WE BELONG TOGETHER

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN GUNDAM SEED AND GUNDAM SEED DESTINY

Chapter 31: The Ups and Downs of Life

"Lord Azreal, what happened to you?" Sting asked.

"Whatever do you mean?" Azreal laughed nervously.

Sting circled around him, inspecting him from head to toe. "I don't know, something seems different. You look a little pale, perhaps…"

"As you can see, I am quite fine." Azreal straightened his back and stated.

Sting smiled warmly, he clamped Azreal on the arm and laughed, "Well, must be my imagination then." He said deviously, noting Azreal winced in pain.

"All right, you got me. I've just had a bad run in with some robbers. You know, things happen on the road." Azreal gritted his teeth and sucked in a breath. At least Lady Stellar wasn't present when it happened."

"Thank goodness for that. I'm sure you taught those thugs a lesson no doubt. By the way, thanks for taking care of my sister. I do hope she's alright." Sting brushed the incident off and turned the topic towards his sister.

Azreal hid a smile, "Stellar will be fine. I suppose she just wanted to enjoy the last bit of her freedom before the big wedding."

Sting nodded, knowing that's just what Stellar might do to stay away from her despicable fiancé. He received a letter from his sister saying she wanted to travel a bit so she won't be back home for quite some time. Though he's worried, Azreal did promise he sent with her his best men but still Sting couldn't shake this uneasy feeling.

"I have to go, good day." Sting said farewell to Azreal and left quickly. He's sure Kira would want to know where Stellar went. The two of them better think of something quick to get Stellar away from her dangerous fiancé before she fries them both.

Azreal watched Sting rushed off in a hurry. Once he's out of sight, Azreal snapped his fingers and called behind him, "Orga, find her."

As soon as he returned, he found his bride missing in her cell. Outraged, he ordered a search immediately. How he cursed himself for being such a fool and left her unattended! But he won't make that mistake again.

I'll find you, Stellar. You will never escape me! Azreal thought dangerously.

"How lovely to see you so healthy, Your Highness. Athrun must be taking good care of you, I'm sure. I apologize for my belated congratulation on the engagement." Rau Le Creuset smiled almost sincerely.

Cagalli pressed her lips together, fighting to not claw at his face. She was careless and foolish. Now Murrue, Mir and Meer were all prisoner to this psycho. How was she ever going to get help for them all? She doesn't even know where the other girls were kept! The only information she has was that Murrue was took to a separate room and the others into another. After that, she was locked up in the same room as her jailor.

"You better let me go before Athrun finds you. I'm sure he'll gladly take you apart." The princess threatened.

"Haha! How cute! You have a lot of faith in your fiancé, do you not, princess? But I have a better question. Why do you suppose is the reason for this charade?"

Cagalli stopped and thought about it. In all the time of pursuing Le Creuset, none of them ever figured out the reason behind this man's action.

"It must be one of your sick games. I bet you think you can use me as hostage for ransom, to bargain with my father as well as Zaft."

Le Creuset looked at her pitifully. "Is that all? Cagalli, I overestimated you. You think I would do something like this just to get a few bags of gold? Please, I'm a worldly man. There's a much bigger catch to all of this."

"Enlighten me then." She said calmly.

"Who do you think will be responsible with you abducted? Me? Of course not…" He laughed.

"Athrun…Oh no…" The truth dawned on Cagalli. Now all the pieces fit. The political consequence of her absence…

"Brilliant, don't you think? Zaft will have to take full charge for the disappearance of the crown jewel of Orb. If you cannot be reclaimed, Orb will have to declare war on Zaft, and Alliance, as a formal ally to Orb, will be obligated to follow. We will have ourselves the biggest festival of the century."

"You're insane! What reason can you possibly have to want to start this grossly pathetic war?" Cagalli stormed in outrage.

"Gross? Pathetic? This is not a war, but a revolution. With destruction will come order. I was reborn when I was saved by my master. He opened my eyes and woke me from my grief. I will reshape the world with my hands and bring true happiness to the people." He said with a smile on his face.

A master? So there is someone behind him pulling the strings.

