"I tried to stop him." Miriallia looked apologetically at Cagalli, as she stood dumbfoundedly in the doorframe. "He would not relent."

Cagalli's blonde eyebrow arched and her eyes showed no emotional reaction to the flabbergasting situation unfolding before her. Could she be dreaming? Her nails dug painfully into her palm, which was synchronized with an angry demand.

"I'm not leaving till we talk." The demand was yelled, much in the format of all of Yzak's proclamations. Miriallia wondered whether the man knew the social etiquette of asking permission. The two women had been at Celeste's one too many nights since their uncharacteristic dinner date, and over the course of drinks and smooth jazz had surgered and bandaged their relationship. They were now in the final stages of healing. Cagalli reassured her friend that she was fine by verbalizing her gratitude.

"Thank you Miss Haw. I can take it from here. I'm sorry he disrupted your morning." Miriallia pursed her lips, but swiftly left with an acknowledging nod. They still maintained their professional conduct before their students; however, even the most imperceptive of them could tell that their connection had quickly transformed from barren and dry to lush and lively. She wanted to address Yzak formally in a manner similar to her cordial public discourse with Miriallia. However, Cagalli soon discovered that she didn't know his last name. Having met him only twice, the subject never came up opportunistically in conversation. She decided to forgo all prefixes and cut to her point. "I'm at work. Can we do this later?"

"I'm not leaving till we talk."

"I'm in the middle of class, instructing my students," she reiterated, her eyes glancing at the baffled students that filled her class. It had been a mere month since she had gone to a similarly awkward situation with Athrun. She wondered if these strange situations were to become a permanent fixture in her life.

"I'm not leaving till we talk."

"Would you like to wait in the office? My class ends in 28 minutes."

"I'm not leaving till we talk."

Cagalli was making no progress and conceded to what seemed like a conversation with an angry robot stuck in an infinite loop. "Have a seat at the back of the classroom and do not be disruptive."

"Fine." He spoke with satisfaction, walking with purpose rather than the airy glide that Athrun had. Not all soldiers were created equals. He took a seat in a back corner, entirely disinterested in the content of her class. His eyes drilled into her uncomfortably and she struggled to continue with the ease and fluidity she normally conducted her classes with. Yet, she recognized the strength of the resolve in his eyes, despite not knowing his last name, as unbreakable in the remaining 23 minutes of her class.

"I'd like you to draft a short analysis on the significance of this poem. I'll collect them at the end of the class. Don't worry about completely getting through the poem. We'll be working our way through it in pieces over the next few days. I just want to see where it is you think we're starting." She began leafing through printouts, providing short stacks to the students in the front row and expecting them to be passed back. "Please gather all the extras and bring them up to the front," she directed Yzak, returning his pointed stare.

"I'm going to step outside for a few minutes," she informed the class as the shuffling of papers subsided. "If any questions come up, don't hesitate to come find me outside. Or find Miss Haw in the English office." She continued in the face of the concerned expressions on her students' faces. "Charlotte, you're class senior while I'm gone."

Charlotte nodded affirmatively, turning her eyes back towards the poem before her as Cagalli gestured the white-haired stranger towards the hall. The door closed gently behind her and Seiichi and Rika immediately exchanged glances.

"You don't mind if we work in pairs do you?" Rika told Charlotte how she should feel rather than asking her for permission. She promptly dragged her chair over to Seiichi's desk without waiting for a response. Charlotte buried her irritation behind her fringe as she tried to focus on analyzing the poem before her.

"We should wait," Rika's patient voice surprised Seiichi, but he suspected that she was too heavily invested in whatever was falling apart between her and Charlotte to lose her cool over fondness of a teacher. "I wonder who he is." Her eyes examined Seiichi for a response.

