Note: Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for not updating as fast as I usually do but what can I say? I've been busy with other things. Anyways…I'd like to thank all the reviewers! Your comments mean a lot to me! Please read and review this chapter! Thanks!
Oh..on a side note.. There was one anonymous reviewer who was very rude. Now..I don't mind constructive criticism…but what you said just demonstrated your lack of intelligence. First of all…there was no need to cuss at me. Second of all..if you didn't read the summary…THIS IS AN ATHRUN AND CAGALLI STORY. Not a Kira and Cagalli one. I'm sure there are other stories on here with that pairing but not this one! Nothing annoys me more than people who get angry if their couple isn't the one they want. I'm sorry if I sound mean but if you don't like the pairings, don't complain or just don't read it. Thank you.
Also to Aikoo: Right now Lunamaria's behavior in the series isn't the best. I don't like when she chases after Athrun but she is still my favorite character.
To hay lin- thanks for the reviews, here's the new chapter. Hope you like it.
Everyone else I really appreciate your reviews, but I don't have time to comment on each. But don't worry! All of them make me smile!
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed/Destiny
"Finally!"
Cagalli smiled nervously at her friends' excitement. Currently, Lacus, Luna, Stellar, and Meyrin were in her room, all had wide smiles on their faces. They had just found out about the news that the blonde princess and blue-haired prince.
"We're so happy for you!" Meyrin exclaimed happily. She was practically beaming.
"It's about time." Luna said jokingly and patted her friend on the shoulder. "I knew our help would pay off."
Cagalli raised an eyebrow. "Help? You guys tortured me with your swishy skirts and frilly shirts! You made me wear make-up and those annoying shoes with numerous straps! And to top it off…you all made me cook, which nearly resulted in poisoning him!"
The other girls sweat-dropped and avoided contact with the fuming girl. The way she said it made it sound like they were no help at all.
Lacus laughed. "Well…we did help you. You would have never had those chances to be with Athrun had it not been for us who..er…forced you to be more aggressive about your relationship."
Cagalli calmed down a bit and sighed. "Fine...well, I guess I should thank you then, huh? Even though you guys made me do all those crazy things, you still had the right intentions."
"Would you take back everything you did if you had the chance?" Stellar asked with curiosity.
Cagalli smiled at all of them. "Not for anything in the world."
"See…we did help you a lot." Meyrin said.
The blonde princess pulled on one of Meyrin's pig tails with friendly affection and nodded.
"Wow..." Luna muttered. She had a dazed look on her face.
"What?" everyone looked at the magenta haired girl waiting for an explanation.
"Now that Cagalli's with Athrun…we have nothing to do. Everything is gonna be boring because we can't think of new plans to get them together. I had some pretty creative ones too." She mumbled something about a hot aired balloon and violins.
Cagalli paled a bit…good thing she was already with Athrun…she wouldn't need to do anymore ridiculous things.
"It's ok, Luna." Lacus said with a smile. "We can still give Cagalli advice when she needs it."
Cagalli cleared her throat loudly in an attempt to change the subject. "Er…so how are you, uh…all doing with your boyfriends?"
Stellar giggled at the lousy and obvious attempt but answered the question anyway. "I think we are all doing fine. But…Meyrin has found a new love interest."
Cagalli snickered as Meyrin blushed. "Who's this new guy? You'll have to bring him over here so we can test him to make sure he's good enough for you."
"Ohh, stop it…I don't even know his name. All I know is that he drives a motorcycle, goes to the university, and is the hottest person I have ever seen." Meryin sighed and leaned back on the bed.
"Too bad your brain turns to mush whenever you see him." Stellar said, earning a glare from the red-head.
"I'm sure you can get his attention." Lacus said gently which made Meyrin look happier.
"If not, we can knock some sense into him." Luna added afterwards. The others laughed and Cagalli smiled at her friends' behavior. They were always there to look out for one another. It was really nice and she felt grateful that she had such good friends.
"Let's go downstairs. Maybe we can see what the guys are doing." Lacus said as she got up. The others followed suit. Stellar helped Cagalli stand up. Her ankle was still bandaged and she had to walk with a limp.
"Yeah, I need to congratulate Athrun and wish him luck on handling you as a girlfriend." Luna winked and dodged the pillow aimed at her face.
"Why does everyone say I'm hard to handle!" Cagalli asked in frustration with her hand son her hips.
"Because you are!" all four girls yelled back from the hallway.
The dejected princess sighed and followed them out while muttering about being unfairly numbered.
-+-+-+-+-+Scene Change-+-+-+-+-+
"Really! So you're finally together with Cagalli? Good Job! I knew you had it in you!" Shinn said as he jokingly slapped Athrun on the back.
Athrun smiled at the comment and Kira laughed in amusement.
"You better treat my little sister right…or else you'll have to answer to me." Kira winked.
"Of course I will. But...your little sister claims she's your older sister. If you say that to her, you'll have to answer to her."
Shinn, who was lying on the carpeted floor looked up and grinned. "Want some man-to-man advice?"
Rey snorted. He was sitting on the couch, with his laptop out and typing up some reports.
"Don't even bother to listen…whatever he says about women is useless. It's a miracle that Stellar can actually put up with it."
Shinn glared at his blonde friend and threw one of Meyrin's conveniently placed stuffed animals at him. Rey caught it with ease and set it down, while never taking his eyes off the screen.
Athrun watched in amusement.
"But anyways, we are happy for both you and Cagalli. I have no doubt in my mind that you two will be perfect together." Kira said and the others nodded in agreement.