"Who's this master?" Cagalli asked urgently.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I have stayed too long. Please let me know if I can get you anything. Make yourself comfortable, you're going to be staying here for a while." He bowed and walked out the door.

Cagalli ran but the door closed mercilessly in her face. The sound of the locked door echoed throughout her nameless prison.

"Let me out! Curse you!" She shrieked and started throwing whatever she could get her hands on.

After venting out her immediate anger, she calmed down a little to clear her head.

"Get a grip, Cagalli, you're not going to help anyone by screaming like a banshee." The princess took a deep breath and thought about the people she cared about. If she doesn't get herself out of this, everyone she has ever loved will be endangered by this conspiracy.

In a way, Cagalli was thankful to Le Creuset for spilling the truth, but she has little time to act and much to lose.

She was hardly a weakling nor a fool. Cagalli stood with her back straight. Her eyes started to take in her surrounding and the princess' mind began working away furiously…

Murrue paced back and forth in the furnished room, uncertain as to the fate of the other girls. She looked around her and thought, this certainly isn't the prison I imagine I would end up.

Rau had left, saying he needed a moment to talk to the princess. Two guards escorted her to this room and politely asked her to stay behind. It must be several hours by now.

The only door to the room opened and Rau came strolling in with a warm smile on his face. Murrue moved back in caution, not at all sure what to do next.

"Murrue, please have a seat." He said.

She decided to listen and do as she was told.

"You are in a good mood, I take it?" She said sarcastically.

"I am," He did not deny it, "My hard work has finally paid off and I'd be expecting results soon."

"How? By abduction and threats?" Her voice went up.

He stopped to look at her, eyes full of sadness, "Darling, I'm doing all this for you."

"Don't!" She broke off, "Do not attempt to use me as an excuse for treachery! It just makes you more despicable. How can you sink so low?"

"You think of me as low?" Rau's face darkened, his voice dropping deep and dangerous, "You are just like them! All of them!"

"What…?" Murrue said, taken back by his sudden change of mood.

"I worked so hard to get to where I was. When others were busy chasing skirts, I trained. When they were showing off their titles, I studied. Just when I thought I reached the top, reality hits and I crashed to the ground!"

"What are you saying? How is this related?" She asked.

"Of course it's related. I told you, you were the best thing that ever happened to me. I wanted to propose to you from the first time I met you. But your family could never accept some lowly soldier as your husband. When I was named First Commander, I felt I was finally good enough to ask for your hand. When you accepted, that was the best day of my life."

Murrue stayed quiet, her heart wrenched with sorrow.

"But you know what? Just when I thought I had everything I wanted, they ruined me. My colleagues and subjects jeered at me, ridiculed me behind my back. They thought I was elevating above myself for the hand of a noble lady. No matter how hard I try or how great my achievements, I will always be a common peasant to them."

"Rau…I never knew…I've never thought of you as lowly…" She was beginning to sob, knowing well he had suffered unimaginable pain through those words.

"They damaged my pride but they couldn't break me. I carried on for you, ignoring them as much as I could. But what happened to me…was too much…"

"What happened? I need to know!" She pressed.

Rau took a deep breath, "Three years ago, on the war front, I was stabbed and fell off a cliff."

"I know, I almost died that day when the messenger brought me the news."

"Who do you think did it?"

"The enemy of course."

"That's what most people assume, wasn't it? But here is God's honest truth, it was the work of my devious subjects. They were the ones who had the pleasure of running me through and if that didn't kill me, the push down the cliff might certainly do it." He laughed bitterly.

Murrue was too stunned to speak. She sat frozen in her chair.

"I spent months recuperating under my master's care. As I lay incapacitated, I vowed to one day return for my vengeance."

"Is that why you are stirring up trouble?"

"In a way, yes. My master, Gilbert Dullandal, was the man who saved my life and the one responsible for restoring my faith to this world. He taught me much and gave me a purpose in life."

"What did he tell you?" She had a feeling this Dullandal was a big reason to Rau's change.

"The injustice of our society rests in the imbalance between the people and the upper classes. It's time we set everything right and give the freedom back to the people. Once everyone is equal, there will be no more discrimination, no more hate. Under Dullandal's guidance, people can all be happy and prosper. There will be no barrier between us anymore. Don't you see the greatness?"

