Collection of Unlikely Conversations

Disclaimer: Don't own Seed, don't ask, and don't flame.

IF YOU ARE SHINN'S FAN, THEN STAY AWAY FROM THIS STORY AT ALL COST! DON'T COME FLAMING ME LATER EITHER, 'CAUSE I HAVE WARNED YOU! TURN BACK! TURN BACK NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE SHINN AS A MORONIC JERK!

Author's Note: I don't know why but, just like the case with Yzak, I think Rey would get along with Cagalli better than the others. Maybe because of their birth background...hmmm...

So, Shinn's in a fix and Cagalli got her head hurt, again (albeit both times are not her fault). (humming) I will have so much fun torturing Shinn in this...

Part 2, compared to part 1, is very serious. It may seem as though they are not the same story but... (go hide) ...uhh...my mood is kind of down today, so...

A little about details in the story, though. Some parts (e.g. the furniture in the room, actual date and time) are twisted somewhat to suit the fic, so if you find errors on some parts, just accept it. Don't think too much or come flaming me that there are too many mistakes. Most of all, try to enjoy, even though this one is not as decent than the last.

THANKS so much for the reviews!

really -thank you. The title part was quite random, actually. (sheepishly) I...uh...just guessed?

Yun Fei - thanks! I know... there are times that I really wish Cagalli would go MIA. Destiny is not as good as Seed, in my opinion, plot-wise as well as art-wise. I really hate the writers/producers for killing Cagalli's personality so bad. And Athrun... I think they intend to have Shinn as a better pilot than him (but not as good as Kira), too. (crycry) Give me back Cagalli and Athrun!

asga - hey, I can't log in to the forum for some reasons. Sorry, can't update more there (crycry).

SJ - hahaha...there will be more of Cagalli kicking Shinn around, that I promise you.

Lalalu - here you go. Enjoy!

moi - thanks! yup, this is going to be a series. Hopefully a not too-long one. Not sure if it's going to be Shinn--->Cagalli, though. I write this one out of pure impulse, so... we'll see what my impulse will lead to next.

LadyRinUchiha - I'm looking forward to reading your story!

messy - you're welcome. Glad you like what you read. Cagalli's my favorite character, too, and I feel really sad when watching Destiny, 'cause they really, really give her craps. She and Athrun.

A Glimpse of the Goddess - II

"That's right, you people only think of your own ideals and nothing else! That's why so many died back then and Onogoro's almost destroyed! It's all your fault! It's all because of your father and your family's stupid ideals that killed them!"

Slam!

"Take it back," low, dangerous growl. "You can say anything to me, I don't care. But don't you dare say something like that about my father. You don't know... you don't know a thing about him... Take it back!"

"No, I won't!" he yelled and pulled at her wrists, but she was gripping at his collar tight. "I won't take anything back! You and your father know only how to sugarcoat things! You don't know what it's like to fight! You don't know what it's like to lose a family!"

Another hard slam. This time, he grunted when his head hit against the hard wall behind him.

Brown eyes blazing gold fire of raging anger. Brown eyes swimming in tears of deep pain and bitter sadness of the past. Brown eyes crying and screaming of hurt honesty...

But of course, he didn't know that. He didn't know and he didn't care about anything then. He was too angry and too drunk by his own anger, drowning in his own pain and loss, to see and to care. At that time he knew only that he wanted to hurt someone. He wanted to hurt someone so badly. He wanted to hurt her

She forced the words out through gritted teeth. "Take. It. Back."

He stared into her eyes and saw with relished satisfaction that she was breaking slowly, steadily. Now she could understand, even a little, of the pain he had gone through!

"With people like you leading the country, ORB will sure fall again. Athha."

The last piece fell away and the cracked wall broke and crumbled.

From those brown eyes, tears - her tears which he would never understand - fell, and kept falling.

"I see."

Shinn squirmed a little in his chair when Rey sat down on his bed and looked at him. Just looked. There was no reproach, nor was there sympathy in his cool blue eyes. Only nothing. Nothing.

"So..."

Shinn gave a small jump.

"You should be the one with the head injury, shouldn't you? How did she end up being the one who got it instead then?"

A sharp intake of breath from Shinn, then he looked away.

Rey waited, patiently, his calm eyes trained on him.

Minutes of silence ticked by, and, eventually, after taking a couple of deep calming breaths, he spoke, "...She wouldn't let go. She wouldn't just go, running away, as I expected she would. She kept saying to me to... take back my words. She shook me several times..."

"But she didn't hurt you."

He swallowed. "No. No, she didn't. I... It was annoying - very annoying - the way she kept shaking me and saying the same thing over and over. I tried to pull her hands off but she wouldn't...she wouldn't let go. I was angry..."

Rey gazed steadily at his friend. "Shinn, what did you do?"

His jaws clenched tight, he stared hard at the now clean floor. "I got her hands off me and I threw her against the wall."

Rey looked at him for a moment longer then let out along sigh, closing his eyes.

"Rey..."

"So, that also explains those tears in your uniform," Rey said flatly.

Shinn blinked then looked down at the front of his uniform, and his eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't noticed it at all but...come to think of it now, he remembered vaguely hearing the ripping sound when he pulled her hands from his shirt then.

"Ah..."

"I assume that you...threw her harder than you intended, too?" asked Rey, opening his eyes again, and looked to the still form on his own bed.

After recovering from his surprise, he took her to his bed where he tended to the wound on her head, changing the bandages and all. He confirmed that it's nothing too serious, but that didn't mean it wasn't bad either since the old wound had re-opened and she had overstrained herself in the fight earlier, not to mention the fact that she had lost a fair amount of blood, too. It would take some time for her to recover and they better started praying, since they would reach ORB in a few days.

Shinn looked down. "I...didn't mean to. I only wanted her to go away..."