Athrun smiled. "Thanks."
They sat there in content, with Rey still typing, Shinn watching T.V., and Kira and Athrun going over plans for his project. Overall, the atmosphere was very relaxing. If only things could stay this way…
-+-+-+-+Scene Change-+-+-+-+
The girls walked down the hallway towards the living room where they knew they could find the guys. Stellar was giggling while Meyrin told her about the embarrassing things Shinn went through during the Zaft Military Academy.
Cagalli was about to ask Lacus about an upcoming meeting, but didn't get a chance to because at that moment, Isabel Chapa (AN: HAHAHA she's BACK!) marched out of a room talking in her cell phone ahead of the group. She had yet to notice the girls who were a good distance behind her.
Cagalli heard bits of her conversation.
"What! But Daddy! Why didn't it work! You said it would!" said angrily into her phone.
Isabel paused and Cagalli guessed that she was listening to her father's reply.
"Yes I know! Ok…fine. I can wait…yes, everything is fine here…I know that you are sending him…I understand…I'll try not to lose my temper. Alright…I miss you too…good-bye." Isabel clicked her cell phone shut and straightened her skirt.
She paused and as if sensing something, turned around to face 5 pairs of wide and curious eyes. Stunned for a bit, she just stared back.
Cagalli blinked. Damn! She caught us… wait a minute! It's not like we were spying…it was by accident anyways.
Lacus was the first to get out of her frozen state and walked forward with a polite smile.
"Hello Miss Chapa. We were just headed towards the living room to sit. None of us wanted to bother your phone conversation so we decided to keep quiet until you were finished."
Isabel nodded stiffly and the others reluctantly caught up to her and Lacus, and they continued walking.
"So…Miss Chapa…when is your guest coming?" Lacus asked. She was the only one willing to talk to her stuffy representative.
"Today…That is what my father just told me." Isabel replied shortly. She turned to Cagalli and smiled arrogantly.
"Miss Athha…how is your ankle? You seem to have a bit of a limp. I didn't think a princess as dignified as yourself could be so clumsy. It is a shame. I do hope that it gets better soon."
Cagalli felt her temper rise. She really wanted to slap there girl but knew that it would be very immature on her part, and could raise scandals in the news.
"My ankle will get better soon. Thank you for your kindness, Miss Chapa, but I didn't acquire the injury through clumsiness." Cagalli said through clenched teeth.
Isabel smirked and opened her mouth to say more, but Luna interrupted her very loudly.
"Hey Look! The guys are there!" The group of girls stood on the open flat of the stairs and they could see down into the living room.
At the sound of Luna's loud and cheerfully exaggerated voice, all four boys looked up, startled.
Isabel gave a gasp of surprise and a bright smile made its way onto her face…the obvious reason being that Athrun was standing in the room looking at them with wide eyes. Stellar rolled her eyes along with Meyrin, as the representative rushed down the stairs as fast as her 2 inch heels could let her.
Athrun, braced himself and waited for what everyone knew was coming. He paled when he saw the purple-haired and overly affectionate girl charging towards him. Oh dear God…
"Mr. Zala! I'm so happy to see you!" She smiled slyly at him and immediately touched his arm once she was close enough.
Athrun forced a smile. "H-hello Miss Chapa."
"Let the fun begin." Shin mumbled as Stellar went up to him. She pecked him on the cheek and leaned on his shoulder.
Cagalli felt her blood boil. This girl was all over her boyfriend!
Lacus, sensing tension walked over to Kira, where she knew she would be safe from any confrontations. Kira smiled gently at her and Lacus returned it.
Luna grabbed Meyrin and pulled her around the fuming Cagalli who faced a clinging Isabel and uncomfortable Athrun. She pulled her sister to where Rey sat and they both sat down with excited smiles. Isabel would finally be put in her place. Everyone couldn't wait!
Athrun tried to take Isabel's hand off of his arm, but she held on tightly. The girl had a strong grip. It was almost as strong as Cagalli's.
"Let's go somewhere today! I really want to take you out, Mr. Zala. I'm afraid we haven't had a chance to get to know one another and I want us to be good friends." Isabel said as she winked up at him and pouted.
Cagalli's face was red as she watched the haughty representative try to seduce Athrun.
Athrun shook his head. "I'm sorry Miss Chapa, but I do not want to go out with you. Can you let go of me please?" He was trying to act polite. Cagalli knew that Athrun could never be hostile to a girl. It would be his downfall.
"Ohh, you silly! You're joking right? I mean…in Rutherland, all the men of high status were always trying to take me out. But none of them were ever as attractive as you are…"
Meyrin mad a disgusted face and Luna started coughing in an attempt to cover her disbelief. Stellar shook her head in exasperation and Shinn rolled his eyes. Everyone thought the same thing. This girl is very full of herself.
"I'm flattered…but you see, Cagalli is my-"
Isabel cut him off loudly. "Miss Athha! Oh I'm sure she won't mind letting me borrow you for the afternoon. It's not as if she owns you. I'm sure she is fine by herself here. I think that she needs to concentrate on running Orb. I mean…since she has so much trouble…she'll have to concentrate hard and not be disturbed. Plus, she has all these other friends to keep her company." Isabel said the word "friends" like it was a disease.
Cagalli had had enough! First it was going onto Athrun. Then it was insulting her and finally she insulted her friends.
Cagalli made a noise of frustration, marched over to the pair, knocked Isabel's hold off of Athrun and pulled him to her, much like the same way she did the other morning.
