Quick fix for you guys...
Chapter 10: Tears…
"I am absolutely happy for you, Cagalli!" Lacus Clyne had been repeating this line for almost a whole day, ever since they arrived in Heliopolis. Athrun had some business conference to attend there, so he decided to take her along. It was supposedly just for the two of them, but somehow, Heine managed to sniff out their plan, and tagged along with Lacus, who claimed to have some 'meetings' to attend too.
So here she is, with Lacus, in some fancy tea shop, waiting for Athrun. Heine disappeared as soon as they arrived in Heliopolis, saying that he'll meet them up at the hotel where they checked in. As for Lacus…
"You already told me that for over a hundred times, Lacus. Can you at least tell me something I don't know?"
It had been almost 2 weeks since they went to that trip, and they had really gotten much closer with each other. And that cloud nine feeling still makes her feel all warm and tingly inside, especially when looking at the ring he gave her.
"Oh! But I'm just too happy to think of something else! I mean, I never heard of anyone who had been to that place you told me of, not even Kira or me!"
"You already told me about that too." She lazily sipped her vanilla frappe, as she stole a glance from the plaza clock. 3 o' clock. His meeting should be done soon.
"Awww cant you be at least look happy! You had been wearing that awful look on your face since we got here! Will you at least drop that sulking face and smile?"
"Ehehehe, if you stop being so enthusiastic over me and Athrun, I will smile. And I thought you had a meeting to attend to? Why are you still bugging me here?"
"I do have one, but it'll be around 4 pm. This is where they'll gonna pick me up, so there."
"Oh, ok…I see." 3:10 pm and still no call. How long is exactly that stupid meeting?!
"My My, cant wait for your prince to pick you up nee?" Lacus smiled impishly at she took another sip from her Lavander Tea Bobba. "I can see all the lines of frustration edging your face from here! Don't frown like that!"
"I'm not frowning." Am I?
"Hahahah Yes you are. You really are so in love with him huh?" Lacus giggled as she watched Cagalli blushed.
"What ever, made you—" A familiar figure caught her attention. Athrun was on the other . She was about to stand up to wave back at him when she realized something was wrong. Athrun. With someone. A female. A pink haired female, who looks like Lacus, clinging so tightly on Athrun's arm. On her Athrun.
Lacus noticed this and turned to the same direction. She dropped her drinking straw at the sight she saw.
"Meer!!" Lacus almost spilled her tea at the sight of her cousin. What the heck is she doing her, let alone with Athrun?
"Do you know that woman, Lacus? Is she anyhow, related to you?" Cagalli's fists rolled tightly in her lap as she watched the couple walk towards them.
"She's…She's…She's my cousin. Her mother is my mum's twin, and so, we ended up looking almost exactly alike. Damn! What is she doing here?"
"Did she had anything to do with Athrun before I came?" Uncertain emotions started to build up inside her, twisting and pulling at her heart strings.
"She had a crush on Athrun, but he shrugged her off. Look, I know Athrun's taste might be someone like Meer, but he never showed any interest with her. I'm sure of this."
"I see.. It's ok. I understand. It might be some mistunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding of what?" It was Athrun. With Meer still clinging to his arm, her well endowed bosoms pressed hard on his arm.
"Oh. Nothing." She blushed for some reasons she cant really explain. She quickly turned her gaze to the plaza clock, avoiding Athrun's gaze.
"My, My, Lacus! What are you doing here! I thought you were in ORB?" It was Meer. She briefly loosened her death grip on Athrun's arm, to straighten her mini skirt. Her bosom jiggled at each movement she made, as her cleavage revealing dress tightened around her perfect body.
"I had things to do here. I cant be idling around always." A sharp sarcastic tone fell blunt to Meer's ears as she turned her gaze to Cagalli, scrutinizing her like a vulture eyeing it's prey.
"Oh? You must be that new secretary Athrun's talking about! What is your name again? Kagaribi? Cabari? Cabba—"
"It's Cagalli. Cagalli Yu—I mean, Cagalli Athha. "
"Oh yeah. Cagalli. What a weird name! No wonder it was so difficult to remember!"
