Chapter 5


When vibrant amber eyes flew open on this most unwelcome beautiful day, a feeling of complete relaxation became that of realisation. Today was the day. THE day, that Athrun Zala would speak his vows of matrimony. Only thing she wasn't the bride at this wedding. Meyrin was. Groan. How she wished she could hate the younger girl but she couldn't. The other was so kind and innocent, almost childlike. How could she hate the one person that made the man she loved, happy? She wished she could hate him too, but she knew perfectly well that it was not only on his part, but her own for the fallout of their undeveloped relationship. Not only were they torn apart by the same differences that had once brought them together, but they also were unable to weather the hardships that had befallen them in the past few years.

Sigh.

"I can't go…" she said shifting herself in bed. She buried her head under her pillows.

"I'll say I'm sick and then…well no one can blame me for being sick…it happens. I mean…Who am I kidding? This is hopeless. Cagalli you are such an idiot." She mumbled to herself. She tightly gripped her pillows, trying to hide deeper into the crook of darkness.

She sighed once again, but only this time it was followed by an irritable growl.

"Urgh! This is crazy! I'm going and that's final!" She yelled it out loudly, emerging rapidly from beneath her pillows. Her fierceness soon gave way to her usual temper tantrums as she jumped out of bed and stomped to the bathroom slamming the door shut. With a sharp bang, a hanged picture shattered to pieces on the hardwood floor.

Downstairs at the breakfast table Kisaka cringed at the loud slam, as he took a bite of his French toast.

"Seems she is not in a good mood." He said between bites.

"It can't be helped. After all today is a very difficult day for Cagalli." Lacus said gravely, wording out exactly what Kira was thinking as he stared blankly at his cup of coffee. He watched the darkness of the liquid as if it was almost mesmerizing. His mind caught up in a bit of turmoil. He was torn between his wish of happiness for his best friend and he grieved for his sister's torment. He was abruptly snapped out of inner monologue when he heard Lacus clearing her throat. He looked up and heard the stomping rather then footsteps of his sister coming down for breakfast.

"Can you guys stop acting like you weren't talking about me!" The blonde said rather annoyed of everyone's change in demeanour at her arrival at the table. She plopped down on a chair, grabbed Kisaka's newspaper that was neatly placed on his side and yanked it open.

"Anything interesting…" Kira asked boldly trying to make small talk about the paper.

Cagalli remained silent and placed the paper down slowly almost as in mere shock.

"Nothing. Boring paper." She said calmly her focus falling on her cup of coffee.

Kira took one look at the front page and knew why she acted so. The announcement of Athrun's wedding being on the very day was plastered as the headline.


Good morning rise and shine people it's a gorgeous day out there, for an autumn day it sure is warm don't you agree Lota.

Of course Andrew, it's a spectacular day a perfect day to get—

His hand numbly tumbled down to the floor from the off button of his alarm

Green eyes squinted to see the time.

Eight-thirty.

He rolled on his back, and stared up at the ceiling. Today was the day. Even when his mind knew what was going to happen this day he felt rather odd. He wondered if he should feel a bit happier. His thoughts wandered back and forth and his gaze fixated.

He closed his eyes and stayed that way for a while. However his inner bickering with himself was cut short at the sound of the telephone. He let it ring and ring until the answering machine picked it up.

"Athrun? Maybe you're already off to the groom's room. If not, I just wanted to say I love you! I can't wait to see this afternoon!" the perky feminine voice belonged to none other then his soon to-be-wife, Meyrin. He sighed at the sign of the beep ending the message. He made a silent prayer that he could make it through the day.

Athrun was about to make his way to the bathroom when the doorbell rang.

"Who could that be?" Athrun wondered. He was a little irritated at all the interruptions that kept interfering with his already overloaded brain.

He opened the door and was pushed aside.

"Zala."

"Yzak?"

"Hey there Athrun, how's the husband to be doing, ready to kiss the ladies goodbye and be nailed down to one woman for the REST of your life?"

"Dearka?"

Before he could invite them, Dearka had already made himself comfortable on the couch and Yzak leaned against a nearby wall.

"It was his," Yzak shot a glance in Dearka's direction, "idea to come by, not mine."

"What are you guys doing here?" Athrun asked.

"For someone who's going to get married you don't seem very…eager." Yzak said icily.

"Nerves I bet. It's terrifying to simply be stuck to one woman…until death do you part…gives me the creeps each time." Dearka interjected with a slight shiver.

"I guess it hasn't really sunken in yet." Athrun said trying to find some kind of ease in the current subject.

"Well it better sink in and fast the wedding is four hours from now. Besides you don't look like a man who's about to get married you look like you're about to be executed for treason." Yzak commented coldly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Athrun smiled sadly at the comment. He might as well be accused of something, because he felt like such a rotten soul.

"Of course he looks like that; he's in love with HER." Dearka stated bluntly.

"Well I would hope he would be in love with her he's about to marry her." Yzak answered back thinking his friends point a weak one.

"Not that her, Her as in Cagalli Yula---

"Dearka!" Athrun cut him off, his face in shocked horror.

"Well I mean I'm not blind Athrun," Dearka began a little more soberly. "and I don't think others are either. If you don't love her don't marry her. Listen before you start, you know I have no place to say this, but I am your friend and I don't want you to do something you might regret later that's all."

