Hi again!

Thanks to all who reviewed!

For those who asked, the characters are going to be 16-17 ok? Oh! And on the moon, for the sake of the story, it's legal for them to drink.

Kira and Cagalli (to me anyway) will always be brother and sister but because this story doesn't really focus around them too much, I'm not going to really address that. Sorry for the confusion. I wrote this half-asleep so please excuse the grammar errors.

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed, Gundam Seed Destiny or any other references made to it.

Affronted Affections

Chapter #4: This Feeling

Athrun sat across from Cagalli in the cafeteria, listening to her enthralling voice as she spoke about how everything and anything. Resting his elbows on the table, his gaze never left her beautiful face. She was so full of life that he found himself completely taken by her bewitching ways. Everything about her fascinated him and he felt as though he could listen to her for hours.

"Anyway, I don't want to talk your ear off," Cagalli tossed her head and leaned forward so her face was just inches from his. "Why don't you tell me about you? You said you move around a lot in the PLANTS. What's it like?"

"What's what like?" Athrun didn't understand. "You mean moving around all the time? It gets lonely." He saw no reason to lie about it. He'd long since given up trying to establish any lasting relationships with anyone because there was very little point. It only made the next move hurt all the more.

"Oh," Cagalli slumped. She saw Athrun's expression tighten and instantly regretted having brought it up. "Well, at least you have seen a lot of the world. I've only ever lived in Orb. My family visits the PLANTS from time to time but it's not the same as living there."

"I guess not." Athrun chuckled, lightly. He wanted to talk to her. To say something fascinating but for some reason, he couldn't think of anything to say. Was his life really that boring that he had nothing to say when she asked him to tell her about himself? Surely there had to be something he could say that would make him at least appear interesting. Nothing came to mind. He so desperately wanted to impress her but his mind kept drawing a blank.

There was an awkward silence between the two before Cagalli threw a quick glance at her watch. Her eyes widened and she stood up, tossing an apologetic glance at Athrun. "I'm sorry but I have to go to class. Are you coming back to the residence tonight?"

Athrun's jaw all but dropped. She wanted him to come back? His cheeks flushed and he suddenly felt warm. Flustered, he tried in vain to look away from her so she couldn't see the surprise and eagerness in his eyes. The last thing he wanted was for her to know that he had enjoyed spending the night in her room. "Am I coming back to the residence? I… um… I don't know." He managed to squeak out. "I guess I should see about getting my own room…or at least being assigned to the boy's wing."

"Why?"

He looked up her, shocked. "Why?" He felt like a parrot, echoing every word she said. "I don't think I can very well stay in the girl's wing and I don't want to intrude…"

"Oh don't be stupid," Cagalli laughed and winked at him, playfully. "Besides, administration is always slow. Where are you going to stay while you wait for them to decide where to place you?"

"I don't know."

"You left your stuff in my room," Cagalli pointed out suddenly. She watched as Athrun squirmed in his seat. For some reason, she enjoyed seeing his wriggle uncomfortably and something about him amused her. For one who said so little, there was so much about him that intrigued her. "I'd say it's settled."

Before Athrun could answer, Cagalli skipped off and disappeared behind the doors that lead to the main corridor of the building. He let out a heavy sigh and averted his gaze from the doors. His senses were tingling and he shuddered as his heart skipped a beat. Rolling up his sleeve, he gasped. He had Goosebumps. All along his left arm the small bumps prickled his skin. He turned back to the door that Cagalli had just disappeared through, confused. What was this tingling sensation that he felt? What was it that warmed his heart every time she smiled at him? Why couldn't he stop thinking about her?

"Stop it," Athrun shook his head to try and clear his thoughts. "You're acting like a child. Chasing a girl you don't even know? What has gotten into you?"

Deciding it best to inquire about getting his own room after all, Athrun made his way back to the registrar's office in hopes of seeing this Ms. Procter who was supposedly in charge of the residences. He hoped that she was more approachable than the principal. Unfortunately, he never actually did meet her.

"What?" Athrun's eyes narrowed as he found himself staring at the same secretary he had spoken with the night before. She didn't seem to recognize him though as she just continued to type away on her computer after bluntly informing him that Ms. Procter had been pregnant, went into labor that morning and when she would return to work was undetermined… as was who was going to take over her responsibilities.

Athrun's hands clinched into fists as his patience had been pushed beyond the breaking point. His words were like ice as the forced them out through gritted teeth. He tensed, resisting the urge to throw his backpack at this impossible woman. She didn't even care. That's what really bothered him. She could care less if he slept on the street!

