Hi!

Thanks to all who reviewed! It means a lot to me and I love hearing from you!

I wrote this chapter at 11pm so I was kind of tired – please excuse grammar errors… or let me know where they are so I can fix them and not everyone will have to deal with my lousy grammar.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. This chapter was so much fun to write hehe. Please review if you have the time.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed or any other references made to the series. The nasty secretary does, however, belong to me. hehe

Affronted Affections

Chapter #2: Staying the Night

The walk to the school had been strenuous to say the least. The sky had since turned gray as heavy rain clouds gathered but no droplets had fallen. For that he was grateful but that was about it. Grimly, he had quickly come to discover that he hadn't indicated on his map the 'east' and 'west' of the streets he needed to follow. A trip to the school, which was already a long journey, became even longer as he lost his way several times. By the time he actually reached the campus night had fallen and the school courtyard was all but deserted. There was nobody around to ask for directions to the residences and nobody to help him figure out where he was expected to sign in.

His backpack seemed unnaturally heavy as he shuffled along the paved courtyard surrounded by large, block-like buildings that reached up to the heavens. It was too dark to distinguish between them and Athrun was too tired to really care. All he wanted was to find his dorm room and go to sleep. Even his feet ached and his back was sore from carrying his bag.

A dull light to his left caught his attention and his heart fluttered with hope. Something was actually still open. He quickly checked his watch – 11:30pm. Without thinking any more of it, he sprinted across the courtyard and threw open the door that led into a lonely corridor. He stopped short, taking in the vast emptiness before him. The PLANTS had always been heavily populated and he wasn't use to sparseness that stretched down the hall. All of a sudden, he felt very, very lonely.

Athrun trudged on, listening as his shoes clacked loudly against the tile floor; the sound unnaturally loud to his sensitive ears. His eyes followed the wall, reading the announcements in the dim light. Judging from the financial assistance and registration forms notices that were posted up everywhere he looked, it didn't take long for him to conclude that he was in the administration building.

Athrun stopped at a door with a silver-lined nameplate on it that read "The Registrar's Office." Glancing down, he noticed a torn sheet that had been half-heartedly taped onto the door that had a list of the residences. His eyes narrowed as he swiftly read over the paper.

Attn. New Students

Residence assignment is as follows for this upcoming semester. For those who are returning students, your room has not changed.

Meer Cambell...S R456

Yzak Joule…….R347

Miho Lee………R345

Nina Sanshe…..R466

His name wasn't there.

Athrun blinked, snapping out of his somewhat dazed stupor and hurriedly read over the list a second time. Still, his name wasn't on the list. Somehow, he had been overlooked. Those four names all belonged to new students who hadn't already been assigned rooms and his name wasn't there!

"Damn," Athrun grunted and slumped. It was almost midnight and the campus was practically empty. With his luck, he would probably have to go through all sorts of paper work to get assigned a room and he cursed under his breath softly. He was tempted to rip the sheet right off the door and tare it up into pieces or to hurl his suitcase at the door but none of that would help him. If might have made him feel better but he still wouldn't have a room.

That was when he noticed that there was a light shinning from underneath the door. It was open and that meant that someone was still awake.

Athrun Zala took a deep breath and exhaled nervously as he stared at the door in front of him. The Registrar's Office. Shifting, he glanced down the hallway, scarce of life, animation and people. It was late; night had already claimed the skies and the shadows of darkness seemed to stretch out from the emptied rooms of the corridor. Athrun bit his lip and shook his head, clutching his suitcase tightly in one hand, his map of the campus in the other.

Silently, he cursed the entire resident-assigning process. While they had gladly accepted his tuition payments, the registrar, he assumed, had somehow managed to loose his application for residence and now, after checking to see where he had been assigned to stay, had learned that he had nowhere to go.

He hesitantly placed his suitcase against the wall and allowed his backpack to slip off of his shoulder. Reaching out, he slowly wrapped his hand around the knob to the office and slowly pulled it open, flinching as it creaked.

"Do you think I care what the finance secretary says!"

Athrun drew back in shock as a loud voice from the office assaulted his ears. Cautiously, he slipped in behind the door and closed it behind him. He turned and grimaced at the sight of a young, blond, student in an explosive rage and a secretary who appeared equally annoyed.

Feeling extremely uncomfortable, Athrun backed away from the two and watched in silence as they two crossed swords. The young girl had shoulder-length blond hair that he guessed had once been in a neatly arranged ponytail for loose strands had managed to escape the hair elastic and fell over her fiery, auburn eyes. Slamming an angry fist on the desk, her voice only increased to rise as she spoke.

