Disclaime: Sunrise

Chapter 4: Birthday Date - Surprise

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"Aah, as I thought chili sauce is the best," Cagalli said after she swallowed her last piece of kebab.

Andrew was staring at her in disbelief, "How can you be completely alright after ingesting something humanly impossible to eat like that thing?" He could still feel the heat in the back of his throat and his lips, even though Cagalli had generously offered him her share of the ice cream. He was still visibly sweating and Cagalli took pity on him and deemed that he needed the ice cream more than her.

"Like I said, you are just not built for it," she grinned. Cagalli didn't know why, and it might sound silly but she felt proud of herself just because she could endure the heat more than the colonel. "I think I'll bring Athrun here with me if we have time to go out together next time," she looked around, wondering what else she could do here if she brought him with her.

"Didn't you say he doesn't fancy spicy things?"

"There are other food stalls here so he can choose anything other than kebab. Besides, he can also have that yogurt sauce. I'll admit it has a unique taste, and maybe that garlic is what makes it kinda enjoyable. But nothing beats chili sauce and the strong stimulating taste it creates.

But apparently the hotness was still too much for Andrew even though he had shoved his kebab, two ice creams and a glass of water down. He finally got up from his seat and said, "I'm going to get another drink, don't go anywhere."

Cagalli waved at him and took a sip of the rest of her water, watching where he was going. Then she shifted her gaze to her surroundings, watching the crowd of people swarming the shopping street.

As the country that was always called by people as the land of peace, this was a usual sight of Orb. A peaceful city, a peaceful country. Cagalli did realize, despite her own people living their life in tranquility without any turmoil, others would whisper that it was an ingenuine peace, that they were living in their own little bubble. In the first war, and in the short time of peace after that.

But now, she promised herself that she would show the world that she would do everything she could to keep this arduously earned piece, the hardships of everyone. The sacrifice of those who would never come back home again. With all the people who had her back, fighting along to keep this peace to last as long as it could.

Suddenly someone who sat abruptly in front of her startled her, interrupting her musing.

"Hello, little girl. What's a pretty girl like you doing here by herself?"

Cagalli blinked. Who was this guy? What was he doing on Andrew's seat? Did she know him or her? But she didn't reckon having an acquaintance with this kind of attitude.

The guy looked like he was around her age. He had a cocky smile on his face, as well as the way he was sitting—he was leaning back, one hand over the back of the chair, he had one leg propped on top of his other leg. Overall, this guy looked like an overconfident boy to Cagalli.

While she was still comprehending who this guy was and what business he had to do with her, the boy leaned forward, smirking, "Why don't you hang out with us? We can show you a good place and a good time." He nodded to the side, and Cagalli followed his line of sight, showing a bunch of guys—probably his friends—looking at where they were sitting, one of them was cheering, one of them winked at her, others were hooting at them.

Wait…

Is this guy trying to hit on her?

Cagalli had heard that some guy would try to hit a stranger girl and would take her like he was dating the girl, doing this and that. But she would never imagine anyone would try to do that to her. Or whether she would be a girl that would catch the eyes of a pick-up-man like him.

"Oh, you looked surprised. Has there never been anyone who calls you out like this? You are a cutie, though, their loss. So, what do you say?"

Of course there had never been a guy who called out to her like this guy. She had been Orb's Head Representative for a few years; all she did was work, day in and day out, working extra miles to keep this country going as well as keeping the peace so the citizens of Orb—like him—wouldn't have to taste the cruelness of war again. She had no time to leisure around the city and being picked up by a guy.

If he knew that he was picking up the first lady of Orb what would this guy think? Cagalli wondered in her mind.

"Hey, why haven't you said anything? Didn't you hear what I said? It's rude to ignore people, you know," the guy was still grinning ear to ear, but now he looked like he was looking down on her.

What? You were the one who sat there, which is someone else's seat, and talked to me out of nowhere without even introducing yourself, and you called me rude? Excuse me?

Cagalli felt like punching that cocky grin out of him right away and shut his mouth. If she was her old self, she would probably do that right here and now. But after years of joining politics, one of the skills she had managed to learn was self restraint. Being emotional over anything against her favor was something that could bring her down, or being underestimated by the other politicians.

