Anonymous Reviewer: Everybody has their own opinion, so I didn't delete your review. I'm sorry that you don't like my story but… but as much as I like g-seed don't you ever get sick of the serious atmosphere around it. Don't you ever wish that they just lighten up? I know the events in this story are farfetched but I just wanted them to be fun for once. My writing is expressing my soul. My soul is about having fun…that s why I write humor (another reason is that every time I write serious fluff it comes out humor) I also want to thank SeungLee for reminding me this and I wanted to write something safe for all audiences. If it bothers you so much, I'm going to start experimenting writing "general" too…

Tsubame: I don't hate anybody who is only giving out their opinion but... I'd rather have criticisms that will help me improve my writing. Why fantasy? I don't remember writing Athrun in a sailor uniform, carrying a wand/scepter and saying things like…"By the power of Justice! I am the protector of the weak! I am… Sailor Aegis!" (Now this is FANTASY. Fantasy usually involves magic) hehehehehe… I am not bashing, okay,I don't like bashing! It is wrong for me… I just want to know what made you say that…I just want you to know too that even though you flamed me, I want you to know that I still love yah for taking time to review. 

Hmmmm…Athrun in a sailor uniform?…Sailor Aegis?...I like it…I'll store that idea for another day…"Sigh" why do I pick on Athrun so much? 

DarkTaoAngel: I'm sorry if you don't like the fic. I just thought your name is very pretty! I honestly like your name and I thought it fit the story very well. Let me make it up to you in some other way. I'm so sorry! Please…

I want to thank all my reviewers… falco skater,asga, teerychen305ZGMF X-19A Infinite Justice, Garowyn (thank you so very much!), kenshinlover2002, sanzo-reload, Axel Wildfire, KiraTatashi, lil kagome 13, gseedlover, PINKSISA, SilverSimoneLady, cottongreentea, DarkTaoAngel (of course!), Cagalli Yula Attha, anzcandyangel, Rhonda21SacredBladeanimemistress419i Mel-chan ililplayer, MXC - the show- rocks my socks, Cagalli-Yula-AthhaSleeping Forestanimeluver461shadOwcLifeThe Angels' PrincessFreyrisTetsuniMiyuCagalliasucags, ANONYMOUS-gsd…thanks for all your support…

"Green IS the color of my eyes"

By Tsubame Ongaku

Beta-read and edited By Garowyn

Chapter 8: Athrun snaps

"Yzak, we're late," the lovely brunette, Shiho Hahnenfuss, hissed to the silver-haired boy frowning beside her. "I can't believe that you locked yourself out of your apartment and with your car keys still inside!"

Yzak frowned. He didn't like it that she was treating him like a little kid who did something 'naughty.' It was just a little pinch. So what, it took an hour to finally open the door to his apartment? Was it his fault that his landlady chose this night of all nights to eat out? It wasn't. "We're here, aren't we?"

"Yes, but we are late," she grumbled. "I don't look as good as I did a few hours ago…my makeup isn't fresh anymore."

"Are fishing for compliments, woman?" Yzak frowned. Shiho frowned back and folded her arms in front of her chest. She looked lovely that evening and could really pass as one of those French models, but no way was Yzak going to ever tell her that.

Shiho didn't like wearing dresses, so she decided to stand out. She bought a Paris original. It was a woman's version of a tux. It consisted of a white long-sleeved blouse with black vest that hugged her slim figure and black slacks that emphasized her long legs. Surprisingly, she chose to wear her hair up instead of the usual down.

In the background, Lacus Clyne's voice echoed as she sang her old hit, "Shizukana Yoruni," with her little Haro acting as a radio as he played the melody that she recorded. She hadn't been singing in public for a long time now and seeing her sing now was a great honor. She now singed mostly for Kira or the orphans. They loved to see her sing every once in a while. That was why all eyes in the ballroom were now directed to her. This would probably be the last opportunity to hear her sing for a long time.

"My, my…fashionably late are you, Joule?"

