AN: If you're interested, there is an alternate chapter 7. You can click the link in my profile.
Identification Number O04172
Part One, Chapter Seven
"Ugh..."
Cagali opened her eyes, to see a white ceiling above her. She lay on her back, wrapped in blankets. She was hot and aching all over. Everything surrounding her seemed bland and unfamiliar. For a moment she stared at the room she was in, trying to register her location. Then it clicked. This was Athrun's bedroom. She only came in here to clean it, but apparently she'd been sleeping in here.
The door opened. Without moving, Cagali glanced towards Athrun, and then shut her eyes. She wanted to go back to sleep. It seemed like a pretty good idea; maybe she'd feel better when she woke. A moment later, she felt a hand on her forehead.
Athrun sighed. "Fever is less than before... Maybe she'll come to her senses soon."
The hand moved from her forehead and through her hair. The fingers trailed along her scalp and released some heat. It made her feel a little bit better. The motion was repeated and Cagali found herself bothered and uncomfortable.
"Athrun, what are you doing?" she asked.
"You're awake?" he asked.
"Yeah," she opened her eyes.
"You recognize me?"
"Yeah"
"How do you feel?"
"Like crap"
"Are you gunna throw up?" he asked.
"No"
"Well that's good, are you thirsty?"
Cagali thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, I guess."
"I'll get you something to drink," he said and set off to leave.
"You don't have to," she replied sitting up. "I can go get something myself."
"No, you stay in here. Let me get something for you."'
Cagali ignored him and swung her legs over the side of the bed, and wobbled as she stood up, "You don't need to waste your time for me," she said.
"Get back in bed," her owner ordered, lightly pushing her so that she fell back down. "I will get you something to drink."
"Athrun, why do you want to get a drink for me?"
He sighed. "You're sick; I don't want you up wandering around my house sick."
"But... I'm supposed to be your slave. You shouldn't serve me, right?"
Athrun pushed her back onto her back. "You just rest; you're not making any sense with that fever. Now stay put," he said slowly and clearly, "I'll be back in a second."
Cagali watched him leave and closed her eyes again. He talked to her as if she had lost her mind or any semblance of common sense. He reminded her of how Kira had reacted one time when she had started sleepwalking, but when Kira started treating her like this it was different. He was her brother, and she was half consciously asking him to go skiing with her. The natural contemplated this for a moment, but didn't feel like thinking. She decided to stare blankly at the wall clearing her mind of all thoughts.
Her owner returned a minute later. Athrun sat down on the bed next to her and propped her to sit up. "I brought you some hot tea and put your medicine in it."
"That makes it taste disgusting," she complained.
Athrun chuckled. "It doesn't taste like anything, I promise."
"How do you know?"
"It says so on the box."
"Cough syrup says 'taste like cherry' on the box and it does not taste like cherry," Cagali argued.
He laughed at her again, amused that she was arguing over something so pointless. "It's the stuff to offset your gag reflex, so you won't throw it up the second you swallow it. You can't drink anything without it." He held a cup to her mouth.
"I'm not incompetent," declared Cagali and took the glass from him.
"Don't spill that, it's hot" Athrun warned her, watching everything she did, "You're not thinking straight."
Cagali finished the drink quickly and leaned forward to put it aside. The movement sent a jolt of pain through her head. She brought up her hand to her head and frowned. She felt the bed move as Athrun sat down beside her. He took the cup from her and put it on the night stand.
"Come here," he said. He pulled Cagali closer to himself so that she was leaning against his chest. Gently he wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace, then stroked his fingers through her hair, rubbing her head lightly. Whatever he was doing was easing away her headache, or maybe it was just distracting her. She relaxed in his arms and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, it's my fault your sick," he told her.
Cagali frowned. "How so?"
"You got it from me. It's a virus that's around ZAFT headquarters. I must have caught it and transferred it to you."
"But you haven't been sick."