"Her name isn't that difficult Meer. And by the way, Cagalli, this is Meer Campbell, Lacus' cousin. I met her in the conference this morning. It's been a while since we last met so…"
"Me and Athrun-baby's gonna party like hell tonight! Right Darling?" Meer squished her chest harder unto Athrun's arm. He didn't even flinched or twitch. As if it was all natural to him having breast pressed close to him.
"But you said tonight we…" Waves of anxiety slowly filled her heart. She unconsciously covered the ring he gave her, as if someone would take it away.
"We can still do it some other time you know. And besides, I already promised Meer, I cant back down on her."
"But you also promised me…"
"Look, I just said we'll have it some other day, cant you understand that?" His voice sounded so mean to her fragile ears. As if they were thunder pounding on her eardrums. Her heart pounded heavily on her ears as she choked back the questions inside her throat. Her legs started to feel weak as she sat there in deafening silence.
She couldn't understand anything.
What happened to those happy times they just spent?
She was lost in her thoughts as she watched Athrun and Meer excuse themselves, their figure slowly disappearing from her clouding view.
She felt her lip tremble, as she turned to look at Lacus, flustered with both anger and pity. She tried to force a smile, she succeeded, but sadness was all over her face.
"Oh Cagalli…I'm so sorry…I …."
"What are you apologizing for? You didn't do anything, right? Oh my. I guess I could stay out longer, since I have no plans for tonight, what to do…." She stood up limply, picking her purse idly.
"Cagalli… it's ok… you can cry…No one's holding you back…" Lacus stood up, wrapping her arms around her, gently patting her head.
"No…I'm not crying…I'm just…My eye got some dust on it. It's watery from that stupid dust. I'm not crying…"
"It's ok…It's ok… remember? It's just a misunderstanding…so…"
"I….I…want to go back…but I don't…I don't… " Her heart was so much hurt. Each word she spoke took a great effort. So much pain…So much pain…
"Hush..Hush…"
It took Lacus an hour to calm Cagalli down. Cagalli tried to leave her, so she could head to her meeting but she insisted on skipping the meeting and spend the rest of the day with her. They found themselves hopping bars, window-shopping and sipping tea. The night came by so quickly, with out them noticing, how late it had been. By that time, Cagalli was back, laughing and giggling, but she knew, the pain was still there.
So they decided to call it a night and made their ways back to the hotel. Heine wasn't back yet, but Athrun was.
As much as possible, Lacus didn't want to leave Cagalli alone, and insisted on spending the night with her in her own suite. But Cagalli refused.
"Nah. I'm ok. It's alright. I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding." They were standing in front of her suite, fumbling for the key card for the door. She found it between her wallet and cellphone, but still pretended to be looking for it. She kept a smile plastered on her face, masking her pain, but she knows Lacus knew better.
"But…"
The suite door opened out of the blue, revealing a Meer wearing a pink frilled lingerie and a disheveled hair. Her make up was clearly messed up too, adding up to the fire that had re-ignited inside Cagalli. The scent of alcohol filled their nostrils as Meer kept the door open, enough for them to see the empty liquor bottles lying on the floor.
"Why are you people so noisy? Cant you—oh, It's just you…" She was clearly drunk, meaning reason has no effect on this woman. But Cagalli has no care about that.
"I'm sorry, but what the heck are you doing in my suite?"
"Oh? Your suite? How can you afford such suite when you're just a secretary? "
Lacus, starting to sense the brewing heat between the two tried to pull Cagalli away, but Cagalli smiled and nodded no. In that brief moment, Lacus caught a glimpse of the real Cagalli Yula Athha, burning in this Cagalli's eyes.
"Oh? Just because I'm a secretary doesn't mean I cant own a suite? Why, is their such a rule that states a secretary doesnt have a right to buy a suite for her own?"
