Thanks for the encouragement, everyone! I've been having a busy/busy week in school, juggling the usual teen angst, trapped with homework and the horror that is examination. Plus, this chapter kept bonking me on the head and refused to cooperate with me. I think I redid it a million, billion, ka-zillion times until I felt remotely satisfied with it. (Sigh) I need coffee...
BLACK COFFEES, MOCHA LATTES, AND LOVE
PART TWO: Their third disastrous meeting and why you should never curse fate...
Fate (and not to mention luck) was definitely not on her side this week.
The day started out quite well (but then, don't they always...?), with a cheerful fluffy morning straight out of a picture perfect moment, complete with melodious songbirds and her oh-so-loveable twin brother Kira screaming—
"CAGALLI, YOU'RE LATE FOR SCHOOL!"
...Which succeeded to bring her fluffy morning down to world-record level of crappiness.
WHOOSH!
Brush teeth- Check. Quick shower- Check. Kill Kira for not waking her up earlier- ...I'll get back to you on that.
WHOOSH!
Kira Yamato had barely blinked when his sister zoomed past him into the kitchen to grab whatever breakfast he'd cooked up, then zoomed back into her bedroom to grab her bag, proceeded to zoom back downstairs, paused to yell at her surprised sibling for not waking her up earlier, ignored his protests that the last time he woke her up early she threatened to castrate him slowly and painfully, spared Kira's life because she still needed a cook in the house, then zoomed out the doorway.
And all in 60 seconds flat. Superwoman couldn't have done it better herself.
As Cagalli was running as fast as her legs could carry her as she headed for her university, she simultaneously muttered colorful profanities under her breath and marveling the amazed passersby with her creative vocabulary. Why, she fumed, did that stupid alarm clock HAD to suffer a nervous breakdown TODAY of ALL DAYS?
In case you're a little lost, here's a little background check: Today is the start of a new and exciting semester in Freshie's University of Literature and Writing; a class Cagalli had taken up in her ongoing quest to improve her skills as a writer. She had absolutely no intention of giving her instructors a bad impression of herself by turning up late, which only served to further ruin her mood since she was now almost behind schedule.
At present, with Cagalli so wrapped up with her pessimistic thoughts, it was difficult to focus her attention on the road. So unsurprisingly she failed to notice the man standing at the entrance of the university.
BANG!
It was a collision course just waiting to happen.
"Oomph!"
Cagalli crashed into him and bounced backward. She managed to regain her balance and smiled apologetically. "Oh, excuse me, sir! I wasn't watching where I was going and—"
"It's no problem. To be honest, I'm getting used to it by now." He turned around to face her—and lo and behold, it was none other than the aggravating Athrun Zala, smiling ever so pleasantly.
It was a comical sight to see her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. Shocked and horrified, she pointed her index finger accusingly in his face and yelled, "You... What in blazes are YOU doing here?"
"Ah, it's you," Athrun said wryly. "It seems fate always seem to push us together."
"Yeah, it has one peculiar sense of humor," she muttered darkly. Stupid, damn fate! "But you haven't answered my question yet. What are YOU doing here of ALL PLACES? Do you find some kind of twisted pleasure in stalking me or something?"
His green eyes twinkled—a sure sign he was about to say something she wasn't going to like. "Why, don't you know I'll be studying here from this day onward?"
An innocent statement. With a not-so-innocent implication. Cagalli felt as if lightning had struck her ten times in a row. Holy cow! Back up a second here. Did he just say what I think he just said?
"WHAT? You're going to study HERE? In THIS university? Tell me you're joking." Her inner-self was practically prostrated on the ground, hands clasped together as she pleaded, 'Please, tell me you're joking. Please, please, PLEASE!'
Athrun responded by casually taking a piece of paper out of his pocket Athrun responded by casually taking a piece of paper out of his pocket and glancing at his timetable. At the top of it was the school's name: FRESHIE'S UNIVERSITY OF LITERATURE AND WRITING. He looked up at the big arc-sign above them with the same heading—only in bigger and bolder letters. "I'm afraid it's true. I'm going to study in THIS University," he confirmed cheerily.
This. Can't. Be. Happening. "But...I thought Lacus said...you're only dropping by from Britain..." She sounded so pathetic and desperate even to her own ears.