"Just because I don't show symptoms doesn't mean I'm not contagious. There's a lot of stuff that naturals get that coordinators are immune to." He explained as he held her.
"What do you mean by 'You're not thinking straight,'?" Cagali asked after a few minutes.
She felt Athrun laugh inaudibly, his chest shaking with his chuckles. "You've been hallucinating and talking in your sleep ever since I brought you back."
"Hallucinating?"
"You had a pretty bad fever. Sometimes you'd wake up and talk to me as if I were someone else."
"What was I saying?" she asked, "Who was I talking to?"
"For the most part, it was just gibberish, but sometimes you'd make some sense. But when you did make sense, you'd always say the same things to me... or rather to Kira."
"Kira..." Cagali said her brother's name with familiarity. Then she tensed, "What did I say?"
"You would ask for something to drink, eat, read, listen to, or the like. That or you'd tell Kira, 'stay with me, hold me, take me home'."
"Is that all?" she asked.
"Yeah," said Athrun.
"That's good. I thought I might have said something private," admitted Cagali.
"You were sick... This is a relief, it's the first time I've been 'Athrun' in a while."
"Sorry I didn't recognize you," she apologized.
Her owner made no response, thinking silently for a moment. He stopped rubbing her head. "Was Kira your boyfriend?"
"No," she replied, now dozing off. "Kira... is the best friend I could ever hope for, but definitely not my boyfriend."
"Is Kira a guy?"
"Yeah"
"Did you like him?"
"I like him just fine."
"Enough to talk to him in your sleep"
"He's my friend, not my boyfriend, but naturally I haven't seen him in a while."
"Of course," said the coordinator.
"Athrun, why are you treating me like this?" she asked suddenly.
"You're sick."
"But I'm a natural slave."
Athrun was quiet for a moment. "I guess having you sick like this made me realize you're not just a natural slave to me anymore."
Cagali opened her eyes, surprised at this statement. She looked to Athrun. "What do you mean?"
The silence seemed to linger as she looked into his emerald eyes, waiting for an answer. Then he smiled, and wrapped his arms around her tighter. Athrun leaned forward and kissed her gently on the forehead. Then he pulled back. "We'll talk when you feel better, how's that?"
"Uh… Alright," was all she could think to say. In her current state of mind, she didn't comprehend what he meant. He stroked his fingers through her hair again and tilted her back towards his chest. She didn't resist, allowing his cold hands to trail through her hair then up and down her neck and back, as she blankly stared forward, trying to comprehend his actions. His touch raised the hairs on her back.
"Relax Cagali," said Athrun. "You don't need to worry about anything but getting better. Your shivering a little, are you cold?"
"No, I'm not," she said, trying to relax. Cagali rested her eyes. "Your hands are cold," she muttered, "feels good."
"You told Kira that, too," added Athrun.
Cagali released any tension in her muscles, letting Athrun's hands sooth her rather shiver at his touch. It was comforting to know that he cared. Sleep seemed like a good idea. She was tired and the position became more comfortable. She realized that this must not have been the first time Athrun had held her like this; she had asked Kira to hold her while half conscious. "That's right, Cagali, go back to sleep. I'll stay here with you until you do," Athrun promised.
The next time Cagali opened her eyes, she heard her stomach growl. Athrun wasn't in the room. The moment replayed in her head. "Not just a natural slave to me anymore..." She really hadn't been thinking straight. She brought a hand up to her mouth as she remembered; he had kissed her.
Cagali felt like she was the clueless one now informed of something obvious. How had she not noticed the change in his behavior lately? He'd compliment her on little things that she hadn't even bothered to notice. He'd invite her to sit next to him and watch TV, ask her to play the piano. How worried he was when she was cut... How he had taken care of her... It should have been a red flag. She'd been telling herself as long as Athrun wasn't suspicious, whatever he thought didn't matter. This did.
