Chapter Two

Hope

"Someone told me that if you make a wish before pouring your milk into your coffee, your wish may be granted if the coffee spins clockwise."

She shook her head free of his words. It was Monday, and Ayame has avoided most of her friends on the weekend. Sighing a little, she sat down in her first block, History. Glancing over beside her, she found, to her surprise, that Shinn's seat was empty. 'That's strange. He's never late.' She closed her eyes and leaned back against her chair. 'Probably given up and gone back home.' It had always been that way; no one had stayed in Higrashi after crossing paths with Athrun. Up to now anyways.

"You'll fall if you keep leaning like that."

And she did, straight back towards the desk behind her. Lucky for Ayame, Shinn's fast reflexes got the better of the situation before any real damage was done. He got a hold of the back of her chair and stopped her before she was able to fall.

"See what I mean?" He said a-matter-of-factly. His face was inches from hers.

Ayame frowned. "Let go of me."

"Anything you say princess."

He withdrew his hand from the chair's support, letting her fall freely. With a loud thud, Ayame's chair landed on the cement floor. She blinked a couple of times to digest what had just happened before the throbbing pain hit her body. She quickly sat up, sending a glare towards Shinn, who, by now, was wiping his face free of the tears that came from his laughter.

Her violet eyes narrowed. "What the hell was that for?"

"What? You said to let go." Shinn smirked. "Besides, you owe me."

"What?" She searched the back of her mind. He couldn't have meant the coffee, she remembered over paying for that. "I don't owe you anything!"

"Hey, I wouldn't be in the mess I'm in right now if it weren't for you. The least you can manage is a sorry."

Ayame raised an eyebrow. 'Was this guy for real?'

"Isn't it dirty down there? Do you plan to sit there all day?" Shinn wondered. Then, seeing no reactions from her, he grabbed a hold of her arm and lifted her back up. "Gee, for a musical genius, you sure have a tendency to drift off."

'How is it possible for someone to remain so happy all the time?' She stared at him with wondrous eyes.

"Hey, did that fall somehow cripple you or something?" He waved his hand in front of her face a couple of times, trying to get her attention. "Hello? Earth to Ayame!"

She brushed his hand off roughly. "I never knew you talked so much."

Shinn smiled a little. "I never knew how little you speak."

She looked at him with an amused eye. Shaking her head, she pulled her chair back up and placed herself in the seat without a word. Shinn smiled a little before taking a seat next to her. It was still quit early in the morning, so the chances of anyone appearing in the classroom were slim to none. Suddenly remembering why he had come, he reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out some paper bills.

"Here." He said as he placed the money on her desk. "The change from the coffee."

Ayame looked from the money to Shinn, then back to the money again. "What was given out," She said slowly, pushing the money to his end of the desk. "Will not be taken back."

"But this is too much."

"Consider me a stupid costumer then." She ended the conversation.

Shinn sighed, knowing she probably wouldn't have taken it back anyways. "If you…say so."

"Shinn."

Looking past his shoulder, Ayame found a red haired girl standing by the door. Immediately, she recognized her to be Lunamaria Hawke, though now she had short hair that reached just above her shoulder. Shinn turned to his friend with a slight smile. Luna's eyes, however, was not on Shinn. Her piercing gaze was on the girl that had been socializing with her friend a couple of minutes ago.

"A word please."

"I'm listening." Shinn smiled a little.

"Privately." Lunamaria gave Ayame a look that suggested she was an outcast. "Let's go."

Thought it wasn't Shinn who got up first, but Ayame. Now days, it's impossible to find a private place in Higrashi, so she decided to withdraw herself from the classroom for the two to take advantage of the privacy. Lunamaria fixed Ayame with an intense glare as she walked by, never letting the girl leave her sight.

Shinn gave a fake cough to get her attention. "So…?"

"Do you have any idea what you are doing?" Lunamaria questioned. "People like us, don't socialize with her kind."