"Hold on you love that Orb leader, still? But you're going to go through with a wedding with someone else?" Yzak inquired giving the other man a quizzical brow. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

"Listen I know you guys, or Dearka are trying to help me but the best thing you can do is just let me do what I think is right."

"Not to burst your bubble Zala but I don't think your way is getting anything right. If you love this other woman tell her and end this before you really can't go back and make things right. I mean I once considered you smart don't make me look stupid for believing your better then this."

"Easy to talk for someone who doesn't wear the pants in the relationship, uh Yzak." Dearka gave a mocking grin hinting at his best friend's relationship with a little head-strong brunette.

"Say what! This is about Athrun! Not me. Got that!" Yzak blushed furiously, raising his fist defensively.

Dearka put his arms in a gesture of defeat. "Calm down. Don't pop a vain will ya."

"As much as I'm grateful for you guys coming here I really do need to get ready for the wedding." Athrun cut in, feeling slightly like an outsider in his own apartment.

"So you're going to go through with this? Well good luck to you man." Dearka said getting up from the couch he shook hands with Athrun, Yzak followed glaring at Athrun intensely. Nodding his head in dismissal.

"Good luck Zala, you're going to need it." Yzak said stepping outside in the corridors accompanying Dearka.

"Thanks." Atrhun obliged before clicking the door shut. He sighed as if a heavy tormenting cloud had just loomed over his horizons.


The Chapel was a beautiful one, enchanting and charming. Small but spacious enough to accommodate all the guests. The day was truly spectacular, truly taken from a fairly tale and plastered on to reality. Perfect blue skies, a brilliant sun, and a warm breeze that carried all-surrounding warmth with it.

Unfortunately for some the nice weather was the last thing on their minds. The entire ride to the chapel Cagalli had been hunted down by relentless cameramen and reporters trying to get any feedback from her about the wedding. Luckily her bodyguards shoved those inquisitive idiots with one swing of their muscled arms. Shut them up real good.

Cagalli kept shifting in her seat, dress rustling. She felt unable to breathe, the dress beautiful as it was, was far too restrictive for her own liking. Her hair put up and sleeked back magnificently and conservatively in a beautiful loose bun felt like someone was pulling at her hair painfully. Her make-up natural, bringing out the soft and feminine edges in her, but her eyes were unchanged, dimmed and distant.

"We can always ask the driver to turn back you know." Her brother said reading her discomfort.

She only needed to give him one look for him to simply drop the remark like a hot sack of potatoes. That issue would definitely not be brought up again. She remained silent staring out the window blankly and simply trying to understand if all this was really happening. And then that sinister little voice in her would say 'yes' and that she deserved it. Her common sense agreed.

Arriving at the church, Kira escorted both her and Lacus inside the chapel, giving a hooked arm to each woman. Lacus took it willingly as for Cagalli she felt like a complete fool. Her brother escorting her, two abnormally immense bodyguards a foot behind her. Stupid Kisaka, she cursed him inwardly, due to an important meeting he himself could not escort her so he found two random Joe blows to take over the job. Apparently they were the best. Shades and dark suits and all, she felt embarrassingly ridiculous.

"Is there a lady's room in this place?" Cagalli wondered to both her companions.

"I told you to go before coming." Kira said accusingly. She eyed her brother oddly. "Well I need to go again. Maybe I'll ask that man over there he looks holy."

Kira and Lacus took their seats in the front row, Kira being the best man and all. He nodded his head in understanding to his sister, Lacus shrugged. Cagalli was making her way to this fairly tall man with thick white hair with groomed facial hair. He wore what seemed like holy robes, so thinking he must know where the lady's room is.

"Excuse me, sir. I was wondering where the—

"I believe this is a truly heaven sent day, all these celebrities in my chapel. And now the most impressive of them all, Representative Attha."

"Yes that's very kind of you…I was simply wondering where the lady's room is."

"Oh that's four doors down from that hallway there." He pointed it out for her to understand.

She hurried off, she strangely realized every time her heels clicked she would hear an accumulated sound of footsteps right behind her. Testing her ears again she walked a little faster. There were those footsteps again. Whirling around fiercely she came face to face with one of her bodyguard's chest. Raising her view she stared crossly at both men.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" She asked her anger mounting.

"Bodyguarding you?" One said stupidly.

The other death glared the other. "We are simply doing our giving task my Lady." He said to his Lady.

Cagalli felt her irritation escalading rather quickly. "Are you going to accompany me into the lady's room or something? Stay here the bathroom is supposed to be two doors from here, both of you wait for me at the front of the hallway. I'll be out shortly."

They both glared at her suspiciously.

"What? Did you hear what I said?" they both nodded "Than get a move on!" She let out angrily shooing them off with her hand.

Letting out a breath she didn't realize she had kept in she went on her search of the room.

'Four doors from the beginning of the hallway…should be this one.' She slowly opened the door, she saw no sign or picture indicating it was a bathroom or not, as she stepped into the door and closed it quickly leaning her bare back against the wood door. She closed her eyes and breathed out an exasperated sigh.

"Finally silence…" she said to herself.

"Cagalli?"

Her head shot up, as her eyes stared back at very familiar green eyes.

"Oh." She was completely rattled "Athrun?" She yelped.


Author's Note: I'm not dead don't worry about it. Finally got around to writing this chapter. Enjoy it and please give me some feedback love to know what you guys think. Ooooooh the suspense. I'll try not to wait another three months to write the next chapter. For now enjoy. Ciao