Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, but aye, I claim credit for my plot.

A/N: Chapter 10, hopefully better than before.

Duel

The surrounding rooms were eerily quiet.Only the soothing sounds of the running waters of the man-made waterfall a distance away could be heard. Athrun took tentative steps down the tatami-renovated floor way, his gaze lingering on each closed paper door he strode pass. It was a weekend, was it not? If memory proved him right, the boutique-styled Judo studio should be filled with the enthusiastic shouts from students. The place was no better than a dead town, he thought, rounding the corner towards the more private sectors of the studio. Unless for some absurd reason or another, everyone decided that today would be a good day to skip their training, but that seemed too much of a coincidence…

A door a few feet away slammed, halting him and a pair of feet running across the tatami mat following in its wake. "Hello? Anybody there?" he called out, walking towards the closed door. Ghosts and rumors of headless spirits sprang into his mind for a moment, only to be brushed aside; there were no such things as ghosts. Anyway, none would dare to be around in broad daylight either. Dismissing the sound, Athrun inhaled deeply and with a hand clasped into the frame of the paper door, he pulled it wide open.

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"I'm crazy, I'm insane, I'm doing this because I'm nuts!" Cagalli hissed to no one in particular as she kneeled down onto the tatami mat, hands clenched. Setting her bottom more comfortably onto the heel of her feet, she idly gave the room a survey. Clean mats, white walls and a beautiful garden to her right just a door away. Athrun Zala really knew how to enjoy a good workout. "I should probably construct one back in Orb."

"Princess Athha!" A door slammed open and Cagalli's head swerved towards the voice as Miri padded loudly across the tatami mat towards her. "Chairman Zala is here!" she whispered, dropping down beside her leader.

The urge to hit her secretary was every tempting and she would have done it if not for Athrun's sudden shout. 'You idiot!' Cagalli mentally screamed, pushing her secretary away from her. "Go back!" she replied, keeping her voice low. Athrun being Athrun would probably be here any moment and true enough; his shadow could be seen through the thin paper door. Miri's departure was swift, her head barely disappearing from a hidden door in the white walls when the paper door before her was pulled open.

"Cagalli?" he yelled out, unsure if she was merely an apparition or really a human.

She had certainly surprised him, that she could tell. Elin had been right about the plan; the initial reaction from Athrun further banished whatever reservations she had. Hopefully the ending would be satisfactory for her, too. Athrun had closed the door by then, slowly approaching her.

"Well?" he breathed deeply, the surprised emotion vanishing. "What are you doing here? How did you learn about this place? Are you the reason why the studio is empty?"

"One question at a time, Zala," Cagalli replied, her white judo robes parting at the neckline as she adjusted her legs, bringing them into a standing position. "I'm here to offer you a deal; we shall be at even with each other once we go through with it. Un- What are you looking at?"

His eyes fixed suspiciously at her bosom shifted elsewhere immediately, but not fast enough as it dawned upon Cagalli immediately why. "I-It was open!" Athrun stammered in reply to her scathing glare. "I didn't want to look at it anyway…"

"Well, you better not!" she shot back, her right hand tightening the sash holding her robes together. "I can't believe the audacity you have, peering at my womanly curves…"

"More like scrawny womanly assets." Athrun smirked, eyes sweeping her from head to toe. "Small breasts, thighs as thick as tree trunks, and a big bottom. I can see why you need a good workout." He laughed, tapping a forefinger against his chin. "Maybe slimming pills would do better, the result could be achieved insta-" The rest of the sentence was interrupted by a well-aimed kick from Cagalli, her heel connecting with painful accuracy into his stomach.

"Go on." Cagalli smiled evilly, circling the fallen and groaning Athrun. "Tell me about this slimming you have in mind." More groaning was emitted from her victim. "I'm going to talk and you are going to listen, now. We're going to have a duel; if I win, you shall be ready to perform any deed I wish you to do."

"What if I win?" he croaked out.