"Are you telling me that because some lady is laid up with a baby somewhere, you can't assign me a room? A room that I paid for? A room that is supposed to be provided to every student that isn't from around here!" His voice rose as did his anger and frustration. "Why can't you just look up her files and put my name under a vacant room?"

"Because it is not the easy," The secretary snapped. "Listen, Athrun. Once we know who is covering for Ms. Procter we will let you know. You will be our first priority."

"Sure," Athrun grumbled darkly. "I'll be your first priority when you get around to it."

"Now that will be enough!" The secretary finally pulled her attention away from her computer and fired him an irate glare. "You will not speak to me in that tone. I am your elder and you will treat me as such – with respect."

Now Athrun was beyond angry. Stamping his foot resolutely on the ground, he shook his head. "No." He retorted sharply. "I will treat you with respect when you deserve it. As far as I can tell, you've done nothing to help me and aren't remotely interested in doing anything in the near future."

"We can't always have things the way we would like them," She answered, unnerved by the intense look in the boy's eyes. "I can tell that you are conditioned to having things your way. Your parents obviously spoiled you."

Athrun stiffened under the personal attack. This wasn't getting him anywhere and he was wasting his time. Momentarily, he considered going to the principal to see if she would help him but almost laughed at the thought. She didn't like him any more than the secretary did. Defeated, Athrun stormed out of the registrar's office seeing nothing but red. His eyes blazed as he marched down the hall. He felt the students around him moving out of his way as if sensing the aura of rage radiating off of his body but he didn't care. For their sake, with the way he was feeling, it was best if they just stayed out of his way.

For the rest of the day, Athrun went to his classes, still fuming about his predicament. Everyone was treating him as though he was less than dirt. Even dirt would have been given more consideration than he had been! After getting a list of textbooks that he would need to buy for his classes, he made a quick stop at the bookstore. They were sold out of all but one of the books that he needed.

"Oh I give up!" Athrun mentally groaned as he bought the only book that was actually in stock. He then found himself heading back towards the residence and back to Cagalli's room. What choice did he have? As much as he liked her, he felt uncomfortable about settling permanently in the girl's wing of the residence. What would people think if they found out? Of course, he knew the answer to that question.

Another thing had happened that day that had been equally unsettling. He had gone to basketball practice for the first time and while it had been satisfying to bounce the ball up and done the court, a strange girl with long, pink hair had been standing in the bleachers underneath the time clock. – watching him. Every time he happened to look over at the clock, he would notice her waving at him. He honestly had not known what to do so he simply ignored her. That didn't deter her though and he had fumbled the ball several times because of the distraction that she had caused. He'd been able to feel her gaze boring into him and that the look in her eyes had put him on edge.

Upon arriving back at the residence, he was startled but not surprised to find the door to Cagalli's room unlocked. Slipping behind the door, he collapsed onto the sleeping bag that he had left in a heap on the floor and moaned. Rolling onto his side, he glanced up and noticed that his suitcase was lying at his feet partially opened.

From where he was, he could see the head of the toy dog he had made as a young boy peeking out at him. It reminded him of home and he smiled sadly. He missed his mother. Even his father, although, it had always been difficult to communicate with him. Thoughts of his father hardened something inside of him and he stubbornly sat up. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in a small mirror on Cagalli's bedside table and recoiled. His hair was a mess and his clothes were wrinkled and still damp from the previous night, making him feel dirty. Aside from that, the strong odor of charred meat had been absorbed into his clothing and every pore of his skin and he was certain that he smelled horrible.

He rummaged through his suitcase to find his towel, a fresh set of clothes and a bottle of shampoo before checking his watch. It was 2: 45. His last class had finished early and he had fifteen minutes before anyone else would be returning the residences. That meant he had fifteen minutes to shower and clean himself up before any of the other girls on the floor came back from class and before anyone could stumble across him while washing himself.

He hurried over to the door, peeking around the corner nervously to make sure that his calculations were correct before charging towards the bathroom. He almost slipped on the tile floor and gracelessly staggered into the shower stall, frantically closing the door behind him. Breathing hard, he forced himself to relax. This was going to be the fastest shower of his life.

Ten minutes later, he came out of the bathroom, fresh and smelling of honey. He was dressed in a crisp pair of blue jeans and a loose navy shirt that folded up neatly at the collar. Wiping his hair with the now-damp towel he sighed, feeling surprisingly better. With the grungy feeling suddenly gone, he felt much more grounded and much more like himself.