Shinn looked away, knowing what's coming, and somewhat annoyed at the topic. "Ayame-san really is no different from us."

"Stop fooling yourself Shinn. She belongs in the upper rank. People like her…" Lunamaria's eyes narrowed. "Will never go out of their way to get mixed up with us."

Glancing towards Ayame, Lacus wondered if the girl was really all right now. After the trauma a year and half ago, it really was hard to say if the girl she had come to admire had recovered from it all.

konna ni tsumetai tobari no fukaku de

anata wa hitori de nemutteru

inori no utagoe sabishii nohara wo

chiisa na hikari ga terashiteta

(Beneath a veil so cold,

You deeply sleep, all alone

The melody of prayer; on the lonely fields,

a little light shined)

Lacus's voice echoed through the hallway. Many stopped in their tracks to listen to the sound of her voice combined with Ayame's flawless music. Ayame closed her eyes, her fingers guiding her across the keys. Deep in her mind, his words echoed over and over again.

anata no yume wo miteta

kodomo no you ni waratteta

natsukashiku mada tooku

sore wa mirai no yakusoku

(I watched as you dreamed

You laughed like a child

So dear, and yet so far -

That is the promise of our future)

"I know what you're going to do to me, but mark my words, I will not back down. I'm here to stay until I graduate, so there's nothing you or anyone else can do to kick me out!"

itsuka midori no asa ni

itsuka tadoritsukeru to

fuyugareta kono sora wo

shinjiteiru kara

Fields of hope

(That one day, on a green morning,

One day, we will make it there

Because in this wintered sky

We still believe

Fields of Hope)

"Did you see?"

"They were together."

"Talking."

"What about Athrun-san?"

"Yes, what about Athrun-san?"

Amongst the hallways was the prince himself. Though he tried to ignore all the whispers behind his back, his heart told him otherwise. Turning, he found a couple of girls staring at him while giggling amongst themselves. 'I could have any of these girls. So why…?' He stopped, suddenly forgetting where he was going. 'Why?' His thoughts, however, was interrupted by the collision of another's body against his. He stumbled a few steps backwards, quickly regaining his balance.

"Did I walk into a wall?"

Looking down, he found a blond girl sitting on the floor with a pile of books scattered around her. "No, just me." He smiled a little, extending a hand in an attempt to help her up.

She, however, wasn't one to forgive so quickly. "This is a hallway. If you are going to be a road block, go on the streets." She said while gathering her books.

"Sorry." Bending, Athrun proceeded to help her. He gave a little smile when he picked up her timetable, seeing that this girl was in most of his classes. "First day?" He assumed.

"That's really none of your business." The girl said sharply as she snatched the timetable from his hands.

Athrun chuckled. "Must be." He had seen countless newbies starting in Higrashi with the same attitude. "Need help getting around?"

"No, I'll live." She said as she turned, hurrying off.

He smiled a little. "Good luck."

His smile faded though, as he turned to the opposite direction of where the girl was headed, towards the music wing. Like it or not, there were still unfinished business. Looking back at the past year, his life hasn't exactly been easy. He had been fooling himself, telling him each and every day that Ayame Kashino was still in love with him, and was probably waiting in Japan for him to get back. He thought she would be okay, that she would go back to the person he knew, but the reality of things was, Ayame wasn't getting better, her conditions had turned worse. That night, when he saw her on stage, he realized that her fragile body was barely holding up. Even though she might look calm on the surface, she was breaking down inside. And it pained him to see that there was nothing he could do to help her.

umarete kita hi ni dakishimete kureta

yasashii ano te wo sagashiteru

inori no utagoe hitotsu kiete mata hajimaru

tayorinaku setsunaku tsuzuku

(On the day we were born, we were embraced

And now we search for those gentle hands again

The melody of prayer; one vanishes,

And all begins again; a powerless, painful continuation)

He listened outside of the classroom. Lacus Clyne never ceased to amuse him. It was the music that seemed strange and out of line. Ayame was playing all the right notes, he can tell, but there was a certain edginess to her notes that made the song itself sorrowful.

