A/N: I was thinking on posting it later. I don't want to end this story soon.

But… yeah…

Chapter 24, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam SEED/Destiny

Chapter 24

October, 30th 2010

Cagalli had told the doctor that Athrun had no blood-related family, only his friends and fiancée, who was the trio, and they considered themselves as his family. She asked him to let her stay at the hospital. The doctor said only family allowed, but since Athrun had no one, and Cagalli was the closest, so he let her.

She had warned the doctor too, that there might be some reporters come to the hospital. She allowed the doctor to make some statements, but asked him if the security would be so kind to not interrupt her or Athrun if they break through. The doctor agreed, since that would cause some noise and it was bad for the patients.

So, since the reporters couldn't approach the hospital as they liked and the doctor wouldn't give them much detail, they ran to the other sources, Kira and Lacus. The two had tried to escape or avoid them, but they only succeed sometimes. Lacus had brought some clothes and other things for Cagalli's camping. Kira had informed the company about Athrun's condition and took the lead for a while.

Cagalli had asked Kira to bring the Athrun's BMW back and put the picture at his room, but not to put it on the wall because Cagalli wanted to do it with Athrun. He had to see it first.

She couldn't do much. On the visiting hour, Cagalli would sat beside Athrun and tell him many happy things. She just wanted to talk to him, even though he wasn't responding.

When the visiting hour was over, Kira would offer to buy them foods. Kira had told them that a few reporters were waiting at the canteen and wait for one of them, or all of them. Cagalli and Lacus thanked him for being the volunteer.

October, 31th 2010

"Happy Halloween," Cagalli whispered to Athrun. "My magazine redaction always throws a Halloween party every year. I told them I couldn't come. They had been messaging me, asking about your condition. I doubt that they just concern. They take the advantage of me being your fiancée to get the updates of your condition for their articles. But who am I to judge them? So I told them a bit, but not into much details." Cagalli sighed, "I really don't want to share about this with them. You understand right?

"And thank you, for fighting… Doctor said you're doing well. Your vitals are stable. Your cuts are healing. The doctor didn't think there was any brain damage, but he isn't so sure…"Cagalli said as she ran her hands through Athrun's locks.

"I always like your hair. It's soft; I like combing your hair when you're asleep and I wake earlier than you, before I go to make breakfast. It looks like sapphire… I think it's my favorite gemstone now; or maybe emerald…"

Without thinking, Cagalli chanted a song she remembered as she thought about sapphire.

A sapphire that fell in the white hand of a lover was touched by comfort

The pure drop, which was born in the night, change into light

By your hand, even sadness will change to blue jewel

The sweet breath, the old grief

If you drank all of that for me, I'll stay by your side

Athrun was there beside her, yet she couldn't talk to him like they used to.

Near, yet unreachable.

"I miss you, Athrun…" Cagalli said as her tears falling.

November, 2nd 2010

"Why are you here?"

"Marrue and Mwu are inside. They came a while ago. They heard about the accident. The children wrote letters for him and made paper flowers."

"That was generous of them," Kira sat beside Cagalli, who was doing her work. He smiled, looking at the pictures. "You are still doing your work. I was anxious to get here and couldn't focus."

"Athrun wouldn't like it if I abandoned my works just to take care of him," Cagalli muttered. "Lacus is doing her shift, right?"

"Yeah. She was considering taking a few days off. But I assured her Athrun has you taking care of him." Kira put a Styrofoam box and a plastic glass of ice tea. "I went to Lacus to eat and got you some from there."

"Thank you." Cagalli put aside her pictures and opened her lunch. "It tastes different from the foods at the hospital canteen," Cagalli whispered to Kira. He laughed.

"So, how is he?" Kira asked, somehow afraid that there might be bad news the doctor didn't tell to him earlier.

"He won't be in medically-induced-coma anymore tomorrow, and we have to wait for him to be ready to wake up on his own." Cagalli paused and put the plastic spoon. "The doctor is worried some damage might happen to some of his nerves."

"He'll be all right," Kira assured her, but he himself wasn't so sure.

"I'm afraid," Cagalli admitted, even though it should be obvious.

"Off course you are. But at least he is alive. That's all that matters."

"You're right, though."

"You know, it was the first time he safe the one he had seen in his dream."

"Come to think of it, Athrun had said he never saved them… am I the first?"

"That's what he told me. Yes, you're the first. It's a good thing he could save you. He won't forgive himself if you… You know," Kira mused.

"But I couldn't forgive myself if anything is going to happen to him…" tears began to flow again on her eyes. She would be the one to blame.

"But no one died. That's good, right? And I heard that the child is all right."

"He visited Athrun yesterday. Her mom thanked me and him endlessly," Cagalli smiled sadly as she remembered. "The child, Nicol, blame himself for what had happened to Athrun. He said if he had been paying attention the ball wouldn't slip from his hand, and he wouldn't have to chase the ball. And Athrun would be all right…"

"Are you blaming him, then?"

