Hello! Guess who's back?

Yes me. I know you're happy, I'm too ;) Ha ha, sorry. Moving on to more pressing matters. A new chapter! And sorry for the long delay. I wasn't at home this vacation, and when I did get home I had family over to entertain for two whole more weeks! Just what I wanted…(Sarcasm)

I don't own GSD/GS (You all know this by now, I hope?)

Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Butterflies and Silver slot machines

"Mom! Mother are you home?" I peeked around the corner into our living room and didn't see Via there as I had hoped she would be. My head automatically turned to the kitchen when I heard her answer from there. Just as I entered the living room Via walked out with a tray, balancing a perfectly baked chocolate cake.

"Hey, honey, how was your day at school?" Just the mention of that place had my veins boiling from rage, and it had me threw my schoolbag to the floor next to the couch-something I rarely did. Via raised an eyebrow at my outspoken emotions and asked placing the cake on our dinner table.

"Alright, what happened? You never throw your own belongings around."

"T-they can't do it!" I blurted out all of the sudden. All my manners forgotten, I fell on the couch and plucked my glasses off. My crutches fell to the side with a clang and I barely gave them a glance. Via came and sat down next to me. She gently took my crutches and placed them neatly next to me.

"Now tell me, what happened? You know I don't like it when you're upset like this." She pushed a few of my bangs away from my face in a caring gesture. Somewhere in the distance I heard the front door open and close. Kira came into the room just as I started ranting all over again.

"Mom, we're going co-ed! Heliopolis High is going to merge with December High, changing my prestigious school to a mere rip off version of a public school!" Via shook her head and I got the feeling that she thought my outburst was a little inappropriate. Kira seemed to agree.

"Aren't you being a little over dramatic, Cagalli?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest. I gave him an incredulous look, unbelieving of what he said.

"K-Kira." Of all the people he was the first to know of my problems at school. So I'd at least expect him to understand why I'd be upset about this. Via spoke up calmly, and for the first time I realized that she wasn't as shocked as I'd thought she'd be. She seemed a little too calm for my taste.

"Cagalli," she stressed and I fixed my glasses back onto my bridge.

"December High is merely taking the best rout suited for their current situation. Being in financial need is not easy to overcome, what with most parents not paying their school bills and so on." I frowned and uncertainty broke through my voice.

"I-I never said anything about financial problems. How did you know?" My eyebrows rose when Via gave a little cough and got up from the couch. I followed her frame all the way to the table and something just clicked in me.

"You knew this was going to happen…." My mouth went slightly ajar and when I searched for Kira's eyes and he wasn't willing to meet me half way, I grabbed at my crutches and stood up.

"I can't believe you both knew this was going to happen, yet none of you spoke up!" I roughly rubbed my nose, wanting them to know that I wasn't happy.

"Cagalli," Via said, coming closer. She pushed me back into the couch and I had no choice but to listen to her.

"I got a letter about a month ago, stating all the information."
"And you didn't tell me. Y-you know how I hate mixed gender schools." For the first time in a while Kira spoke up and sat down next to me.

"We didn't tell you, because this is how we knew you'd react." He squeezed my hand and disgusted at him I pulled away from him. He tried to hold my gaze but I turned my head away. I was still troubled by everything. A few things still didn't add up in my head. If they knew, then surely other parents must have gotten the news as well. But then why did most of the children act so surprised in the assembly hall today? How could they not have known about this startling event! Somehow, by a miracle of some sort I started to calm down.

"Are we the only ones that got the news earlier?" I asked, taking a relaxing breath in. Via shook her head and got up from the couch again.

"No," she sighed and went to the chocolate cake. "Only students that applied at the school for gender preferences. If we were alright with the merger, they would continue with the plans. And I, along with other parents, said that it would be alright…"

"Mom! Y-you can't decide for me-" Suddenly Via slammed her hand on the table and gave me a cold stare.

"This discussion is over Cagalli! Now whether you like it or not, you will be going to class with boys and girls in a mixed gender academy!" My mother's sudden rage made me held my tongue in respect and I gathered my crutches, standing up from the couch. I was completely still and didn't opt to utter one more word. Even Kira was silent next to me. He stood up and grabbed my schoolbag before I had a chance.

"See you up stairs," he whispered to me and walked out. I gave one last glance at my mother and decided that I was better off with Kira than Via. Once upstairs, I walked into my bedroom and Kira was sitting at my desk; he turned to me. When my bedroom door shut behind me I didn't hesitate to snap at him.

"I can't believe you! Not telling me this was going to happen. Y-you know how things get with me! They screw with me- all of them!" Kira held his hand up in defense and if it weren't for my crutches, I would have stepped forward and whacked him with my hands.

