Although we all know the world would be a better place if I owned the characters, I don't.

Vignette Two:

I Heard Your Voice

You're not a free man yet, Athrun Zala. You've still got a promise to keep…

It was a beautiful day as his car sped down the freeway bridge, sapphire ocean water sparkling like diamonds below him. The car was a rental, and he had only been in Orb for about an hour and a half. It was 9:00 AM on Thursday, July 16. Exactly twenty-two hours ago, Athrun Zala had cut the ties that had bound him for the past three years. His divorce from Lacus Clyne had gone awkwardly smoothly. There were no property issues, and no custody battles over their two-year-old daughter, Anath.

It had not been a bad marriage. He had been happy with Lacus. Their life together had been peaceful, and he adored the child he had with her. In a way, he had even come to love Lacus herself. She was serene, and loyal. She too had entered the doomed marriage with her heart in another's hands, and yet she stood by Athrun the entire time. But she knew that behind each of his smiles, beneath each of his touches, he was seeing another woman. A wilder woman, with choppy blond hair and tiger eyes.

Cagalli.

She would not forgive him. He knew that. He had abandoned her, raped her of the past three years she should have spent as his wife. He had given his firstborn child to his friend Lacus, not to the woman he loved more than life itself. Not only that, he had allowed that friend Lacus to break the heart of the person Cagalli loved best in the world. Kira had resorted to alcoholism after she left him, and if not for the kindness and selfless love of a blue-eyed, red-haired girl, his soul would have died.

Every day Athrun thanked God for Miriallia. She saved Kira, and comforted Cagalli. She had married the Coordinator about a year ago, and now she was pregnant with his child. Miriallia was Athrun's one tie back to the people he had not seen in person since his wedding. He wrote to her regularly, and would anxiously await news of his former best friend and former lover. And she would always respond promptly. Because they had made a deal. For three years now, Miriallia upheld her end; Kira was safe, happy, and had hope for the future. Now Athrun had to keep his side of the bargain: to salvage his relationship with Cagalli.

He loved her still.

Every night for the past three years, he had dreamed of her. He tried to remember her laugh, her smile, the way she had touched him when they made love. But it had faded. After a while, he could no longer remember the exact sound of her voice, or how tall she was, or her favorite food. And now, all he could remember was her face when he told her it had to end.

"What?"

"…I'm sorry, Cagalli…."

"That's it? Everything we've had…it's just gone? Like that?"

"Cagalli, don't you get it? We're practically two different species. People already hate it that we're together. We're only making things worse."

"I don't give a damn what other people think, Athrun Zala! All I care about is that after all we've been through, you are just going to walk away like this was some fling you had on a military mission!"

"Cagalli…"

"What the fuck makes you think you can treat me like that? Damn it, I love you, Athrun. You said we were going to get married. You put the fucking ring on my finger! And now you're suddenly going to drop it all like a sack of potatoes?"

"We're young, Cagalli. I never meant to hurt you, but sometimes plans fall through. Look at Kira and Lacus…"

"What do they have to do with anything? This is about you and me, Athrun. And why you're suddenly being such a coward. Did you just wake up this morning, look over at me, and think 'You know, now that I think about it, she doesn't really mean that much to me'?"

"Of course not."

"Well then tell my why you're doing this!"

"…Someone else needs me."

"Who?"

"…Lacus."

"What?"

"We were supposed to get married."

"So? You broke it off."

"She wants it back on."

"Are you out of your god damn mind, Athrun? Who cares? She hurt Kira, I hate her enough for that already. Now all of a sudden she wants to marry you again and you say yes?"

"It's more complicated than that."

"No, it's not. Tell me something, Athrun. Am I the runner up?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"The runner up. The one you took because you couldn't have her. Because she fell in love with Kira."

"No, Cagalli, it's not like that at all…"

"Then why, Athrun? Why in God's name would you lie to me like this? Why would you lead me on so far as to make me think you were going to marry me, and then as soon as a better prospect comes along—"

"I love you Cagalli."

"Like hell."

"She needs me. More than you do."

"Damn straight. I don't need you at all, Athrun Zala. Get out of my house. Don't you dare ever come back. Have a happy life with her, Athrun. God knows one of us deserves that."

He had seen the tiger in her eyes that day. If he had been standing a foot closer to her, she probably would have ripped him apart. But that wasn't what gave him nightmares. No, the image that haunted his dreams were the tears that started pouring out of those tiger eyes as he slowly backed out of the room. The hurt and fear and death of her dreams. But the final blow to his soul had been the sob he heard as he walked silently down the hallway of her expansive home. It was a sob of death. The death of their love, of their happiness, of all their hopes and dreams.