He was just about to re-enter Cagalli's room when he heard a high-pitched, feminine squeal from down the hall. He jolted and nearly jumped into the air, dropping the soiled clothes he'd been wearing moments before to the floor. He bent down and re-gathered them in a hurry as he saw a girl with long, pink hair coming towards him. His eyes widened in recognition and a renewed sense of urgency to get out of the hall overwhelmed him.

"Hey! Athrun!"

Athrun's eyes roll back and heard a mild curse escape his lips. It was the girl that had been watching him during practice. How did she know who he was?

"Athrun!"

Athrun didn't hide the frustration in his eyes as he fired her the hardest, threatening look her could though it did little good. "What do you want?"

"Oh I just wanted to talk to you," The girl laughed a little too loudly, causing Athrun to flush in embarrassment. She was a horrible flirt. "You left pretty quickly… did you not see me waving to you?"

"No," Athrun lied and shifted so that the bundle in his arms was between himself and the obnoxious girl that didn't seem to want to leave him alone. "Actually I didn't."

"Oh well, that's alright," She grinned dreamily at him and pushed up closer towards him. Trapped, Athrun glanced over nervously down the hall, silently begging for some sort of help. Pressed against the door, he couldn't move and feared that if he touched her, he could be accused of assault. "I figured you were so focused on the game you might miss me."

"Stop this!" Athrun growled as she raised her head towards his, inching closer. Pulling back, he yanked away from her, the door flew open, and he stumbled deeper into Cagalli's room. His expression darkened as she pursued him. "I don't even know who you are! How did you know my name?"

"Everyone knows that you're Athrun Zala, Chairman Zala's only son," She beamed. "I heard from some other girls that you were gorgeous and they were right."

Athrun swallowed. He had been so pre-occupied with his problems at school he hadn't really noticed the way people were looking at him. Now, however, he wasn't sure if he wanted to. "Excuse me?"

"Oh come on, Athrun," She walked seductively towards him as he retreated behind a chair. "I just want to get to know you better."

"In case you have forgotten this is my room!" A voice came out of nowhere, practically screaming. "Get out, Meer!"

Athrun watched in awe as a very angry Cagalli pushed her way past the door and pushed in front of the intruding girl, blocking her path. She'd been coming back from class and had seen the entire scene unfold from the other end of the hall. She could see the obvious discomfort on Athrun's part and when Meer had forced him into her room, she had felt her temper snap.

"I was just being friendly!" The other girl protested, throwing up her hands in defense though her eyes didn't leave the young man who stood disconcerted behind the chair. Her eyes narrowed. "Why is he here anyway? You know that boys aren't allowed."

"As if that is any of your business," Cagalli retorted hotly, coming to Athrun's rescue. "He's a friend of mine and … and we're going out tonight with some other friends of mine. I asked him to meet me here."

Meer wasn't fooled. "His hair is wet. He had a shower in our bathroom!"

"It's called sweating," Cagalli knew her response sounded lame but it was the best she could do. Turning towards Athrun, her expression softened. "Give me five minutes and I'll be ready to go alright?"

At this point, Athrun was completely lost. Going out? He hadn't agreed to going out! He found himself nodding stupidly and his heart rate slowed when he saw Meer throw her head back in disgust and take off down the hall and out of sight. Relieved, he collapsed onto Cagalli's bed and raised his head when he felt his rescuer flop down beside him.

"Uh, thanks Cagalli," He muttered and smiled sheepishly at her. "She sort of caught me off guard."

Her heart fluttered as he said her name and returned his smile with one of her own. Inhaling deeply, she fought to contain her composure. He had obviously cleaned himself and smelt of old spice and honey. His features were so youthful and gentle yet it was his eyes that bewitched her. Those deep, dark, mystifying green eyes that drank in her appearance. Even his hair seemed to delicately enhance the shape of his face.

"You're welcome." She croaked, somehow choking on the words. He seemed even more handsome now than he had before and even then, he'd been a pleasant sight for the eyes.

There was a long pause between the two, both afraid of what the other might say or think. Athrun bit his lower lip and turned aside, shying away from her.

"Hey," She took a deep breath. "I am actually going out with some friends tonight to the bar. Why don't you come with us?"

"You can go," Athrun told her, kindly. He didn't drink. Everyone who knew him knew that he never touched the stuff… or at least, not much of it. As for the bar… with a personal curfew of 10:30, that had been imposed by his parents, he couldn't see himself being the life of any sort of party anytime soon "I think I'm going to stay here."

