Hay there! Long time no fanfiction. Sorry… Inspiration seemed to have missed me by a mile, because I just had such a hard time getting this chapter out. Anyway, I decided to leave the hunter thing for later and made this a Cagalli& Athrun chapter only… With someone else. And please review. I want at least two reviews, before I post the next chapter.
And I just want to say thank you to those who have reviewed my story, it means a lot to me!!
Disclaimer: I don't own GSD/GS
Enjoy!!
Chapter 9: The truth revealed…
Oblivious to the person sneaking up behind them, Leonor and Cagalli continued walking around. Two strong arms swiftly took hold of Leonor's shoulders, causing her to grasp at the sudden contact from behind and stop. She turned around, clearly showing a face of horror, not seeming to be all too happy. Cagalli turned around in her chair, glancing backward. After a minute of staring she relaxed at who she saw, but quickly turned her head away again.
"Dammit Athrun," Leonor scolded. "What are you thinking?!" She shook her head and continued.
"Sneaking up on your mother like that. You want me to have a heart attack don't you?" He gave them both a stern look, and folded his arms in front of his chest.
"I thought I told you earlier that it's not save to wonder around anymore?" Cagalli's heart started to race all the sudden, and she couldn't stop the blush from staining her cheeks. He cared about their safety, how sweet of him. The thought brought her back to a certain 'thing' that happened in her room earlier. He seemed to care a lot there as well. Memories came crashing into her mind, and it only made things worse. Great, now she couldn't stop thinking about that to. Just having him standing there, made her nervous and palms sweaty. Leonor took her attention, by straightening herself, and giving Athrun the I'm-your-mother-and-don't-tell-me-what-to-do-look.
"I think I'm capable of taking care of myself dear," She said and lifted a brow in defense. "It was a harmless little walk outside, nothing more." Athrun shot her a warning look and walked forward. Cagalli's heart sped up even more and she took slow breaths trying to calm herself.
'Just don't look at him, 'She kept on chanting.
'Arg!' He was everywhere in her mind. More precisely, the kiss was all over mind.
"That's beside the point," he continued. "You didn't even sense me coming at all." Cagalli crammed her head to the side, trying to prevent Athrun from seeing her stained cheeks, when he walked over and stopped in front of them. He gave her a puzzled look at first, but seemed to have ignored the question forming in his head.
'Just keep arguing, just keep arguing.' She thought nervously.
"You do realize that I'm not even the most skilled Vampire out there right?" Asked Athrun.
"I know," Leonor argued, and folded her arms in front of her. "I just wanted to-"
"Just," Athrun sighed, cutting her off. "Please stay indoors. Don't wonder off before telling anyone alright?" He glanced at his mother one last time, before letting his eyes rest on Cagalli. Her head was still crammed to the side, and she kept fiddling with the nightgown she had on. For a second -out of the corner of her eye- she could have sworn, she saw a flicker of disappointment flash in his eyes. But it disappeared just as easily. She felt weird ignoring him like this, it just didn't feel right to her. She actually wanted to say something to him, but her mind couldn't form at least one decent sentence. Athrun nodded and turned, after no one spoke anything. Cagalli heard Leonor snort through her nose, and looked at her puzzled. She wondered-lifting a brow- what was going through her mind, when an evil smile spread all over her face.
"Leonor?" Cagalli asked sternly, leaning forward. Leonor gave her a devious smile, and winked. She waved her hands over her head, trying to get her son's attention again.
"Oh Athrun…" She said sweetly. She practically sang his name across the grass, and didn't seem to care at all. Cagalli's lip curled upward, pleased at the scene that was unfolding in front of her.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Leonor asked, and placed both her hands on her hips.
Athrun turned around again, and asked confused.
"No, what?" For some reason Cagalli felt insulted by his answer. Why, she didn't know. What did he forget anyway? There was nothing here at all. She searched the ground for any object that may have fallen, but she could have sworn he came empty handed when he stood there in the beginning.
There was a long pause, before Leonor continued speaking again.
"Your wife…" She said, letting her hands fall to her sides. Athrun's eyes widened a bit, and he seemed surprised at what his mother said. Cagalli stared at him, interested in what he was going to say. A part of her actually wanted him to stay with them. But the other part screamed 'embarrassed scene happened earlier, wheel away, just wheel away!!' She wouldn't even be able to utter one word, without either blushing herself half to death or stutter for that matter. Who's to say he'll do the same. What if he kissed her only to prove a point, and that was it. No feelings.
Nothing.
Zero.
"Come to think about it," Leonor started again. "You two need to spend some more quality time together. Like a little chat or something like that." Oh trust me they've had more than enough chats to last them a whole week for that matter.