'In all the possible problems I listed...' thought Cagali. 'This wasn't one of them.'
All things considered, she was feeling better. Her headache was gone and she was hungry; two good signs. The girl pulled off the covers and sat up. She noticed she wasn't wearing what she last remembered, but something more comfortable to sleep in. She didn't remember changing. Cagali pressed that thought out of her mind quickly, it was too awkward.
She got out of the bed. Standing up felt to her like she hadn't used her legs in ages. She observed the odd feeling for a moment and made her way to the kitchen, hungry.
Wandering out of the room, Cagali half expected Athrun to greet her and send her back to bed. Not seeing him, she made her way down the hall and checked the clock on the NVD player on top of the TV. 7:30; of course he wasn't here. He was probably at work. Cagali felt relieved, she wouldn't have to deal with him for a few hours.
She was about to go into the kitchen but noticed something different. The room seemed odd... but she couldn't put her finger on what was out of place. The TV was in its same spot, although if it moved she didn't figure it would bother her. The orange couch sat as tacky as ever. There was an empty coffee cup on the table... She picked it up and looked around again. Athrun had organized some of his books on his shelf, and the piano...
It wasn't the same piano. Sitting against the wall in the place of the Zala heirloom was a black upright, the framed article no longer present. Black... shiny... smooth... ugly... Cagali took the few steps necessary to reach the piano and touched the glossy side, recalling the dark wood carvings on the antique where her fingers were now. This frame was obviously made of plastic. She opened the keyboard, plastic. The stool, plastic... She hit a key. It even sounded plastic. Cagali frowned and closed the keyboard. This replacement piano made her feel disappointed, maybe a little sad.
"Are you feeling better?"
Cagali turned. Athrun now stood behind her, perhaps a bit too close for her current liking. His blue hair was wet and his skin clean from a shower. He was dressed in casual clothes rather than his uniform.
She took a step back, suppressing her instinct to jump. "Uh... yeah..." she recovered. "I thought you'd be at work."
"And leave you here alone while you're hallucinating because you're so sick?" Athrun asked, giving her an amused smirk. "I have the day off."
"Oh, okay"
"How's your temperature?"
"Fine"
Athrun stepped towards her and touched the back of his fingers to her forehead. "You've still got a bit of a fever."
"I feel fine," Cagali confirmed and took another step back, suddenly nervous at his actions.
"I'm glad that you're feeling better, but you're still sick. You should be resting."
"I'm not tired."
"Would you like to watch TV?"
"No thanks," she replied curtly.
"How about something to read or the like?"
"No."
"Are you just out of bed to be out of bed?"
"Well, I was hungry."
Athrun checked his watch. "It's 7:31... I don't know if I should feed you or not..."
"Why not?"
"Don't you remember?"
"Remember what?"
"You've been throwing up at night. Why do you think I put you in my bedroom? It's easier for me to deal with when you wake up and start vomiting at two in the morning," Athrun explained.
"Sounds like you had some experience."
"You were really sick."
Cagali thought for a moment. "What day is it?"
"Sunday"
"So I've been sick for four... five days?" she asked.
"Actually," started Athrun in a correcting tone. He paused with an odd look on his face, as if to think. He looked at Cagali for a second and his expression returned to normal. "Yeah, five days if you count today," he concluded.
"Have you been taking care of me this whole time?"
"No, Tati's been over here a lot, I have to work."
"Wouldn't I get her sick?"
"No, Nicol had her get a vaccine." He blushed slightly, "Besides, I didn't figure you'd appreciate it if I gave you a bath or changed your clothes while you were half conscious."
"Yeah..." said Cagali. She found herself turning red at the notion. "That won't be necessary."
There was an awkward silence in which the dishwasher could be heard running from the kitchen. "Where is the piano? I mean, why do you have a different one?" Cagali asked.
"An antique museum has it now."
"Why'd you give it to a museum? I thought it meant a lot to you. You said your grandmother..."
