A Brand New Start (Part 3)
Cagalli stood at the entrance of the amusement park. She had expected more of a challenge, but given the head start she had given herself, she knew Athrun wouldn't be able to catch up right away. As she was waiting for him, she couldn't help but wonder why she was being so nice to Athrun after their lunch date. She knew that the wall she had built against him was slowly disappearing. The cold, uncaring attitude she had for him was also slowly fading away.
"What's wrong with me?" Cagalli asked herself, "why am I being so nice to a guy that hurt me so significantly?"
She shook her head, trying to clear her mind.
"Hey Cagalli?" a concerned voice asked in front of her, "you alright?"
Cagalli opened her eyes and met a pair of emerald orbs that were staring intently at her. Her cheeks flushed as she realized how close his face was to hers. Her heart raced inside her chest and she was sure Athrun could hear it. Cagalli quickly regained her composure and pulled herself away from him.
"Y-yeah," Cagalli managed to reply, "I'm alright. What took you so long anyways?"
"You had a huge head start," Athrun said.
"Excuses, excuses," Cagalli teased, "come on, let's go on in."
Athrun nodded and followed Cagalli to the ticket booth. They were greeted by a young man with light brown hair.
"Ah, Lady Cagalli!" he greeted, "welcome to Pearl Land! Please, go on inside. Your guest can go in as well."
Cagalli looked at the young man, thinking he was crazy letting her and Athrun inside for free. The young man laughed.
"It's quite alright, Lady Cagalli," he said as he handed them their admission bracelets, "it's the least we can do. Without Lord Uzumi's help, Pearl land wouldn't even be here."
"Oh I see. Well, thank you," Cagalli said and smiled.
"Thank you," Athrun said.
They both put on their admission bracelets and entered the amusement park.
"You two have fun now!" the young man shouted.
Athrun and Cagalli looked at the giant map in the park, deciding where to go first.
"There's so many rides here," Cagalli said in awe, "and there are a lot of game stalls too."
"I know…" Athrun said, "what do you want to do? Go on some rides, or play some games?"
Cagalli continued looking at the map and her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Let's go on a few rides first. Come on!"
Cagalli ran off, making Athrun run after her. They soon stood in line for a ride called "Hell's Gate". It was a ride where passengers would rise slowly into the air in a boat-shaped apparatus, then randomly swing down and spin down towards the water geysers or randomly spin as the ride rose back up into the air. Athrun watched as the current occupants screamed in fear and excitement as the ride moved and spun as it went up and down. He gulped.
"Trust Cagalli to pick a ride like this…" he thought to himself.
"This is going to be awesome," Cagalli said excitedly.
"Y-yeah, it sure will be," Athrun said as calmly as he could, trying to hide his fear.
He looked at Cagalli. She looked really happy and his eyes softened. He loved it when she was happy. If she was happy, he was happy. He knew what he had to do and that was to accompany her on whatever ride she chooses. He cannot disappoint her, never again. When it was their turn to enter the ride, Athrun took a deep breath and followed Cagalli to the middle row and sat down right next to her. They buckled their seatbelts and pulled the "life jacket" down over their heads, securing them safely to the seat. The buzzer rang, signalling the start of the ride. Athrun felt his calm demeanor being replaced with fear as the ride slowly took them high into the air. He gripped the handles of his "life jacket" tightly, preparing for the sudden drop and rotation down towards the water geysers. The ride paused for a bit and then swung down, slowly rotating its occupants at the same time. Athrun closed his eyes, as he suppressed the urge to scream and freak out.
"YEAH! WHOOO!" Cagalli shouted.
Athrun could hear Cagalli's excitement. He was happy Cagalli was enjoying herself. He continued keeping his eyes shut, while mentally telling himself to not scream as the ride spun back upwards.
"Athrun," Cagalli said as she nudged him, "open your eyes. This ride is safe; it's not going to drop us to the ground. It's a lot of fun!"
"Easy for you to say…" he thought to himself, "I know it's safe, but how can you not be scared for your life on a ride like this?"
