A/N: First to attend to is to reply to reviews and I think I will keep the reviews open for any questions about the story if there are any. Anyways onto thank-yous.

Lac-le: thanks for the first review ever for this story, it is appreciated and it gives me the motivation to write more and further the story.

Known as r: I thank you for your encouragement thus far. I have for a long time enjoyed your stories The Great KingThe Greatest King, and Humanity's Judgment they were astoundingly well written and have for a long time dominated my Favorites list.

Cherimai: Thanks as well, the reviews encourage me to write more, I appreciate the support being given to this story.

Now onto the story and the birth of another character…

CHAPTER 4 – KORA

Cagalli opened her eyes and gazed at the man next to her reflecting on what he and Kira had told her. She had made her decision; she would bring about an alliance and union between Naturals and Coordinators without sacrificing ORB's ideals. She got up, careful not to wake Athrun and when to take a shower. After her shower was done she came out wrapped in a towel and saw Athrun had woken up. He smiled at her, "Good morning, Cagalli."

She smiled and kissed him, before going to her closet to put on her maroon suit. Athrun, though he had seen her naked before, was looking the other way to give her privacy. She smiled, and quickly finished getting dressed. Athrun got up and said, "I am going to take a shower and than I'll see you down at breakfast?" He gave her a small grin which she returned, nodding.

Athrun gave her an amative kiss while after a few minutes Cagalli broke, "Get going, if I hadn't broken things just now I would have sworn you were going to remain lip-locked with me all day.

Athrun grabbed some towels giving his lover a grin, "Perhaps."

Cagalli grabbed a pillow and threw it at his retreating form as he closed the bathroom door. The pillow harmlessly hit the door and Cagalli grabbed it before tossing it on the bed. She left and walked down to the table, adamant that today she would take control of her life. She refused to allow her fellow Representatives of ORB decide it for her. She sat down and started eating when she heard someone walking up behind her, "Hello, Cagalli."

She instantly scowled as Yuuna Roma Seiran sat down need to her. She however turned to him cleaning the scowl off her face, "Good morning, Yuuna."

Yuuna and the rest of the Seiran family seemed to think they had Cagalli's hand secured to them but she was going to prove otherwise. Yuuna said, "Cagalli, the rest of the Council of Representatives and I are worried about your closeness to all these Coordinators."

This time she didn't hide her anger, "What is that supposed to mean?"

The Council is trying to be understanding of the circumstances but you seem to only spend time in counsel with Coordinators rather than with your countrymen."

Cagalli said, "I don't spend my time in counsel with Coordinators, The only Coordinator that has been around for months has been Kira and I talk with him because he is my little brother."

"And the others?"

"They are PLANT's ambassadors, Lacus Clyne was dispatched to confront the Earth Alliance…"

"Than why is she here and not on the Moon perhaps or with the Eurasian or Atlantic Federation."

"Because she just arrived yesterday and besides, she is my brother's fiancée, did you think he wanted to see her?"

"And this Asuran Zara?"

Cagalli corrected him, "Athrun Zala, PLANT's ambassador to ORB. I agreed to receive their ambassador."

Yuuna was about to open his mouth again but stopped and she saw why as Athrun came in and sat further down the table, Lacus a few minutes later joined them. Yunna said, "I'll take my leave, Cagalli."

With a smile at her he left, and Kira joined the table. Cagalli looked down at Athrun, "I'm sorry, Athrun but I have to attend to business before we can attend to the matters between ORB and PLANT. Want to meet me for lunch, so we can at least have SOME time together?"

Athrun gave her a smile, "Sure, Cagalli. I'll see you then."

She had about been ready to ask Kira if he was ready to go, but noticed that he had since vanished from the table. Athrun gave her a smile, "He disappeared with Lacus a moment ago."

"That is fine," Cagalli turned to Mana and said, "I'll take another bodyguard with me and give Kira the day off to spend with Lacus."

She left the room, and got into the car to head to the Parliament House. Once she got there she saw several of her own fellow representatives there. "Good morning," they said and she tersely gave a hurried reply to them in return. As they settled down she looked to them always knowing them to have something to say to her, there was always a decision to be decided. Down the table she saw Yuuna and his father and his father immediately seeing no one had anything to say, picked up the reins and said, "We understand you allowed ORB to receive two ambassadors the other day from PLANT."

Cagalli knew this was going to be an issue since she had not confronted them upfront about it, "Yes, I received the ambassador for the Eurasian and Atlantic Federations as well as one for our own sovereign state."

"And what do you hope to accomplish from this gesture?"

"Excuse me?"

"What are you hoping to accomplish? An alliance with Coordinators?"

She immediately felt a stab of anger at the way the Council seemed to be referring to Coordinators. She swallowed her anger and said matter-of-factly, "Yes, or at the very least we will be one to re-forge and aid in bring peace betweens the two faces of humanity: between our Naturals and PLANT's Coordinators. I realize I have also gotten many suits from numerous Orban families of this Council and I announce I am rejecting all of them,"

This announcement immediately elicited from all of those families shock expressions. Yunna's father himself said, "Lady Cagalli, your father had long decided….."

Cagalli stood up and firmly said, "That was my Father's decision and he is dead. This decision however is mine. During the uncertainty of the Bloody Valentine War we needed the promise of inner unity to maintain our ideals however the situation has changed, the world has changed. It is no longer at war and bonds of unity and understanding are needed beyond the borders of our country and between people of different nationalities. That is why I wish to be the first to extend our hand to PLANT in an alliance between Naturals and Coordinators, an alliance that agrees to uphold and maintain the peace that so many sacrificed their lives to obtain in the previous war."

