WE BELONG TOGETHER

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

Chapter 33: Locked in Insecurity

"What's going on in the palace?" Le Creuset asked Meer.

"What do you think? Princess dearest has gone missing. Everyone's out searching day and night. You better keep your eyes on her and away from Athrun for good." Meer demanded venomously.

Le Creuset took a few steps away without ever glancing at her, "Unfortunately, she has escaped my grasp."

Meer drew in a sharp breath.

"What? How? When?"

"Murrue was clever. I underestimated her ability. Now both of them are in hiding from me."

"You better find her before Athrun does or else…"

"Or else what?" Le Creuset said sarcastically, "Or else you won't get your darling prince? Save it for someone that cares. I have a much bigger plan in action."

Meer pursed her lips in doubt, "I don't know if I can trust you anymore. Perhaps it's time I called in a few people of my own to start the search. The dead can't talk after all. Sigh this is what happens when you trust a peasant-born…" Before she could finish, she found herself gasping for air as Le Creuset had his hand around her neck.

He whispered into her ear in deadly silence, "Let me drill this into your head. Number one, if you ever speak of my origin as an insult, I will personally sever your head. Number two, should any harm come to Murrue, regardless if it's by your hand or not, I will execute the same threat. Do you understand, my lady?"

He watched her struggling agreement and let go in satisfaction. She slid to the floor and breathed heavily, scared by how close she had come in contact with death.

"Your job is to watch what happens in the palace and report to me. Do not forget, you are also under my control. One slip of word from my tongue could end your precious noble life for good."

Le Creuset re-adjusted the mask on his face and left without looking back.

"Master, I have the reports you wanted from Azreal." Heine handed the papers to Dullandal.

"Good." He took them and scanned through them quickly. Unexpectedly, he laughed.

"Things are moving along nicely in Alliance. Azreal has Lady Stellar taken hostage in secret and Princess Lacus is playing the role of sleeping beauty quite well."

Heine forced himself to remain passive. He has to remain calm to avoid being suspected.

"But alas, I have overestimated Lady Fllay and Azreal. They are both somewhat disappointing and I hate being disappointed." Dullandal said sourly, not bothering to explain himself.

"When you want something done, you have to do it yourself. Do you not agree, Heine?" He looked at Heine sharply.

"Yes, master." Heine bowed without betraying anything.

"Alright, come along. We've got a long way to go." Dullandal got up and started out the door.

"Where to, master?" Heine called after him.

Dullandal looked back with a devious smile, "Why, to Orb of course."

"Princess, do you know me? I'm Fllay, your best friend." Fllay shook Lacus' hand gently beside her bed. The princess has her eyes open but did not respond to the lady's touch.

Fllay tried again and again but with the same result.

She sighed and turned to Andrew, "Sir Waltfield, could you let me have a bit of time with the princess alone? There are some rather personal experiences I would like to speak to the princess about. Perhaps our shared past can somehow recall her memories."

The knight nodded, "I'm just be outside should you need me." He walked out and closed the door.

Fllay turned back to the quiet princess once more, "Lacus, how can you act this way to us? To all of us…and especially Kira. I thought you love him. How can you be so cruel as to put him through all this?"

Lacus only played with the sheets on her bed without looking up.

The red haired lady tried again, "What about me? Don't you remember all the songs we sang together and the jokes we shared between us? Please don't shut me out!" She took hold of the princess' hands.

Lacus took her hands away and played with the tips of her soft pink hair.

It's been days since Lacus had woken up and became withdrawn. Kira and Aisha had already tried everything they could think of but none had been successful. In the end, waiting seemed like the only option.

By now, Fllay couldn't contain her mirth. Though Lacus' awakening was unexpected, at least it did not hinder her plans too much.

Her observation of the princess made her confident, but she still had a bit of suspicion in the back of her head. She has to be absolutely confident about Lacus' condition. There was only one way she could think of right now…

"Princess…there's something I've been meaning to tell you all this time. I'm…I'm in love with Kira! I've been in love with him for the longest time." She blurted out. Lacus suddenly stopped what she was doing and turned her gaze at her friend. The princess did not change her expression.