Athrun slowly opened his eyes. It was a big mistake. He gripped the "life jacket" handles as the ride plunged them towards the geyers, head first. His eyes widened in horror as he watched himself plunge towards the park grounds. He tried his hardest not to scream. Just before the ride reached the geysers, it swung them upwards slightly, allowing their feet to graze through the water geysers. The little boat they were on was slowly swinging back and forth as it descended back down towards the ground. Once the ride stopped, everyone slowly began to get off.
"That was quite the ride," Cagalli said excitedly as she unbuckled the seatbelt and freed herself from the "life jacket".
Athrun just nodded. He was still shaken up from the last part of the ride. His hands were still holding onto the "life jacket", as if it was the only thing keeping him alive right now. Cagalli glanced at him when she noticed he wasn't moving.
"Hey…Athrun?" Cagalli asked as she shook him lightly, "are you okay?"
Athrun snapped out of the trance he was in and noticed how close Cagalli's face was to him. His cheeks flushed from their closeness. He was also embarrassed as he was the last to move. He unbuckled his seatbelt and freed himself from the "life jacket". He took a deep breath and stood up, trying his best to hide the emotion he felt while he was on that ride.
"Well, that was something," Athrun said as he and Cagalli left the "Hell's Gate" area.
"Your face looked so hilarious during the climatic part of the ride," Cagalli said and laughed, "it was something like this."
She recreated Athrun's expression during the last part of the ride. Athrun looked down, embarrassed, and Cagalli smiled.
"Aww…don't be like that Athrun," Cagalli said, while patting his head, "it was also cute."
Athrun looked up. He's never heard Cagalli use the word "cute" before, being the tomboy she is.
"Cute eh?" he asked, a small smirk forming on his face.
Cagalli blushed lightly. She cursed herself for letting that word slip out. "I-I didn't say anything like that! Let's go on another ride."
The two went on many different rides. They went on the Corkscrew, the Hellevator, the Atmosfear, the Crazy Beach Party…all rides that Cagalli chose. By the time they got off the Revelation, Athrun was done. He couldn't take anymore. Even though he was enjoying spending time with Cagalli, his body couldn't handle anymore "excitement" or fear. He swore that if he rode anymore rides like that, his body would burst from all that adrenaline pumping through his body.
"That was some ride!" Cagalli said excitedly, "I wouldn't mind going on that one again!"
The colour remaining in Athrun's face disappeared. He needed a break from these thrill rides. He suddenly heard Cagalli gasp.
"What?" Athrun asked concerned, "what's the matter?"
He followed Cagalli's gaze and he gulped. The Drop Zone. This is the next ride Cagalli and him will go on. Athrun stood there, rooted to the ground, as Cagalli went ahead. When Cagalli noticed that Athrun wasn't behind her, she went back to get him.
"Come on," Cagalli said, while unconsciously grabbing his hand, "let's go. After this, I want a snack. All this excitement has made me hungry."
They stood in line, waiting for their turn. Athrun glanced up at the ride. It wasn't really a ride; it was more like a place where one could bungee jump. The only difference was that you fly back and forth for a bit. It was pretty high. He noticed that you could ride this in pairs. This brought some comfort to him.
"Alright Athrun," he told himself, "just one more ride and then you can take a break. Just hang in there."
"Want to ride this one together?" Cagalli asked.
"Sure," Athrun replied. "The faster we do this, the faster we'll be done."
When it was their turn, they suited up and made their way to the top of the drop. The ride attendants ensured they were secured to the cables and gave Athrun and Cagalli the "thumbs up". Cagalli held out her hand. Athrun looked at her.
"It's going to be alright," she said and smiled.
Athrun nodded and entwined his fingers around hers. He took a deep breath.
"On three?" Athrun asked and Cagalli nodded. "One…Two…Three!"
Together, they jumped off the platform and hurled themselves into the air. Athrun held onto Cagalli's hand tightly, unwilling to let her go. They pulled their rip-cords just before they neared the park grounds and they soared back up, hurling themselves towards the opposite side of the platform.
"Yeah! Wooo!" Athrun and Cagalli shouted.
Athrun had to admit, this ride wasn't so bad. The initial drop was scary, but with Cagalli holding his hand, he forgot all the fear he had before stepping onto the platform. He was, for the first time during the time they were at the amusement park, enjoying himself. He wasn't paralyzed with fear or anything. They continued flying back and forth, screaming in joy and excitement. They gradually slowed down and were able to land back onto the ground. The ride attendants removed the cords and Athrun and Cagalli removed their jumpsuits. They began to proceed towards the food stalls.
