JC: Athrun and Cagalli made love in the previous chapter. I'm sorry if I didn't go deep with the sex scene. It's not my style to write lemon. But thanks so much for the reviews. I love you all. Now I present you with Chapter 10. What kind of trouble will our favorite couple get into now? Well, read on to find out.
Disclaimer: I don't own Cagalli Yula Athha, Athrun Zala, and all the other characters of Gundam SEED. All rights belong to Sunrise.
Summary: When their mother died, Cagalli and her twin brother were taken in by a man who claims to be their uncle. Since they had nowhere else to go, they decided to live with him in his mansion. But there was something dreadfully suspicious about their uncle. He seemed to be so fond of the twins, going so far as to arrange a marriage between Cagalli and a rich business associate. Because of this, Cagalli is determined to escape her fate—even if it means running away from home and dealing with a handsome yet clever agent. Athrun Zala's job is to bring Cagalli home. But as things start to get more complicated, he finds himself falling for her.
Her Kind of Love
Phase 10: Home Sweet Home
"Tell me more about your brother," Athrun urged as he put on his green shirt the next morning.
"Why? I thought you already researched about him," Cagalli said, slipping into her black shirt.
"But I don't actually know his character or the things he likes."
Her eyes softened. "Kira told me not to tell this to anyone, but I know I can trust you. I used to call Kira the 'Pee Prince' when we were little. His bed wetting problem only stopped when he turned seven." She let out a good laugh. "When we were in fourth grade, he received his first confession from a cute girl. But instead of giving a reply, he literally froze like a statue."
His eyebrows rose. "He froze like a statue? Wow… That's kinda surprising."
Cagalli stood up and placed her hands on her hip. "And to think he's one of the most popular guys in school…" Chuckling, Athrun slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. Her heart hammered and she wondered if he was planning something with her.
"So, are you going to tell Kira when we get back?" he asked.
She smiled at him. "Of course! But I think he's going to freak out when I tell him you're my boyfriend now."
He laughed and kissed her. "Oh, yeah… I remember you telling me he's protective of you. I hope he won't murder me."
"Just don't tell him about what we did, okay?" she said, flushing a little red, as she remembered their love making last night. Reluctantly she left the shelter of his arms, wishing Athrun was her fiancé instead of the creep Yuuna, wishing they could act like a normal couple even after they get back. Thinking that made Cagalli realized how little she knew about Athrun's past. Wanting in the worst way to know more about him, she still hesitated to ask.
Breakfast was a swift event. After making certain they packed everything up, Athrun got behind the wheel. He then reached into the backseat for the roadmap. "You ready to go, Cagalli?" he asked as soon as she slid into the passenger's seat.
She pulled a face. "Are you still going to finish this mission?" she questioned. "We've already…you know…"
"My boss has no ill intentions with you," he said with a grin. "He wants nothing more than to keep you safe from harm, Cagalli."
"Your boss sounds like he really cares for me."
"He does."
Cagalli shot him a confused look. "And why? I'm sure he's not related to me. Why would he care?"
As he started the engine, Athrun's gaze flicked towards her. "You'll know once I get you back home," he said, and Cagalli wrinkled her nose in frustration. "Let me remind you I'm not allowed to talk about my boss. Please be patient, okay?"
She narrowed her gaze at him. "Fine…I'll be patient…" But her patience only lasted for only a few hours. After they've reached the city, Cagalli said, "Will I finally meet your boss today? We're only about an hour away from my uncle's mansion."
Athrun shook his head. He figured he should spend more time with her, he decided when he drove the car into the parking lot of the mall. "Let's go on a date, Cagalli," he said, placing a hand on top of hers. "Let's do something couples normally do." He gave off a very handsome smile that made her want to melt on the spot.
She could never refuse such a tempting offer from him. "Sure… But I'm not going to act all lovey-dovey with you in front of many people." She rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb and sighed dreamily. "I'm still not used to this boyfriend-girlfriend thing. I mean we've only became a couple yesterday."
"I understand. Don't worry, Cagalli, I won't do anything to make you feel uncomfortable." He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the temple. "Now then… Why don't we look for some trendy clothes for you? I would love to see you wear something feminine for our date. I hope it isn't a problem." He was perfectly aware of her tomboyish personality.
Something feminine? Surely he meant a dress, Cagalli thought wryly. Well, a date was supposed to be special, she admitted, and a girl should really doll herself up for her boyfriend. And Athrun was one of a kind. She guessed it will be very worthwhile to dress up in nice girly clothes for him.
"You can try those on right in here," the saleswoman told Cagalli, leading her into the fitting room. There was an office right beside it—a deserted office with telephones inside. She had wanted to call Kira and Miriallia for a while. So when the saleslady attended another needy customer, she hung up the new clothes she picked out and went into the office secretly. "All right..." She picked up the telephone and dialed Kira's cell phone number first.