Seiichi surmised Yzak was one of Athrun's friends. He'd spent all week trying to unravel the motives that drove Cagalli to ignore Athrun, but found her annoyingly stealthy. Having waited at her doorstep for hours on two nights this week only to be left in neglect made him sour on two fronts: he was not able to create opportunities to play the part of Athrun's spy, and he was replaced by somebody more important, seemingly Miss Haw. He'd taken befriending Rika, a girl he'd previously held in high disdain, because she seemed recently closer to Cagalli. Yet, she knew less than him about Cagalli's current goings-on. "Don't look at me. I have never seen him before."

"Liar." Rika called his bluff and Seiichi's reaction told her she had not hit the mark, but was not far from it. "We're either in this together, or we're not. I'm not interested in playing games."

Seiichi admired Rika's ability to read people, especially her perceptiveness when it came to him. It was something new for him to get used to. "I've actually never met him."

"…but?"

"…he may be Mr. Zala's friend."

"Hmmm, it must have to do with last Wednesday morning."

Seiichi arched an eyebrow inquisitively. His weeklong friendship with Rika was finally paying off. Seiichi enjoyed guilt free symbiotic relationships like the one they shared. She was a better intellectual match for him than any of his peers and she was fully aware of the no-strings, give-and-take nature of their relationship. They were both concerned about the same person and wanted to ensure her well-being. They had resources to pool and once their common mission was accomplished, they'd likely never speak again. Seiichi would probably feel her absence, like an old ring lost; a feeling that would fade with time. "What happened last Wednesday?"

"She was in really bad shape in the morning."

"I couldn't tell." It surprised him because he usually could.

"I know," Rika smirked, recollecting her handiwork in painting life over the hollow devastation on Cagalli's face. "That was thanks to me. The before picture looked like a wreck."

"What happened?"

"I don't know details. Just that it wasn't a fun night and she had too much alcohol and not enough sleep."

Seiichi bit his lip. If Athrun had done nothing to upset her, he wondered if the white haired friend had anything to do with Cagalli's uncharacteristic behaviour. It irritated him that he could not piece together this situation with the little information he had. Usually, at least with Cagalli, it was much simpler to pull together a believable story, but in this case there were too many free radicals.

"You're probably too attached to her for your own good, you know." Rika folded the printout of the poem into various shapes. She was in the habit of fidgeting to pass time, even when conversation occupied her.

"Sound advice from the person who knows what's best for me."

Rika smiled and pushed herself out of her seat. "The excuses sound empty even to you now, don't they?" She left him with her rhetorical question in the wake of the shrill screech of chair legs against linoleum.

Miriallia entered the room after a soft knock. She silently took Cagalli's seat at the front of the class and made haste with her marking. Not a soul questioned her presence in the room, understanding that their regular English teacher was otherwise occupied for the remainder of the class. Cagalli had not asked Miriallia to mind her class, but she'd heard the blonde in a tedious conversation with the rude intruder and assumed the helping gesture would be appreciated. The last Miriallia heard of their conversation was Cagalli vehemently chiding the man for thoughtlessly disrupting her work.

"Yzak, you can't just barge into my classroom unannounced!" Cagalli controlled her temper.

"It's just high school," Yzak said, nonchalantly leaning against a wall unaware of the severity of his offense.

"You may have no respect for me or my job, but that does not excuse your behaviour. How would you like it if I made a nuisance of myself at your work?"

"I'd be impressed. I work on a high security base most days."

Cagalli sighed, her fingers massaging her temple. She had spent the last week avoiding Athrun and his world, escaping into the sanctuary Celeste and Miriallia so readily provided her. She did not expect such a complete violation of professional boundaries and tried to maintain her composure in accordance with the expectations of her job.

"What makes you think I don't respect you?" Yzak interrupted her downward spiral into helpless self-pity with a question she did not expect. The claim puzzled Yzak because of all the girls his friends had courted, Cagalli had the most spunk and courage.

"You all but said it to me the last time we spoke."

"What?"

It took every remnant of her self-control for Cagalli's jaw to keep from hitting the floor. She realized that her penchant for self-preservation would have biased her recollection of the harsh things Yzak said to her just a week ago, but for him to completely dismiss them as polite conversation seemed unbelievable to her.

