Right now, I'm feeling so great because I'm done with my early decision application! Now I just have to shovel my way through a ton of tests and projects and I'll have an easier life, which hopefully means more time to write. Or more time to torture myself waiting for the acceptance or rejection letter to come in the mail. XP
On the plus side, this chapter is pretty long compared to other chapters thus far.
Now enough of my inane babbling; it's the start of a new chapter! Continuons!
Cagalli stared at the microwave's bright green display. 12:30, it read, the colon blinking annoyingly.
12:30… Usually she'd be at work by now, but today she had the day off, one of the perks of the new job being that employees got a lot more time off. The sad part was that she didn't know what to do with it. Other then sleep in and polish of a box of cookie dough ice cream, she had accomplished basically nothing for the entire morning.
It had been so long since she'd had free time she'd forgotten how to enjoy it. What was there to do? For the entire almost half year she'd been here, never once did she really go out and explore the city. She just never had time... and also...
Where was she supposed to start?
Basics… basics would be nice. She'd like to join a gym... Like she had when she was in France. Get herself set up back into some routine. With the new job she had a lot more free time to looks forward to. Time to start setting new goals, and getting a personal life.
Dashing into her room with new found energy, she dug her way through her drawers until she found a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. Then quickly flipping through the phone book for gyms in the area, she found one and was off.
Athrun's fingers paused for a moment, poised and hovering above his laptop's keyboard. His eyes skimmed the last line he'd type, his mouth frowned, and his hand quickly moved to delete it.
Leaning back into his chair he sighed. Just a regular slow-ish day at the company. Technically he didn't have to do this now. But it was better to get it done...
Then again working for over five hours on a single document probably wasn't great for one's health either... Checking the time he raised an eyebrow. 12:30.
Tapping on the "F" key impatiently while weighing his options, he saved the document and stuffed his laptop into his bag. He could go for lunch, maybe find something else to do. After all, he was almost finished with this one. He needed maybe another half hour or so. Not that he had a problem with working... he'd prefer to get it done. But then a certain face would pop into his head and scold him for being a workaholic. An amusingly energetic expression with golden hair that subtlety outlined the curves in her face.
Taking a break for a little couldn't be that bad, right? Opening his desk drawer, he pushed around loose objects until his located his car keys. Suddenly his hand brushed past something unfamiliar. Picking it out, he flipped it around.
A card.
A member card to be exact.
For what?
Why, his gym of course! Not that he'd gone there for a good few weeks...
A visit to the gym? Well... it couldn't hurt. Do something to work up an appetite. Keep in good health. Why not?
Kira's eyes bulged at what his ears were hearing.
"Sir! You can't be serious! I JUST-"
"I'm sorry Kira but I'm dead serious. I wish there was someone else, but there's just no one as qualified as you. I don't have a choice here."
"But Sir!"
"Please don't be too angry. I understand why you're upset, but it won't be as long this time."
"It doesn't matter! Last time it was three months! THREE! You can't expect me to do this on such short notice." He protested fiercely.
"Kira! Believe me if I had other options I would gladly take them. But not only am I at the end of my line, the people above me in this crazy food chain of power insist upon this! I can't help it!" His professor exclaimed.
Kira's face froze in shock at this professor's sudden outburst then quieted down and frowned. "I don't have a choice in this... do I?" He looked up to see a head solemnly shaking. "I... I understand Sir. I'll see to it as soon as possible. Just... give me some time please? I can't do it so soon. I'll need to organize some materials... sort things out." He muttered bitterly, gripping the edge of the table in an effort to break it off.
"Of course, of course. I'm sorry though, really I am. Whenever you're ready, just as soon as possible please."
Kira nodded, then exited the office without a word. He wasn't sure what he was going to do. Cagalli hadn't fully settled in yet, and he'd been pushing that off too much already.
And also...
Lacus.
What on earth was he going to do tell Lacus?...
Cagalli grabbed the plastic card that the secretary slid across the counter and grinned. "So I can go in right now?"
"Mm hmm."
"Great! Do you um, have a list of activities or classes that are going on?..." she asked awkwardly, outlining the shape of a page with her index finger. The secretary nodded and pointed to a stack of blue papers sitting to the side. "Thanks." Cagalli smiled, grabbing one.
She began walking towards the entrance to the gym, eyes scanning the schedule for current classes that she could join immediately. Suddenly, she ran face first into something solid.
"Ow!" She exclaimed, rubbing her forehead. "I thought those doors were automatic."
"They are." A familiar voice chuckled softly. Cagalli looked up and her eyes widened. "But unfortunately, I'm not." He finished.
"Athrun! What are you doing here?" She cried aloud.
"Exercising? That's what one tends to do at a gym." He teased nodding at her in mock sarcasm. Cagalli glared at him.
