JC: In the previous chapter, Cagalli agreed to marry Rey for her country. What will Athrun do if he finds out? Gilbert is totally taking control of the whole situation. He's really despicable. I feel sorry for Cagalli here. She's being forced to marry Rey. This is not good. Please read on.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed/Destiny.

Love Fulfilled

Phase 15: Reunion

It was happening too fast. It was like fate was against her. In less than a week, she was going to marry her best friend. She didn't expect this too happen. She didn't want to, but she must. It was for the sake of her country.

Her face was buried in her hands as tears flowed down her cheeks. She thought of ending her life, but that would make her a coward. She wanted to be brave, yet it was very difficult. "I don't know what to do anymore," she wailed. She walked out of her room, taking deep breathes along the way. She passed by the living room and saw Athrun there. Instantly, she ran to him and hugged him. "I'm so glad you're here," she whispered into his ear.

Though he was dumbfounded, he stayed silent. He simply wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. He slowly brushed through her soft golden locks, as the sweet aroma of her shampoo entered his nose. He felt her heart pounding against his chest. He could feel the tension deep within her. It was sad to see her distressing state. He succeeded in protecting her physically but failed mentally.

She cried again, releasing all the pain she had.

It was unbearable for him to see his loving princess crying over and over again. It wasn't her fault. She was crying, because all her happiness in life was fading away. In order to restore her cheerful self, Athrun, with no hesitation at all, told her something important.

"Your brother is alive."

Cagalli paused as she heard that. She raised her head and faced him with a skeptical look. "Please don't joke like that, Athrun. You know very well that Kira is dead."

He held her petite shoulders. "Cagalli, please believe me..." He looked at her seriously. "Kira Yamato is still alive."

"Stop it! Kira's dead!" she retorted, covering her ears, blocking away his words. She didn't want to listen to him anymore.

"You're only saying that because of the facts. Tell me, what does your heart say?"

She stopped to listen to her heart. She closed her eyes, focusing at herself deeply. Her memories of Kira flashed through in a second, making her heart pound louder and faster. Hearing her brother's voice in her mind, she felt like he was still there with her. Vastly, she began to hear another heart beat. She smiled as she realized it belonged to her brother. She clamped her lips, astonished from what she had learned. She almost cried. She hugged her bodyguard again, thanking him in the process.

His cheeks turned red, the minute he felt her breast being pressed against his chest. He wanted to tell her that, but as he saw Cagalli in her cheerful state again, he decided to keep quiet.

Gently, she pulled herself away and twirled around like a little playful girl. When she faced him again, she asked, "How did you know that my brother is still alive? More importantly, where is Kira right now?"

"When I went to investigate at the scene of the crime, I spotted a beach house that belonged to Captain Ramius. The captain was the one who found Kira by the shore after he fell from the cliff. The captain nursed him back to health and protected him. The next thing she told me was..." He was cut off by a familiar voice, belonging to a purpled-eyed guy who just entered the room.

"That I went here to see Cagalli again, because I missed her so much."

Cagalli couldn't believe her eyes. She was seeing her brother standing right across the room very alive and well. She was filled with overwhelming happiness in an instant. She couldn't hold back her feelings. She began to cry. "Kira... I-I..." Not another word, she went to hug him dearly. "Kira! Kira!" She wept on his shoulder as she trembled tremendously.

Seeing the siblings back together again brought contentment to his mind. He was lucky enough to bump into Kira, while he was looking for him. Now that Kira was back, Cagalli would be back to her old self, he thought silently.

A light tap came to his shoulder, bringing himself to face a blonde-haired girl with magenta-colored eyes. "What is it... um...Stellar, right?"

Stellar nodded. "That's right! You know, when you suddenly pulled Kira-sama away, I almost punched you. I'm very sorry for that." She bowed her head to apologize.

"It's all right," he replied.

Stellar shifted her eyes at Cagalli. "As I expected, Kira-sama's sister is so cute." She clasped her hands together as she smiled.

Miriallia and Jean arrived at the mansion a few minutes later. After receiving a call from Athrun, informing them that Kira was alive, they couldn't wait to see him again. When they went into the living room, their eyes widened as they saw the representative standing beside Cagalli.

"Kira, is that really you?" Miriallia said, slowly approaching him with eyes full of concern.

Kira smiled at her. "Yes, it's me, Milly," he replied.

"I can't believe it!" Miriallia embraced him, because she was overjoyed to see him again. She thought that she had lost her dearest friend. But there he was, alive and smiling again. Her eyes got filled with tears in a mere second. "Kira, it's good to have you back."

He wiped her tears with his thumb, gently rubbing her cheeks, and brushed through her honey-brown hair with his hand. He told her not to cry anymore for he was back for good, never to leave her and his sister again. It was a promise.

Jean went over to Athrun's side and asked him for the full details on how he found Kira. She was eager to know.

"I'll tell you all about it later, Jean," the older Zala told his little sister.

"Tell me now!" she demanded.

"Jean now's not the right time for this."

"Okay... okay... Nii-san, I got it." She puffed her cheeks and folded her arms.

Rey's Room

Rey thought long and hard about Gilbert's intention. Although he liked the idea of getting married to Cagalli, it still bothered his conscience. He was going to marry a girl who doesn't love him back. He understood Cagalli's feelings. Marrying her won't make her happy and it won't make him happy as well.

"If I go through this, Gil will rule ORB. It would mean the end of this country. I want to stop him, but I..."

He still wanted to have Cagalli after all, and for that, he was willing to do anything. Her heart will never be his, he was aware of that fact. But at least he could attain her soul and body. He was tempted to help Gil until the wedding. "I will make her mine whether she likes it or not."

Standing outside Rey's bedroom door was Shinn, who was currently listening to Rey talking by himself. For the past few days, he had been observing Rey, because of his suspicion. During at that time, he found out that Rey was behind Kira's death and the chairman was planning to take over ORB.

"I better tell this to the princess right away," Shinn muttered under his breath.

Without delay, he headed to the mansion in his motorcycle at a high speed. He was almost chased by the cops, but he managed to ditch them. As he reached the said place, he barged into the living room, only to be surprised seeing Stellar and Kira there. "What the... so you're still alive, Kira Yamato?" He pointed his finger at Kira.

Stellar recognized Shinn and immediately greeted him with one big smile, making him blush.

"S-Stellar... It's nice seeing you again." His voice softened when he faced her.

"The feeling is mutual, Shinn. I didn't know that you're a ZAFT soldier." She looked at him from top to bottom, thinking how cool he looked in his red ZAFT uniform.

"Um... Yeah..." he answered nervously, looking a bit awkward while scratching his head. "So, what brings you here?"

"I escorted Kira-sama to this place, which reminds me..." she said as she narrowed her gaze. As she reached for Shinn's arm, she instantly locked it in her hands. "You're not supposed to know that Kira-sama is alive."

"Wait... I can explain... You see I just found out that Rey and the chairman..."

"Killed the representative and plans to rule ORB," Athrun continued for him. "We all know that."

To be continued...

JC: This story is nearing the end. Shinn will be joining the others in foiling Gilbert's plans. I really enjoyed writing Kira's and Cagalli's reunion. I'm a big fan of the twins. They're just too adorable. There are 3 more chapters to go. Please send your reviews. No flames!