Reviews, reviews....lol
King Arthur6687- I'm glad you liked the chapter! ) Oh, and no, the boys aren't related to the girls, although that would have been interesting. And...sorry to disappoint you again, but the characters won't know what they got each other until chapter ten...so sorry...
Heaven's Reaper- Yes, the last one was definitely more than usual. I did that mostly because I wanted to explain the situation they were in...and what better way to do that than to go into their thoughts and feelings? )
mal- Thanks for the compliment ). Oh, and don't worry about it, no need to apologize. And as to how many chapters, well I don't know exactly, but I'm going to put up a rough estimate on my bio when I update it. (If it's not already up there by the time you end up reading this chapter, don't worry cause it's going to be up there really soon)Gundam Seed Fangirl- Yes, yes, most people do say Cagalli's a Coordinator, and for the most part I agree with them too...but I was thinking about it and then I realized that probably no one in the series knows that she is...so not to lose perspective I'm going to continue the way I originally intended with a few modifications but that's about it. (Hm...maybe I wasn't very clear about what I was saying in that note...oops...sorry to everyone that misunderstood...)
Lomiothiel-YzaknNicol fangirl- Thanks! I'm usually not very good with fluff...but I guess this one turned out ok...thanks again for your support!
Miss Akira- It's good to know you're happy about the last chapter! ) Yea, sorry I don't have the present part in this chapter...because I realized there's going to be one more thing happening before Christmas...please be patient! Thanks!
witchesgirl- Such a creative review! ) Thank you so much for always encouraging me!
Ch. 9: Broken Facade
"So Lacus, what do you have in those bags?"
"And what do you have in yours, Cagalli?"
"Not telling." Cagalli smiled.
"Then I'm not telling either." Lacus smiled back.
"Oh, come on!" Cagalli whined.
"You'll just have to wait until Christmas morning." Lacus flashed a satisfied smirk. Everyone blinked a couple times.
"Whoa, I never knew Lacus had it in her." Dearka commented as he patted Kira's shoulder. "Looks like you're going to have to watch it now Yamato. You never know what she'll do next."
"Thanks...I think." Kira sweat-dropped.
"Well, if you're all going to keep your presents as secrets until Christmas, I might as well do that too." Miriallia added.
"That would be interesting...besides, I don't know how everyone would react once they see Cagalli's." Athrun added in a low voice.
"What did you just say Athrun?!" Cagalli gave him an angry look.
"Nothing, nothing..." Athrun looked nervous again.
"Don't you think you're being too oppressive towards your boyfriend?" Dearka remarked, after which he hid behind Miriallia.
"Why, you!"
The girls tried to calm Cagalli down, and the boys looked on, amused. Then Dearka looked down at the piles of shopping bags that they carried. "Why does this not surprise me?"
"Did you expect to be surprised?" Athrun mockingly asked.
"You know, maybe Yzak was smart in not coming with us." Dearka remarked jokingly while trying to change the subject.
"Why are you guys talking about Yzak all of a sudden?" Cagalli asked, her temper apparently cooled down.
"Just something about him not being here."
"Yes, he should have just come with us." Lacus commented.
"Naw...besides, it's not like he has a match here anyway." With that, Dearka threw a furtive glance towards Miriallia, which she pretended to ignore.
"Hm...a match...that's it!" Cagalli shouted. Everyone looked at her confusedly. "We need to get him a girlfriend! Maybe then he won't act so tense all the time."
"I'm not sure it would work..." Athrun started when Dearka suddenly cut him off.
"Hm...Yzak with a girl? I would like to see that happening." Dearka suddenly grinned evilly. "But that would make it even more fun to hook him up. Who do you have in mind?"
"Arabella."
"Well, that's...WHAT?!!" Everyone stared at Cagalli incredulously.
"Do you have anything better in mind then?" Cagalli challenged them.
"Well," Lacus spoke up first, "I guess it could work out. What do you think?" She asked Kira, who had been silent the whole time.
"I'm not sure." Kira admitted. "I don't know Yzak that well. Why don't we ask people that know him better?" Kira glanced at Dearka and Athrun.
"It's going to be hard, but hey, let's give it a shot." Dearka remarked.
"I say it's going to work." Everyone stared at Athrun, surprised.
"But...weren't you saying before that..."
"I was commenting on the general scheme of trying to get Yzak together with a girl." Athrun explained. "He's too impulsive and temperamental. Besides, I get the feeling that he's extremely picky."
