Thanks to all of you who have read or are continuing to read this story. Took me a while to figure out where I'm going with it, but I think I have a pretty good idea. Let's just see how it all plays out ;)

Recap:

"I- I can't sleep like this," she argued, a slight blush tinting her cheeks.

He simply hushed her as he began silently reading the book he brought along with him and she fell silent. Initially, she fidgeted awkwardly, but in a matter of minutes her breathing became rhythmic. He continued reading until she unconsciously wrapped her arms around his and snuggled into him. He smiled at her cute and innocent attempt to become more comfortable.

The Heart's Diamond

Chapter 10

Discrepancies

Cagalli felt something tickle her ear. With her eyes closed, she shook her head in an attempt to get rid of the pest. For a moment she was at peace, but the sensation returned. Acting on reflexes, she swatted at the bug.

The bug grunted.

It was a weird bug. It had soft, warm skin.

Wait, grunted?

Cagalli's eyes shot open and she immediately turned to see what she had hit. Staring down at her were a pair of shocked, green eyes. She had smacked Athrun? Her hand still lingered on his cheek and it took her a moment to quickly pull it back to her side as she sat straight up and fumbled for words.

He was glaring at her.

She couldn't really blame him since she had been responsible for the pinkish glow now radiating off his right cheek. Of course, being who she was, she wasn't about to admit it was her fault.

"You're the one who startled me. I was just acting in self defense," she reasoned as she shrugged her shoulders.

He looked at her disbelievingly. She was really trying to turn this against him. Before he had a chance to remark, she cut him off, asking why he had tried to wake her up in such an odd fashion.

"You could have just called my name, you know."

"I did. I even tried nudging you, but it seems that once your head hits a pillow you sleep like a log."

"What are you talking about?" She snapped. First, he had referred to her as a 'log' and secondly, there was no pillow.

In response he simply shifted his gaze from the girl to his shoulder and then lower to his arm. She mirrored his eyes with her own and immediately felt her face warm up when she saw her right arm wrapped around his left one. Quickly, she retracted her arm and looked down in an attempt to use her bangs to hide the blush on her cheeks. He laughed politely.

"Sorry. I tend to move around a lot when I sleep…" She continued to look down while apologizing.

"It's fine," he assured. "Though your head is pretty heavy."

"Heavy?" She repeated, her embarrassment all but forgotten.

He decided to change the subject.

"So, while you were enjoying your cat nap, I thought about your encounter with Shinn." She looked at him anxiously, but he shook his head. "Just hear my conjecture; you don't have to say anything." When she nodded, he continued. "After we talked at the station this morning, I was under the impression he was hiding something—but it didn't seem related to Kira. After we saw that he left Lunamaria in the middle of their mission, I figured his behavior had something to do with Heliopolis and the girl Dearka saw that one night. I'm not sure how farfetched I am, but I think Shinn made those strange purchases to help that girl fix her home in the city. For some reason he feels it needs to kept a secret." He turned to look at his companion. "And judging by your expression, I'd say I'm right."

Cagalli was taken aback, and her wide eyes were enough to prove it. How on earth had he come to that conclusion? No wonder he was considered the top detective. She didn't know what to say.

"You forgot the part where he attacked me!" she blurted.

Athrun narrowed his eyes at her.

Damn

"I-I mean, we had a falling out. Since I accused him of kidnapping Kira and all. We had an argument, but I held my ground… more or less," she clarified, hoping Athrun wouldn't question the topic further. She really needed to learn to keep her big mouth shut.

"Maybe that's why he took back what he said about you," he said with a grin.

Now Cagalli was interested. "What did he say about me?"

Athrun paused. But she was not about to take no for an answer. He sighed in defeat.

"That you didn't belong to the ORB police force and you were only worried about Kira because he was your ticket in." He watched her carefully, watching as her expression gradually changed.

"I'm going to shoot him!" She yelled, standing up and catching the attention of several passengers.

Athrun pulled her right back down. "Cagalli, don't say things like that!" he cautioned. "Besides I already put him in his place."

Cagalli's eyes widened. "That's why you gave him a bloody lip?"

"Well, not entirely. He said some other things…" He drifted in his thoughts. She narrowed her eyes. "Don't look at me like that. If I told you, there's no way I'd be able to stop you from pummeling him."

