Hi!

First, I want to thank everyone for reviewing. It means a lot to me. I also want to apologize for not updating. A lot has been happening in my life. I lost a good friend and school hasn't been very forgiving either.

I hope you like this chapter and I have good news! I've decided on an ending! Hurray! That's always the hardest part.

Well, thanks again and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny

Gundam Seed: Affronted Affections

Chapter #12: Heartbreaking Goodbye

Cagalli awoke earlier the next morning. To say she had slept at all was a bit of an exaggeration for the night had been anything but kind. Athrun's face seemed to have ingrained itself into her mind and the more she thought about him, the more the ache in her heart seemed to intensify. When she thought about everything that had happened, it left her with a horribly bitter taste in her mouth. Nobody had really been overly kind to the new boy from the PLANTS. Sure, Yzak, Dearka, Kira, Lacus and her other friends had gradually warmed up to him but the system had condemned him to his fate long before the events that had led to his current situation had unfolded.

She didn't know what she could do and she doubted that she had the power to influence the principals' decision. What Cagalli did know, however, was that she could not let him go. Not like this. She hadn't seen Athrun since he had left the Assembly and she could only imagine what he was going through.

He was probably just as confused as she was. Perhaps even more so and… what bothered Cagalli the most was that he was alone. She had to let him know that she believed in him, that what had happened had not been his fault and that nothing could even stop her from feeling the way she did about him.

"Strange," Cagalli thought to herself as she shuffled along the empty hallway towards the registrar's office. "I knew I cared about him but I never realized just how much he meant to me." It was true, she decided, that she hadn't really understood just how much of her heart she had surrendered to him until he'd been taken away from her.

Her father expected her to join him for breakfast but she knew that if she didn't find Athrun now, she may never see him again. Her father certainly wouldn't approve of her seeing him and she wanted, no, needed to say goodbye.

She had left Lacus' room early that day, hoping to find Athrun before he was sent away. The clouds hung low in the sky, casting a lonely shadow down upon the world below and somehow it almost seemed appropriate. The gentle rain had caused her hair to frizz and dampened her jacket and by the time she had reached the lecture hall, she was completely soaked. In truth, she wasn't sure where Athrun had spent the night and as she moved towards the registrar's office, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu sweep over her. She stopped, momentarily stunned as the past and present seemed to blend together into a mesh of shattered memories.

This was the place.

It was here that she had met him for the very first time. The day she had so rudely called him a hot shot and he had eloquently returned her insult with a clever rebuttal of his own. A saddened smile spread across her lips as she pushed open the door and stepped inside, hoping to see him there but not entirely surprised when she found her standing across from the secretary's desk. The old lady's hardened stare burning a hole through her. Nobody else was in the room.

"Can I help you?"

For a moment, Cagalli forgot why she was there. She blinked a couple times, her mind racing in dizzying circles as she tried to figure out where Athrun could be. Surely he was still on campus. Surely he hadn't left yet. He couldn't have!

"Can I help you?"

This time the secretary's voice was firm, immediately drawing Cagalli to attention. Her head flew up and her lips began as she fought to form the words. "Umm, I am looking for someone. Could you please tell me where I can find Athrun Zala?"

Cagalli saw the secretary openly wince when his name left her lips and she frowned. Inhaling deeply, Cagalli continued, unwilling to give the secretary the chance to dismiss her. "There has been a misunderstanding and I must see him. Do you know where he is?"

"The boy that assaulted that girl last night?"

At the secretary's choice of words, Cagalli felt her patience starting to wane. Glancing down at the name plate on the desk in front of her, she took note of the name that was inscribed on it. "No, Ms. Tadorika," Cagalli growled curtly. "He didn't assault anybody. In any case, I need to speak with him."

Unmoved, Ms. Tadorika shrugged. "Ms. Badgiruel is taking care of him."

"Where?"

"I fail to see how this involved you, my dear," The lady replied and shook her head. "That young man has managed to get himself into quit a bit of trouble and I think it is best if you just leave him be."

"Can't you just tell me?" Cagalli demanded. "Is it that big of a secret? I thought he would be here – that's why I came."

"He was here," Ms. Tadorika admitted and spun around in her chair to attend to some paperwork. "He spent the night in the nurse's office and this morning Ms. Badgiruel escorted him here to terminate his enrollment."

"How long ago was that?" Cagalli felt a sinking feeling in the bit of her stomach as she listened to the secretary's tale. Perhaps she was too late. Perhaps Athrun was already gone. If that was the case, then there was no way that she would be able to get a hold of him. He could very well have left believing that she believed Meer… just as her father had.

"About fifteen minutes ago," Ms. Tadorika replied. "Arrangements were made late last night for Chancellor Zala to meet his son at the airport early this morning to take him back to the PLANTS."

"The airport?"

Ms. Tadorika nodded. "Poor boy, he looked wrecked when I saw him. Didn't have the look of the assailant described to me by Ms. Badgiruel but I suppose it's the ones with the innocent faces that you have to be wary of."

