A/N: Hello! Yes, I have updated like I told you all I would! Sorry, it is a little late because of work. (sighs) Now, I must tell you all that if you haven't seen Seed DESTINY, or don't know who Yuuna is, then this is where he comes in. Yes, I have a feeling you might hate him and I'm right in that boat too. Well, there's my warning so enjoy the next chapter. Hope you like it!

Chapter 2
Secrets Kept

He opened the doors and she followed him in. Quickly, he donned a pair of sunglasses and walked beside her, head slightly down but eyes ever watching.

"Cagalli!" shouted a voice from near the front. Cagalli smiled as she made her way to her brother, only to find Meer standing beside him – or someone who looked like Meer.

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Yula! Kira has told me all about you. I see you have met our good friend Athrun," said the young woman, smiling brilliantly at her.

"Please, call me Cagalli." She eyed the young woman up and down. "You act nothing like that Meer girl, so you must be Lacus Clyne, Siegel Clyne's daughter," said Cagalli, once again in awe. Her half-brother, friends with Lacus Clyne! Oh, Kisaka would be so jealous.

"Why, yes!" said Lacus, her eyes surprised. "How do you know Miss Campbell?"

"She attacked Athrun half-way through our conversation. Then, she so very rudely knocked me down. I'm glad she's nothing like you, or I would have hated you as well."

"You mustn't think of Miss Campbell that way! She is a good person; she just believes that her and Athrun belong together. Please, try to be friendly," said Lacus, wandering off to talk to others.

Cagalli glanced at her half-brother and saw him watch Lacus go, a far away look in his eyes. Cagalli grinned, stood up on tiptoe and shouted in his ear, "Kira!"

He jumped a foot and whirled to face her, his violet eyes wide in surprise. Cagalli laughed and ruffled his chocolate brown hair, which he didn't find amusing.

"I like Lacus. She's really nice. Unlike that…that…ugh I hate that Meer woman! She's just so…meh!" Cagalli said, grumbling. Athrun grinned at her, but was quickly bombarded by the one person he had so desperately tried to avoid.

"There you are!" exclaimed Meer, her fake voice making Cagalli's temper rise. She was clinging to him like he was a goddamn lifeboat!

Right then, music began to shake the floor and Cagalli, unaware that Kira had gone onto the dance floor with Lacus, found the perfect way to get back at Meer.

"I'm sorry, Meer. I have to steal Athrun from you," said Cagalli, putting extra emphasis on 'steal'. Meer didn't like that at all. Cagalli grinned, grabbed Athrun's arm, looked at him with brilliant eyes and dragged him onto the floor.

Cagalli laughed as Meer stormed away, her eyes burning holes through the men who tried to ask her to dance.

"Here's good," said Athrun, twirling Cagalli and catching her in his arms. He began to move and she followed, feeling the rhythm of the music flow through her. They moved as one, the music seeping into both of their bodies as they moved closer together. Cagalli felt her pulse quicken as his hand settled on her waist, where there was no clothing to stop the connection. A shock seemed to go through her body and she concentrated on anything but that hand on her waist.

"Thanks for saving me from Meer. I don't know what she wants!"

"It's obvious, dumbass. She wants you. And she hates the fact that she can't have you," said Cagalli, grinning. But I can. She blinked as that thought crossed her mind and shook her head, wondering why she would think something like that.

The music continued on for many minutes, dragging more and more people onto the floor. Cagalli, finally deciding that she would rest her head on Athrun's shoulder, caught sight of a man she wished never existed.

"Damnit," she growled against Athrun's throat. Athrun looked down at her and he turned his head when she looked pointedly at the man. "What the hell is Yuuna Roma Seiran doing here? He is such an idiot! Ever since he tried to set me up to marry him, he thinks he's on top of the world, asshole. Lucky for me, Kira came and got me. I still hate him though. Wish he would die. Ruining a perfect party with his presence," ranted Cagalli. Athrun stored all this info in his mind, preferring to question Cagalli later.

Cagalli turned back to Athrun and accidentally knocked his glasses off with her hand. Athrun's eyes grew wide as he tried to shield them from any prying eyes. The news crews loved seeing him at party's and any other events, and he was dancing extremely close with Cagalli, which would make the news critics go wild. He could already picture the heading in his mind: Chairman Athrun Zala, getting cosy with Naturals? Has he lost all sense?

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he pulled Cagalli away from the center of the dance floor, but not before someone spotted them.

"Cagalli!" shouted Yuuna, as he walked over to them. Cagalli stiffened and Athrun quickly put his arm around her waist once he had replaced his sunglasses.

"Yuuna," she said stiffly, trying hard not to punch his pitiful face in.