So, she at least knew that if she did punch him in the face, she was sure it would make a scene, and Andrew who was with her—and supposed to protect her since she didn't bring any guards—might get into trouble. And even though she didn't bring her bodyguards, Cagalli was almost a hundred percent sure Myrna wouldn't let her go by herself so she was thinking that at least one or two security members were sent for her, watching out for her somewhere. And if they were really here, the moment she punched this guy, Cagalli was certain they would come forth and take her back to her manor, deeming it wasn't safe for her to be here any longer.

And to end this day after she went through all the trouble to come here to enjoy her birthday. She let out a sigh, thinking that her day off would end so soon like that.

"What's with the sigh? Is there something you want to tell me?" Looked like the guy interpreted her sighing as something of an insult to him. But Cagalli didn't bother to answer and kept her eyes away from him, looking kinda bored—more like disappointed that her very rare free time was interrupted.

When her silent treatment finally broke his patience, the guy abruptly stood up from the seat, "Listen here, you little—"

"No, you listen here, you little punk."

Cagalli heard a low menacing voice from across her, and she could see Andrew was back, standing behind the guy, who now looked as pale as a ghost, his earlier cockyness was nowhere to be seen.

"That girl is with me. And if you don't know who she is, I suggest you back off now before I call out my other friends, and they all got the same thing as the one I'm holding right now. You have an idea what this is, don't you?"

The guy nodded stiffly, and Cagalli was in awe. How could Colonel Waltfeld do this the instant he came here? Was that a skill a commander had? He really looked like a tough soldier, a scary one, pushing himself to his enemy. Though he had always admired his charisma ever since—of course Cagalli wouldn't say it to his face.

"Now get lost, and don't talk about this to anyone," he commanded and the guy just scampered away like he was running for his life.

Before Andrew sat in his seat again, and put the drinks he bought on the table, Cagalli could see him swiftly put something on his back.

"...Is that a gun?" Cagalli whispered, hissing. Today was their day off, why would he bring a gun when they were supposed to be civilians now?

"You told me you wouldn't bring any guards, so I bought this just in case. There is no way I'm coming with you unprepared. If anything is to happen to you, I'm the one who'll be dead," Andrew thrusted a glass of ice coffee to Cagalli on the table. "Don't worry, the safety was on when I threatened that boy."

"Isn't that too much?" Cagalli asked, exasperated. But she did mumble a thank you and took the coffee. It was quite a hot day today.

"What, Athrun never brought at least one weapon with him whenever he's going out with you?"

Cagalli wanted to say of course, but stopped herself before the words could leave her mouth. Now that she thought about it, it was kinda unthinkable that Athrun—who would fuss every time she said she wanted to go to the city, saying it wasn't safe or something along those lines, and wouldn't take her unless she followed his safety measures so they would stay safe and not get found out—wouldn't bring at least a gun when he go out with her. That guy was one of the best soldiers—in ZAFT or Orb Forces—because he always thought a few steps ahead when he was about to do something. And Cagalli's safety was one of his top priorities and he never took it lightly whenever he was with her; unless they were in a place Athrun was sure had an excellent security detail.

"Well, now that you mention it, I wouldn't put it past him to do that," Cagalli sighed.

"That guy didn't do anything, did he? I only saw and heard him the moment I came here. Were you okay?"

"No problem. He didn't do anything, just prattling about unimportant things," Cagalli waved her hand to indicate that it was nothing. "I was just surprised that someone hit on me like that. Arent guys usually go for a cute or a beautiful girl to pick up?"

Andrew sighed. This girl really had no sense of security for herself. "Guys would go for anyone who they deemed unprotected and easy to hit on, like girls who go out alone. You were by yourself before, so he saw you as an easy target. I told you, didn't I? It's too dangerous to go alone."

"Don't worry, if you didn't come earlier I intended to show him the result of my regular weight training," Cagalli grinned as she patted her upper arms, which slightly had more volume than most girls her age. "I even tackled down my own bodyguard when I asked him to accompany me for the training."

This girl, Andrew wanted to say but he held it down, and let out a big sigh instead. "Just what kind of a princess you are?"

"I said don't call me princess. You surely know I don't act like one. What kind of princess does weight training like me?" she grinned, sipping her ice coffee again.

Andrew could only smile as he saw this side of the princess he had served for the past few years. He had known her for a long time, ever since the first time he met her in Banadiya. He had thought that, now that she was a head of state, she would refrain from the boyish trait he had seen that first time.

But apparently she didn't change much. Still the brave little girl he had met in the desert.

