Disclaimer: Even though I forget to write this part most of the time, please rest assured that I do not own Gundam SEED.
Chapter Five – Meet the Young and Handsome King
Cagalli jumped and landed gracefully and noiselessly on the grass. She squinted to survey her new surroundings. It was very dark but she could see outlines that looked suspiciously like tall trees and she could hear several scary noises in the distance. It seemed just like she was in – 'A forest!' she fought the urge to scream in frustration. She managed to escape but she was in a freakin' forest! What luck!
'Okay, don't panic Cagalli. You can get out of this…hopefully alive. All you have to do is to wait for morning to come.' She briefly heard Yzak cursing from what she presumed to be the living room. 'Okay, maybe -not- until morning…'
She glanced at her surroundings and she was relieved to see that her eyes had adjusted to the dark. There were trees surrounding her, but she could see a path through them. The trees looked quite scary in the dark… and who knew what sort of creatures inhabited the forest during nighttime!
"Hey! Are you finished yet?" she heard Dearka's muffled voice ask. "I can hear your struggling from here! You should've told me from the beginning that you wanted to take a dump!"
Cagalli could feel her veins pop in anger. She fought the urge to march – er – crawl back in there and dump her fist in his face. She took a deep calming breath. After managing to compose herself, she bit her lip uncertainly. It was now or never. Was she willing to stay behind and wait for her non-existent prince to save her like a damsel in distress? Or was she ready to go forward in the unknown and save her butt herself? 'Well, I never really liked fairy tales… Plus, I'd be damned if I consider myself a damsel in distress!'
She started walking forward.
"Oi! What's taking you so long?" Dearka pounded the door irritably. He had been waiting outside for almost fifteen goddamn minutes! "Hey!"
As usual, he heard Yzak before he saw him. "What the f(bleep)k is going on here?"
Dearka rolled his eyes. Yzak's language was always colorful with all those colorful expletives. "Look, she wanted to use the bathroom, so I let her."
Yzak narrowed his eyes. "How long has she been in there?"
Dearka rolled his eyes. "For fifteen minutes! Honestly! I knew girls take a very, very -long- time doing their affairs inside the bathroom, but I didn't know it was this long!" He knocked forcefully on the door for the nth time. "Hey!"
"Fifteen minutes?" Yzak echoed in a weak voice.
"Yes! Fifteen f(bleep)ing minutes!" Dearka affirmed exasperatedly. "Normally, I would be happy that I haven't heard a single squeak from her, but I think I need to use the bathroom!"
He heard Yzak swallow hard and let out a ragged, shaky breath. "Not a peep."
Dearka turned to look at his friend with puzzled eyes. "Well, you seem strangely quiet. What's so wrong about taking a dump?" He turned his attention to the door and kicked it. "Hey!"
"Dearka, stand aside," Yzak commanded in a deathly calm voice.
Dearka suddenly felt nervous at Yzak's strange demeanor and so, readily complied. For once, he chose to keep his silence. An Yzak with a weird aura was not someone to cross. Yzak stepped forward and knocked softly on the door. After a few minutes of silence, he let out a furious roar and kicked it forcefully. The door swung open. Dearka closed his eyes, afraid that he might see something he wasn't supposed to see. Something that'll guarantee him a kick in the shins was more like it.
"SHE'S NOT F(BLEEP)ING HERE!" Yzak screamed. Then, he could here several more curses and the sound of furniture being destroyed.
Dearka's eyes flew open and he could see that the bathroom was empty. He could see Yzak totally ripping the room apart. "Um, Yzak, what if we went outside and look for her?"
"We weren't supposed to let her out of our sight!" Yzak roared. He regarded Dearka in an accusing stare. "Why the heck did you allow her to go there alone? You knew Le Creuset's orders! We weren't supposed to let her out of our sight! Not even for a goddamn nanosecond!"
He grabbed Dearka's collar and everything went black.
For Yzak, that is.
"Phew! I had to get him to calm down," Dearka muttered, shaking his head. He stepped over Yzak's unconscious form and proceeded upstairs to the front door. The little she-devil couldn't have gotten far away. He had to look for her.
As for Yzak, "Stay here for awhile to cool off buddy!" he snickered as he slammed the front door close.
"Okay, Kira, don't panic!" Lacus reminded him frantically. "Just be Cagalli and everything will be fine! I'm so sorry that I can't be there, but we already talked about this!"