"Rau…I understand what happened now. But to topple all nations…do you really believe in this…revolution of your's?"

"Certainly, with Princess Cagalli dead, the plan is almost as good as complete." He smiled.

"No!" Murrue said sharply, reaching forth to grab his hands. "You can't kill Cagalli!"

"But dear, it's what the master ordered. It has to be done." He frowned.

"Rau…Please promise me you won't kill the princess. She's an important friend and I can't bear to have her taken from me, like what happened to you." She begged.

Le Creuset watched her lovely face and placed his large hands over her's. "Alright, if that is your wish, then I will spare her."

Murrue sighed with relief, then pulled her hands away. Strange, when Rau held her hands, she thought only of Mwu. Being with Rau here was making her guilty.

Murrue gasped. Has she finally fallen for the knight from Orb?

"Have everyone in the palace checked again. Now!" Dearka ordered. The soldiers rushed out without delay, barely had time to bow to the king and queen.

Dearka rubbed his forehead and moaned in pain. It's been two days since the princess, Murrue, Miriallia and Meer went missing. The whole palace was stripped searched, leaving nothing unchecked. Still, there were no clues as to their whereabouts. It's as if they vanished into thin air.

Immediately, upon learning of this disappearance, he sent word to Athrun in the north. It shouldn't be long for the prince to return and he will most definitely be expecting some answers, answers which Dearka could not provide.

Athrun's going to be furious, Dearka thought. But the Marquis was not doing so well himself. He's been straining himself for the past days, buried in work and sick with worries for his missing fiancé.

"Milly, where are you?" He called out.

The door answered with a huge slam. A murderous looking prince along with two very upset men came crashing into the room.

"What the hell happened? I leave for a few days and now I'm brideless." He said pissed.

"Athrun, watch your mouth." The king roared.

The prince stiffened and reluctantly backed off a little.

"Dear, it happened so unexpected. We're doing everything we could to find them." The queen tried to pacify her son's mood.

"Athrun, they just simply vanished. All the guards and maids were interrogated but no one saw them. Don't you think it's similar to…"

"Le Creuset!" Athrun said through gritted teeth.

"Your Majesties, with your permission, I would like to run an area search." Mwu volunteered.

"It could be too late. At this point, they could be anywhere by now." King Patrick said gravely.

"Your Majesty, we have to at least try." Yzak said, readily agreeing with Mwu.

"I know…" But the king was cut off by a soldier rushing into the room.

"Excuse me, your majesties. Two ladies were just found unconscious that fits the description of Lady Miriallia Haww and Lady Meer Campbell."

"Where are they?"

"In an abandon house on the outskirt of the town."

"Let's go." Athrun was already out the door.

"Meer…wake up…"

Meer slowly opened her eyes. After shaking off the initial dizziness, she saw a very concerned Athrun hovering over her.

"Athrun!" She launched herself into his arms.

"It's alright, you're safe now." He comforted, gently patting her on the back.

"I was so scared." She snuggled closer and buried her face into his chest.

"There, there." Athrun continued, as he suppressed his impatience. "Meer, who was it? Who took you guys? Where's Cagalli and Murrue?"

"Athrun…" Meer almost purred with pleasure. How comfortable it felt to be next to her prince.

A knock came from the door. Dearka and Yzak let themselves in.

"Athrun," Dearka said, "I've talked to Miriallia. We were right, it was Le Creuset who took them."

"Excellent," Athrun replied, as he stood up and walked towards the men, leaving Meer cursing as she lay back on the bed.

"Any idea where they were taken to?"

"Unfortunately no, she was kept in the same room with Meer. All they could tell was that the room was well furnished and there were no windows of sort. Guards were placed outside the only door. Cagalli and Murrue were probably taken to other rooms but she can't be sure." Dearka reported heavily.

"Meer," Athrun turned his attention back to her, "Can you tell me anything else that can help us find them?"

Meer cocked her head and thought long and hard. "I'm sorry but I just can't think of anything else that can help."

Athrun sighed, "Get some rest. We'll handle it from here."

The dark haired prince left with Dearka and Yzak behind him.