"That was awesome!" Athrun said, "it was such a great feeling, to be able to fly like that."
Cagalli smiled. "Glad you weren't as scared as you were on the previous rides."
"That's because I had you with me," Athrun said.
Cagalli blushed. "I-I was also with you on t-the other rides!"
"True," Athrun stated, "but, this last ride was different."
Cagalli realized what Athrun meant. She remembered holding his hand as they jumped off the platform. She had to admit, it felt right holding his hand and she liked it.
"I was just merely doing that to reassure you," Cagalli stated.
Athrun just looked at her, smiling. Cagalli felt uncomfortable as he stared at her like that. And the longer his eyes lingered on her, the more her face began to heat up.
"S-stop looking at me like that," Cagalli said, annoyed, "you wouldn't have jumped if I hadn't done that!"
Athrun laughed.
"What's so funny?" Cagalli asked, anger slightly present in her voice.
"You," Athrun replied as he recomposed himself, "what do you want to eat?"
Cagalli glared at her companion, but later smiled. They perused the various food stalls available at the park. Eventually, they decided on hot dogs. Once they finished their snack, Cagalli got some cotton candy to share amongst themselves while they walk through the games area. They decided to play some games (and give Athrun a break from those thrill rides). As they walked through the games area, Cagalli caught sight of a man with purple hair tied back as a small low, ponytail.
"Oh crap," Cagalli muttered.
"What?" Athrun asked.
Athrun followed Cagalli's gaze. He didn't understand what was going on. The man with the purple hair turned around. But before the man could see them, Cagalli had grabbed Athrun's hand and pulled him to the nearest ride: The Tunnel of Love. Once they got onto the boat, Cagalli breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Athrun. He was looking at their entwined fingers. Cagalli blushed and quickly released his hand.
"S-sorry…" Cagalli said quietly.
Athrun frowned. He didn't want to let go of her hand. He sighed quietly and then looked at Cagalli.
"So what was that about?" Athrun asked, "who were you trying to avoid?"
Cagalli sighed. "If you must know…that man we saw…with the purple hair…he's…he's…"
Athrun looked at her, urging her to continue. Cagalli couldn't bring herself to say it. She didn't want to say it. She didn't want to acknowledge that fact. But she wanted to tell Athrun. Ever since the day she found out about her engagement, the first person she wanted to tell was Athrun. It wasn't to tell him how happy she was; she was feeling the complete opposite. She needed someone to vent to. Unfortunately, Athrun was MIA at the time.
"He's my fiancé," Cagalli said bluntly.
Athrun's eyes widened. If he had a briefcase or some grocery bags, he would have dropped them to the floor. He could feel the hurt inflicted to his heart. He couldn't believe that the woman he loved was already betrothed to another man. And to make matters worse, Cagalli never even told him!
"I-I see…" Athrun said, with a hint of sadness in his voice.
Cagalli caught the sadness in his voice. "It's not what you think Athrun!"
He looked up and saw the sincerity in her amber eyes. Despite it being dark, he was still able to see her emotions reflected in her eyes.
"Truth is, I was never engaged to him during my time at Archangel University," Cagalli explained, "I found out about the engagement after my graduation. My father revealed the news to me after my convocation. It was his "graduation gift" to me. Some gift…I would rather be forced to work in the ORB mines than to marry that moron."
"So, you never were engaged back then?" Athrun asked, some hopefulness evident in his voice.
"No," Cagalli stated, "I wanted to tell you. I really did. You were the first person I wanted to talk to about it. And no, I wasn't going to tell you how happy I was when I received the news. I was unbelievably pissed off. But…you were MIA at the time…"
Cagalli didn't want to bring up their past drama. It was still a painful and sad memory to her. She figured "MIA" was the best word to use, rather than putting the blame on him.
Athrun looked down, feeling guilty. She was right, he wasn't around at that time. Well, he was, but he wasn't with her or his friends then. He was busy trying to sort his own problems, as well as his life. Due to his selfishness, he missed out on a lot of things. He had a lot of catching up to do with everyone. Athrun put his hand over top of her hand. Cagalli looked at him. His eyes were sincere.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you then, Cagalli," Athrun apologized.