"I didn't know you went to the gym...Much less this gym."
"I don't, really. Spur of the moment thing. Haven't been here in ages." He admitted, his left hand reaching back and ruffling his hair lightly.
"Coincidences of all coincidences..." Cagalli murmured, unsure about what to feel. Athrun grinned in reply.
"Thinking of taking a class?"
"Yeah, but I'm not sure which one." She sighed, drawing her attention back to the schedule.
"Let's take a look." Athrun said moving behind her and leaning over her shoulder to read. Cagalli felt her cheeks burn as the warmth radiating from him enveloped her. In shock, she forgot the breathe, yet continued staring blackly at the schedule, determined not to move, and DEFINATELY not to look up a him...
"Rock climbing." Athrun said with finality, stepping back. Cagalli took a deep breath, slowly giving her body time to recover. Athrun remained completely oblivious to her reaction to his sudden movement. "What do you think?"
"Sounds fun. It's in 10 minutes."
"Then let's get going."
"All right guys, I see a lot of you guys are just beginners so I'm going to start with the basics. This class meets once a week, every week, this time. I'd appreciate it if you all regularly, so I could have a class to move along with, but if you ever can't come or want to come in extra, feel free to do so."
Cagalli stood with her arms folded over her chest, listening to the instructor give her speech. Athrun took a quick glance at her out of the corner of his eye. Funny... it was strange how they'd known each other for such a long... yet short time.
"Okay guys! First step! Today's kind of lame because I don't want people up on the wall until we learn the safety procedures. Let's get started with trust falls. Find a partner."
Athrun and Cagalli glanced at each other, shrugged, then turned towards each other.
"Okay good. The purpose of this activity is to fall back, and trust that your partner will catch you. When climbing, it's vital that you have trust in the person that's holding your rope. So go ahead and start. Tell your partner to stand back as far as you want or trust them too. Then just before you lean back, check if their ready. Remember to announce your fall."
Cagalli blinked and was about to step forward in position to catch Athrun when he swiftly moved behind her.
"Whoa whoa whoa. I'M falling?"
Athrun raised an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah. Why not?"
"What if I DON'T trust you?"
"That's the whole point. We have to build trust." He grinned, motioning for her to fall with his hands.
"I... I want you to stand really close then for the first fall. I don't trust you catching me if you're too far away." She insisted, slightly embarrassed at her tone.
Athtun inwardly frowned. She didn't trust him enough? What was that supposed to mean?... "All right." Athrun shrugged, burying his thoughts or at least trying to. He moved forward until he was practically pressed against her back. Cagalli blushed again.
"I said stand close, not on! I still need room to fall!"
He laughed, shaking his head slightly. "Fair enough." he noted, taking a step back.
"Ready?" Cagalli asked warily.
"Ready."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"You're positive?"
"For the love of god, Cagalli. Yes! I'll catch you!"
"All right. Falling..." She closed her eyes tightly and fell backwards, bracing for impact.
"Don't bend your knees… don't bend your knees…" She chanted to herself. Suddenly she felt herself get gently slowed down, then propped back up.
"Gotcha See? That wasn't so hard now was it?" A calm voice assured. "You can open your eyes now."
Cagalli opened her left eyes, and found a pair of intense dark evergreen eyes staring intently at her. Coughing a little, she opened the other one and straightened out her shirt.
"R-Right. Okay." She nodded.
"So do you trust me now?" He asked.
"Um, sure..." She mumbled.
"Ready to try a longer fall?"
"A WHAT!"
And so the class continued. Eventually Athrun got sick of taking 15 minutes to convince her to fall another inch more, and they switched. Cagalli did well at first, catching Athrun, although having to catch him in her arms made her blush furiously at first.
"All right Cagalli, why don't we switch again?" Athrun suggested, trying to hold his amusement over how her face currently resembled a fire hydrant.
"Okay..." She nodded.
"Same as before. I'll catch you before you fall too much." He assured. Grinning to himself, as soon as she was in position, he took a large step back, so that he'd end up catching her a few inches above the ground. Oh, what fun.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
"Falling..." She sighed, closing her eyes.
"Wait a minute...
Why am I falling this much?
I'm not supposed to fall this much!
He's not going to catch me! He's not going to catch me!
THAT JERK!
I'm going to fall… Fall!
I don't want to fall!
H-HELP!"
Athrun smiled, sure that she'd HAVE to trust him after this. Suddenly though, she took a step back, clearly frightened over how much she had gone back, without slowing down. She stumbled and her knees bent, stepping backwards, as her arm shot back to balance. Rushing forward to catch her, his eyes widened then closed as hoped he blindly hoped he would make it on time.
"The floor..."
"Cagalli?"
"It's warm..."
"Cagalli?"