Kira hid a grin behind his hands. Lacus was being such a mother hen. "I'll remember that Lacus, and please, take care of yourself…"
"Oh, Kira!" Lacus exclaimed, suddenly pulling him in a hug. "I don't know what I would do without you!"
Kira, unsure of what to do, patted her on the shoulder awkwardly. "There, there, Lacus. I'll be fine. Are you sure that you don't need any help?" He really wasn't looking forward to the events that will take place that day. It was hard acting like Cagalli, but it was going to be a hell lot harder without Lacus around. For starters, who was he going to please with his great acting skills? But he would never admit it to her. She had a lot on her mind right now without him adding to it.
Lacus reluctantly pulled away and managed to give him a grin despite her worries. "Well, Kira, I guess I'd better get going. I overheard Rau telling King Uzumi that he had some business to attend to. And I'm going to find out exactly what business that is."
"Just, take care, Lacus. I'll be waiting here. And good luck!" Kira gave her a lopsided smile and a thumbs-up.
Lacus seemed to be having a battle of wills. She appeared deep in thought. Kira was about to ask her what was wrong when she suddenly took a deep breath and kissed him on the cheek. Then, blushing, she waved goodbye and exited the room.
After a few seconds of standing there in shock, Kira climbed Cagalli's bed and jumped up and down on it, not caring at the slightest that he was in a dress with a blonde wig. He was just too deliriously happy to care.
Well, at least Kira Yamato was not the only happy one in the castle. Someone was also sharing his sentiments. The blue-haired bodyguard that accompanied Arthur Trine yesterday was looking very un-bodyguard-like today. Oh, no, no, no. And rightly so! For who would ever, in their right minds, think that Athrun Zala was just a simple bodyguard?
He was, in actuality, the rich King that was seeking a wife. Kings are not always old and bald! They could be young and handsome too! And he was the living proof of it. He was probably the youngest King ever crowned in the history of their kingdom, but he could care less. He was doing a great job. His kingdom prospered under his reign.
So, perhaps they would allow him to have fun, just once in his life, and forget about formalities for a week.
He was willing to help Orb. It just so happened that Arthur, his right-hand man and guardian, suggested that as he was nearing the proper marrying age, it would be advisable to find himself a wife and settle down. It was like hitting two birds with one stone. He'll help a suffering kingdom, -and- gain himself a wife (thus shutting Arthur up). He briefly wondered whether he would accomplish both of his goals. But as soon as the thought presented itself on his brain, he quickly brushed it off. Why wouldn't he succeed?
He had heard many things about the Princess. But none of them even came close to what he realized yesterday. Yes, coming here was not a bad idea after all.
He peeked in the hole and snickered at the sight of the Princess jumping up and down on her bed.
"If you decided to just make yourself known yesterday, we wouldn't be faced with this problem," Arthur admonished him lightly.
Athrun rolled his eyes. Arthur was always so uptight. "As usual, you're making something out of nothing at all."
"What would they think of our manners? The horror of being thought of us unrefined… Ugh," Arthur snapped bitterly. "To some people, like you for example, these kinds of things are -nothing-, but to the rest of us who -do- care, this is the worst faux pas that I have ever had the horror of coming across."
"Whatever," Athrun muttered. "Don't worry, I'm going to apologize. I'm not as 'unrefined' as you think I am."
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. It's just that, it's my job to ensure that everything goes right!"
Athrun smiled gratefully at him. Even though the man could drive him insane most of the time, Athrun knew that he meant well. And maybe it's his job to make his guardian loosen up and live a little. "That's fine. You know me."
Arthur seemed to accept this and kept -relatively- quiet as they were making their way to the throne room. He was finally going to meet his future wife and suddenly he felt a couple of butterflies take flight in his stomach. 'Relax, Athrun,' he mentally pep-talked himself, 'think of this as a sort of…practice for the real thing.'
Finally, they reached the huge oak doors that led to the throne room. "Well, ready Your Majesty?" Arthur asked him.
He took a deep breath, nodded and plastered a huge smile on his face. "As ready as I can be, Arthur!"
Arthur nodded to the two guards standing beside each door. The guards nodded smartly and pushed the heavy doors open for the both of them. Athrun remembered to thank them, recalling his experiences during his short-lived career as Arthur's bodyguard yesterday.
King Uzumi greeted them again with his fatherly manner and regarded Athrun curiously, taking note of his appearance. He turned puzzled eyes to Arthur, "Wasn't he your aide yesterday?"
Arthur chuckled richly. "I'm sure King Athrun has a marvelous explanation as to why he cooked up such a scheme yesterday."
