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Disclaimer: I could have killed nuisance characters if I own this anime... grrrr...

sOs

Chapter 4

Revenge is sweeter than cake

sOs

Cagalli sat in one of the bus sheds, her hair and clothes soaking wet.

She should have listened to the weather forecast before leaving this morning. It was expected to rain and yet Cagalli didn't bring an umbrella. She really can't blame herself. She got up late, right?

But this wasn't the reason why this lady was harboring an I'm-pissed-as-hell-so-get-your-face-outta-here-if- you-want-to-live expression. She had just spent her whole afternoon trying to find a cake shop located on 2nd street, which was supposedly 'near'.

But then, after almost five hours of running through the streets of Aprilius One, getting soaked in the rain for nearly two hours, being eyed by most sane people, getting lost through alley ways, tripping on her own high-heels (which was understandable since this is Cagalli and high-heeled shoes), she still hadn't found any traces (or even a clue) to where 2nd street was located.

She tried asking some people, but they just avoided her. It seemed that her ZAFT uniform and disheveled appearance scared them off.

So now, all she could do was sit here and try to think of another plan.

She looked around her, a little boy ran to his mother screaming something like 'ice cream'. Her expression softened a bit. She used to do that when she was young, only it wasn't her mother whom she had persuaded— she was already dead. Kisaka said she died giving birth to her. Anyway, that didn't matter right now, what she needed was to find 2nd street and buy that blasted cake.

"Just wait, Zala. Once I buy that cake, I'm going to slap it on your face!" She gritted her teeth. Her old anger was back.

"I HATE HIM!" she unconsciously blurted out. In a flash, eyebrows were arching up to her.

She smiled weakly in apology. "Umm.. please don't mind me.." The people went back to whatever they were doing.

"I should really control myself. Maybe they think I have a few screws loose.." she muttered more to herself.

"Umm... hello...?"

She looked up to see a handsome young man with unruly brown hair smiling weakly at her. He was clad in a simple light blue T-shirt and knee-length dark shorts.

She blinked. "Who are you?"

He scratched his head and chuckled apologetically. "I know it isn't my business, but if you need help, feel free to ask."

Cagalli blinked again. That... was quite nice considering he was a coordinator. But then, he really had some guts to talk to her. Didn't he notice the uniform she was wearing?

"What do you want?" she inquired rather coldly.

"You've been gritting your teeth for a while now. I thought you must have a problem or something..." He explained, then added, "Don't get me wrong, I'm just trying to help."

She blushed faintly. So someone was actually seeing all her antics. How embarrassing! She was about to ask why he was watching her when an idea struck.

"Hey, do you know where 2nd Street is?"

She silently prayed that he knew the answer. Her hopes shot up when she saw him thinking.

"2nd street...? You mean where 'Wisteria Cake Shop' is to be found?"

Her eyes widened. She didn't have any clue on this 'Wisteria Cake Shop' but assuming this guy knew it, then maybe it was the one! "Yes! Do you know how to get there?"

The guy scratched his head uneasily. "Are you planning to go there... right now?"

"Of course! Why would I be asking if I wasn't?"

"Well, you see, in order to get to 2nd Street, you must ride a space shuttle."

Cagalli cocked an eyebrow, "I am in no mood for jokes, mister."

The man shook his head. "I'm not joking. You see, 2nd street isn't here on Aprilius One. It can be found on Junius four. That's about half an hour shuttle ride from here."

She clenched her fists. Oh Zala... you're going to pay for this... "Excuse me, mister, where is the nearest cake shop?"

"Just take this road, the third store to your left, that's the nearest cake shop."

Cagalli faced her newly-found 'comrade.' "Thanks." And with that, she took off in the pouring rain.

"Hey!" he called, "I forgot to ask your name!"

sOs

Unlike most sane people, Athrun did not feel joy and satisfaction from hearing the five o'clock bell that signaled the end of the day. But then again, Athrun wasn't exactly sane in the field of work.

He would rather bury himself in work than go home. He couldn't be blamed for his way of thinking— his home wasn't exactly a happy one. It was silent and cold. Other than the maids and guards, it was only his father to whom he came home to. He didn't spend that much time with him either, he was too busy and the old man would rather sit in his study watching the news or even gazing at the picture of his wife.

His mind wandered to his secretary and he smirked evilly. She hadn't exactly returned since he had asked her to buy him a cake on 2nd street. He knew perfectly well that she would never find 2nd street. It was located on another PLANT.

Don't get him wrong. He wasn't usually this evil with pranks. Cagalli was just an exception. He would love to see her expression when she returned.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted upon seeing the lady in question.

sOs

Half an hour after she met the nice man, Cagalli found herself standing outside the ZAFT building— her breathing ragged from running quite a distance— with a small box at her feet. She was shaking with anger and was radiating a homicidal aura that people who went in and out of the building flinched in fear. She didn't care. The only thing on her mind was to choke a certain blue-haired coordinator.

Her eyes narrowed as the glass doors opened to reveal Athrun Zala.

Emerald met gold.

"Welcome back, Ms. Yula." After studying the fuming lady, he smiled, amused.

