Tsubame: Hey, everybody in the world! Don't worry…Andy Collins in my story is actually harmless and very nice…so don't hate him…I don't know why I created him…maybe it's because I liked Ahfmed in the series and he died so soon…XD
Turning him and Athrun into rivals would be too predictable, right? I don't like predictability…thank you steshin for teaching me the lesson of cliches... :3
By the way, when I named the designer, Minerva, I was not thinking about the Minerva crew, okay? It was the only name I could think of at that moment that fit the Gundam Seed world…just wanted to make that clear. I have not seen destiny yet, so let's just say it is coincidence…
Meer-haters, please don't continue reading. I cannot bring myself to bash Meer Campbell in this story. I know what happened to her and I don't hate her. I don't bash characters very much…well… maybe except for Yuuna. But he's different…HE'S AN IDIOT!
Merry Christmas by the way, consider this my Christmas gift to all of you! I hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed or Destiny or the characters. I never ever said I did and I never will…but I like to write…they can't sue me for that, right?
Chapter 4: "Emeralds"
Cagalli was nervously pacing back and forth and gently biting her nails. She was finally in her office and safe from the embarrassment she caused herself two hours before.
She was so embarrassed in fact that the two was never able to continue their brunch. Maybe partly the reason was she was still unconscious. Athrun had brought her home. She didn't know what happened while she was unconscious but Athrun didn't look too happy when she was conscious…
She couldn't believe that she actually SLAPPED the senator! She had the gall to do that!
She felt like screaming at that moment.
"Cagalli, calm down," she said to herself. "There was a perfectly understandable reason why you slapped him."
Her mind wondered back to the first war. Ahfmed was her friend and companion. Even then, she knew he had feelings for her but she could never return them. She remembered how she was then…a spoiled princess…who longed to be free…she didn't want to be tied down by anybody. She didn't love Ahfmed that way…but she felt horrible when he died. He was so young…too young to die that way…
She remembered their time together in the desert, their laughs and conversations…he was so wonderful to be around with…
"So why couldn't I have fallen in love with him?" she asked herself.
"Talking to yourself again I see," a voice behind her said.
She whirled around in surprise. She was relieved to see Athrun there. "Oh, Athrun. It's just you. You scared me."
Athrun, who was not at all happy to begin with frowned. "Just me? Who were you expecting? Your senator?"
"My what!" she screamed. "Athrun, what's wrong with you? What in the world made you think that?"
He shrugged and yawned, pretending to be bored. "I don't know maybe it is the fact that you THREW your arms around the guy…"
"Threw…my…" she ground out. "That was a mistake! I thought he was somebody else! You can't blame me for that!"
"Whatever…"
"Of all the…Athrun, if this sudden change in behavior has anything to do with my SLAPPING the senator, I already said that I'm sorry!"
He shrugged again and sat on a sofa by her. "Actually, I didn't mind that you slapped him."
She stared at him unblinking. "Huh? Are you okay? Usually, you would be giving me a lecture about protocol now."
He looked away because she was right. By this time, he would usually be scolding her for her conduct. Instead, he told her that he didn't mind? What's going here?
He remained silent for a moment staring out the opened window at nothing in particular but he admired the beautiful sunshine and birds singing their melodies…
"Athrun?"
He finally found his courage. He looked up and peered into her clear amber eyes. Those eyes were her asset but his curse. Why? Why couldn't he think straight, whenever she looked at him that way?
There was worry in her eyes. This softened him, it cheered him up a bit to see her worried about him. Sometimes, she looked at him as if she wanted him dead and sometimes she did. He knew she loved him. That was one of the things he loved about her eyes. He could see as clearly as day that she loved him.
How could he not see it?
She was worried about him….and he…he was jealous…he admitted. But he should know better that she was exclusively his…his princess…his goddess of victory…his precious rose…his savior…
How could he have ever doubted her?
"Cagalli," he finally said. "Who…who's Ahfmed?"
"Oh," she replied, barely a whisper. "He…he was a friend of mine…but he…he died during the first war."
Athrun saw that she was near tears. So that was it. Mr. Collins had reminded her of a friend. He thought about it. It made sense that she reacted like that, she missed a friend that she thought had died.
Ahfmed wasn't an ex-boyfriend and he felt relieved yet he sympathize her at the same time. It was never easy to lose a friend. He recalled how he felt when he thought Kira had died.
But he still felt a little steamed. Mr. Andrew Jordan Collins was not the old and broken down senator he had first expected but a young and handsome man, that alone made him want to kill him.
Okay…maybe he DID feel a little threatened, when he knew he shouldn't.
He stood up and pulled her into his arms. "I love you, Cagalli…"
Again…she didn't reply. But for Athrun, she really didn't need to. No words were needed as she returned her embrace.