Fllay didn't even realize she was holding her breath till Lacus turned her head away and continued fidgeting her hair. Now Fllay was almost entirely positive about Lacus. If the magnitude of her declaration did not make the princess flinch, then her condition of self-withdrawn must be serious. In her confidence, Fllay let her guard down.

Fllay leaned in and hugged the princess, quietly speaking to her, "Lacus, you've took everything I have ever cared about. But now I'm going to return the favour, friend."

Lacus only returned the hug of her best friend.

Shinn paced back and forth in the garden, getting more restless by the day. He found he's stuck in a dilemma. He was needed here to watch Fllay as part of Stellar's request, yet Athrun's search for Cagalli worried him constantly as well.

Zaft has kept the news of the princess' disappearance from the other nations so far and Kira has ordered the conditions of Princess Lacus restricted as well.

Shinn has no idea if the two misfortunes are related, but it almost has to be base on the coincidences. If only there's some kind of clue he could put his hands on…

Shinn didn't even realize he's walked next to Lacus' chamber until he bumped into Sir Waltfield.

"Oh, excuse me." Shinn apologized.

"No harm done, my lord. What brings you here? Are you here to see the princess?" The knight said gravely. There was little smile left on his face since Lacus woke up. "If you request an audience, it'll have to wait. Lady Fllay is doing her best of reminding the princess of their past."

"Oh…are they in there alone?"

"Yes, perhaps it's best. They've been best friends since they were children. There are things about the princess only the Lady Fllay knows about. We should give them some space to let them speak freely." Andrew explained.

Shinn's face darkened with concern. Even Sir Waltfield, personal bodyguard to the princess, did not suspect Fllay Allster. How was he, an outsider to them supposed to convince the prince and everyone else of her treachery?

If only Stellar was here with him, her wittiness would surely provide a solution to the problem.

"Have all of you not found her yet? Imbeciles!" Azreal shouted. Crot, Shani and Orga kneeled in front of their master in fear.

"Find Stellar, or I will skin all of you alive. Now get out of my sight!" Azreal spat as the three scrambled out of the room in haste.

Azreal fumed and threw himself down on the couch. Stellar's disappearance was making him frustrated. He had originally imprisoned her as part of his obsession with her, and also as a bargaining chip with Kira, should the situation demand it. But the lady seemed to have evaporated into thin air. There was no trace of the escape or any tracks to be recovered. Her pretense of traveling could not possibly hold up forever in the court. Sooner or later, Kira and/or Sting would find out.

"Tisk, tisk." A mocking voice came from the window. Azreal jumped up in surprise and found a small, heavily clothed person sitting on the window.

"Who are you? Guards, guards!" Azreal screamed.

"Don't bother, they're taking a small nap on the floor." Mischi smirked at the angry man in front.

"Who the heck are you?" Azreal demanded again, carefully keeping his distance and his sword drawn.

Mischi threw back his head and laughed, "Please, do you honestly think you can hurt me with that toy?" With lightening fast reflexes, Mischi dashed forth and clashed his razor sharp twin dagger with Azreal sword. As Azreal blocked the sudden strike, Mischi kicked out under him and crippled Azreal on his lower leg.

Azreal lost his balance and landed hard on the floor, with Mischi's daggers right next to his neck.

"Now I'm the one asking the questions." Mischi said lethally, losing all signs of playfulness.

Azreal dare not disobey the intruder for sudden lost of his head.

"Now, what is Dullandal planning?"

"I…I do not know. The master does not share his secrets with us." Azreal squeaked.

"Us? So there's more than one of you?" Who else?"

"I don't know!" Azreal screamed in fear as he felt the daggers cut into his neck.

"Alright, there's Heine Westernfluss and Fllay Allster…"

"And?"

"That's all, I swear! Dullandal has other operations but he does not reveal them to me. I'm only interested in the affairs in Alliance!"