"I've had enough!" She yelled angrily. Athrun smiled at his fiery princess.
"Miss Chapa! I want you to get your hands off Athrun! He is already taken! I am sick of you going onto him in such a shameless manner! I guess all that perfume and make-up is stopping you from understanding that he does not like you! There is no use in trying to flirt with him! If you keep persisting in such a manner you will have to answer to me, his girlfriend!" Cagalli took a big breathe and she watched as Isabel paled at the mention of Athrun and her in a relationship.
"And also, you need to stop insulting me and my friends because we don't deserve it! We all want to act nice to you but you're making it damn hard to because of your arrogant and annoying behavior! The only reason why you are even allowed here is because you are representing Rutherland. Now…act like a representative should or you will be asked to leave!"
Isabel stood there, her facial expression matching a gapping goldfish. She looked like she got slapped in the face. Everyone watched as she blinked a few times to try to get out of her dazed state. She looked like she had the shock of the lifetime. Cagalli wondered why it was so shocking. Knowing the representative's behavior she wondered if any one had ever told the girl off.
Shinn whistled. "Way to go Cagalli!"
The others smiled and Meyrin cheered happily.
Athrun smiled at his girlfriend, who had been breathing hard from all of the yelling, and hugged her from behind. This caused her to calm down a bit.
Isabel regained her composure by now and stood up tall. "Is this true, Mr. Zala?" she asked quietly. Her dark purple eyes looked at them steadily.
Athrun nodded. "Yes…Cagalli is my girlfriend and I love her."
"Awwwwww mmmph!" Luna said loudly but Rey covered her mouth with his hand. "I don't think that was appropriate." He said. She just winked back at him.
Isabel took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and it seemed like she was trying to compose herself. Everyone expected the arrogant representative to get angry and storm off while yelling and screaming, but none came. She plastered on a smile and showed everyone how diplomatic she could really be.
"I see. Miss Athha, I am terribly sorry for my actions. Please forgive me. It's just that I usually get carried away. I did not realize my mistake. I do not want to give Rutherland a bad name. Please accept my apology. I will try and back off." she finished with a bow and everyone looked in surprise. What was going on?
Cagalli looked at the representative with uncertainty. How did she change her attitude so quickly? Did her outburst have that great of an affect on her? I don't get it. Well…she is a representative so she was taught how to act diplomatically but this is ridiculous. Her attitude completely change! Maybe she just doesn't want to give Rutherland a bad name like she said…
Cagalli quickly composed herself when she felt Athrun hold her tighter. Snapping out of her thoughts, she looked at Isabel. "I…I accept your apology. Just please try to remember what I said. I hold nothing against Rutherland."
Isabel nodded and turned to everyone else in the room. "I would also like to apologize to you all. There is no excuse for how I acted."
Everyone shifted and didn't know how to react. After a while Lacus smiled politely and nodded. "It's ok." Kira looked at his fiancé and she just smiled back at him. There is no need for hostilities…
"Thank you." Isabel said in a neutral tone. "With that said…I am going to go to my room to make a call. My guest will be arriving sometime today and I need to have a talk with my father, who is the leader of Rutherland."
She turned and left leaving everyone else bewildered.
"What just happened?" Shinn asked.
"I…I don't really know." Cagalli said while turning to face her friends and getting out of Athrun's hold. "I guess there is more to Miss Chapa than meets the eye. She was able to change her personality and actually act civilized…I think there is a lot we don't know about her."
"Appearances can be deceiving. But she acted ok so I think we should too…we don't need unnecessary tensions." Rey said seriously.
Stellar blinked a bit. "Well…why don't we worry about her weird attitude later." The blonde dancer turned her eyes onto Cagalli. "I think that was really sweet how you saved Athrun from Miss Chapa." This caused the princess to pause with wide eyes. Oh boy…let the embarrassment begin..
"What you said was really awesome" Meyrin said causing Cagalli to blush and mumble something about losing her temper and not meaning to be so loud.
"Yeah…you told her off and everything. That's right, Cagalli! Stake your claim on your man!"
"Luna! You're embarrassing her." Athurn said. His cheeks were a bit red as well.
"Congratulations to both of you. I'm glad you're together." Kira said, stopping all teasing, as he intended. Cagalli smiled gratefully at him and nodded. But that was short lived when Lacus spoke.
"So when do you two plan on getting married?" Lacus looked innocently at the pair, her big blue eyes shinning with amusement when Cagalli started choking and turning red, while Athrun blinked in shock.
"Uh…er…m-married!" Cagalli asked with wide eyes.
Lacus laughed happily. "I'm just kidding. I know you two are probably not ready yet, considering that you just got together. Although…it would be nice."
Cagalli sighed. "You guys need to stop teasing me."
Everyone laughed and sat down to talk and spend time with one another.
Cagalli shyly leaned on Athrun's shoulder. He smiled at her and pulled her closer as they watched Meyrin and Shinn bicker about something while Stellar tried unsuccessfully to stop her boyfriend. At the same time, Lacus was trying to calm the red-head. Apparently they were fighting over the T.V. remote.
Cagalli tried to stifle her laugher when she heard Rey sigh and mutter about his students, who were children, being more mature than them. When Meyrin tried to tackle Shinn in an attempt to get the much prized remote, Kira and Stellar had to pry her off of him. Luna went up to both of them and gave each a good pinch before picking up the remote and turning it to the news. After, she handed Cagalli the remote and told her to protect it with her life. As for Shinn and Meyrin; both acted like sulking children with Stellar trying to smooth Shinn's ruffled feathers and Lacus sighing in exasperation at Meyrin.
