I'm so sorry! (Don't kill me...XD)
I wonder if anyone even follows this fic anymore, seeing that I've been trying everyone's patience by never updating.
Before I go on, I just wanted to say that I'm changing the storyline from what I originally planned. No, there was nothing wrong with the storyline. In fact, it was such an interesting concept that I wanted to save it for another writing project (don't want to overplay it). So far, it's only minor changes, and the actually ending is still pretty much the same, but there are some things...blah...I know I'm not making any sense so I'll stop with that. But if you're curious and want to know what the original plans were, I might tell you once chapter 37/38/39 is ready (I'm saying "might" because it depends on how the new storyline turns out, but it never hurts to ask XD).
Anyways, I've blabbered on too long, so once again, I apologize. Enjoy!
Ch. 30: Forsaken
The room was filled with a deafening silence as the occupants gaped in shock. Did she really say what they thought she said? No...she couldn't have. She...
"Arabella, I...I don't understand," Lacus managed to break the silence, almost causing everyone to jump up at the sudden disturbance. Not to mention, did she just say that she didn't understand? This was Lacus of all people.
"What do you mean you want us to leave? This is ridiculous!" Cagalli spat out, ready to argue since the silence was broken.
"Um...is there a reason why?" Miriallia asked tentatively.
"There is," Arabella answered bluntly, "but it's best that you don't know." She used every last ounce of self-control to keep a neutral face. There was no choice. They had to leave, otherwise they would dig deeper into the problem that they would have no way out of. This was her act of kindness to them. She would play the villain, and in return, they would be free. Perhaps they would give her a chance to apologize once (and if) this ordeal passes. She knew she couldn't count on that. Yet, what other choice did she have? A tempting idea kept on presenting itself. They could stay and help...
"No!" she screamed inside her head. That will not happen. She would not be selfish. There would be no more tragedies due to her. Because she was foolish, because she didn't realize this sooner, Elise had paid the cost. She wasn't sure yet just exactly what that price entailed, for she still had to put together the pieces, but one part was enough to show that none of them would remain unscathed. They had to leave while they still could.
"If you want us to leave, you should at least tell us why," Kira remarked. Even the usual quiet and non-confrontational Kira felt the need to say something.
Arabella understood why they protested. It wasn't right. But then, one had to choose the lesser of two great evils. She had made her choice. Taking a deep breath, she answered, "Because I don't want you here anymore." With that, she walked away, quickening her pace as she slammed the door on the group.
"What...what just happened?" The group couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
"The idiot!" Yzak remarked, coming out of shock. Not bothering to wait for the others, he ran after the woman who brought so much confusion into his life.
Athrun needed to breathe.
As much as he adored Cagalli and enjoyed being with his friends, sometimes their bantering gave him a throbbing headache. Especially with the current situation, he needed time and space to be alone to gather his thoughts. So while the rest of the group engaged in a heated debate in trying to form a plan, he slipped away quietly, heading towards the peaceful gardens.
He wanted to stay. Certainly, he felt obligated to help. But that wasn't the only reason. His stay here had changed him, made him face certain aspects of himself and his relationship with Cagalli. Not to mention, there were some funny moments, even amongst all the tension, that gave him a sense of happiness. The place had grown on him. He knew that someday he had to leave this place, but being kicked out so suddenly didn't suit him well.
His thoughts were interrupted as soon as he spotted Ray at the other end. The guy was lying down on a bench, eyes staring into the cloudless sky, deep in thought. Athrun felt an odd sense of guilt. In one sense, the group's arrival had changed the lives of the usual residents. If anything, their presence demanded Arabella's attention, causing her to spend less time with her fiancee. True, they didn't love each other, and Athrun wanted Yzak to get the woman's affection (he certainly needed it), but that didn't entitle mistreating the guy. The group acted like a clique, not letting the blue-silver haired boy into their circle, keeping him out of their interests and concerns. It was blatant exclusion.
"Oh hi there! Sorry I didn't see you before." Ray sat up straight, sensing Athrun's presence.
"That's all right. If anything I'm the one who's intruding," Athrun replied, attempting to be more cordial to Ray.
"Don't worry about it. I like being interrupted," Ray responded, "people don't seem to do that to me often enough."
"Oh...I see..." Athrun merely nodded his head, not knowing what to really say. Thinking about what Ray just said made him realize something else. He rarely saw Ray with anyone else. Not that he saw Ray often, but even those few times, he always spotted the boy alone. True, Ray was with Lucia since they were siblings, with Arabella for the obvious reasons, and actually a few times with Elise, but most of the time the guy stayed by himself.
"So what you doing here?" Ray asked, trying to start a conversation once again.
"Just wanted some peace and quiet." Athrun emphasized the point by rubbing his head.
"I understand," Ray sighed, "Arabella gave quiet a shock in there, didn't she?"
"Yes she did. Do you have any idea why she acted like that?" Athrun asked, hoping that Ray would enlighten him. The boy always seemed to know more than the rest of them, which wasn't surprising, since he was part of the ruling elite.
"I suppose it's because she senses danger, and in her kindness wants the group to leave." Ray shrugged, "There might be more to it, but I'm not sure either. I'm trying to figure it out just like everyone else."
Athrun carefully scrutinized the boy's reactions, already knowing beforehand that Ray wouldn't directly tell him anything. Who in this situation would? Seeing how Ray acted, Athrun concluded that Ray was telling the truth. It made sense after all. Arabella didn't want people to be hurt for her sake, and the disappearance of Elise reinforced that belief. However, Ray was hiding something. Athrun was determined to find out what that was. It might not even be important, but every bit of information helped. In order to do that, he would have to keep Ray close. Killing two birds with one stone, he supposed.
"Would you like to join us in finding out then?" Athrun offered. He hadn't been ready for Ray's reaction though. Ray's eyes flew open, as if seeing Athrun for the first time. Violet met emerald, and Athrun couldn't help but make a step back. Then as if it never happened, Ray turned cheerful once again.
"Thank you for the offer, but I doubt I would be much help," Ray scratched his head. "Besides, I trust Arabella to figure out what's truly best for the situation." Athrun attempted to protest, but Ray stood up, "I think I should go check up on Lucia now. Leaving her by herself for too long is never a good idea."
Athrun nodded, defeated for now. He let Ray pass him, and was about to continue walking, when he sensed that Ray stopped just a few feet behind him. Athrun was about to turn around, when Ray's voice stopped him.
"I'll warn you only once. Get out of here while you can. If not for yourself, at least for the one you love."
Ray had said it barely above a whisper, but it sounded like thunder to Athrun, who couldn't help but shudder at the ominous prediction, as the breeze swished past him and disappeared, just like the bearer of the warning.
"Why were you so silent throughout the whole time? It's unlike you."
Dearka shrugged, looking back at the object of his affection. He contemplated whether he should tell her or not. She might give him a weird look, but then again, telling her might help solve the situation, not to mention, hint at his feelings for her without being too obvious and causing her to stay away from him again.
"I've been trying to figure out what Elise meant."
Miriallia looked at him quizzically, "What are you talking about? What do you mean, she 'meant' about something?" She knew what she just said didn't make sense, but she had no idea how else to say it. Knowing Dearka though, he would figure it out.
"Well, she was singing a song, something about lilacs, shadows, waiting for something, and then she asked me an odd question."
"And that question was?" Miriallia asked, getting more intrigued.
"Which one hurt more, either unrequited love, or having to push each other away due to circumstances."
"Hm...why would she ask something like that?" Miriallia couldn't help but be confused. Of all people, why Elise? She seemed too cheerful to have such thoughts in her head. Of course, all of that could have been a facade, as noted by her odd behaviors for awhile before her disappearance, but still...something wasn't right. They were missing so many pieces, parts that were vital to understanding the situation.
"Any ideas?" Dearka asked, although doubting that Miriallia would be able to come up with something in such a short amount of time.
"No idea," Miriallia confessed. "By the way, just out of curiosity, what answer did you give her?"
Dearka stood up, realizing that this was his opportunity. "I said I didn't know."
"I suppose that didn't bring out an answer from her," Miriallia frowned, but then brightened. "Well, at least we have something to think about that might help us. Let's go tell the others." With that, she proceeded to drag Dearka towards the door. However, she stopped, hearing him speak.
"I told her I didn't know because..." He took a deep breath before continuing, hoping that he made the right choice in telling her this. "Because as of now, I only felt one of them, and that one thing hurt me more than anything else."
"You can't stay in there forever," Yzak shouted, standing in front of Arabella's door. He had planted himself on the spot for about an hour or two, refusing to leave until she would talk to him. The servants didn't dare to bother him, afraid that his temper would explode if they tried to convince him to come back later.
He didn't think she could act this childish. Leave? What nonsense. And what a lie she gave as an excuse. Did she honestly think any of them would fall for that? And she was supposed to be the perfect, smart one. It was ironic how she acted as the voice of reason, and yet here she was, being irrational. This was ridiculous. He had half a mind to break down the door...
"I'm not changing my mind," she remarked, opening the door, meeting him face to face. "I'll be courteous as a hostess and let the group stay until the end of the week, but I expect everyone to be ready by then with no complaints."
"And what could you possibly gain by that?" He stared directly at her while asking. She had been crying. Of course, being the skilled politician that she was, she did an amazing job hiding it. But he knew. There was no way to explain it, but he just knew. That just made him angrier. Did she not realize that no one benefited from this? She was hurt, they were hurt. It only caused pain, and if anything, delayed the inevitable problem.
"At least I'll know I did what I can to keep the group safe," Arabella replied, dropping the charade.
"Safe to be hurt even more on another day?" Yzak retorted, "If this is as big of a problem as you seem to imply, then there would be no way to escape. It would eventually catch up to all of us. What then?"
"That's why I'm going to do everything in my power to stop it before it comes to that," Arabella replied, biting her lip.
"What if you can't? By then, the problem would be worse than it is now." Yzak sighed, knowing that what he'll say next will hurt her, but he didn't have much of a choice. "You're being selfish. By pushing us away, you're making it possible for something even more disastrous to happen. You may not think so, but that's the truth."
"But...but..."
"Just think it over," he added. He didn't know what possessed him to do what he did next until it was too late. Slowly, he glided his hand in her hair, then resting it on her cheek. A brief second passed by as the two remained frozen in that moment. Suddenly, Arabella flinched, and pulled away.
"Yzak, just go away! Please leave..."
She pushed him out, slamming the door behind him. He didn't protest. The only thing he could do was to stare blankly, turmoil running through his head.
Done...
Yes I know, I'm sorry. I didn't update for a long time, and yet I write a short chapter. Sorry...
I don't know, I think my writing got worse after the hiatus. It certainly doesn't flow anymore.
Next time:
It's Lacus's birthday! How does this play into the scheme of things?
What is going on with Ray?
Why is Athrun uneasy?
How long can Dearka and Miriallia play this game with each other?
Arabella is trying to put things together...
So how does that sound?
Well then, until next time!
Thanks for reading!