Phase 6: Enemies To Friends

Athrun stood leaning against the outside of the cave with his arms crossed. Despite his nap earlier, he was exhausted. He had to admit it was quite chilly outside, but then again the cold breeze was helping keep his thoughts clear from the earlier charade. Although every now and then, the image managed to creep back into his head.

Cagalli had gotten dressed quite quickly. She felt embarrassed at how he'd seen her and at how she acted. She felt too shy to face him again, but knew she had little choice. "Uhm you can come in now," Cagalli said softly from inside the cave.

Athrun walked back into the cave. Cagalli was waiting for him with bag in hand as he sat down in his usual spot. Things were a bit uncomfortable at first due to her being half naked earlier, and due to the fact that they were now trying to figure out how to transition from enemies to being friendly with one another. They were both trying their best not to make eye contact.

Cagalli watched the injured soldier unzip his suit and pull his arms out of it, but left his gloves on. She remembered his blue undershirt from earlier in the day. She watched him grab the collar of his shirt, at the back of his neck and start pulling it over his head. Cagalli gulped. The injured man then placed his blue shirt on the floor behind him. Cagalli started to walk toward him with the bag as he was now done stripping. She placed the bag up against the wall and sat down in front of him. She sat like a child with her legs bent back on either side of her. She tried not to look the half dressed man in the face as she was very close to him now, in this very uncomfortable situation. She should have stopped to think the scenario through before offering to help him. There was continued silence as she opened the bag and started to look for the alcohol rub and cotton wool.

Athrun sat holding his right hand up against his head, as to give her access to the wound. She was so strange. One minute she was trying to kill him and the next she was nursing his injuries. He watched her fumble in the bag and noticed how uncomfortable she seemed, probably because of his upper half being exposed. Normally he would have been uncomfortable too; but for some reason, he wasn't. He normally felt uneasy around the opposite sex, even Lacus sometimes. He even opened up to the blonde about what happened to his mother. Although she gives a very harsh first impression she's caring and a good listener. It was also easy to have an intelligent conversation with her. He couldn't help but feeling open and comfortable around this unique girl.

Cagalli began cleaning the cut with the alcohol. "I'm sorry I've been giving you such a hard time," she said finally breaking the silence.

"Don't worry about it," Athrun said calmly. "I understand why you did it."

This guy is so noble, Cagalli thought to herself. It was probably due to the fact that he was in the military, but he was very muscular. She got the bandage from the bag and held it in her left hand, against his right side. She slowly wrapped her right arm around his left side and then around his back, to reach the bandage in her other hand. A sudden heat crept over her cheeks as the side of her face touched his bare chest, but she had mastered her poker face by this point from all their close encounters.

Athrun gulped at the close contact with the blonde girl yet again. She smelt quite nice for someone that has been stranded on an island, she had a sweet scent to her. Athrun tried to keep his thoughts preoccupied from the fact that he had never been as close to a girl as he had been to the strange blonde for now the fifth time in one day. He was respectful to women and faithful to his fiancé, but he was still a teenage boy nonetheless. Having a girl his age with a nice body touching his bare upper body, was a lot for his senses and hormones to handle.

Athrun finally managed to veer his thoughts away from the physical contact, but replaced them only with more thoughts of the girl in front of him. He thought about how different she was to Lacus, different from any other woman really. He liked how expressive she was and how she spoke her mind. She doesn't just do things to be polite, she does them only if she cares to and genuinely wants to do them.

"What if they don't find us?" Cagalli decided to break the tension.

"They will. I've sent out a distress signal and I'll keep trying to make contact," Athrun assured her.

"What if they don't find me?" Cagalli corrected.

Athrun looked down at her as he could hear the worry in her voice, but she would not look at him. "Then I'll take you with me."

Cagalli looked up at him for the first time since he'd entered the cave. She was shocked at his response. "No way! I'm not gonna set foot on any ZAFT ship," she said defensively, trying to hide the fact that she felt flattered by his offer.