Cagalli and Athrun made eye contact; both reflected amusement in their eyes. Seconds later, they both burst out laughing at their behavior and pretty soon, everyone, except a dejected looking Shinn, and a miffed Meyrin, joined in.
Cagalli stopped laughing when her attention was caught by what the news reporter was saying.
"There have been many protests in small countries near the east. As you can see behind me, everyone is screaming for help after the war. People are rioting because they say that there is no one helping to reconstruct their country and after a war which the bigger countries, they say, started. Why isn't there help being sent to these places in need? Many people are curious as to why there is no aid being sent, since there was a United Peace and Reconstruction Council set up for that specific purpose. Authorities say that there will contact the Council about this…"
Cagalli's eyes grew wide. What was going on? Hadn't they held a meeting about sending help to those areas last week? Everyone had agreed to help. Weren't there supposed to be special programs to aid the reconstruction?
"What is this about!" Cagalli asked loudly.
"I…I don't know…" Lacus said with uncertainty. She seemed just as shocked. They had made sure not to neglect any country in the planning process.
"Those governments of the countries will probably be contacting here soon. We'll need to straighten a few things out." Athrun said with a look of concentration. He was thinking of possible reasons why the programs didn't help. Or maybe…the programs never started in the first place? But…there had been documents saying that they were doing fine.
"Maybe the programs are started, but the governments didn't get the aid somehow. What if something intercepted it?" Athrun asked everyone.
"Or the governments may have prevented the help from reaching the public." Kira said and everyone tensed. If that was true…it meant that there might be more hostilities.
Cagalli scratched her head in frustration. "Hopefully that's not the case. If it were true and the governments weren't cooperating, then it would wipe away all the optimism and confidence the public has in peace. What we worked so hard for will be shattered and people will start to feel insecure. When that happens, they act recklessly and call for solutions that are no help at all…such as war."
Everyone stayed silent as they contemplated the princess's words.
"That might not be the reason though. The problem could be in Orb. After all, aren't the headquarters for the reconstruction programs located here?" Shinn asked everyone seriously. They noticed his joking manner was gone. Whenever he needed to be, Shinn could be just as serious and contemplating as Rey. "What if false information is being sent to you saying that everything is going smoothly…but in fact, it may not."
Cagalli bit her thumb in worry, her forehead creased as she thought. "But…wouldn't people notice that the programs weren't working? I mean…I think you would notice if multiple crates of food and supplies never moved from the warehouse…"
Lacus shook her head. "There are ways to hide the crates. It isn't that hard…but we shouldn't jump to conclusions yet. At the council meeting next week, we can discuss it and get more details."
Cagalli sighed. "I guess nothing does every run smoothly in life, huh?"
"Well…that's what makes life more interesting, doesn't it? Don't worry Cagalli…we'll all help you with this problem. Let's just relax until then ok? No use worrying until we have straight fact." Cagalli smiled slightly at Luna as she said this.
"Yeah! That's what friends are for!" Meyrin added cheerfully.
Shinn snorted and looked at Meyrin in disbelief. "If you're willing to get Cagalli with sorting out international problems because she's your friend…why couldn't you help me by letting me have the remote because I'm your friend too?"
Before Meyrin could reply Stellar lightly smacked Shinn on the back of his head at his childish behavior and laughed as he rubbed his head. "That's enough."
Cagalli laughed a bit, but her face still showed the worry she felt. Athrun went to her with a look of concern and brushed away her bangs affectionately.
"Don't worry, princess…we'll all help you. Let's all just enjoy the time we have together…its rare ever since school started for the girls and we all had to get back to our duties." Cagalli nodded and smiled as he kissed her forehead.
"You're right. And how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me princess?" Cagalli asked jokingly.
Athrun opened his mouth to reply but the ring of the doorbell made him pause.
"Who could that be?" Kira asked curiously.
"I don't know…" Cagalli replied just as confused.
"Wasn't the representative expecting a guest?" Stellar asked and everyone instantly knew who was at the door.
Cagalli stood up from her couch, as did the others to welcome the guest. I wonder what craziness the guest will bring.
Cagalli entered the front door area just as one of the maids had opened a door.
Cagalli saw a boy about her age step through the doorway wearing baggy kaki pants and an unbuttoned navy blue shirt with a white undershirt showing. The boy's long, dark, purple and messily spiked hair drew her attention. It was the same shade as Isabel's.
Cagalli noticed Meyrin stutter a bit and Stellar whisper to the stunned red-head but paid no attention. She stepped forward to great their guest.
"Hello. You must be the guest that Miss Chapa has invited to stay here. I am Cagalli Yula Athha, representative of Orb. May I please know your name?" She congratulated herself on being polite and diplomatic. Lacus's lessons were really paying off.
The guest grinned a bit. "Hello Miss Athha. I'm Tai Isuki. Isabel's my cousin. Her dad is my mom's brother. My dad sent me here to study while keeping Isabel company. Although…I'm not sure I'll enjoy spending hours shopping and carrying her bags."
Cagalli felt herself grin. He didn't seem so bad. In fact…he seemed very carefree and fun to be around.
"Believe me…we didn't enjoy it either." Shinn added.
"Ohh! Let me introduce everyone." Cagalli said and she did so right after. Tai took turns shaking hands and everyone decided that he seemed like a fun person who joked a lot. But when he reached Luna, a look of surprise came across his face, causing the others to be surprised as well.
"Lunamaria! You live here? Wow small world…" he said as he grinned at her.
