So here it is: the next chapter and this time it is very romantic :) I Hope you like it. The story will continue, although this chapter might seem like the final one. I hope I didn´t make any big mistakes with the language, if it should be the case just tell me. And now enjoy the story - I am already waiting for your reviews ;)

Cagalli Yula Athha, representative of the United Emirates of ORB signed the last document and let out a sigh. If it wasn´t for the country she loved she would have never done this job. Sitting in an office, reading and signing documents for more than 14 hours wasn´t her style. She would have preferred being out there helping the people to rebuild what had been destroyed, sweating and dirtying her hands. But her country needed her to be here in her office, making sure that the money was flowing where it was needed, asking for help and offering it at the same time.
She had already been able to deepen the bonds between ORB and many other countries on Earth, hopefully it would become an alliance of peace unlike the last one. As a first official act the members of the alliance had chosen ORB as their representative, which made Cagalli the representative of Earth. Thinking about her huge repsonisbility made her chill. The next big task on her list where negotations with ZAFT, she would have to meet ZAFTs new chairman first. Yzak Jules – she didn´t know him very well. All she knew was that he was a former comrade of Athrun. Athrun...

"Mrs Athha, here is a visitor for you. Shall I send him to your office?" The voice of her secretary interrupted her thoughts.

Who wants to talk to me now? Office hours are already over, I can only hope it is something important.

"Yes, let him in."

She stood up and went to the window. Whoever wanted to talk to her at such an hour should notice that she had already been on her way home. Someone opened the door and closed it calmly. Seconds passed by and not a word was spoken. Cagalli, who was still looking out of the window, slowly became annoyed.

"Don´t you want to introduce yourself? You should have a good reason for paying me a visit at this time."

"My name is Athrun Zala and I apologize for my late visit, but I just arrived from the PLANTs."

She knew this voice. She always loved the soft and calm sound of it and she knew exactly how the owner of this voice looked like.
She spun around and her eyes widened as she saw Athrun standing there in the middle of her office. He hadn´t changed a bit: his eyes still shining like emeralds, his stature tall and slender but also athletic, his hair dark blue like the night-sky and this small smile, which was only meant for her.

But what was he doing here all of a sudden? Wasn´t it months ago that she saw him for the last time? He had hugged her tightly back then and it had given her confidence. But she also knew that he had visited ORB once more after that and he hadn´t even bothered to send her a message then. If it wasn´t for Kira she would never have heard of his visit. Anger started to grow and her voice was cool as she spoke:

"And what is the reason for your visit?"

It hit him, she could see it in his eyes. But he didn´t seem very surprised by her reaction. He slowly made a few steps in her direction until he could see directly into her eyes.

"I am here because I want to see you."

"Really? Are you sure there is not a more important reason for your visit?"

It sounded bitter and tears already stung in her eyes, but she couldn´t care less. How many times had she wished for him to come back only for her?! Just to realize that she would never have the first place in his heart. Of course she knew that he only acted this way to protect her and everything, which was dear to her.
In order to protect her country she had made sacrifices, too. But he had always remained in her heart and there had been no day passing by without these thoughts. Where is he? Is he okay? What does he do? Does he ever think of me? When will I see him again? And there he was standing right in front of her and she felt the sudden urge to hit him. She clenched her fists as she stepped towards him.

"Where have you been all this time? Where there so many people, who needed your help so that you never even had the time to call?"

"I thought you where busy..."

"Don´t tell me all you did was thinking!"

"Most of the time I thought of you." His voice was calm and sad and his eyes where searching for forgiveness.

"And when did you think your thoughts would reach me? Damn you, Athrun! You still are such an idiot! Haven´t you learned anything in the past?! Hiding away and thinking on your own doesn´t help anyone. I missed you. I missed you so much that it hurt!"

Tears were flowing down her cheeks and for minutes the only sound in the office where her sobs. She gasped as she felt Athrun´s fingers softly touch her cheek and carefully wipe away the tears. As she looked up she saw the determined look on his face. A small smile was forming on his lips and she recognized many of her own feelings in his expression. It had always been like this; just by looking at each other they knew how the other felt. It was a silent understanding between two people, who had experienced many hardships together. Without her he couldn´t have made it this far and without him she would have never had the courage to be herself. So why did they have to be seperated for so long? If she could read his mind so easily just by looking him in the eyes, why was it always so complicated if all they wanted was being together?

As an answer to her silent questions Athrun took a step forward to close the last distance between them and encircled her in his arms.

"I´m sorry." He whispered. His lips where close to her ear and she could feel him breath in deeply before he hugged her tightly.

"I promise I will never leave you again. Please... let me stay by your side. If you can stand having an idiot around you all the time, because I´m the biggest idiot in the universe."

Cagalli slowly raised her arms to hug him back and she smiled as she breathed in his familiar scent. She felt warm and safe in his arms and she realized how badly she had missed this feeling.

"I have a weakness for idiots, especially if they are kindhearted coordinators."

They stood like this for a long time, enjoying their closeness and inhaling the scent of each other as if it was the essence of life. When they finally parted Athrun noticed a slight blush on Cagalli´s face.

"It´s good to see that you are yourself again."

Of course he had heard of Cagalli´s achievements during the last months and he was honestly proud of her. How she was standing in front of him right now reminded him of the second time they had met on board of the Archangel after his desperate fight against Kira. Every other girl would have killed or at least hated him, but Cagalli gave him her talisman and told him to live. Since then she often was the only reason for him to fight and to survive.

'You definitely are a strange one.'

Yes, Cagalli wasn´t a normal woman and that was one of the reasons he fell in love with her.

Cagalli raised her hand to reach for something, which she wore around her neck.

"I had a talisman, which helped me to be myself. I got it from someone, who always believed in me... Although I couldn´t wear it the way it was supposed to..."

She opened her hand so that Athrun could see what she was holding: Attached to a thin golden necklace he recognized the ring he once gave her.

"I haven´t forgotten the promise, which belongs to this ring, Athrun."

Neither had he. It had hurt as she had taken the ring off back then, but he had never lost faith in their relationship.

'It´s fine, at least for now. We don´t need to rush.'

Secretly he had always wished that she would still wear his ring. On the other hand he had been sure that they would always share the same feelings. Even without a symbol for them.

'Our dreams are the same.'

"It´s fine the way it is. I think we tend to keep the things, which are most important to us close to our hearts."

With these words Athrun reached into the collar of his pullover where he still wore the talisman he once had gotten from Cagalli.

"I am here to keep my promise."

He took a step towards Cagalli and placed his hands on her shoulders. His emerald eyes looked deeply into her hazel ones and he could see her blush as he slowly bent down. He closed his eyes and he knew she did the same. He could feel the warmth of her breath before their lips met. Her lips where soft and warm as they gently brushed against his own. Cagalli reached out her arms around Athrun´s waist as she moved closer and her hands rested on his back. He buried his fingers in Cagalli´s hair and gently touched the skin behind her ears. They stayed like this even after their lips had already parted: Eyes closed, Athrun´s hands in Cagalli´s hair and her arms around his waist.

After a while Athrun lowered his hands so that he could encircle Cagalli in a warm embrace. It made her heart nearly skip a beat as she heard the words he softly whispered into her ear:

"I love you, Cagalli."

As an answer she buried her face in the crook if his neck and hugged him tightly. Athrun could feel the wetness of her tears against his skin, but he knew she didn´t cry out of sadness.

"Stay with me like this." she said and there was no place in the universe, where he would have rather been.