Cagalli paid her last comment little mind. "There's a bus that leaves the school weekly to the airport. What time is it scheduled to leave?"

"The bus that travels between here and the airport will be leaving any minute now. I'd imagine that your friend is more than likely on it."

"No…" Cagalli's eyes widened and her faced grew white. She was too late. The bus terminal was on the other side of the campus and there was no way that she would make it in time. Staggering as if she'd been struck, she whirled around and dashed through the door back into the hall.

Racing towards the nearest exit, she urged herself to move. She willed her legs to carry her faster, pumping her arms wildly as she ran. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind as she pushed through the exit door and back into the rain. The storm had picked up since she had left the residences and she could feel the gusts of wind pushing against her, trying to drag her down and slow her desperate flight towards the bus terminal. It was exactly the same. Just like when she had invited him to spend the night in order to escape the rain on his very first day on campus.

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 Athha 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."

Hearing his voice ringing through her mind drove her to run faster. He had been so sincere. Always thinking about her before himself. He had been her saving grace in many ways – proving to her that not all men were selfish, conceited fools. He hadn't openly poured his heart out to her – that wasn't his way. Rather, his actions alone had demonstrated the affection he felt for her.

"I know it isn't your dog," He told her, feeling his face grow warm. "But it's the closest thing I ever had to a pet. I made it when I was little. You need it more than me."

"Oh Athrun…" Cagalli fumbled over the words. "I…"

"Her name is Kaori," He explained. "Promise me you'll take care of her."

It wasn't just his concern and seemingly unconditional friendship that had drawn her to him. He respected her. He respected her as a person, as a friend and as a young woman. He had never pushed her into anything and in many ways had allowed her to choose the pace of their relationship. Cagalli had found a certain degree of comfort in knowing that she was in control whilst in his company and took relief in knowing she didn't need to worry about being on her guard while they were alone.

Cagalli winked and reaching for Athrun's hand, she yanked him towards her. Athrun yelped at being pulled so hard as Cagalli pinned him against the tree, putting her arms at each side of his head. "Because you never make the first move…and you never catch my signals…do you even know why I wanted to come to the lake?" She asked huskily, leaning her head down towards him.

Stunned, Athrun managed to slightly shake his head.

Cagalli smiled and began nibbling at Athrun's earlobe, knowing how it drove him wild. "To make out..." She whispered in his ear, voice filled with lust. She exhaled softly into Athrun's ear, and the young man shuddered, nearly melting at the teasing touch. "What do you say?"

Tears began to leek from the corners of her eyes as she thought back to the moments she had shared with him. It had only been four months but in her mind, it was as though she had known him forever. Now, as she struggled against Mother Nature's cruel storm, she felt her own resolve harden as her heart clinched painfully in her chest.

She would not let him slip away from her. She refused to accept that they would be parted without so much as a goodbye.

WMWMWMWMWMWMWMMWMWM

Athrun sat the seat closest to the window, his suitcase thrown carelessly beside him as he leaned wearily against the back of his chair. Peering out into the storm, he took in what he knew would be his last glimpse of the Lunar Preparatory School. The grim dark clouds that hung over the institution somehow seemed appropriate when he considered his experiences there.

Everything had been so awkward and he had almost always found himself tripping over himself or someone else. He let out a heavy yawn and licked his dry lips. He had spent the night in the nurse's office under supervision and, much to his disgust, had felt like a convict. He hadn't slept well and although he had become somewhat accustomed to sleep deprivation, the prospects of what awaited him at the airport had kept him at edge all night. Ms. Badgiruel had been thorough in implementing his sentence. Expulsion, a criminal record and what was worse – she had called his father out of a meeting to arrange his return to the PLANTS. For Athrun, that was as good as putting a rope around his neck and stringing him up a tree. His father was a busy man, a busy and, at times irrational man.

He would not appreciate having to take time out of his schedule to come and pick Athrun up from school and escort him back home. Of course Athrun had traveled many a times on his own but the principal had insisted that he be supervised at all times. She had also made arrangements to have an inquiry on him started.

"Cagalli…" He closed his eyes as her name rolled off his tongue and exhaled softly. If anything, he regretted not having the opportunity to explain himself to her. To explain to her the truth about what had happened. She surely must have heard by now – either from her father or Meer herself. Or, perhaps even worse – she had been informed through some sort of strange rumor.

Athrun felt a pain localize in his chest as his mind drifted off into the world of what ifs. The legacy of Athrun Zala at the school would be one of a distant outcast who lashed out against a defenseless girl one lonely evening. He tried to convince himself that he didn't care what they thought, or what they said or what they believed but he knew that wasn't true. He was only fooling himself.

He did care.

He cared about what Cagalli thought of him and it almost burned him to think that she could be persuaded to believe the ridiculous lies that Meer had masked as the truth.