"I did pay my tuition and I am not going to pay it again! Do you think students can afford to cough up $4,000 per semester every time you people miscalculate or forget to cash a check or loose a check!" She didn't wait for a response.

"No! They can't! So I suggest that you guys find that check I sent you, cash it and then leave me be!"

"Cagalli Yula Atha," The Secretary said the name as if she was spitting poison. "There are no records of you paying. I'm sorry, but until you do, you can't attend class."

Cagalli shook her head. "Check again. I'm certain I paid. Look under the Y's - my student number is 19945298."

The secretary nodded and it was only when she stood up that she noticed Athrun cowering away from the scene. He had never seen any argument so intense in his life…except maybe when his father engaged in verbal wars with his colleagues. She frowned and didn't hide the disapproval in her eyes or voice as she motioned towards him.

"Have a seat." She grunted. "I'll deal with you when I come back. I'm just going to follow up on a couple things first." The secretary glowered at Cagalli as she finished speaking and headed over to another desk.

Athrun obediently sat down and groaned, checking his watch. It was 11:45pm – his first class was at eight o'clock in the morning. Staring blankly at the floor, he suddenly felt a presence growing near. He straightened and lifting his gaze, found that this Cagalli was staring directly at him.

"Uh, hi," He muttered, not really caring whether he sounded sincere or not.

Cagalli just continued to stare, her eyes looking him up and down and he suddenly felt goose bumps on his skin, concealed only by jacket. "You are the new kid from the PLANTS aren't you? Zala's kid?" She asked.

"Athrun Zala," Athrun corrected sharply. The last thing he wanted was to be known as Zala's kid and he had a horrible feeling that if he didn't end it quickly, it would become an academic. His father wasn't the most popular guy around. "And you're Cagalli Yula Atha?"

"Hmm," She snorted almost in disapproval as she took in his somewhat bland appearance. His dark, blue hair was neatly combed and he was dressed in a dark jacket and worn jeans. There was nothing overly special about him… except for his eyes. He wore his entire personality in his deep orbs and looking into them, she saw a thoughtful, honest, trusting and gentile young man who seemed surprisingly sincere. It was almost mystifying and, for a second, she said nothing. He was probably just like all other men though… they were all alike.

"That's right," She finally found her voice and smiled smugly. "So where are you from?"

"Right now I'm living on one of the PLANTS. My family moves around a lot though." He explained softly and shifted awkwardly in his seat. "I got a scholarship to attend school here… and you?"

"Orb," She replied simply. "I came here because it's supposedly the best but you sure wouldn't know it sometimes."

Athrun nodded but said nothing. She was so forth right with her words. She held nothing back and kept nothing secret or suppressed. It was both amusing and frightening at the same time.

"And why are you here at the registrar's?" Cagalli pressed for more information. "Surely a hotshot like you isn't short of cash… I mean you have a scholarship."

Her comment was meant to be hurtful and served its purpose. Athrun's face contorted into a look of hurt and confusion. Matching her intense gaze with his own, he shook his head.

"I'm not a hotshot."

"All guys are." Cagalli challenged.

Athrun simply shrugged. "Maybe just the ones in Orb are."

"Why you!" Cagalli leapt to her feet in renewed anger and was about to fire another insult at him before the secretary walked in.

The women noticed the redness in Cagalli's face and quickly averted her attention to Athrun. "How can I help you young man?"

Cagalli's mouth dropped in disbelieve while Athrun's eyes simply widened. For a moment, the three just stared at one another. Motioning towards Cagalli, Athrun finally replied. "She was here before me – you should help her first… I don't mind the wait."

Cagalli's eyes bulged in surprise at his kind gesture.

"Very well," The secretary grunted and turned towards Cagalli. "Somehow you're file now shows you have paid you're tuition. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Have a good day Miss.Yula Atha."

"Whatever," Cagalli growled and spun on her heels. Her hair swirled gracefully in the air and Athrun watched in silence as she took her leave, slamming the door behind her. He couldn't blame her for being angry. Dealing with secretaries and paperwork was always a nightmare. Most were rude, lazy and never took responsibility for their actions. They had misplaced her file and they had almost forced her to pay her tuition a second time.

"Now," The secretary huffed and pointed at Athrun. "What do you want?"