He could remember their plans so clearly now, as he approached the palatial residence of the Orb royal family. They were going to get married on Midsummer's night. Kira was going to be the best man; Erica was going to be the Maid of Honor. They wanted to spend their honeymoon on that deserted island where the first met. They were going to start a family, buy a dog…

All Athrun could hope for now was that Cagalli wouldn't shoot him on sight. He sighed. He prayed. He pulled into the exit lane and got on his cell phone.

I hope he knows what he's doing…

Miriallia Yamato paced nervously in the reception hall of Orb's palace. Her white blouse and green skirt stretched over her three-month-pregnant stomach, but for the first time in ages she was not thinking of her child. She was thinking of her boss, her sister-in-law, her best friend, and the man who was about to step back into her life.

She clearly remembered the conversation she had had with Athrun Zala on his wedding night. She had promised to look after Kira and Cagalli for him, only to later find Kira one step away from suicide only minutes later. He had been drunk, and passed out in her arms before he could shoot himself. Later, when he had sobered up a little, he had seduced her into sleeping with him. The next day, he agreed to enter a rehab program. A year later, he was clean and back to the same person Miriallia had known since she was a teenager. And six months after that, he had proposed to her. Thrilled, she had accepted.

That had brought her closer to Cagalli as well. The women had already been friends through work, and the ruler of Orb was grateful to her assistant for not only saving her brother's life, but for keeping him saved and helping him forget about the hurt Lacus Clyne had caused. They were sisters now, in every sense of the word.

That was why Miriallia had agreed to help Athrun appeal his case to Cagalli. She knew the only person who would be able to heal Cagalli's broken heart would be the one who broke it. It would be hard, and painful, like opening and draining an infected wound. But in the end, it would be better. She was sure of it.

At that moment, a blue care pulled up in front of the entranceway. A tall man with chin length blue hair and sea green eyes stepped out, and handed the keys to a valet. Taking a deep breath, and putting on the brightest smile she could muster, Miriallia opened the door.

"Athrun," she murmured.

"Miriallia," he replied, holding out his hand to her. But instead of taking it, she put her arms around her and embraced him.

"Thank God you've come," Miriallia whispered, letting go of him.

Athrun smiled reassuringly, and gently placed his hands on her swollen stomach. "So this is Kira's child. A Natural, like her mother."

"His," she smiled. "Kira wanted him to be a Natural, but we both wanted to be able to pick a proper name."

"Have you decided?"

"Yes. His name is Kaene."

Athrun froze. Kaene. After Tolle Kaene. Kira's friend, Miriallia's boyfriend. The boy he had killed in battle. Kira knew, Miriallia didn't. But then again, Miriallia knew he was here, Kira didn't. And yet, that she was naming her son after a man he had killed…it sent shivers down his spine.

"I like it," he said finally.

"Thank you," Miriallia answered, then turned and led him inside. "But that's enough time wasted. You're not here to talk to me, are you Athrun?"

"No, I'm not," he replied gently.

She smiled. "Good. I'm spoken for. My sister-in-law, on the other hand…"

"I'll let you guide me in this, Miriallia. Tell me what to do."

The red-haired woman nodded. "I'm only going to start to in the right direction. From there, it's up to you."

"I know."

The two walked down the long hallway to an office lobby. Miriallia walked around behind the desk and hit a button near the edge.

"Cagalli?"

The ruler's voice answered clearly from the speaker sitting near the desk's corner.

"Yes?"

"Are you busy?"

"Sort of."

"There's someone from the PLANTs here to see you. Should I send him in?"

"Can it wait five minutes?"

Miriallia looked at Athrun, who nodded to her. "Yes, it can wait. I'll send him in at 9:45, okay?"
"All right. Thanks Mir," Cagalli finished.

"Of course."

She looked at Athrun. "Well, you have five minutes of prep time. Do you know what you're going to say?"

He sighed. "I know what I have to say. I'm not sure of the exact words."

"Athrun…no matter what she says, I know that part of Cagalli still loves you a teeny-tiny bit. Most of her hates your guts," she smiled slightly, "But my mother always used to say a teaspoon of love can overcome a thousand pounds of hate any day."

"Do you think so?"

She nodded.

Athrun sighed again. "I treated her so badly, Miriallia. I don't deserve to be forgiven for what I did to her."

"You're not the one who gets to decide who is forgiven and who isn't. Cagalli is holding that card, I'm afraid," she answered.

"I know."

"…She loved you very much, Athrun. I don't even know if she loves Kira as much as she loved you. I don't understand…"

"Understand what?"