The cell phone rang twice before Kira answered it. With a profound sigh of relief, Cagalli said, "Kira, it's me." She heard Kira gasping in surprise, and her lips curved into a smile. "You must've been pretty worried about me, huh? Well, I'm sorry if I suddenly disappeared without telling you."
"You should be." Kira's voice was strict and firm. "Thanks to you, I didn't get to sleep well. Where the heck are you right now, Cagalli? Miriallia told me you spent the night at some five-star hotel after paying the villa a visit. When are you coming back home?" His voice was a little softer now.
"Don't worry… I'll be arriving later," Cagalli said as she thought about Athrun, "with someone you know."
"Someone I know?"
She was tempted to tell Kira everything about Athrun, but she told herself to save it until she would finally meet her brother face to face again. Just then, Athrun's status as an agent reminded her of the dangerous situation she was in. "Kira, has uncle been acting strange lately?" she asked.
"Huh? Why are you asking that?"
She shrugged. "It's a simple yes or no question. Don't answer it with another question, dummy."
"I don't think he's been acting strange," Kira replied, and paused to think for a while. "But he does seem to spend a lot of time talking to someone on the phone. He usually receives phone calls at night. I don't know who keeps calling him. It's probably his business associates or something."
Cagalli found her uncle more suspicious than before. "Does uncle know where I went?" she asked.
"You just don't know how much you distressed uncle. He knows you went to the villa. The caretaker there informed him of your visit. He also knows that you spent the night at a hotel."
Her eyes widened a little in surprise. "What? I've only told Miriallia about that. I'm sure you didn't tell him too, so how did he find out?"
"Cagalli, you have to know something about our uncle and Yuuna Roma Seiran."
"Miss, are you still in there?" The attendant's voice gave her a shock.
"Dammit!" Cagalli muttered. "Not now!" Kira was about to say something important. But she can't afford to get caught. She doesn't want to rouse any suspicions. Unable to think straight, she hung up the phone and turned toward the door. As she stepped out of the office, she found the attendant staring at her. Busted!
"This is an office for employees only," the attendant exclaimed. "I'm going to call security."
Alarmed by the possibility of official intervention, Cagalli immediately thought of an explanation. "I needed to make an emergency phone call. I forgot to inform my strict parents that I'm shopping with my boyfriend right now." She raked her fingers through her hair and sighed. "I'm sorry. I better take my leave now." She walked past the attendant, not daring to make eye contact.
The saleswoman grabbed her arm and narrowed her eyes at her. "You never did mean to buy anything, did you? Did you really make a phone call or did you take something from the office?"
Cagalli brushed her arms away from the woman. "I didn't take anything." Restless, Cagalli walked faster. "I didn't do anything wrong," she said. It was only a harmless phone call. Was that a crime? The saleswoman was a bit too uptight for her own good. Well, she can't blame her.
The saleswoman was about to stop her again until a group of customers demanded for her service. Cagalli considered herself lucky and got away with ease. Athrun would have killed her if she got into trouble. After getting a smoothie from a nearby food stand, she walked around the mall in search for another good boutique. She found one and saw a familiar person there. To her utter dismay, he was none other than Yuuna Roma Seiran. Cagalli remembered the phone call with Kira. She wondered if Kira had any secret information about her uncle and Yuuna. The two of them were the primary suspects for all the trouble she experienced so far. At the moment, Yuuna was shopping for girls' clothes in the boutique together with a maid of his. Though she despised spying, she hid behind a clothes rack in order to observe Yuuna closely.
"Ah, I think this lovely dress would fit my darling Cagalli very nicely," Yuuna said, holding a green skirt dress in his hand. "I heard she'll be coming back today, so I'm going to shower her with tons of presents."
Clenching her jaw, Cagalli controlled the urge to throw her shoe at him. Gosh, Yuuna was sadly mistaken if he thinks he could impress her with material things. A guy like him was not worthy of her time. She would love to announce about her relationship with Athrun to everybody, especially in front of Yuuna. She snickered at the thought of Yuuna's pathetic reaction.
Since Yuuna was around, she decided to head back to the car. She can't let the idiot see her or else he might annoy the heck out of her. She half expected Athrun to be waiting for her at the car, but it stood deserted. She didn't have the keys and the car's alarm would go off if she sat on it. She hoped Athrun would return soon. Staying in the mall any longer would be bad for her.
All of a sudden, a sharp metallic click from behind alerted her. She was no longer alone. She peered over her shoulder slowly. It wasn't the security guard or Athrun. It was a man in a black suit, holding a gun on her. She sucked in a shaky breath. There was no Athrun to save her. Running away wasn't a good idea. The man seemed like he was ready to shoot her any second. But she wasn't going down without a fight. Balling one hand into a fist, she broke the glass door of the car. Blood dripped from her hand, but she didn't care. Her punch set the alarm off.
"What a reckless move," the man said, pulling one hand behind her, locking it in place. Cagalli struggled to get away from him and even stepped on his foot. In retaliation, the man pinned her on the car and pointed the gun at her head. "The others were right. You are a feisty one."