"Itsuka midori no asa-" Lacus suddenly stopped.

So did the music. Ayame's eyes widened, realizing the unmistaken truth. She had hit a wrong note. Lacus glanced at the girl, a worried expression on her face, knowing for a fact that the genius herself had never made a mistake before.

"Is something wrong?" Lacus spoke, her voice held a certain degree of demand.

Athrun stood by the door, listening in on the conversation. He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but he thought if Ayame wouldn't open up to him, then maybe she would open up to Lacus. The songstress watched as Ayame closed up the cover to the keys and gathered her music, obviously wanting to avoid the conversation.

"You can't shut us out forever." Lacus placed a hand on Ayame's to stop her from whatever she was doing. "Let us help you."

She was silent for some time. "You can't." Looking up, she glanced into the elder girl's eyes. Lacus took a step back, never had she seen the girl with such a crazed look in her eyes. "Nobody can…"

Quickly, Ayame got up, heading for the door, leaving her music behind. Athrun stepped in, blocking her path. Their eyes met, and she couldn't help but look away from his stare. Lacus got the message, knowing the two had questions that can only be answered within each other. So she left, wanting to give that little time they desperately need to work things out. An uncomfortable silence shouldered its way into the two as soon as Lacus closed the door to the empty classroom. After much thought, she advanced forward, wrapping her arms around his familiar body, afraid that he might vanish if she were to let go.

"Is it…too late to get back together?" She asked slowly.

There was a pause. He glanced down at the girl he once loved, for a moment tempted by her. But then, what good would he be doing by getting back with her? They would just end up hurting each other. So with what little courage he had left, he said those words he thought he would never say.

"Yea. It's too late."

"How's she doing?" Kira asked during lunchtime.

"Not so good." Lacus sighed, handing her boyfriend a box of sushi. "She's a mess."

"Make that the two of them." Kira mentioned towards Athrun, who hasn't said a word since this morning.

"He'll be fine. Her, I'm not so sure." Lacus watched as her boyfriend popped a sushi into his mouth. "I don't think she can hold up any longer."

But he wasn't listening. Instead, his eyes seemed to have taken interest in a rather distinguished subject. "How do you heal emotional wounds?"

"I don't know, how?" Lacus wondered, looking towards where Kira was staring, and the answer became clear to her.

"You find someone to mend your wounds."

"Stop fooling yourself Shinn. She belongs in the upper rank. People like her will never go out of their way to get mixed up with us."

Shinn gave a long sigh. Come to think of it, Lunamaria was right to some degree. Even if they built a relationship just as friends, there would be no outcome. But he couldn't stop himself from getting close to her. He was attracted to Ayame Kashino, he can tell that much. 'Come on, stop thinking about her!' He resisted the urge to bang his head on the nearby wall; instead, he slapped a hand over his face to stop himself from thinking such nonsense. Without realizing it, he walked straight into someone.

"Sumimasen!" Shinn apologized quickly; bowing so low he could only see the other person's shoe.

"Asuka-san."

The voice seemed familiar to him. Glancing up, he saw the face of Athrun Zala standing there with a small frown. "You." Was all Shinn could manage to say before a couple joined Athrun.

"Did you find her?" The girl, who Shinn recognized to be Lacus Clyne, asked with worry written all over her face.

Athrun turned from Shinn's glare towards the two, shaking his head he answered. "I looked everywhere."

"Ayame isn't one to worry others. Maybe she's already gone back home." Kira suggested.

At the mention of Ayame's name, Shinn's ears perked up. Strange enough, she had been absent from all of her classes that afternoon. Shinn's first guess was that Ayame had been skipping class, but the last time she neglected her education was god knows when, so it wasn't possible for her to be skipping. Shaking his head, he reminded himself that it was none of his business. Looking towards the sky though, he noticed that it had begun to rain. The three upperclassmen had been speaking of Ayame's absence, so naturally, he became uninterested of the topic and left.

