DISCLAIMER: As Gundam Seed was created by Mitsuo Fukada, and Twelfth Night was created by William Shakespeare, so is this fic created by me (Ruru Kitsuneko)…

AUTHOR'S NOTES 3.1: Presenting chapter 3 of Twelfth Night. In a spur of the moment decision, I decided on using Kisaka further in the story. What can I say? He just didn't want to be pushed aside. The mirror scene is from one of my short stories, which I submitted in class. The living the life of the dearly departed loved one was something I got from Yuu Watase's "Fushigi Yuugi." You know, when Nuriko took over her sister's life (I still can't think of Nuriko as a 'he'). Since I've already introduced Cagalli and Kisaka in the previous chapter, I won't bother with them here. To save time and space, I'll just list those characters that are making their first appearance in the story through a specific chapter.

CHARACTER/S:

Erica Simmons (OC who is not in the original play) – widowed sister of Captain Kisaka, and was also Cagalli's caretaker

CHAPTER 3: MASQUERADING AS THE MAN IN THE MIRROR

Cagalli screamed as she felt the wave carrying her away. She reached out her arm, and her brother's hand clamped on her wrist.

"Cagalli!" he yelled, panic in his lavender eyes. "Don't let go."

Cagalli nodded and tightly gripped her brother's wrist.

The wave receded and Cagalli nearly cried in relief.

"Kira—"

Whatever she had been about to say was cut short as another wave swept over the ship. Holding tightly to each other, the twins' eyes met and held: soft lavender to warm golden brown. For a split second the world receded, and it seemed that in that instant, they both knew—it would be the last time they'd ever see each other again. They very last time they would be with the other half of themselves. But the wave was too strong. No matter how tightly they gripped the other as a lifeline, it didn't prevent it from sweeping Cagalli away and wrenching her from her brother's grasp. The look of horror on their faces was profound. Cagalli's screams were blown away by the wind as she felt the cold ocean water swallow her in its depths.

Cagalli fought with all her might to resurface from the crushing pressure of the water, but it was no use. Poseidon would have his sacrifice.

'I can't breathe,' Cagalli thought struggling to take a breath. 'I'm going to die! Somebody help me! Kira!'

"KIRA!" Cagalli screamed, bolting upright in bed.

The door to her room slammed open as Mrs. Erica Simmons, Capt. Kisaka's widowed sister swept in.

"Cagalli," Erica cried in distress. "Are you alright?"

Cagalli curled her legs under the blanket and hugged her knees to her chest. "Kira," she sobbed.

"Oh, my dear," Erica said, her blue eyes radiating sympathy for the young girl. "You had another nightmare, didn't you?"

Sitting at the edge of the bed, she wrapped her arms around the slender golden-haired girl sobbing her heart out and enveloped her into a comforting hug. She glanced at the doorway to find her brother looking at them both, sympathy in his own dark eyes.

It had been two weeks since Ledonil had picked up the unconscious girl by the beach of Illyria, and although physically, Cagalli was in excellent condition, mentally and emotionally, she was on the brittle side. It wasn't that she was constantly moping; she was actually doing really well. It was during the nights that there was the problem.

Almost no night had gone by without Cagalli having one nightmare or the other. On nights where she had none, she had lain awake in order to spare Ledonil and Erica the worry a nightmare brought.

As Cagalli sobs finally subsided into whimpers, Erica felt the trembling body go slack.

"She's cried herself to sleep," Erica whispered.

"Again," Ledonil said tightly.

"It's not as bad as all that," Erica whispered, settling Cagalli back in bed and smoothing the covers over her. "She's actually managed to sleep through a couple of nights."

"And you're sure of this: how?" Ledonil whispered back as his sister closed the door to Cagalli's room.

"I check up on her," Erica said slanting him a sideways glance from under her thick lashes. "There's nothing to do but to wait it out. Eventually, she'll get better."

It seemed that Erica's well-meaning prediction would come true, though the Kisaka siblings had no inkling of how Cagalli would solve her own problem.