Swallowing, Athrun mentally prepared a speech, fighting to find the correct words to address his concern without being insulting. "My name is Athrun Zala and it's my first day here," He explained quickly, rushing to get everything out as fast as he could. "I was supposed to be staying in residence but… somehow I haven't been assigned a room… I don't have anywhere to stay."

The secretary gave him a strange look as if to say "And that's my problem?" but bit her tongue. "Zala?" She repeated to herself as she typed his name into her computer. "Hmmm… well, you are registered here… that's for certain. The lady you should speak with is Mrs. Prochter and she won't be in until tomorrow around 9am."

Athrun's face paled. He had no place to stay the night! He didn't even know where the nearest hotel was! Frustration and misery were beginning to take hold of him as he looked up at the secretary with pleading eyes.

"Is there nothing you can do for me? I'm not from around here. Where am I supposed to go?"

"The nearest hotel is about five blocks away from here," The secretary suggested and sighed. "I'm sorry Athrun, but I don't have access to the residences and I don't know what rooms are available."

"I see," Athrun muttered more to himself than to her as he mentally began to calculate how long it would take him to walk to the hotel and how much it would cost. With a gloomy sigh, he nodded and picked up his backpack. "Well, thanks for your time."

"I'm sorry." She said again but Athrun didn't bother to answer.

Reaching for the door, he left the office and found himself back in the emptied hallway. His shoulder slumped as he bent down to pick up his suitcase. He had a long walk ahead of him… in the dark, in the cold, alone – he was already homesick.

Straightening, he slowly began to make his way towards the nearest exit. If he had been smart he would have asked for more precise directions but he really didn't feel like going back into the office.

Instead he just walked. Mindlessly, he moved in a straight line, wondering if any other student was having this very same problem. The day had been long and between loosing luggage at the shuttle/bus terminal, butting heads with Yuna Saran and finding out that he had already been labeled as Zala's Kid, he had had quit the day. At the moment, he was seriously considering just blowing the entire Lunar Preparatory School off and catching the next flight home. However, he would never do that… he hadn't been raised that way.

Vaguely, he noticed a sign that read 'exit' in the corner of his eye and smiled bitterly.

He had only taken one step towards the door that lead to the courtyard before he heard familiar footsteps coming towards him, followed closely but a powerful voice calling his name.

"Athrun! Hey!"

He groaned before turning around. He didn't need this. He had enough problems as it was. "Yes Cagalli?" He tried to hide his bitterness and irritation the best he could.

She seemed out of breath as though she had been running and Athrun frowned in confusion as she approached.

"I, um, wanted to thank you for letting me finish with the secretary when she was ready to simply brush me off."

Athrun shrugged. "You were ahead of me."

"Yes but a lot of other people wouldn't have done that," Her expression was a mixture of guilt and nervousness and Athrun couldn't help but wonder what it was she was trying to say.

"I overheard your problem." Cagalli told him solemnly and smiled uncertainly as his head shot up in astonishment. "If you would like… you could stay the night in my dorm."

Athrun raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Aren't there rules against stuff like that?"

Cagalli crossed her arms and smiled mischievously. "Do you really want to walk all the way to a hotel when you don't even know where one is?"

"No," Athrun stated the obvious. "But I don't think that it's a good idea - I don't even know you."

"Oh please," Cagalli rolled her eyes at the dumbfounded, young man. "It's not like we're going to be married. Besides, you know I'm from Orb."

"So what?"

"Never mind," She sighed and threw her hands up in surrender. "I just wanted to help you. It's a long hike from here and it's raining."

Athrun cringed at the mentioning of rain and although Cagalli noticed this, she didn't press the issue. She could tell he was seriously considering it and, holding out her hand, she grinned. "We got off on the wrong foot so let's start again. My name's Cagalli Yula Atha but you can just call me Cagalli. I'm from Orb, and I hate administration and boiled carrots. I like sports, gummie bears and traveling."

Athrun just stared for a moment, trying to make out what she was doing before he took her hand in his and gave it a firm shake. "I'm Athrun and uh… you can just call me Athrun. I also hate administration and early mornings. I like to play basketball, build mechanical pets, sleep and… I actually don't really mind boiled carrots."

Laughing, the two of them left the building and entered the harsh storm. Neither really noticed the rain as they chatted about what life was like in their respective homes and what they hoped to get out of school. By the time they reached their dorm both felt as though they had known one another for ages.

As Cagalli quickly cleared a spot on the floor for Athrun to sleep, she couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Suddenly, life to her didn't seem so bad. Not all men were nasty, self-absorbed morons and for whatever reason, she actually liked Athrun.