Outside, the rain that nuzzled his face had soon developed into a fully-grown storm. He was thankful to some degree that he had decided to bring an umbrella to school this morning. Down the street, people hurried to get out of the way of the storm. Then he wondered if she were still out, hiding in the corner of the city somewhere, avoiding the rain.

"It's none of my business." He told himself dumbly. But if it were truly none of his business, then why couldn't he stop thinking about her?

He shrunk deeper into the comfort of his warm jacket. It was cold. Then suddenly, something on the beach caught his eyes. It really did strike him as odd as to why someone would be sitting out on a day like this. Squinting his eyes closed, he saw that the girl seemed somewhat familiar to him. The curve of her back, her once flawless hair now soaked with water. Then it hit him.

"Ayame-san…"

She sat with her legs pulled up against her check, face buried into her knees. To many, Ayame Kashino may have been surrounded, but in reality, she was truly all alone. Once in a while, her body shook from the coolness of the torrent that soaked her back, but she could care less now.

Then it stopped. The harshness of the moist against her delicate skin simply vanished. Looking out, she saw that it was still raining, but she could no longer feel the pain. Confused, she glanced up to see that a black umbrella had been placed over her head.

"Shinn…"

"You'll catch a cold."

She rested her chin back onto her knees. "It doesn't matter." She replied bitterly.

Something was wrong, he could tell. "You didn't go to class this afternoon."

"So?"

He glanced at her through the corner of his eyes. "Ayame-san."

Her eyes darkened. "You don't understand me."

He sighed. "I didn't before, but I do now." He spoke, his eyes focused on the horizon of which the sun ceased to exist.

There was a pause. Seeing her this way reminded him of himself a couple of years back, when he lost his parents. It was raining that day as well, that tragic day when the accident happened. He knew what she was going through. The horror of the Kashino family's condition had been all over the news for the past five years. He heard of how Ayame's mother passed away when she was only a child, of what her stepfather did to her brother, and of the split between the family fortune.

There was silence. Ayame stared at him, lost. Her life had been a mess up to this point, it seemed as though everything was against her wishes. The pressure had pushed her to the point where she was ready to take her own life. She was so unsure, but somehow, when she glanced into Shinn's eyes, she felt a small part of her that had been locked away long ago.

"You pretend like nothing's wrong, that nothing could hurt, or upset you. But really, you were the one being wounded, perhaps the reason why you push everyone away. After all, what is there to loose if there's nothing left to give?" He glanced to find her eyes swollen with the tears she was trying to hold back. "Then you realize just how much you've lost by acting the way you did, and you regret ever being the person you were."

He placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. "It's okay to be afraid Ayame-san. It's okay to just be yourself instead of living up to the person the others expect you to be."

She reached out, encircling her arms around his waist, pulling him into a tight embrace. Shinn was caught off guard; his mind went blank for a moment, completely shocked by her actions. His eyes though, softened as he watched her shaken form. Her muffled sobs were heard as she cried softly into his chest.

He gently wrapped his arms around her small body, allowing her take comfort in his body. "So you won't have to regret anymore."

Despite the cold rain that had washed over their bodies that day, a new flame had began to burn deep inside of Ayame, the fire of hope.

Her hips swung to the slow music as she shifted weight from one foot to another. Suddenly, the beats picked up more paste as her feet moved to the dance steps. Her elegant fingers traced her perfectly curved body. Her golden eyes flared with expression as she let her partner put his hands all over her. Though she knew the Mambo consisted a large quantity of sex appeal, the man who had been appointed to her as her new partner still bothered her. None the less, it was the only way to impress the judges, so she did her best to ignore her partner's sexual harassment, mentally making a note to knock his front teeth out after she got this entrance exam over with. Suddenly, the music stopped.

"That's enough Attha-san."

