Disclaimer: All characters and basically the whole world of Gundam Seed/Destiny is the respective property of Sunrise Inc. and BANDAI ENTERTAINMENT. If I was the owner of GS and GSD, I wouldn't be writing this to set things straight for one of my favourite pairings. So no copyright infringement is intended…just some peace of mind. Original characters that you obviously aren't familiar with are property of myself and any similarites they may somehow have to anyone who may choose to read this...well thats just pure coincidence. Long story short: don't sue me! i have no money! i'm just a student who happens to have a computer and wild imagination!

Chapter 1: Broken Surface

You and me
A little different
Though we tried to stay the same
It never leaves
And when it changes it is still a waiting game

-- Waiting Game (Yellowcard)

POST GSD-Final Plus

She breathed a sigh, a smile evident on her face as the flashes of the many cameras leaving her temporarily blind. It had already been a few months since PLANT and the Orb Union had signed the armistice and held a conference to end the war, and Chief Representative of Orb, Cagalli Yula Athha, had had a memorial park created for all the lives lost a year earlier when the Junius Seven Colony had been dropped to Earth.

Looking out on the crowd before her, Cagalli couldn't help but feel happy at the sight before her of all the Orb citizens who had come to pay their respects. Swallowing, she felt her chest tighten slightly as she became aware of the video cameras facing her. Taking a deep breath, she momentarily closed her eyes, her left hand in her pocket clenched. A Chief Representative who's afraid of public speaking…geez that's pathetic. Surely I've grown out of it by now. Glancing around, she once again felt comforted by the familiar face beside her on the stage.

"Good morning to you all. I'd firstly like to take this opportunity to welcome Supreme Councillor Lacus Clyne from PLANT to this event, and of course all of you citizens of Orb. A year ago, a great travesty befell the Earth. Countless lives and homes were needlessly lost. We have all come so far these passed few months to become a world of peace, but let us never forget all the souls who have passed into the next world, victims of the Second Bloody Valentine War." She subconsciously paused momentarily as a sign of respect, while fingering a small object in her pocket. "As we, who are now still alive, continue to live our lives and build a solid future, I hope that it will be in hopes of a brighter and more prosperous future between all nations. I know we can achieve it. Thank you all for coming today as I officially open this space to you all as the Fields of Hope."

Cagalli smiled with relief as applause thundered around her, and stepped out from behind the lectern to take a pair of scissors with Lacus and cut the red ribbon as flower petals began to float down onto everyone. She and Lacus both smiled each other at the sight before them before more cameras started flashing. As was required by nearly all publications highlighting major events, the two ladies promptly turned to one another to shake hands, Cagalli covertly rolling her eyes.

"I suppose we have to talk too and make it look as if you're congratulating me or something," Cagalli said, holding back her laughter.

"I would've thought you'd be used to all of these publicity protocols by now. It has been three years after all."

"I know, but it's so fake and tiresome. Anyway, so listen, you're still coming to dinner tonight, right? We have a lot to catch up on."

Lacus nodded, though a little concerned about her friend's schedule. "You're not too busy, though, are you?"

"No it's fine, I assure you. We haven't talked in ages about anything that didn't involve politics or trade or something to do with our leadership."

"You're right. I'll be there for sure. We'll talk later, I think you're being summoned," Lacus said as she glanced pass Cagalli at Kisaka who was standing with a brown haired woman, her back faced to Cagalli.

Cagalli rolled her eyes, running a hand through her blonde hair. "And thus the interviewing begins. I'll see you tonight." Receiving another nod from the girl opposite her, Cagalli promptly turned to approach the large group, a sad smile appearing as she momentarily glanced down at her feet. I guess there's no one to save me this time…

- - -

The room bustled with the many important people and new reporters of Orb who had turned up to welcome Cagalli Yula Athha into Parliament as Chief Representative. A New Year had just begun and she had only been home no more than a few days. A new government had already been elected in after the war ended, and as much as she was happy to be back in her homeland, Cagalli couldn't help but feel intimidated by all of the new political figures surrounding her, afraid that she'd be incapable of leading a group of people.