"Why she didn't fight for you instead of against you," Miriallia gave him a sad smile. "I won't sugarcoat it, Athrun. Most of this is your fault. 99, I would guess. But still…there is that 1. You left her, but she let you go. And that guilt is just as heavy for her as yours is for you."

He said nothing. Miriallia looked at the clock on the wall. Five minutes had passed. She patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. "Showtime."

"Wish me luck."

"Only gamblers and soldiers need luck," she replied gently. "Lovers just need hope."

Again, he was silent. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door.

No…no…this is some kind of sick nightmare…it's fucking impossible…

She looked like she had seen a ghost. Like she was seeing a ghost. Face pale, infamous tiger eyes wide, Cagalli Ula Atha's gaze was locked on the stoic form of Athrun Zala standing not more than four feet from the other side of her desk. God, he had changed! Taller than she remembered, and his hair was a little longer and darker. Dressed in a black t-shirt and tan suede leather jacket, hands stuck in jeans pockets. His beautiful eyes were fixed on her with some unreadable emotion. A shiver went down her spine. She remembered his eyes all too well. The color of the ocean…

"Hello, Cagalli," he said softly. His voice had barely changed.

"Athrun."

More silence, more staring. Finally, the ruler of Orb spoke again.

"What are you doing here, Athrun?"

He took a wary step forwards. "I came to see you."

"Why?"

"I wanted to."

Cagalli's eyes narrowed slightly at his answer. His ego was starting to emerge. That meant hers would as well, and the old rivalry would begin. Frowning, she folded her hands on her desk and maintained the cool face she had perfected during her political career. "Where's your wife?"

"I don't have a wife anymore."

"You and Lacus divorced?"

"It was finalized yesterday," he answered, pulling his left hand out of his pocket to show that his wedding ring was gone.

Her hands clenched ever so slightly. "I heard you had a child."

"I ceded custody to Lacus. I'm not the father type," Athrun answered.

"Apparently. Not the husband type either," she replied.

The awkward silence returned. But this time, they would not look at each other. Cagalli seemed to have found a flaw on the surface of her desk, and was now examining it meticulously while Athrun admired the plush teal carpet. Several minutes passed before he broke the silence.

"I came to see you," he repeated.

She nodded. "You said that already."

"I wanted to talk."

Cagalli let out an exasperated sigh and rested her forehead against her folded hands. "What is there to talk about, Athrun?"

He walked forward and sat down in front of her desk. "I haven't seen you in over three years, Cagalli. There's a lot we could talk about. How's Kira?"

"Kira's fine," she snapped. "He can't wait for his son to be born."

"I saw Miriallia outside. She's glowing," Athrun shot back.

"I know. She's beautiful. I couldn't be happier for her," Cagalli cried angrily.

"Neither could I!"

She opened her mouth to deliver a nasty retort, but suddenly stopped. Letting out a bitter laugh, she stood up and walked to the window overlooking the courtyard. "What do you know? Picking up right where we left off," she murmured.

Athrun sighed and walked over to her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I think you should leave."

"No," he answered. "Not until I apologize."

"You already did."

"No, I mean," the coordinator took a deep breath. "I need to apologize for…for what happened three years ago."

"Oh," Cagalli's gaze on the courtyard hardened. "You mean you want to apologize for ripping my heart out and driving your car over it? You want to apologize for betraying Kira? You want to apologize for sacrificing every shred of honor and loyalty and all the love you ever had for me, all for a pink-haired pop princess who hurt my brother as bad as you hurt me?"

"…Yes."

Another bitter laugh. She turned and looked at him disgustedly. "I think your divorce has messed you up psychologically, if you think an apology is going to make up for all the hell you put me through."

"I don't think it can," he answered calmly. "Actually, I know it won't. Nothing I could ever do could make what I did right. I hate that fact, but I know it's true."

"Damn straight it's true!" Cagalli growled, turning to face him. "You have a lot of nerve, Athrun Zala. You left me for a woman you knew didn't love you and that you supposedly didn't love. Then when you're sick of her, you decide you can drop her just as fast as you dropped me, and leave her with your child, then race down here and try to apologize and make things better between us?"

"Cagalli…" he reached for her hand.

"Don't!" she cried, yanking it backwards. She backed away slowly, shaking her head in anger. "Don't you dare touch me, you sick, heartless bastard."

"Fine! Fine, I won't touch you," he answered loudly, raising his hands and stepping back. But then his face hardened. "I'm not going to try to make everything better with a few words, Cagalli. I'm not going to expect you to forgive me. Ever. But I sure as hell am not giving up on you."

"What?" she cried.