"For a slut like you, yes there is. I don't know what Athrun saw in you. Look at you! You don't even have a breast! And you look like a boy!! What are you a transsexual?"
"Oh sorry for not having a melon like breast like you. At least I'm not a whore as you are. And excuse me, kindly not group me with your kind. I have my standards and pride to value. Not like you, you bitch!"
"Oh value? Really now?"
"Yeah, I suppose you don't know what value is huh?"
"Oh Of course I do…But how about you? I mean, have you heard of the lost princess? The princess who abandoned her country just because she was told to marry some rich dude? Oh my, even if the guy looks like an amoeba, if it's for my country, I would definitely marry him! But Lo and behold! That princess ran away, leaving her duties and respo—" A hard slap rammed Meer's face hard, so hard that the sound echoed through the empty hall way.
"You don't know anything, not even a goddamn thing about me. So you don't deserve a right to blab a shit about me or anything else!!"
"Oh, did I hit a nerve? Oh my! I was just simply sharing a story about that princess!! Why, Amber princess, did your conscience finally got to you? Oh My! Wait till you hear about your father!! Your poor grief stricken, frail Father!!"
"Damn it Meer, shut the fuck up!!" Lacus felt the tension and tried to intervene, only to be pushed back again by the Amber Princess.
"You Bitch!" Before Cagalli could deliver her vengeance, Meer jumped on her, and started clawing her. Lacus tried to pull them apart, only to be pushed back hard to the wall, and lost consciousness. Cagalli, overpowered at first, tasted blood in her mouth as Meer's attacks kept on coming. Pinned to the floor, Cagalli could only block Meer's attacks. By grabbing handfuls of Meer's hair, pulling it tight, she was able to get the upper hand as she started to return the blows. But Meer was able to block her for a moment as she ripped of her dress, waist down. Cagalli returned the favor by twisting her hold of Meer's hair tighter, and harder, but Meer kept her hold on Cagalli's torn dress, that had slowly turned into a choker.
Cagalli's grip on meer's hair tightened with each blow she recieves. Meer's face winced in pain, as Cagalli grab this oppurtunity to smack her back. But Meer overpowered her and started to choke her with the scraps of her clothes.
And in this position Athrun and Heine found the two.
At the sight of Athrun, Meer quickly let go, and started crying, as if she was the victim. Cagalli, who was sprawled on the floor, with strands of pink hair in her hands. She suddenly felt weakened, but was still able to stand up.
"What the fuck were the two of you doing? I just went out for a minute and the next thing I see is you two fighting like alley women! And what happened to Lacus?!"
"It seems she lost consciousness. I'll take her to the hospital to have her checked." Heine scooped the unconscious Lacus and quickly headed out, leaving the three alone in the empty corridor.
"It wasn't my fault, it was your secretary. She slapped me after she saw me in your suite. I told her you let me stay there b'cause I was drunk, but she still kept on attacking me…Lacus got hurt when she was trying to pull us apart." She quickly hooked herself into one of his arms, pressing her chest hard.
"Is that true Cagalli?"
"…" You wont listen to me anyways…
"Answer me Cagalli!" His voice thundered in her ears once more. She never saw him as stern and angry as he was now. She never imagined this day would come…
"Yes it was."
"I see. Meer!"
"Yes, darling?"
"Go get your things out of my suite." He forcefully unhooked her arm from his, and walked towards Cagalli.
"But It wasn't my fault! It was that woman!!"
"I said get your things out of my suite!"
Meer sensed fear, and quickly scampered away to get her things. Athrun waited for Meer to finally leave their premises before her approached Cagalli who was still frozen in her tracks.
"C'mon, it's ok now. She's gone." He touched her swollen face ever so gently, as he draped his coat around her.
"I don't need your coat. I don't need to stay in your suite. I don't have the right to. After all, I'm just your secretary. So please stop treating me like this."
"Damn it! What the fuck is wrong with you now?"
"…"
"Cant you see I just chose you over that woman? Cant you that I believed in you more than her?"