Yzak rolled his eyes. He knew that it was Dearka. "Yes, I know. I wish I could say the same for you, though, Elsman."

Despite what Yzak said, Dearka did look good in his suit, except he already had his tie undone. Dearka didn't like ties; he felt like was a prisoner with them. Miri just rolled her eyes. She, too, looked beautiful that night. Minerva also designed the dress. It was a combination of green and pastel green dress, off-shoulder and knee-length skirt. It showed the right amount of legs with out being too daring, but it wasn't too modest either.

As usual, both girls knew Dearka was going to annoy his friend the whole night and Yzak was just going to pretend to not hear him and hold on to his patience for as long as he could.

"These two will be at it again," Shiho whispered to Miri.

Miri sighed. "You think?"

They watched the two men bicker for a while more before Miri finally suggested, "Want to go freshen up in the bathroom?"

"Okay." Together, they left the two bickering men.

When they were out of sight… "Are they gone?" Dearka asked.

Yzak nodded, still frowning. "What did you want to talk to me about?" Dearka had called him earlier when he was still attempting to climb up the window of his fifth floor apartment. "This better be important."

Dearka nodded solemnly. "It is important." He sighed and looked around to see if anybody was listening before continuing. "Two hours ago Athrun went missing. Now Kira has disappeared, too."

"Elsman, what in the world has that got to do with me?" Yzak demanded. "You think those are problems? Try falling three stories into a garbage can trying to get into your apartment to get the car keys." Yzak winced. He had to take a bath five times just to get the smell out of his silver locks.

Dearka stared at Yzak like he lost his mind. "Are you all right, Joule?"

"You have no idea, Elsman, so don't ask." Yzak groaned. He remembered the pain. He never felt more thankful to be a coordinator than before. Normal men would probably be in the hospital right now and not in a party.

"Anyway, I wanted to go look for them."

"What for?" Yzak asked. "It is not like they are little kids. They are probably just lost somewhere. This is a big house." He folded his arms determined not to move. He had no time for such trivial things. Yamato and Zala could be playing hide and seek somewhere and he wouldn't care.

"They're our friends?" he said hopefully, hoping that Yzak would miraculously buy it as a reason.

Yzak arched an eyebrow. "Nice try, Elsman, but no way."

"I'll be your best friend," the blonde teased.

Yzak shuddered. "Great! More reason not to."

"Come on, Yzak. Be a pal."

"No."

Dearka sighed a sigh of surrender, (comma) but then it transformed into an evil grin. Yzak didn't like that look one bit. "Well, pal. I didn't think that I'd have to resort to this but…" he whispered to Yzak's ear. "Do you want me to tell Shiho that you keep a picture of her under your pillow?"

Yzak froze. His eyes widen to be as big as saucers. "How?" he asked himself. "How did he know?"

Dearka shrugged as if reading his thoughts. "I have my ways, Joule. So are you coming or not?"

The silver-haired soldier gulped, but nodded. He did not want it known to the whole world that he liked the tomboy.

"Okay! Let's go!" Dearka said while doing a very ridiculous pose, sending a lot of eyes turning their way. Yzak covered his face in embarrassment. "Can't this monkey at least act human?"

"Wait! Shouldn't we ask the princess what she thinks first?" Yzak grumbled, keeping his voice as low as possible. It didn't stop people from looking at them curiously, though.

"Come to think of it…" Dearka began to look around for the blonde princess. "Where is she, anyway?"

Cagalli had escaped to the terrace. She needed to get away from the party for a while. She never felt comfortable with these kinds of parties. They were suffocating; she needed some air. But at the same time, she had hoped to find Athrun there. She leaned on the stone pillars and looked up to the sky.

The night sky looked beautiful. The stars twinkled like tiny diamonds. The moon shone its full glory. It looked like it was just within her reach.

Cagalli tapped her fingers on the marble stone and frowned. "What in the world was going on here?" she thought. She wasn't stupid. She noticed now that her brother was also missing. She was beginning to worry. This could be a case of kidnapping. Except, she didn't think that Athrun would be taken down so quickly.