Quickly, she stepped off to the side and waited as the five dance teachers looked down at their papers, adding up their scores. Four years ago, Cagalli Yula Attha would never set foot anywhere near anything that would make her seem girly, but one day, all her perspectives changed. She still remembered that day four years ago, when she first met her. Hikari Kashino was a beautiful woman, she can remember that much, the person who inspired her to the art of the Latin Dance. After Kashino-san's performance in America, Cagalli saw to it her dream to one day be just like her. So there she was, in the same school that Hikari Kashino had attended, hoping that her dreams might be achieved.

"Your skills are very unique, Cagalli-san." Natarle Badgiruel, head of the dance studio admitted. Immediately, a smile came upon Cagalli's eyes. "However." She glanced down at the sheets in her lap. "I'm not quite sure you meet our expectations."

Cagalli's face dropped. "I'm not quite sure I understand." What did they mean she doesn't quite meet their expectations? She was ranked one of the top dancers in her school back at Chicago! Why should it be any different here?

"What I mean is, your skills…don't come in comparison with Group A of our school. Therefore, I cannot place you in the top rank."

A vain was threatening to pop on Cagalli's head. She glared hard towards Natarle. "And who, may I ask, is in Group A?"

"Can you believe it!" Cagalli shouted inside the car. "They placed me in group B! Second ranking of dancers! Me!"

Kira raised an eyebrow. "That's a good thing, right?" He questioned, keeping his eyes on the road while they drove for home.

"No!"

The car suddenly jerked right before going back to its right course. Once again, Cagalli had succeeded in almost crashing Kira's car by her screaming demands. Kira was silent for a moment, knowing that if he spoke now, she would only get angrier. When it looked like Cagalli had gone back to her normal breathing rate, he spoke again.

"So…who's in group A?" He asked, though he already knew a couple that was for sure to be there.

" Fllay Allster, Athrun Zala and Ayame Kashino." Cagalli answered in a much calmer tune. "But someone told me that Ayame chick dropped a year ago, so she's probably not going to be a problem. Fllay Allster though, where have I heard that name before?" She pondered on the name for a minute. Kira gave a fake cough, and realization finally hit her. "Didn't you use to go out with her?"

"Hence the word 'use'."

Cagalli raised an eyebrow. "So…what happened?"

"Not much." Kira said in somewhat a fake cheerful tune. "Turned out she was only playing me."

"Oh." Cagalli rolled her eyes. It was so typical of her twin brother to be fooled. "Well I heard she's all over this Athrun guy now."

"Really?" Though he sound somewhat unsurprised. "Well Athrun is looking for a new partner. According to Natarle-sensei, Fllay Allster is leeching onto Athrun-kun, one, because he's good looking, and two, because he can carry her to the top."

"I thought she's already at the top." Cagalli looked towards Kira curiously.

"I mean internationally."

Cagalli gave Kira a blank look, either not getting it, or refusing the fact that Athrun was going worldwide. "Internationally?" She repeated.

"Honestly, do they not have TV in that private school of yours?"

Cagalli slapped Kira in the arm, nearly making him crash for the second time that day. Even though the twins hasn't been there for each other at all, seeing as though Cagalli moved to the U.S under her father's wishes while Kira stayed in Japan, their relationship with one and another had been closer than ever.

"Wait a minute, isn't this Athrun character your…"

"Best friend." Kira finished off for her.

"Oh." Cagalli raised an amused eyebrow. There was a moment's silence, then. "I'm still listening." She said, somewhat interested.

"Athrun and Ayame went international a year and half ago, their skills showed great potential. With a few twists from Athrun's father, Patrick Zala, they were accepted into the international dance competition held in England that year as representatives of Japan."

Beside him, his sister listened intently. Then, leaning back against the seat of the car, she pretended she was uninterested in the subject. "If they were so great, how come they didn't come in first?"

Even though her head was turned towards the window beside the passenger seat, her gaze was still on Kira. She wanted to know more, but didn't want her little brother to know she cared. Kira, on the other hand, was totally aware of what his sister was trying to do. Thinking a few, he decided it wasn't in his best interest to blow her cover. So he went on.