"So, Am I suppose to be grateful with that?"
"Just what the fuck do you want?!! Fine! If you wanna be treated like a trash then so be it. "
"…"
Empty silence followed as Athrun entered the suite and slammed the door at her. Cagalli stood there, silently weeping. She had never felt this empty and cold before. She never thought emptiness could hurt this much. So much that it's tearing her apart. So much, that she could hardly endure it.
Wiping her tears with what's left of her clothes, she started to walk away from the suite door with wobbling steps. Each steps drains so much energy from her, that she just want to lay down on the corridor and sleep. Or maybe, disappear.
Disappear from this world she had created.
Disappear from this path she had chosen.
"I just wanna die…" Her vision was getting all blurry and her head all fuzzy. She could feel her body slowly giving up, drained of all the dignity and pride she was oh so proud of earlier. Drained of everything she was so proud of. She has nothing. She just want to disappear.
Be forgotten.
She felt her knees hit the floor. She couldn't walk anymore, nor stand for that matter. Everything was just too much for her now.
And it was then, when she felt the warmth of the person she cared for the most enveloped her. He was there, wrapping her in his arms, carrying her back to the suite. He dried her tears, with his kisses. He dressed her wounds and tended her as if she was a fragile crystal ready to break with one wrong move.
He changed her clothes, and nursed her with utmost care she could ever received. And as he laid her down in the soft warm bed, he kissed her forehead gently, and tightly held her hand, assuring her that he'll never let go of her. No words were spoken between them, but they clearly understood what each other has to say.
She smiled serenely at him as he sat down by her bedside, watching over her. He smiled back at her, as he took her hand and kissed the ring he had given her.
That was the last thing she could remember, before she fell into sweet slumber.
Morning came, and Athrun found himself staring at the sleeping beauty on the bed. He cant remember what time did he fell asleep or what time did woke up. All that he can remember was staring at this Amber Princess sleep fitfully.
He stood up, dusted his pants, and stretched a little. He noticed how the shirt he made her wear last night had ridden up to her chest, exposing her curves and crevices in plain sight. He smiled bemusedly.
She always do this, after hogging the sheets, and kick them to the floor.
He picked up the covers that fell on the floor and laid them carefully up to her shoulders of this Princess. He brushed off the stray strands of hair on her face, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
He leaned towards her ear and whispered in the gentlest voice ever :"You wont leave me right? You're not like them who just used me and lied to me right? You'll stay with me…right?"
A smile formed on the Amber Princess as she lay there sound asleep. "I wont. Lemme…lemme…stay…Athrun…." The rhythmic rise and fall of her chest told him that she was still indeed asleep, and most probably, having a nice dream.
He smiled and straightened up. "That's all I ask of you Cagalli. That's all I ask." Turning his heel towards the closed curtains of the hotel veranda, he opened them slightly, enough for him to pass.
Out in the fresh morning air, Athrun Zala reminisced about yesterday's events. He flicked a cigarette from his front shirt pocket and lit it. Nothing beats a morning smoke!
Meer's flare for trouble isn't resolved yet, but it's really not what's bugging him. It's that blonde guy. Rey Za Burrel. The CEO of DESTINY Enterprise. The man who absorbed Seiran's companies, after failing to clear their bankruptcy.
He looks quite cocky and full of himself, but that's not the deal. The way he eyed him during the conference was what got his nerves. It was like, he did something to this guy or something. His eyes were glaring at him with content. But with a different aura.
And after the conference, when everybody was knick knacking about their extra curricular activities, this blonde announced that he's the new fiancé of the ORB Amber Princess. The same Princess who had been missing. Also know to him as Kira's mysterious twin.
Rey showed a picture of this princess, but he could only get a glimpse of it. Amber gold hair, that reflects her amber eyes. The aura of elegance and demureness was surround that princess. A smile that reflects vague burdens of royalty. A face that greatly that somhow reminds him greatly of someone.
So much, that it haunts him.
His very own Amber Princess, Cagalli Athha.