Meer sat up slowly, relishing her victory over the lost princess. Athrun might try hard enough, but Cagalli's out of his reach now. She licked her lips maliciously as a devious smile spread over her features.

"That doesn't tell us anything substantial." King Patrick said after hearing Athrun's findings.

"I know, but that's all we've got right now." The prince said grimly.

"If we don't find them, Zaft is going to be in a difficult position." The queen added.

Silence took over the room since all those present understood exactly what the queen meant.

"Regardless, we have to find them safely and quickly. Have the abandon house searched thoroughly for any clues." Yzak ordered. He patted his prince on the back, "Don't worry, we'll find them."

Athrun nodded. All he could do now was wait for some results.

"Here's what I was ordered to deliver." Heine said shortly.

Fllay took the bottle with both hands and held it close to her. "YOU weren't the one I was expecting to see."

"Sorry to disappoint you." Heine spat out. He was surprised as well when he found out the poison was intended for Fllay. To think there's an enemy so close to Kira and Lacus, and right under their very noses!

"Ironic, isn't it? We, of all people, plotting behind our beloved prince's and princess' back. If only you had listen to me and worked together, you would have gotten what you wanted and I would have gotten mine. Then you wouldn't be in such a wretched state as you are in right now." Fllay laughed in his face.

Heine bit back his retort and quickly left, escaping Fllay's haunting laughter.

He got on his horse and rode fast away. Miles away, he noticed he was followed and slowed his pace. The man behind him caught up and pushed his way in front of him.

Heine stopped to greet his stalker. "Shinn, what brings you here?"

Shinn looked seriously at Heine, "Azreal has Stellar, did you know about it?"

Heine cast his eyes down, "No, my master has chosen not to involve me."

"Your master? God, listen to yourself. Have you really become their lapdog?" Shinn snapped.

"That's my business. What do you want? You can't possible intercept me in the middle of the night to have a simple chitchat, right?"

"Damn right, what the hell did you give to Fllay Allster? What's going on? If any danger comes to Kira or Lacus…"

"Shinn, all I can tell you is ride to Kira and Lacus' side as fast as you can. They'll need you sooner than you think. Make sure Aisha is close and remember, though purple is a gloomy colour, a kiss from its blossom can save the day. As for Stellar, I'll make sure no harm will come to the lady, but I can't promise anything."

Then he pulled off and rode off into the night.

"Damn, what is that suppose to mean?" Shinn shouted after him. But there was no time. Stellar entrusted him with an important task so he needed to get back to the palace as soon as possible.

"Come on, horse. I'm putting my faith in you. Now, ride!" He gave a quick nudge and moved on.

"Princess, you look bored." Fllay said softly to her mistress.

Lacus smiled. "I suppose a little. It's a little lonely and quiet without Stellar around."

Fllay laughed. "I understand completely. But you still have me for company."

"Fllay, you don't know how grateful I am to have you here with me. I'm sorry for dragging you away from your family. You must miss them terribly."

"Sometimes, but I wanted to be here with the one I love." Fllay said suggestively. She poured a cup of Lacus' favourite Verona spice tea, one of the few luxuries they brought from Orb and handed it to the princess.

Lacus took the cup gracefully and started sipping on it. Fllay watched eagerly as the princess drank.

But knocking came from the door, so Fllay reluctantly went to let Sir Andrew Waltfield into the room.

Fllay looked nervously at princess, and notices Lacus has already put the cup down.

"Princess, I'm just here for the daily inspection."

"Carry on, Sir Waltfield. Thank you for your diligent work." She offered a bright smile.

"Your Highness is too kind." He bowed and turned to leave.

Lacus watched her guardian go, but suddenly her vision blurred and she wobbled.

"Princess!" Fllay cried.

Andrew whipped around just in time to see the princess fall. He lunged forth and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Get a doctor and call the prince! Now!" He roared, and Fllay fled out the door.

"How is she?" Kira asked.

Aisha and the doctor looked at each other, then they both shook their heads.

"No!" He shouted.

Aisha put her hand on Kira's shoulder. "Kira, she's not going to die. Fortunately she only ingested a small amount of poison so it wasn't strong enough to kill her. But whether or not she'll awaken is hard to say."