A bare footed foot landed itself onto Athrun's chest, momentarily stopping his oxygen supply. "Did I say you could speak? But since you have asked, I'll inform you that I will perform any deed you wish me to do. Of course, you won't have the chance of winning." Cagalli smiled innocently, too innocently.

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She had no idea how aroused he would be if she continued exposing her slim leg to him. Athrun had a damn good idea of what he wanted if he won the duel. Where did she findsuch incredulous ideas anyway? Maybe it would better if he kept mum about the black belt he had attained when he was fifteen. A chuckle escaped from his parted lips at the thought of his imminent success.

"What's so funny?" Cagalli growled, driving her foot deeper into his chest, only to have him laugh louder and harder. "Zala!"

He stopped and smiled. "This."

There was barely enough time for Cagalli to comprehend his words as two warm hands wrapped round her ankle and with a tug, slamming her down beside Athrun. He was above her in a flash, hand making a grab for hers. "You're not angry with me, maybe?" he panted, dodging her punch and rolling away from her.

"When I win, I won't be!" Cagalli replied frustrated, her fist punching thin air again. "You're not retaliating!" His rising laughter rose over the sound of pounding feet and panting, further stroking the ire within her.

"I don't hit women, Cagalli…" He chuckled, dodging yet another flurry of kicks. Her horrified expression and sudden pause in movement radiated uncertainty, but almost too soon, the furious nature in her flared to life. That was good; Athrun grinned, hoping to set off another series of angered punches from her. The more distracted she was with her emotions, the easier he could win. The faster he could claim her.

Kick and punch she did, occasionally grazing the jaw line or blue-black bruise that had formed from her initial kick. He couldn't believe she had scored him on that one, though. Athrun winced at the memory. "Hit me, Zala, dammit!" Cagalli screamed, drawing his attention back to her. "I'm not a woman!"

"That's not true…" Athrun smiled, catching her outstretched fist in his palm and jerking her harshly into his embrace. "I'm sure the ample amount of bosom pressed against me now attests to your sexuality." She struggled, but he refused to release her, leaving her no choice but to glare defiantly into his eyes. "Like I said, months ago, it's a pity,"he said, face looming close to hers, "That you guard your heart so."

There was silence as her cheeks reddened; maybe he had gone too far by teasing her in such a way, using his charms shamelessly and effectively on her. She had told him that he never tried charming her, not knowing how difficult it was for a man like him to try courting a woman who wasn't the least attracted to him in the first place.

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This was embarrassing and very comfortable. The arms that held her close to him were firm and gentle. It wasn't the physical part of Athrun that had her blushing beet red, but more of the words he had said, so simple and yet managed to warm her from the top of her body and right down to her toes. It made the butterflies she never knew existed in her, flutter and fly round in circles. She couldn't think coherently and thus words sprouted out of her mouth without proper consideration: "You said I didn't have breasts."

"I did say that, didn't I?" Athrun grinned, a hand snaking round her right wrist. "I'll have to show you in the only way known to a man and a woman, how much breasts you have."

What? He didn't just… "Wait, Athrun!" A loud thud echoed through the room and a dull pain throbbed behind her head as she landed back first onto the tatami mat. This was going the wrong way; she wasn't supposed to be pinnedbeneath a seductive Athrun! Miri! Her mind screamed, as she swung her head to the right eyes wide, remembering that her every move was being taped. I can't believe I'm about to be ravished before my secretary! What the hell!

"Cagalli," Athrun spoke hoarsely, arms beside her face. Facing him, Cagalli was rendered speechless as he took labored breaths, eyes glazed over with an emotion akin to disbelief and extreme happiness. "You… you said my name. Say it again." He pleaded.

Her reluctance to must have shown on Cagalli's face as he shook his head and with a shaky smile rested his head into the crook of her neck, his breath fanning over her skin. "I promise not to… not to do anything against your will." His promise wasn't her primary concern; it was the goose bumps on the side of her neck that worried her. Distracting it was, the images that spanned from such close proximity caused a hitch in her breath and a rush of blood to her face. "Please… Cagalli…" Athrun groaned, nuzzling his face deeper into her flushed skin in what she perceived was an attempt to coax his name off her lips.