"Athrun hasn't said anything, the polite bastard. But I can see it in Dearka's eyes."

Cagalli's brow furrowed.

"He clearly blames me for whatever happened. Why aren't you returning Athrun's calls? Wait, I don't really care why. The more important thing is that it wasn't me. Right?"

The crease in Cagalli's brow deepened. She couldn't follow the train of logic Yzak was trying to chart.

"I just need to know that whatever happened, it happened between you and Athrun. It wasn't me. I didn't wedge."

The fog began to lift from his rambling and Cagalli was slowly piecing together fragments of concepts that Yzak was trying to present. His defensiveness was characteristic of repeat offenders. But, what was his chronic offense? Was he in the habit of layering insult upon injury and then forgetting about it? The critical piece snapped into place as Cagalli mused about the last question.

Yzak did not remember anything from that night.

Cagalli closed her eyes and breathed deeply, exhaling at her leisure. Yzak did not remember anything important from their impromptu rendezvous last week. She debated whether he was just a lightweight twit with a penchant for rambling or whether inebriation surfaced the truth in him, and found that the debate would require more reflection to do it justice. Pettiness overwhelmed her with immediacy for being upset at the insults of someone who stumbled through words as he did the streets - without meaning. Her emotions crashed into her thoughts, creating a riptide that was capsizing her rationality.

"Yzak," Cagalli's voice resonated a sombre, deliberate quality that he'd never heard before, "You need to leave. You need to go now."

The short-tempered soldier heard an urgency in her voice yet failed to comprehend it. Unfamiliarity disadvantaged him wherein he could not predict that Cagalli had only two responses programmed in her for this situation - explosion or implosion.

"Leave. Go. Now." Both her eyes and her voice insisted on compliance desperately before she made a scene at work that she would later regret.

"Hey, Miss Yula," a voice interrupted, too young to be an employee of the establishment.

"You doing okay Miss C?"

Yzak examined the duo that had emerged - a girl with eyes so molten that blacksmiths would employ caution in proximity of their heat, and a boy whose every muscle was poised to defend.

Cagalli struggled against the riptide to retain her composure. "Rika, Seiichi, why aren't you in class?"

"Had to pee," said the boy with the girl following suit with, "My nose was getting too shiny. Didn't think we'd bump into you. But now that we have, is this guy bothering you?"

"Even if I was," Yzak's quick defenses made a characteristically offensive appearance. "What're you going to do about it Barbie? It's not like you'd be able to take me on."

"It's a good thing that I had to pee then." Seiichi stepped between his teacher and the foreigner. "And, if you want to play it that way, we'd better take this outside."

"Sei-"

"Miss C," Rika interrupted Cagalli, "We'd better go." The student tightly linked her arm with her teacher, tugging her away from the situation. "He's probably the best person to deal with that guy," she adviced, correct in her assessment.

"I won't forgive you if you get suspended," Cagalli warned Seiichi, before surrendering to Rika's efforts.

Yzak attempted to follow Cagalli, but Seiichi stood firmly in his way. "I don't think you know who you're messing with, Kid."

"I believe I know exactly who I'm dealing with. I suggest leaving before this situation gets any worse for Athrun, - or you."

Yzak's temper boiled and he advanced against Seiichi as a bluff. The latter didn't flinch at the bluff. "You've got guts, if nothing else."

Seiichi's eyes narrowed. "I've got a lot more than guts." His voice lowered to a dangerous simmer. "And I'll use it all to make sure nobody messes with Cagalli."

"A little attached to teacher, are you?" Yzak's eyes narrowed.

"She's worth being attached to." Seiichi assured him. "After all, isn't that why you're here?"

Yzak laughed. "Not even a little. But I'm sure I'll find a time when fewer pests are buzzing around to settle things with Cagalli. I can't imagine that she puts up with you all the time."

As Yzak turned and left, Seiichi drew his phone from his pocket. To Athrun, he said, "Your silver fox turned out to be a pitbull. Not the smartest move you could make."

