Chapter 3 Blossoming Love

A/N Ohaiyo! Sorry if the previous chappie was a tad too short, I was feeling a little peaky, sorry. Anyway, this chapter should be a little longer I hope, happy reading!

"Kira! How many freakin' times must I tell you to knock on the door, and not to just barge into my room like that, before the message manages to get through that thick-headed skull of yours!" exclaimed Cagalli heatedly.

"I don't see what you're so jumpy about, and I'm your brother, so why do I have to knock?" questioned Kira stubbornly, eyebrow's furrowed in annoyance, and glaring angrily at his elder sister, who apparently looked as if the temperature of her blood was on the rise.

"It's basic manners, you jerk! In addition, you're my teensy weensy, little baby brother, which means you've got to show me some respect! Besides, unless you're blind and haven't noticed, I'm trying to keep Alex a secret, and if you dare tell on him to anyone, I'll see to it personally that you are beheaded!" hollered Cagalli ferociously, standing to full height and facing Kira, who although was the younger of the two, was half a head taller than his sister.

"I'm NOT your BABY BROTHER! I may be younger than you, but it's only by a few minutes, which doesn't make me a BABY!" contradicted Kira exasperatedly, folding his arms and staring sideways, away from Cagalli who looked as cross as ever.

"Look at the both of you, bickering like a cluster of grandmothers quarreling at the market, over which of their sons is of higher status and class." Athrun suddenly interrupted, but then quickly sealed his lips tight shut once more, realising that he had just tried to correct the Orb Princess and her brother.

The twins turned to face their little blue-haired refugee, who looked kind of reproachful and as though was wishing he could take back what had just escaped from his mouth.

"You know, the both of us actually don't bicker much, unless one of us brings up the issue of who's older than who, and the person who usually brings it up is almost always none other than my elder sister! Because she doesn't realise that it's a sensitive issue!" stated Kira bluntly, shooting a sideways glance at his blonde sister, who was looking away from him, head held high in an arrogant manner.

A loud knock came from Cagalli's room door, and Kisaka's low voice came from behind it, calling out her name and asking her to open the door for him.

"Er... just a... minute!" yelled Cagalli, panicking and quickly pushing the blue-haired young man behind her into her bathroom. However, in the hustle, Kira happened to get in the way, resulting in him being pushed into the bathroom as well.

"Don't make a single noise while you're in here. Not a cough, a sneeze, a burp and not even a squeak!" instructed Cagalli, making her voice as close to a whisper but trying to make it loud enough for the two young men to hear her at the same time.

Swiftly, she slid the bathroom door shut before going to her room door to answer and fulfil Kisaka's request of letting him in.

"Ah Cagalli, I want to search your room," said Kisaka firmly, looking at the blonde Orb Princess straight in the eye. The fully grown bodyguard towered over the sixteen year-old princess, and despite this factor, he still brought no sense of fear to the girl, who still stood her ground.

"Are you asking me, or telling me?" hissed Cagalli sarcastically, suspecting that Kisaka was up to something fishy, since he rarely ever requested to enter her room, let alone search it.

"I'm telling you," replied Kisaka sternly, looking at the princess firmly, holding out a letter of permission from none other than the Lion of Orb, Uzumi Nara Athha.

It was clear that even though Kisaka had never seen Athrun, he clearly sensed the outsider's presence in Cagalli's room. Cagalli's honey-brown eyes scanned the letter briefly, before folding it neatly, and glaring up at her bodyguard, who looked ready to

push past her if he had to.

"So you suspect that I'm hiding someone in my room, do you? And I also see that you believe so strongly in your assumption that you've even approached my father and discussed the matter with him. Well, I'm telling you that your little assumption, is simply just too far-fetched." snarled Cagalli, her blood boiling and prickling beneath her peach coloured skin.

"Well, we'll find out sooner or later," replied Kisaka, deepening his tone to make himself sound more serious, and that he meant business.

Cagalli's bodyguard pushed past her roughly, and began searching her room thoroughly. Under her bed, in her cupboard and even in a wooden treasure chest where Cagalli kept her most precious belongings.

At that point of time, Cagalli just felt like lunging forward at her bodyguard, pounding, ripping and tearing him to pieces like a provoked mother grizzly bear.

Finally Kisaka came to the foot of Cagalli's bathroom, "Open it," he commanded, the first time he had ever had any control over Cagalli in all the years he had served her as bodyguard.

Cagalli's could feel her legs trembling in a mix of panic and anger, as her brain thought hard for an idea. Kisaka was staring at her expectantly, waiting patiently for her to obey his instruction, and open the bathroom door.

"There's..." began Cagalli, but her voice didn't seem to be able to come out any further than half way up her throat.

"I'm in here! I'm using the bathroom! Don't you dare open it!" yelled Kira from inside, hoping that his little statement would at least help his sister ward off her bodyguard, who seemed determined to prove the princess wrong.

"Ah oh, yeah! Kira's using the bathroom, he's been in there for a good 10 minutes! I don't know what's with you men, take so long in the bathroom just squating there and reading the newspapers! I mean, can't you read the newspapers in a nicer location, haha." Cagalli made up, trying to make herself sound normal instead of guilty and nervous.