Cagalli's glare was replaced with a mischievous grin. "Yeah, probably not."

Her smirk made him shudder. He was afraid of what an angry Cagalli was capable of. He turned to see that passengers were gathering their belongings and exiting the train.

"Well, we better report back to the Chief."

With a nod, Cagalli followed.

/ / / /

"I hope your investigation in Heliopolis was helpful," the chief said as he took a seat at his desk. "I would like to hear about each of your encounters, but first I would like to share something with all of you."

"As you are aware, I had Rey remain in Orb with me." He paused uneasily. He cleared his throat before continuing, "Rey, would you please reiterate everything that we have learned as of this morning?"

Rey nodded before reaching for the report on the table and turning to address his colleagues.

"Kira Hibiki and Athrun Zala were assigned to solve the mystery of 'The Green Diamond', Orb's most valued gem. Monday morning Cagalli Hibiki awoke to find a note on Kira Hibiki's bed along with the window open. The note stated that he had returned home late the previous night but chose not to wake her. He had, apparently, come across valuable information in Heliopolis regarding his investigation and decided it best to continue the search that same night and left with the car, saying he would be in touch with his sister. It appeared that he had been doing his investigation individually, but all the while his whereabouts were known by his partner, Athrun Zala, through a tracking device.

"The same night the note was found the tracking device that Kira Hibiki always kept with him was dismantled. Kira Hibiki was then reported MIA. A thorough search through Kira Hibiki's room revealed an Ace of Spade playing card. Upon exposure to UV light, the glass case holding the 'Green Diamond" revealed the imprint of an Ace of Clovers. From this the connection between the two cases was drawn.

"Following the lead given by Kira Hibiki, an investigation in Heliopolis was organized for the next day. Before the trip, a hard copy card with the Ace of Clovers was found in the police station. Not only does this reaffirm the connection of these two cases, but also the possibility that the culprit is not only clever but has his own set of connections." Rey finished and turned to the Chief.

Before Durandal had a chance to make his statement, Lacus had intervened.

"Sir, if I may?" She continued when she received an approval. "From Rey's reports we can determine that Kira left the home with his vehicle, but we have not done a search for his car."

At once what Lacus had shared struck Cagalli. It was something so obvious. He had obviously gone somewhere with the car, yet they had not even looked for it. If they could locate it, they could be that much closer to finding her brother. She waited for the chief's response.

"You are very correct, Lacus. As a matter of fact, I had Rey investigate the location of his car. Finding the car would have been a crucial point in solving this mystery, but alas, it was not successful."

"But don't all cars have some sort of GPS locator?" Luna asked, receiving a nod from Shinn.

"Even though his car's not brand new, it's not ridiculously old either," Cagalli added.

"I understand what you both are saying, but according to the company the locating device was removed from the vehicle."

Cagalli let out a frustrated sigh. Of course it had been removed, just like the one he had on him.

"Is it possible to reactivate it from a different location?" It was the first time that Athrun had spoken during the meeting.

"If we had a hacker," Shinn proposed.

"Yes, we have some agents working on that as we speak. But until they are done, I cannot say for certain. For now it is best to work with the information we have gathered from Heliopolis." He turned his attention to Shinn and Lunamaria, expecting them to begin.

Shinn was momentarily caught off guard, but recovered. "We only came across a man with speculation. He said he heard a rumor that the thief didn't want as much attention as he was getting." He turned to his partner.

"I have his name here," Luna shuffled through her bag in search of the booklet that had the information she had gathered. She could feel everyone's eyes on her as she pulled it out and flipped through some pages. "Ah, his name was Sai Argyl. He said he was a tourist and was shocked when he heard about the disappearance of the 'Green Diamond'. He wanted to see it with his own eyes, or so he said."

"Then why was he in Heliopolis?"

They turned to see a skeptical looking Lacus. Shinn was at a loss for words. Neither he nor Luna had thought of that.

"The 'Green Diamond' was located in Orb's museum, not Heliopolis. Why was he touring Heliopolis? Why was he openly sharing such views with complete strangers? Where was he from?" Lacus was clear in her distrust.

"We… don't know where he's from…" Shinn admitted, regretfully.