"And soft..."
"Cagalli!"
He eyes shot open. Gradually her pupils readjusted to the light, still feeling slightly dizzy. She found herself staring at a slightly shaken and very concerned Athrun. So then... she must be lying on his lap...
"Cagalli! Are you okay?"
The young woman sprung to her feet and punched him promptly in the shoulder. "OF COURSE NOT YOU IDIOT! I TOLD YOU I DIDN'T WANT TO FALL THAT FAR!"
"Wha... Well if you hadn't stepped back and had just TRUSTED me-"
"Oh don't you DARE pin this on me! Don't blame YOUR lies on ME!"
"I had every intent to catch you! Really!" He insisted.
"I don't care! You weren't there to catch me where you said you would be! Jerk!"
Suddenly Athrun's eyes widened and he looked down at the ground. Cagalli felt startled at her own audacious outburst, as her body cooled down from all the excitement. "Sorry." He spoke softly.
"It's okay..."
They stood there for a while, awkwardly. Much of the class had stopped to stare at them by now.
"Want to... get some lunch?" Athrun suggested weakly.
"Yeah, let's get out of here."
"So what DO you do?" She asked, taking a bite out of her sandwich. After taking a shower, they had headed to a nearby deli for a quick lunch.
"Pardon?"
"Your job."
"Oh." Athrun swallowed what he was chewing, and took a gulp of water. "I'm the Primary Administrative Assistant to the Head Director of Corden Real Estate."
Cagalli blinked. "In English?"
"I take care of all the stuff that the head of the company is too lazy to do." Athrun shrugged.
"Shouldn't that be a secretary's job?"
"No no. This is more like writing preliminary contracts, reviewing quarterly profit statistics, and stuff."
"Sounds busy." Cagalli muttered.
"Mm, but it's a good job. Good position." He finished, dabbing at his mouth with a napkin. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a palm pilot. Cagalli watched him silently.
"Sorry Cagalli. Gotta go. Something important must of come up. personally asked I go to his office." Athrun sighed, starting to pull on his jacket. "Want to come?"
"Am-am I allowed to?" Cagalli asked uncertainly.
"Of course. As long as I say you're my guest." Athrun assured, offering his hand. Cagalli stared at her half eaten sandwich on her plate, grabbed it in her right hand and shrugged.
"Sure, I'll tag along."
The entire time, while navigating this building, Cagalli had felt awkward. First security personal tried to stop her from entering, then after she had gotten thorugh, continued to stare at her suspiciously. On top of that, the eyes of numerous secretaries who would gaze at Athrun dreamily, would turn sharply to her and glare daggers as she walked by.
"Ah, Athrun. Good to see that you're here. I have something urgent to talk to you about." A man said, who Cagalli could only assume was Athrun's boss. She took a step back, and was about to leave the room and wait outside.
"Sorry if I'm late sir. Anything I can do for you?" Athrun asked politely. He glanced at Cagalli, who seemed to be backing away.
"Who's this young lady?" Mr. Corden asked, smiling a bit. He seemed stern and professional, yet also good-natured. An elderly man of an age that Cagalli dared not guess.
"She's a friend. Mind if she stays?" Athrun explained curtly.
"Personally no. But because this matter personally concerns you, it's really more your decision."
Athrun's eyebrows crossed worriedly, in confusion. Cagalli shifted uncomfortably.
"I can go wait outside..." She explained, turning towards the door. Suddenly, Athrun grabbed her wrist.
"It's fine." Athrun insisted, looking at her briefly before turning back to Mr. Corden. "Please continue sir."
Athrun had never been so scared in his entire life. Was he going to get fired? Was that it? If so... did he want Cagalli here? If something bad had happened, he'd like have to have someone with him... But for some reason tee idea of her watching him fail twisted his gut in to an uncomfortable knot.
Mr. Corden regarded Athrun, then broke into a smile. "You needn't be so concerned. I promise it's nothing terrible."
He took a deep breath and leaned backwards into his chair, gesturing for Athrun and Cagalli to take a seat in front of him.
"Athrun, how long have you been working for me?"
"I think just over two years sir..." Athrun replied.
"Yet in such a short amount of time, you've amazed me time and time again with the quality of your work and your dedication to your job."
"Thank you, Sir."
"This week Athrun... This week as you probably are aware of, I will be turning 65."
"I know, Sir." Athrun nodded again
"I think that... 65 is too old to be running a company of this size." Pausing slightly, choosing his words very carefully.
Athrun gaped in shock. Cagalli shifted uncomfortably, yet curious. Could this possibly mean?...
"Sir! You want to retire?"
A nod.
"But sir! This is your company! It's been yours for over 30 years!" The young man protested.