"Off course not. I blame myself. If I hadn't insisted to…"

"Then Nicol would have been the one lying in there," Kira gestured to the ICU where Athrun was.

"I should be the one in there," she whispered in despair, hung her head.

Kira sighed. "Cagalli, if you're hurt in that accident Athrun would be sad, and so are we," he said, reffering to him and Lacus. "If Nicol is hurt, you'll feel sad and guilty, and so would his mother. And now that Athrun is hurt, we are all sad. It would be the same, no matter who is hurt, people would still be sad." He reached her head and stroking her hair, "So stop blaming yourself."

"But you had been…"

"And I had stopped. I was shocked; I didn't want anything to happen to him too. He is my best friend for ten years," Kira paused. "I had been the one who take care of him since he was being left alone. Sometimes I thought of him as my own brother. I tend to forget that you're here for him. I know you're important to him."

"He will always need you, even if I'm here."

"And I think you need me too, sis."

Cagalli smiled. "Thank you." She leaned on Kira's shoulder. "I've always wanted a big brother, who always protect me and tell me that everything is going to be all right."

Kira smiled, and assured her once again, "Athrun would be all right, Cagalli."

November, 3rd 2010

"His eyes fluttered again!"

"Are you sure he isn't going to wake up now? He had been fluttering his lids a lot," Kira asked.

"He might wake up now, or not. But I think he would be in too much pain if he wakes up now. He will need the painkillers," the doctor answered while checking his vitals.

"Athrun…? Can you hear me?" Cagalli asked him, holding his right hand on hers. Kira and the doctor were standing beside her. And then as his mouth moved—the mask had been removed, Cagalli gasped. "Athrun!" She called him again.

Athrun moved his head to the right side—wrong move, and hissed in pain. Cagalli moved her hand and forced his head to face straight. "Your head had been hit pretty hard, careful, don't make the stitch…" Cagalli trailed off as she saw the gauze was red. He opened his eyes, and Cagalli sighed loudly as she saw the emerald orbs. It were closed again as Athrun winced in pain.

"He was still in too much pain, indeed. I'll give him some pain killers." The doctor said as he went to the drawers and took a syringe and a small bottle.

"It… hurts…" Athrun said strangled as he winced again. "My chest… and head…" Athrun shut his eyes tightly. He groaned.

"It's going to be all right," Cagalli said as the doctor injected the syringe to the IV. "The doctor is putting some pain killers. You'll be all right." Cagalli rubbed Athrun's head.

Athrun tried to open his eyes, ignoring the pain which was still there. When would the pain killers kick in?

"Cagalli?"

"Hey, Athrun…" Cagalli smiled to him.

Athrun blinked. He could feel Cagalli's hand on his head. Her scent was there, she was near him. "Why is the light of?" he asked; he wanted to see her.

Now, Cagalli blinked. Her hand stopped moving. "W-what do you mean?"

"Turn the lights on… I want to see your face…"

Cagalli froze. Kira looked at his best friend, horrified. He noticed his eyes were unfocussed.

"The light is on, Athrun," Kira answered him.

"It's pitch black…" Athrun said.

"It seems like his optic nerve has been damaged," the doctor informed them after hearing Athrun's words.

"What… No…! No it can't be…!" Cagalli cried. "Athrun…!" Cagalli patted Athrun's face, but the pain killers had done its job. He fluttered his eyes a few times before he fell asleep.

"He couldn't see! Is he blind?" Cagalli asked the doctor.

"It seems so. But we have to wait to run some test on him to know if the blindness is permanent or not."

"If it's permanent… does that mean that it's… incurable…?"

"Most likely. My thought is, his optic nerves were cut because the pressure caused by the hit on his head. The skull was pressured, and it cut the blood circulation," The doctor said, "I'm sorry…"

The doctor took Athrun's chart and wrote something there. Kira didn't move, still processing what the doctor had said. Cagalli slumped on her seat, staring at Athrun's face intently.

Athrun would be blind, and it was all because of her.

She could feel Kira behind her, rubbing her back, but he didn't say anything. He knew it wasn't all right.

She started blaming herself, again.

November, 4th 2010

Cagalli didn't leave Athrun since he had wake up. She wanted to be there when Athrun wake again, to make sure about his sight. The doctor said if the blindness wasn't permanent, he might see blur next time he wake up.

He was still in the intensive care unit, though the doctor said he might be moved to common patient room tomorrow.

Cagalli still didn't stop blaming herself; she was the one who made Athrun suffer like this, the one who took his sight. Cagalli felt like crying again.

She was afraid that Athrun would hate her for this. He wouldn't want her again. And she would have to contain all the guilty all her life, without him.

All the time she had spent with Athrun was so precious and priceless. She was glad she had those quality times with him. But she had become used to it. She was used to be with Athrun almost every day, and wanted to make it every day. Cagalli couldn't bear it if she had to leave that routine.