"That doesn't explain to us why you think it would work." The girls asked, confused.
Athrun smiled a knowing smile. "That's just it. I think Arabella meets his expectations, although he's not going to admit it. Also, if you notice how they interact with each other, you can tell that Arabella can counter his temper and his other bad traits."
"I'll agree to that." Miriallia smiled. "But don't you think we're all being a bit out of character by playing matchmaker?"
"Well, we are, but aren't we starting new lives as well?" Lacus suddenly pointed out. "The war's over and all there is needed to do is to secure peace. We need to makes changes to our lives anyways, so what's the difference in changing our perspectives a little?"
"That was nicely said." Kira complimented her. Lacus just blushed.
"Well, certain things still don't change though." Dearka snickered.
"So what plan did you have in mind Cagalli?" Lacus asked, ignoring Dearka.
"And just what plan is this?" A voice behind them asked.
"Who...oh, hi Arabella!" Cagalli stammered nervously, sweat-dropping. "When did you come?"
"Oh, just when I heard Lacus asking you something about a plan." Arabella looked a bit confused. "If you don't mind, could you tell me what it's about?"
"Well..."
"The girls were trying to figure out a way to keep us from guessing what they got for us." Athrun said.
"Oh, I see." Arabella smiled. "Well, come on, get inside the car. I managed to convince Yzak to come along as well."
"You did? Great!" Cagalli burst out. But seeing Arabella giving her a curious look, she laughed nervously.
"Anyways, good save." Cagalli whispered into Athrun's ear as they entered the car.
"Anytime." He whispered back.
"So, could you at least tell me what present you got for Athrun?" Arabella asked Cagalli while twirling her fork with the last of her pasta.
"Oh...well, that is...um, I need to go to the bathroom...I'll be right back." She walked up, acting nervous.
"Well...we'll be back too." Lacus and Miriallia followed her.
"I wonder what's going on?" Arabella commented out loud.
"Who knows?" Dearka shrugged.
"Well, I'm going to see what's going on." With that, she headed off also. Walking into the bathroom, she asked, "what are you girls doing? Huh, what?" Arabella managed to blurt out before the girls grabbed her and dragged her inside. Completely confused, Arabella looked back and forth between the three girls. "Okay, so what's going on?"
"Well, to be honest..." Cagalli fidgeted a bit. "We didn't get presents for our specific guys yet."
"But I thought you did...all those shopping bags..."
"Well, those are for everyone else." Lacus explained. "I didn't want Kira to know what I bought him until Christmas, so it was kind of hard to buy anything while he stayed around."
"Same here." Cagalli and Miriallia added.
Cagalli looked curiously at Miriallia. "You too? So you and Dearka..."
"Well, I promised him to buy a present...and anyways, so could we make a quick getaway and do some fast shopping?" Miriallia asked Arabella, trying to change the subject quickly.
"Well, alright, I suppose." Arabella agreed.
"By the way, did you already do some shopping?" Cagalli asked with mischievous glints in her eyes.
"Yes. Why?"
"Oh, because..." The three girls started to fidget nervously again. Cagalli spoke up. "Well, because...you noticed that all the guys are going to end up with additional separate presents, right?"
"Um yea..." Now Arabella started to get nervous because she had a feeling where this was going to lead up to.
"Well, that is..." Cagalli continued. "All except for Yzak..."
"So, you're suggesting that I buy something for him, right?"
"Right!" The other three said in unison.
"Well, I guess I wouldn't mind." Arabella answered, although turning slightly pink on the cheeks. "But I don't know what he would like..."
"Oh, just buy him anything. He's not that picky." Cagalli lied, hoping that Arabella bought it.
"Alright then." Arabella replied, although she did have some reserves about it. "Let's tell the boys that we'll be gone for about...let's see...an hour."
"Sounds good to me."
"Alright. Hopefully they don't realize what's going on though."
"Do any of you have any idea why they left?" Kira asked.
"Not really." Dearka replied. "Maybe they were trying to tell us something."
"What could they be implying? I don't think we did anything..." Athrun stopped, his eyes wide open. "Oh no, I can't believe I forgot..."
"What did you forget?"
"I...I forgot to get Cagalli a present."
"What?" The usually quite Yzak roared with laughter. "Of all things Zala, you forgot to get your girlfriend a present? The former top gun of ZAFT who always managed to remember everything else forgot something like that? This is hilarious!"