"Well…" He said as he pulled into the driveway of their mansion. "Ayame withdrew from the competition a day before their show dance."

"Why?" She urged.

Kira paused, thinking of the right words to phrase what he was about to say. After much thought, he realized, that there were no right words to the sentence he was about to say. So he simply put it into the easiest dictum he can manage.

"She went nuts."

"Athrun-kun! Athrun-kun!"

The emerald-eyed boy sighed for the god knows how many time that day. Somehow, the news of his split with Ayame had gotten out of control. Athrun had been chased around the school numerous times by fan girls. When he finally thought he had slipped out of their sight, somebody else manages to find him. He prayed for it not to be some crazy chick that wants to marry him. Sighing, he turned around with his usual calm expression.

"Oh, Fllay-san. It's only you." Even though he didn't like the girl much, it still was a hell of a lot better than getting raped by a weirdo. "What can I do for you?" He asked politely.

"I heard what happened."

'And here I thought god was on my side.' He nearly slapped himself for not running while he had the chance. Instead, he settled for a somewhat fake smile. "News sure travel fast around here."

"Yea well, that's not what I'm here for." Fllay got straight to the point. "Now that you and Ayame are toast, I guess you won't be dancing together anymore huh?"

'She sure has a way with words.' Athrun rolled his eyes.

"Since you and I are both in Group A." She went on, choosing not to notice Athrun's hint of annoyance. "Why don't we-?"

"Sumimasen." He apologized before giving a low bow. "But Ayame and I will continue the partnership."

If there was one thing Fllay Allster can't stand, it's people lying to her. "Cut the crap Athrun Zala." She had lost it. "You and I both know that Ayame Kashino withdrew a year ago from the program! She won't ever-"

"Ayame has not yet officially resigned." Athrun cut her off.

For a moment Fllay's face appeared more screwed than words could describe. Then, surprisingly, her expression turned calm. "Still protecting her?" Fllay smirked. "You know she won't dance anymore, at least not with you. Ayame Kashino can't get through a day without visiting my father. That freak."

At that, Athrun became tensed. He turned towards the girl, his eyes no longer held that soft gaze. A mask of iciness took over. "I warn you Fllay Allster, speak of Ayame in such way again, and I will make sure your life here is no more pleasant than the one you've left behind." With those words said, he started to walk away, but stopped halfway down the hall. "By the way, I'm quitting."

'Not up to standards huh?' Cagalli thought bitterly as she moved to the rhythm of the music. For the past twelve years, she had been living in New York, studying aboard a private school as her father, Uzumi Attha had wished. Still the tomboy she was, the only thing considered 'girly' that Cagalli actually comes in contract with was dancing. But no matter how hard she worked at developing her skills, she still didn't seem good enough.

"I'll show them!"

With that, she broke into a spin towards her right. By now, the dance studio was empty. Assuming that everyone had gone home, Cagalli didn't have her guard up about having people around. Which was exactly the reason why the sound of sliding doors brought her out of her concentration, causing her right foot to trip over her left. The end result of such messed up dance steps was Cagalli landing on another.

"Ashikarazu!" She quickly apologized, afraid to look at whom she had landed on.

"Funny how we keep bumping into each other." That voice seemed all too familiar.

Her eyes snapped open at that annoying chuckle to see that her face was only inches from Athrun's. "You again?" She screamed.

There was exactly two minutes of awkward silence before Athrun spoke. "I'd really like to lay here too, but you are crushing my lungs."

Finally realizing the position they were in, Cagalli quickly rolled off of Athrun, purposely crushing his right shoulder in the process. Athrun gave a low groan of pain before pushing himself off the floor, quickly moving his arm to see if it was broken.

"What are you doing here?" Cagalli questioned. "Are you stalking me or something?"

