JC: Sleepy… So sleepy… I was crazy enough to write this till morning. That's how dedicated I am to this story. My love for Athrun and Cagalli is deep. Sorry if there wasn't much of Athrun in the previous chapter. You'll get loads of him in this one. Cagalli has gone off to visit Athrun at the villa again. Will he be the person to help her or will he cause her problems? Well, read on to find out.
Disclaimer: I don't own Cagalli Yula Athha, Athrun Zala, and all the other characters of Gundam SEED. All rights belong to Sunrise.
Summary: When their mother died, Cagalli and her twin brother were taken in by a man who claims to be their uncle. Since they had nowhere else to go, they decided to live with him in his mansion. But there was something dreadfully suspicious about their uncle. He seemed to be so fond of the twins, going so far as to arrange a marriage between Cagalli and a rich business associate. Because of this, Cagalli is determined to escape her fate—even if it means running away from home and dealing with a handsome yet clever agent. Athrun Zala's job is to bring Cagalli home. But as things start to get more complicated, he finds himself falling for her.
Her Kind of Love
Phase 04: No Angel
There she was, standing in front of the villa, home away from home. Cagalli couldn't describe the sheer amount of relief she felt seeing it again. She had wanted to spend her whole break in such a peaceful place, but the bad news dampened her mood completely. As she started to proceed to the door, the presence of a person behind her prompted her to turn around. A certain blue-haired guy greeted her warmly with a smile. She almost didn't recognize him because of the sunglasses, but she knew that smile anywhere. She had to admit that he looked dashing in his black pants and green-shirt overlapped with a black jacket. His current appearance made him looked like a bodyguard.
Cagalli didn't waste any time. She approached him and took his glasses off so she could stare at him directly. "Athrun, I need your help," she said. "I have to break off my engagement to Yuuna Roma Seiran somehow. I'm not sure on what to do. I know this is too sudden, but please lend me your aid."
He'd been told by his boss that Cagalli would pay the villa a visit. He had purposely waited for her arrival outside. Now that she was there, he had to act normal and pretend that he wasn't expecting her. "You came all the way here to ask for my help?" he said, raising a brow. "Are you crazy?"
"I may sound desperate to you, but I'm serious, Athrun," she said with an unchanging expression. "I've recently found out that my uncle is only using me for profit. He wants me to marry Yuuna to increase his wealth."
"Why me? Why not your brother or your friends?"
That was because of her dream about him. She clearly remembered how he put out his hand for her and assured her that he will take her to somewhere safe. But she can't tell Athrun that. It was embarrassing for her part. Plus, Athrun may think that she has a crush on him. "Let's call it an intuition," she said. "I could feel that I can trust you, Athrun."
"Trust is such a big word. We only met a couple of days ago and you—"
"I know…" But there was something about him that made her trust him completely. She could never forget the way he comforted her after she found out about her engagement to Yuuna. Athrun was so gentle and kind to her, and she felt like he was a long-time friend of hers. She was comfortable with him. "I may be asking too much… I also don't have the right to force you."
Athrun ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry but I can't help you with your problems," he said, pretending to sound cold and uncaring towards her. "Why don't you head back home?"
Her grimace telegraphing her disappointment, Cagalli covered a part of her face with one hand as she lowered her gaze to the ground. Her only hope went down the drain. Because of the dream she had, she thought Athrun would definitely help her. It was silly to believe in such a dream. She felt like a fool for wasting her time to see him again. But she had no plans on going back home. She didn't want to face her uncle until her engagement issue was solved. It was her way of rebelling against her uncle. "I'm staying here," she said firmly, putting on a serious face. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Oh, yes, you are," Athrun said as he gripped her upper arm. Cagalli widened her eyes the second they connected with his emerald ones topping her by several inches. Swiping his sunglasses away from her, he put it on. "Come with me. Don't try to resist, Cagalli." He tugged on her arm.
The threat fueled Cagalli's easily ignited temper. She wasn't about to go anywhere with him. Digging in, she ordered, "Take your hand off my arm!" But no sooner did he release his firm grip that he dipped his head and butted his right shoulder into her solar plexus, knocking the breath out of her. His arms wrapped around the back of her legs and he straightened. In a flash, her world turned upside down. Cagalli was so stunned at his action that for a moment she couldn't react. The guy had her halfway toward a black sports car before she demanded, "Put me down, you idiot!"
"Make me…" he said.
Cagalli took the challenge. She whacked him in the middle of the back and struggled violently. If she could only get down to her feet, she could handle herself using what she'd learned during self-defense class. Try as she might, though, she couldn't budge him. "You'd better put me down, Athrun!" she threatened.
"Do you want me to drop you on your head?" he said.