Mischi thought about what Azreal has spoken. He must be speaking the truth since Azreal was too much of a coward to lie under his threat.

Unexpectedly, Mischi took the butt of his blade and slapped Azreal hard on the face twice, and kicked the wind out of his stomach before getting away from the gasping man.

"You'll…pay for this…" Azreal said between breathes.

"I don't think so." Mischi grinned, "This is payback for what you have done to Lady Stellar. I was merely returning the favour for the hospitality you showed her."

"You!" Azreal widen his eyes, "You took Stellar!"

"Perhaps…I am quite good at getting out." Mischi winked and blew a kiss at Azreal, then leaped down the window from his sight.

"Guards!" Azreal opened his door and kicked his guards awake, "Get the intruder! I'll have your head if you let him escape!"

The guards ran for their lives to do their lord's bidding while Mischi's mischievous laughter echoed in Azreal's ears.

"Did you detect anything?" Mwu asked Miriallia. It's been a few days since Mwu and Miriallia decided to keep a closer eye on Meer. By now Miriallia was almost sure Lady Campbell was hiding something.

This was even more evident when the lady disappeared from their surveillance for hours before showing up at the palace again. Under normal circumstances, a lady of her breeding, who has just experienced a frightful abduction, would never ever travel unescorted and unreported. It was…illogical.

What's even more strange, was that after her return, Meer seemed quite shaken. She was visibily pale and excused herself to her room instantly. Dearka, Nicol, Yzak and Athrun were too busy to care, but Mwu and Mir's suspicion grew.

"The more we check in on her, the more questions we get. Mir, are you sure we have time to waste on her?" Mwu asked with concern.

"She's out of character and we both know it. Up to now, I don't think she suspects us of anything. But if she's guilty, she's bound to let something slip sooner or later."

"I still say we should get some more help."

"And who can we turn to?" Mir said hotly, "Yzak? Athrun? None of them will believe us, even my Dearka. They're busy enough. Until we have proof, I do not want to cause them more trouble."

"…alright, we'll do it your way. But by the heavens, I hope you're right. Cagalli and Murrue can't wait any longer." Mwu responded firmly.

"I know, the situation is getting worse. But first thing's first, Mwu, get some rest. You're no use to Murrue or anyone else if you collapse." Mir demanded.

Mwu opened his mouth to object, but Mir stared it close with the best Murrue-style glare to effectively get Mwu's cooperation.

"What now?" Murrue asked.

Cagalli looked around them, "This way."

They've been hiding out in the woods for two days and has been lucky enough to be undetected. Earlier, Murrue had ripped off a large portion of her dress to allow her free movement in the woods. Her loose clothing was discarded into the river and carried downstream.

"Murrue, wait! Look at that!" Cagalli pointed to the sky. Following her fingers, Murrue say a stream of smoke in the air.

"Smoke, that means there are people." She said cautiously.

"We have to get closer to check." Cagalli decided.

"Alright, but keep out of sight. We don't know if we can trust them or now. They might even be Rau's men." Murrue warned.

They made their way closer to the smoke and crouched low. What they found was a sight for sore eyes. It was a few small cottages just outside the boundary of the woods.

"We can get help from them." Cagalli said with a sigh of relief.

"No, it's too dangerous. We're not in a position to trust anyone. One false move and we're done for." Murrue disagreed.

"But we have to get word to Athrun right away!" Cagalli argued.

"Cagalli!" Murrue hissed, "Remember what I told you about someone working on the inside."

Cagalli froze and nodded. She agreed with Murrue's reasoning. There just has to be someone beside them feeding their enemy news about their movement. But who could it be? It pained her to think about any one of her friends as the traitor. But she has become skeptical, for the sake of her life and Murrue's.

"Come on, keep your head low and smudge some dirt on your clothes and your face. We should be able to reach the city now that we have the road in sight." Murrue instructed.

Cagalli looked at the dirt distastefully, but grabbed a handful and started wiping it all over her shirt and cheeks. Murrue did the same.