She heard footsteps behind her. Instinctively, she turned to find Andy. "Your Highness, are you okay?" he asked. "Annie told me that you'd be here."

She gave him a weak smile and shrugged. "I'm fine, Andy. I just feel a little stressed out, that is all." She forced a chuckle. "I have a lot to do and so little time to do them. You understand, don't you?"

"Of course." He nodded. "I just don't want you to overwork yourself."

"That is a very nice of you, Andy." She turned her attention back to the sky. "I can take care of myself though."

"Athrun, you must know a way out." Kira shook Athrun. "Don't you remember anything on the blueprints?" The two of them had been stuck in the maze for an hour now. They were getting tired and hungry and Athrun was developing a sudden urge for killing.

The blue-haired coordinator was clenching his fists. He wasn't going to use them on his best friend, but he did feel like using them on somebody. "There was nothing much in it that can help us. If there was, I would remember."

"What are we going to do?" Kira asked quietly. He didn't want to spend another minute in the maze and who knew what perils had befallen Lacus at that moment? Suddenly, he felt his cell phone vibrate.

"Oh, it's my reminders." He took out his phone and read the text. "Check up on Tori. Hmmm…I'll do it later."

He pocketed his phone again. He looked up to find Athrun look at him with a strange look on his face. "What?"

"You had a phone and you didn't tell me?" he demanded.

Kira rolled his eyes. "Athrun, if I knew this would work, I would have called somebody earlier." He pointed to the bars on the side of the phone. "See? There is no signal here."

"But we can call Tori!" He took the phone and began pushing buttons.

"Athrun, what in the world are you doing?" Kira said. He was afraid that maybe his best friend lost his mind. "Has starvation gotten to you already?"

Athrun ignored him and continued to push buttons. "Don't you see, Kira? With this, I can contact Tori. I designed Tori to be ultra sensitive to your cell phone signal, plus I added a homemade transmitter." He chuckled seeing the shock on Kira's face. "I know, I forgot to tell you. I added that system when you lent me Tori for my present for Cagalli, which I haven't finished yet, unfortunately." He sighed. "But I'll worry about that later."

"Then, what are you going to do with Tori?"

"I will command him to fly here to find us, using his radar, and reprogram him to remember the route he took to take us back outside." Athrun was excited now. He couldn't stand staying in the maze any longer. Finally, they would have a way out! This time, he'd be careful with what tricks the little trickster planned to do. "Let's do it!"

On the other side of the property where Kira parked his car, Tori began flapping his wings excitedly. "Birdie! Birdie!" it cried.

Athrun smiled. It worked and now all that was left is to get Tori to rescue them and quick. "Tori, locate Kira on your radar and come."

"Birdie! Birdie!" came the reply. Tori fell silent and activated its radar. The transmitter was planted in Kira's cell phone. It would be easy enough to find him. It used the radar to analyze its surroundings and took account of every detail around it. It got the location and began to fly. "Birdie! Birdie!" It flew to the locked location.

Tori, too, went through many twists and turns, but unlike the other two trapped inside, it memorized every corner and every paths it took until finally finding them in the heart of the maze.

"Good boy, Tori!" Athrun exclaimed. "We'll be out of here in no time, Kira."

"I'm impressed, Athrun. You actually outdid yourself," Kira praised. "But the next time you go missing, I'll send a search party instead."

"I'm going in now," Andy told her. "Do you want to come with me?"

She shook her head. "No, I'll stay here a little longer. You can go ahead. I won't be long."

"Are you sure?" Not moving from his spot, Andy continued. "I can keep you company, you know. Won't you feel lonely?" He didn't like the idea of leaving her alone unprotected.

Cagalli laughed. "Don't worry, Andy. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself." She looked down to the garden below looking at nothing in particular. "I was a soldier before, so I know self-defense. There is no need to worry about me."

"A soldier?" He looked surprised. He never knew that the princess was a soldier and she certainly didn't look the type at that moment being dressed in a gown and jewels. He did get a glimpse of the fierce side of her earlier so maybe he shouldn't be surprised. She seemed to have a very strong character judging from what he observed.