Uttering a raw sound of frustration, Cagalli went for his head. Both hands filled with his midnight-blue hair, she pulled as hard as she could. All she got for her valiant effort was a low grunt. Suddenly he stopped. He unlocked the car door with a simple push of a button and propelled her inside. Landing in the passenger seat, she protested, "You're not taking me anywhere! I won't allow it!" She tried to make a break, but Athrun pinned her against her seat and quickly closed the door. While Athrun walked around to the other side, she grabbed the door handle. The latch lifted but nothing happened.
He slid into the driver's seat. "You can't get out unless I release your lock."
"What? You do this sort of thing frequently enough to have the equipment modified?"
He started the engine. "Let's say that I'm the type of guy who likes to tinker with machines."
Knowing she was stuck, Cagalli pulled the belt across her chest and fastened it. Force hadn't freed her. She could try logic with him. However, Athrun Zala seemed intelligent and absolutely focused. She would definitely have a hard time outsmarting him. She stole a sideways glance, noting that everything about him was amazing. Her gaze slid from shoulders to arms to the hands gripping the steering wheel. The hands appeared powerful and his fingers were long and elegant like tools of an artist. Then again, the guy betrayed her trust. She thought she would be able to gain his aid, but she was wrong. Now the man was kidnapping her forcefully.
He pulled out of the parking space and headed the vehicle towards the main road. "I'm sorry for doing this," he said. "I'm only following orders."
Cagalli narrowed her eyes at him and told herself to keep her bad temper in check. "Who ordered you to do this?" she questioned. "My uncle or is it Yuuna?"
He shrugged. "That's classified information. All I can tell is that my boss expected something like this to happen, which is why he hired me to take care of you."
"What? Are you an agent or something?"
"I'm afraid so."
Irritated with him, she shot her questions at him in rapid fire without bothering to hide her sarcasm. Slowly, his mirrored gaze traveled over her. For a moment his eyes stiffened Cagalli's spine. Then she realized he was dangerous than he appears. "Some friend you turned out to be," she said. She recalled back the time he comforted her and bit her lip in anger. "I guess your job is the only thing that matters to you, huh? So, what is your boss going to do with me? "
"I'm making sure you get back home safe and sound."
"Excuse me?" After the way he'd handled her earlier, she could hardly believe he didn't have devious plans in mind. "That's all your boss asked you to do? To see that I get on a train headed for home?"
"And I'm escorting you all the way."
The mere thought of remaining in the guy's company for however long it took was unsettling. Athrun was only an agent serving under someone with high authority. But who exactly sent him after her? The only suspects in mind were Gilbert Dullindal and Yuuna Roma Seiran. She thought of the possibility of a team-up as well.
It took a lot to stop Cagalli Yula Hibiki from interrogating him. Athrun admitted that she was one tough girl to handle. Sliding the sunglasses back to the bridge of his nose, he pulled the car into a parking space. They were finally at the train station. He left the car and took a careful look around to make certain no one was paying them any mind. Reassured, he opened the passenger door. "Don't make this hard for me, Cagalli." For whatever it took, he would bring her back home, even if he had to drag her by the hair, kicking and screaming. Having given his word, he had no choice.
But she seemed relaxed, asking, "Why do we have to take the train?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Your car is enough to take us home, you know."
He should have known she would say that. They crossed the street, his fingers lightly hooked around her upper arm, his gaze sharp on the surrounding area. "A train is faster and safer," he told her.
She arched her eyebrows. "I agree that it's faster than a car," she said. "But why safer? You make it sound like my life is in danger or something."
He twinged inside but didn't let it show. "You are in danger."
"What do you mean in danger?" She stopped directly before the station doors while the few midday passengers circled them. "Do you know something you're not telling me?"
"Nothing specific. A gut feeling." One that prompted him to look over his shoulder yet again. "I'd rather be cautious all the time. There's nothing wrong with that. "
"You're only trying to look cool," she sarcastically said.
His finely honed instincts prevented him from arguing with her. He swung open the door and propelled her through the opening toward the staircase. The station's pale-marble-and-dark-wood lobby was visible below. Suddenly she stopped. He thought she was being stubborn, but at second glance he saw the sad look on her face. "I'm doing this for your own good, Cagalli," he said. "Trust me, okay?"
"And what do you know about trust?" she hissed at him. "As far as I'm concerned, my trust in you as a friend went down the drain the minute you dragged me into your car. Do you really have to do this for the sake of your job? I thought we were friends. Now I see that I was wrong. You're no friend. You're just an agent."
On guard, Athrun reluctantly released her arm. She didn't' try a thing until a little girl accidentally bumped into him, distracting him for a few seconds. Then she dropped down and swept his feet with one swing of her leg. Athrun gasped as he fell to the floor roughly. Cagalli smiled triumphantly and ran away from him. Getting back to his feet, he went after her. And when he caught up with her, he grabbed her arm. "Do you think you can get away from me that easily?"
Cagalli gave him a confident smirk. "I don't want to spend another minute with a deceiving bastard like you," she said, giving him a spinning roundhouse kick. As soon as he blocked her kick, Cagalli quickly punched his stomach, causing him to drop on one knee. "Self-defense class was worthwhile taking." With that, she dashed down the stairs.