"No, it's okay, Athrun," Cagalli said and smiled, "you're here now and that's what matters."
"Cagalli…" Athrun started.
He really wanted to embrace her at that very moment. He was really happy hearing that. The boat rocked suddenly and made Cagalli fall onto Athrun. He caught her and managed to stabilize himself before they both ended up in the water. They sat there, staring at each other. His arms were still around her and her hands were on his chest. Both were blushing at their immediate physical closeness to one another. They were both lost in each others' eyes. Their hidden love for one another was evident in their gaze. Athrun slowly inched his face towards Cagalli's. Cagalli did the same. Their lips were centimeters apart when a voice rang throughout the tunnel.
"We're sorry passengers," a voice announced over the PA in the tunnel, "we're experiencing some technical difficulties with the water flow. Please be patient while we correct this."
The voice snapped them out of the trance they were in and they quickly pulled away, blushing even more.
"Damn…" Athrun thought, "that was the perfect moment too…"
"My heart's racing," Cagalli thought, "any closer and I swore he would have heard it…"
The two of them sat in silence for a while. Athrun recomposed himself first and broke the silence.
"So…I guess we're stuck here for a bit," Athrun said.
"Y-yeah…" Cagalli replied.
"So…who is this…Yuna?" Athrun asked, trying his best to hide his jealousy.
"He's the most cowardly, arrogant, spoiled, smug and ugly idiotic moron I've ever had the displeasure of meeting," Cagalli said disgustedly, "he's the son of ORB's cabinet leader Unato Ema Seiran, a man my father trusts."
"Good to know she doesn't like him," Athrun thought to himself.
"I can't stand that Yuna! He's so despicable and disgusting. He's totally fake. Underneath that calm and diplomatic nature, he's a total moron. I can't believe my father can't see through him," Cagalli said angrily, "I don't believe in arranged marriages or marriages for convenience. I don't want to marry someone like that! What happened to free will?"
"So this is just a marriage for political convenience?" Athrun asked.
Cagalli nodded. "My father said that it will benefit ORB. He said that ORB will need strong leadership."
Athrun frowned. Arranged marriages such as that sickened him. He wouldn't be happy if he had to spend the rest of his life with someone that he doesn't love.
"Is there no way to break off the engagement?" Athrun asked.
"There is. I managed to convince my father that if I manage to find someone that I love by the time I'm 25, I'm safe. He will call off the engagement," Cagalli said. "And lucky for me, I already have…I just hope he feels the same way too…Athrun…"
"I see," Athrun said, smiling. "There's still a chance for me. Yes!"
"But let's not continue talking about this," Cagalli said, "I'd rather not be reminded of my possible pre-determined future."
Athrun nodded. They sat there, waiting for the ride to resume again. It had been almost 20 minutes and they still haven't moved. Athrun didn't mind though; he was with Cagalli. He was about to call her name when he felt a light "thump" on his shoulder. He glanced down and found Cagalli, asleep. Athrun smiled as gently stroked her hair off her face. He had always found her beautiful, but seeing her relaxed and peaceful like that made her look even more beautiful. He bent down and kissed the top of her head.
"I love you, Cagalli."
A/N: And that's the end of chapter 3! I finally finished it. I made myself sit down and type and before I knew it, I managed to finish it. This fic was intended to be a short one, but I got all these other ideas…so now it's going to be a little longer. I was planning to reveal the reason behind Athrun's actions in the past in this chapter, but I thought I would throw in something else first. This chapter was also supposed to be short, but I made it longer (it's 8 pages long!). The rides I introduced are from the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition), an amusement park I went to before. Pearland is the name of an amusement park I went to in China as well (not sure if it's still there…). But so far, it looks like Athrun and Cagalli are having a great time together at the amusement park. Athrun learned something he didn't know and it seems they're just as close as they were before (but even closer now). Cagalli seems to have let her guard down and has pretty much forgotten the hurt. Kinda hard to stay mad at someone you love right? Anyways, hope you liked this chapter and read and review! Next chapter will finally reveal Athrun's reasons for his actions…and maybe…a confession of love perhaps? Oops, I may have said too much; until next time! AsuCaga forever!