"But we do have his contact information. I'm sure he'll be willing to come in and share his story with us. Won't it be better to hear from him directly?" Luna looked at the others, hoping they would agree.

"Yes, I think it would be best if we met with him in person," Lacus nodded, turning her attention from the girl to the chief. Their eyes met for a brief moment before he broke the gaze and cleared his throat.

"Is there any other information that you may have gathered that it worth sharing?" Durandal asked, scanning the room.

"I spoke with several civilians, but only one had information regarding robbery. It did not relate to Orb, though. If necessary, we can contact him." She handed the chief his business card. He nodded in approval, but did not make eye contact with her.

Cagalli glanced at Athrun with slight confusion, but he could give her no response. Something was going on between the two of them.

"Auel Neider?" He read the voice aloud.

"Yes. He spoke to me about some recent thefts from local shops during the nights in Heliopolis. Items included basic house necessities and—"

"That has nothing to do with the 'Green Diamond'." Shinn cut her off.

Lacus paused at the interruption, but made no comment. The others looked on surprised.

"Shinn, I have been meaning to ask you something as well," Shinn turned his attention to Rey. "For the past few days you have been spending less time around the apartment."

Shinn and Rey had been roommates for the past couple of years. Living in Orb wasn't cheap, and since the two were early childhood friends they had decided to share an apartment.

"So I have a social life," he shrugged.

"In Heliopolis?"

Shinn froze. Unknowingly, Cagalli held her breath. She glanced at Athrun to see him listening intently.

Shinn said nothing.

"I happened to be looking through drawers for some personal belongings the other day and I noticed many train tickets to Heliopolis. They were all scheduled for past midnight. Some dates were before the 'Green Diamond' went missing and others were after." Shinn still said nothing. Rey turned to his partner. "Lunamaria, was Shinn with you in Heliopolis?"

Luna hesitated, glancing at Shinn cautiously. She wasn't sure how to answer. Shinn had disappeared sometime during their trip, but he had returned. So it was all good, right?

"Lunamaria." His voice was bitter and demanding.

"Y-yes, he was with me."

"The entire time?"

There was a deep, tense silence. It was enough to answer his question.

"Shinn, what—" the chief was quickly cut off.

An interruption at this stage was uncalled for, but the officers were more shocked by who had intervened.

"I'm tired of this, Shinn. I planned to keep it a secret, but this is too much."

Shinn's eyes grew to twice their size as they locked onto the amber eyes across from him. Everyone switched their gaze to Cagalli.

"Shinn was visiting a friend in Heliopolis—a girl friend to be exact." At this statement Shinn had made an attempt to grab the girl.

A look of dismay crossed her when she saw him lunge at her, but Athrun and Rey had quickly stepped in front, stopping him from reaching her. They struggled, but Shinn was easily overpowered. Once Athrun had gained control, Rey released his hold on the officer.

"Get off of me, you jerk. Shut that stupid girl up. She has no idea what she's talking about." He glared at her, but she seemed unfazed.

"Anyway," she turned her attention back to the chief. "She's more like his sister, I suppose. 'Adopted sister', because she's the polar opposite of him. How she can even stand him is beyond me."

"Shut up, you traitor!"

"I don't remember how they met, but she's ill." At once Athrun noticed the change in Shinn's behavior. He was not struggling anymore. "Basically, she's alone and has no financial support. But she's a talented dancer." Shinn's eyes widened. "She's not professional or anything, but she has potential. Anyway, Shinn took it upon himself to help this girl through her struggles."

She glanced at the boy with soft eyes. It didn't go unnoticed by Athrun. Shinn said nothing, but his look quickly turned to a glare.

"I said shut up." It was more quite this time, but he still hadn't given up. Athrun released Shinn, realizing he had returned to his calmer stature.

"Athrun and I had suspected Shinn as well. We spoke to a friend of Athrun's and learned about his frequent visits to Heliopolis, which only added to our suspicion." Athrun nodded in agreement. "We were going to question him ourselves after we had regrouped, but Luna had found us by this time. She was unaccompanied by Shinn. Athrun and Luna had gone off to complete the investigation, and I remained with a friend in Heliopolis." She remembered how she had spoken to Flay for hours that evening.