"You know, get to know each other better." Athrun folded his arms, dropping the amazed look completely. He stared at Leonor blankly, and said:
"And who's to say we don't know each other enough?" The thought swirled in Cagalli's mind, and somehow struck a nerve. What did she know about Athrun, other than the fact that he was a Vampire? Nothing came to her, when she tried thinking about it more. It startled her a bit, and the news came as an eye opener too. Athrun knew nothing about her as well and to make matters worse, they were practically engaged to each other. Wait scratch that, they wereengaged and the marks in their necks were prove enough for that. Leonor broke her train of thoughts, by walking forward and placing a hand on Athrun's shoulder.
"She's your wife, not mine. You take care of her." She winked at him and continued.
"Have some fun for once, fool around, just don't do anything naughty okay?"
"Mom!!" Athrun scolded, and blushed heavily. Cagalli coughed in her chair, at the images that appeared inside her mind. The thought of having him do something naughty to her, made her heart skip a beat. As if things weren't awkward between them already, Leonor just had to say that as well. She giggled, obviously aware at what she had just said to them both.
"Well, I'm going off now. Remember … nothing naughty." She walked away, purposely laughing her head off, trying to worsen the situation they were in. Was she trying to make them die of embarrassment? But anyway…
Now, for the matter at hand. Cagalli inhaled, preparing herself for sweaty hands, stuttering words and racing hearts. Athrun came forward, glancing at everything around them, except her. He took hold of the wheelchair-ignoring her stares in the process- and pushed it forward. She was wordless, she couldn't even muster up a 'hey, no need for the chair, I feel fine…really.' Not even one decent sentence. What was she going to say to him anyway? The silence was agony. It's not like she could just say 'hay, you know about the kiss… yeah I kind of liked it you know?'Hell no!! Just when she had enough, and wanted to say something, Athrun seemed to beat her to it.
"You know, I used to hate girls with blond hair…" He what? Cagalli turned in her seat, wanting to see his face, wondering if he was lying to her. She eyed him suspiciously, but saw nothing but truth in his eyes. So he used to loathe blond girls? Interesting… Suddenly she wanted to know more about him. It was kind of fun listening to him talking.
"Really?" She asked, amazed.
"Yeah," He nodded. "But, not anymore." They were now walking (Well wheeling) down a stoned path at the back of their house. The garden around them was slowly ending, seeing as they came nearer to the end of it. They kept a slow pace and Cagalli asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
"Then, why are you even near me then?" She took a strand of her blond hair and flicked it in the air, trying to prove her point.
"Helooo! Natural blond here…" Athrun's face turned serious all the sudden and he leaned in closer over her shoulder, whispering seductively into her ear.
"Because I met you…" He kissed her cheek softly, and straightened himself again. Cagalli blushed beat red at what he did, and turned away. She felt bubbly inside, sparks flying all over her stomach. She even had to count to ten, just to keep herself from passing out. Athrun continued as if nothing had happened at all.
"I was also born in a little town named Green Hayden. It's actually just a few miles from here. But for some reason, my parents decided to move. And now here I' am." He steered them a few more meters, before stopping. Cagalli surveyed her surroundings a bit and smiled at the memories that appeared in her mind. In front of them was a big Oak tree, with parts of the wood starting to grown further on. In the distance-if you looked really hard-you could also see the fence going all around their property. This was where Cagalli and Kira use to relax on an off day. The sounds of nature, pure white clouds and blue skies were breathtaking. And always will be. When you looked backward, all you could see was the back entrance of their house, with the garden stretching between them. Athrun continued to talk, while taking a seat on the grass.
"I hate the color green, and don't even think about giving me a hug, because I hate it." Cagalli frowned at what he said, and Athrun added quickly reassuring her a bit.
"Well, depending on who it is thou." She nodded, feeling glad he said that at the last minute. What if she was to hug him, and he brushed it off all the time? She got out of the chair, and joined him on the ground.
"Okay, now you know a little of me. Time to cough up your dirty secrets." As if she had any secrets, not that she knew of any. She smiled and a thought crossed her mind. He studied her face a bit before adding.
"And no, I'm not going to spill anything to you. Not embarrassing or stupid. Forget it." Her shoulders slouched a little, and she puffed her cheeks out, not liking what he did at all.
"Cheat! Stop reading my thoughts!"
"I'm not reading your thoughts," Athrun explained. "It's written all over your face."
"Whatever," she sighed. A small wind picked up, and blew past the tree, ruffling its leaves in the process. Cagalli inhaled the smell, and breathed out. Athrun turned on his back, and lied down on the grass. He glanced up at the sky, and looked mostly in thought. She studied him from head toe, noticing again how well build his body really was. His blue midnight hair had grown a lot in these past few years. And his skin seemed a bit pale too, but not enough to give himself away. Mostly people would have just thought, he needed to get in the sun more. Unknown to her, Athrun had already turned his head, and was busy waiting for her to finish. She traced his skin up past his neck, until she came to his face. They both locked eyes for a while, and she couldn't help but feel warm inside again. Those eyes of him were filled with so much love and concern, from top to bottom.