"You actually ate all those," Andrew watched in disbelief as Cagalli finished the last piece of shish kebab on her plate.

"What do you think I'm gonna do besides eating them? Throw them away? Food is something that's prepared by a lot of people with a lot of effort, from the ingredients to the cooking part. I'm not gonna make all of their hard work go to waste," Cagalli said after she finished the pita bread too.

They were now in another place, a restaurant to be exact, that served Middle Eastern cuisine that Cagalli had been wanting to try. She was determined to try many kinds of kebab today, and here, she ordered any kebab menu she could find there, which mostly was served with yogurt sauce the way Andrew liked it. Cagalli ended up putting chili sauce on everything by herself.

And the amount she ordered was big enough to feed a platoon of Orb Military Force, Andrew thought.

"You eat a lot more than I thought you would," Andrew said as he ate his dessert. "Since you must usually attend the formal dinner course, I thought you would be more used to smaller amounts of food."

"After doing weight training for hours I could eat a horse," Cagalli then explained that this morning she had done the usual training she did everyday, but since she didn't have to worry about work today, she could do it without really paying attention to time unlike on her usual workday. It had been a while since she had that kind of free time to do what she liked like this.

"That's good. You have to do the training so you can burn all those calories." This was another side that proved this Princess was an unusual one. "How come you are acting like a tomboyish girl who doesn't care about how you act and speak while most other nobles are so…. conservative… Given the environment where you grew up…" Andrew said, sure that Cagalli knew what he meant. "And do you eat a lot like this in front of your boyfriend?" Andrew was trying to find another thing to tease Cagalli.

"Of course, I don't feign anything in front of him," Cagalli snorted, "I just act the way I am."

"He doesn't mind?"

Cagalli scoffed, but it was short as her mouth curved into a smile. Suddenly her eyes were not seeing anything or anyone in her surroundings, but the man that they were currently talking about. "Athrun isn't someone like that. He's one who sees what is inside and not outside."

"Is that so…?" Andrew gave up on trying to tease her again, seeing the serious look on her face, and took a sip of the hot coffee he had ordered before.

"It's just that…" Cagalli trailed off, suddenly she remembered the one who was no longer in this world.

Andrew noticed too, that her face changed into a serene expression, a little bit soft, but also with a little hint of sadness.

"My father…." Cagalli started, and Andrew could only mumble an ah, showing that he understood. Even though he was not at Orb at the time, he knew what happened to her father, Uzumi Nala Athha. "He was the one who always told me that despite what I learned about how to speak and how to act as a noble, the most important thing is what you speak of, and the real intention of your act. He always told me not to see people from their outer appearance, but their real personality."

So that was why she never seemed to care if someone was a Coordinator or a Natural, even though she was raised mostly by Naturals, be it a family member or the maids in her Manor.

"And Athrun," She continued, "He's just like that," she chuckled once before starting again, "Even you think that I'm not acting like most noble just before right? And Kira once thought like that too, that I'm different from what a princess should be. But Athrun never asks why I act the way I do." Cagalli's eyes were gazing far away again. "When people are telling me to watch how I act and how I talk, Athrun pays more attention to what I do and what I say. Just the way Father told me. He makes me feel comfortable for being the way I am in front of him, when I have to act as a perfect Representative Athha everyday in front of everyone else."

Andrew still remembered the way the princess in front of him cried her heart out after Kira kidnapped her from her own wedding. How everyone was pressuring her, how she didn't want to let Athrun go, and how she held the ring that Kira had returned back to her dearly to her heart.

He was glad that both of them had found their way back, even though it was still a secret from everyone else except for her closest friends and family.

Seeing the princess talk about her knight so warmly made him sigh.

Time to return the princess back to her knight, huh.

"You heard that, boy?" Andrew shouted, his eyes staring front, but not seeing Cagalli. Instead he was watching something behind her shoulder.

Cagalli blinked, wondering who he was talking to, and followed Andrew gaze, only to see a guy wearing a cap sitting alone two tables behind them. Even though Cagalli couldn't see his face, she could tell he was flustered as Andrew called him out, and then slowly he turned to them.

There, someone who Cagalli had thought she wouldn't be able to see until at least next week, stood and walked toward their table.

It's June already and I still haven't finish this birthday fic *sigh

Should Cagalli let Athrun know later that some guy was trying to hit on her?

Still two chapters to go, so see you next time

Cheers~