Part 8
Previously-
There and then, he wanted to run back and tell her that he had changed his mind, and that he would rather die than to be separated from her. But he couldn't – pride and a stubborn belief in ideals were in the way.
And though none of them had spoken about it, he knew that there was a resounding question in both of their minds:
Are we really too different?
Ryo had been anticipating that she
would be there at the annual Orb-ZAFT meeting, and he was right. She
was standing there by herself, wineglass in hand, staring vacantly
into space.
Alright, Ryo, you can do this. You've fought against enemies twice as big as yourself; you can handle talking to a girl.
He took in a deep breath, and then approached Meyrin Hawke with sweaty palms and an unnaturally wide smile.
"He-HELLO, YOU'RE MISS HAWKE, AREN'T YOU?" He managed to blurt out as he reached her side. Meyrin nearly dropped her glass as she gave a start, looking up at him with some amount of shock. After blinking once or twice, her lips settled into a soft smile.
"Oh, hello! Mr. Handel, isn't it? How nice to see you here again!"
"Call me Ryo, please."
"Call me Meyrin then." She said grinning, "How come you aren't with Cagalli?"
"They chased me away to 'get a drink for myself'. Apparently discussing something that's classified. Mr. Yamato there says he'll be taking over the job of safeguarding the princess' life until they're done." Ryo gestured to a corner of the room where Cagalli was in a heated discussion with a balding man. Kisaka and Kira were standing behind her, and were eyeing each other nervously, as if anticipating Cagalli to lose her temper.
Meyrin laughed lightly, "They look like they're having fun."
"Yeah… hey, I didn't see Mr. Zala today."
"He… said he was too busy to attend this meeting, so he sent me instead…" The vacant look was back on her face, and a haunting emptiness entered her eyes as her voice trailed off. Slowly, her eyebrows knitted themselves into a frown and she bit her lip silently. She seemed to have forgotten that Ryo was standing right in front of her, and only remembered when he gave a small cough.
"Are you alright?" Ryo asked, concerned.
"Oh, oh I'm sorry! I don't know what's come over me lately. It's just…"
"Would you like to share it with me?"
"Oh, no, it's ok." Meyrin forced a smile, "Nah, it's nothing. Really."
"Is it… Zala?"
Meyrin gave a sharp intake of breath as he said the words, and Ryo knew that he had hit the nail. However, Meyrin shook her head abruptly.
"No, no… why would it be about him?" She asked, her tone a little too sharp for her own liking. She cringed at the sound of it, knowing how defensive she sounded.
"It is, isn't it?" Ryo probed, one eyebrow raised.
For a while, it looked as if Meyrin was going to tell him what her troubles were. A few times, she looked up and hesitated, as if contemplating whether it would be safe to confide in him. Then all of a sudden a cool calmness settled on her face, and she stared at him directly in the eye.
"I apologize for sounding so rude, but it really isn't any of your business." She said tonelessly. "I will be leaving now, goodbye, Mr. Handel."
Swirling around, she walked out of the door, with nothing in her posture or stance to reveal any emotion whatsoever.
Ryo, however, was a perfect picture of defeat and misery as he silently watched her leave.
Athrun's fingers moved rapidly over the keyboard, his eyes scanning the text flashing on the computer screen.
The Orb Police Force's information archives – rows upon rows of information stored on drives, to be plugged in to the only computer in the room. There had to be at least a million drives, each one detailing the lives of about 100 people, the lives of criminals, suspects, victims – anyone at all who had the slightest connection with the law.
Athrun had spent the entire day searching for relevant files, and then making notes manually in his notebook. That way, he could bring the information he needed wherever he wanted. (Aside from that, all devices that allowed for information to be digitally stored were forbidden within the room.)
Athrun opened yet another file and starting reading eagerly, after a while he gave a sigh of disappointment and closed it. Same old, same old.
By now, Athrun was an expert on Cagalli's attacker, and could probably give a detailed biography of his life. He was a twenty-five-year-old male known as Gerald Anars. 1.75m, 70kg, and had purplish hair and dark brown eyes. His parents died when he was eighteen in a car crash, and he lived alone since he did not have any siblings nor surviving relatives, it seemed. He was an Orb citizen by birth, attended various prestigious institutions throughout his life, graduated with honours from Orb University in some vague science, and then went on to attempt to knife the Princess.
It didn't make sense. None of it made sense. What could he possibly have against Cagalli?