Back on his feet, Athrun rushed down the stairs, quickly assessing the situation below. Only a few people noticed the runaway blonde. Honestly, he was a good fighter. Cagalli managed to kick and punch him because he didn't expect a girl like her to be as tough as a guy. He made a mental note to never underestimate her abilities again. Well, his boss did warn him about Cagalli. Having vowed never to fail a mission, Athrun intercepted Cagalli at a corner. She tried to dodge him, but he caught her by the waist and spun her around, then pulled her body tight to his for an intimate face-to-face.
"Let me go if you don't want me to beat you up!" she warned him, glaring dangerous into his emerald-eyes.
He grimly said, "If I were you, I'd think very carefully about my next move."
Cagalli's mouth snapped shut. She was heaving for breath, her full breasts pulsing against his chest, a situation troubling Athrun despite his good sense. Heat rose up in an uncomfortable direction, a fact he attempted to ignore. He set the sunglasses atop his head so she could see he was deadly serious when he said, "You're going back home. We can do this the easy way or the hard way."
"Damn you…" she shrugged.
Tempted to gag her, he started dragging her back up the stairs in a hurry. He didn't mind if he was going too fast for her.
"Hey, I can't walk properly," she wailed. "Slow down, will you?! And you're hurting my arm, Athrun."
"We can't stay here any longer," Athrun told her. He was sensing danger around the premises. He was trained to have high awareness. "Someone is out to get you. If you're killed, then I'm good as dead as well."
About to demand an explanation, she was startled into silence by a soft pop to her right. The unfamiliar sound brought the fine hairs along her arms to attention and her imagination connecting the echo to a bullet. "What the hell—?"
Hauling her in front of him, he shoved at her backside to keep moving. Heart pounding, the two of them scrambled up the staircase hastily, but still took the chance to peek over their shoulder. Below, staring in their direction, a man in a black suit and sunglasses was grinning at them maliciously. His hand was hidden behind his coat. Athrun and Cagalli figured that he was the one who fired the gun with a silencer. Focusing on where they were going, they raced into the street and crossed to get to the parking lot.
The mysterious man had exited the same door they went through. He was getting ready to pull his gun out and shoot Cagalli. However, Athrun got out his gun first, which was equipped with a silencer, and shot the man's leg. Down he went to the ground and up came his arm, a gun clutched in his hand.
"Cagalli, let's go!" This time when Athrun opened the passenger door, she voluntarily jumped in. He could see the tension brewing in her eyes. He knew that it was her first time to experience such danger in her life. "You'll be fine, Cagalli." He went around his car and jumped inside. He threw the car into reverse before he settled behind the wheel.
"Who was that guy, Athrun?" Silence his only answer, he shifted and the car jumped forward, her body zooming with it. "Seat belt!" She buckled up fast. If the assassin didn't finish her off, Athrun's driving might.
"Are you all right, Cagalli?" Athrun asked her as he slowed down the car. They were quite far from the train station now and there weren't any suspicious cars following them.
Breathing more easily, she leaned against the door and closed her eyes. "Your driving almost gave me a heart attack," she mumbled. "Damn… What is going on? Why is someone out to get me? What did I ever do wrong?" She brushed her hands through her blonde hair uneasily, letting an irritated sigh, as she turned to glare at Athrun.
Her amber eyes were serious yet there was something sincere in them. Her eyes were interesting and beautiful, he thought. But he could also see the confusion and fear in them. The life-threatening situation she was in wasn't something new to Athrun, but he understood her frustrations. Her life was hanging by a thin thread. Anyone from the crowd could be an enemy. He told himself to be extra careful, to watch her back all the time, and to bring her back safely.
Growing impatient, Cagalli shouted, "Well, aren't you going to say something?!" All she wanted was to be free from her engagement, but now she was fighting for her life because she was targeted by some crazy unknown person. "I have the right to know what's going on, Athrun!"
"To be honest, I absolutely have no idea who is trying to kill you," Athrun answered, looking at her momentarily with earnestness in his emerald-green eyes before he looked back at the road. "But I assure you that I will protect you no matter what. Remember, my mission is to bring you back home safely. I have no intention on letting my boss down."
For a brief moment she felt relieved to hear him say that he will protect her. But hearing him mentioning about his boss and his mission only made her grimace. "It's all about your job," she said, turning her gaze away from him. "You know what… When you comforted me at the beach, I felt lucky to have a friend like you. At this moment, I feel like I'm the unluckiest girl in the world."
To be continued…
JC: Let me just say one thing. Don't jump into conclusion just yet. Some of the characters may appear antagonistic, but they're actually on the good side. Oh, yeah, before I forget, there's going to be sweet moments between our favorite couple in the next chapter. It's time for the two of them to get more intimate, right? Hehe… Well, please review. No flaming.