Yuuna wore his original mahogany and purple suit, and once again Cagalli resisted the urge to dunk his head in a punch bowl and drown him. His black eyes took in Athrun and they narrowed slightly, once he noticed his arm around Cagalli's waist. His purple hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck and he had one of his fake smiles on his face.

Athrun eyed the man from head to toe. He had met with him on many occasions and, his conclusion based completely on those meetings and not on the fact that he was eyeing Cagalli, figured it was safe to say that he despised the man beyond anything else.

"Chairman Zala. I didn't expect you to be here. This is, after all, a party for Naturals," sneered Yuuna. He put extra emphasis on 'Naturals' and Athrun felt his temper rise.

"Well, this young lady – Cagalli is her name if you didn't already know – invited me to come along with her. Now, if you truly wish to walk on thin ice with the Chairman of the PLANTs, then so be it, but please, do it later when there are less Naturals and Coordinators around." And with that he turned, pulling Cagalli with him.

"What I wouldn't give to drown him, or at least shoot him. God damnit! Father said he was a complete ass, but I didn't believe that until that perverted pedophile tried to get me to marry him. I'm half his age!" snarled Cagalli, hooking her arms around Athrun's neck as they began to dance again. "And now he thinks he can come here and insult the Chairman. Next thing you know, he'll take over Orb and act all supreme and probably declare war, the dumbass. God, kill him for me now!"

Athrun couldn't suppress his laughter. She looked so cute when she was flustered. But he agreed with her whole-heartedly. He shouldn't even be on Aprilius One, if he despised Coordinators so much.

But something was triggered in his mind when Cagalli said that Yuuna had tried marrying her. He remembered hearing about Cagalli Yula Attha being forced into a marriage to a man of great importance (A/N I hate Yuuna, and to me, he is the most stubborn, self centered, spoiled brat in the whole Destiny series. I'm only adding him in because I love the scene I have picked out for his death :D) but that was it. So, why did this Cagalli act like she was the one that was forced to almost marry him? Unless…

"Cagalli, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Is your real name Cagalli Yula Attha?" asked Athrun softly, looking her directly in the eyes. He saw them widen in fright and he knew that he had guessed right.

"N-no. Why do you ask that?" asked Cagalli, stuttering.

"You said that Yuuna had tried to get you to marry him. The only news broadcast I remember featuring such a thing, is the one where Yuuna forced the young princess of Orb into marriage." Athrun, smiling, continued, "So, it only made me curious that you would refer to yourself as Cagalli Yula Attha, if you are not. Are you like Meer?"

"What the hell, Zala! Are you a detective now?" hissed Cagalli, looking around.

"No, but I do like to know the real names of the people I dance with," grinned Athrun.

"I'm here on a mission from Orb. Kira promised to keep my identity a secret, but seeing as how you're a goddamn Sherlock Holmes, I'm going to have to ask you to keep my identity a secret as well." Athrun nodded. "Good, at least I hope I can trust you, Zala. You are the Chairman after all."

"Can I ask about the mission?"

"Only if we go somewhere private. I don't want people overhearing," replied Cagalli, taking his hand and leading him through the crowd.

Just as they neared the door, Cagalli caught site of Yuuna, staring at them through the crowd. He was looking at their linked hands and Cagalli glared at him as she pushed open the door.

"Yuuna might follow, so if you see someone in the shadows, don't hesitate to shoot. Especially if they have purple hair," growled Cagalli.

Athrun nodded as she led him to the elevator and they stepped inside. She looked out the beautiful glass into the dreary night. Angry clouds clotted the sky and lighting laced through the heavens. Thunder could be heard even through the glass.

Athrun stepped out first, his hand still in Cagalli's. As they rounded a corner, he came face to face with a gun. Luckily, Cagalli was still around the corner and felt him stiffen.

"Where is the princess of Orb?" drawled the voice, clicking off the safety. "We got confirmation that she is here on Aprilius One. Do you know anything about that, Chairman Zala?"

"The princess of Orb has arrived? I thought she was going to marry some idiot back down on Earth," muttered Athrun, thinking fast. He moved his hand slightly, signalling to Cagalli to go hide, and felt her hand leave his.

"Don't play games Zala, we need her and we need her now. If you're hiding her, we'll come after you," the man leaned forward. "No one, and I repeat no one, gets in the way of my target and my gun, understood, Chairman?"

Athrun nodded solemnly and the man disappeared into the shadows.

And that was when he heard her scream.

To Be Continued...
Next Update:
01/08/05

A/N: You will probably all hate me for this cliffy, but you know, I couldn't help it! It was the perfect ending for a chapter! Well, please give me your reviews and your thoughts on how it's progressing! Thnx!