Athrun was in the midst of a day full off meetings when he received the message that would break his concentration for the entire day. Now that he knew why Yzak had taken untimely vacation, he wondered what he was doing.

"What's wrong?" Dearka queried, observing apprehension in Athrun's posture.

Athrun turned the screen of his phone towards Dearka and whispered, "Seiichi is one of Cagalli's students."

"What is Yzak doing at Cagalli's school?" Dearka's eyebrow furrowed, concerning Athrun further.

Athrun shrugged. "Your guess is probably better than mine."

Dearka reflected for a few minutes, shaking his head as he kept one ear on the meeting. "He never talked to mine. He didn't even know that it was him until I told him, which was a year later. And from what I saw, he doesn't deal with guilt well."

"I haven't said anything to him..."

"Yzak's usually not perceptive enough to pick up on things like that. ...But you've not been talking about her and she's not been around since that night. He may have concluded things."

"What things?"

"Damned if I know. He's said nothing to me. I was surprised to find he took a leave when I came in today morning." Athrun grimaced at the uncertainty of the situation. Dearka advised him, "Go 'audit' a class of hers if you can. Find out what's going on. You know as well as I do that he's a loose cannon."

Athrun nodded and a few moments later gratefully smiled at his friend. He wore his apprehension for the rest of the day, even as he sifted through his schedule to see when he could fit a quick visit to the school in.

It was a week before Athrun could stop by Cagalli's literature class. He was reasonably sure he got the correct time and classroom from a previous chiding. Suspicions were confirmed when Seiichi slipped into the seat next to his. They were the only two people in class so far.

"Didn't expect to see you here," Seiichi greeted, loosening the tie to his uniform slightly. "You've made yourself scarce recently."

"I've been stuck in this series of meetings that just sucked the soul out of me." Athrun apologised.

"Sounds awful. Well, you're lucky. We only have first period today. After that the day's filled with a Principal's address, awards and CPR takes up this afternoon."

"Sounds nostalgically soul-sucking."

Seiichi chuckled, waving to students as they filled the class. "Still getting the silent treatment?"

"I'm surprised you need to ask."

"You almost deserve it for the fiasco you caused."

"About that - what happened when Yzak showed up?"

"He wouldn't leave Cagalli alone until his option was to fight me or leave. He left."

Yzak's behaviour struck Athrun as odd. Usually, in such a situation he'd fight, not flee. According to Dearka, Yzak's been out evenings and sleeping into the mid morning, which wasn't strange for a vacation routine.

"That's strange," Seiichi mused as the last of the students filtered in. "She's usually the first one here."

"Everyone has their tardy days," Athrun shrugged. "I'm sorry if Yzak caused you trouble."

"Nah. I'm used to temperamental people like him." Seiichi assured Athrun.

As morning announcements ended, a murmur scattered through the class musing on the whereabouts of their teacher. As the speculation reached an apex, Miriallia rushed into the classroom.

"I'm sorry," she said, gliding in with a few books and a lot of papers balanced in her arms, "Miss Yula is sick today and you're going-" She paused as she looked up apologetically to find a grown man at the end of her gaze. "...to have to help me teach today's class." She finished in a slow deliberation that wore her curiosity plainly.

Athrun rose. "I'm-"

"The famous Mr. Zala, I presume," the brunette deduced from his mild-mannered charm and his appearance. "I've heard a lot about you."

Athrun suppressed the urge to swallow his anxiety. "Excuse me?"

"You were the talk of the school a short while back. Unfortunately, Miss Yula, the usual instructor, is absent today. You're welcome to stay if you're fine with auditing a substitute."

"I'll stay and take notes if you don't mind," Athrun preferred.

Miriallia smiled politely. "As you wish," she permitted before continuing her lesson paying him no more attention than a fly on the wall.

Athrun noted that Miriallia taught with a manner that contrasted Cagalli's while remaining equally effective. She charismatically pulled students into her class much like a Peter piped the mice into submission. Unlike Cagalli, she rarely lost her temper and persceptively put troublesome attitudes in place before they had the opportunity to surface. Watching Miriallia teach was like dancing with Cagalli - smooth, romantic, effortless and effervescent. Cagalli's teaching style was like being partnered with Lacus - clumsy, jagged, energy-intensive yet entertaining.