"What were you thinking about right now?" She looked away, embarrassed and said:
"As if you wouldn't know."
"True." He patted the spot next to him, and motioned for her to come lie down. She stood up and walked over to his side, and lied down again. They both laid there for a few second before Athrun spoke up again.
"You must have noticed me acting kind of weir around you right?"
"Weird? Um no, why?"
He turned on his side, leaning his head on one of his hands. She gave him a curious look, wondering what he meant. Did he think he acted weird around her? Because if he did, she didn't even notice it. Athrun was always just well, Athrun. In charged and secure about what he wants to be. (And do, for that matter.)
"You want to know why I act weird?"
"Must I know?-"
"I fell in love with someone," Athrun added, cutting her off. He what? When? Secretly she was hoping that that somebody he fell in love with was her.
What if it wasn't her?! What if he did fell in love with somebody else?! Then she'd be married to somebody, who doesn't even love her!! Her face face showed a little of emotion with what he said. For some reason Athrun smiled at her, but she wasn't finding this very amusing at all.
"And guess what, you know her."
"Really?" She asked, not believing her ears. Cagalli stretched her mind, trying to think about anybody at all, but nobody came to her. Who did she know, that was a girl, and that Athrun might have known-
"You know…Her name is Cagalli, but don't tell her okay. She might find out…" What he said brought her back to reality. Did he just say Cagalli?
She turned her head to him.
"Wait you mean?-"
"Yeah," he nodded, and sat up. "I fell in love with you Cagalli. From the first time I saw you, I couldn't stop thinking about you. Even after I had to leave." He reached out and touched her face with his hand. Her stomach started swirling in every direction. Finally something good is happening to her! She wanted more from him than just his words. She wanted him to prove it to her, to show her he really cared. Athrun seemed to search her face for any signs and she smiled at him.
"Took you long enough." She said, taking his hand in her. She sat up and stroked his cheek. Athrun leaned into her touch and sighed.
"Is that a yes?"He asked.
"Yes," She whispered. "I love you too. All this time I've felt the same." He smiled and leaned in closer.
"Good." He said, and kissed her fully. She was all to glad to accept him. This time she wasn't shocked or didn't go stiff. She was calmed and relaxed, enjoying the touch of his lips to hers. He placed a hand on her lower back, and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss as well. Almost automatically Cagalli positioned her arms around his neck, wanting to remember every touch of him on her skin. She felt at ease in his arms, save and secure.
Like anything was possible.
The house could have been burning down to the ground, and she couldn't have cared less. Because Athrun was here with her and he was hers and nobody else's. Sounds of horse hooves making contact with a paved stone path came from the distance. Not so willingly Cagalli pulled away out of pure curiosity. Athrun looked at her and pouted, displeased that she pulled away. She smiled apologetically and glanced back at the house. A carriage, being pulled by two black horses, came riding in from the main gate. They were the most beautiful creatures she had ever seen in quite some time. Their skin as black as night and from where they were sitting, the panting of the horses could be heard. Which meant the visitors must have been traveling for quite some time. She stood and dragged Athrun up as well, ignoring his protests in the meantime.
"Come on we have visitors!" She said happily. He moaned and pulled a mournful face.
"Do we really have to?" She playfully smacked his shoulder, surprised that he even considered not going.
"Yes we do!" Cagalli said and entwined their fingers. Sometimes he really surprised her.
Athrun smiled and placed one last kiss on her lips, before leading them away. She blushed and followed close behind him. Again with the red face!!When was she ever going to get use to that feeling? They both walked through the garden and went inside the house. When they neared the main entrance, voices was able to be heard from outside.
"It gets even prettier here every time we visit, don't you think Uzumi." The woman asked. Cagalli frowned.
'Uzumi?' The woman spoke again, and Cagalli swore she's heard that voice somewhere. Lucerne opened the doors, walking inside with some luggage. He gave them both a respectful nod and walked off. They both turned back just in time, to see the people get out of the carriage. Cagalli nearly fell over from shock, but recovered quickly, and screamed happily. Her voice came out all squeaky and almost immediately she felt all joyful inside. Without thinking, she hurled herself into the woman's arms, surprising her and Uzumi.
"Maria!" Maria stepped back, steadying them both. She hugged Cagalli back, seeming happy.