"Well, you do have to realize that there were huge crowds everywhere today...it's kind of hard to think when that's the case." Dearka defended, his face turning red also.'
"In other words, you forgot to get Miriallia a present too." Kira added, smiling. "It seems as if though we're all in the same position."
"Correction." Yzak butted in. "You three are in that position. Not me." The three boys each had an evil smirk on, unnerving Yzak.
"Hm...Athrun, don't you think something's missing?" Dearka asked innocently.
"Yes, I think so." Athrun replied. "Don't you think so too Kira?"
"I agree." Kira answered, trying to keep a straight face.
"All right you three, stop trying to play games with me." Yzak ordered, frustrated.
"What we're trying to say is that out of the four girls, only three are getting separate presents...so we were wondering if you would take care of the last person."
"Wait, what makes you think I'll go along with that?" Yzak laughed. "Forget it."
"Why, are you too scared about what her reaction will be?" Dearka teased. "If that's how you feel about it, then..."
"Hold on. Who said I was scared?" Yzak remarked defensively. "Fine, I'll get her a present. Now hurry up!" With that, Yzak walked outside. The other three stayed still for a few more seconds, looking amused, before joining him.
"How did you two know that that was going to work?" Kira asked, curious.
"If there's one thing we know about Yzak, it's the fact that he never backs down from a challenge." Athrun sighed. "Hopefully the girls will be happy."
Miriallia looked around the store nervously. "What to get...what to get..." In all honestly, she had no idea what to get Dearka.
"May I help you miss?" The store clerk asked.
"Oh, no thank you. Just looking." She glanced at a particular section of the store. Then she remembered something. "Hopefully this will do..."
"What to get Miriallia..." Dearka paused. He really had no idea. Sure, he knew a lot of girls, so he knew generally what they wanted. But Miriallia was different...He stopped in front of a store. An idea came into his mind. "Is it too risky?" He stood there pondering about it for a moment. "I'll just have to take the risk then." With that, he entered the store.
"I wonder what I'll get for Kira." Lacus wandered around aimlessly. Kira would probably say that he wouldn't mind anything if she asked him, but she wanted to get him something meaningful, something to help him out. "Ouch." Not looking particularly at where she walked, she accidentally bumped into someone, who, funny enough, happened to be Dearka coming out of the store.
"Sorry about that Dearka." Lacus apologized. Then she noticed that he tried to hide something behind his back. "Who's that present for?"
"Pre...Present?" Dearka laughed nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about...um...got to go." He ran off as if his life depended on it. Lacus stayed at the spot, trying her hardest not to burst into laughter. Dearka really did like Miriallia a lot. Hopefully they would end up being together. "Especially with how sad she seems sometimes." She added.
Lacus proceeded to look at the shop in front of her when something inside caught her eye. "If I could just ask for a couple things from the others...this would be perfect!" With that, she ran into the store.
"I'm really, really bad with shopping." Kira groaned. "Let's see...what am I suppose to look for again? Something pretty? Cute?" He was really running out of ideas. "Um...let's try this store." He looked around a few times before going in. Once inside, he saw something that quite resembled... "This is going to be amusing." With that, Kira grabbed the item.
"What is she doing?" Athrun pondered as he saw Cagalli purchased something. A slow smile creep up his face. Apparently, she forgot to get him a gift too. Well, no matter. In fact, it was better this way.
After he made certain that Cagalli left, he walked up to the same salesman. "Excuse me, but could you give me the exact same thing she just got?"
Arabella didn't know Yzak very well. So she had to go with what she did know.
"Is there anything I could help you with..." The sales clerk's eyes opened wide. "Princess! It's been such a long time...are you sure it's okay for you to be alone?"
"Yes, yes, it's all right." She reassured him. "And as for not being here for awhile, it's because you're the best at making those items." She remarked, pointing to the things in the shop. "It's been six years and I still don't need to replace anything. The items are very durable, yet still show excellent craftsmanship."
"I'm very flattered..." He replied back. "So I take it that you are purchasing another one for a gift?"
"You guessed correctly." She smiled.
"Anything catch your eyes yet? Or should I recommend?"
"How about that one?" She asked, pointing.
"Yes, definitely. That's a very good choice. If the person is the type of person who enjoys this type of thing, he or she will definitely like this gift."
"I hope so." She smiled nervously.
