Chapter 11, and still going. It begins humorously, becauseI wanted a break for the plot. I know that sounds pathetic, but you'll get over it. After all, it is a cute scene.
"Athrun! Cagalli!" Kira hollered. The sound rang through the small apartment. I rolled over to ignore it, but I opened my eyes anyway. I saw a pair of deep green eyes staring back at me.
"Morning, honey." Athrun smiled. He placed a hand on my face and brushed the hair out of my eyes. "I'll talk to him," he rolled out of bed. He pulled a shirt over his mussed hair and slid into some pants before he opened the door and walked out to meet Kira. Once the door closed, I listened for a moment. "Morning Kira." Athrun said.
"Athrun, where's my sister?" Kira screamed.
"Calm down, I'm sure she's fine." Lacus tried to calm Kira.
"Hold on, let me get her."
"Athrun, if you did anything with my sister, I'm going to kill you!"
"I promise I did nothing she didn't want me to do."
"ATHRUN!"
Athrun laughed as he came back through the door. "You're brother's throwing a fit out there. You'd better get dressed."
"I have nothing clean."
"Here," he reached down and tossed my a light blue shirt with darkened sleeves and a pair of dark khaki pants. "I know the shirt will fit at least."
"Thank you, Athrun." I said as I tossed my nightgown aside in favor of the shirt. Athrun just stood there and waited for me to finish. "Problem." I said after trying on the pants.
"What problem?" Athrun asked, glancing up to see me pantless.
"You're pants are too small."
"No they're not!" he shot back. "They fit just fine."
"Maybe on you they do, but they're too tight on me. I can't get them over my hips." I frowned in disgust.
"Athrun, what's taking so long?" Kira yelled from the other side of the door.
"Trouser issues." Athrun yelled back.
"ATHRUN!"
We both tried to hide our laughter. Kira was just looking out for me, but this was too funny. "Cagalli, I have something you can wear." Lacus called from beyond the door.
Lacus opened the door only wide enough to put her hand through. She held out a garment which Athrun quickly snatched form her. "Here," he tossed me the gift.
"Thank you, Lacus." I called out. It was a skirt. It was a blue skirt, so it matched Athrun's shirt, but it was still a freaking skirt. It wasn't like I had a choice though. I slipped on the article and stood to see how it fell. It was mid-thigh in length, so that was good. Athrun admired me for a moment.
"Come on, time to face the beast." He ushered me out the door and into the living room, where Kira stood fuming.
"Where did you go last night? We looked everywhere for you two!" Kira yelled.
"We went to the cemetery, and came here when it got dark." Athrun explained.
"I told you they were fine." Lacus japed at her beau.
"How'd you get there so fast?" Kira crossed his arms defensively.
"I have a car you know." Athrun shot. The conversation went on like that for a little while, until Athrun said we needed to catch a plane.
"Where are you going?" Lacus asked.
"The Eternal." Athrun said, darkening. "We're going to fetch our force. Please make sure it's needed when we return." Lacus understood and pardoned us. Kira said we should all go. "No, you two need to stay here and watch the Chairman. Make sure he has a mobile suit. I've sent him a challenge to a duel."
"The press will be all over it." Lacus warned.
"That's what I'm counting on." Athrun said as he urged me to pack. Kira watched us carefully.
"You two will need to eat before you leave." My brother voiced a concern.
"Don't worry so much, Kira. I'll take good care of her." Athrun knew that his friend was just worried about us. Kira also knew his role, and he had what let me go. I'd be fine with Athrun. Kira was just taking his time accepting that. "We'll rendezvous with the Eternal shortly after night fall. I'll call you when we get there." Athrun led us to the door. We exchanged hugs in goodbyes and good lucks.
Athrun drove us to a military compound. "I called Yzak and he got us permissions to take his task force for training mission just outside the lunar orbit." As we walked through the complex, he explained. "We will take Yzak and Dearka's Goufs to meet the Eternal."
"Who cleared this?" I asked skeptically.
"Yzak himself. He practically runs the Zaft armed forces anyway, so it was easy." Athrun smiled to himself. "Here we are, Joule." We stopped in front of a white Gouf Ignited. "Do you want this one, or Dearka's?" he asked.
"Umm," I thought for a moment. Yzak's cockpit would be safer. "This one."
"Okay," he brought down a suit from next to the machine. "Change and hop in." I pulled the suit on over what I was wearing, sliding my skirt up around my waist. I grabbed my bag and rode up to the cockpit on the rope. It took me a minute of figure out the controls. I found everything but the ignition. Luckily for me, Athrun came on the communication screen. "Need any help?" he asked, with his head casually to the side. I forgot how good he looked in his ZAFT uniform.
"Yeah, how do I start this?" With his instruction, we were ready to go in no time. "Where's the task force?" I asked once we were cleared to leave the colony.
"I gave them the week off." He smiled and launched.
I quickly gave chase. "Joule, Gouf Ignited, launching!" I let the engines lose and shot through the hanger. In the blink of an eye, I was surrounded by the blackness that is space. "Commander Zala, our troupe has left colony airspace." I mocked in report.
"You do remember that you rank higher than I do, right?"
"Okay then, Zala, we're heading out. Let's move!" I pointed a finger into the black abyss.
"Yes ma'am!" He fired up his Gouf and set a course for the lunar orbit. After a while of dead airtime, Athrun spotted the Eternal. "Cagalli, we've made it home."
"Really, I don't see Orb anywhere." I joked.
"No, but I see a familiar face." Just then, Andrew Bartfelt sent us a transmission. I allowed it on screen.