"Cagalli! Oh look at you!"Maria drew her back and smiled at her warmly. Cagalli stared at her taking in her every face structure. Maria had aged a little from when she saw her a few years ago. A few strands of grey hair was visible from where they were all standing. The smile Maria gave Cagalli, made her own smile turn downwards. A lonely feeling came forth in her stomach, and it made her sad. How long has it been since she's seen Maria? Memories of when she had to leave, came rushing back to her mind. Her joyful face, felt cheerless.
"I missed you so much Maria." She said, her voice getting rough. It felt so unreal to have her here. A small tear ran down her face and Maria noticed this, and said stroking her cheek.
"Oh Cagalli, don't cry. I'll always be here." Athrun stood back respectively giving them their space. Uzumi joined, standing next to him.
"And you are?"He asked, raising a brow. Athrun held his hand out to greet him.
"Athrun Zala sir, nice to meat you." Uzumi grasped his hand and smiled.
"Pleasure is all mine." They both turned their attention back to Maria and Cagalli, surprised at what Cagalli said.
"I have so many questions to ask you. I don't even know where to begin. I'm so confused Maria-" Maria wiped her cheek one last time, before stepping back. She gave a sad smile at Cagalli and continued.
"And I don't blame you dear. In fact the person to be blamed is me." The person to be blamed was her? What did she mean? Maria turned around and got back into the carriage. She fiddled with a box on the ground and pulled out a brown envelope. Athrun came closer and asked concerned.
"What's going on Cagalli?" She gave him a reassuring look, and said:
"There's still a few things that I need to tell you, and Maria might be the answer to all my questions." Well that was what Cagalli hoped. The only person she knew who to go to was Maria and Uzumi. They were there the day she woke up. The day that was basically her beginning of life. She couldn't remember anything before that, so something had to be wrong. And the dreams were prove of that.
"Questions?" Athrun asked, and frowned down at her. Maria got both their attention back, by handing the envelope over to Cagalli.
"You might want to take a look at this." She said, and stepped back. Cagalli dug her hand into the package and pulled out a bunch of photo's. Hopefully things were going to be a bit clearer from then on out, especially after she inspected the photo's.
Or not.
She gasped at what she saw, and intensively zoomed in on the photo. There in black and white ink was the woman from her dreams. She was posing with a man, who had blond short hair and light blue eyes.
"Vi-Via??" She said, hastily flipping through the rest of the photo's. Via's face appeared on each and every photo. Either she was with someone or just on her own smiling broadly.
"Where-Where did you get these?" Cagalli asked, her eyes urging Maria for an answer.
"So you recognize her, don't you?" Maria asked.
Mouth agape, Cagalli answered breathlessly. "Well yes-" How did Maria know about Via? A woman from her dreams. Cagalli's never told anyone about her strange dreams. She may have considered Lenore, but never did it after all. She turned to Uzumi and thought back to the dream she had about him at the small country house. He was younger there and he had spoken with Via, so did that mean it was really a memory? It was the only solution she could think of, of them knowing Via. Uzumi stared at her and looked away guiltily.
"I'm sorry Cagalli," Maria started. "I should have told you earlier, but-"
"Tell me what?" Cagalli urged again. For a moment Maria hesitated but, pulled out one last photo from her pocket, and handed it over to Cagalli.
"This." She took the photo and studied it. Almost immediately her shoulders shagged, and she shook her head from side to side, not liking what was being revealed to her at all. There on the photo was a young smiling Cagalli, being held by a loving Via. And in the background-to make matters worse- was the small little country house from her dreams, glistering in the sun's rays. Was everything she knew a lie? all this time-
"No, this can't be real," She protested.
"Yes it is, and you can't deny it." Said Maria, and pointed at the picture.
"No!" Cagalli gave the photo back, not wanting to hear more than she already had. This couldn't possibly be true. How did they even find these photo's?!
Athrun stepped in and took them from Maria. He went through them all, and frowned.
"But, this is you Cagalli. How can you say no?" He asked and looked up.
"Cagalli." Maria said, smiling sadly. "Via is your real mother not me. And-And." He voice suddenly turned uneven as she continued onward.
"I did something terrible, very terrible." Her face turned remorseful, and she stepped forward. Somehow Cagalli dreaded what Maria had to say to her. If Via was her mother, and her hunch was right, then that meant…
'Run-run, until you're outside!! It's not save here anymore!!' The house that burned down that day was hers and she was the one who got knocked out by the doors arch. She stepped backward, bumping into Athrun. He gave her a puzzled look and held her closely, sensing something was off. Maria shook her head guiltily and said the last few words slowly.
"It's because of me, that you've suffered all these years. I'm the one who caused you to be separated from your family."
Well that is it for now. The truth is finally revealed. Via is Cagalli's mother and if things don't make sense to you, pm me or write a review and I'll get back to you and explain the best I can. Hope it's not too confusing!! Thank you all!! Sorry if there's any spelling errors!