"…Yeah…I do…Cagalli is one of my best friends…" Luna said. Meyrin, who was standing next to Luna, was staring at Tai, who seemed oblivious to the attention he was getting from the red-head.
"This is great! Now I have more chances to get to know you." Tai winked at Luna who laughed nervously but was still smiling. "We can help each other with studying too. I'm in luck…I get a cute study partner."
Rey looked at the new comer. He did not like where this was going. Sure the guy was nice and seemed to get along with everyone…but they could tell that he was flirting with Luna.
Meyrin paled a bit when she realized that her crush was flirting with her older sister. Why isn't life fair! Man…He doesn't even remember me from the university. And they are already friends!
Stellar, who knew how Meyrin felt about the purple-haired boy cleared her throat. "Why don't we all sit and I'm sure you want to unpack and meet your cousin, Mr. Isuki."
"Just call me Tai…Mr. Isuki is too formal for me. I can unpack later, if that's alright with you…I want to see Isabel before. Her dad wanted me to give something to her."
Athrun smiled politely at him. "Why don't we all sit in the living room and you can get a drink then. I'm guessing that you just arrived from the plane?"
They all started walking back and Tai answered Athrun's question. "Actually...no…I arrived a few days ago but I stopped by and visited some family friends and saw the university first. That's how I met Lunamaria. I was glad to help her with her studying."
Meyrin felt like throwing up…they were on a first name basis.
They made it to the living room and Cagalli sent a maid to ask Isabel to come.
"This is a really nice place you got here." Tai said as he looked around the nicely furnished room. "Actually…Orb is a nice place in general. Rutherland is kind of…stuffy…sometimes, if you know what I mean."
"Rutherland is not stuffy, Tai…I would hate to hear what your mother would say to you if she heard you." A bossy voice said.
All heads turned toward Isabel who just arrived. For once she didn't run up to Athrun and cling to him, but she had a frown on her face either way.
"Good to see you too, Izzy." Tai said jokingly.
Isabel glared at Tai. "Don't call me that. Honestly…you act like a 5 year old using childish nicknames like that."
Tai touched his heart and pretended to be in pain. "I'm wounded. My own cousin insults me."
Isabel snorted and shook her head. "It's not like I really wanted you here. The only reason why I'm not complaining is because daddy told me I had to. Anyways…what did he send me?"
Tai rolled his eyes. "I asked them to send it up to your room. Uncle Bob sent freakin' three cases full of presents for you."
"It's Uncle Robert. Don't degrade him and make him sound so unsophisticated. He is the leader of Rutherland after all." Isabel snapped at him.
Tai just grinned. "Like you calling him "daddy" makes him sound any better."
Meyrin giggled and Shinn try to hold in his laughter. Athrun looked on in amusement at the interaction between the two cousins.
Isabel fumed. "This is why no one in our family likes you." She hissed angrily.
Tai shrugged, unaffected by the insult. "Just go look at your precious gifts…I know your itching to see what daddy dearest got you."
Isabel made a frustrated noise and mumbled about annoying cousins who shame the family. Before she left, she shot Athrun and Cagalli a frown, but didn't say anything else as she stomped away.
Meyrin blushed when Tai sat down next to her. She would like to think that he did because he wanted to be near her but in reality it was the only seat left. It didn't really matter. She was starting to like him…his personality was perfect to her.
"Sorry about that…Isabel and I don't really get along. But I think they sent me over here to get rid of me cuz I don't really get along with my family back home either…just my parents. The rest all think I disgrace the family name."
The others nodded in understanding. Kira smiled a bit. "It's ok…you don't have to always be with Miss Chapa. She tends to do her own thing and disappear for hours."
Luna grinned. "Yeah…disappear to go shopping."
Tai laughed and looked at Luna longer than he did the others. She didn't seem to notice, but the others, especially Rey and Meyrin did.
Cagalli noticed the strained look on Meyrin's face, as well as the cautious look of Rey's, This should be interesting…
Lacus smiled at everyone and got up. "If you all excuse me…I need to contact the PLANTs for a meeting. Nice meeting you Tai."
"I'll go with you." Kira said as he got up as well. He nodded towards everyone and the engaged couple left the room.
Athrun nudged Cagalli gently with his elbow, causing the blonde princess to look up at her boyfriend expectantly.
Athrun grinned at her and winked. "Would you like to go on a date with me, Miss Athha?"
Cagalli laughed a bit and raised her eyebrows. "When?"
Athrun grabbed her hand and tugged her up. "Right now."
Cagalli blanched. "Eh! B-but I have so much work that I need to do. And I need to set up a meeting with the Peace Council. It's not fair to Lacus. Also…I don't think it's a good idea to just leave Tai alone. I mean…it is his first day here. Isn't it rude to go out without-"
Athrun silenced the princess by placing his pointer finger over her lips. "Cagalli…calm down. First of all, you are ahead of your work and you know it. All those documents that you want to look over are for the next three weeks. Secondly, Kira is helping Lacus and I'm sure she can handle herself. Lastly, I don't think Tai will mind because he needs to settle in and it's not like he needs you to have fun around here."
"I don't mind, Miss Cagalli." He said jokingly. "I need too unpack anyways. Plus…Orb is a really cool place. I think I could go out and find something to do. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to have Lunamaria show me around."
Luna shrugged her shoulders indifferently. Meyrin, having enough of seeing her crush try to flirt with her sister, stood abruptly. She smiled slightly at Cagalli and Athrun.