"No you aren't!" Cagalli laughed and tossed her backpack onto the floor. She jumped up, grabbed her coat and casually walked over to where Athrun was sitting. Athrun's eyes followed her warily, unsure. He didn't like the look she was giving him. "I can see tell that you're still a little shaken up from Meer. Don't worry about her. She's also new and a little strange. She arrived sometime last week and skips class all the time. Don't let her ruin your day."

"If only that was the only thing that had ruined my day," Athrun thought bitterly before shaking his head. He didn't want her feeling sorry for him or come across as being a tagalong to her friends. Besides, he was tired and wanted to end the day before it became any worse.

"She might come back you know," Cagalli mused, enjoying the bewilderment that flashed across Athrun's face. "You'd be safer if you came with us."

"No, I think I really just – AH!" Athrun yelped as Cagalli's hand flew out and grabbed his. Unprepared, Athrun couldn't resist as Cagalli hulled him to his feet and dragged him towards the door.

"Hey, no, I said I…"

"Oh loosen up and have a little fun," Cagalli jeered playfully. "It won't kill you."

"But I don't…"

"Come on!"

Giving up, Athrun reluctantly followed. He'd quickly learned that there was no point in arguing with her when she had her mind made up. At least this way he wouldn't have to worry about Meer Campbell coming after him again any time soon and he could meet some of Cagalli's friends.

Cagalli's hand tightened around his, sending sparks shooting up his arm and leaving him reeling. That tingling sensation he had felt earlier seemed to intensify and he shivered, feeling flushed. His heart beat sped up and although he felt warm, he also felt his skin prickling again. This feeling. What ever it was, it was giving him goose bumps again.

The bar was loud and noisy, just as Athrun had predicted that it would be. The place that Cagalli had taken him was famous for two things really – cheap alcohol and lots of it. The walls and floors reeked of beer and the crowds were suffocating. Loud jeers and cheers echoed at full volume off the walls and Athrun could hardly hear as Cagalli introduced him to each of her friends. Unsurprisingly, she had several and some of them he had already met. The first was Kira Yamato, the boy he had met during lunch and who played on the basketball team with him. Two other boys, Dearka and Yzak, also were members of that team. Aside from them, were two other girls – a brunette named Miriallia and a girl, who reminded him of Meer, named Lacus.

All were kind and he found that they were quite interested in him. It only took a few minutes before he was joking and laughing with them as if they had been friends for years. The group sat at a round table in the corner of the bar, away from most of the action. All of them had tossed in some money to buy a pitcher of beer and although Athrun threw in a few dollars, he had been nursing the same glass since he had first arrived. He found it more interesting to simply observe the others and the effects that the substance had on their words and their behavior.

Cagalli had quickly made it clear that she intended on enjoying the night as she was chugged down another glass. Her cheeks had turned rosy pink as her eyes watered from laughter fueled partially by the drink and partially by a joke that Dearka had just told her.

"Here's to a new semester!" Dearka's voice wavered slightly as he threw up his glass in the air. "Soon to be our torture!"

"Here's to us!" Kira added and stood up from his seat. "For surviving the first semester!"

"Here's to…" Yzak paused for a second as his alcohol induced mind struggled to function. Swaying slightly in his chair, he raised his beer to meet the glasses of his friends. "Here's to good alcohol!"

"I'll say cheers to that," Cagalli laughed and the four of them took a long drink, adding another beer to the growing list of what they had willingly taken into their system that night.

From the opposite side of the round table, Athrun raised an unmoved eyebrow as he watched his new friends re-fill their glasses. He had never been allowed to drink thus he had difficulty relating to their behavior. Perhaps it was also because he was new and inexperienced that he felt so differently about things. The others, for the most part, all new each other while he really only knew Cagalli – even her, he had only known for two days. He wasn't going to complain though. After the day he had had it was nice to get out. Cagalli was right – he was having fun… kinda…

Lacus seemed to notice Athrun's mild uncertainty of the situation. She sighed heavily and shook her head, obviously embarrassed. Athrun couldn't blame her. Together, they had managed to catch the attention of every single individual in the bar. It was late, well past eleven pm and nobody seemed ready to call it a night.

"How often do you guys do this?" Athrun asked and looked over at Lacus questionably. She seemed to be the only one who wasn't caught up in what was to become a second toast. She had taken a couple drinks but he knew she wouldn't be as hung over tomorrow as Athrun predicted the others would be. "They are going to feel this tomorrow."