"I couldn't tell you because mom told me not to. And you know I don't disobey her." He gave me a pleading look to understand his statement and all I did was sigh in the end. It was no use taking my frustration out on him. I flopped down on my bed and turned my head a little to look at him.

"You know what they said to us?"

"No, of course not. I don't go to your school, remember," he shot back at me.

"Don't be a wise crack, Kira. I'm trying to be serious here."

"So am I."

"Kira!" I glared at him and he merely smirked at me in return.

"Alright, I'll stop. You can continue." Only when I was completely sure he wouldn't interrupt me again I said the following.
"They told us that coming next week the merge will begin. It's Friday and Monday is just around the corner! I can't possibly prepare myself mentally in that small span of time." At first he didn't say anything and the room fell silent for a bit.

"Then don't." His answer came as a surprise to me and I had to sit upright to just properly frown at my brother.

"Huh?" I slightly played with the rim of my glasses, a little confused.

"You're merging with my school, right?" Kira stated -more so than asked.

"Y-es" I answered back.

"Then let me take care of you. I'll keep an eye out for you."For the first time in my life with Kira, I didn't know what to say to him. But in the end when his words really sunk in, his whole proposition brought a small smile to my face.

"You are my little sister after all," he continued, smiling. "What kind off brother would I be if I didn't look out for you?"

Thank you , Kira.

DDD

The following day went by in a blur. I tried doing nothing at all to make my day seem boring and uneventful. Not even that could stop the time from flashing by my eyes in mere seconds. My usual routine of doing homework or studying on the weekends was left at the back of my mind for fear of speeding up the inevitable. Come Sunday, I was busy on my computer going through the same folders over and over again. Anything to make myself bored. In a split second the screen suddenly went dead and I heard a yelp from downstairs. After a small while, Kira peeked his head into my room.

"Powers dead, mom will want you downstairs."

"Why?" I asked, turning to him. He smiled and scratched his head.

"You heard the yelp. She's got another cake in the oven and it's going to collapse or something like that." I just shook my head and got up. Kira made space for me to get pass him. I went down the stairs, careful not to fall. When I got to the Kitchen I was met with Via sticking her head into the oven. She came back out and held a pathetic looking cake towards me.

"You think it's still edible?" Out of politeness and not wanting to hurt her feelings I shook my head up and down. Via sighed and I knew that she saw through me at that moment. Her eyes suddenly lit up and she quickly turned to throw the cake away.

"I almost forgot," she began. She turned around to me and motioned for me to follow her. Sometimes I swear they forget that I'm not exactly able to walk all that well. I suppressed a frustrated sigh and did as she asked. We went into our laundry room and Via went to pick up some clothes in the laundry basket.

"If I drop you off, could you wash this pile of clothes at the Laundromat? I have other errands to run as well and would appreciate it."

"What about Kira?"

"I think your brother should stay at home and study a bit. He's been loafing all weekend." And I haven't? But I didn't bother informing my mother of that fact. The last thing I wanted to do now was study my way to Monday.

"Alright." My mother seemed pleased with my answer and she went ahead to start the car. I grabbed a book on the way, knowing that my mother was going to pick me up after the clothes were done in the washer. After heaving myself into the car, we were off. I mentally tried to burn my broken foot for being so irritating along the way. Why did the power have to go off? Everything was such a hassle with this leg. In no time Via pulled up in front of the Laundromat. I got out and she gave me the clothes, but this time in a bag. I took them and some money.

"I'll be back in a while. Don't wonder away, alright? I don't know how I'll find you if you did." I nodded my head and went inside. When I got inside, cool air from the air conditioners blew into my face and it was refreshing in a way. The Laundromat was empty except for a few people who glanced up when I entered. A small bell at the top signaled that I had come in. I went straight to the back where there was an open wash machine, opposite a chair to sit in.

"Right, Cagalli. Let's see how this thing works," I whispered slightly to myself. I put my bag of clothes down and inspected the mechanism of this machine, my confidence faltering bit by bit.

"Erm..." I knew how to wash clothes, but this machine was just insane! It had over five knobs to turn and I didn't even know where my money had to go in! In the back of my mind the door bell rang, signaling that someone had entered the Laundromat again.

"Come on, Cagalli! You get ninety percent for a math's test and yet you can't even get a washing machine to work." To the side I suddenly noticed that there was a silver slot that seemed money friendly and I opted to throw my coins in there. One got caught and I sighed, smacking my forehead. A voice spoke up from behind me, jolting me.