"Get off me! We have a duel to finish!" she gasped, her legs scrambling to dislodge him. It wouldn't matter a bit to Cagalli if she was half as unwilling to have his face in her neck, but sadly her body refused to cooperate with her mind.

She barely suppressed a sigh of relief when Athrun removed his face from her neck and rolled off her. "Haven't I won?" He asked, reaching a hand out to her. Maybe touching him now wasn't really a good reason, but the look of innocence painted across his face had her placing the warm palm of hers into his outstretched one. She would have thought the danger passed if Athrun had not chose that moment to pull her directly into him, hands sliding up her arm, stopping at her elbow. "I've won Cagalli; you will honor the agreement, won't you?"

"Hell would freeze over if you've won - you interrupted me!" she hollered.

"You have to agree that it was an interruption you enjoyed, too." He chuckled, steering her to the edge of the tatami mat a short walk from the garden. His hand left her elbow and he sat down at the edge. "I wish you wouldn't be this stubborn, Cagalli, always insisting you're right and what not. Your back came into contact with the floor first, naturally; I am the victor. We'll have a truce and now we shall discuss what I have in mind."

Giving in was difficult, the two words quite foreign to her. "Fine," she managed to grunt out, sitting beside Athrun. "I won't do anything that would harm my country, my life or disgrace me horribly." The images of Athrun passionately kissing her a pushing factor for her cautious demands. Hopefully, the man wouldn't turn out to be a perverted toad.

"Hey, Cagalli…"

"What?"

The snappy answer made Athrun smile and he shifted closer to her much to Cagalli's dismay. "Do you like me?" he murmured, brushing a finger over her clenched fists.

"I don't know…" she replied automatically, jerking her clenched fist from his reach. "You should stop thinking about things like that; you're only making it more awkward between us."

"I wish you didn't mean that." Athrun sighed with a woeful expression.

Cagalli already regretting her words, turned to face him, apology stuck in her throat. "Athrun… I'm-"

"It doesn't matter, I guess." He smiled sadly, voice rising over hers. "I was more than ready for your rejection; nevertheless, I'm glad you said my name today. It's a significant progress I made."

He really is an idiot, Cagalli groaned in mental agony as she spared him a sideways glance. "Athrun, you-"

"Will you go on date with me Cagalli?" he mumbled, eyes not meeting hers and once again interrupting the words she was about to say. "Will you…" Swiftly he spun round and grabbed both her hands lifting it in front of their chests and continued, "go out with me Cagalli!"

"I told you to do a clean job!"

The technician standing in the empty and barren room balked, taking slow steps back. "B-but sir!"

"Take him away; deal with him accordingly," the man barked out. Immediately, the technician started screaming, even after being dragged out the room by two burly man, his screams continuing to echo down the hall way.

"You should treat your men with more care, Johan," Karen, Minister of Education pouted, hand cocked in the direction of the screaming technician. "You do know he won't return till three days later, don't you? Least you could do was stop your current actions. It would give the rest of us a peace of mind."

Minister Johan was silent, expression thoughtful.

"Have it your way then." Karen heaved a sigh, moving to exit the room, but stopped suddenly remembering her intent. "We've just been informed that Lacus's plans have apparently succeeded partially. You might want to be careful, though, because they're still searching for the 'hacker.' Mr. Kira isn't taking this lightly, too. Well, bye, see you soon." The door closed with a soft click, masking the soft exhalation from Minister Johan.

"Cagalli Yula Athha and Athrun Zala," he saidgazing at their respective pictures, pinned neatly to a manila folder.

A/N: Hopefully that was… better? My muse faded around the last part, but it tried its best and I'm pretty satisfied with what I've written and the progress so far. A little slow I know, but I'll try to cram more into one chapter next time okay?

I think it was satisfactory, but what about you? Send me a review, hit me with a keyboard, throw me with flower petals or gift me with nice comments. I'd be happy to receive them!

Thank you for the patient wait and for taking time to read my story!

Do take some time to review and let me know how you feel again D