"Only at the beginning of a new semester," Lacus explained simply and gently accepted a drink handed to her by Yzak. "Once the semester starts, no one really has the time to do this sort of thing."

"Oh," Was all Athrun could come up with. The fact that they had to look for opportunities to drink disturbed him slightly but he had to remember the company he was in…veteran students… they knew what they were doing. Perhaps he was the one who was acting outlandish. Staring down at his first and only half finished draft, Athrun had to wonder.

"You should relax," Lacus told him. "Enjoy yourself for a while. If you are this stressed on the first day, I don't know what you will do when the pressure really begins to mount up on your shoulders."

Athrun nodded but said nothing. It was true. He had been nervous since he had arrived. His parents expected a lot out of him. They had told him as much.

"Hey Athy!" An intoxicated Dearka flung a limp arm around Athrun's shoulder, causing him to jump in shock, and pushed his face into the younger boy's. Athrun almost gagged as he smelled the alcohol on Dearka's breath and withdrew as far as he could. "You mind if I finish you're beer? I hate to see it go a waste."

"Sure," Athrun shifted awkwardly and watched as Dearka leaned over and carelessly scooped up Athrun's drink in his hand. That made 8.

"Liver of steel that guy must have," Athrun couldn't help the thoughts that ran through his mind as he watched Dearka finish his beer in one gulp and handed the empty glass back to him.

"Hey!"

Everyone turned at the sound of a familiar voice and a familiar figure bounding towards their table. Athrun's face paled before he felt his eyes bulge. He shook his head in disbelief, refusing to belief what he saw. The purple-haired demon from class, from the terminal… he was here! He cursed his luck and felt his grasp around the empty cup in his hand tighten.

"Hi Yuna!" Yzak held out a drink to him and the other boy swept it up in his hand before floating past him. He moved towards Cagalli like a shark and scooped her up in his arms, hugging her tightly and planting a firm kiss on her cheek. The bubbly girl laughed lightly and returned his embrace. "Did you miss me?"

"I'm glad you could make it."

"Anything for you, sweetie."

Athrun felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach and shatter. It was as if someone had taken a hammer to it and pounded down on it with one, striking blow that completely smashed it to pieces. Feeling dizzy, he grabbed the table to steady himself. Yuna was… Cagalli was… they were….

He watched brokenly as Yuna and Cagalli exchanged light banter, noting how Yuna's arms never left her waist. The way he held her disgusted him. Everything about him disgusted him. He held onto her as if he possessed her, as if she was entirely his and Athrun had to bit his lip to prevent the soft moan that threatened to escape his throat from escaping.

It took Yuna a while to notice Athrun's presence but when he finally did realize that the new boy was present, he smiled broadly at him. "Hey Zala, how was lunch duty?"

The way the words came out, one might think Yuna was trying to be funny but Athrun knew better. This boy was taunting him. A forced smile somehow found its way onto his face and he nodded. "It was fine."

Yuna snickered and pulled Cagalli closer to him. So much so that Athrun was positive that he was flaunting the fact that she was with him. Cagalli didn't seem to mind too much either as she simply laughed in his arms. She was laughing while Athrun felt as though he might cry.

He couldn't understand it. If she had a boyfriend then why would she invite him to stay the night in her room? Had it all been out of pity? Had she pitied him? It made sense. He must have looked pathetic. He was after all, the new kid. The boy who knew nothing of the school and had been left with nowhere to go. She had felt sorry for him. That had to be it. She hadn't really cared about him. Why should he expect her to? He hardly knew her and judging by what he saw, he wouldn't have a chance to either.

Feeling sick to his stomach, Athrun cursed himself for allowing himself to be sucked into the trap that so many other young men often fell into. A beautiful girl, who had been merely acting out of kindness, he had misinterpreted as having feelings for him. It was his fault. He looked down at his arm and frowned when he saw that he still had Goosebumps. That tingling still wouldn't go away nor would the feelings that pulsed through his system every time he set eyes on the blonde. No matter how much it hurt, the feelings just wouldn't go away. That's when he realized that he had fallen into her trap. A trap that every girl unknowingly set for any young man who let his guard down. He had fallen in love with her.

TBC

Confused? I'm sorry – Cagalli's actions will be explained in the next chapter. I have one more chapter to write before things really get interesting. I like writing this sort of stuff. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.

Please review and let me know what you think ok? Don't worry – Athrun won't give up yet. It really has just begun.

Until next time,

Krilyn