"It was then that I saw Shinn and decided to follow him. He was buying flowers. I stayed hidden, following his every step until I came upon the house. I peeked in through the window and saw her teaching him how to dance." Athrun glanced at Shinn to see a confused glare on his face. It was a sight to see. "Shinn caught me and threatened to hurt me if I told anyone." She was finished with her tale and turned to look at Shinn apologetically. "I'm sorry, I know—"

"Shut up. I knew I could never trust you." He refused to make eye contact with her.

She turned to the chief once again.

"I'm not one to break a promise, but this has gone on too long. It's a waste of time to interrogate someone who has nothing to do with the problem at hand." She glanced at the floor before continuing. "I just want to find Kira."

"Thank you, Cagalli. This has cleared up a big misconception." He studied Shinn carefully. Durandal seemed to ponder this suspicious tale.

"Sir, when the rest of us were at the train station waiting Shinn and Cagalli returned together." Luna was attempting to persuade him as well.

He nodded.

"All right. Before we were sidetracked with Shinn's dancing lessons, you were telling us about the man you met on the bus. Could you please continue with what he shared?"

It took a moment for Luna to realize she was being addressed. She flipped through the pages of her book once again.

"Um, he said he heard that the person who had stolen the 'Green Diamond' had accomplices and that they had fled to Zaft, but the police there were onto them. So they disposed of it."

"Z-zaft?" Lacus quickly regained her composure. "Disposed of it?"

Luna nodded.

"I have a hard time believing that anyone who had obtained the gem would simply throw it away." Lacus turned to glance at the chief once again.

"That is not the issue. The fact is the jewel may now be in Zaft. In my opinion it would be best to conduct an investigation there." Rey looked at the chief for approval.

"Yes, we should go to Zaft, but rushing there is not the best course of action. Again, it is late so the investigation will continue tomorrow morning." He glanced at Cagalli as though he were expecting her to disagree with him. To his surprise she remained silent. "For now, each of you should file a report on your events in Heliopolis. I would like each of you to submit the report before you leave tonight so that I will be able to review them before the mission begins in Zaft tomorrow morning."

Durandal's silence was a dismissal for the others as they divided and moved to their respective offices. Remaining in the room were Rey and Lacus.

"I would like to speak to the chief privately." She didn't once take her eyes off the dark haired man.

Rey opened his mouth to protest, but Durandal waved his hand. Without another word Rey brushed passed her and left the room.

"Is there something troubling you, Officer Clyne?"

"What is it you're trying to do?" Her question was direct.

"I'm not quite sure I understand."

"Misinforming your team by sending an undercover member to Heliopolis? Going behind your teams' back?" Not once did her gaze waver. When she still did not receive a response she continued. "Do you honestly expect anyone to believe that the Green Diamond was disposable, regardless of the situation?"

"My, Lacus, this is quite a web of ideas you have woven."

"Rey was in Heliopolis. You sent him to do something."

"Oh? Perhaps he finished his work early and ran a few errands. I can't be sure of what all my officers do, Lacus."

Lacus narrowed her eyes. "Are you attempting to drop the Green Diamond case?"

Durandal didn't answer, but turned his head to look over his desk and out the window. "I felt you would best support such a proposal. After all," he paused and looked directly into her eyes. "Our most critical mission now is to find Kira, is it not?"

Lacus took a step back and opened her mouth to protest, but no words came out.

"Well, officer Clyne, it has certainly gotten late. You best head home to prepare for the mission tomorrow. If there are any new discoveries I will be sure to personally inform you. Good night." He turned his back to the young officer and waited until her footsteps disappeared.

Leaning back in his chair, Durandal let out a deep sigh as a new pair of footsteps reached his ear.

"Sir?"

"Ah, Rey. I should have known that you would not have left."

"Does she know?" Durandal answered with a shake of his head.

"No, but she is very perceptive. I believe this encounter may have worked in our favor. Lacus is convinced that Kira's rescue is of higher priority than the Green Diamond. We already know where Cagalli stands on the matter. With their attention focused on Kira and the right amount of time, the matter of the Green Diamond may gradually fade." Rey nodded his head, though he seemed to clench his jaw. "Is there something wrong?"

"I don't mean to question your judgment, sir, but I can't help but feel this isn't right."