"Yes, I was a soldier," she replied. She remembered her father all of a sudden. He had died for his country. He had died a martyr and though she will never be as great as her father was, she, too, was willing to die with the same honor if the circumstance came. "You couldn't really expect me to just sit back and watch the war happen. I'm not that kind of girl. Many people I care about already died because of war. I will try everything in power to stop it." She then remembered various faces of the people she cared about of her past. Her father, Uzumi Athha, Andy's look-alike, Ahfmed, and Penelope the soldier with a child's dream; these people died in battle and had contributed in though small and big ways to stop the war for the safety of the world.

She must have looked very melancholic because Andy looked very worried now. "Did something happen?"

"No. I'm just remembering something but you don't need to know about it." She didn't really want to tell him. It wasn't that she didn't trust him. It was just that he didn't need to hear it and she always told only Athrun. He understood her because he went through the same pains she did. It was because he had been there, too.

Andy smiled, though it wasn't his full smile. There was something melancholic about his smile, too. "You're a good person, you know?"

She blushed. "Thanks."

They stood in silence for a while. Neither of the two was sure of what to say next.

Cagalli didn't like the uncomfortable silence. "Umm…Andy?"

"Yes?" he asked. He waited patiently for her request.

Without warning the winds changed. A strong gust of wind surprises them and causing little dusts to get into Cagalli's eye. She tried to rub her eyes but it only made the discomfort worse.

"Ah!" she cried, frustrated. "This stings!"

Andy was unsure what to do. He held her face up towards him. Her eyes fluttered, and he gulped. Somehow she managed to look very pretty. He never got to see her face so close before now that he had, he wished he hadn't.

"Umm…Ms. Athha?" he tried to make his voice as calm as he can. "I want you to open your eyes very slowly. I will try to blow the dust away. Can you do that?"

She nodded. She'd try anything to get this irritation away.

"Okay." He held her face steady. "Now open."

Slowly, Cagalli opened her eyes staring into Andy's eyes. His face drew closer to her and she felt his breath blowing at her eyes. It stung for a while. But then the irritation stopped. She blinked…once…twice…thrice. It was gone. She felt relieved. It really hurt!

"Thanks, Andy." She rubbed her eyes, making sure it was all gone.

"No problem." He blushed and scratched his head nervously. "It's nothing, really."

He felt somebody tap him on the shoulder, surprising him. "Excuse me," the person said.

"Ye---" Andy wasn't even able to finish his reply because somebody's fist connected with his face. This was going to get messy…

"Athrun!" Cagalli screamed. "What in the world do you think you're doing?"

The green-eyes of the coordinator flashed into a very dangerous color. They were now deep, deep green, very fiery and murderous. "What does it look like I'm doing?" he growled. "I'm beating him up." He had said it so calmly and smoothly that it almost seemed that he was sane. If one were to read his eyes at that moment, Athrun Zala was quickly straying away from sanity.

Kira, who was holding Athrun back and trying to prevent him from doing further damage to the senator said, (comma) "Athrun, do you understand what you're saying?" Athrun struggled to escape from his grasp with his coordinator strength, but somehow Kira managed to hold on to him. "Won't you just stop and think for a while?"

"Why?" she demanded of her fiancé, "Why in the world would you do that? He didn't even do anything!"

Athrun's brows wrinkled, clearly not believing her. "He didn't do anything?" He couldn't help but smirk.

Kira and Athrun ran as fast as they could, following the robotic bird. Every twist and every turn all looked the same to them, but they trusted the bird so they continued to follow. Finally, Athrun could smell the strong scent of roses again. The exit was near so he doubled his speed. Kira even had trouble catching up to the guy. "Athrun, slow down!" He didn't listen. Why should he? Freedom was getting very near. Moments later, they found the exit. They again found themselves in the enormous flower garden. "Good job, Tori!" Kira praised his little pet. The bird fluttered around seemingly happily and crying out, "Birdie! Birdie!" "Let's go back to the ballroom," Kira suggested to Athrun.