"You two should go on that date. I mean you just got together and deserve some privacy. I think I'm going to go to study a bit. Please excuse me...Nice meeting you Tai." She nodded to the guest and tried not to blush when he grinned at her.
Everyone, except the forever oblivious Luna and Tai, who wasn't familiar with anything yet, noticed Meyrin's tense posture as she walked out.
Cagalli frowned a bit when she started putting two and two together. Meyrin must be annoyed because she likes Tai but he flirts with Luna.
Rey who was somewhat annoyed by the newcomer's advances towards his girlfriend, stood up as well. "I need to go to work soon. You too, Shinn. We'll see you all later tonight."
Shinn made a noise of protest while Stellar patted his back sympathetically.
Luna stood up as well. "I'll walk you out to the car. Then I think I'll go study…" Rey gave her a stern look, which she returned. After a minute, she sighed and shook her head in exasperation. "Fine, fine…you win. I'll relax today and keep my studying to a minimum." Rey smiled a bit. He and Luna said their good-byes to Cagalli, Athrun, and Tai, and left towards the front door, with a reluctant Shinn and a quiet Stellar following.
Tai got up carelessly and stretched. He stared a bit out into the hall where he saw the group's retreating backs and sighed. Cagalli could tell he was looking at her cheerful, magenta-haired friend but decided not to comment on it.
Tai shook out of his daze and grinned lazily. "I'm gonna nap now. It's been a tiring day." He yawned a bit. "It was cool meeting everyone. You all seem like a nice bunch."
Athrun and Cagalli smiled and asked a maid to show him his room. Before leaving, the purple-haired boy waved a bit and winked. "Have fun on your date!"
Cagalli blushed in embarrassment, while Athrun laughed quietly.
After a minute, she turned to him and smiled. "So where are we going?"
Athrun grabbed her hand and winked teasingly. "It's a surprise."
Cagalli laughed and punched his arm playfully. "You just like to keep me guessing, don't you?"
Her only reply was when Athrun abruptly hoisted her in a fireman's hold. Cagalli gasped in surprise and when she regained her composure, started to beat on his back while kicking her legs and screaming like no tomorrow.
"Put me down, Athrun! This is embarrassing! What if someone sees! Are you listening to me! Put me down or else!"
Athrun just kept walking towards his car, not really affected by the struggling princess.
"Like I said, Princess, I like to surprise you."
He unceremoniously dumped her into the passenger seat.
Cagalli was about to go all out and give him a piece of her mind, but Athrun bent down and kissed her on the lips, causing her to blush a deep red. He pulled back slightly, but was still close to her. "I was just teasing you Cagalli. No harm done. Plus, getting this reaction out of you is always fun."
Cagalli stuttered a bit and when no words formed, the miffed princess sat back in her seat and decided to ignore him. Athrun laughed and shook his head at her childish attitude. He got into the driver seat and thought of ways to get his girlfriend to talk to him again. She was always a challenge.
"Cagalli-"
He was cut off by an annoyed voice. "Just drive, Zala."
Athrun shook his head with an amused smile. "As you wish."
-+-+-+-+-+Scene Change-+-+-+-+
Meyrin sighed as she sat down on the grassy hill in the gardens. She placed her backpack and laptop next to her along with a bag of chips. She frowned a bit when she saw all of the homework she had to do. My day just keeps getting better…
Meyrin looked sadly up at the sky. She thought of all the events of the day. She was very happy that Cagalli and Athrun were finally together. But…
Tai Isuki…
She sighed again and tried to shake her head of the negative thoughts that entered her mind. She couldn't help but feel drawn towards him. Too bad he was so absorbed into Luna to care about her. What does Luna have that I don't?
This wasn't the first time that Meyrin faced this problem. She was always being compared to her older sister. It irritated her but she tried not to let it bother her since she knew that comparing siblings was natural. Plus, it wasn't Luna's fault that Tai was paying more attention to her. Meyrin had the feeling that her sister was so engrossed in her studies to even notice. To add to that she had been in a steady relationship with Rey for a while now.
Meyrin smiled a bit. What am I worrying about? Luna didn't even show any interest in Tai…she was just being friendly…that's all. Now all I have to do is get him to notice me and then I can work from there.
Meyrin's smile grew wider. She was becoming her cheerful self again. The red-haired took a deep breathe and turned on her laptop, ready to get some work down. She sat there typing fast for a few minutes, but was startled when she heard a voice.
"Hey there."
Meyrin looked up to see Tai with a grin on his face. He seemed to do that a lot.
Meyrin stared a bit, not really knowing how to react. Tai sat next to her and raised an eyebrow.
"You ok?" He waved his hand in front of Meyrin's face, causing her to snap out of her daze. "You're….Meyrin right?" he asked hesitantly.
"Yeah…" Meyrin wanted to kick herself. Is that the most intelligent thing you can say? Come on! You can do better than that! You've dated so many guys after the war…what's wrong with you!
Tai nodded and stretched out on the grass.
"So…er…what brings you out here?" Meyrin asked shyly. She felt herself get flustered when he glanced at her.
"Oh…well I was going to take a nap but I couldn't, so I tried to look for people, but everyone seems to be out. The grounds looked like a cool place to relax so I thought I'd look around."
"Ohh…uh…yeah…it is." Meyrin felt like crying. She sounded so stupid.
Tai noticed her stack of papers and laptop. "Trying to catch up on some work?" he asked.
Meyrin nodded and pouted; a habit she picked up whenever she was annoyed or stressed.
"I'm screwed."