"Take your time, Cagalli," he thought. "You don't have to say it now…but…"
He inhaled her scent and closed his eyes in bliss…
"…I...I'll be waiting…"
She was taking too long…
It was already six. The party starts in an hour…
"Miri, how long does it take to put on a dress?" he asked, exasperated.
She rolled her eyes. "Athrun, we don't just worry about the dress you know…there is the hair, the make-up, the right shoes…the works. Make-up sometimes takes up to two- three hours."
Cagalli was still upstars in her chambers with Minerva, who was also nice enough to do her make-up. Miri, who did her own make-up was done in more or less three hours but Cagalli had been cooped up in her room for more that five hours, causing again for Athrun to cancel most of her appointments.
She was canceling more and more appointments lately. Athrun didn't know whether to laugh and fell relieved or worried. He was relieved that she was making time for herself now but worried because it was part of his job to worry. He wasn't worried about what the people she had appointments think but what Cagalli will do after this. She was bound to work two times harder after this was over…
The tanned blonde beside her laughed and jabbed Athrun lightly on the ribs. Dearka Elsman was Mirialla's date for the evening but it took three days of convincing. Miri never makes it easy for Dearka. "You're not afraid of getting stood up are you?"
Athrun frowned at him. No, he was not worried. Cagalli never goes back on her word. She was going to show up even though she hates the idea of a skirt or balls or dancing. Though Cagalli was a gifted dancer, she had four years of training as a child.
"What's in the box, Athrun?" Dearka was pointing to the long, rectangular, velvet case that Athrun was holding in his hand. "It's for Cagalli, isn't it?"
"Oh, this?" he gestured to the box. "Yes, it is a peace offering for the incident yesterday…at the…dress shop…"
Dearka, who was not there, tilted his head to the side, confused. "What? Did I miss something? What happened yesterday?"
Miri ignored her noisy date and began shaking her head. "If you're going to apologize, you're going to have to do better that that…"
"Better than what?" Cagalli's voice came from behind them.
When Athrun had asked her to wear a dress. He didn't know what to expect really. After many years of being her bodyguard, he never really noticed what she looked in a dress…
He was too busy…checking out surveillance, checking to see if the perimeter is secured, checking to see if the guards are doing their job and in short…he was busy doing a lot…
Tonight he had been in for a surprise.
Above the wide twin staircases of the Attha manse stood…Her Highness, Cagalli Yula Attha, widely known as the Princess of Orb and now Head Representative of Orb, praised as the goddess of victory and the desert rose…
There was contempt, suspicions and confusion in her face. Contempt, obviously for being made to wear a dress which she …to put lightly disliked. Suspicions, she suspected that they were talking about her, which they were. Confusion, hat in the world had she done now?
Dressed in a Minerva original, she was able to mix the latest trends and the traditional Orb dress style. It was a dress of pure white and gold. She really did look like a goddess that she was acclaimed for…
She wore only light make-up but it made such a beautiful effect on her already lovely face. I loved her best without makeup on. It made her seem human and not unreachable like the stars. Easy to be with…she is a human being first and a princess second. There was nothing fake or artificial about her…
He remembered Meer…
She was used and made to act and look like Lacus by Dullindal. She had millions of fans but until her dying breath…those fans never saw her as anybody but…Lacus Clyne…not Meer Campbell…
He never hated Meer, I pitied what had happened to her and she earned his respect when she saved Lacus's life.
There is something that bothered him about Meer. Maybe it's just because she's a little…forward and the clothes she wears…
Maybe she did have her own appeal. She did capture the hearts of hundreds of ZAFT soldiers during the war. But he doesn't hate her… he just didn't love her that way...so he decided to stay neutral.
He could tell even then that she wanted him to love her…and he admitted to himself that he probably tried to but why…didn't he love her?
Probably the same reason why he didn't love Lacus… She was his fiancée long ago. They saw each other frequently but I never really saw as more than a friend or maybe a little sister. Funny, right?
Lacus was beautiful. One of the most beautiful people in the PLANTS but he was not easily captured by a pretty face…
If this is true, then why was he so easily enraptured by THIS blonde's pretty face?
Lacus Clyne the jewel of the PLANTS and endearingly called the Pink Princess, is the perfect lady but he fell in love with a tomboy…a very beautiful tomboy though.
He didn't realize that he was staring at her. She looked at him and raised one eyebrow in annoyance. "What are you looking at?"
Athrun shook his head to clear it. He remembered a conversation that he had with Kira not to long ago…
"Hey, Kira!"
"What?" He was busy studying his mansion's blueprints. He had just found out that morning that his wife was pregnant. He was already making plans to double the security…
"Have you ever seen your sister in a dress?"