"Athrun, Cagalli, good to see you again."
"You too, Tiger." I replied. He looked the same as ever, not even a day older.
"Where are Kira and Lacus? I only see your two suits."
"We're the only ones coming, and I'm the only one fighting." Athrun smiled.
"Well, when you get close enough, you're both clear to land."
"Thank you, Captain." Athrun replied.
"It's Andrew, please."
"See you soon." I closed my link to the ship. It would be another half hour before we would be able to dock; there was still a ways to go. I closed my window to Athrun as well. I felt like I needed a moment alone. I shuffled around behind my seat for my bag. In it, I found the box that my ring had come in. Truth be told, I felt almost naked without that particular adornment. I knew it killed Athrun to watch it just get thrown aside. I looked at the box, almost in disbelief. I messed up big time, but he thanked me anyway. I marveled for a moment at the empty box. How could he be so forgiving? It's amazing.
"Cagalli, are you okay?" I heard the audio wave. I pulled his video transmission up on screen. He was fiddling with something on his phone.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Ready to get your own suit back?"
"Yes."
"Good, I'm pulling into dock now. Just follow me, but not too closely."
"Athrun, I know what I'm doing." I slowed as I neared his mobile suit, which was nearing the hanger. Slow down. Swing a little to the left. He landed his Gouf perfectly in the bay. My turn. My landing was less smooth, but I made it none the less. Once I was in, the bay door closed and I walked my machine over to an empty holding space, next to where Athrun parked. I disengaged the machine and gathered my things. I hopped out and flew across to a hand rail. I hate having no gravity sometimes.
Athrun met up with me and we kinda flew to the soldiers' quarters to stow the pilot suits. I straitened my skirt and we glided off to the bridge. "Cagalli never looked better!" Andrew called when I came in.
"Thank you." I said sarcastically.
"We need you to stay out of colony airspace," Athrun started, not wanting to wait.
"Why?"
"Just to be safe. I'm going to take the Justice and Cagalli will take the Akatsuki. We'll only need one and we're not reentering the colony either."
"A duel is what you said over the phone. Does your opponent have a suit?" Andrew asked before ordering his ship to slow.
"If not, he'll send a champion who does."
"Oh he can fly on his own." The Tiger caught a queer kind of grin.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Pull up the specs on Mare Stroud." Andrew called and a bright window appeared on the Eternal's center screen. The picture was a man with medium length brown hair and brown eyes. "He was supposed to be the pilot of the ZGMF-X56S Impulse; however, the Chairmen of the time gave it to Shinn Asuka. He was resigned to pilot to ZGMF-X31S Abyss instead. Before he ever got the suit into active service, he was shot in the Armory One incident. The wound was high on his shoulder and prevented his piloting the upper body intensive suit. He was discharged from the military shortly there after."
"This is all well and good, but what does this have to with us?" I asked, now confused.
"Stroud then changed his name to hide his military shame. However, he couldn't hide his scar. It's a prominent mark on his left shoulder, and the only readily available way to identify him."
"And?"
"He rose through the political ranks of PLANT with ease. He now sits as Chairman of ZAFT under the name of Ray De Lin."
"That bastard!" I spat. Does he have some kind of complex or something?
"So he can fly?" Athrun mused.
"As well as Shinn, without the experience." Andrew answered, not bothering to hide his smile.
"How does that compare to Athrun?" I asked.
"Run simulation, ZGMF-X19A Infinite Justice, pilot Athrun Zala, versus?"
"ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom, pilot Mare Stroud." Athrun finished.
"Why the Strike Freedom?" I asked.
"Because, it's the best." Athrun answered as the screen changed colors.
The Freedom and the Justice appeared on the screen, in a green room and the word "Begin!" flashed in bold letters. The Freedom rushed in before the Justice could move and threw a beam saber into a left side camera. The Justice retreated, but recovered and launched two high energy beams into where the Freedom just moved from. The Freedom copied its earlier move to destroy a camera on the right. "He'll blind you!" I said, fearing for the Athrun in the simulation.
"He's toying with me." Athrun studied the fight carefully. The Justice kept launching everything it had, but it was soon blinded and falling. "He wants my eyes. Stop the simulation." He walked over to Andrew. "How current is your information on me?"
"It was updated in your last battle in the ZGMF-X23S Savior."
"I've gotten better."
"But you're out of practice." I pleaded.
"It's okay. No one will go into a battle with a two time war vet without serious consideration. However, I'm confident he'll come." He jumped towards to back of the bridge. "Clear the Justice for launch, please."
"Athrun, I'm coming with you!" I jumped after him. I followed him down the hall and back to the soldiers' room. "Athrun, where are you going?"
He pulled his old uniform out of a locker. "To challenge the enemy."
"Then I'm coming too." I unlocked my old locker and pulled out my old uniform.
"Cagalli, don't you think you've done enough?" he asked, zipping his suit.
"No. As long as you're fighting, so am I." I said, zipping mine as well.
"Well then, don't forget your helmet." He ran out the door to the hanger, which was where I found him. He was already halfway up the line of Justice, so I hurried up to the Akatsuki.
"Athrun, wait up!" I hollered at him, but he just kept going. I jumped into the cockpit and engaged the engines. I heard Athrun's launch in the background. I waited until CIC told me I was clear. "Cagalli Yula Athha, Akatsuki, Launching!"
Yup, I came back to the plot. I didn't want to, but I had to move the story somehow. Please continue to review, they are appreciated! 'til tommorrow.