"Are you saying she might remain unconscious?" Fllay exclaimed.

"It's quite possible." She answered in defeat. "As long as we don't know the composition of the poison, we can't come up with an antidote."

"Sir Waltfield, send for every doctor in the land if you have to, just find a cure for Lacus." Kira commanded.

"At once, your Highness." He bowed and strode from the room.

"I have to see her." Kira pushed the doctor out of the way and entered Lacus' room.

"Poor child." Queen Caridad said sadly.

"Come, my dear. Everything will be fine." The king comforted his wife and led her away to get some rest.

After furiously giving his horse a workout, Shinn finally arrived at the palace. He could tell instantly something was amiss. People were ushered in and out, but when he asked what was wrong, no one would give him a clear answer. Frustrated, he made his way in to seek the truth.

Luckily, he saw Sir Waltfield and asked him what was wrong. The knight pulled him aside and told him in a low voice of Lacus' misfortune. Shinn cursed himself for being too late, but remembered Heine's words.

Instantly, he ran to Lacus' chambers to find Kira, Aisha and Fllay inside with the sleeping princess. He glared at Fllay at first then went to Kira's side.

"Kira, I got here as fast as I could." Shinn said, panting.

Kira didn't even bother to look up. His eyes were fixed on his beautiful fiancé.

"Kira! There still might be way to save her."

This finally got his attention. Kira focused on Shinn, "What did you say?"

"I heard from someone, I guess a reliable source, to pass on a message to Lady Aisha."

"For me?" Aisha asked.

"Yes, it's quite puzzling actually. He said "purple is a gloomy colour, a kiss from its blossom can save the day". Do you understand what it means?"

Aisha thought about it, "Purple…blossom…"

Kira also muttered the sentence a few times. After a few minutes, everyone seemed stumped about this riddle.

"Are you sure this is related to Lacus' sickness? I don't have the time or mood for making guesses." Kira said in haste.

"That's what I've been told." Shinn said convincingly.

"Why waste time when we can seek help elsewhere?" Fllay cut in.

"And where should we seek when we don't even know what poison it is?" Shinn retorted.

Fllay stared at Shinn with venom in her eyes, hating him for interfering with her plans.

"Purple…purple…That just might be it!" Aisha exclaimed. "Kira, do you remember the lavender you gave to Lacus as a present?"

"Of course, Lacus loved it. She always kept it near her. Ah, it's right there on the table." Kira walked over to pick up the pouch of sun-dried lavender petals.

"I think this might be what Shinn was talking about. Lavender is used as a medicinal ingredient in some cases. I'm not a hundred percent positive, but I can give it a try to make a tonic for her recovery. What do you think?"

"…do it. We're clueless so far but I trust in your instincts and knowledge. Please Aisha, do your best." Kira pleaded.

"You know I will. We all love her too much to fail." Aisha took the pouch from Kira. Before she left, she touched his cheek affectionately, "Cheer up, okay?"

After she's gone, Kira started questioning Shinn, "Where did you find the information?"

Shinn looked away. "I can't reveal it, you're just gonna have to take my word for it. Please don't push this, Kira. Lives are at stake if I tell."

Kira looked at his friend long and hard. He trusted his friend with his life and believed in his integrity. "Alright, I'm taking your word. I trust you to know what you're doing."

Shinn sighed with relief. He couldn't risk revealing Heine's name in front of Fllay. It pissed him off to no ends, knowing he couldn't expose Fllay as the lying snake she was. To give anything away would put Heine and Stellar in danger. The only thing Shinn could do was to watch Fllay's every move and wait for the time to act.

Fllay saw through Shinn's internal struggle. She was suspicious of Shinn Asuka and how much he knew about her. It was too much of a coincidence to have him conveniently provide a cure in such little time so the lady-in-waiting was sure there's foul play. Perhaps Shinn knew about her, but since he chose not to rat her out, she's safe for now. Fllay decided knew instantly it would be difficult to plan her next move. If she wasn't careful, it could be her last.

So the reason for why Le Creuset did what he did is now reavealed. Next time, Cagalli will have to think on her feel fast while Athrun and co. tries to track her down. Many things are happening and everyone is busy. Till the next time!