Interlude (2)

Disclaimer: Seed and Destiny do not belong to me in anyway. I own the plot of this story and that's it.

Author's Note: As I have mentioned before, time and setting will be in DESTINY after episode 28. This one is done purely out of sheer whims (I just couldn't resist to write about their relationship as brother and sister). So… pretty much of this one is AU in a way, with lots and lots of OOCness for both characters. Don't flame me if you don't like my characterization.

Thanks for the reviews, guys. Really, really happy to see any kind of response at all.

asga: Thanks! I will be talking with you and the others about Cagalli/Athrun again at the forum as soon as I get "What if" and the side-story done!

Yun Fei: She suffers a lot, but most is because of seeing her people dying and her country falling apart again. As for Athrun… (evil) If my side-story gets approved and after I fix things up a little, I will post it here. 'Course, lots of Athrun torturing! (cackle)

Alex Ikari: Ah… I might make something from Seed. But I don't know yet.

Jenny: Yes, go Kira!

THANKS everyone!

So, on with the next part…

"...ra. Kira!"

Purple eyes fluttered opened at the persistent calling and almost hesitant shaking. He blinked once. Twice.

"Baka Kira, you're still asleep?" asked a voice, irritated and worried.

He looked up and saw brown.

Familiar brown eyes.

Her worried brown eyes.

Cagalli...

"What is this?" asked Cagalli, angry and more worried than before. She was kneeling next to him on the floor, her hands still on his shoulders. "Baka, have you been sitting here all night?"

Cagalli...

"You could have gotten sick or something. Have you eaten anything… Oh no, you haven't even changed out of the suit! Kira, what were you…. Kira? Kira, are you all right?"

"Cagalli..."

And he pulled her abruptly to him, holding her tightly, desperately.

Cagalli's eyes grew wide, surprised.

"Cagalli... Cagalli... My sister... My family..." he whispered, over and over. "Cagalli..."

And she remembered how the same thing had happened before. Right after the war two years ago, when he locked himself up in his room and she waited and waited outside hours after hours. The last conversation she had with him, with the cursed door between them, drove her to go out and find out the truth of their origins. Expected the worst though she did, it had shocked her and broke her down. But she had to protect... She had something to protect... Someone that she must protect...

"Kira!" she practically burst into the room. His room. She was panting hard as she scanned the dark room. "Kira! Where are you?"

She wrapped her arms around him. He was trembling slightly. Did he think that I...?

Cagalli patted his back, the same way she used to do for him then. "Don't worry anymore. It's all right. I am all right. I truly am..."

"Cagalli...?" his voice was thick and hoarse from crying. Another nightmare. She could feel him reaching out for her, unseen and blind in the darkness, calling out for her. "Cagalli...? Cagalli..."

He drew away and there were tears in his eyes. "...I'm sorry."

She brushed her hand to his cheek gently. "And I'm sorry, too. Because of me, you and everyone have to be involved in this mess. I'm sorry I was weak, Kira. I'm very sorry."

She made her way unerringly to him. She sat down on the bed and held him. "It's all right. It's just a dream. Just a dream, Kira. Everyone's all right. We're not hurt. We've never left, Kira..."

"You're hurt," he said, looking into her eyes sadly. "You're hurt, Cagalli. And you won't let me help you."

She looked at him, sighed, and fell into his embrace again. "You're helping me, little brother," she whispered. "Being here. You are here when all else is gone. You are here and you are real. You are not a lie like the others. You are not, are you, Kira?"

"So many people died, Cagalli. They d-died because of me..." a choked sobbed. "Cagalli, I s-saw more - many more people died... Because of what I a-am. Am I still human?"

"Kira..."

His arms tightened around her. The desperation had gone and was replaced by fierce protectiveness and love that only existed in the bond that was shared through the blood in their veins. That, and through everything they had been through together.

"He buried his face in her shoulder, holding onto her desperately, despairingly. "Maybe I'm still human. But I don't know who...who I am anymore. Cagalli, I am n-not Kira Yamato. Kira Yamato is a lie. Everything...Everything in my l-life has been all l-lies. And because of that people died. All because of me…"

"I'm real," he told her. "I'm not a lie. Never a lie."