They all probably think they could do a better job than me, she thought bitterly.

"Good evening Chief Representative Athha," a voice interrupted her thoughts.

Cagalli turned to face a very dressed up, young woman who held a tape recorder in one hand, the other outstretched towards her.

"My name is Melanie Frugar. I'm a reporter for 'Official Orb'. I hope you don't mind me asking a few questions. How does it feel to be back in Orb?"

Actually I do mind, but I suppose I don't get a real choice do I? I wish you people would just go away and leave me alone! Cagalli did her best to keep a glare from shooting at Melanie as she bit her tongue and expertly smiled with a calm and collected facade, "It's absolutely wonderful to be back in Orb. I couldn't be happier."

"You were very involved towards the end of the Bloody Valentine War, weren't you? I'm sure the many readers of 'Orb Official' would love to hear all about your experiences. Would you care to share some of them with our readers?"

"Not at the moment, no."

"Why not? Surely it's not all horrible. How did it feel when your father died?"

'Just play with your ear and I'll come rescue you. I've been to functions like these before…they're not all pleasant,' she remembered Athrun telling her briefly before he faded into the background to watch her from afar. She instantly began tugging her earlobe at Melanie's question, a frown forming on her brow.

"How would you feel, Miss Frugar," Cagalli said, a little more curtly than she'd intended.

Melanie raised her eyebrows, noting the blonde girl's tone. "Well I can't imagine what it would've been like. I've never lost either of my parents."

That can be arranged. Cagalli bit her lip, trying hard not to let a glare form upon her features. "Yes well-"

"Chief Representative Athha," his familiar voice whispered into her ear, loud enough so that the reporter would just hear. "You're needed somewhere else. Please come with me."

"Excuse me, Miss Frugar," Cagalli said formally with a nod, suppressing a smile. When they'd made some distance between Melanie, Cagalli smirked and nudged him softly.

"Thanks Athrun." She watched as he quickly looked back at her, smiling slightly.

"Don't worry about it. Just play with your ear and I'll come and save you every time."

- - -

Approaching Kisaka, she put on a smile as she noticed a camera crew stationed in front of them. She looked at the brunette woman beside her, her blue eyes animatedly wide open as she held a microphone up to her mouth, the camera still focused on her alone. Swallowing nervously, Cagalli lifted her chin slightly, summoning all of her courage. I can't depend on him for strength anymore. He's not here to save me…

The woman then turned to Cagalli, the cameraman nodding at her to continue. "I am now joined here by Chief Representative Cagalli Yula Athha. Good morning."

Subconsciously, Cagalli found herself playing with her earlobe. Her forehead crumpling ever so slightly, she forcefully dropped her right arm down to her side, her left hand slipping into her pocket, a smile returning to her lips. "Good morning."

"You must be very impressed with the turn out today."

"Indeed I am. It's so great to see that the people of Orb really care about all the past events that have contributed to the Orb of today. Their enthusiasm today is really a testament to that."

"What lead to your decision to make this beautiful memorial?"

"I came to the realisation that there was so little I could do for what happened this past year, and that the only thing I could do was find a way somehow let the memories of the people who were lost to never be forgotten. This way, even the generations to come will be able to somehow remember all who had left this world and the sacrifices that led to the present Orb."

The reporter smiled. "It is certainly a wonderful project. Now Miss Athha, as I'm sure it has been pointed out so many times before, you are certainly one of the only people to ever become Chief Representative at such a young age. Is it true that your road as Chief Representative has been a challenge so far?"

Cagalli swallowed, she hadn't expected the interview to take this direction. But now that it has, I think I should be honest…about everything. "It definitely has been a challenge. I always knew I was too young, I don't think I was mentally capable when I first entered office – I was just trying to carry out the legacy my father, Uzumi Nara Athha, left behind. I admit that I also wasn't ready for all of the responsibility, and some people even tried to take advantage of my naivety and use me." She momentarily held her breath. "Especially during the Second Bloody Valentine War…I certainly wasn't the most capable leader."