Athrun gave his guardian a tight smile and then bowed to King Uzumi. "I apologize for lying to you, Your Majesty. I only wanted to see for myself what kind of girl the Princess was. It was never in my intention to deceive you. Please forgive me."
The King gave chuckled, held his shoulders and straightened him up. With a twinkle in his eye, he told Athrun, "You and Cagalli will get along just fine. I can see it."
Athrun smiled politely. The doors opened to announce the arrival of the Princess and he immediately turned his attention to the blond girl making her way towards them. He gave her an encouraging smile and the Princess in turn gave him a confused one.
Well, at least this time, she didn't fall flat on her face.
To say that Kira was feeling nervous would be an understatement. He was feeling jumpy, panicky, tense. And to make matters worse, the blue-haired bodyguard from yesterday kept on smiling at him like he was some sort of…something. Kira returned his smile uncertainly. Maybe he was laughing inwardly, remembering Kira's face-kissing encounter yesterday. He walked directly to the King and waited for him to introduce them.
At least, Rau Le Creuset was not there. Where was Cagalli's fiancé? He shivered inwardly as he imagined what they would do for the rest of the week. Maybe they would hold hands, and be touchy-feely, and, if the rich King had a lot of guts, (another disgusted shiver) -kiss-. 'There's no way in hell I'm kissing a boy!' he thought furiously, desperately trying to erase the image from his mind.
King Uzumi fixed him with a proud, fatherly gaze. "Princess Cagalli Yula Athha of Orb, I would like to introduce you to the King Athrun Zala, from the Kingdom of PLANT."
The blue-haired boy stepped forward and kneeled in front of Kira and took his hand. Kira felt himself stiffen as various images floated in his mind, but the young King just smiled at him. "I apologize for not telling you the truth yesterday. I just wanted to see for myself… how you would react."
Kira felt his face heat up as he remembered how he 'reacted' yesterday afternoon. '…By almost kissing the floor and commenting how squeaky clean it was, that's how!' he thought ruefully. "Oh, please do stand up, Your Majesty. There is no need to apologize."
Athrun promptly got to his feet and smiled at him once more, which Kira found slightly unnerving. It wasn't that it was unpleasant; on the contrary, it was a harmless, friendly, -adoring-, smile. But he just felt uncomfortable having a -guy- smile at him like that.
King Uzumi gestured at the sun shining brightly thru the tall windows in the throne room. "Such a beautiful day shouldn't be spent indoors, hm?"
Kira forced a happy smile on his face. He knew what the true meaning behind King Uzumi's words. He imagined the blue-haired boy leaning in to kiss him… Two voices seemed to come alive from inside him…
'I – I think…'
'No, Kira! Don't back down! Think of Lacus! Lacus!'
'Eh? I'm -supposed- to think of Lacus when he leans in to kiss me!'
'No, you dolt! What I'm saying is Lacus is counting on you!'
'To kiss him! No way in hell!'
'No! Lacus is counting on you to protect Cagalli's intentions!'
He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts swirling around in his mind. No matter what! He'll get through this! He definitely will! For Lacus!
Kira glanced at Athrun's smiling face and felt himself turn green.
Tree. Tree. Tree. Tree. Bush. Tree. Grass. Tree. Tree. Bush. Grass. Tree. Tree. Tree. Bush. Tree. Tree. Tree. Tree. Another freaking bush. Another freaking grass. Another freaking TREE!
Cagalli had never in her entire life seen that much trees. And she had come to the conclusion that she didn't like them very much. She was already irked to begin with, what with spending a day tied-up and gagged. Add in the fact that that Yzak and Dearka had pushed her patience to the limit. She was tired, hungry and dirty. She was definitely, infinitely, absolutely pissed off.
Another one word that could describe her current predicament was: -LOST-.
'Where the heck am I? Well, I'm still in the forest, but what part of the forest?' she thought angrily. She was starting to think that maybe escaping at the dead of the night wasn't such a bad idea after all. The sun was beginning to rise and she had been walking for approximately nine hours now.
She thought about what her father would think and she let out an almost sad sigh. 'Maybe he thinks I ran away and how irresponsible and selfish I am.' If she were entirely truthful, she would have to admit that she -was- irresponsible and selfish…but not when it came to her country. And it felt really different when she was thought of that way, when she -wasn't- exactly doing anything of the sort.
If she hadn't been kidnapped, she would probably back at the castle, being pampered to almost perfection by the helpers. 'Full body spa…sauna…hot bath…'
She shook her head violently to get rid of the thought. 'Ack! Stop thinking about it and torturing yourself with it, Cagalli!' she mentally reprimanded herself. 'I never though I'd see the day when I'd be -begging- for all that girly stuff.'