Everybody was silent, and Cagalli waited for them to process what she meant. She had every rite to sever the agreements her father made concerning her future, but she had no right to decide by herself that ORB would enter into an agreement with PLANT. That day was a pivotal day in which many things were argued in favor or against an alliance with PLANT. Cagalli however cleanly defended her position with an efficiency and vigor that even surprised her. When they parted to take a lunch break they still hadn't decided on anything but she was fairly certain that for once she would have her way. Normally it was her who surrendered but today she had taken control. The last step left after asserting this position and defending it was to reach a compromise with those who disagreed with her. She exited the Parliament House and saw Athrun standing by a car, waiting for her. She silently muttered, "Athrun, it is 2 in the afternoon. I would have understood if you ate without me by now."

Athrun shook his head, as Cagalli slipped into the passenger seat, "I was fine. Kira said for me to tell you thank you for the day off," Cagalli gave a small smile, as Athrun drove with the wind blowing in her golden hair, "So how was business this morning?"

"No agreements yet but I have opened the path for negotiations and talks of alliances with PLANT."

"I see, well that is good. In the long run it will make things a lot easier for the both of us politically."

"Yes, I was surprised the idea seemed to go down so well with some of the members. Others are resisting it still but their arguments I am sure can be dissuaded with compromising."

"You seemed so enthusiastic about it."

"I hate politics, I really do."

Athrun laughed and said, "Again that makes two of us."

When they finally found a place to eat, Athrun like a gentlemen seated Cagalli before sitting down himself. They both ordered kabobs (A/N: Oh boy) Cagalli decided to fill in Athrun with what she said but during the whole conversation he seemed literally thousands of miles away. She couldn't help but get angry, she had wanted to talk to him all day and all he did was brush her attempts at conversation off, "Are you even listening?"

"Yes, well, not really. I apologize."

Cagalli suddenly realized it hadn't been intentional at all, "What is wrong, Athrun?"

He looked down, taking her hands which where on the small table in his own, "Allowing you to be harassed by suitors and claimed by other men doesn't sit so well with me."

"I am working on it…..if you were listening a moment ago….."

At that moment the server reappeared bringing their meal, "Thank you for waiting, ma'am and sir. Here is your meal."

They laid down the kabobs and both the chili and yogurt sauce. Cagalli was about to make a grab for the chili sauce but Athrun had grabbed it before her. She couldn't help but think how rude not to let a lady go first. Athrun seemed to realize his mistake and gave her the sauce before he had even put it on his own kabob. She said, "Thanks."

She poured it all over her kabob, giving the sauce back to Athrun who had a bit of a slightly lost look on his face. She chewed her food before glaring, "What?!"

Suddenly she chewed on something hard and though it wasn't polite, she put her fingers in her mouth fishing out the hard thing. She had to clean away the chili sauce before she saw what it was: a ring. (A/N: Same one as the one Athrun gave her in GS: Destiny) She was shocked as she looked at him. He said, "I slipped it on the sauce container before I gave it back to you but, "he gave a laugh, "I expected you to see it before you poured. I didn't expect you to eat it; I was expecting you to wear it."

Cagalli expression of shock turned to slight annoyance, and she gave him a small smack on the head, "You don't give engagements rings to girls like this."

"Well, I am sorry but I have reason to believe you would hardly appeal for me to do it by kneeling would you?"

"Well," she said slowly, "you are right about that," she smiled, sucking the chili sauce off the ring and placing it on her left ring finger.

SEVEN MONTHS LATER…

Athrun ran his fingers through his hair, pacing back and forth up and down the hallways of the Athha mansion impatiently. Mana, Cagalli's confidant and maid, had finally kicked him out when things had gotten worse for Cagalli as if trying to help him as much as her but the separation was torturous. Cagalli was strong and spirited, but he wanted to be there, there were things that even she would struggle with and the fact that she was in pain was all the more reason he wanted to barge in. The only reason he hadn't was the fact Cagalli and the doctor didn't need distractions that such an action was sure to cause so here he was lamenting in frustration.

He had been able to briefly talk to Kira over a communication device a few hours earlier. Kira hadn't been able to stay at Lacus' side either during her delivery though he had heard the end result had been a healthy baby boy and Lacus' had been fine. Athrun couldn't help but worry though; the doctor had mentioned that they were having slight difficulties. He wondered if they kicked him out to suppress any bad developments or news. He gritted his teeth and continued his pacing, constantly battling in favor of and against disturbing the things going on in the next room. Cagalli's cries of pain made him feel worse; he was such a jerk to make her have to go through with this. He never wanted to put Cagalli through any pain and suddenly he ruefully thought, isn't that what child birth is for females. Such irony, I love her so much and yet in the end I bring her pain in this form.

Suddenly he heard someone opening the door. He charged inside, ramming into someone and knocking them off balance. Immediately he was relieved to see Cagalli beaming with a wailing babe in her arms. She looked at him before proudly stating, "A girl."

He didn't care whether it was boy or girl, the baby was remarkable. The baby opened its eyes and Cagalli happily said, "She has your eyes, and her uncle's hair."

The beautiful intense emerald orbs enraptured his attention before he turned to face Cagalli, "And her mother's beauty."

Cagalli simply blushed and said, "What do you want to name her? I waited especially for you to do so."

Athrun thought a moment, taken aback; he hadn't expected to be asked to name her. He stared down at the child, suddenly realizing that this child was the flesh and blood impression that Coordinators and Naturals could live in peace. Their child would be their hope, and would be the one to maintain the peace for the next generation; already she looked ready to face the life ahead of her with her spirit. He muttered silently so only Cagalli and the child could hear, "Kora."

A/N: DONE!!!!!!! Keir and Kora, the heirs to the Clyne Faction and ORB, the defenders of the new age of peace, have been born. Next chapter will bring all the characters back into one cohesive storyline.