That simple smile made Cagalli even more pissed than before. Was he mocking her current state? Was he that much of a bastard to let this all happen to her?

"YOU LIED TO ME, YOU FREAK!" she suddenly exploded. She was about to tackle him if only a pair of strong hands hadn't stopped her.

"Hey, missy, don't get too hot," she turned to see a blonde guy smirking at her. She tried struggling out of his grasp, but to no avail.

"GET YOUR FREAKING HANDS OFF ME!"

"Now, now, be a good girl." The man then turned to Athrun, "So your new secretary is quite a fighter, huh?"

Athrun sighed. "You could say that." He walked towards the two and leveled his head with hers. He looked at her intently, a serious expression on his face.

"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?" she spat angrily. She was actually uncomfortable with his gaze, but she would never let him know that.

"You told me I lied to you," he stated nonchalantly, disregarding her question.

Her eyes burned with anger. "You did lie to me! You said 2nd Street was CLOSE BY!"

He was amused at how she managed to radiate her anger. If he wasn't Athrun Zala, he would have crumbled in fear. But then, he was Athrun Zala. "I didn't lie to you. I told you 2nd street was near... near if you take the space shuttle."

He watched her expression change from pissed to ultra-pissed. He smirked arrogantly as the guy who held Cagalli burst into fits of laughter.

"Athrun, I never thought you could be this evil! Welcome to the group! Yzak will really be pleased!" the blonde man remarked as he skillfully held Cagalli's wrists with one hand and patted Athrun's back with the other.

"Now, now, Dearka, that wasn't evil," Athrun remarked nonchalantly as he continued to gaze at the lady.

"I HATE YOU!" she spat as she tried to break away from Dearka's grasp, but he proved to be a tough one.

"I hate you too," Athrun countered back nonchalantly. Dearka continued laughing.

Cagalli was practically seething in anger. No one had dared to talk back to her before—probably because no one could. But then, this bastard broke the record. Again.

Athrun, once more, studied Cagalli's angry face. Actually, he found her cute with that expression on her face— no, not cute. That term was nonexistent in his dictionary.

"Dearka, you can let go of our little damsel in distress now." With that, Dearka let Cagalli go. She glared at them.

"I'm not afraid of you, you bunch of stupid coordinators!" she muttered more to herself. But then, the two were coordinators.

"I'm not afraid of you also, punk," Athrun answered back as he and Dearka made their way to the black car in front. Cagalli winced. Punk…? PUNK?!

Just then, Cagalli remembered her cake. She quickly grabbed the box and took the cake in her hands. It was a delicious cake overflowing with chocolate and marshmallow. She made a mental note to bring one home for Kisaka.

"Hey Athrun!"

Athrun cocked an eyebrow. No one called him by his first name, except for his friends. Turning around in curiosity, he was caught off-guard.

Cagalli ran towards him, and plunged the cake in his face with perfect aim.

She smiled in victory and held a peace sign to a dumbfounded Dearka. She had really planned to call Chairman Zala by his first name (although it almost made her vomit) to strike him off-guard.

Athrun slowly wiped the icing off his face. To Cagalli's surprise, he wasn't frowning— he was actually smiling. He licked his lips and thought for a while.

"Hmm... this cake is delicious," he remarked as he looked at the now dumbfounded Cagalli. "But, that was a weird way of letting me taste it. Thanks, though." Dearka laughed again.

"Wha—?" She was really taken aback. Most sane people would have been angry or even have tried to aim for her head. But Athrun Zala just stayed there as if he enjoyed it.

Athrun looked at Cagalli and winked at her. "You're interesting... I like you."

Cagalli stuck her tongue out. "You're not interesting, and I don't like you!" She turned and dashed into the building.

sOs

For Athrun, thinking was one of the best things to do. He loved to think about things, whether it was the menu for lunch, or recent political issues.

But this night, his thoughts drifted from his usual trends as he sat on his 'thinking chair.' Surprisingly, he was actually thinking about a girl.

Unlike Dearka, Athrun was one of those 'I-don't-care-about-annoying-girls-since-they-just -make-life-a-living-hell' guys. The only girl he was actually acquainted to was Lacus and, of course, his mother. But that's beside the issue.

He was currently thinking about a certain blonde natural whose stubbornness and determination amazed him. Somehow, the girl was so complex that he felt the need to understand her. Deep inside of him, he wanted to get acquainted with her, tease her, know her likes and dislikes, tease her, chat with her casually, then, maybe, tease her.

Unlike Lacus, who was always reserved, calm, and soft-spoken, Cagalli was quick-tempered and frank. That was why Athrun found her intriguing. She showed her emotions and acted very different from the lady standards he had grown used to. He also noticed that unlike most females, Cagalli didn't wear make-up.

Maybe getting acquainted with a natural wasn't that bad after all.

He chuckled darkly.

Because acquaintance didn't always mean on good terms...

To Be Continued...

So what do you think? Please review!

I'm really sorry for the shortness of this chapter. I just want to end it here since I'm planning to make the story move next chapter. Next chapter, other characters may arrive -blink blink- That's all I'm going to say.

Ja!
Miriae

Revised and edited: August 11, 2006 by Angel628
Revised and edited: May 25, 2013 by Miriae