Athrun was stunned at first at her response as that was more or less exactly what Kira said to him once, but Athrun quickly shrugged it off. He then chuckled at the full of nonsense girl in front of him as he could tell that what she was saying and what she was feeling were too different things. "I guess we'll just have to live here then," Athrun said playing along. He liked who he was around the girl, she made him feel more like himself again and less like the soldier he had become. He had meant it as a joke; but as he thought about what he'd said, he had to admit, It may not be the worst idea. Athrun pictured it for a second as he tilted his head up and rested it against the wall. No war, no obligations, just peace.

Cagalli didn't react to what he had said. He's just kidding, the teenager told herself as she shook it off. She felt flattered by all his responses, but wondered if he was just a smooth talker. She then leaned in closer to his stomach as the fire was starting to dim and she was trying to tie a not in the bandage.

Athrun lifted his head off the wall and was watching the girl that claimed she wasn't a soldier, tying the bandage. She had obviously had some basic military and first aid training.

Cagalli finally got it done and started straightening up. She found herself once again staring at the handsome blue haired, green eyed man as he began dressing himself

When Athrun was done covering up, he noticed the blanket still laying on the floor next to him. He folded it and handed it back to the amber eyed girl.

Cagalli gave his countless kind gestures a small simple smile. She had a new and unfamiliar feeling replace the uncomfortable and embarrassed one she was feeling before.

Athrun felt something come over him as she had never smiled at him before. She really was beautiful. He was now just staring at her as she was looking at him differently than she had this whole time. It was a much softer expression.

"We should get some sleep," Cagalli suggested softly. She then began standing up.

"Yeah you're probably right," Athrun agreed.

Cagalli walked over to her side of the cave and got comfortable. Athrun followed suit on his side.

"Thank you," Athrun said across the cave with a grateful smile on his face.

"Hmmm," Cagalli smiled back at him with a nod.

The gun and knife were still left laying on the floor on the other side of the cave as they had now let their guard down and didn't feel the need to protect themselves against each other anymore.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cagalli sat looking at the floor of the cave as she felt something in her changing. She didn't know what or how; but she didn't feel like the person she was in the desert, or the person that ran away from home. Thoughts of that night drifted through her mind and into her dreams as sleep took her.

Later on that night, after Cagalli's argument with her father, Cagalli had a bag packed and ready to go. Living the life of some dressed up Princess that did whatever she was told, wasn't the life for her. Especially considering her future involved her marrying that sleaze ball. She wanted to go see what goes on in the world. Go see what the war was about, maybe she could help bring an end to it. She wasn't going to stay in Orb anymore and pretend like there was no war going on.

No one had discovered Cagalli's secret way out of the mansion that she used last time. She had just reached the gardens when she felt someone grab her. "Huh," she was getting ready to swing.

"And where do you think you are going?" Kisaka asked.

"Let me go!" Cagalli demanded, but Kisaka wasn't budging. "If you take your job so seriously you can come with me, but I am going with or without you."

"And where exactly are we going?" Kisaka asked as he followed the head strong Princess.

"I need to get out on my own. I can't keep having my father shelter me from the truth and live my life according to what's best for the nation. My father says I have no idea what goes on in the world and yet he won't let me experience it. I also want to help bring this damn war to an end. There's no reason for naturals and coordinators to be fighting."

"You are wise Cagalli, but as a teenager you sometimes let your emotions and temper get the best of you." Kisaka looked at the girl that he had come to see as his daughter over the years. "The war has more to do with you than you realize," Kisaka stopped the girl and had both his hands on her shoulders. "There is a good reason why your father keeps you so sheltered from the world's happenings and from the war."

"Well who asked you?!" Cagalli said as she shrugged him off and carried on walking. "Why would he take you away from your busy job of being Colonel to be my bodyguard anyway? Why not get someone else?" She asked as she bought a train ticket for herself and Kisaka.

"He said that it would have to be someone you know as to not make you feel uncomfortable, seeing as you would be spending a lot of time with them. He also said that he doesn't trust anyone else with your life. I think he knew you would run away again and he wanted to make sure you were protected, even when he couldn't be there to protect you himself." Kisaka defended his friend and Chief Representative, as they boarded the train.

Cagalli said nothing as she sat down and looked out the window starting to feel guilty for how she was treating her father.