"True, but I came here to study as well. At least for the time being to see if I can cope well here. Since you still look like you want to clobber me with a club, I think I can assume you haven't forgotten about the latte incident. We are to be schoolmates, so I hope we can let bygones be bygones, forget yesterday ever happened, and perhaps, start over again?"
He looked and sounded so sincere. And just when she thought she had it all wrong, that he wasn't so bad after all, he innocently asked her:
"Oh, by the way...Your name, if you please?"
"Cagalli Yula Athha," she replied without thinking. And then she mentally kicked herself. "HEY! That's not fair! You sprung that question out of the blue, you jerk! You TRICKED ME!"
The insufferable man laughed as he began walking into the campus. "I knew sooner or later you would tell me your name voluntarily."
It was perhaps lucky that he turned his back on her at that exact moment, because you could see thunderclouds slowly forming above Cagalli's head, her whole body twitching spastically and her eyes actually bursting into flames. No, it's no exaggeration. She was THAT mad!
Twitch. Twitch.
Teeth gnashing...
...and everybody within a hundred-mile radius of the university nearly fell over when they suddenly heard an outburst of blazing proportions.
"Ugh! Athrun Zala, you bellowing barnacle on a blisterfish! You melon-headed, ashy-elbowed, bowlegged, grouper-fish-looking-so-ugly-your-own-mother-wouldn't-love-you piece of pathetic warped toad-kissing bugbear! You low-life, bottom-feeding heathen—"
As for Athrun Zala, he left the fuming mad Cagalli to rattle off insults like a machine gun on an unlimited supply of ammo, smirking all the way. Really, the woman was just too amusing for words...
O-o-O
"Oh, I apologize, Athrun. She's usually quite polite. It's just that...she's been rather stressed out these days." Lacus Clyne heaved a deep sigh as she seated herself beside her guest.
"She's...very unusual," Athrun remarked.
His hostess laughed at the understatement. "Well, that's one way of putting it. But she's nice."
Nice? He almost choked on his tea. The woman was a hellcat with a burning temper to match. Still...she was interesting. "Well, I'm sure you're right. I never got her full name though..." he murmured vaguely.
Lacus grinned impishly. "Do I smell romance in the air?"
He sniffed the air and smiled. "Nah, just something burning..."
Thick, acrid smoke was slowly drifting out of the kitchen. "AH! My chocolate cookies!" cried Lacus as she ran straight to the oven to save her poor cookies.
Athrun stirred his tea as he thought of the tomboyish blond. He wondered if he would ever meet her again. Her name was...Cagalli, wasn't it? But what was her last name?
He could always ask Lacus for the answer, of course. But, he smirked, where would the fun be in that?
The little she-cat was going to make his stay here memorable indeed...
O-o-O
"...You're the most irritating, overbearing, arrogant—Damn you, Athrun Zala. Don't ignore me!" she raged on with one fist shaking in the air. She sounded as if she was ready to rip his spine out and use it as a hockey stick to smash his skull in.
Athrun's lips twitched.
Ah...but their interesting little showdown had only just begun.
Cursing fate is not a good idea.
She finally figured it out. Yes, it all made perfect sense. It was why she was being so cruelly punished now. How else could you explain how Athrun Zala (who must have invented the word 'annoying' for the Oxford Dictionary) was also placed in the same class as hers?
Fate, I hereby do swear to never ever swear against you...ever, ever again!
Cagalli grinded her teeth together as she watched Athrun Zala enter into the classroom. From the moment the green-eyed man took that first step inside, the attention of every female student in class zoomed in on him like a hunk-sensing radar—and 99 percent of them became an instant Athrun-fan convert. (It should be a no-brainer to guess who the remaining 1 percent is...)
"Oh, he's divine!"
"He's totally hot! I wonder if he's single..."
"I think I'm in love. (Insert sigh of adoration)."
"I think I'm gonna barf." This coming from Cagalli, seemingly the only sane woman alive (or at least, in the classroom). She suddenly realized she SHOULD have slept in late today. It would have been worth it just to get away from all this gung-ho over some smart-aleck who wasn't even THAT handsome! (Okay, okay, so he IS that handsome. So sue her!)
Dearka Elthman sat beside the teeth-gritting blond, watching with a huge grin of amusement as Cagalli hurled death glare after death glare at Athrun and his growing fan club. Cagalli was not alone in her 'die-Athrun-die!' glares. It seemed the male population at large didn't like the attention he was getting either. 'Girl moments' like this are, after all, pure torture of the evilest kind to them.
