Chapter 25 – Half

Again, I apologize for my late update. Thanks for all the support. I love you all and I hope you would enjoy this!

Athrun P.O.V.

I thought I was being too suspicious. I thought I was being too protective. I thought it was just my imagination. I thought what I felt was wrong. But no, I was right. She chose him over me. That tore my heart into half.

The stadium was exploding. Peoples were cheering. No one could control the noise. But no one minded about that. Peoples had the right to cheer. It was a splendid match, after all.

Cagalli was surrounded by her team. Being the only girl in the team, Cagalli wasn't given any special treatment but she had made them win the team. It was a miracle even for Cagalli herself. Everyone thought the Archs would be losing. The points were 56-54; the Dominions were on the lead. But Cagalli had scored 3 points just before the time ended and it was decided that the Archs had won the match.

After all the cheering and whoopings, Cagallli and her teammates made their way to the changing room. They were still discussing about the game. They had had a tough match with the Dominions; even with Athrun at their side, they couldn't win easily. Everyone in the team looked radiant, except for Athrun.

Cagalli noticed that Athrun was not as cheerful as everyone else were. She wondered why he wasn't. He didn't even congratulate her like everyone else did. She was quite upset about that but she knew something must be bothering him. So she tried to start a talk with him quietly without the other knowing.

"Athrun, you're alright? What's with that gloomy face?"she asked concernly.

Athrun looked at her slightly and nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright."

The blonde sighed as she realized that she had asked the wrong question. "Okay, you're alright… but you don't seem happy. We've won the match, Athrun!"

"I know we've won the match and I am happy. That's your changing room, Cagalli."

Cagalli sighed again as she made way towards her changing room. She had requested to have another changing room for herself since she was the only girl in the team. But even when she was changing her clothes, she still thought about Athrun. Even though Athrun wasn't really friendly with her this lately, he had been alright towards her this morning.

"You look too nervous. Is this Cagalli Yula Attha. I though you are raised by Uzumi Nara Attha, the lion of Orb." Athrun had said to her.

Cagalli's spirit raised up when she heard her father's name. Her father was her proud; as she was his father's proud. Athrun had even smiled at her. It cheered up since Athrun hadn't been smiling much recently. But it looked like Athrun's good mood had changed again. He was ignoring her again; without her knowing why.

"I really can't understand him; no matter how much I want to…"

Later, Zala Mansion

Athrun opened his eyes slowly when he felt his cell phone vibrated beside his pillow. He wasn't actually sleeping but he took his time answering the phone. If he was given choice, he would rather ignore the call. But he answered it anyway.

"Hello, Kira…"he muttered slowly.

"Athrun, where are you?" Kira's voice sounded worried.

"At home. What's wrong?"

"Are you sure you don't want to celebrate your victory? Cagalli is upset, you know."

Athrun paused for a while; the name had silenced him. " I-It's not my victory. You all can celebrate without me. I don't think she would mind if I am not there."

He heard Kira sighed on the other line. "Athrun, tell me…do you and Cagalli fight?"

"Nah. Why would us, anyway?" Athrun answered with a laugh that didn't belong to him.

"Athrun Zala, I have been your bestfriend for 10 years. Why must you lie to me? I know there's something wrong with you and her. It's so unlike you to ignore someone like you did to her last week. Even though you don't like your fangirls, you never ignore them like you did to Cagalli. What's wrong actually?"

" It's none of your business, Kira."

"It is my business! You are dating with my sister…"

"We aren't dating; it is a deal." Athrun snapped.

"Yeah, a deal. But I know you love her. It's obvious. Athrun, I love both of you. You are my bestfriend and she is my twin sister. I want you two happy. Do you think I like it when both of you ignore each other like this? Cagalli was really happy when she went home just now. But when I asked about you, she saddened and said you've made her upset. You didn't look happy even you all have won the match and the worst, you didn't even congratulate her for winning the match for you all. She's disappointed of you, Athrun."

" Everyone had congratulate her. Why must I? She's only being childish."

"She's not! Can't you understand her? Can't you understand how happy she is? She helped her team winning on her very first match. Of course she wants you to congratulate her…"

"I am not her real boyfriend…" Athrun snapped again.