Despite all of Miriallia's charm, her class emptied in record time, much like Cagalli's. Seiichi had excused himself and apologized for rushing off because he couldn't afford to be late for another assembly. As Athrun gathered his notes and prepared a few polite comments on Miriallia's class, he was interrupted by a bizarre question.

"Do you drive?" Miriallia asked, in an anxious voice that was masked expertly with calm.

"I do."

"Do you smoke?"

"I don't."

"Do you know where Cagalli lives?"

"I do."

"Do you have somewhere to be right now?"

"I don't." Athrun was becoming visibly concerned with the progression of questions from this stranger.

Miriallia noticed. "I guess you don't know me, but I feel as if I know you."

Athrun arched his eyebrow, confused.

"I'm Cagalli's best friend, Miriallia Haw."

"She's never mentioned you." The news upset Athrun because he had introduced her to most of his close friends.

"Well, we didn't start being best friends again till last week. We fell out for a couple of years."

"It's lovely to meet you, Miss Haw." Athrun extended his hand in a socially courteous manner.

"Miriallia is just fine." She briefly shook his hand. "Look, I know this probably sounds awfully strange, especially since this is the first time you've ever met me. But may I impose upon your time for a while, seeing as you have no pressing appointments."

"Uh, I guess that depends on what it is you need."

"I don't have a car. Could you possibly drive me to Cagalli's flat?"

"Sure. That's no problem." Athrun collected his jacket. "We can grab her some soup on the way since she's probably not eaten all day."

"That won't be necessary. She's not sick. I was out with her last night. She was perfectly fine. I had to cover for her when she didn't show up to work today and that's a generic excuse that works well for someone with Cagalli's track record. I'm worried about her because she's not answering my calls or texts. That's unlike her even if she was to abruptly fall so sick that she just doesn't show up at work."

An unsettling feeling settled in Athrun's stomach. "You mean she's disappeared?"

"I don't know. I just know that this is uncharacteristic of her so something is wrong. I'd just like to make sure she's home."

"When do you need to be back for your next class?" Athrun held out a gentlemanly gesture for Miriallia to exit the room first.

"I don't have any more classes. I've already told everyone I have personal appointments for the rest of the day. I was going to take the bus there, but driving would be faster, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all. I'd like to know that she's all right as well."

"Thanks." Miriallia shared a weak smile with Athrun before retrieving her things from the English office.

In less than 30 minutes, they stood in Cagalli's doorway. The home looked undisturbed. Miriallia identified Cagalli's wardrobe from their dinner as individual articles strewn across the floor. Her bedroom looked lived in with the sheets mussed and the towel still damp from her morning routine.

"Her work bag is here," Athrun noticed it laying on the couch.

"Her running shoes are missing. She's been going for morning runs to clear her head recently. Doesn't look like she came back from it." Miriallia felt relief at the realization.

"Her cellphone's on the table. That may explain why she's not answering your calls."

"In college, she used to sometime run for hours if something was on her mind that needed untangling. But she's never missed a day of work for anything."

"Is there anything that she needs to untangle?" Athrun asked innocently.

Miriallia pursed her lips at him. "I'm looking at him."

"What did I do?! She hasn't even talked to me for the last two weeks."

"Well..." Miriallia toyed with the idea of telling him the details of his drunken mishaps, "That's for you to sort out with Cagalli."

"That's tough but fair."

"I've still got a bad feeling. I'm going to trace all her routes to see if I can find her. Maybe she's hurt. I mean, I know if she hurt herself that someone would help her to medical care, but I just want to be sure. Thanks for bringing me here. I really appreciate it. You didn't have to, especially with Cagalli not speaking to you."

"I can go with you. Driving may be faster than walking."

"That would be asking too much."

"Four eyes are also better than two. It may give me a good excuse to talk to her and find out what's going on. You'd be doing me the favour."