But she wouldn't like it when Athrun would hate her for what she had brought him into, a life in the darkness. Imagining Athrun hated her, disgusted with her and him telling her to go away from his life; that was true agony for her.

She loved her friends she had. But Athrun was the only one Cagalli had said 'I love you' to, beside her family. He wasn't her first crush, but definitely her first love. And if things with him would end badly like she had been thinking…

Cagalli cried, collected herself, thinking again and cried again.

Thinking about Athrun leaving her made her think she better died than make him suffered like this. His sight alone was too much of a price. Her life wasn't worth it.

Cagalli felt movement from Athrun's right hand she was holding. He was going to wake up soon.

Cagalli pressed the call button to inform his doctor. Athrun was moving his head a bit; Cagalli had to hold it to make it stay still. When Athrun finally opened his eyes, his head was still, and the doctor entered.

Athrun was staring straight to the ceiling. He stared at the turned on lamp without blinking.

Cagalli's heart beat faster. She held Athrun's hand on her, and called his name, "Athrun…?"

He stayed still.

Cagalli couldn't help but asked, "Athrun? Are you all right? What do you see?" Please say you see blur image, or me, or anything. Just say you see something!

Athrun blinked twice. And then he lifted his hand and rubbed his eyes, and blinked again.

His eyes were staring straight, unfocused on the people on the room.

Cagalli saw him flinched, and rubbed his forehead which was covered in gauze. His eyes were still the same green eyes, but Cagalli could tell the difference of them and the ones that could see.

He was blind, and it was permanent.

Cagalli slumped to the chair she had been sitting for days waiting for Athrun to wake up.

"Careful there. It's still bleeding." The doctor said. He took out a light pen and examined Athrun's eyes. His pupils were still, unresponsive to the light stimulation.

Cagalli heard the similar thing the doctor had said to her, how his head injury had pressured the skull and the pressure had cut the blood circulation to his nerves, making the optical nerve damage. His nerves were cut and couldn't regenerate, and thus making him blind. And it was incurable.

The doctor checked something on Athrun's chart and added more to it. After muttered an 'I'm sorry' to Cagalli, who was too shaken to reply, he left the room to give her some time to grasp the fact.

Cagalli sat on the chair she had been sitting. She rested her forehead on Athrun's right hand and wept again.

"I'm sorry… Really…," Cagalli said, only half realizing it, because she had been saying those things these last few hours. "It was my fault…"

"It's all right" Athrun said. "Are you?"

"I am. But you're not…," Cagalli cried harder.

"I think it's better than die," Athrun said. It was the first time he had fought the destiny and won.

"I took your sight forever."

"It's better than losing you." Even though he lost his sight, but Cagalli was here. That was all that matters. He would have given his legs or arms too, if that meant Cagalli would be all right. He could be paralyzed permanently; Cagalli could go and find her happiness with another man; as long as she was all right and happy. He could, would willingly, accept his fate, whatever it was.

"It's this or the other, Cagalli. And I really don't like the other, so this is the best. Now please." Athrun said as Cagalli didn't stop crying.

Cagalli managed to stop her tears and lifted her head to look at Athrun's eyes. It was still the gorgeous emerald eyes that made her heart quivered, the gorgeous emerald eyes that always staring at her golden ones with such immense of love, the gorgeous emerald eyes that she had been longing to see since the accident. They were still the same.

But now, they wouldn't be able to stare back at her eyes again, and tears were flowing again, irrepressible.

Athrun lifted his hand, fumbling it in the air a few times before he found Cagalli's face and cupped it. He wiped her tears with his thumb. His head rolled to the side, careful with his wound; his eyes were staring at his hand on her face, trying to look at her on the face though he couldn't locate it precisely.

"I'm all right, really." He stroked her face a few times, smiling at her. "Smile for me, Cagalli. And don't cheat just because I can't see your smile now." Athrun said, and Cagalli chuckled a bit, in spite of her sobs. And Athrun was sad, because he understood fully that from now on he wouldn't be able to see Cagalli's smile again. But he too, fully understood that he should be thankful he was still alive now.

"I can't see you…" Athrun said. And this truth pierced both hearts deeply. Cagalli put her hand on top of Athrun's which was on her face.

"So… will you kiss me? Because I don't think I could find you now… And I really need to feel you."

Cagalli bent down and kissed his lips lovingly, the closest contact they had got since his birthday. Athrun closed his eyes, though without that all he could see now was black. But the movement helped him feel her better.

"I love you Athrun…" Cagalli pressed her cheek against Athrun's, "Always… I'll always be here."

"I love you, Cagalli. I'm glad I met you, and that I have you by my side."

I didn't intend to make Kira and Cagalli's relationship like that, but that just flowed from my head.

And, that's all folks! That's the end of the story! *sniff*

Thanks for reading, and please review!