The two weeks before the wedding, both Athrun and Cagalli kept their slight misunderstanding, as they called it, to a minimum level as both of them are busy beyond words because of the mounting paper works regarding the Zodiac Game, the remembrance of treaty, touring the stadium, making sure the security on that day is secure and of course the preparation for the wedding itself.
Both Mwu and Murrue decided to have both Chairman of PLANT and Representative of Orb to make speeches during their wedding and start off the first waltz. While Cagalli frantically objected the idea but the bride holds the ultimate power, especially when Lacus came into the picture. So now, instead of busy with her work, she is now busy trying to get the dance steps properly memorized before she humiliated herself in public.
"You will have to start with your right leg first, Cagalli." And Michael simultaneously stopped his track while still holding Cagalli close. The blonde in his arms couldn't help but groaned a little and bit her slightly chapped lips. Michael chuckled lightly at her expression and tucked in her slight damp hair due to the sweat behind her ears.
Cagalli flushed, embarrassed. "You wouldn't have guessed a representative for so many years would have learned how to waltz by now." She looked back down on to her feet when Michael once again led her across the floor. "And that's what makes you special." He whispered softly into her ears and Cagalli couldn't help but to hide her red face away from his glance.
"Well don't regret it if I broke your leg." She mumbled, her voice barely audible.
"My pleasure."
~*~
"Yes, I presume you will be in charge of the security for the 'remembrance of the treaty' day, Yzak?" Athrun asked while a grumpy looking man from the other side of the screen glared back at him.
"Well, of course I am. You enjoy your holiday in Orb." He sneered.
Before Athrun can retort back his statement, he heard another cheery sound behind the screen, "Now, now Yzak. Don't be snappy. You know Athrun got way more things to do than you are." And a blonde, tanned man appeared on the screen, giving a smirk and Athrun couldn't help but to smile back.
"Well, see you and really, enjoy your holiday and unlike Mr. Grumpy Man here, I meant it."
"Thank you Dearka."
The screen turned black with the sound of a beep and Athrun wheeled his chair back to its original position, facing the immaculate mahogany table, filled with numerous folders and papers everywhere once again. He sighed and took a sip of his warm coffee, needing any ounce of caffeine he can take into his body system. He is now making early preparations for the Remembrance Day so that he wouldn't be rushing himself to the brink of death when the time is near.
And not to mention that the progress with the preparation of Zodiac Game have to be on hold for another one hour because the host herself is gone with her suitor to some waltzing lesson. At the mentioning of them, Athrun frowned slightly. The past week had been horrible as he and Cagalli argued everything that came out of each other mouths and it is a surprise even to him that he is very well capable in not backing down in a verbal fight.
He massaged his shoulder while his free hand flipping through the paper works. "Holiday huh?" He muttered to no one in particular and listlessly flips through the documents to only close them shut after a short moment. Somehow, his working mood is all gone and this occasionally happens every now and then, ever since he came to Orb. What he needed the most now is not coffee or a holiday, he just need to get his brain into working mood.
Knock. Knock.
"Athrun, are you free?" Lacus voice from the other side of the door snapped him out from his dilemma. He straightens himself and cleared up the mess on the table slightly before ushering her to come right in. "Come on in, Lacus." The pink hair princess peered in and gives off a smile, a smile that Athrun knows too well that something is up in her sleeve and he plays a part in it, whether it is as a subject or the planner. Either one, he thought, is bad.
"Let's have a walk Athrun." Knowing her well enough, there is no way he can escape now.
~*~
Athrun is now seated in a small café in a nearby city along with both Kira and Lacus looking at him intently while all he wanted right now is to escape their gazes and enjoy his cup of coffee. When neither one of them make a move to spill their reasons on why they dragged him out, he places his cup of coffee back on its saucer plate and stare back at them.
"Now what pleasure do I owe you two to bring me out for a cup of coffee?" Since he was pretty sure the manor still have coffee stocked somewhere in the kitchen and in no doubt that coffee will never ever runs out in the manor if there is a deficit in coffee supply all around the world.
"We wanted to talk to you about Cagalli." And he sighs at the mentioning of Cagalli, the very source of his distraction from work. Okay, so we now know that we both are not in the best of terms, I gotten myself a girlfriend, she got a suitor- a handsome one at that, I got jealous, and now we can't talk to each other normally - with the exception about works - without arguing. What else did I miss?
"Yes?"
"You know all this suitor thing may not what it seems to be? After all, you can't judge a book…"
"She loves you still." Lacus decided to cut the crap and interrupt her husband's long-winded prepared speech. A little guilty due to his hard work to be mentally prepared and memorize the whole thing but now time is essence. Athrun stares at her, his eyebrow raised.
Great, another idiot.
She resisted the temptation to just smack him to get the words through. Seven years of becoming a mother has make her patience thinned slightly. No more kind, sweet and loving Lacus. "Well, stop staring and say something. You can always trust my word."
With her reputation, that well known in PLANT, who is he to doubt her words. Chairman or not, she is still the well respectable Lacus Clyne. Although he believes that Cagalli still feels the same for him, but why did she have to go through all lengths to get herself a suitor and get married to him? Is it because of me and Meyrin? Or maybe she decided to let go…just like how he did. If that is so, whatever he does, nothing will change.
"Maybe…maybe it's too late." He muttered. He took the cup and sips the coffee, tasting the bitterness.
"What do you mean by too late?" Kira asked, his face showing that he is almost afraid to hear the answer. "If she already made up her mind, it doesn't matter what I do, nothing will change. Seven years ago or now, she is still the same."