The crowd had hushed as the broadcast continued to be shown over the many large screens set up around the park, but also around the city. The camera had closed in on Cagalli, as her eyes cast downwards momentarily.

"I wasn't a strong enough leader – I still had so much to learn that I didn't realise that I was just being manipulated by some prominent political figures. And for that I sincerely apologise to all the citizens of Orb." She sighed as she once again lifted her eyes, full of confidence. "My naivety almost led to the destruction of Orb and I vow to never let that happen again, because by the same token, I also had a lot of people to help me along the way to support and believe in me. And now I believe that I really can be a great leader, like my father before me. And I will do everything in my power to never let the people of Orb down again."

Applause erupted from the crowd below, earning a smile from Cagalli.

"And I am sure the people of Orb will support you as well. We thankyou for joining us, Chief Representative Athha."

"Thankyou." Cagalli smiled with a nod, noticing the reporter turn away from her to face the camera head on.

"We'll be back after these short announcements."

"Cagalli," Kisaka bent down slightly, so she could hear him. "We should go. You have a meeting to attend."

"Yes."

"Um, Miss Athha?" the reporter asked as Cagalli was about to walk away. "I just wanted to say, I think you're a great leader. Lord Uzumi, your father, really would've been proud."

She could do little but stare at the woman for a few minutes. In the past, her father had only been brought up as a means of pressuring Cagalli into making a decision that served the interest of the corrupt politicians that had made up the Orb government when she had started office. She frowned slightly remembering the lines they'd used so often: 'It would've been the wish of your father, Lord Uzumi' and 'Lord Uzumi would've been very disappointed with your choices'. Shaking her head, she smiled once again and extended her hand out.

"Thankyou, sorry, what was your name?"

"Oh, Ella Serolf," she quickly said, taking Cagalli's hand, slightly nervous.

"Thankyou, Ella. It really means a lot to me." That said, she turned and followed Kisaka down the stairs of the stage that had been set for the park's opening, and stepped into the car that was waiting for her. Yes, now you can be proud, Father. He was right all along…

Meyrin eyed him curiously as he sipped at his coffee, oblivious to all else that was happening in the coffee shop. Nervously, she tucked some of her pink hair behind her ear and glanced down at the cellphone at her lap that silently vibrated, having received a message.

Hey I had a great time with you yesterday. Are you free tomorrow? How's dinner sound? I'll call you later. David.

She hated the feeling of sneaking around behind Athrun's back, though the feeling of guilt also confused her – were she and Athrun actually an item? She frowned slightly. She always did too much thinking when they went out, mostly because they were almost always silent. I'm not technically leading him on since we haven't actually said that we have feelings for each other - we just ended up together. But…it's been a while already. Is it wrong that I've grown up a bit more and moved on? Maybe I let this school girl crush last too long…

Her eyes drifted back up to meet his, a small smile appearing on his lips as she continued to play with her slice of cake.

Athrun glanced at the television screen stationed on the wall, a large gathering being shown. Returning his gaze to the girl in front of him, a small smirk showed on his face as he broke the silence. "How was your date yesterday?"

Meyrin's eyes opened with shock. "Huh?"

"You had a date yesterday, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah I did but - "

"…Today we are here in Orb for the opening of the new memorial park called 'Fields of Hope', a tribute to all of the lives lost during the last war."

His green eyes instantly shot up to the television screen. Meyrin too, turned in her chair to stare.

"…I am now joined here by Chief Representative Cagalli Yula Athha. Good morning…"

"Chief Representative Athha…" Meyrin whispered to herself, remembering their last encounter just before the final battle. Cagalli's words echoed in her mind, 'Take care of him…'

Cagalli…

Athrun remained silently fixated on the screen - at the blonde hair and amber eyes that had appeared. A smile appearing as he noticed her using their old 'save me' signal. It's probably just become habit now. Her smile was small, but Athrun could tell that she was happy, even if her eyes showed a little of something else…sadness perhaps? Or was it regret? He shook the thoughts from his head. Cagalli is happy, this is what she always wanted – to be a good leader, and she finally is. Watching her once again, he couldn't help but smile as her amber eyes lit up as she talked. All the different emotions that they could convey – Athrun knew them all.

