CHAPTER 11: Cagalli
Kira have always had mixed views on his sister, Cagalli Yula Attha. To him, she had always been fiery and boyish, ever since the first time they met back in Heliopolis, and she had a strange… gift, Kira supposed he could call it…of following her emotions completely. Of course, sometimes, that led her to being somewhat reckless, and Kira had once slapped her because of it. That was before he discovered that she was the Princess of Orb. If he had known, he probably wouldn't have done such a thing as slapping someone of such high class. He hadn't even known that she was his sister back then, though a part of him thought that if he did know she was his sister, he might have still slapped her.
He did often wonder, of course, how Athrun could handle such a fiery girl after being engaged to someone like Lacus. But Kira could never deny that even before this, he had sometimes thought that if he had a sister, he couldn't trust anyone better to care for her. Kira was glad that it was Athrun Zala above all that cared for his impulsive, poignant, erratic twin.
The first six months after the war, he had hardly seen Cagalli. She had been busy, and he had been… occupied, he supposed.
Cagalli seemed to have grown up very quickly those first six months, and Kira knew that Athrun played a large part in that. Even though the blue-haired Coordinator had lived in the orphanage, he always found time to spend time with her, to tutor her where he could and support her with the rest. And, seeing her turning into such a capable leader, Kira couldn't help but feel glad.
"What about this one? This yellow colour looks good enough," a grumbling voice caught his attention again and Kira looked up, clearing the thoughts from his mind. They were in the living room of the orphanage, and Lacus and Cagalli were examining dress designs for a coming gala which Cagalli needed to attend.
Lacus seemed genuinely interested as she looked over the design. "It's beautiful, Cagalli. You'd look like a bright ray of sunshine –"
"She'd look like a lemon with all that yellow," Athrun interrupted, earning a glare from the golden-haired princess.
Ah… Athrun. Standing beside Cagalli with his arms crossed, the blue-haired Coordinator eyed them both with intense green eyes as he tried to contain his frustration. He wasn't even trying to hide it, Kira noticed with amusement. Quite unexpectedly, since Kira last saw Athrun in Copernicus, the Coordinator had gotten himself the talent of picking out dresses. Kira vaguely remembered Athrun giving him numerous 'Lacus forced me into it' rants when he had asked him about it. It seemed that talent held even after the war, and Athrun had easily critiqued the dresses until Cagalli decided she would ask Lacus's opinion instead.
The problem was that Lacus seemed to find delight in everything. It wasn't as if the all the dress designs didn't suit Cagalli, either.
The sound and motion of a large book being slammed in front of him made him jump, and Kira raised his eyebrows as Cagalli flopped herself beside him. "You pick. I know Coordinators are idiots, but maybe first-generation ones are better," she grumbled.
Kira couldn't stop the amused smile from spreading across his face. "I don't really think that's the case," Kira said, in defence of his best friend and his… carer? Protector? Companion? Or could he use that other word..? Could he call her a lov… love…r… no, no, his Lacus. He was speaking in defence of his best friend and Lacus… his Lacus. Kira shook his head quickly, clearing his thoughts as he flipped through the pages.
He came across a pastel-green coloured dress, similar to the one he had seen Cagalli wear during the first war, and paused. Cagalli, he knew, had looked wonderful in that dress, and from the small look of satisfaction in Athrun's eyes, Kira knew that the Coordinator had pointed out that dress earlier also. Lacus was right, Athrun did have an amazingly good eye. Just to humour them, however, Kira turned the pages again and stopped at another – this time a deep aquamarine dress, with shades of blue at the hem and right shoulder, and made his decision. "This one."
Athrun's brows furrowed and Lacus clapped her hands in delight, but Cagalli merely gazed at the dress, then at Kira, and closed the book with a satisfied snap. "Alright! I'll trust you, Kira!" she said happily enough.
They stayed behind for dinner. Cagalli, in her many months of running away from her duties in search for experience on the battlefield, had turned out to be a rather promising cook, and had helped Lacus and Caridad prepare the meal. Kira noticed that she looked truly happy to be in the kitchen and help out, and he supposed that her duties had taken her away from this small delight of hers – not to mention the Attha household would definitely have their own set of chefs.