"But Athrun, you will never know until you try …"
But Athrun already stood up, his cup of coffee empty and excuses himself. Both Lacus and Kira gave each other a troubled look. The problem now not only lies on Cagalli herself but also Athrun. One planning to end it all and the other one makes no initiative to mend it back.
~*~
The cooling wind felt refreshing across his face when he sped through the empty road. Lacus's words rang loudly inside his mind, telling him that Cagalli still loves him. Although it seems like a dream coming true, but somehow it doesn't felt real, not when she get along so well with her suitor. What was that suppose to mean?
Ah, no. He was in the very same position isn't he? The word that he still loves Cagalli seems to means nothing but words to her, to everyone because all his action proves otherwise by having Meyrin by my side. Just what kind of stupid mess he landed himself into? He was determined to let it go but his heart wouldn't let him and he thought accepting some girl's offer to date will enable him to forget about the blonde.
For a coordinator, you sure are stupid.
He sped up a little bit more at the sight of the manor. He needed to get his priority straight. What is more important right now more than anything is to get through the wedding, the Zodiac Game and the preparation for the Remembrance Day. He screwed up his personal life but he isn't going to let his both country's effort go to waste.
He stepped on the brake none too harshly and get out of the car. He ran his hand through his hair to get them organized due to their disarray form due to the blowing wind and nodded to the butler, greeting him in the front door.
"Athrun, you are back." He found himself face to face with Meyrin who was seated on the living room, obviously waiting for him. He gave off a small smile, almost reluctant and nodded.
"Where have you been?" Meyrin cling on to his left arm. He stared at it for a moment, unsure how to react. "I went out with Kira and Lacus for a cup of tea." Meyrin's smiling face falter slightly only for a second before her usual bubbly face came back into sight.
"How was it?" she asked. Athrun wasn't sure what to reply her given that the only main topic was Cagalli and no doubt Meyrin would not be pleased to hear that. "Ah, it was…alright." He replied, continuing his way to the office to get the remaining work left done but the hand around his arm seems to be preventing him from doing so.
"Can we spend some time alone together?" her eyes looked back sadly at Athrun and he knew that he hasn't giving her much attention ever since he came to Orb but the thought of the works that is still left untouched troubled him greatly. "I-It's okay if you can't." she muttered softly, slowly letting go of his arm. Athrun muttered a small apology and walk up the stairs.
~*~
"Ah, you're back." Cagalli greeted him when he opened the door to the office. She looked up from her paper works and he nodded before having a seat opposite of hers. He reached out to get hold of his stack of documents and started to go through them one by one, sorting them according to priority.
"How was your dance lesson?" he asked, curious.
"I think I broke his leg." She mumbled, her face flushed and Athrun couldn't help but to laugh. She swatted him lightly on the arm when he laughed, frowning. His mood lightens up a notch.
"Sorry. What happened?" he asked, feeling a little bit sorry for Sancfield.
"Do you know that curiosity kills the cat?"
"Well, at least it's a laughable death." He tried to hide his smile but it failed terribly. Cagalli bit her lips and reached for the nearest folder to hit him again. "I just can't seem to concentrate and I ended up stepping on his foot numerous times although he said he doesn't mind. I think we will be postponing out lesson tomorrow." She sighs and mumbled something that sounded like 'the wedding is getting nearer' and 'why did I have to lead the dance?'
"Do you need any help? I can volunteer. And oh sign this after you check it." He said while handing a pale folder to Cagalli with an 'Urgent' sign on the front.
"And risks getting your feet destroy before the wedding? You do know that you have to lead the dance with me right?" she asked, incredulously.
"Well, it's always better to get prepared before rather than on the very day itself." He said while showing a proposal of the security plan for the Zodiac Game event handed in earlier. Cagalli thought about his idea for a moment, while at the same time scanning through the document. "So, what's your schedule busy man?"
"I propose we do it now before you forget about your steps the next day." The flipping sound of document halted, only silence.
"Here?" her amber eyes widened in surprise. "Here." He stood up from the chair and stood next to her. "May I have this dance?" he holds out his hand, waiting for her to accept. She shyly places her hand on his and stands up. He leads the dance by moving his left leg forward. "Now, move your right leg backwards as soon as I move forward my left." Cagalli dutifully follow his instruction, her eyes staring steadily at her own feet. "Now left foot step sideways to the left and that's …ouch!"
Cagalli raised up her leg in mid air while Athrun grimaced at the pain he was inflicted upon. "Left Cagalli, your left leg." He looked down on her suspended right leg and the blonde followed his gaze to her own right leg. She went speechless for a moment as if trying to make his words into sense. "Oh, I thought it was your left leg."
"It's like teaching you Mathematics once again huh?"
"Hey! I wasn't that bad!" she retorted.
"And Mr. Sancfield must be soaking his leg right now." He chuckled lightly when Cagalli huffed in frustration. He continue to hold her hand in his, gripping slightly tighter. "Now, let's continue your lesson. And remember when I say left or right, I meant your leg."
She glared at him. "I get it. I get."
~*~
Outside however, Kira and Lacus were giggling at the sight of them both. Just maybe they thought, just maybe they have a chance to set things right but unknown to them Meyrin too saw both of them dancing, tears pooling in her eyes, threatening to fall.
Author's Note: Guilty as charged. I am very sorry indeed for a very late update. The past few months had really been hectic. Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing and please continue to do so.