"Yes, you're not but you're her friend, right? Her teammate? What's wrong with you actually, Athrun?"

"She choosed him over me, Kira."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Kira, I was right beside her when she scored. But when the time ended, she ran forwards to hug that Miguel. I knew she knew that I was beside her. But she still went for him. And I saw he kissed her at both cheeks; she didn't make any attempts to avoid the kisses. If you were in my shoes, what would you feel, Kira?"

Kira was speechless on the other line. "Athrun…"

"You want me to tell you everything, right? Okay, I admit it, I love her. Do you think I like to ignore her? Do you think she is the only one who is upset? I am upset as well. Don't you notice she keeps comparing me to other guys? First, Yzak. Then, Miguel. No one like to be compared with anyone. I am Athrun Zala, not Yzak Joule nor Miguel Ayman. And do you remember what she said back at Milly's house? 'Me with Zala? Trust me…I prefer Beauty and The Beast. They would look lot better than me with Zala. I think the only guy who can cope with me here is Yzak but well, he's taken.' What would you feel if you are at my place, Kira? I know my fangirls are giving her a hard time, but must she blame me on that? It's not like I want it to happen! Even though she doesn't love me like I love her, why can't she at least think about my feelings?"

Athrun cut off the line. He didn't want to hear what Kira would say. He wasn't even sure that he could talk anymore. He didn't know where he got the courage to speak those all out. It made him feel a little bit better but it didn't stop his heart to beat faster than it usually did. He was really angry when he remembered what Cagalli had done.

Without his knowing, a single tear rolled down his cheek as he stared blankly at his front. "I really can't understand her; no matter how much I want to…"

Kira looked up as the door of his room swung open, revealing a cheerful Cagalli. "Kira!!"

"Come in, Cagalli but next time please knock the door before you open it, okay?" said Kira softly as he smiled.

Cagalli walked in, closing the door and sat beside Kira on the bed. Her face sure looked radiant. She held Kira's hand and looked straight into his violet eyes.

"Kira…" she began "Mom said I must ask for your permission before going anywhere alone, right?"

Kira nodded and smiled at his sister. "Yes. Are you going out? With who?"

"Miguel." Cagalli's eyes shone brightly as she said the name. "Miguel asked me whether I could go out with him tonight. You know, he said he wants to buy something for me because I had won the match for them. It's okay, right, Kira? You won't mind, right? I promise I will come home before midnight!"

Upon hearing Miguel's name, Kira sighed. He remembered his conversation with Athrun just now. "Um…Cagalli, does Athrun know about this?"

The blonde pouted. "Does he have anything to do with this? He is not my guardian!" she said.

"He's not your guardian. But he's supposed to be your boyfriend, isn't he? What if someone from the school sees you with Miguel going out together? At least you tell him that you are going out tonight…" Before Cagalli could intefer, he continued, "I only would say yes if Athrun says he's alright with it…"

Cagalli muttered something under her breath that sounded like " Yeah, as if he would say yes…"

Kira heard it and looked at her sternly. " Tell him, Cagalli or you wouldn't go out tonight."

"Okay, okay…I'll call him. I'm sure he'll say yes, anyway. He's such a sweetie, that bestfriend of yours."sighed Cagalli, full with ironies.

She walked out from Kira's room leaving Kira sighing and shaking his head at her.

As Cagalli sat on her bed, she flipped her cell phone open and sent a message to Miguel.

" Have 2 inform Zala. Will tell u later. "

After receiving a " I wish u luck. : ) I rlly want 2 go out wif u " from Miguel, Cagalli dialled Athrun's number.

" Hello." Athrun's voice was as gentle as it always had been but he sounded quiet cold to Cagalli.

"Hello, Athrun. Sorry if I am bothering you." Cagalli said politely. It was her first time calling Athrun through his cell phone so she was kind of nervous.

" It's alright. What is it?"

"Well, it's nothing, actually…just want to tell you that I am going out tonight. Kira said I have to tell you. "

" Going out? With who?"

Cagalli was going to say 'Miguel' before she caught herself. She really wanted to go out with Miguel but she wasn't sure Athrun would let her. She didn't wish to argue with Athrun again so she thought it would be better if she just simply created a white lie. What Athrun didn't know wouldn't hurt him, right?