After observing the odd interest Cagalli was suddenly taking in Athrun Zala, who happened to be that green-eyed man who walked into Café Romeo yesterday, Dearka couldn't resist baiting her.
"How...educational of you to want to note how the female species throw themselves at a man's feet," he said blandly.
"Educational? Or is it just sick and wrong?" Cagalli's lips twisted in distaste. She felt almost ashamed to call herself a part of the same gender as those pitifully fanatical fangirls. "Look at them. It's repulsive! Just because he's a heartthrob..."
"...And smart, and talented, and utterly charming—like me," Dearka added smugly.
Cagalli cast him a withering look. "Whose side are you on anyway?" she demanded.
Being the 'smart' guy he was, Dearka quickly lifted up his hands defensively. "I'm a neutral party. But it's really not like you to act so jealously over a—"
"I AM NOT JEALOUS!" she growled, practically baring her teeth.
He laughed and bent his head sideways from the thick textbook she was throwing at him. "See? This is the first three symptoms of every victim infected by Cupid's deadly disease. First, you go in denial..."
"I AM NOT IN DENIAL!"
"...Then, you think: 'Okay, maybe I like him a little...so what'?"
"Do you want to die a premature death?"
"...Followed by a horrifying discovery that you're eaten by jealousy whenever he's in the territory of the members of your own species..."
"Elthman, I'm barely restraining myself from attacking you—"
"...And the next thing you know, you're miserable without him. You realize it's either you're suffering from a reverse case of severe bulimia by eating all those chocolate Oreo cookies regardless of your balanced diet...OR you're caught in that horrifying spell most commonly known as love." Dearka ended his lovely sermon with a dramatic eye-rolling effect.
Cagalli gave a loud snort. "Who do you think you are? A love guru in disguise?"
He smirked. "Trust me, if I was a love guru, you'd be married to Zala by now."
His little comment earned himself another toss of her thick textbook, which he easily ducked. Dearka sighed and shook his head sadly. "Jeez. I changed my mind. What kind of insane male would fall for a girl with an obsessive-compulsive need to be sadistic? He'd end up in the medical ward every five seconds!"
Dearka's big mouth was his big downfall. Since all her textbooks were used up, Cagalli resorted to grabbing his neck to begin O.T.A.P—Operation Throttle Annoying Pest.
"Miss Athha, please stop choking your classmate in class. Do it during your break time." Their instructor strolled into the classroom and barely even glanced at them, acting as if his students strangling each other was an everyday thing (...which might not be so far from the truth).
"All right, sir." Cagalli reluctantly released Dearka's neck and her victim sighed in relief.
"Well, I'm leaving now. Too bad my last class isn't with you. I'd have loved to see the next episode of 'Catfight'." Dearka truly did sound envious as he reluctantly left the classroom.
Cagalli smirked at him, but it quickly faded when yet two more overenthusiastic boars (i.e. hormone-high fangirls) barreled over to Athrun's desk.
"Oh, Athrun, would you like me to show you around the campus later on?" One brunette simpered while batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.
He smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry but—"
"No, let ME!" hissed the other.
"I asked first!"
"He's MINE! Take your filthy hands OFF him!"
Athrun sweat dropped as his two fangirls advanced on each other like two growling tigresses, fingernails raised in preparation for battle.
Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.
Cagalli rolled her eyes and dragged her attention away from the catfight and focused her gaze on the professor with steely resolve. Focus on the instructor, she ordered herself. Don't look at Zala and those pitiful idiots glomping him. It's not worth wasting your precious neurons thinking about it.
Sadly, it was an exercise in futility. Their ridiculous squabbles over the Zala were too noisy to be ignored.
RRRRRRRING!
The bell signaling the end of the school day was a sacred blessing straight out of Mount Olympus. As soon as the professor dismissed them, Cagalli grabbed her backpack and ran for the exit like it was a doorway to heaven...
...Only to see Athrun Zala standing in front of her, blocking her escape.
Cagalli groaned and covered her face with her hands. Gah! Have I not already apologized to you, oh cruel fate? What more do you want me to do? Throw myself at your feet and beg for mercy?
Well, wishing that Athrun was decomposing somewhere in a coffin wasn't going to have him disappear from the door. With a resigned sigh, she asked, "What is it you want THIS time, Zala? Do you want to further torment me with your presence?"