Athrun raised an eyebrow, checking her out from head to toe. "Yea, you might be a little bit too flat for that."

Big burn! A vain was threatening to pop on Cagalli's forehead. 'I'll show you what's flat! My fist!' She thought angrily.

"You want to have coffee with me?"

Suddenly, all schemes of ripping him in half vanished. 'No! Say no! You barely know him!' But his dazzling emerald eyes, his sexy body, his silky blue hair, how could anyone resist that? She was tempted, very tempted by the idea.

"Sure, why not?"

"So, you are a transfer from New York?" Athrun smiled a little, setting the mug down on the table. "No wonder your style is so different."

They had reached a café a couple of minutes ago, ordered some coffee and started talking. Well, mostly Cagalli talking anyways. Athrun had decided to be a good student and listen while the blond in front of him chattered away.

"Yea well…apparently, I'm not good enough." She sighed. "I get to choose my partner next week. They say this guy from Group A is really good, I hope I get to work with him."

"And…who is this guy exactly?" Although Athrun already know the answer, he still couldn't help but ask.

She hesitated, glancing around to make sure no one was looking, so they wouldn't mistaken her for one of Athrun's fan girls. "Athrun Zala of course." She blushed, lowering her voice. "Rumor has it he's looking for a new partner right now."

Athrun groaned in annoyance. 'Does everyone in the whole frickin school know?'

"Though I do feel somewhat sorry for him."

He blinked. "Really? Why?"

"You know, getting chased around by all those people. He must know by now that all they want from him is fame." She glanced down at her mug. "It hurts to live a lie, knowing that when people compliment you, they only want something in return." Such words brought memories to her own past. "Must be tiring to be surrounded by people, yet be completely alone at the same time."

"Are you pitying him?"

"No, not pity." She shook her head. "I envy him."

Athrun gave her a confused look. "What is there to envy?"

Cagalli smiled a little, yet this smile seems distant and sad. "Despite the loneness, someone somewhere is glad that he was born, because in him, they've found their life worthwhile." He looked confused. She went on. "His skills showed people hope. Thousands of girls work hard each day for a chance to dance with thy great Athrun Zala."

"Even though they'll probably never get the opportunity, they don't give up. For that, I envy Athrun-san, because he is able to give hope through something as simple as dancing. It must have been the same with Ayame-san. But people often don't realize how much hope they can give by doing what they do." She glanced up to find Athrun staring at her intensely. Blushing, she looked back down. "I guess I'm not making much sense."

There was silence. Never had Athrun thought of himself that way before, never. He had always thought what he was doing was pointless, and the only reason he was still dancing was to keep Ayame close. Now, after brushing Ayame off like it doesn't matter anymore, he seriously considered quitting. Yet this girl that he had met only a couple of days ago somehow convinced him to change his mind.

"You too…wish to dance with Athrun Zala?" He asked hopefully.

"Yes."

She didn't look up from the mucky liquid in her mug. Again, there was an awkward silence. For a moment, Athrun thought her reply would be no. She said herself that she envied Athrun's ability to motivate people. Then, there came a whisper, so low that he wasn't sure he heard it. Yet deep down, he knew what she said, and that answer gave him strength to dance, not only for himself, but the people whose hope rests within his hands.

"Ashikarazu. But I have to go now."

Before Cagalli had realized what was happening, the boy had up and left the café, having paid for the coffee ahead of times. A deep blush crept up to Cagalli's face as she sat there, thinking back to what she said to a complete stranger. 'Great, now he probably thinks I'm a weirdo.' She thought miserably. Then, glancing up, her eyes widened, as if noticing for the first time that Athrun had left. Quickly, she raced out the door to catch up, but he was already nowhere to be found.

"I didn't even get…his name."

Haruka: Well, there you go! Chapter Two! The song was Feilds of Hope from Gundam Seed Destiny. Should I pair Athrun and Cagalli up as dance partners in my next chapter? Or should Ayame go back to dancing with Athrun? Please tell me in a review!