"Um…with my friends from Orb. They arrived this evening."

"Girls?"

"Um…yeah, Asahi and the others. Is it alright?"

" Yeah. Don't go home too late. Take care of yourself."

"Okay. Thanks, Athrun. Goodnight and see you tomorrow." she wished happily.

" See you."

Right after she ended the call, Cagalli texted Miguel, saying, " All clear. Pick me up in 10 minutes. "

" That's my girl." replied Miguel seconds later.

Cagalli was happy beyond words. She knocked the wall that separated her room and Kira's and shouted, "Athrun said OK!"

" Fine, then!" Kira shouted back.

Zala Mansion

It was 11.05 a.m. when Athrun's cell phone rang. Athrun, who was reading a thick book about accounting raised an eyebrow at his cell phone. He rarely got a call this late and by hearing the ring tone played, he knew it was not from his friends. Nevertheless, he took off the glass he was wearing and answered the phone.

"Hello? Is that Athrun Zala?" a voice belonged to a girl said.

" Yes, Athrun speaking. May I know who are you, please?" Athrun said politely.

"Um…this is Sophia…um…I am in the next class of yours."

From the way she was speaking, Athrun could tell that she was one of his fangirls. " I see…is there anything I could help you, Sophie-san?"

"Um…that…I just want to tell you… I am not being a busybody, you know… but I met your girlfriend just now. That Attha. With our senior, Miguel Ayman."

The phone almost slipped from Athrun's grip. But he managed to hold it and thought what should he say. " Oh, really? Are you sure it's really Cagalli?"

"I've caught a picture of them; I will send it to you. I just want to inform that, Athrun-kun. Good night."

"Thanks, Sophie-san. Good night to you too. " Athrun managed to say in his shaky voice.

5 minutes later, Athrun received a picture from Sophie. It was indeed Cagalli in the picture. She was holding Miguel's hand and seemed very happy. Athrun stared at the picture blankly. He didn't know what to do anymore with their relationship now.

The next day, Cagalli's secret place

Cagalli was crying alone; hugging her knees. The bell had rang hours ago and she had missed several classes. But she didn't care about those all. All she wanted is to be alone and no one knew this place except for her and Athrun. And she knew Athrun wouldn't care to come and see her here.

Thinking about Athrun made her tears came out again. She had seen Athrun went berserk at Miriallia and Tolle before but Athrun was scarier than that just now. She could tell that he was really mad since he was yelling at the top of his voice and didn't stop even when she started to cry.

"Do you know how mad I am at you, Attha?! I don't know why God created a person this stupid! Why can't you think before you do something?! I know very well that you wanted to go out with him! Fine, you could go! I would have let you go if that was what you wanted! But do you have to lie to me?! Letting me know by someone else instead of yourself?! You…Are you really that stupid?! Listen here, if…if you think this deal is killing you, if you think you just can't act as my girlfriend anymore, if you think he is better than me…then tell me and we can cancel this deal! I've had enough with you!"

She had no idea how he knew she went out Miguel last night but it seemed like everyone at school had known about it. Most of the girls glared at her when she arrived at school just now and the boys smirked at her spitefully. To make the matter worse, she didn't meet Miguel at all the morning.

"Maybe I should explain to him nicely after this…"thought Cagalli as she wiped her tears. "It's not like I have done anything with Miguel after all…"

It was recess time and everyone had left the class. The only ones left were Kira, Athrun, and Lacus. Cagalli didn't return to the classroom since the first class started, much to Kira's displeasure but he thought he should let her alone for a while.

"Athrun, I'm really sorry! I didn't know she was lying! I thought she had called you!" Kira apologized again. He had apologized the morning when he was told of what Cagalli had done, but he didn't think Athrun heard him that time as he was really mad of Cagalli.

Athrun smiled at his best friend bitterly. "It's okay. She did call me, actually. She told me she was going out. But she said she would be with her girl friends."

Kira sighed hearing his simple, untruthful answer and looked at Lacus beside him. "What would you do now, then? Would you two break up; cancelling the deal?"

"No way! They won't break up. Athrun loves Cagalli, right, Athrun?" said Lacus firmly.

Athrun's emerald rested on Lacus' sapphire for a while before it stared on his shoes. "Lacus, don't talk nonsense. I don't love her."