Well, weirder things had happened.
Who the hell would send three incompetent nincompoops to kidnap her? Who would be thick enough to do that? Who would want her out of the way? Was it a simple kidnap-for-ransom case or was it something much bigger? There were too many questions but too little answers. She -had- to find out what was behind it all.
But for the mean time, she will have to settle for something on a smaller scale…like getting out of this forest, for example.
And her stomach seemed to agree with her, as it let out a loud rumble.
Athrun glanced at his blonde companion and smiled. After this day was over, he -will- accomplish his objectives. They were walking in the garden and true to what King Uzumi had said, it was a nice day. A nice, cool summer's day, in fact. Athrun led the Princess to one of the benches and they sat down. They were a considerable distance from each other and one might say that the silence was deafening.
"You're so quiet, Princess," he commented, inwardly wishing for her to take the bait.
The Princess let out, what seemed to Athrun, a strained smile. "It's just that I'm a little…uncomfortable. This is our first meeting, is it not?"
Athrun chuckled. She was making it hard for him. "Actually, technicality aside, we already met yesterday."
She gave him a small smile and then turned her attention to her lap. Athrun couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. 'Are -her- hands -that- interesting? More so that -me-?' he thought sarcastically. Things won't go the way he planned if she remained this -silent-.
Maybe she was just scared of him? He snorted inwardly at that. Why the hell would she be scared of -him-? As far as he knew, from what he had heard, -he- should be the wary one. Perhaps, he needed a new tactic? Yes, that was it. He was going to get to the bottom of this even before the day ends.
Kira couldn't help it. His mind kept on producing unpleasant images about -the- kiss. 'What if Cagalli never came back? I'd be stuck impersonating her forever! And Athrun will find out that I am a guy sooner or later! If he does, would I be send to the dungeons or straight to the execution chambers! I'm too young to die! Plus, I haven't even asked Lacus out on a date yet!'
"You're very different face to face," Athrun commented curiously.
Kira felt a lump form on his throat. "I-I am?"
Athrun let out an amused chuckle. "Yes, if you permit me to say so. From what I have heard, you are very…outgoing."
Kira fought the urge to roll his eyes. 'Now that's a very nice way of putting it. Outgoing. Cagalli. Frank and aggressive is more like it,' he thought incongruously. He knew that he should be acting that way, but it wasn't in his – Kira's, that is – character. He was an introvert, how the heck was he supposed to act all loud and stuff? He was already feeling quite embarrassed at the fact that he was wearing a green dress, a blonde wig and, for god's sake, -make-up-!
He could see Athrun survey him inquisitively at the corner of his eyes. What was he supposed to say to that? 'Come on, Kira! Think! Think! For Lacus!' The last sentence seemed to awaken something inside him and he felt…-inspired-. From what he had seen, the very Cagalli-like thing to do was to punch the guy straight in the face. 'They're supposed to get married, not start a boxing match!' he inwardly sighed. 'I give up.'
Deciding to play it safe at the moment, Kira gave Athrun a puzzled stare. "What -exactly- have you heard about, er, me?"
"That you were very, er, outgoing."
Kira forced what he hoped to be a sweet smile on his face. "That's very nice of you to put it that way. But, what -exactly- have you heard?"
It was Athrun's turn to look confounded.
Kira had to smile at the look on Athrun's face. 'The tables are turned!' he thought giddily. 'Are you going to tell the truth, King Athrun? Or will you continue saying sickeningly sweet words of flattery?'
To Kira's mixed surprise and horror, Athrun turned to look at him with a (gulp!) -loving- stare. "Finally, you show your true colors. I've always liked that about you, Princess Cagalli. You are very out-spoken. Your temper is legendary."
Kira's head was spinning. The guy was practically professing his love for him! Well, technically, it was for Cagalli. But… even so! He felt his breakfast churn in his stomach. It must have shown on his face because the loving look disappeared from Athrun's eyes and was replaced with a concerned look.
"Are you alright, Cagalli?" he asked.
Kira nodded slowly. Then, after a few seconds, he shook it vehemently to get rid of the nauseating thoughts. "I-I'm fine! Really, I am!"
Athrun raised an eyebrow at that. "You look a little green."
"I-It must be, um, you know, the, um…" Kira trailed off, unsure of what to say. 'Think' "It must be the, um, time of the month!"