It wasn't difficult to guess which dish she had made – all Kira needed to do was to stare into those deep, emotion-reflecting eyes of hers. Kira had observed how her eyes had watched Athrun apprehensively as he spooned the dish. It was too obvious. He was amused when he noticed how Athrun peered at her from behind his lashes and knew at once what she had cooked – Athrun and Kira had both mastered that ability back when they were children, when Athrun had gladly finished Kira's vegetables as long as Kira would finish his dessert, both watching Caridad closely to know when they could make the trade. Now, Kira saw him using the same technique to guess which dish Cagalli had prepared, and when he found out, he took second helpings, much to her delight. Athrun wasn't an open book – it was only the years Kira had spent with him that made him aware of the little things he did, but Cagalli was as easy to read as anything. He couldn't help but smile as he ate, and did not notice Lacus's curious gaze as she watched him.
As night approached and Lacus busied herself in preparing the children to sleep, Kira walked to the balcony and looked up to the stars, inhaling deeply. The first six months have been difficult… but even he knew that, whatever it was that had happened to him after the war, it was going away. And he knew who was truly responsible for that.
"Kira," Cagalli's voice reached him and Kira turned, brightening. "Are you alright?" she asked, moving to stand beside him.
"Of course," Kira answered. "Are you leaving soon?"
"Yeah, as soon as Lacus is done with the children. It's been fun today, Kira. I haven't been able to come here much lately, have I?" she asked, her voice apologetic.
Kira bowed his head. "Sorry," he muttered. "I should have visited you more often," he said wretchedly.
He did feel guilty. Of course he did. Kira hadn't been unaware of how he was those first six months after the war. He had kept to himself, sometimes wondering if he had gone insane or lost full control over his mind as he stayed with Lacus and the children. He had not spent a lot of time with others… he had not been the friend he should have been to Athrun who had lost his parents, had not been the comrade he should have been to Murrue who lost Mu, had not been the brother he should have been to Cagalli who had lost her father… He had been there to comfort Lacus regarding Siegel Clyne, but even he knew that that was minimal compared to what she had done to him.
Cagalli's voice was still bright when she patted him on the shoulder. "That's alright! But you'll need to come more after this, okay?" she said, smiling broadly at him. Kira gazed at her, wondering how she could be so bright and content when she, too, had lost so much during the war. Her eyes softened and she dropped her voice, speaking kindly now; "You're okay now, Kira. She's amazing – you've really changed a lot since then. Sometimes, things just happen to us, and we have different ways in dealing with it. But as long as you have the strength to move on, you'll get better," she said, her voice surprisingly gentle.
"How..?"
"I read your mind, didn't I? I think we really do have twin telepathy!" Cagalli said smugly, throwing him off. Seeing that he looked utterly confused, she shrugged; "I thought that blue dress was the right one, too."
Author's Notes: I've been thinking of adding Cagalli into the picture for a while now, but I wasn't sure how early or late I should bring her in. I think now is the right time though, and this is also to answer Portsmouth's request, with hinted Athrun/Cagalli at the dinner table. XD I thought of writing more to this one, but I liked the last line she said, and thought I might as well end it there. For now, until we get more Kira/Cagalli moments. This chapter is a bit different to the previous chapters, a lot lighter, I have to say (an emotion you tend to associate with Cagalli), so I hope you enjoyed it!
IoriKonaN: I love just about any fanfiction that focuses on Kira and Athrun's friendship, and it's a little sad that there's not much around. That Chibi theatre involving Shinn was pure genius, and I really fell in love with him when he destroyed Torii. XD And I agree! So completely! Lacus and Athrun really have a nice relationship with each other in GSD – heart-warming, yet somehow just pure and… right. Thanks for your review, it really made my day! :D
Portsmouth: Firstly, thanks for reviewing all the chapters. Shock of the day, seriously. XD I love the feedback you gave, and agree with everything. Kira is different to the others – I think he's the only one who really, really did not have a choice in participating in the frontlines. His friends, too, but it's different taking care of stations than strapped in a mobile suit, pulling the trigger. And I have a few ideas running around in having Fllay appear again, following "Letter", but perhaps not that soon. She is a very real character, and I felt for her when she lost everything, even herself, all due to war. I watched the Japanese version of GS/D, so I have the tendency of hearing their dialogues in my mind in Japanese, and translate it into English as I type. I'll provide translations if I use more expressions in later chapters. :D