"Yeah, it did," Athrun cut her off. "But things come up in life that are more important than a piano. And you know I don't play the piano."
"You're just making excuses."
Athrun sighed and smiled slightly. "Maybe so… How about I get you something to eat? I don't figure chicken noodle soup would make you sick."
"You can cook chicken noodle soup?"
"Yeah, picked some up at PLANT mart yesterday afternoon and a five year old natural is capable of operating a microwave."
"I dunno about that. My brother blew up a microwave nearly catching the house on fire when he was five, and he's a..." Cagali cut herself off.
Athrun laughed, failing to notice her incomplete sentence. "Good thing neither of us are five." He gestured towards his kitchen. "Sit," he said, more of a command than a suggestion.
Cagali sat. A few minutes later, Athrun pushed a bowl of soup in front of her. Truth be told, canned chicken noodle soup was her least favorite thing to eat, right next to canned spinach.
"Thanks," she said to Athrun, and started eating the soup anyways. All the sudden, it seemed wrong to lie to him. He was honest. She wished she was lying to someone else; a coordinator she could despise a coordinator she could blame, more like what she had first seen in him, a guy who could care less… But it seemed on PLANT the coordinators were the same as those in her homeland. They were just people... smarter, stronger, people who feel and love just like naturals.
She finished off the bowl and Athrun poured her the rest of the soup. All she could do was smile at him and accept. Cagali took another swallow of canned PLANT mart chicken noodle soup. She wasn't hungry anymore. Guilt seemed to have filled her stomach.
Cagali looked to Athrun, into his un-natural emerald eyes. He was so clueless. She picked up her bowl and stood to go clean the dishes as she normally did. Almost immediately Athrun took the bowl from her asking if she was finished, then told her to sit.
He rinsed the bowl and put it in the dish washer. Cagali watched silently, still thinking. When he was done he walked over to Cagali then behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"I'm really glad you're getting better," he said and dug his fingers into her back. He pushed her forward, so that her head was on the table. "I've been worried."
His touch was gentle and his words kind. They made her stomach churn. She wanted to ask the question she had asked earlier, and his answer pounded in her head. 'You're not just a natural slave to me anymore.' What was he thinking right now? Did he think of her like a pet, a friend, a sister? Maybe he was starting to think like his friend, Nicol. Or maybe Athrun knew everything and he was just messing with her head. She had been in and out between unconsciousness and half consciousness for the past five days; he could have found the NVDs...
'Stop thinking about ridiculous possibilities,' scolded the reason in her head, 'You're a natural slave, play the part. How would a slave feel?'
'Scared,' was her reply. Cagali was surprised at how quickly the answer had come to her. It was irrational. A natural slave would not be scared, they'd be happy. They wouldn't have anything to worry about, and their life just got better, right? 'Scared,' she thought, 'Am I afraid of Athrun?'
"I rented some movies," Athrun interrupted her thoughts, "for me to watch if you were asleep, or for you to watch if you got up."
"Which movies?" Cagali asked.
"They're all made on PLANT; you wouldn't recognize any of the titles," he replied.
"Ok, I guess so." She felt his hands move. She sat up.
"Do you like horror, action adventure, humor, romance, what?" he asked from the other room.
"Did you actually rent a romance movie?" asked Cagali.
"Er... yes," said Athrun.
"I thought guys hated that sort of stuff."
"Well once you get into the higher ratings..."
"You rented a porno?"
"No! I was just joking!"
"Oh, okay."
"So would you like to watch the romance movie?"
"NO," declared Cagali. "I can't stand to watch romance movies, they're so sappy."
"I was hoping you would say no."
"How about action adventure?"
"Sure."
Cagali turned to see Athrun loading the NVD player. He turned on the TV sat down on the couch. The menu came up on the screen and he looked to Cagali.
"Come sit by me."
She stood and walked over to the opposite side of the couch to where Athrun was sitting.