A relieved sigh. She held him tight, but she did not cry.

"No. No, it's not you, Kira. It's never your fault..." She brushed damp locks away from his face and pressed a soft kissed to his forehead. "It hurts. I know it hurts badly. But better the truth than more lies, is it? It hurts now and it hurts a lot. But in the end the pain will go away and then we can all learn to smile and laugh, and be happy again. Until then…"

They held each other like that, taking and giving strength to one another silently. It was something that nobody could do for them. That's because they were family. Real and true, and simple as that. The world and everything might be a lie, but they were true and they had each other.

At this moment, that's enough.

She held him close and dropped a kiss on his head. "Until then, I will be here to protect you. I will be here for you when it hurts and the pain makes you cry. You have me, Kira. You will never be alone and I will always love you, no matter what. I love you, my little brother. I love you and I will never ever leave you alone again."

"You promised me…" he said, pulling away to look at her. "You promised me, you had been there for me, you had done so many things, and yet…" he bit his lip. "I've never done anything for you."

"You've done more than enough!" she cried angrily, her eyes flashing. "Don't you ever say that again, Kira Yamato! I---"

"Then why didn't you trust me?" he snapped, fire burning in his own eyes. "Why can't you trust me? You have never trusted me enough to let me see you as yourself or your pain! Not until that day after I had to use force to take you away from him! Then, after that, you pretended to be strong. You pretended that nothing had happened. But you cried, Cagalli. You cried and you wouldn't let me be there for you!"

"Because I have to be strong!" she almost screamed at him now. "For Orb's sake! For everyone's! For yours! I swore that I would protect... I swore and I couldn't... Couldn't..." she choked back tears. She couldn't cry. She mustn't cry...

"I swear," she whispered to the solemn silence. "I swore it once before, I swear it now again that no matter what shall happen in the future, I am not going to give up. Even if it's going to kill me, I will never give up. For Father, for Orb, for those who died and for those who still live, for my friends here, and for the family I have left now…" her arms tightened protectively around her brother, "…even if I have to lose everything, even if I have to die, I will protect them. I will not let anyone die or get hurt again, I swear."

She covered her face with her hands, her whole body was shaking as he held her in his arms. "And I just promised myself... promised myself not to cry anymore. Not to be weak anymore. I mustn't... or they will die. Orb will die, Kira. If Orb dies then He will die... And you..." she choked back a sob. "You will leave... Leave me just like he has left..."

"Cagalli... Cagalli, I love you. And I'm sorry... For everything..."

He pulled her to him, holding her close. "I will not leave you. I will never leave you, Cagalli. I will never leave because I can't. Didn't you tell me before that everything could be a lie but, no matter how hard we tried to pretend and lie to each other, it would still be true that we were family and we shared the same blood? You told me, Cagalli. You told me..."

"Don't make me cry..." she begged, burying her face in his shoulder. "Please... Please, Kira. If I c-cry now...If I cry again, I will break... Kira, I will break and I will f-fall!"

"Then, I will be here to catch you. I will not let you break and I will catch you if you fall. Whenever you fall..." he cried into her shoulder. "...I will be here. So...please, Cagalli...don't do this. Don't do this to yourself. Don't suffer alone anymore..."

The last of her cracked wall crumbled and fell away.

She broke. She fell. And she cried.

But he caught her. He was there to collect the pieces just as she had done for him before. He was there...and he cried with her.

Wanting so desperately to be strong for the others...Having to be strong for them and the world...Hurting so badly but still had to be strong...

Yet despite everything, they were both only humans. Just weak, pathetic humans. They were only children and they still longed for love, freedom, and happiness that any other child had the right to have.

When theirs were taken away for-ever.

Don't let go. Please don't let go.

Catch me. Don't let me fall.

Can I still believe? Is it still all right to believe that things will be fine, just like before, again?

Will you be here for me always? Even when the world turns away from me, even when everyone chooses to leave me, will you still be here for me?

Always. Always.

We're all that we have left after all. We're to bear the same sin for the wrong that had been done to many others. Sin that burned in our very existences, every moment of our lives, and every drop of our blood...

Because it was us that human kind has dreamed and despaired.

Coordinator and Natural.

Please review!