Just thinking about it made him angry and if it hadn't been for the fact that the bus driver had been given strict directions to make sure he stayed on the bus, he would have made a run for it. He would have stormed the school searching for Cagalli to tell her the truth. Yet, what he wanted to do and what he could do without getting himself into even more trouble were two very different things.

He felt his body thrust slightly forward when the bus driver started the engine, snapping him out of the daze he had fallen into. He heard the engine's strained roar against the sound of the thundering rains and heavy winds outside of the vehicle but refused to open his eyes. He was so tired of it all - All the nonsense, all the strife and all the conflict.

The bus began to move forward, slowly at first but gradually it began to pick up speed as it started towards the airport. The squeal of rubber against pavement caused him to wince slightly as he settled down back into his seat, wishing that his bleeding heart would just stop beating and put him out of his misery.

"ATHRUN!"

Athrun's head shot up as he heard a muffled voice that was almost lost as it carried in the wind. It sounded like Cagalli and when he turned towards the window, he heard his voice called a second time. Frustrated, he narrowed his eyes, searching and when he finally looked down he was shocked by what he saw.

Alongside the bus was Cagalli who was gasping and clearly out of breath as she struggled to keep pace. The rain had matted her blonde hair and it now stuck to her face while the water droplets from the sky mixed with tears from her puffy, auburn eyes. She was waving her hands frantically at him, motioning for him to wind down his window. He saw her mouth moving but all he could make out was her shouting his name over and over again.

Scrambling, Athrun hissed sharply as his sudden motion to wind down his window caused him to jam his pinky but he ignored the throbbing pain, forcing the window down. A gust of wind immediately blasted him while the rain pelted down almost violently upon his face. He straightened to poke his head out the window and gasped as the wind took his breath away.

"C… Cagalli!"

"I… I know you didn't do it!" She cried as she ran. The bus was picking up speed and she was rapidly loosing ground. Still, somehow she had made it. "I know it isn't true!"

"Cagalli, I…" Athrun didn't know what to say. The gap between them was growing and he felt all the words he wanted to say catch in his throat. He needed more time! The seconds they had left weren't going to be enough. How could they be enough?! He didn't want to leave her! It wasn't fair!

"Athrun!" Cagalli reached into her coat pocket and held out a piece of paper for him. Willing her numb legs to move, she tried desperately to reach him. "Athrun! Please, write me!"

Athrun didn't need to be told twice. Straining, he stuck his hand out the window and reached for the paper that she was holding out to him. The elements and the bus driver both seemed to be working against them as he desperately tried to grab the paper that flapped wildly in Cagalli's grasp. The bus wasn't going to slow down and he could see that Cagalli was just moments from collapsing from exhaustion.

"Athrun!" She shouted as he faltered in his attempt to snatch the paper. "Athrun, please!"

"I'm trying!" He gasped as he felt the edge of the window grinding into his stomach as he strived to reach her. To reach that paper that promised hope for their relationship. She believed in him! Despite all his fears, all the lies and deception the seemed to follow him wherever he went, she still believed in him! "I'm trying!"

"Athrun!"

Cagalli leapt forward, using the last of her strength to throw the crumpled piece of paper up to him before she collapsed to the pavement. She bit back a sharp cry as her knees scrapped against the pavement and grunted as her momentum caused her to roll forward several feet before she was able to stop herself.

Athrun felt the paper between his fingers and scrambled to catch it. He felt its rough edge brush against the tips of his fingers and grit his teeth as he grappled desperately for it. Then, however, the wind reached out and swept the paper out of his grasp and left him grasping at nothing but air.

His heart stopped and his face drained of all its color as he saw the paper blow away in the wind and with it, his heart shattered. For a moment that seemed like an eternity he just stared, unwilling to believe what had just happened before the cruel reality hit him like a physical blow. His arm fell limp as his eyes met those of Cagalli for one last time.

They both knew.

They both knew that this was their goodbye.

As Cagalli's form by the side of the road became smaller and distant, Athrun felt his resolve shatter. Dropping his head down against the side of his chair, he let the tears fall. His body shook violently, wracked with anguished sobs that he managed to reduce to uneven hiccups and whimpers.

He knew it was wrong to cry. Boys his age shouldn't cry and if his father had seen him he would have been ashamed. Yet, the pain wouldn't go away and he couldn't keep it in anymore. He had lost, in his mind, too much to simply keep his feelings buried.

He had lost Cagalli.

TBC

Please don't flame me! This isn't the end I promise! I have at least 4-5 more chapters to write! This is more of a transition chapter. I hope you liked it. I know, not much happened but it will get exciting in the next one – I promise.

Again, I apologize for getting this up so late. I promise I will finish this story but it will take time since school is really dragging me down. Again, thanks so much for reading.

Oh! I am sorry if there are spelling/grammar errors. It is past midnight and I'm a little tired to I really didn't re-read it too well. I was just so excited to post it so please forgive me. The next couple chapters, Athrun's going to finally show everyone that he won't just roll over and die… again, thanks for reading.

Please don't be discouraged by this chapter ok?

Take care,

Krilyn