Tai laughed loudly, causing the younger girl to blush prettily. "Don't worry…It could be worse. Say…you're Lunamaria's younger sister, right?"
Meyrin groaned quietly in irritation but Tai didn't notice. "Yeah I am."
"I thought so. I guess studying hard runs in the family, huh?" Tai joked and motioned towards Meyrin's papers.
Meyrin nodded a bit. "Yeah…going to the university does that to you."
Tai looked up at the sky and had a faraway look on his face. "We should be lucky that we're able to study without other worries. I'm glad I got to come here. It was so hard getting away from it all…now I can just relax and focus on studying law….at least this is something I find interesting…" Tai looked as if he was talking to himself instead of to a puzzled Meyrin. Did he not like it in Rutherland?
"What do you mean?" Meyrin asked, trying to find out more.
Tai snapped out of his daze, the faraway look on his face replaced with a lazy grin. "Nothing…I'm just rambling. Well, Miss Meyrin…I think I'm going to go take my nap now. Nice talking to you. Lunamaria must be happy to have a sister like you." He stood up, waved a bit, and walked back towards the mansion.
"Bye." Meyrin said quietly. She was very curious about her crush. At first, he seemed to be just a carefree person who joked a lot. Now she saw a glimpse of a more serious side when he talked about "getting away from it all." She wanted to find out what caused his to space out. Now…all she had to do was convince him that she was the perfect person for him and Luna wasn't. This would be hard considering that she didn't seem herself around him and couldn't form a smooth sentence. Well, maybe I can talk to him alone more and become friends with him first.
Meyrin smiled at the idea and it immediately turned into a frown when she remembered the work she had to do. Oh boy…
-+-+-+-Scene Change-+-+-+-
"Thank you for the coming to the meeting on such shot notice. But I feel as if this matter needed to be discussed." Lacus smiled politely at the people in the video screens in front of her. The men and women nodded back.
"We will try and investigate into the matter, Representative Clyne. But it will not be the easiest thing to do. After all…this has been happening for months and we were not aware of it."
Lacus nodded. "Thank you for the effort though. Keep me posted. We will act accordingly after we have more information on the situation."
They others stated their agreements. "Let's end the meeting here. I will talk to you all next time. Please take care."
Lacus sighed when the screens turned blank. From the corner of the room, Kira stood up and walked to her with a smile.
"Are you ok? You look stressed." He said gently.
"No I'm fine. Just a bit tired from the meeting, but I'm sure I'll be ok." Lacus said as they walked towards the car. She winked at him and lightly pinched him on the cheek. "You worry too much."
Kira laughed and put him arm around her waist, as they walked through the parking lot. "I only worry about those precious to me. That includes you, soon-to-be Mrs. Yamato."
"Mrs. Yamato…I like the sound of that." Lacus said as Kira opened the car door for her.
Kira smiled at his fiancé and kissed her forehead before getting into the driver's seat and starting the car.
"Kira?" Lacus asked.
"Yeah?"
"Do you think we could visit the orphans and your mother real quick? We haven't seen them in a while…"
Kira smiled and drove towards the house while was located on the beach.
After twenty minutes of driving, they stepped out and found the children playing on the sand. When one noticed the pair, a chain reaction occurred which led to all the kids running towards them in excitement.
"Miss Lacus! Mr. Kira!"
Lacus laughed happily when she the children finally reached her. She gave each of them a hug, while Kira patted their heads playfully.
"We missed you!"
"What have you been doing?"
"Want to see the sand castle we made?"
"The pink Haro got stuck in the garbage can the other day…but I think Davy threw it in there on purpose."
"I did not! The box accidentally fell on the trash can!"
Lacus smiled widely and laughed. "Come on kids…Let's all go inside and we can catch up. I missed you all as well."
They all turned, still firing questions rapidly, but Lacus didn't seem to mind. In fact, she looked positively cheerful. Kira felt himself smile as he saw how happy his fiancé was. The tired look on her face had disappeared and was replaced with a bright smile.
"Kira are you coming?" Lacus called out as she was being dragged away by the hyperactive children.
"Yeah!" Kira ran towards the group. The simplest things can make Lacus happy…
-+-+-+-+Scene Change-+-+-+-+-
"Cagalli…"
"What!" the blonde haired princess snapped back at Athrun.
"We're here."
"So? I don't feel like getting out."
Athrun raised an eyebrow with an amused expression on his face. "Do you want me to carry you again? I don't have any objections…"
Cagalli felt herself blush and she quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and exited the car. She mumbled under her breath and crossed her arms over her chest while tapping her foot in an impatient manner.
"Are you still angry with me?" Athrun asked. The only answer he got was a glare.
Athrun sighed and grabbed Cagalli's hand while dragging her into a nearby ice cream shop. He smiled when he saw his girlfriend's face light up when she saw the sweet treat at the counter.
He bought two hot fudge sundaes and sat across from Cagalli who had dug into hers. She still hadn't said a word. Athrun decided that talking might not be the way to get his princess to stop ignoring him. He watched as she ate happily. She had a stubborn look on her face meaning that she was determined not to forgive him.
The blue-haired coordinator noticed something off to the side and immediately brightened. He got up, causing Cagalli to look up at him.
"I'll be right back." and with that, he rushed away, leaving a confused and somewhat disappointed Cagalli. Even though she was ignoring him, she still liked his company.
Cagalli sat and licked her spoon. She had finished her ice cream and Athrun still hadn't come back. Was he mad that I ignored him for so long?
Just then, she heard the chair scrape and looked up to see a happily smiling Athrun. Cagalli felt herself brighten and then stopped, remembering that she was ignoring him.