"You're a smooth talker Mr. Zala," Miriallia said with a tired laugh. "But I'd appreciate your help."

"I think we're past Mr. Zala. Please call me Athrun." And Miriallia nodded. "Do you know where she normally runs?"

"I know her routes from a couple years ago. I think they're the same. Not that many nice places to run around here."

"You navigate, I'll drive," Athrun gently ushered her out of the flat, expertly concealing his concern for Cagalli's welfare.

The first three routes yielded only bad luck. By the time two in the afternoon rolled in, they had systematically expanded their search to include all running and biking trails as well as hospitals. Miriallia had set the lock screen wallpaper on her smart phone to a recent photograph of Cagalli to expedite any identification of her by medical intake staff. At six in the evening, they were reaching the fringes of trail possibilities and continued only with searching in hospitals.

Miriallia's panic spiked as they received news from the last major hospital in the district. "Where is she!? What could have happened to her?" She frantically dialled her friend's home number, praying for an answer.

"Lets check if she's home," Athrun placated her, forcing a level voice through a clenched chest. He could only imagine what Miriallia felt and admired the relative calmness of his disposition. He'd be on a furious investigative rampage if Kira vanished.

"She's be answering the phone if she was home," Miriallia reasoned.

"She may have just stepped out for some food. It is that time." This was the first time Athrun realized that neither of them had eaten all day. "Lets grab some food on the way back to Cagalli's."

"I can't eat till we find her." Miriallia insisted, purposely charging toward his car.

"Now, don't be unreasonable. If something has happened to Cagalli, you need to be well-fed and in good spirits to take care of her."

Nausea washed over Miriallia as she took the passenger seat. She rested her face in her palms shaking nervously. The day of visiting hospitals had jangled her nerves with the memory of Tolle's death. Athrun gently rubbed her back, trying to comfort her.

"You're impressively strong, Miriallia," he shared in a moment of intimacy. "If I was in your shoes, I would hardly have the pleasant disposition you've maintained with everybody. You should reward that strength with energy."

"I'll eat when we find Cagalli," she insisted. "She's all I really have left. I can't lose her now. We're just patching things up."

"We'll definitely find her. If she's not home, we'll find as many details about her wardrobe and whereabouts and I'll take it to the police first thing tomorrow morning."

"We should go today!"

"They won't do anything for at leat 24 hours after a person disappears," Athrun explained. "Is there anywhere else she could be?"

"I don't think so. Maybe the university campus..." she suggested.

"It's worth a try."

Athrun listened patiently as Miriallia relived memories from their youth. He encouraged her to laugh and focus on the positive thinking. He learned of a new side of Cagalli from her college days which surprised him. Despite his curiosity, he kept his questions to himself. He absorbed the energy of the campus. Graduates of military colleges rarely have the opportunity to visit civilian ones. The energy that reverberated through the halls and the parks was fundamentally different from that of the military college he attended.

"It's late," he stopped the brunette a few minutes to midnight. "You should get home for some sleep. I'll check up on you tomorrow and we can go to the police station together if you'd like."

"Where could she have gone?" Panic overwhelmed her words. "It's not like her to leave no trace. I've known her too long and I'm sure she would have left some kind of message behind if she had somewhere to be."

Before Athrun could respond, Miriallia started to cry uncontrollably. She sobbed with the hysteria Athrun recognized. He'd seen it at war, in the wake of bombs that totalled entire lives. He wrapped his arms around her in an awkward hug and gently rubbed her back, unsure of how to offer a stranger comfort in such a situation. He did not leave her until she was in her home, laying on the couch, waiting for the phone to ring with a melancholy patience.

It was past two before Athrun got home. He wondered aimlessly what could have become of Cagalli. For the first time since meeting her, he realized how much of a stranger she was to him and it was terrifying because of how close she felt to him. He heard a crash in his bedroom as he was fetching his dinner.

He found Cagalli on the floor, tangled in his curtains. The crash echoed when the rod collided with his headboard under her weight.