Athrun had barely set foot outside the mall when he heard his car alarm. The sound made him tense. Far across the parking lot, Cagalli was being pinned down by a man with a gun. Athrun ran fast. As the man placed pressure on the trigger, Athrun hauled him away from Cagalli and punched him on the face. He then picked up the gun and turned to Cagalli. "We better go now!" he said, grabbing her hand.
"Never thought they would come after me in this kind of place," Cagalli grumbled as Athrun propelled her into the car. "Hey, don't be so rough!"
"Sorry…" Athrun said, breath shuddering through him. As he ran around the car, he was surprised to see the glass broken. He then heard Cagalli apologizing for breaking the glass in an awkward yet mulish manner. Digesting the fact that Cagalli—not the stranger—had done damage to his car, he said, "And you complain about me being rough."
"Don't these guys ever quit?!" Cagalli exclaimed, glancing in her side mirror, as she wrapped a cloth around her bloody hand. She saw a dark sedan following behind them. "Athrun, lend me your gun. I'll give them a flat tire."
Athrun sped up after turning right. "Are you nuts? We're driving in broad daylight and there are people around. I can't let you fire a gun. You might hit somebody instead." In addition to that, guns were prohibited in ORB. They might alert the authorities. He was sure that the guys following them were aware of the rule as well. "I'll try to lose them. Don't worry."
By the time they arrived at her home, traffic was so heavy that they had lost their pursuers without Athrun's even trying. She was distinctly surprised to see her home again. It wasn't her uncle's mansion. Athrun actually brought her back to her original home—the place she used to live with her mother and brother. She couldn't believe it. Not knowing what to say, she left the car and walked towards the small gate.
"Honestly, this mission was more troublesome than the previous ones," he said, stepping out of the car. "In some way, it was enjoyable." He motioned over to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. When she turned her head to look at him, he gave her a warm smile.
Cagalli glanced at the house again. "Your mission was to bring me back home. I thought you would take me back to my uncle, but I was wrong." Her lips curved into a smile as she hugged Athrun. "Thanks... Thanks a lot for bringing me here."
Athrun stroked her blonde hair and closed his arms around her. "You're welcome, Cagalli," he said softly. "My boss wanted me to keep you safe. You'll be staying here for the meantime while he deals with a certain backstabber." Cagalli pulled away to face him but stayed still in his arms. Athrun quickly leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers to prevent her from talking. His tongue darted into her mouth, to be met by her own.
Breaking the kiss for air, Cagalli caressed his cheeks with her hands. Her touch was tender and caring, her eyes full of love she felt for him. "Does this mean your mission is over?" she asked, and he nodded his head. "I see… So, what are we going to do now?"
"First, let's get inside," Athrun suggested, taking hold of her hand. "It's been a long day and we could sure use some rest."
Cagalli agreed with him wholeheartedly. "I'll get to sleep in my old room again," she said, running towards the door. "I'm sure the bed is still there. Wait a second, I don't have the key. How do we get in?"
"Leave it to me." Athrun fished out a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. "There we go."
Arching her eyebrows, Cagalli asked, "Why do you have the keys to my house?"
"My boss actually gave me the keys to this house," Athrun replied.
How strange, she thought as she entered the house. Though she felt an overwhelming excitement to be in her humble home again, she found herself thinking about how Athrun's boss managed to get his hands on the keys. There were only three people who have the keys: she and her brother, and Uncle Gilbert. She left the keys inside her room back at the mansion. "Athrun, I don't want you keeping secrets from me anymore," she said, tugging on his jacket. "I want the truth. Who is your boss? Is it someone I know? Is it uncle?"
Athrun sighed deeply. "Cagalli, I told you it is classified information." He'll be betraying his superior's trust if he talks. Aside from that, he knew she would be surprised to learn about his boss's identity. "You'll get to meet him soon. Just wait for a little longer." He didn't want to hear her question about his boss any further, so he quickly went to the kitchen, leaving her alone by the doorway.
Though she hated his way of being evasive, Cagalli didn't want to act like a stubborn brat and keep on asking him until he gives in. Despite her desire to know the truth, she decided to be patient one more time. "I can never get that guy to talk," she muttered, ruffling her own hair. "A secret's a secret I guess. But I brought up uncle when I asked him. I have this strange feeling that he's behind all of this."
"You're sadly mistaken, my love." Her heart skipped a beat in surprise. That sappy and irritating smooth voice could only belong to one person. "Turn around, princess, so I could take a good look at you." She willed herself to calm as she turned around to face him. Lavender hair and a goofy grin—there was no doubt about it. She was confronted by Yuuna Roma Seiran himself.
To be continued…
JC: Uh-oh! Cagalli's in trouble. The least person she wanted to see came up from behind her. What a surprise for her! Do you think Yuuna's the one who sent out those thugs to capture Cagalli? Or do you think it's the work of Gilbert? Everything will be unraveled in the next chapter. Cagalli and Athrun will not be in good terms too. Okay, that's all for this chapter. Please review. No flaming. I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Have a happy and fun filled holidays!