"Not over there," said Athrun. He sat up and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward himself, and then down on the couch. Athrun commanded, "NVD play."
"Umm..." Cagali looked at the hand Athrun still held. He let go and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She didn't feel much better. The same questions were replaying in her head as the introducing theme music began to play. Moments later, the distracting movie had her sucked in, and she relaxed in the coordinator's grasp. He felt cold compared to her; she did still have a fever.
"Wha... What happened?"
"Huh?"
"The car was about to fall of the cliff and then... I dunno."
"Uh... good morning to you too," said Athrun, picking a few things off the floor. "You fell asleep."
"Oh," said Cagali dully.
"I must add, that is an interesting way to wake up," Athrun smiled, "falls asleep in the middle of a movie and wakes up ten hours later thinking it's still playing. I don't know where you got the car falling off a cliff, though. It was set in the twelfth century."
"What time is it?"
"7:30; you should be plenty rested after sleeping for a few days."
"Yeah..." Cagali yawned, easing her way out of bed. She noticed that she was once again waking up in Athrun's bedroom. "You're not in uniform," she observed.
"I have half the day off."
"Off again?" Cagali asked.
"Something wrong with that?"
"Er... No it just seems odd that you have two days off."
"Yeah, pretty odd for a ZAFT pilot, huh? I guess since I rarely take any days off they gave them to me when I asked for them. Why don't you get dressed and take a shower. I was planning on taking you around PLANT if you're feeling up to it."
"Like where?"
"I dunno, I guess there's really not much to do here. I've gotten the impression most girls like to go shopping."
"No, I don't like shopping."
"What did you do for fun on Earth?"
"Ever heard of paint ball?"
"No."
"Didn't think so"
"There's an art museum, if you like paintings."
"Paintball has nothing to do with art. It's a game you play with a bunch of people involving guns and paint bullets. Most girls would call it 'unrefined' and would rather go shopping."
Athrun smiled, now having an idea of what she might like. "There's an amusement park on the other side of PLANT, it has the first roller coaster to go into zero gravity... if you like roller coasters."
"Really?" Cagali asked.
"This is a space colony," Athrun prompted. "You certainly sound interested."
"I haven't been on a roller coaster in a couple of years."
"Well, you should go get ready. After 9:30 there's a two hour wait."
later, that afternoon
"That was a nice lunch," commented Cagali. "Really nice restaurant"
"Yeah, too bad you fainted the first time I tried to take you," said Athrun, heading for the car.
"I fainted? So that's what happened..." Cagali said to herself.
Athrun laughed lightly. "I guess you're jinxed, it seems like whenever you try something new something goes wrong. You got lost the first time you left the house with out me, you fainted at the restaurant, and you threw up on the roller coaster, although that was probably my bad judgment... to take a natural on a roller coaster that goes into zero gravity the day after she gets over being sick..."
"So what now?" Cagali asked.
"We go home. You can work that music you bought, I suppose. I have a briefing at two."
"Two? It's barely past twelve."
"Yeah, but I'd like to talk to you a bit before then," he replied then added, "in private."
"Oh, okay," said Cagali. She sat down in the car. Athrun sat beside her in the driver's seat. An odd atmosphere seemed to be pressing down in the small space. Maybe something was wrong with the gravity machine... or maybe this was just awkward... Cagali looked at him. "So what is it that you want to talk about?... in private?"
"It's a couple of things," he said, starting the car, "that I'd rather not be overheard. I'm not quite sure how you'll handle the information."
"You're making me nervous," said the natural.
Athrun pulled onto the road silently, as if thinking. The atmosphere stiffened before he spoke again. "Do you remember when I told you about the ZAFT defeat in the Indies?"
"ZAFT defeat in the Indies?" she tried to remember.
"I might not have mentioned where it was. It was right before you got sick."
"What happened?" she asked.