"To get a present for Arabella..." Yzak really had to keep himself from getting frustrated. "What do girls like anyway?" He had no idea. Of course, he never admitted that to anyone though. So he completely blew it off when the guys gave him some suggestions. Now he started to regret it.
He paused by a store, contemplating. "Well, I guess one of these might do..." So he started searching. "No, this one might be a bit too big...what about this one...no, the color doesn't work out...hm...wait a minute, why do I even care?" He stopped himself. Yes, why did he care? Why didn't he just grab the first thing in the store? He was just doing this to prove himself. Right? Right?
Yzak groaned. This was getting too complicated. Deciding not to think about it, he continued on his search.
"Hey, you guys bought something too?"
"Um...yea, we did." Both the guys and the girls fidgeted nervously, trying to hide from each other what went on.
"So Arabella, when is the car coming?" Cagalli asked, trying to stir up a conversation.
"It should be here in about five minutes or so." She replied.
"Oh, that's good because..."
"Watch out!" The next moment, something whizzed past them, causing the window behind them to shatter into a million fragments.
Across from them stood four men, each holding a gun, while still enveloped in the shadows. "Cagalli, get the rest of the girls out of here." Athrun shouted as he maneuvered his way around the street to get closer.
"But Athrun..."
"Cagalli, we don't have time for this now!" Athrun yelled as he barely missed getting hit by a bullet. Not wanting to argue, the girls went out of harm's way, all except Arabella.
"What do you think you're doing? Run!"
"No." She replied coldly.
"This seriously isn't the time for...hey, where did you get that gun?"
"Do you think this is the first time someone tried to assassinate me?" Arabella retorted, matter-of-fact. "I always come prepared. Besides, this is my problem, so I'm going to handle it."
"But..."
"Just go along with it, all right?" Arabella yelled, frustrated. "There's no time to waste."
The boys sighed in resignation. "Okay, what do you want us to do?"
"I'll distract them, and the rest of you sneak up on them..."
"All right, we got it."
Arabella took a deep breath and then started firing. Sure enough, the four men put their concentration on her, not aware of the others creeping near them. "Now!" The boys took their chance and lunged at the men. Caught by surprised, three of them were disarmed immediately while the last one accidentally shot himself.
"They're getting away!" Cagalli yelled as the girls ran back.
"Let them go. We got one of them." Arabella slowly approached the bleeding man. "With that wound, you're not going to live long. So might as well tell me what you're up to."
The man had a smug look on his face. "I don't betray my own kind..." He slumped, breathing his last.
"Great, useless." Yzak murmured.
"Not quite." Arabella looked around, searching for something. She looked at the man's right hand, and took off a simple gold band from it. "Just as I thought." She snorted in disgust. "Purists."
"Huh?" Everyone else looked confused.
"Here." Arabella handed the ring to them. "Look at the inscriptions inside the ring."
To purge the world of all who are unworthy
"Purists are basically like Blue Cosmos expect they are Natural haters." She explained to them.
"I don't think I've ever heard of them." Lacus said.
"I'm not surprised. They basically watched ZAFT do all the dirty work." Arabella continued. "But since everyone's going towards peace, they decided to step up."
"Any specific reason that they started targeting you?" Kira asked, suspicious.
"Perhaps." Arabella stayed completely silent after that, regardless of how many questions the others tried to ask. She had to stay silent no matter what, or otherwise, unnecessary people will be in danger as well.
"We're sorry sir, we failed." The three men cowered under his gaze.
He walked circles around them. "I would have liked it if you three had finished the job." He sighed in pity. "But in all honesty I didn't expect success anyways."
"Sir, what are we going to do now?" One of them asked, frightened. "She'll know who attacked her...the ring..."
He chuckled. "That, she already knew. She didn't learn anything more than she already knew tonight." The men felt relived that their leader didn't look angry, but rather amused. "Our dear princess is very clever. When it comes to info, she already has everything, expect the few minor details such as who I am and what precise location in the city we're in. Of course, she pretty much could guess that too if she chooses to. But, she hasn't figured it out yet. She still has a long way to go before she could put the pieces together. And that enough gives us enough chance to succeed." He gave out a laugh. "I already made a move princess. But sorry to say, I might have to make another one before you do."
Whoa...this chapter was looooooong compared to my previous ones...lol...
Okay, I'm not very good at writing action parts so hopefully it didn't completely suck near the end...
And of course, things are getting more and more interesting...)
On a brighter note, you get to find out about the presents next chapter! Yay!