"Idiot. You have to bang it a bit for the coins to go through." Suddenly very conscious of my surroundings, I noticed that somebody had walked up to me and set his bag next to mine. My heart quickened and I had no control over my nerves. Athrun had the tendency to do that to me somehow. He reached over me and smacked the slot a bit. The coin jiggled and slipped in without a word out of complaint. He turned to me and gave me a once over. I glanced down at my clothes and wanted to kill myself on the spot. I looked worse that somebody's dead grandmother. My clothes were a bit wrinkled and I'm sure that short cargo pants, a t-shirt and a green sweater weren't fashionable clothing articles. When I glanced up again, I saw that he was still looking at me. Say something!

"U-um. Thank you for tha-t." He nodded and turned a few knobs at my machine then continued to do his own thing. I didn't know what to say to him. He was just unapproachable to me. I found his behavior peculiar and hard to place. Deciding to forget about him momentarily, I grabbed my bag and threw all our clothing articles in the machine. One of the knobs had a sign 'start' on it, and I turned it sideways, hoping nothing disastrous would happen. That done, I sat down on my chair and took my book out to read. Only one hour until my mother comes to pick me up and I'm out of here. From the top of my rims I found myself peeking at Athrun and watched him go about. He had jeans on and a plain grey shirt, but he still managed to look presentable. Compared to me- well let's not get into that.

"Hey, four-eyes. Stop ogling me like that. It's not cool." I snapped out from my thoughts and blushed.

"I-I was thinking, that's all," I managed to say. My stuttering was so irritating to control at times. Why can't I talk with people like I do with Kira? What was blocking me from speaking my mind?

Was it fear?

Confusion?

Athrun raised an eyebrow at me and folded his arms defiantly over his chest. Uncertainty danced around in his emerald eyes, whether to believe me or not.

"Yeah, well, think in the other direction. I don't like it."

"Then turn away if it bothers you so much." I had said it before even realizing what my mouth was about to form. Athrun looked surprised at what I threw back at him and I was the first to turn away when blood rushed to my cheeks. I don't know what came over me to be so blunt, but I had said it before thinking at all. I coughed and tried to concentrate on my book for the remainder of the hour. Athrun didn't bother me once. A few minutes passed and I got so engrossed in my story book that I didn't notice the washing machine's buzzer go off. A few buzzes later and suddenly my book was grabbed right from under my eyes. Confused and a little dazed I glanced up, reality sinking in again. Athrun towered over me and I spied my book in his hand.

"Could you maybe give that back?" I asked trying to be as polite as somebody could be, who just got their book snatched from them. Athrun-ignoring me- turned the book over and read the back cover. I got up and noticed that the machine was still buzzing.

"Oh." I walked over to it with one crutch and my mind went blank. Can I just open it?

"You really are thick, you know that?"Well that was uncalled for. I believe my IQ stated otherwise. Although I'm starting to have my doubts. Athrun came closer and with a frown on his face, opened the door and pointed at the clothes.

"Have you ever washed clothes before?"

"Yes I h-have!" My cheeks reddened again and I went t grab all the clothes. "This machine is just on a different level than the one at home." A tiny smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth and a small-very small butterfly flew across my stomach.

"Level, huh? That's- that's just geeky." Well how else was I suppose to explain my problem to him? Mixed feeling s about his comment swam around in my head and I just chose to ignore it and got my other crutch. That done I went for the exit. Just as I was about to push the doors open, a warm feeling crossed up my arm. I turned around and with slightly big eyes, watches as Athrun turned my hand over and placed my book in it.

"You almost forgot this. I definitely don't want to read it." Okay, scratch what I said earlier. A thousand small butterflies zoomed across my stomach, bouncing around like hyper bunnies.

"Um, right." I managed to say. At least I didn't stutter. When I stared back at him, my book in hand, all I met was an expressionless face. What was he thinking right now? Was this one of those moments in stories, where we truly saw each other for what we really were? The thought almost had me laughing in his face, but I held back and turned around as quickly as I could. I pushed the door open and just as it closed my mother turned into the parking lot. She waved at me and got out, taking the clothes from me.

"Hi, honey."

"Hi," I answered back and got into the car, unbeknownst that a pair of emerald eyes were faintly following me from inside.

That night when I got into bed, for some reason I wondered how my relationship with Athrun would be if I were to properly talk to him. To not- well, be me. And then for the first time since this weekend started, I wished that it would just get over with. Because for some bizarre reason, I was actually eager to bump into Athrun.

Dum-dum-dum-duuuuummmm! Well there you have it. Some interaction between Cagalli and Athrun- although not a friendly one-before the merge on Monday. Gasp! Cagalli spoke up for herself! What will she do next? I promise that in the next chapter she'll be thrown into the deep sea. And I hope you all understand the situation between Cagalli and Kira, to do with their schools I mean. Just a merger with an all girls and boy's school. Simple.

Oh and thank you all for the reviews! I completely forgot to reply to you but I will this time, promise!

R&R please!