"Nothing of the sort. I was just wondering if you would be so kind as to show me around the university grounds since I'm new here and all?" he asked politely. TOO politely.
Her first impulse was to snap: Zala, did the aliens forget to remove your anal probe? My answer is a flat out NO! Hell will freeze over if you think I'm going to tolerate you for more than five seconds top. Now get out of my way before I rearrange your facial structure to resemble the Hunchback of Notre Dame's.
But something made her pause. True, Athrun Zala annoyed the heck out of her. True, she was only one step behind from grabbing him and initiating O.T.A.P again. But the more reasonable, sensible part of her whispered, just because they got off from the wrong foot in the beginning didn't mean their little feud had to continue. After all, it was only a small, teensy weensy case of misunderstanding...
...Not to mention that something stupid inside her wanted to show him around.
That clinched it. As far as Cagalli was concerned, stupid urges were to be avoided at all cost—especially when it came to men with looks powerful enough to turn women into a pile of gooey mush.
"I would love to show you around. Alas, I have more important things to do than attend to your great time of need. So go read the map of the school pasted clearly on the bulletin board and you won't get lost," Cagalli said sarcastically as she bypassed him.
Athrun watched her leave with a mixture of surprise and disappointment. And from behind him, his two most recent fangirls took advantage of his temporary guard down to latch on to him.
"Don't worry, Athrun! WE would love to take you around the campus!" One of them squealed annoyingly, clutching his arm so tightly it was a struggle for his blood to circulate.
"Yeah, what does a vicious tomboy like Cagalli know about how to show you a good time," scoffed the other.
Cagalli froze.
Veins throbbed in her temples.
Her eyes narrowed.
She turned around slowly.
"What...did...you...say?"
It was an innocent, softly spoken question. But coming from Cagalli, it sounded like a death threat.
Most people with half a brain cell would have backed off, or at least, ran screaming for cover before they sealed their doom. But the stupid airheads just didn't know when to quit.
"Are you deaf as well as dumb? I said you're a vicious tomboy who doesn't know how to show anyone a good time, let alone a hunk like Athrun!" The girl who had offended her smirked viciously.
The other girl sniffed the air and made a face. "Eww! And she smells funny too."
"It's soap. I don't suppose you've smelt it before?" Cagalli asked wryly.
The two fangirls glared at her. In retaliation, they took turns to insult her. "Humph! You're one to talk! You're the most unfeminine creature that ever walked on two legs...A complete loser...I mean, you've never had a decent date OR a boyfriend in your life! Obviously because there's no way you can ever attract a male's attention—unless he's a total nutcase."
They were asking for it. They really were.
SMACK! KICK! PUNCH!
Within seconds, Cagalli in a severely pissed off mood was dragging Athrun out of the classroom, leaving the bodies of two girls lying unconscious on the floor.
"Hmm...Now I understand why they call you 'The Barbarian'," said Athrun vaguely.
"I am NOT a barbarian," she snapped as she pulled him down the corridor. "You heard them. They were nasty, malicious and downright rude! No one calls me names and gets away with it!"
"So...does this mean you changed your mind about giving me the tour?" he asked, smiling hopefully.
"Nope, that'll take too long. Athrun Zala, let me introduce you to the school's bulletin board. It's the best and easiest way to show you the school without wasting much time. Do you realize this university is probably larger than the Empire State Building?"
She stopped in front of said bulletin board and pointed to the map. Her index finger stabbed the bright red dot which said 'YOU ARE HERE'. "See this? We're standing at this exact spot. Step one: examine the map. Step two: store the direction in your PC files up in your brain centre. Step three: follow it. With that, I guarantee you won't get lost any time soon unless your sense of direction is as hopeless as a blindfolded cow's."
"I see..." Athrun's lips twitched as he looked down.
Cagalli followed his gaze and realized she was still holding his hand. Her face turned pink and she quickly let go, clearing her throat. She opened her mouth, willing her oral cavity to say something impressive, witty, intelligent, eloquent. Instead she heard herself spew out a mountain of garbage: "Whatever. I'm heading home now. You just...stare at that map and memorize it...Yeah, that's right. And, err, I'll just...be going. Right."
That's so clever, Cagalli. So very brilliant. Now get out of here, you crazy demented woman, before you make a further fool out of yourself!
Taking heed of her own advice, a cutely blushing Cagalli turned her back on Athrun and stomped robotically out of the scene, muttering over and over again, "Stupid, stupid, stupid...!"