Don't think about the motive yet, Zala, think about the people and his connections. Once you find the people involved, you'll be able to link a pattern to lead you to the motive.
He opened file after file, scanning the chunks of text furiously.
After a while, he began to think that maybe Reyn was right and it was hopeless. He was just about to close a particularly large file when something caught his eye.
Athrun Zala reread the paragraph in front of him, and then sat up straight, a glint in his eye.
Things were definitely going to get interesting.
The stomach pains started that afternoon. At first Ryo had thought it was merely gastritis, but they had suddenly worsened, gashing his gut like a knife cutting in deeply. His skin managed to transform itself into an unhealthy shade of green, and trickles of cold sweat rolled down his forehead. What was happening to him? Why did he feel this way?
He heard Cagalli give a whimper, and as he looked towards her, his heart sank. She wasn't looking too good either. Her skin was about as green as his, and her hands clutched at the blanket till her knuckles were white. Tossing and turning in the bed, she was shivering wildly.
This is another attempt, he realized, there must have been something wrong with the breakfast.
Steadying himself, he walked over to the intercom, pressed the button and blurted out, "Help, the Princess is critically ill" before collapsing on the floor.
"The princess will be just fine, she didn't consume much of the poison… but her bodyguard, I'm afraid, is in worse shape." The doctor said gravely to Kira and Lacus.
"Will he be OK?" Lacus asked concernedly.
"It all depends on him, I'm afraid. It's good that he called the nurse when he did, if he delayed any sooner he would have been a gone case, and the princess might not have such a stable condition now."
"Oh. Oh dear."
"If you don't mind me asking, doctor, how did they… consume the poison?" Kira asked, looking worriedly at his sister. "The chief-inspector made her meals practically tamper proof – they were analyzed for any toxins before taken in, how in the world could-"
"Well, according the police, it was in the bodyguard's omelette."
"What?"
"They found traces of poison in the cheese omelette that the Princess' bodyguard had for breakfast. Apparently, the Princess ate a bit of it as well."
"Ah. Ah. I see." Kira said grimly – no one had warned Cagalli not to eat anything else, she would have protested anyway. "They were probably trying to attempt another assassination after getting Mr. Handel out of the way."
"That's what the Inspector thinks. They… found a dagger hidden in the hospital gardens." The doctor shrugged. "Anyway, I heard he's upped the security. There are now 20 guards standing outside this room. It's like some impregnable fortress, there's no way the Princess will come into any danger this way."
If only he knew how wrong his statement was…
When Athrun Zala arrived at the hospital that evening with Meyrin, he was completely shocked at the turn of events. He, Meyrin, Kira and Lacus were sitting around in Cagalli's ward, and Athrun felt his blood run cold when he caught sight of the pale figure on the bed, but something else was troubling him as well…
"So they attacked Mr. Handel?" Athrun asked in disbelief.
"Yes. That's only the twenty-third time you've asked Athrun." Kira said, a little irritation creeping into his voice.
"I'm sorry." Athrun replied, then he furrowed his brows and fell silent.
"Is…everything alright, Athrun?" Lacus asked in concern.
Athrun nodded. "Everything's fine. I just thought I found a lead. I guess this throws my theory off." Gritting his teeth, he leaned back against the wall and shut his eyes tightly. In his mind, he went through the information that he had already memorized, trying over and over again to form some sort of link and explanation.
"Don't feel discouraged Athrun, you've only just started on it." Meyrin's voice interjected his thoughts. Athrun felt slightly annoyed.
"Mm." He replied shortly.
"I'm sure Cagalli would be very touched to see that you're working so hard on her case."
"Mm."
"Athrun?"
"Mm."
"Athrun, maybe you should take a break, I mean, you've been working awfully hard lately and this might be a good time for you to rest-"
"Are you crazy?"
Athrun's voice was icily cold, and his eyes were dilated with fury.
"Take a break? With Cagalli's life in danger?" He clenched his fists. "Meyrin, I am sorry to say, but that has got to be the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard in my life."
Kira and Lacus were momentarily stunned, and merely gaped at Athrun. Meyrin's eyes filled with hurt tears, and after muttering an apology, she slipped away to Ryo Handel's adjoining room.
A/N: SORRY FOR THE SUPERSUPERSUPER LATE UPDATE. Haha. I promise the next chapter will come… SHORTLY alright?