"We went up against an enemy that we thought would be easy to beat. Less than half of our forces survived." He saw that she was eager to hear more, "From the little data brought back, it seems the enemy had maybe a fourth as many mobile suites as us, several fighter jets, but excellent pilots."
"So you're not invincible."
"What of it?" she asked.
"I'm getting a transfer," he said, avoiding looking at her, "To Earth. I'm leaving in two days."
Cagali took in a quick gasp of air. She tried to think, but her mind was blank. "What?" she asked.
"I'm getting a transfer to Earth. I'm leaving in two days," Athrun repeated. "After that defeat, the ZAFT ships called in reinforcements from other bases on Earth, and now those bases are calling for reinforcements, and I'm on the list."
"Two days?"
"Yup"
"You only have a measly two days? Shouldn't they give you more time than that?"
"They did. While you were sick I had a week off to visit family and friends, seeing as I'll be on the front lines."
"I'm sorry. I made you stay here," she said, feeling guilty.
"I would have been here anyways," he shrugged. "I don't have anyone to visit. And I've been ready to go out and fight for a while. Staying here and just watching makes me feel so powerless."
"Athrun... You don't know what you're saying," the natural said softly.
"Someone's got to fight. Someone has to do something."
"You're right. But I guess it just seems to me that the more people that decided they need to 'do something' the worse the situation gets."
"This war will end, and ZAFT will win," stated Athrun.
"How do you know?" asked Cagali.
"I know the plan," he said confident and cold. "No natural will ever give us problems again. We're going to wipe the Alliance out of existence."
"If you're headed for such a sweeping win, then how did you loose that battle in the Indies?"
"Trust me, Cagali, everything will end soon, and then we can all live normal lives."
"What constitutes a normal life for the naturals? Being the coordinators slaves?"
"You can have a good life on that. Many naturals are happy here. Like Tati, Nicol would send her back to Earth if she asked."
"She gets to do her dream job, use her talent that she's specialized in for years. She's doing what she'd like to be doing on Earth. I'm not, and there's no chance what so ever that they would let me, or you would let me, do what I'm best at."
"What's your talent?" he asked.
"I'm not telling," said Cagali, "You wouldn't believe it and if I showed you, you wouldn't like it. It's nice of you to ask though."
"If I have no idea what you want to do, then there's no way you're going to get to."
"I know, besides. That's not the only reason Tati's happy. She and Nicol are… well…"
"Totally infatuated with each other?"
"Yeah"
"I think so too. And they're both content; it doesn't look like a bad idea when you see them."
At this time Athrun pulled up in front of his house and looked across the street. He threw up his hands in exasperation. "He's back again." He stated. "That guy just doesn't leave. And then when he does he just comes back!"
"What is it?" Cagali asked.
Athrun pointed across the street to a black compact car, parked and turned off with its driver snoozing in the front seat. "This is the fourth day he's been here!"
The natural looked at the car, trying to make out something through the tinted windows, then back to Athrun. "What's the date?" she asked.
"April 13th, why you ask?" asked Athrun.
"No reason, just a random off topic question."
"Forget about that guy," said Athrun. "Let's just go inside."
"Alright," she agreed. She gave the odd car one more glance before following Athrun into the house. "Is that all that you wanted to tell me?" she asked as she shut the door behind her. "That you're being re-stationed?"
"Well, no," he said. "I guess I just wanted to thank you… For being here for me."
"I don't have much of a choice," she told him.
"That's not what I meant," Athrun said. "If I were you, I would hate me, but you don't."
Cagali laughed at him. "Why should I hate you? Because you're a coordinator?"
"I suppose. Most of Earth seems to hate us."
"Both Earth and the PLANTs have this stupid idea that coordinators are extremely powerful beings. People in the Alliance take this as a threat, especially since the PLANTs have natural slaves. Then people up here on PLANT assume that they're so much better than the naturals basing their opinions on the natural slaves they see and the crazy Alliance you come across on the battle field. Where I come from, people regard naturals and coordinators as the same. You may be immune to a bunch of diseases and genetically smarter and whatnot, but naturals vary greatly as well. You're not determined by your abilities alone, and truth is, you're just as human as me."