"I know Athrun. I know. It's very important to me. And so even if I'm not running it, I want it in good hands. I've made enough money to live a comfortable life with my wife, for the rest of my days. But this company means a lot to me. Even if it's not mine, I want to see it succeed."
"Of-of course sir. What buyers do you have in mind?"
"As of now? None." The old man smiled.
"Sir!" Athrun stood up promptly. "If you plan to retire by the end of the week, yet have no buyers in mind... it's just not possible!"
"Athrun..." Mr. Corden chuckled. "I'm not going to sell the company. I told you I have enough money. All I want to do is see it succeed in my absence."
Athrun nodded and sat down warily. "Sir... I don't think I understand. Are you implying..."
"Athrun. I don't' want to sell this company. It's my life's work! And so I'd rather… I want to… To leave her in your hands, because I'm confident in your abilities, and know that you'll treat her well..." spoke slowly, measuring his words, almost as if he was assuring himself at the same time, that he was making the right decision. He leaned forward.
"The company is yours."
Cagalli had never felt more awkward in her entire life. A large part of her wanted to get up and hug Athrun in congratulations. Another part was sad that Mr. Corden was giving up his company. And the final part just felt... awkward.
Athrun, meanwhile, hadn't blinked in blinked…. Or maybe even breathed for five minutes. Mr. Corden watched him carefully.
"Athrun?"
"Yes, Sir?" He replied, almost robotically.
"Will you take her? I know it seems strange, since you haven't worked here for long, but at this point there's no one I'd feel more comfortable with. So, by the end of this week, I will be turning full ownership over to you."
"You... you must be kidding." Athrun muttered, still completely stunned.
"Oh no, I'm completely serious. The contracts have been drawn up: I just need you to sign them. This weekend, at my birthday celebration, I will make the announcement."
Athrun stared at the contracts on the desk. Reaching over, he picked them up and stared. They were real. He was serious... All these documents needed was his signature, and he would own the company. The entire company...
"Athrun? Please sign. As unrealistic as this seems, again, I have no one else that I trust turning this company over to. If you ever feel like you regret this you can always give her back. But for now, I want a long vacation. Think of this as your birthday present to me." He smiled. Cagalli studied his face. It was evident that the man was tired, and had been thinking about it for a long time. He sincerely meant it, and looked at Athrun the way a father might regard a son.
Athrun shakily drew a fountain pen from the desk, then lay the contracts flat on the desk. Standing up, he shakily put the pen to the paper and began to write.
Athrun...
He stopped. Did he really want to do this? This didn't seem right... He felt like he was cheating everyone else who had worked in this company for decades... He couldn't do this. He just-
Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Cagalli beaming at him supportively.
"Unless you have any other birthday present in mind Athrun, you better finish that signature."
Mr. Corden laughed and grinned. "She's right Athrun. If you don't sign, you better have something else big planned."
Athrun looked at Mr. Corden, then at Cagalli and smiled.
"Thank you... Thank you so much sir. I just... don't know what else to say."
Putting the pen to the paper again, he finished it off. With one four letter word, it was final.
He owned... a company.
So canAthrun handle the pressure? And what is the horrible news that Kira has to break to Lacus? Better keep reading, because this crazy head of mine has 101 more ideas on how to torture… erm… develop said characters. (Hint: Lacus and Cagalli will run into their share of issues too.)
At first I was hesitant to do this, because it seems to involve Athrun's job so suddenly seems awkward. But, if you recall earlier chapters, where he did nothing but tote a laptop around, that was a slight intimation toward this chapter. I hope it's not too strange though, but in terms of reason, it's basically going to help develop a plot.
Also, not sure if you guys can tell yet, but at this point I think this will definitely be longer than my previous work. The ending for others was already set, whereas I have little to no vague idea where I'm going with this.
Thanks to my readers again. I know I'm getting really bad at these updates, but I'm hoping that it won't discourage anyone from reading!
ichigo kagura, Mika-chan, thousandbirds, astrocosmos, Athrun-n-Cagalli, kura52, xcrossmyheartx , KiraFreedom, Eternally Asuka, purple1, gseedlover, Cagalli-01, ZGMF X-19A Infinite Justice, MXC - the show- rocks my socks, clumsykelli , asucagainluv, blackfirefox, Torri-Chiobie, taijiya-sango88, koali alolao, Smoke-Angel, IYGU, Orange Noel, animeluver461, RoGuE-WhItE-DrAgOn, Cagalli Yula Athha Fangirl, ANONYMOUS-gsd, animemistress419, Super Greek, Ryan Crescens, Living Arrow, laboo, MiyuCagalli, Kandida, XxbuffyxX, The Angels' Princess, stuntsheep, cloudy mind, Maryam Khanoom.
I'll try to get the next chapter in ASAP, since I'm pretty sure about what's going to happen.