Athrun thanked her profusely as he opened his suitcase and spread out his sleeping bag on the floor beside her bed while placing his belongings in the corner. He didn't bother changing as exhaustion was beginning to take a hold on him and the need for sleep was overpowering. Cagalli scampered off to the bathroom to change and then hurried back, carrying her clothes in her arms.

Athrun got settled on the floor and watched in silence as Cagalli wrestled with dresser, trying to fit some of her clothes into a single drawer and having little success. Cocking his head to the left, Athrun wondered sleepily how long it would take before she realized that there were three drawers she could use.

"Why don't they make these drawers bigger!" Cagalli wailed as she kicked the bottom drawer with her foot and yelped when she stubbed her toe. "I'm tired and I want to go to sleep! How am I supposed to fit all my stuff in such a small space?"

Athrun didn't answer, afraid of pointing out the obvious solution.

"Athrun?" Cagalli's voice snapped Athrun to attention forcing him to look her in the eye. Her eyes were large and it seemed as though you could determine everything about her simply by looking at her. She wore her soul on her face… something that Athrun would never let himself do. There were no secrets, no reluctance… nothing.

"Hmm?"

"Can you believe this?" She demanded and gave her dresser another hard kick. "Stupid thing is too small."

"It has more than one drawer." Athrun observed carefully, motioning towards the dresser.

"Oh," Cagalli looked puzzled for a moment and then turned her attention back to her dresser. Her face flushed a deep red as she realized what Athrun was so delicately trying to point out – she was acting like an idiot. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired I guess… not thinking straight."

"Ah ha…" Athrun tried his best not to let his disapproval show as he leaned back on the floor, resting his head on a pillow that Cagalli had so generously given him for the night. The trip had been long and all the days' excitement was finally catching up with him. His gaze shifted awkwardly as he heard Cagalli fighting with her dresser and groaned. A loud crack followed by a howl caused him to flinch but he didn't bother to look up and see what she was doing. Honestly, he didn't want to know.

"Oh come on!"

"Stupid thing!"

"Get. In. There!"

After about 15 minutes of listening to the endless racket, Athrun had had enough. He couldn't sleep, heck, he couldn't even think! Slamming his fists on the floor, he sat up and tossed Cagalli a mildly annoyed glare. He appreciated her letting him spend the night but her kind gesture would be meaningless if she didn't let him sleep.

Cagalli must have heard him because she stopped what she was doing and looked over at Athrun, confused. "Something wrong?"

"Why don't you just put your clothes in all the drawers instead of just one?" Athrun asked, testily.

"Too late!" Cagalli laughed lightly and flashed him a smile that made his heart skip a beat. "Problem solved."

Athrun glanced over Cagalli's shoulder and frowned when he saw all of her clothes pilled up on the dresser rather than in the drawers. Socks were strewn along the aisle way and that day's wet clothes sitting in a pill in the middle of the room. He could foresee her tripping over it in the future. His left eyebrow rose skeptically and he looked questionably at Cagalli, unsure what to say.

"It's solved?"

"Yep!"

Athrun nodded, that look of utter disbelief never leaving his face. His mother would have killed him if he had dared to leave his attire in such a state. Still, what could he say? Nothing. That was the usual conclusion he came to and the usual course of action that he took when he found himself in situations such as this. Despite her lack of appreciation for tidiness and her forthright spirit, Athrun liked her.

Without thinking about the consequences, he nestled into his warm sleeping bag. He could vaguely hear Cagalli shifting on her bed, trying to get comfortable. He let out a sigh and listened to the rain as it hit struck the roof of the residence, thinking that he could have been out there.

"You know something?" Cagalli voice interrupted his thoughts. "You're alright Athrun."

"Alright as what?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he sat up. "Alright for a 'hotshot' you mean?"

"No," Cagalli laughed and playfully threw a pillow at him before turning serious. "Alright as a friend."

TBC

I had a lot of fun with this chapter. Personally, I don't like secretaries or administration – have had bad experiences with them every time I needed to deal with them lol. I figured that wouldn't change in the GS universe. It was so nice to write Cagalli as a cheerful person as opposed to the overly concerned orb leader thati've made her in my other story - i like that side of her too but it's fun to explore the characters.

Thank you for all the lovely reviews! I'm a slow writer sadly – I like to establish everything before getting on with the main plot but I promise things will pick up in the later chapters. -

Thanks again! Please let me know what you think, what I should change or any improvements you would like to see – I know it is early but it does help.

Until next time,

Krilyn