"Are you okay?" Athrun rushed to her side, pulling her from the mess. She stumbled disoriented. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused. He recognized the side effects of the sedative he carried in his combat survival kit. He swept her into his arms and carried her to his couch, forcing her to sit upright so that the sedative could begin to drain from her brain. "You need to sit up. I'm going to bring you something that will help." She tried to aid and clutched the couch arm.

He injected her with half the contents of a syringe he pulled out of his survival kit. "This is going to make you high," he spoke slowly, holding her head steady. "Don't worry about how high it makes you. If you feel sick, just make some kind of noise. I'm going make a quick call."

Athrun finally had a moment to process the sequence of events that led to this bizarre situation. His teeth clashed together, trying to bite back the headache that his temper resonated through his skull. "Dearka?" He said when the phone stopped ringing.

"What's up Athrun?" Athrun could hear Yzak's curiosity in the background.

"Can you handcuff Yzak to something? I need to beat the life out of him after you do me a favour."

"Yeah, sure."

"I need you to pick up Cagalli's friend from the address I text you and bring her to my place."

"Is she hot?"

"Speed if you have to. Cagalli is going to be lucid for a few minutes in a half hour before the Heroin makes her high. She needs to connect with her friend in that time."

"See ya."

Yzak hadn't been punched across the jaw so hard in years. Dearka's hand throbbed, and he was momentarily distracted from the pain at how willingly the brunette accompanied him at the sound of Athrun's name. His reckless driving went unnoticed as she readied herself to run up to Athrun's apartment as soon as he stopped.

"I'm sorry," Athrun apologized to Miriallia who bee-lined for a still-dazed Cagalli.

"Sweetie," she hugged her friend. "I'm so glad you're okay." Miriallia sounded terrified and relieved simultaneously.

"School, late," Cagalli slurred, struggling to enunciate. She tried to rise, but Miriallia held her down.

"It's the weekend, doll. You don't have school for another couple days." She gently stroked Cagalli's hair, who felt comforted by the gesture.

"Miriallia?" Athrun kept his distance as he waved the brunette over carefully.

She left her friend and joined Athrun and Dearka in the kitchen. "Where did you find her?"

"I need you to listen to the whole story."

"Where did you find her?" Miriallia sounded angry.

"She was here, in my bedroom." Athrun started cautiously. "I'm pretty sure a friend of mine brought her here."

"Is it that man named Yzak? Did he drug and kidnap Cagalli? Does he know that's a crime?"

"What's most important now is that Cagalli is having an unexpectedly bad reaction to the sedative. It needed to be countered and I had to administer a dose of Heroin to bring her up a bit. She's going to be pretty high soon. She'll probably think she's in love with you for a while because that's the most common first time reaction for the drug mix. It'll be too much of a risk to expose her to anybody else because she'll be extremely susceptible to suggestion. Given that I'm partially responsible for this mess, please stay here for as long as you want," Athrun held out a set of keys for Miriallia, "I've left my number on the fridge and whenever you're ready to leave, just let me know and I can take you both home. There is also the number for a pre-paid car service, if you're more comfortable with that. Nobody will come by this place until you message me. There is plenty of food in the fridge and some take-out menus by the phone. The Heroin will wear off by morning and she should be able to sleep in a few hours. Don't let her drink any alcohol or take any medication, even if its a regular prescription for at least 24 hours just to be safe. You can get a hold of me at my number anytime if you have questions."

"I'm going to be encouraging her to press charges." Miriallia clenched her fists. "But thank you for your hospitality and for getting me when you found her."

"It's really the least I could do," Athrun smiled, "I'm going to take off then."

Dearka lingered behind Athrun for a few moments. "I know you're really angry about Cagalli. But you should know that there probably won't be anything left of him to imprison, because as angry as you feel, Athrun feels a hundred times worse." He stared at Miriallia silently for a few seconds before turning to leave. "I better go. I'll try to save a piece of Yzak for you to charge."

Miriallia hoped that he would be successful in his endeavour.