A week later, Cagalli sat at the dressing table in her room, gazing at her reflection in the mirror. 'I do look a lot like Kira,' she thought absently caressing the surface of the mirror as if doing so would be like touching her dead twin brother.

"No!" she said fiercely, violently shaking her head as she glared at her image in the mirror. "It doesn't look at all like Kira, it looks like me. I can't. I can't look like this! I have to see Kira!"

Grabbing the scissors that was on top of the table, she methodically began to snip away at her long golden hair. When she finished, she glanced at the mirror, and said in a firm voice, "No. I still can't see Kira: the color's all wrong. I have to get the color right."

Reaching underneath the dresser, she grabbed a bottle of dye, and making her way into the basin, proceeded to slush her short golden hair with the dark sticky substance.

Erica made her way up to Cagalli's room to summon her for tea. She could've rung the tea bell, of course. But she'd gotten so used to checking up on their young guest, that she didn't bother.

"Cagalli," Erica called, knocking on the door. "It's time for tea. I'll come in and we can come down together." Erica opened the door … and received the shock of her life.

Erica gasped. "Good Lord!" she breathed. "Is that you—Cagalli?"

She was gazing at Cagalli's face, yet at the same time, it wasn't. Cagalli's long golden locks were scattered on the floor by the dressing table. Her short hair was no longer golden blond, but a dark chestnut brown: the same color as her twin brother's. Miraculously and inexplicably, her dark hair transformed her golden brown eyes to the clear lavender hue of her brother's eyes, turning her into his doppelganger.

"It's Kira," Cagalli said simply, looking Erica squarely in the eye. "I can see Kira now." Turning back to the mirror, she said, "Kira's gone. He can't live his life anymore. He was always there. I can't imagine what life would be like without Kira." Cagalli narrowed her now-lavender eyes and said fiercely, "Well, I'm not going to. I'm going to live my life as Kira would've."

Erica didn't know what to say. She had never seen Cagalli so determined before, in all the weeks she'd known her.

Cagalli's expression turned pensive. "I'm still not Kira, though. No matter how much I look like Kira, I'm still not him. So: I'll be 'Caleb'."

"What!" Erica exclaimed in shock.

Cagalli grinned. "From now on, my name will be 'Caleb'. I'll be a man from now on, Erica."

"I— I— I—" Erica sputtered, her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish, not knowing what to say.

"I won't be a burden Erica," Caleb said pleasantly. "I'll get a job. The Duke of Illyria's looking for a new man. I think I'll do well enough. What do you think?"

"I think you're out of your mind," Erica whispered under her breath, her blue eyes as round as saucers.

Caleb laughed. "Don't worry. I'll be fine," she said attempting to soothe Erica (which wasn't going to be happening anytime soon). "I've lived with my twin for 22 years: I think I can act like him well enough."

Erica gaped at her in disbelief. She had a lot to say, but she was so incredulous at everything she didn't know where to start.

Caleb cocked her dark chestnut head to one side. "I'll need cloth binds and proper clothes, of course. A man can't go around wearing dresses; unless he's a queer."

Erica glared at her. She still couldn't say anything.

In the end, she didn't say anything. She got Caleb "his" proper clothes.

Ledonil had a lot to say. And unlike Erica, he said them. That didn't mean that Caleb listened: no, sir.

In the end, he acted as liaison. Capt. Kisaka sent a message to the Duke of Illyria inquiring about the post. 'Was it still available?' Well, damn. It was. 'Meeting at Illyria Hall promptly at one.'

What else was there to do?

Pray.

Which was exactly what Capt. Ledonil Kisaka and Mrs. Erica Simmons did: 'Dear Lord, Why is Cagalli out of her mind?'

A/N 3.2: I hope you guys don't mind the sudden shift from drama to comedy. I didn't plan out the chapter that way, that's just how it turned out. Thanks to Ryo Kazunine for reviewing the second chapter. Thanks also to Ookami Fuu for the review. I really don't know who Feste's going to be yet, if he is going to be in it at all. They seem to pop out of nowhere. Well, hope you guys liked it anywayz. Ja!