The girl before him turned back around, watching his green eyes as they stared intently at the screen. She hardly ever saw him happy these days; sure he would smile sometimes, but his eyes always suggested otherwise. But now, as Meyrin watched him, she saw a different light in them.

"…Especially during the Second Bloody Valentine War…I certainly wasn't the most capable leader…"

Meyrin then noticed as a small frown appeared on his face. "Athrun?"

"…I didn't realise that I was just being manipulated by some prominent political figures. And for that I sincerely apologise to all the citizens of Orb…"

He ignored the girl in front of him, casting his gaze down at his coffee. I let them manipulate you. I shouldn't have left.

"…I also had a lot of people to help me along the way to support and believe in me…"

"Athrun," Meyrin said once again, this time more firmly.

His green eyes remained downcast as he whispered, "I let her down."

"You love her, don't you?"

"What?" Athrun blinked, applause echoing from the television.

"I'm pretty sure she loves you." She almost laughed at the incredulous look he was giving her. "You should know something. She talked to me. She told me to take care of you. I don't know her or anything, but I don't think she would've asked me to do something like that if she didn't care about you."

Meyrin had his full attention now. "What? She talked to you? When?" He had so many other questions to ask, like 'you really think she still cares about me?' but he held back trying not to let his excitement and confusion get the better of him.

She shook her head. "Oh, it wasn't any time recent, it was before our final battle. She…" Meyrin bit her lip, "The Chief Representative of Orb, Cagalli, she looked really down, as if she thought she'd never see you again, that's how I know. And you, well…I haven't seen you really smile in a long time. Not until today when you saw her just now."

He remained silent, her words sinking in - the truth of them. Who am I kidding…It was Athrun's turn to shake his head, sighing as he closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry, Meyrin. I'm really sorry if I led you on," he answered her questioning look.

"No, no it's okay. I probably gave you the wrong impression all this time, too. I mean, I admit that I always looked up to you, and admired you. When I was at the Academy, you were all anyone ever talked about. But I guess I grew up and I don't really see you in that way…anymore, at least."

At first they were both silent, Athrun occasionally bringing his coffee to his lips. Slowly a smile appeared back on his face. "So your date was good, then?"

"Yeah it was," Meyrin answered with a smile and nod, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. "So…what are you going to do now?"

Athrun looked once again at his now empty coffee cup with a sigh, rocking it back and forth with his fingers. "I have no idea."

"I had a holiday a month ago," Cagalli rolled her eyes as they made their way into the kitchen, earning a shake of the head from Myrna.

"Chief Representative, you shouldn't be -"

"I don't care, Myrna," the blonde hair girl sighed, opening the freezer and pulling out a tub of ice cream and two spoons from a drawer.

Lacus smiled at Cagalli's spunk. She hadn't seen so much of it in such a long time. She'd missed it. Her stubbornness, however… "That 'holiday' was only two days long and it was a diplomatic meeting in the Kingdom of Scandinavia. I'm in politics too, I know what you get up to," Lacus folded her arms as she followed Cagalli back out of the kitchen, up the stairs and into Cagalli's quarters. "You deserve a proper holiday, something that will let you rest for at least a week."

"Lacus, I don't have time for a holiday right now."

Collapsing onto one side of the couch, her friend on the other side, Cagalli propped the ice cream tub in between them and opened it, spoons digging in immediately. They were both so casually dressed – Cagalli in a plain top and pants, Lacus wearing a simple dress – they actually looked like two girls having a sleepover rather than prominent figures with political statuses.

"Cagalli, you can make time. Why not come back with me to the PLANTs? It'll be fun, I promise." Lacus' blue eyes challenged her.

"I really don't know if I can."

"You could come and visit Kira! He hasn't seen you in such a long time."

"Yeah, well who's fault was that?" Cagalli laughed. "I did tell him he could stay here with me if he wanted."

Lacus blushed slightly, as she swallowed some ice cream. "Kira had his reasons."

"Oh? How is everything with you two by the way?" she asked with a smirk. "He's not being a jerk to you, is he? He can get pretty clueless sometimes."

