It wasn't till late afternoon that Kira and Lacus reached home. Exhausted, Lacus gave the door a light push as she stepped in. "Athrun? Cagalli-san?" Getting no reply, Lacus just shrugged and made her way to the bedroom she shared with Kira. Kira followed soon after. "Stupid Athrun," mumbled Kira. "What is it Kira?" laughed Lacus. "He happens to get a few days off and all he does is sleep. He could have at least taken the mail in!" grumbled Kira as he looked through the mails today. Lacus just smiled as she made her way to the bathroom, getting ready for a bath.
Browsing through the stack of mail, Kira came to a stop as he sees a mailing address he had not seen in a long time. It was from the private investigator he hired to search for his sister's whereabouts. Staring at the white envelope, Kira's hands began to shake. 'What would they want to inform me of?' wondered Kira. He sincerely hoped that it wasn't anything bad. He had had too many false hopes over the past few years in search of his sister whose name he couldn't remember. Taking a deep breath, he slowly unsealed the envelope.
A minute later, a door slammed shut and the only sounds heard in that room was the running water from the bathroom. A piece of paper lay forgotten on the floor.
-
"Cagalli!" a young boy shouted. The girl, Cagalli; ran towards the boy who called to her. The two headed towards one another and embraced. They looked no older than seven. Suddenly, the girl started crying. The boy felt helpless, and all he did was held her.
Soon, they were pulled apart. Cagalli kept screaming and kicking as the boy looked on sadly. Slowly, the boy turned around and walked away. Unseen hands grasped at Cagalli's arm as she was dragged further away from the boy. The young Cagalli panicked as she continued to struggle while shouting, "KIRA! KIRA! KI-
-Cagalli awoke with a start. Tears were flowing freely down her face as she buried her face in her hands. It has been years since she had this dream. This time however, she remembered more details compared to those she had when she was twelve. 'Kira…' So her brother's name was Kira. 'Finally, after fifteen years, I remembered my brother's name.' Thought Cagalli bitterly.
Was it a coincidence that there's a Kira staying under the same roof as her currently? Cagalli shook her head. Her father never told her of her brother's name, just things that her brother did or would do. Cagalli blamed herself for not remembering it too. For years, she had hoped that her twin would find her and reunite with her; but after a few years, Cagalli gave up. She summed that her brother probably forgot about her like she did to him.
Wiping her tears, Cagalli tried preparing herself for her confession later that night.
-
When Athrun came home from his brisk walk, a worried-looking Lacus greeted him at the door. "Oh Athrun! Where have you been?" rushed Lacus. Athrun seemed puzzled that his three-hour disappearance would cause Lacus to worry. But the words that came out from Cagalli's mouth halted his thoughts. "Kira is missing," she stated flatly.
Lacus was on the verge of tears now as she handed Athrun the paper she found on their bedroom floor. Athrun scanned the paper as Cagalli walked Lacus to the couch. "He ran off without telling me…again," whispered Lacus. Cagalli just patted her. "Once again, his hopes are going to be dashed," said Lacus as she wiped her eyes. Soon, Athrun too, sat down, as he set the paper onto the table.
Silence.
Cagalli was the one who broke the silence. "What-" she broke off, as if asking for permission to prod. The other two occupants just looked at her, waiting for her to continue. Cagalli took a deep breath, as this question would confirm her suspicions on her relationship with Kira. "What was his sister's name? And what was she like?" asked Cagalli as she held her breath.
"That's the problem," replied Athrun softly. "He didn't even remember her name,"
-
After she had coaxed Lacus to sleep later that night, Cagalli sat outside admiring the night sky. Soon, she heard footsteps and someone plopping down next to her. Without turning, Cagalli spoke. "How would you have felt, if you were Kira?" asked Cagalli, her voice barely heard.
"About not knowing your own sister's name?" asked Athrun as he looked at the blonde. Cagalli nodded.
Athrun sighed. He never had a sibling, so it would be tough to imagine himself in Kira's shoes. Slightly amused that Cagalli asked him such a question, he replied her honestly, "I'd be very disappointed with myself, and might blame myself for forgetting her that easily,"
Both did not speak as they glanced at the clear starless sky.
"I'm sorry about what happened this morning," came Cagalli's voice. Athrun just looked at the slim blonde sitting next to him wringing her hands. He chuckled lightly as he shook his head. "And I'm sorry for snapping at you," replied Athrun.
"So we're even…till the next time I piss you off then?" Asked Cagalli cheekily. Athrun said nothing as he ruffled her hair. "Hey stop it! I told you how I-
"Kira! Stop it! You're messing my hair!" said a seven-year old Cagalli. Kira just smiled as he ruffled his sister's blonde locks. "Arrrgh! This is not fair!" pouted Cagalli. "How is it not fair?" asked a still smiling Kira. "You don't even care when I mess up your hair!" grumbled Cagalli as she attempted to straighten her messy pigtails. This time, Kira laughed.
-galli! Cagalli!" Cagalli refocused her vision to see Athrun shaking her shoulders as he repeated her name. Seeing his face at such close proximity, Cagalli couldn't help but blush. Realizing Cagalli was not in her zoned out state, Athrun reluctantly let go.
"What happened?" asked a concerned Athrun as he stared intensely at Cagalli. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Cagalli said, "I think Kira might be my brother,"
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