Lacus chuckled. "You know I am right. You love Cagalli. It's obvious."

"I don't love her, Lacus. I just hate being lied like that." Athrun tried to convince her. "Do you think I would love a liar like her?...Sorry, no offence, Kira."

Kira shook his head. "Nah, it's okay. But what would you do?"

" I don't know. Anyway, could you two please leave me alone here and go to the canteen? I want to take a nap; haven't sleeping well last night. Now, go, please."

Sighing, Kira and Lacus looked at each other before accepting the dismissal as Athrun already put his head on the table and closed his eyes. Both of them had noticed that Athrun had seemed very tired since the beginning. Even though he said he didn't sleep well last night, the two could conclude that he had not been sleeping at all.

"Do you want me to buy anything for you, Athrun?" Lacus asked before she left the class.

There was no answer from Athrun except for his soft snores.

Kira smiled and put his hand around Lacus's shoulder. "Shh…the baby's sleeping…" he whispered before chuckling softly and left the classroom.

Cagalli sighed when she realized no one in the class except for the sleeping Athrun. She had decided to creep into the class during reccess to avoid questions about her disappearance during earlier lessons. Even though her heart skipped a beat when she noticed Athrun sleeping soundly on his desk, which was next to hers, she realized that it was better to find him sleeping than to confront him after what had happened between them this morning.

Sinking into her seat, Cagalli sighed again. She averted her gaze towards the sleeping Athrun. Again, her heart beat a little faster as she stared at his cute, peaceful face. It had been a long time she looked carefully at Athrun's face. This lately, it hadn't been so well between them; whenever she looked at him, he always showed his solemn, indifferent face.

When she remembered back Athrun's expression this morning, Cagalli shivered slightly. Athrun seemed really mad that she could not see the loving Athrun on his handsome face. She knew she had deserved that. She should not go out with Miguel at the first place but there was no use crying over split milk. What she should do now was apologize to Athrun, even though she was aware that it would not be easy for him to forgive her.

"There you are!"

The blonde jumped on her feet and turned to the door. It was Miguel, grinning and walking towards her. Cagalli approached him with a smile. When they got close, Miguel leaned forward and kissed Cagalli on the cheek, making her smile even brighter.

"I got you into trouble, right?" Miguel started a talk. "I'm really sorry."

Cagalli shook her head. "Nah, it's my fault. If only I asked him nicely, he would have let us go. It's my fault for lying at him."

Miguel glance at the still sleeping Athrun for a moment. "So, it's real, then? The think you told me last night…that everything between you and Zala is a deal?"

This time, Cagalli nodded. "Yes. It will over soon, much to my pleasure. But you know, Miguel, sometimes, I feel like I don't want this deal to end."

The blonde lad raised an eyebrow at her. "And why?"

" Because…he always seemed so nice to me before. Even though I have no idea why he ignored me this lately, but before that, he had treated me like a princess. He even had protected me several times. He was, and is a nice guy. Just…it seems like I did too much mistakes. I hurt him too many times."

Miguel stared at her as she took her time gazing at Athrun. He had always liked Cagalli, since the first time he met her. But seeing the way she looked at Athrun, Miguel knew he had no chance.

"So…you decline my offer?" he asked quietly.

Cagalli gasped as she remembered Miguel's offer last night; to be his girlfriend. She still had not thought about that but now she knew what answer should she gave him. " I'm sorry, Miguel."

"Nah, it's okay." Miguel said with his usual grin. "But can you do me a favour? For the last time?"

"Okay, what is it?"

"This…" whispering, he pulled Cagalli into a deep hug and seconds later, Cagalli found her lips were on his.

A sound cracked behind Cagalli and both of them broke the kiss abruptly. Cagalli turned her head around while Miguel looked over Cagalli's shoulder, hands still at her hips. Athrun was staring at them with his wide eyes; his expression was unreadable.

"Athrun…" the name escaped Cagalli's mouth quietly.

"Sorry for interrupting. Please continue what you are doing." His voice was very cold and he turned his back to them, resting his head on the desk again.

GOD, this feels like years. I know this is too long but please spare some of your times to review, okay? Till we meet again!

-Mayu