But Athrun just shook his head. "I've been gone for two hours. I know Cagalli and I doubt that she'd stay in that ballroom that long." He whistled and Tori flew towards him and rested on his shoulder. "I have a feeling that Cagalli is somewhere out of that ballroom. You know how much she hates staying there long."

Kira nodded and sighed. "I'll come with you. Who knows what kind of trouble you'll get yourself into next."

Athrun nodded and then turned his direction back to Tori. "Tori, locate Cagalli's current location with your radar."

Kira shook his head. "Athrun, I doubt Cagalli is carrying her phone right now. If I know her, she could have left it on the table or with somebody else. She doesn't like carrying purses around. She hates it as much as wearing high-heeled shoes!"

He shrugged. "Whoever said I placed the transmitter in her phone?" He replied simply.

Kira stared at him shocked. "If not in her phone, then where?"

Athrun grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know…"

"I'm not about to tell him that I placed the microchip in Cagalli's necklace," he thought. He shivered at the thought of what Cagalli might do to him if she found out. "It was just for her own safety. He had to know where she was."

Tori took off again after getting a confirmed lock on the princess's location and lead them to the terrace. They were really not prepared for what they saw. Even Kira couldn't believe what he was seeing. But being a coordinator, he couldn't really blame his for what he was seeing. My goodness! He had better eyes than the average person! They were seeing Cagalli and Andy alone on the terrace. Their faces getting dangerously and dangerously close.

Athrun's blood pressure rose to knew heights and before he knew it, he was tapping the senator and happily introduced his fist to the senator's face.

Blood was coming out from Andy's nose. He didn't look at all angry; actually he looked more like he was confused. What had he done? Then it dawned him. He might have misunderstood what he saw a moment ago. It must have looked like they were about to kiss.

"Mr. Dino, you've got it all wrong," he started. "Let me explai----"

"Shut up!" Athrun barked. He finally got away from Kira's grasp. Kira was about to restrain him again, but Athrun signaled him to stop. Athrun gave him a look that assured him that he won't hurt the senator anymore; he just wanted to make a few things clear. "Let me tell you what will happen next." He held up one finger. "First, don't talk to her." He unfolded another finger. "Second, don't come ten feet near her without my presence or permission. Even with a ten-foot pole!" He clenched his fists angrily. He was itching to hit him again. "And third, if you ever try to kiss her again. You'll lose more than a little blood, understand?"

Cagalli's jaw dropped with her own amber eyes glowing with anger. How dare he? What right did he have to tell her who to be around with? How dare he try to tell what to do after leaving her to fend for herself for two hours! If Athrun thought she was angry before, she was beyond angry now. "You---you---you idiot! Moron!----" She called Athrun many lovely colorful things. Some were in Latin. Those Athrun couldn't understand. She studied Latin when she was traveling in Greece. She finally finished her long, winded string of insults with, "You jealous jerk! It's like you've suddenly turned into the green-eyed monster."

Athrun laughed. Yes, laughed but it was different from his usual, normal laugh. It was filled with unconcealed anger that could make a grown man shudder. ""Fitting, isn't it?" he replied smoothly. He grabbed her arm, pulled her forcibly towards him and forced her to look him in the eye. "Take a good look, Cagalli, because green is the color of my eyes."

Please note:

The outfit of actress/model Tilda Swinton from "Chronicles of Narnia" (She didn't wear it in the movie) inspired Shiho's outfit. Tilda Swinton wore it in a runway show in Paris. I was told that Shiho always wore pants so I thought that this would look good on her. What do you think? Hehehehehe…

Listening to: "Let me be with you" by Round Table (Chobits, I love the songs but the anime…ummmm…let's just say surprised me. But putting a lot of things aside it is a good anime)

Mood: Hyper! Don't know why! Happy… Happy… Happy… Happy… Happy… Happy… Happy… Happy… Happy…Overdose on CHOCOLATES!

Working on: A lot…