you before you suddenly knocked me down."
Cagalli followed his gaze and saw that certainly there was a single father tattooed on her chest, which was not there before. She tried to rub it off, but it won't come out. "What is this? How did I get it?"
"Weren't you even listening? I told you that I might have made a pact with you, as evidenced by that mark. Actually, I need to contact the realm and asked about this irregularity," the last statement was almost said in a whisper.
"Realm? Are you an extra-terrestrial being or something? At least it would explained the part that you came out from the comet." She is really confused this time. First, I find this man in my room. Then this mark. What now, another realm? Am I still dreaming? Maybe father is right, I need to get back to sleep. I'm seeing and even hearing things.
She closed her eyes and count up to ten. Please disappear. I'm still sane. Tell me I'm still sane. Please… When she opened her eyes, the man in front of her disappeared, or so she thought. Then, she heard someone opened the window and felt the cold morning air. She let out a sigh.
"Are you awake now?" he asked, turning his back from the window.
Cagalli found herself staring at those emerald eyes, and then it finally gave her the time to study the appearance of this man who called himself Dark. "You know, your name, it does suit you because to me, you are very mysterious. And your eyes-"
"Huh?"
This time, Cagalli conceded. "Never mind. You are real after all. What did you say about the contract again?" she asked.
Athrun explained the situation without giving too much detail. I'll only tell her what she needs to know. This is still an abnormality. This time, she listened word for word from Athrun.
"So you're an angel sent to Earth on a mission, but accidentally left your mark on me?" she repeated.
"That's it, basically," she's a fast learner I see.
"Come again?" Cagalli uttered in disbelief. She could not consider what she was hearing. "I was chasing a comet, how did it end like this?" she asked in amazement.
Athrun sighed, "You're still a human after all." He then retold what he just said.
Downstairs, her father was talking to Kira. Holding the other line of the phone, he asked, "Kira, what have you been doing with Cagalli lately?"
"What do you mean, sir? If about last night, I was very sorry for letting her come late. We were truly hoping to see the Millennium," Kira answered on the other line.
"Ah yes, this much, she told me. However, just thins morning, I woke up from a sudden noise. And when I came to see her in her room, she said that there is a man in her room, but then, when I looked around, I saw no one," came the worried voice of her father. " Is she all right? Does she have problem in school?"
Kira thought a moment before answering, " Well, she called me a few times around dawn. I was deeply asleep so I was not able to answer."
"Yes, she did try to call you. Well, we went out a while ago to chase the supposed second part of the Millennium, a falling star. I didn't know what she is saying though, because when I looked at the telescope, I clearly saw that the comet is traversing the night sky." He paused. "I'm little worried about her. "Could you talk to her? She is not going to school today. I told her to rest."
"Ok sir. I'll drop later, after class," was Kira's reply, with a tone of eagerness Cagalli's father returned the receiver of the phone. I hope Kira could talk a sense to her he said.
Back at Kira's house, he wondered about his recent conversation with Cagalli's father. What did he mean by a falling star?
06 November 2018