"Well actually…" the blue eyed girl nervously picked at the dessert. "Kira and I are engaged."

Cagalli's amber eyes widened as she almost choked on the scoop of ice cream currently in her mouth. "You're engaged? Like, seriously?"

Lacus merely nodded, a smile showing.

"Since when? I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"No, it's only been a few weeks. And I couldn't tell you," she hushed her voice a little, "We don't want it going public and phone lines are kind of easy to tap, especially with us being in politics and all. Kira already has to go by a different name, I don't want him being brought into the spotlight just because he's engaged to me. What if some radical group like Blue Cosmos were to pop up again and find out about Kira, he'd be in danger. I couldn't live in fear of his life, even though it is Kira and he's more than capable of taking care of himself."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Cagalli agreed, before launching forward to hug Lacus. "Oh my God, Lacus! Congratulations! You're finally going to be my sister!" She then frowned slightly, feeling something hard against her chest. "Is that…?"

"My engagement ring." Unclasping the chain from around her neck, she slipped off the ring and put in on her fourth finger. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Lacus had always been modest, and the ring suited her perfectly: a simple white gold band, shaped to swirl around a single round brilliant cut diamond set in four claws.

"It is. It's absolutely gorgeous," she agreed with a grin. "I see Kira isn't as clueless as I thought. But he doesn't, like you know, mind all the secrecy?"

"He's perfectly fine with it. It is Kira after all. We plan to just tell our close friends."

Cagalli was beginning to get excited as she hugged her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. "When do you plan to have the wedding?"

"Not for a while, at least. Maybe next year, when you probably have more time to join us," Lacus hinted.

"Of course I'd make time for you."

"Then make time now and come back with me to congratulate your brother," Lacus receiving a glare in response. "I'll let you think about it."

Feeling slightly defeated, she resigned herself to picking up the now empty ice cream tub and standing to make her way over put it in the bin by the door, the spoons she placed on the table beside it. I'll take them down to the kitchen before I go to bed.

"Um…Cagalli?" Lacus frowned, reaching for a small object left behind on the seat when the blonde girl had stood up.

"Yeah?" Cagalli turned back to her friend, her amber eyes widening at what Lacus was holding out in front of her. Crap it fell out! She frowned as she felt her empty pocket.

"Athrun's ring." Lacus kept staring at it as Cagalli sat back down, eyes downcast. "So this is what you're always playing with in your pocket."

Cagalli avoided eye contact. She wasn't ready to confront her feelings…not yet. But still, there was something in her that needed to know. "Lacus…how is he?"

Her blue eyes surveyed her friend for a moment before holding the ring in front of Cagalli, willing her to take it back. "He's doing about the same as you."

She took the ring and stared at it intently.

"You haven't spoken to him?"

Cagalli shook her head. "I've thought about it. But the truth is, I'm not even sure about my own feelings anymore. Is he still with that girl…Meyrin?"

Lacus bit her lip nervously. "I was never exactly sure what was going on between them, but as far as I know…yes."

She kept her promise. "I see."

"Cagalli…"

"I'm fine," she said, slipping the ring back into her pocket. "I mean, I still do care about him, but right now I have more important things to take care of. I love Orb, I have a responsibility to my nation." Cagalli eyed her cell phone that began to ring on her dresser, standing to make her way over to it. "That's probably Kisaka right now. This job is my life. I don't think I have time for anything else, like that, right now." Picking it up, she paid no attention to the caller id and opened it immediately. "Hello?"

"Hey…Cagalli."

Once again her eyes shot wide open.

She'd recognise that voice anywhere.

A/N: Hey all! Um, if you're reading this thenI guess you've taken the time to read my fic, and for that I'm really grateful. I'd be even more grateful if you spent a few seconds telling me what you thought about it in a review...if that isn't asking to much. I really would love to know what you all thought. But yeah...I certainly hope you're enjoying it, even though it really is only just getting started. Anyhoo, I hope you have a great day! And please, please, please review! THANKS A BUNCH! -many huggliez-

-- ela