Kira was still engrossed but he shrugged his shoulders and replied. "Sure a couple of times."
Athrun was looking though the brochure of the latest security gadgets. Kira had asked his to help pick the best ones. He was the only other person aside from Kisaka he trusted with his security.
"How does she look?"
Kira suddenly laughed. "To be honest, before I saw her in that dress, I though she was a boy."
Athrun chuckled. He remembered the time when he mistook Cagalli for a boy.
"Why do you ask, Athrun?"
The blue-haired coordinator yawned. "I'm thinking of asking her to wear a dress for the Anniversary ball."
Kira shook his head. He abandoned his blueprints for a moment and walked to pat his friend lightly on the shoulder. He was looking at him sympathetically. "Good luck talking her into it…and if you do talk her into it, good luck keeping your head straight."
"What in the world did he mean by that?"
Now he knew. He watched Cagalli gracefully descend the stairs like she had done it a million times before and she probably did being a princess. But she didn't hold the kind of grace that takes years of practice, the thing about Cagalli is that she has natural grace whether she's in her average shirt and cargo pants, Head Representative's uniform or in a $50, 000 dress.
"You look beautiful, Cagalli." he whispered.
She blushed. "Thank you." Not knowing what else to say.
Dearka suddenly socked Athrun on the shoulder, playfully. "Hey, Zala! Your date is hot!"
Miri whacked him with her handbag and hissed him to behave himself.
Athrun coughed to get back her attention. Cagalli was about to shoot all her anger on Dearka for the comment. "Cagalli, I…I want to give you something."
"What is it?" she asked, walking towards him.
As she came closer to him, he took out the velvet case that he had hid behind him.
She smiled, touched by his generosity. "Athrun, you shouldn't have…"
He smiled back. "No. I feel that even this is not enough to compensate for my request. Take it, Your Highness."
She shook her head at him. "There is no need to be so formal with me. It's just me…and you really didn't need to give me a gift."
"I insist…" he had said it with such gentleness, that Cagalli couldn't resist. She took the case from his outstretched hand. Slowly, she released the latch. She gasped.
Inside, surrounded by a cloth of soft silk was a beautiful emerald necklace with a golden chain. It was simply cut but enchanting. It was in the shape of a teardrop. ..
"Athrun, it's beautiful."
He removed the necklace from its case and placed it around her neck. He secured the lock and looked to see his handiwork. The emerald shone brilliantly against her throat. The necklace complemented her white and golden dress to perfection.
"It suits you."
She smiled proudly and admired the tear…Athrun's tear.
The emerald shone like green fire, much like Athrun's eyes when provoked to anger. She should know. She'd provoked him to anger so many times that she never bothered to count.
"It reminds me of his eyes," she thought, staring deeply into those eyes that she always admired. Whenever she will wear it, it will always remind her of him.
"Do you like it?" he asked hopefully.
She gave him a light chuckle. "I love it!"
"The emerald is from one of my mother's jewels" he said, fiddling with the emerald pendant. "My father had given it to her for their anniversary. He boasted that it was one of the infamous Marie Antoinette's jewels."
"Could he prove it?"
Athrun chuckled. "No…"
Cagalli smiled. She didn't really care if it was true or not. She loved the necklace and planned to keep it even if the rumor was true or not.
"I'm willing to say this though…" he was ginning mischievously. "I'm willing to bet that that jewel looks better on you than it ever did with Ms. Antoinette."
She couldn't help blushing again at the complement. She was embarrassed by his teasing and flattery but she would be lying if she said it didn't make her feel good…
They were suddenly interrupted by Dearka's cough. "Well, if you lovebirds are done. Let's get going if we don't want to be late…"
"Oh, wait! One last thing before we leave!"
"What?"
Cagalli walked to Dearka and jabbed him in the stomach with her knee. "That was for calling me hot!"
Dearka sank to the floor clutching his stomach in pain. "Athrun, I am so glad that she's not my girlfriend. How can you stand with her?"
"Dearka Elsman, how many times do I have to tell you to behave!" Miri scolded and whacked the poor guy again with her handbag.
Dearka shouted in pain again. "Then again…how did I fall in love with this banshee?" he grumbled.
To be continued…
Tsubame: I took a test not too long ago. "Which Gundam Seed character I was?" the first test I took I was Athrun and the second test I took, I was Lacus. You can say that I took the test seriously because some of the thoughts I gave Athrun were mine especially about Meer... I don't mean that I'm in love with Cagalli, okay? I'm not like that…
I guess this chapter is a bit…serious compare to the other chapters, huh? Hehehehe…is Dearka OOCish? Well, I think so but he is so funny written this way…
Hurray! Our computer is virus-free! Hehehehe…Me happy!