After they're done, the two ladies looked like nothing more than common street wenches.

"Alright, now we can move into the city. I doubt anyone will be able to recognize us now." Murrue said in satisfaction.

They picked up their pace again and started moving.

By the time they saw the city, it was already dark.

"Let's find a place to rest." Murrue started walking off the road.

"Wait!" Cagalli said, "This place looks familiar." She thought long and hard about the familiarity. Then suddenly, she remembered.

"I remember, Athrun took me here once. That small farm over there belongs to Miguel Aiman. He's a good friend of Athrun's."

"Are you sure he can be trusted?"

"On my life." Cagalli promised.

Murrue nodded and they quickly made their way to Miguel's house. They knocked a few times and finally, a young man answered the door.

"Who is it?" Miguel opened the door, "May I help you?"

"Princess!" Grey shouted with glee, already racing for the door and into Cagalli's mud stained arms. Cagalli brushed some dirt of her face to reveal her identity to Miguel.

"Princess Cagalli?!" Miguel dropped his mouth and in haste bowed awkwardly.

Cagalli put a hand on his shoulder and entered his house without a word. She signaled to Miguel, as the young man asked his younger brother to attend to some affairs outside. Once the boy was gone, they were free to speak.

"Princess, what a pleasant surprise…What happened?" Miguel said in surprise, noticing Cagalli and Murrue's dirty appearance.

"Miguel, can I trust you?" Cagalli said in a serious voice.

"Of…of course, Your Highness!" Miguel swore

"I must have your word. You must swear on your life to not betray me and that of your prince."

Miguel's eyes hardened. "I swear on my life that I would not betray Princess Cagalli and the trust Prince Athrun has been so kind as to offer."

Cagalli breathed out and muttered her gratitude.

"Thanks, you don't know what this means to me. All I need you to do is to tell Athrun…"

"No!" Murrue cut in, "It would be better if we do not stay at one place. Cagalli, you can't ask him to tell Athrun to find you here. We don't know who the foe in the palace is and once Athrun knows, everyone knows. It's better if we stay hidden for now so we can move with more ease."

"But I must let Athrun know I'm alright. Don't you see? A war can break out if I do not return!" Cagalli retorted.

"I know, but it's going to happen anyways if you die. So trust me, alright?" Murrue asked.

"War?" Miguel's eyes bulged at hearing the word.

"Don't worry, there won't be a war as long as I'm still breathing." Cagalli said reassuringly. She thought about it for a moment, then carefully slipped a ruby ring off her finger.

"Miguel, can you please take this to Athrun? This was my engagement gift from him. He will recognize it instantly. Tell him I cannot reveal my whereabouts currently, but I love him and will find a way to contact him. Also, beware of Le Creuset! He wants to start a general war to topple the royal houses of all nations."

Cagalli did not want to part with the ring. It was the only belonging on her that reminded her of her prince. But the gravity of the situation demanded her to give up the beautiful ring Athrun had personally put on her finger.

Miguel appeared shaken by the implications of her words, but nevertheless agreed to carry her message to the palace.

Cagalli took Miguel's hands, "Thank you, you don't know what this means to me. You're a true friend, Miguel."

Miguel blushed under the princess' fierce appreciation. As Cagalli and Murrue prepared to leave again, Grey came up and tugged at Cagalli's shirt. "Are you leaving again, princess?"

Cagalli kneeled down and hugged the young boy, "I am, but I promise I'll be back really soon. Promise you'll be a good boy?"

"I promise." Grey put a hand over his heart and smiled.

Cagalli felt slightly comforted and started walking away with Murrue, wiping a silent tear off her freshly mud stained face.

Whoo Another chapter gone. I'm so glad there are still many readers even though I haven't updated for month. This really give me drive to get the chapters out. I guess I'm a little all over the place in this chapter, trying to get a piece of everyone in. Not that much fluff there, but hopefuly some fluff real soon. Anyhow, thanks to all everyone who has read the story and even more to those that have reviewed!