Durandal let out another sigh as he reclined in his chair. "I've gone back and forth on this decision as well. But after receiving a threat such as this," Durandal said, opening a drawer on his desk and unfolding a piece of paper, "I'm not sure what choice we have. And weighing our options, securing a human life greatly outweighs retrieving a material good, wouldn't you agree?" Durandal refolded the paper and placed it back in the drawer before locking it.

"But the mone—"

Durandal snapped his head up and slammed his fist on the table. "You are not to mention that!"

Rey's eyes widened and he immediately apologized. "I-it won't happen again."

Durandal rubbed his temple with his free hand. "I'm sorry, that was not appropriate. It has been a long day, Rey. You should retire as well. We will pick up with our search for Kira tomorrow.

Rey nodded solemnly before leaving the office

/ / / /

Cagalli let out a sigh as she glanced out the window.

"Everything ok?" She turned her attention to her temporary chauffer and forced a smile.

"Yeah, it's all good."

"You know, you handled yourself well in there today."

"You mean about Shinn? No big deal. I really was just tired of us going around in circles. We both know Shinn had nothing to do with it," she reasoned.

"But dance lessons?" Cagalli grinned mischievously.

"He deserved that, Athrun."

"You should have seen the look of dismay that crossed his face when you said that," he said with a chuckle as he turned to face his companion.

"I'm actually surprised it didn't make him any more upset. I thought for sure he was going to slit my throat when I first started talking," Cagalli admitted, biting her lower lip.

"I wouldn't have let that happen," Athrun commented off handedly.

Their eyes locked before Athrun suddenly pulled away and looked at the road ahead. Cagalli felt a small smile tug at the corner of her lips.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"We're here," he replied lamely as they pulled into the Hibiki driveway.

"Well, thanks, Mr. Chauffer," she joked as she unbuckled her seatbelt. She stopped when she felt a warm hand on top of her. She jerked her head up and looked at Athrun questioningly.

"You can't leave before you pay this poor taxi driver," he said shrewdly.

Cagalli let out a small laugh. "That's unfortunate because I don't have any cash with me. Seems like you got jipped. You should really pick your clients better," she chided.

She held in another laugh when she saw him pout.

"But you know?" she added slyly as she leaned closer to his seat. He tensed in his seat, but made no motion to move away. "I could give you something else," she added as moved even closer.

"Oh?"

Before she could continue, a loud ring startled both of them. Cagalli near fell forward, but quickly regained her composer as she glared at her cell phone. She heard Athrun mutter something under his breath, but she was paying too much attention to the unknown number that displaced across her screen. She clicked it off before turning her attention to her chauffer.

"Well, it's late so you should probably get home. See you tomorrow morning?" Athrun nodded in agreement. "Thanks again for the ride."

"Anytime, Cags." Cagalli shuddered at the nickname. "You don't like that?" he seemed surprised.

"I can't stand it," she declared.

"But I thought it was an endearing name that Kira called you?" Athurn asked, still surprised.

"Yeah right," Cagalli said sarcastically. "Whenever Kira used to call me that I'd twist his wrist till he took it back. I was tempted to even shred that note he left me when I read that nickname," she admitted. Athrun furrowed his brow and Cagalli let out a small laugh. "But I guess it's a good thing I didn't."

Athrun nodded, though he seemed a bit confused. He didn't snap out of his thoughts until Cagalli had opened her front door and waved at him. He returned the gesture before pulling out of her driveway.

"If what she had said was true, then why would Kira have…" Athrun shook his head, convinced the late night was messing with his thoughts.

/ / / /

As Cagalli entered the house she tossed her belongings onto the kitchen table. The blinking light from her cell caught her attention and she realized that the unknown caller had left her a message. Initially, she had thought it was a wrong number, but it was rare for those callers to leave messages once they heard the voicemail system. She shrugged away the thought before listening to the message.

"Hey Cagalli, it's Shinn." There was an awkward pause in the message. "Um, I got your number from the database. I mean, I didn't stalk you or your information of anything." Another awkward pause. "Uh, what I wanted to say was, uh, thanks. For today. You know. For the—just thanks. Oh, and we'll find Kira. I'm sure of it. See you tomorrow."

By the time she had hung up, Cagalli was smiling once again. Yes, she knew they would find Kira. It was just a matter of time.

Thanks for reading.

Review if you have a chance, please.