Kisaka saw this and took the opportunity to tell her, "You know your father really didn't know about what was going on in Heliopolis, but he would feel like a poor leader if he had to admit that he didn't know what was going on in his own nation and if he were to throw the people that worked for him under the bus."

"Even so..." Cagalli trailed off. "I bet you it was the Seirans. They've always favoured the Federation." Cagalli grumbled as she was still staring out the window.

"What about you? You're going to fight in the war which means you'll have to choose a side. Which side will you choose?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was now dawn. The fire had died out sometime during the night, and Athrun and Cagalli were now only in their third hour of sleep. They had both fallen into a light sleep while sitting up. Athrun was on his side of the cave with his legs straight and his back against the wall, and Cagalli was on her side of the cave with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms and head resting on them. She also had his blanket draped over her shoulders.

Athrun heard a faint beeping sound in the distance. He slowly opened his eyes and the beeping got louder. He then realized what it was and quickly flipped his watch open on his right hand, and then bolted out of the cave.

Cagalli woke up to the sound of footsteps. "Huh," she wondered as her half open eyes saw the man run out of the cave.

Athrun pulled himself up the zip line of the Aegis and then launched into the cockpit. Before even sitting down he pressed a few buttons and accepted the transmission. He then swung around to sit in the cockpit.

"Athrun can you hear me? Please respond."

Athrun pressed the communication button, "Nicol, that you?"

"Athrun! What a relief! We'll get a fix on you from this transmission," Nicol assured him.

"What is it?" Athrun heard the light haired girl scream up to him. "The radio's working," Athrun yelled back at her. The radio started beeping again. "What's that?" he asked himself, looking over at the screen. His distress signal beacon was picking something else up.

Cagalli ran into the cave and quickly gathered up their things, while the pilot was getting them help. She walked back out of the cave and waited for him to disembark and tell her what was going on. Cagalli looked at the sunrise peaking over the ocean. With everything that was going on, she hadn't stopped to notice how beautiful and peaceful this place was. She wouldn't have minded staying for a few more days. Cagalli then noticed the soldier coming down the zip line. She gave him his bag and he smiled in thanks as he flung it onto his back, still holding the strap in his hand.

"ZAFT rescue's on its way, they should be here soon. And there's another vessel coming by sea, it's heading in the direction of your aircraft. I gotta go hide this machine, I don't want this to turn into a battle field."

Cagalli found that to be a weirdly considerate statement for a soldier to make. "Huh right, and I guess I better get back to my aircraft. I'll find some place to hide." Cagalli spoke sweetly.

Athrun's expression softened. "Yeah right," he said amused at the fact that she was going to go and try and pretend like she can fend for herself. He stared at her as she looked at the Aegis. She had definitely made an impression on the young man, whether he knew it yet or not.

Cagalli turned to meet his gaze. I wonder what he's thinking about? She thought to herself as she noticed him staring and smiling at her. "Hmm bye," she greeted and returned the simple smile. Cagalli then turned around and started walking away from him, back toward the jungle.

Athrun watched her as she walked away. "Hey, you sure you're not with the Earth Forces?" He shouted sceptically as he considered the facts that she came armed, had some military training and was flying an Earth Forces plane.

Cagalli stopped and turned her body back half way to look at him, "Nope, I'm not."

They're not even soldiers, yet... his thoughts referred to her and Kira that were thrust into the war despite the fact that they are only civilians.

"Hey I'm Cagalli, what's your name?" Cagalli shouted.

Athrun was a bit shocked at the fact that they hadn't yet exchanged names considering all the time they've spent together and everything they've been through already. "It's Athrun," he answered.

Cagalli gave him a nod and a smile, and then started running back in the direction of the Skygrasper. Athrun smirked as he turned to walk toward the Aegis. He hadn't noticed yet, but he grinned like a fool every time she smiled at him.

Cagalli finally reached the other side of the island when she saw something sticking out of the water and heading towards her. "The Strike! Kira!" she exclaimed with excitement.

Athrun was now sitting in his cockpit smiling to himself, while he was waiting for his team to arrive. He didn't notice Yzak's face appear on the monitor as he was a bit distracted.

"What are you smiling at you bastard?" Yzak yelled.

"Huh?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx