The Bet with the Devil
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.
Thank you so much for my beta reader, asucaga4eva
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Chapter 16
Kira waited outside Cagalli's room waiting for the doctor to inform him about his sister's condition. He was terrified when he got the call from the hospital telling him that her sister got in an accident. He informed his parents who were at work and they were on their way to the hospital. He wanted to tell Uncle Uzumi about Cagalli, but his mother was against it. She said that they shouldn't let him worry.
"Kira! How is Cagalli?" Athrun who has arrived at the hospital asked Kira with a concerned look.
Upon hearing his name, he rose from the seat and looked at his best friend with anger. He knew that Athrun was responsible for Cagalli's accident.
"So you care?"
"What are you implying? Of course I care." Athrun replied annoyingly. What he wanted to know is how Cagalli's condition was and not his question.
"I don't know about her yet, the doctors are still inside. Athrun sit down, I want to ask you something."
Athrun obeyed him and sat next to him.
"You know what? Cagalli was hit by a car. The driver informed me that she ran blindly in the street when the traffic light was still green. You know, she wouldn't have done that if she wasn't upset." Kira turned his head and asked Athrun furiously, he would never be angry with his best friend like this. But Cagalli, his only sister was hurt because of him and he won't get away from this.
"What have you done to my sister?"
Athrun sighed and he immediately knew that it was his fault, "It's my fault isn't it? If I didn't get upset and scold her she this wouldn't have happened."
"Yes it is your entire fault, and if she isn't alright I swear I will punch you. Why Athrun? How could you do that to her? Don't you know her feelings?"
Athrun looked down, he regretted whatever he has done to Cagalli, "I don't know, I was angry at her."
"And tell me one more thing. Cagalli explained the whole incident, so is it true that you bought a pendant to Meyrin? And for what reason? I know you Athrun, even if you have dated so many women before, you never bought them a present or given them anything."
"Yes it's true, I bought her a pendant, but I have my own reason." Athrun looked up and leaned to the wall behind him, "She knew about the bet and she forced herself into me, I told her I couldn't accept her, but she insisted. A few days later she told me that she understood and she promised she won't get near me or Cagalli again with one condition. She said that she likes that pendant and for a memento she wanted me to buy it for her. But I have never guessed that she would break her promise like that. And the rest you know."
"So that's why, for now I can't say anything. Right now I'm worried about Cagalli." Kira looked at Cagalli's room with a concerned face.
When Athrun tried to reply, the door opened and the doctor came outside. Both of them rose from their seat and head toward him.
"How is she?" Athrun beat Kira from asking the same question.
"She is fine, she's got a bump on her head and bruises on her body, she will wake up soon. Luckily the car didn't hit her hard. "
Both of them sighed in relief.
"Can we see her?"
"Yes both of you can, where are her parents? I need them to fill in some forms."
Kira answered, "They are on their way, I'll tell them when they arrive."
The doctor nodded and excused himself.
Kira and Athrun went inside, Athrun was angry at himself when he saw Cagalli. Her head was bandaged and he could see the bruises on her body. He got near her and he caressed her cheek gently. Kira saw his action and he spoke, "You love her." It's a statement not a question.
Athrun drew back his hand and looked at him, "Am I?"
Kira shrugged his shoulders, "I think you do."
Athrun looked back at Cagalli and he whispered so lowly, preventing Kira to hear, "Yes I am."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
"Athrun it's better you go home first, you look tired, mother and father will come and we will take care of her."
Athrun tried to argue, but Kira insisted.
"Okay, I'll come again tomorrow." Athrun informed him, he bend toward Cagalli and kissed her forehead. When he walked toward the door Kira said something.
"I won't forgive you if you make her cry again."
Athrun turned his head and he answered, "This time I won't." He continued walking and disappeared from his sight.
Kira sat on the chair near her and spoke softly, "Now I hope Cagalli won't be too stubborn to forgive him."
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The next day as Kira expected, Athrun came to the hospital to visit Cagalli. She awoke last night. Kira greeted Athrun and before they went to the room Kira warned him.
"I warned you, I think she's mad at you. Whenever I said your name she shoots me deadly glares." Kira placed his hand on his shoulder, "You better solve your problem together, I will be at the cafeteria."
"Okay, thank you."
After Kira left, Athrun stopped in front of the door and knocked. When he heard her answer, he came in.
Cagalli looked at him with wide eyes, some part of her was happy but, the other part was furious. He had hurt her and she vowed she wouldn't get hurt by him again.
"What are you doing here? Get out of this room now." She shouted.
Instead of getting away, Athrun walked toward her.
"What are you doing, I said get out."
"I will not."
When Athrun came to her bed, Cagalli started to punch him at his chest, telling him to get away from her. But Athrun caught her hands and whispered to her ear, "I'll tell you, this time I won't leave you again."
Cagalli startled and looked at his face, she saw the old Athrun not the cold or ruthless one, but the gentle side. She released her hands and she turned her head away from him.
"How is your head, did it hurt?" Athrun asked worriedly.
"I am fine, it's only a bump, the car didn't hit me so hard, thank God the driver didn't speed up."
"I see."
"Why won't you leave me?"
"I can't until we clear everything. First, I left you after the bet was off, and second, I let you get away from me when we had our second argument and what happened after that, you are here because of me."
Cagalli turned back to him, "Oh, thank you for your concern, but you don't have to fell guilty, I am fine and the accident is not your fault but mine, so could you please leave this room?" She didn't mean to say it with sarcasm, but she couldn't hold her temper.
Athrun looked at her eyes deeply, "No, it's not because I feel guilty, but for the other reason."
"And what's that?" Cagalli became tired arguing with him.
"It's because I care for you."
She didn't believe it, "Really? You better not say that to another girl, Meyrin will get jealous after all, she your current girlfriend."
"No, she is not, and she will never be my girl."
"But when I asked, you didn't deny it, instead you got angry at me." She shot him a glare.
Athrun sighed, "I know and that's my fault, when you rejected me I was mad and furious and I wanted to hurt you as much as you hurt me."
"Yeah of course you are angry, I hurt your pride." She frowned.
"No damn it! I don't care about my pride! Don't you understand I was mad not because that, but because I like you. What will you feel when someone you like reject you?"
"Devastated." She muttered.
"Yes devastated, that's why I hurt you last time, and I am here to ask your forgiveness." Athrun stopped for a while, he looked at her eyes with sincerity, "Will you forgive me Cagalli?"
Cagalli bit her bottom lip, for a moment when she looked at his, she wanted to throw herself to him and said that she forgave him, but the image of Meyrin and her pendant made her speak with bitterness.
"Okay I forgive you, but can you leave me alone? I am tired and I want to sleep."
"No. You are still mad at me, I know it. You are wondering about the pendant right?"
Cagalli became shocked, how could he know what is inside my mind? "Yeah what about that?"
Athrun explained her everything the same he told Kira.
Cagalli frowned, she felt guilty, she should have listened to him when he tried to explain all of the things. She felt a bit happy because she knew that Athrun didn't like Meyrin as she thought. "I believe you, and I want to say sorry also about me being angry at you the last time."
Athrun nodded his head and a grin touched his lips, "You said you are angry at me, are you sure your not jealous with Meyrin?"
Cagalli bit her lips, she is indeed jealous, but she wouldn't admit it, "Why should I be? You are only my friend."
"But I want more than being a friend?"
She frowned, what had he meant by that, "I don't get you."
"I like you Cagalli, and it's not only that I happen to love you also."
Cagalli blinked her eyes and her heart started to beat fast, he loves me? Did I heard him right, Cagalli couldn't believe her ears, "But – but its impossible, you can't love me."
"And the reason is?"
"Because, I – I mean I am not pretty as the other girls and my temper is bad and also I –"
Athrun cut her and placed his finger to her mouth. "You know that's one of my reasons I like you, you are not like any other girl I know. You got everything that I want for a woman, you have spirit and intelligence. And stop talking bad about yourself; you are very pretty Cagalli, inside and out. I don't know when I started to like you, but my feelings are true."
Cagalli shuttered and her face reddened, "Are you truly?"
Athrun nodded his head, "Yes I am, I like you as friend, family and -," he bent toward her and closed the distance between them. Cagalli could feel his hot breath in her face when he spoke, "and I love you as a woman."
"But I – " This time her protest was cut by his lips. He felt Cagalli was stiffen, but he deepened it when she started to respond to the kiss. Still kissing her, he caressed her back and they broke the kiss when Cagalli muttered in pain.
"I am sorry, did I hurt you."
"No, its fine, my back hurts like hell though."
"Sorry I forgot about your bruises."
"I'm fine really."
Athrun kissed her cheek and whispered, "I'm glad."
Cagalli flushed with his sudden affection, Athrun smiled and spoke as he caressed her flushed cheek, "So Cagalli, let me say this once more will you forgive me?"
"Yeah I forgive you."
"So do you love me?"
"What? I –"
"Yes or no?"
She smiled and nodded her head in defeat, "Yes."
Athrun titled her head, "Good that's what I want to hear from you." He started to lean and kiss her again but they drew back as fast as they could when someone shouted from the door.
"Hi Cagalli, how are you?" Mia came inside followed by Lacus and Milly.
When they saw Athrun was near Cagalli and her cheeks were flush, one of them was smiling, and the other two grinned like a cat.
"Oops I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb both of you, we will go now and please, continue what you were doing before." Milly spoke calmly while trying to hide her amusement.
Before they started to leave Mia spoke, "Don't forget to tell us later ok." And with that all of them were gone, leaving them alone.
There was a pregnant silence but Cagalli broke it first, "You won Athrun and I lost."
"Won what?"
"The bet."
"I thought I lost," Athrun smirked.
Cagalli laughed, "No, I was in denial last time, but the truth is you won."
Athrun raised his eyebrows, "Really?"
"Yes," she smiled.
"I'm glad that I won."
"And I am glad I lost." Cagalli smirked.
Athrun laughed, how he loved everything about her. He stopped laughing and grinned,
"So should we continue?"
"Continue?"
"What we will do before they interrupted us."
Both of Cagalli's cheeks were red as tomato now. Athrun chuckled, "You blushed a lot today but fear not because I like your blush. So should I kiss you or not?"
Athrun looked at her eyes and it told him everything, "Okay the message is clear." He leaned toward and kissed her for the second time today.
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AN: I hope you like this chapter, oh btw there will be an epilogue for this. It will be up next week. :D. Thank you so much for the entire reviewers from the last chapter. Keep R & R ne.