"You're right. Lacus didn't love me. And no matter what you choose to believe, I didn't love her either. She was my friend, and I had to be there for her. These last three years, you are all I've been able to think of, did you know that?" he looked away. "I would be home alone, and I would be sure I heard you calling me from somewhere else. I dreamed of you at night. I would see you on the street and try to follow you, only to find out that it was someone else. It was torture, Cagalli."

"Torture you could have avoided if you stayed with me in the first place!" she snapped back. She pounded her fist against the desk. "Damn it Athrun, if you wanted me, why didn't you hold on to me when you had me?"

"Because you didn't want me!"

She stared at him in disbelief. "Where in God's name would you get an idea like that?"

"You didn't obsess about me, did you Cagalli? You didn't see hallucinations that looked like me, didn't cry out my name when you were sleeping with some other guy," he turned to face her. "You didn't hold on to me when I left."

She was quiet, then answered in a dangerously shaky voice. "What was I supposed to do, Athrun? Guess that you were playing extreme hard-to-get? You loved Lacus, and—"

"Damn it Cagalli, I did not love Lacus!"

His own voice was shaky now. He could feel tears at his eyes, and could already see Cagalli's starting to spill forth.

"Then why did you marry her, Athrun? Is it so important that she has children that you would give up everything you and I had together? Were you so insecure that you were willing to hurt me this much?"

"I never wanted to hurt you!" he answered, fighting to hold the angry tears back. "I loved you, Cagalli! You! Not Lacus! God, you are the first woman I ever really loved, and the only one I have ever loved since!"

"If you loved me, you wouldn't have left me!" she yelled back. "You don't know what I've been through, Athrun. These past three years, I have had to sit back and watch everyone close to me get their happily-ever-afters. I couldn't let myself fall in love again because I was so afraid that all guys would suddenly become like you. I drove myself crazy with all this work, because it was the only thing that kept me from thinking about you. Or didn't you hear about that? How I had to spend three months in a mental hospital after having a nervous breakdown?"

"Cagalli, I'm sorry!" Athrun cried, unable to hold back anymore. "I am…so….sorry. If I could go back in time, I would have never done what I did. I would have married you. Had children with you. It would have been different."

She shook her head slowly. "You can't change the past Athrun," she whispered.

"I know."

As if that were the final straw, she let out a gasping sob and put her head down on her desk. With nothing left to say, Athrun headed for the door, but when his hand was on it, he stopped. Pausing, he looked back at her, then walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. She did not shake it off.

"Do you know what this reminds me of? All this yelling and crying?" he asked softly.

"What? What does it remind you of Athrun?" she muttered into the desk.

"That day you found me. The day I should have died. But I didn't. Because of you," he answered.

The sobs stopped. Slowly, Cagalli raised her head and stared straight forward. "I remember. You had…tried to kill Kira. We found the Strike, but he was gone. And I found you…"

He nodded. "When I woke up, the first thing I remember was that I heard your voice in the darkness. And I felt relieved. Like I was in heaven without being dead."

"I hated you," Cagalli murmured. "I thought you had killed Kira. And I didn't want to believe it. Because…because of how kind you had been to me that night we first met. I didn't want to believe someone as gentle and honest as you could have killed him."

"We cried a lot, didn't we?" Athrun said.

She nodded. "We cried…and we yelled…"

"And then you gave me this." With a soft click, he dropped the amulet she had given him so many years before onto the desk. Tilting her head, she reached out and picked it up, examining it as though it were diamond instead of a polished rock.

"You kept it," she whispered.

He nodded. "I couldn't let it go. That would mean letting go of the last part of you I still had. But I think…I think it's time to let it go now. It would be best if we just closed this chapter in our lives."

Athrun turned to leave again. "I'm sorry again, Cagalli. For every bad thing I ever did to you. I'm sorry."

He reached for the doorknob.

"Athrun, wait!" Cagalli said. He turned back to see her wiping her face with the back of her hand and walking towards him. Reaching up, she put the necklace back on him.

"It was never meant as a token of love," she said. "It was meant to protect you. Because you do stupid things." Cagalli paused. "Please, keep it."

He nodded. "I understand." He turned away again.

"I'm not done," she touched his shoulder. Athrun looked at her curiously. Cagalli inhaled deeply. "Athrun…I don't want to see you for at least a week. Not until I've recovered from all of this. It was only about twenty minutes, but still…it was intense. But after that…I want to talk. I mean, really talk. Not yell, or cry, or anything. Do you think we could do that?"

Athrun nodded again. "A week. Where?"

"Here."

"Understood. I will be there."

"Thank you."

He turned and walked out the door.

Vignette 2:

Fine