"If that's the case, I'll put my suspicions to rest, for now." said Kisaka, stressing on the last two words of his sentence. "Although, I really am very suspicious about your recent behaviour, Cagalli. You've been sneaking excess food into your room from the dining hall lately. Giving the excuse that you like to binge on things in-between meals."

"Relax, if I was hiding someone up here, you'd hear him." reassured Cagalli, regaining control of herself and pushing her bodyguard out of her room and closing the door.

Cagalli tip-toed to the bathroom door and slid it open. "I love you Kira!" she exclaimed flinging her arms around her brother, before abruptly letting go. "On second thought, I love what you said earlier."

"You seem overjoyed to be able to have to keep Alex here. You sure the both of you haven't been up to anything naughty?" teased Kira, a childish smirk playing across his thin lips.

Athrun flinched at the statement, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck pulll erect at the thought of himself playing naughty with the Princess of Orb. Athrun shuddered slightly before dismissing the thought, and scratching his neck lightly.

"No! Certainly not! We're just FRIENDS!" bellowed Cagalli hotly, whacking her brother hard on the back of his head.

"You know something, friends always turn into close friends, and close friends become lovers. So I'm going to leave you two future lovebirds alone to get to know one another better! Ciao!" teased Kira, hopping jovially out of the room.

"SHUT UP! YOU PEEWIT!" hollered Cagalli hotly, after her brunette younger brother, who could still be heard humming and singing along the corridor, sounding something like, "La la la la la tra la la dum di di dum dum la la!"

"Ugh! My life is becoming rojak (A type of Indian or Chinese delicacy)!" exclaimed Cagalli slumping into a nearby beanbag chair. "First it was the riots started between co-ordinators and naturals, then it was the Junius 7 incident..."

However, the blonde princess paused in her speech when she noticed that her little roommate, seemed to have been petrified in the midst of walking toward his mattress.

"What? Did I say something?" asked Cagalli, her tone becoming a lot more gentle and soothing, rather than the rough tomoboyish tone she usually spoke in.

"My mother... she was... was on Junius 7... when it... ugh." said Athrun softly, sitting down on his mattress, before looking down, his hair covering his face, although it was quite obvious the way his body was shaking that he was trying hard not to cry.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, wait... you're a... a co-ordinator?" asked Cagalli, her eyes widening slightly, as she stared down at the blue-haired young man.

Athrun slowly looked up at Cagalli, wondering if she'd look angry or shocked. His emerald orbs were glistening with tears from the Orb Princess's previous statement about the Junius 7 incident.

"So what if I am? I don't really care... I'm still human, and I have feelings. In my heart lies an everlasting hate for those naturals who caused the Bloody Valentine Incident." said Athrun, pearly tears flowing from his emerald eyes as he looked down once more, remembering his loving mother.

Feeling a feeling of intense sympathy for the young man sitting and crying before her, Cagalli simply could not help but stand up and move towards him. As though losing all sense of control, she knelt down beside his mattress and extended both arms out toward him and wrapped them around his shoulders.

Athrun found his head leaning sideways against Cagalli's chest, and his eyes widened for a moment, before he snivelled once more breaking down into a fit of more tears, and calmly accepting the soothing comfort Cagalli was offering him.

"Goodness, this guy must've suffered a great deal. Losing his mother during the Bloody Valentine Incident on Junius 7. So he is a co-ordinator, but so what? Like he said, he IS still human." Cagalli thought to herself, before using her hand to stroke the side of his head, pushing back some of his soft blue hair.

2 hours later after both have fallen asleep, remaining in the same position, Cagalli sitting on his mattress leaning on the side of her own bed, and Athrun lying in her arms

(11.50 p.m.)

"No... mother... it can't be... MOTHER!" yelled Athrun jerking awake from his deep slumber, arousing Cagalli as well, whose hands resumed the stroking of his head, before he gently pulled away, feeling as if he was in a vertigo.

Athrun's breathing was heavy and fast, and he had broken into a cold sweat, as things around the room seemed to sway and wobble like jelly.

"It was just a nightmare, Alex. Oh my, you've got a fever," said Cagalli, feeling the blue-haired co-ordinator's forehead, before shaking herself awake, standing up and moving quickly to the toilet to get a wet towel.

Athrun fell backwards onto his mattress, closing his eyes, as the underside of his eyelids prickled with heat. He felt exhausted, just after having a nightmare of his mother.

Cagalli came back minutes later, and placed the cool wet towel on his head before wiping his sweat away with her hands. "Go to sleep, you need plenty of rest." she said, pushing back some of his fringe, and stroking his cheek gently.

Only then was when the thought struck her, "Oh my gosh! Why the hell am I stroking his cheek? And why did I fall asleep with him resting in my arms earlier? AAAAAAAAH!" Cagalli thought.

However, she just couldn't seem to stop herself from touching his face, he was undoubtedly charming, and broodingly handsome. She seemed to be glued to him by a bond that would soon seem to turn into love...

A/N Chapter up! Ok, I seem to have enjoyed writing the last part, haha! And go to hell Kisaka, you're such a busybody! Chases after the bodyguard with a pitchfork. Pls review, and thank you for reading!