Tears...

"Take it back! Take it back!"

Blood...

"Why? Why is it that I have to always understand the others and they don't understand me? Why do I have to care so much? Why can't I just not...care...at all?"

It's not fair.

"I just wanted her go away. She's supposed to run away... Why didn't she go away? Why didn't she..."

Why didn't she hurt me?

Silence reigned for a while in the small room as both were lost in their own thoughts.

Then, Rey said, calmly, "I think you should apologize to her when she wakes up."

Shinn whipped around to stare incredulously at his friend.

Rey returned his stare coolly. "It's the only way. Or if you rather let things go as it is, then that's fine, too. Except that you will have to think how to answer to the Captain when she calls you to inquire about what happened. You didn't think, did you, that no one would ask the Representative about her injury once she stepped out of his room. Her bodyguard would ask her, that's certain. And, of course, she would tell him - or anyone - the truth since there's no reason for her to tell lies to protect you."

"I don't care!" Shinn stood up suddenly, almost knocking the chair over. "She can tell anyone anything that she wants but there's no way in hell I'm going to apologize to her!"

"But will it be worth it?" asked Rey, blue eyes sharp with cold irritation. "You do realize the consequences that will follow, don't you? Everything aside, a fact that she is ORB's Chief Representative, is still a fact. Not only you that will pay for this but, likely enough, all of us on the Minerva, and even ZAFT and the PLANTs themselves."

Shinn opened his mouth, and closed it. He sank back down in his chair and looked away angrily.

Rey waited, looking at him steadily. But there's no response from him. He sighed. "Shinn..."

"Fine, fine!" he snapped, exasperated. "I will apologize to her when she wakes up. Happy---"

"Oh, shut up. You do that and I will come back and shoot you where it really hurts."

"Who are you? I don't think I remember seeing you around..."

"You're...a ZAFT soldier...?"

His eyes widened as the memory of what happened earlier struck. Hard.

Oh...Shit.

Rey looked at his friend, frowning slightly in worry. "Shinn?"

Shinn turned to stare at the sleeping form of Cagalli Yula Athha.

"What did you do to my people? What happened to Tassil? What happened to my friends? Talk!"

"Shinn? What is it?" asked Rey.

Shinn swallowed.

"Athha... How did you..."

"Rey, there's something else that you should know..."

- Cafeteria -

Lunamaria, Meyrin, Youlan, and Vino were eating dinner together, chatting of this and that. They were waiting for the ship to reach ORB and Meryrin wondered if they would have permission for shore leave.

"I wish we could. This is the first time I have been on Earth!" said Meryrin excitedly.

"You want to go buy more of those cosmetics is more like it," said Luna teasingly and took a bite from her bread. "Not that you need more since I saw you buy so many last time."

Meyrin was about to retort back when a voice cut in, politely, "I'm sorry to interrupt you but..."

They turned and saw one very worried looking Athrun Zala - or Alex Dino, as he insisted.

"Athrun-san!" Lunamaria's face broke into a bright smile. "Would you like to join us for dinner?"

Athrun gave her a brief apologetic smile. "I'm afraid I can't this time. By the way, have any of you seen the Representative at all?"

They shook their heads.

"I see... Thank you," said Athrun and he turned to leave.

"Ah!" Vino suddenly cried, and choked on the carrot he was about to swallow. Youlan slapped at his friend's back - a little too much maybe, because Vino then started coughing violently.

"Vino, are you all right?" asked Meyrin, worried.

Lunamaria gave him a glass of water, which he drank in one gulp.

Vino turned to glare at Youlan. "Youlan, were you trying to kill me or what?"

"Sorry, sorry," said Youlan, putting his hands up in front of him. "So, what you were about to say again?"

"Oh, right." He turned to the impatient Athrun who was waiting patiently. "I think I saw her go on the deck earlier today. Maybe Shinn might see where she went since I saw him went a bit after her."

"Speaking of Shinn," said Meyrin. "Where is he? And Rey, too?"

Lunamaria shrugged. "I don't know. I called them in their room but nobody answered..."

"Do you think that they might be in the hanger?"

"Don't think so," Youlan shook his head. "But maybe you can find Shinn---"

Athrun was already gone.

"---at the shooting practice room?"

Against all the rules, Athrun was running down the corridor, heading for the deck. Since their last conversation, he had been having this strange feeling. When he couldn't stand it anymore, he went out to find her but there's no sign of her anywhere. Had something happened? Where was she? Where did she go? Why didn't she tell him? Why did he---

The door slid close behind them. He walked to his bed and sat down.

"Athrun..."

"I'm sorry," he said, not looking at her. "I'm sorry, Cagalli. I shouldn't have walked away like that earlier, and I should have explained everything to you first."

Silence.

A sigh from her, then she padded across the room to stand next to him.

"Athrun..." she put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It's not explanation that I want. Actually, I don't want anything like that from you. What I want..." her voice trailed off.

He looked up at her. Why did she look so sad? "Cagalli?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing. Never mind..." she smiled, then bent down to give him a brief hug. "I'm sorry, Athrun."

She pulled away and walked to the door.

"Cagalli?"

"I just need some air," she said quietly. "And you need some time to think. Alone."

The door to the deck slid open and he stepped out. The sky was dark gray and the sun had long disappeared behind the dark sea. There was no star tonight and there was no sign of her.

You can't do a thing right, can you, Zala? he thought furiously at himself. You swore to protect her. You promised to be there for her when she needed you. She is the most important person to you and you know it. And yet... and yet...

The wind swept by. It was cold.

What have I done?

Athrun looked around a while longer then, sighing heavily, he turned back to leave.

And froze to the spot.

The wall close to the door was stained with crimson.

Blood.

"Cagalli..."

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