Athrun sat and smiled knowingly. Cagalli started to get curious. Where did he go off to?
Her thoughts were interrupted when the owner of the ice cream shop, took out a microphone and asked for everyone's attention.
"Hello! That you for all coming here and eating our ice cream! As you all know, there was a contest going on earlier today and it seems we have a winner! The contest was to guess the number of gummy bears present in this jar!" She motioned at a jar the size of a bit pot and Cagalli felt her eyes widen. Boy did she ever want some…
The woman continued on. "There were many guesses that came close. But the closest was a Miss Cagalli, who guessed 557, when the actual number was 560! Congratulations! Please come up and claim your prize!" Everyone started clapping as Cagalli sat there frozen. Ehh! When did I guess!
The confused princess looked at her laughing boyfriend and it suddenly dawned on her where he went off to. He knew how much she loved candy.
"Go on, Cagalli! You won!" Athrun winked.
Cagalli felt herself smile as she got up to get her prize, which consisted of the jar of gummy bears and also five king size bars of chocolate. The blonde-haired princess couldn't be happier.
Cagalli went up to the table, set her things down, and then pounced onto an unsuspecting Athrun for a hug. "I forgive you." She said while laughing.
Athrun hugged her back after he regained his balance. "Good…because I don't think I could stand it much longer if you kept ignoring me."
Cagalli stuck her tongue out and grabbed her gifts as Athrun paid the bill.
"Athrun?" she said on their way home.
"Yeah?" He asked glancing at her while keeping his eyes on the road and one hand on the wheel.
Cagalli grabbed Athrun's free hand and smiled up at him.
"Thanks."
-+-+-+-+-+Scene Change-+-+-+-+
"Say, Stellar?" Luna asked while running on a treadmill.
Stellar, who was currently on the treadmill next to her turned her head to look at her magenta-haired friend.
"Yeah?"
"Is something wrong with Meyrin? I mean…she kinda acted strange today when we asked her to come to the gym with us. She refused and walked away before I could say anything else." Luna frowned at the thought.
Stellar remained quiet, thinking on the right answer to give. How do I tell someone their sister likes the person that is flirting with them when they don't even realize it?
"Well…yes…I think something is bothering her."
"Really? What is it?" Luna asked as she kept running.
"Er…I don't really know. You should talk to her about it yourself." Stellar said quickly. She wasn't sure if Meyrin wanted Luna to know about her crush yet.
Luna nodded as she stopped the machine and Stellar followed suit.
"Phew! That was tiring." Luna said as she wiped her face with a towel. "I need to get in shape. With the war over, I don't have any reason for me to be fit for battle."
"Nah…I think we're both ok…we did run for a while…" Stellar handed her friend a bottle of water and took one herself.
Both sat in silence while drinking. "I worry about Meyrin…" Luna said quietly.
Stellar looked at her friend's concerned face. "I mean…we all have someone that we love…and she doesn't…at least not yet. I want her to be happy, but I don't know how. I can't just go up to a guy off the street and ask him to go out with my sister…"
Stellar sighed and looked at Luna sympathetically. She really did care for her sister and wanted the best for her.
"Meyrin is a big girl. She can take care of herself and if she wants help, she'll ask you. You know Meyrin, she's always determined and optimistic. I'm sure she'll be ok." Stellar said seriously and Luna nodded.
"You're right. Thanks Stellar."
Stellar smiled. "No problem."
Luna was about to say more, but a familiar voice interrupted them.
"There you two are!"
Stellar looked up and her eyes widened. "Shinn! What are you doing here?"
Shinn grinned at his girlfriend. "Rey and I got off early for work and decided to pick you up and surprise you. We're taking you out to coffee."
Luna deciding to give her friends some privacy, got up to talk to Rey, who was waiting outside in the car.
Stellar and Shinn walked behind her. "How was your day?" She asked quietly, while holding his hand.
"It was actually pretty fun. We did target practice and I got to shoot some. I didn't do to bad either. Pretty soon, I'll be able to match up to Athrun! Then I'll rub it in his face." Shinn winked and Stellar sighed in exasperation.
"You're silly." She said as she ruffled his already messy hair.
She gasped when Shinn grabbed the hand and kissed it on the palm. "Thanks. I take that as a compliment."
The couple laughed until they made it to the car. People who witnessed the interaction for afar smiled knowingly at their happiness. They all thought the same thing. Those two look perfect together…
-+-+-+-+Scene Change-+-+-+-+
"Argh! How much longer do I have to put this act up, daddy! I want to go home to Rutherland."
A purple-haired girl stood in her room, while talking into her cell phone, and tapping her foot impatiently. She listened to her father's reply.
"I already got my heart broken! I want to go home! Let Tai do the representative thing!"
More replying from the father.
"I know I have to stick to the plan. Fine I'll stay….wait..really! You mean…it's possible! O my gosh! I love you daddy! Ok…I'll do my job and then you promise you can make it happen? Great! His name is Athrun. But…his girlfriend is the leader of Orb….No! I'm way better than her! Fine fine...just promise me you'll make it happen…ok daddy! Bye! I love you and thanks for the presents."
The line went dead and Isabel Chapa stood in the middle of her room with a smirk on her face.
Soon it will happen…
…End of chapter…
Note: My goodness! That was a long chapter! Well…what did everyone think! I was trying to set up a few things in the plot. Hopped you like the Athrun x Cagalli pointless fluff! I'll try and get more interaction between the characters next chapter! Until then…bye!