"Cagali," said Athrun grinning. "Your idealism is positively amazing, and I wish I could agree with you. This world needs more people like you. Is that why you act the way you do?"
"Yeah"
"I like that about you. I like that a lot. You seem so sure of what you're doing. It's sort of like you know something that everyone else is missing, so you carry on with what you're doing even though everyone else thinks you're crazy."
"You don't know how right you are," she told him. He was missing a lot.
"Would you care to enlighten me?"
"No, you have to figure it out yourself, like me."
"And how did you figure it out?"
"It just comes to you a few years after you realize that the world's opinion is wrong," she replied.
"You know, I'm really lucky to have come across you," said Athrun. "I don't think I could have handled these last few months without you."
"Sure you could have. You'd just keep on going."
"No," Athrun put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't think so. Maybe you could have, but not me. Cagali, I can't thank you enough for everything you've done. You've put up with me, you've given me advice, and even when I yelled at you without reason, you could still show me compassion. Perhaps you don't understand the way you're affecting me." He stepped towards her, looking into her eyes in a way that seemed too deep. The hand that he rested on her shoulder moved to stroke her cheek. "I thought I was going to lose you, when you got sick," he said. "I'm so glad you're alright."
Cagali could almost feel his emotion through his gaze, and it gave her the chills. Athrun leaned closer to her. The natural had only a split second of realization before he kissed her. His touch sent a wave of electric shock down her body. She had never been kissed like this before. It was suddenly exhilarating, invoking new emotions she didn't realize she had. Athrun opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, and she snapped back to her senses. Cagali pushed herself away from him, stumbling backwards. Her owner held onto her left wrist and looked at her blankly; surprised that she had suddenly broken the kiss.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," he apologized. "I just wanted to do that."
"I would have liked a little more warning," said Cagali, wide eyed.
Athrun looked down and smiled, as if proud that he'd stolen a kiss. He looked at the arm that he held and touched the tracker that Cagali wore. "Did Kira give you that?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "He did. What does it matter?"
"I wish you would move on, you're not going to see him again."
Cagali pulled her arm away from him and glared. "You just said how the fact that I'd showed you compassion affected you. Shouldn't you do the same?" She walked past him into the living room. The natural sat down on the couch. She only had to wait until he left, then she could leave this place and go back home.
"Cagali…" she heard Athrun's voice, "I didn't mean…"
"Yes you did. You meant every word you said."
There was a long silence.
"I'm sorry," he said. She made no response. Athrun sighed and turned away. Cagali watched him retreat to his bedroom, presumably to change into his uniform.
Suddenly, Cagali changed her mind. She didn't have to wait until he left. She pulled back the cushions on the couch and retrieved her discs. Then she walked out the front door, across the street, straight to the black car and knocked on the window. She got no response.
"Idiot..." she muttered, and hit the car harder.
Kira opened his eyes, looking out the window. He smiled and got out. "Hey, Cagali," he said. "Long time, no see"
Cagali smiled and hugged him, squeezing him with all her might. "It's about time."
"Nice to see you too," said Kira. "You kept me waiting for a few days."
"Sorry, I got sick."
"Yeah, I realized that."
"But look," she said, waving the discs.
"Excellent, you ready to go?"
"Yes, before my "owner" realizes I've left."
"He's still there?!" She nodded. "Then why are we still standing here talking?" Kira gestured to the passenger's seat.
"Of course," said Cagali and got in beside him.
Kira started the car and pulled away from the house. "So what in all did you get?" he asked.
-The End of Part One.
AN: One favor please: I don't use profanity in my speech or in my writing and I would prefer it if you didn't use it in my reviews.