"Time of the month?" Athrun echoed amusedly.
Realizing what he just said, Kira felt his cheeks go hot.
"I didn't know girls turn green at the 'time of the month,'" Athrun observed jokingly.
Kira forced a laugh, but groaned inwardly. 'Stupid!'
Athrun brushed a blonde lock out of his face. Kira stiffened at that. 'No, it can't be! Stop it! I'm a guy! A bloody, straight one at that! Stop!' his mind was frantically screaming at him to do something but he sat frozen in the bench, completely mortified.
"You know Cagalli," Athrun began, his voice turning slightly husky. "I've always liked you… You're even better in person."
Kira's mind was reeling. 'Well, that's fine and dandy. Except for one tiny, itsy-bitsy detail! I'm -not- Cagalli! I'm Kira Yamato! A male! I'm not a princess! Heck, come to think of it, I'm not even a prince… Aaaahhh!'
Athrun leaned in, his lips getting closer to his…
Kira unconsciously clenched his fists. 'There's no way in hell I'm going to kiss a guy!'
Next Chapter: Will Athrun kiss "Princess Cagalli"? Just what is he up to? Will Cagalli get out of the forest? Or will she have to resort to eating icky, improvised forest food? Is Dearka finally showing signs of a hidden intelligence? Will Athrun be Kira's first kiss? And where is Lacus? All these and more in the next chapter of 'The Princess and the Pauper'!
Author's Notes: Sorry if this is kind of late. I was kind of…preoccupied with school stuff. I just finished a full scientific paper in just under six hours! -groans- Honestly, can't I just tell my professor, 'Hey, sorry but I wasn't able to write it! I had writer's block!' Yeah, right.
I just noticed that Arthur Trine is out of character. But who cares? Just kidding. Well, I find him funny in Destiny. Better than Natarle, I think. Thanks to Wi-Fi technology, I was finally able to download the rest of the GSD episodes. Just waiting for Phase 45 to finish downloading…
On the lighter side, I managed to convert my cousin (the one who gave me this Princess and the Pauper idea) into a full-fledged SEED fan! Though she still prefers Gundam Wing and G Gundam. Oh, well. To each her own! But even my seven-year-old sister's into SEED! Anyway, hope you liked this chapter. Sorry if it's a little shonen-aish. I'll explain it on the next chapter! But please bear in mind that this will NOT be shonen-ai. I was actually squirming when I wrote this… I hope it has enough humor to make you forget of that near -kiss- (-shudder-).
THANKS TO ALL THE REVIEWERS! I have to find a way to reply to each of you… heard that's illegal now…
A little more of the outtakes for all of you!
Phase 24 – War for Two
-
Scene where Cagalli steals the gun from Athrun.
Cagalli: But that…thing! It will hurt many people!
Athrun: Then kill me, because I'll be the one piloting it!
Cagalli: (throws the -loaded- gun) K'so!
Athrun: (dives towards Cagalli and gets bonked in the head by the gun; loses consciousness)
Director: Cagalli! I told you to throw the gun on your side, not at Athrun!
Cagalli: (-smiles-) Hehe… I got carried away!
Director: Next time, just… (suspicious look) wait a minute, you're looking more muscular today, Cagalli…
Cagalli: (rushes into the scene, panting) Of course he looks muscular, you idiot! That's not me! That's Kira in a blonde wig! (approaches the unconscious Athrun) Athrun, honey! Are you okay?
Kira: (takes off the wig and throws it at Athrun) That's for even -looking- at Cagalli when she accidentally lifted her shirt, you pervert! And I thought you were my friend!
Assistant: (whispering) Should we tell him about the kissing scene on Phase 48?
Director: (whispering back) Not unless we want Athrun dead…
-
Scene from above, take 2!
Cagalli: But that…thing! It will hurt many people!
Athrun: Then kill me, because I'll be the one piloting it!
Cagalli: (throws the -loaded- gun) K'so!
Athrun: (dives and lands on top of Cagalli) Geez! Who in the world would throw a loaded gun?
Cagalli: S-sorry…
Athrun: …
Cagalli: (whispers) Athrun… er… this is the part where you get off of me…
Athrun: (bends forward and kisses Cagalli, who readily complies)
Director: Cut! That's not supposed to happen until Phase 48! Stop that you two!
Yzak: For the love of God, could you get a room!
Dearka: That's hot! Where's big brother anyway?
(Muffled sounds in the closet)
Kira: (locked inside said closet) What the hell's happening in there? (panics) Athrun! Stay away from my sister!