This fanfic is a Fantasy/Action/Adventure/Romance one...

Disclaimer: Michiyo Hikari does not own anything from the anime/manga series, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed.

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Chapter 4 – It's Fire

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Lacus Clyne sat on the green blades of grass at the cliff overlooking the city of Feryllia. All around her were different kinds of plants and flowers that she created herself. On her side was a tall plant called Mephyr and can be identified with its triangular green leaves that could be crushed together and its extracted juice would serve as an antidote for most poisons. Planted beside the Mephyr was a bush known as Feria and its indigo flowers were used as herbal medicines for people who had high fevers and seasickness. The said plants were created when she sang at the place or simply willed them to be formed.

Laucs tucked away a few strands of her long pink hair behind her ear as she looked down at the sleeping figure of her lord, Kira Yamato, laying his head, serenely sleeping on her lap. She brushed off some brown locks that covered his eyes and giggled as they opened and revealed wonderful lavender orbs.

Kira smiled seeing Lacus. She really was an exquisite angel with those soft blue eyes he could stare at for who-knows-how-long. He met her seconds after he accidentally created his very first wind blade eight years ago. He assumed it was his fault that his parents filed a divorce. Kira was alone in the park when it happened. The moment he swayed his hand in frustration, a strong lash of wind came from his arm and hit the tree in front of him. It had a big diagonal gash that nearly cut it in half until Lacus appeared from behind and sang to the tree, which returned back to its original state.

Maybe someday I'll finally be able to tell you,

"Did you sleep well, Kira?" Lacus asked, the fingers of her hand wandering through his hair.

Kira sat up before he answered Lacus. "Yeah. Sorry I slept like that, your legs must be numb now." He felt a strong blow of guilt as he turned away, pretending to glance around the area. Just because Lacus was his Guardian, he didn't have the right to waste her time. Right? It was undeniable that he enjoyed being with her but what about her feelings? Did he really consider them before asking her to spend some time with him? Not exactly.

just how much you mean to me...

Lacus placed her hand on Kira's cheek and gently made him look at her as she smiled. "Kira, it's alright."

Kira nodded as he swallowed hard, trying not to blush. "T-Thanks, Lacus." Feeling that he might do something stupid because of her looking at him like that, Kira stood up and headed near the edge of the cliff for a better view. From where he was, he saw small houses lined up with the big church in the middle, and a few tall buildings scattered here and there. He surveyed the city that served as his second home as he gladly breathed the fresh air that greeted him. Kira closed his eyes as he pondered about the wonders of Syphoria and how it never ceased to amaze him. He suddenly opened them again the moment Lacus held his hand.

...because right now, staying with you like this...

"Kira?"

"Yes, Lacus?"

"I'm really happy I met you."

Astounded by the sudden turn of the conversation, Kira felt as if his heart stopped for a second before a smile crept on his face. "Me too."

...is already enough for me.

≈

Hands placed in the pockets of her jeans, Cagalli auspiciously walked down the path to the city up ahead. She had recently spoken to Kira about going home later that afternoon and he agreed to the idea. They did have to go home sooner than later.

Chaos was currently renting a room inside her whacked head since she overheard Athrun's conversation with his 'brother' the previous evening. She didn't fancy going into details even though she wanted to know more about the matter.

Cagalli shook her head as she tried to get rid of the things that began to bombard her mind. It's none of my business.

An eerie feeling gave her the assurance that if she tried to put the pieces of the intricate puzzle together, she would not like the outcome and those things were exactly the last ones she wanted to haunt her head.

"Big brother, it's you!"

Cagalli's head was turned to the direction of the voice of what sounded like a little boy. At the field meters away from her were a bunch of kids who seemed to be huddled together to see something very interesting in the middle of their circle. They were all laughing and obviously having fun with each other's company. Cagalli was never really good with handling little ones. Most of the time: she got annoyed when they cried, irritated when they fought, and got mad when they jeopardized her day. Overall, she didn't like those "little devils" as she put it.

Moving her gaze to her right, she noticed two old women talking as they also watched the children.

"That young man, he really is very close to those kids," said the tall lady with raven-black hair.

The other woman chuckled. "Any maiden would be lucky to marry him."

Any maiden would be lucky to marry him? Who's 'him'? Cagalli wondered. The said mysterious young man intrigued the blonde. She didn't feel any attraction towards him – well, she hasn't even seen him – and she never was that type of girl who drooled over guys either. She was just curious as to what precisely was the type of guy that would make 'any maiden' lucky to be their wife. Cagalli snickered at the thought... guys, what was so great about them?

"You can't live with 'em, you can't live without 'em." The girl quoted a host from some TV show she stumbled upon weeks before. Cagalli had to agree despite its irony. The line had a point but she could not picture herself with a boyfriend. She could just imagine the poor lad suffering from her tormenting acts when she got angry. Sniggering, Cagalli thought to herself, I'd never fall in love.

Cagalli spun her attention back to the field to see the "young man". The children were now sitting quietly and the blonde gaped when she saw who they were surrounding.

No way...NO WAY...

Oh please, what's so surprising? It's just-

"I want something too, Athrun-san!"

Athrun chuckled as he placed a little girl on his lap. "All right, Raine." He soon held out his hand and as though a little fountain was floating above his palm, cerulean water sprouted from it and it magically transformed itself into a little ballerina. After that, the said object became a sparkling ice figurine. Athrun handed the object to the little girl who squealed excitedly when she took the figurine in her small hands. "There you go. As long as you're a good girl, I promise you it won't melt."

The girl nodded enthusiastically. "Wooow... it's not cold, big brother!"

Athrun let out a laugh. "I didn't intend it to be... how else will you be able to hold it?"

Raine looked at Athrun with those big round purple eyes and grinned as she hugged him tight. "You're the best, nii-san!" She yelled, her pig-tailed black hair swinging from left to right as she continued, "Thank you!"

"All right kids, you've played with Athrun long enough. It's time to go inside." Announced a woman who walked towards the group.

The children groaned.

"We still want to play!"

"I need to pee!"

"We're not sleepy, Merna-san!"

"Will big brother Athrun visit us again?"

"I NEED TO PEE!"

They all said one after another. The lady called 'Merna' shook her head as she gestured for the kids to go inside the house a few feet away from them. Athrun waved his good-bye to the children as they raced their way to the fairly big building; the little boy who needed to use the bathroom was currently in first place.

"Once again, you've made them very happy, Athrun. Thank you, it means a lot to those girls and little tykes." Merna told Athrun as she smiled gratefully. Then she giggled. "Although you're spoiling them a bit. They keep expecting your visits."

"They're great kids and I enjoy spending time with them, Merna-san. Please tell them I will visit every time I'm able to." Athrun said, he unexpectedly turned his head to his left and saw Cagalli. Surprised and pleased at the same time, he smiled. "Excuse me, I have to go now. Take care."

When her eyes met Athrun's, Cagalli abruptly looked away and proceeded walking as if she was just passing by – well she originally was, until she stopped and watched. She quickened her pace when she heard Merna said, "You're a good young man, Mr. Zala. May God bless you, child!"

"Are you trying to run away from me or just pretending you didn't see me?"

Damn, he caught up.

Duh, the guy can fly.

No one asked you!

Cagalli ignored Athrun's question and continued walking, her eyes studying the moving image of the ground with every step she took. She was unstoppable until her Guardian caught her off-guard by standing in front of her.

Man, he's annoying. "Out of my way."

No response, no movement.

Cagalli sighed and finally looked at Athrun. She knew him long enough to know that he wasn't going to back down. "All right, what do you want?"

"Mind if I tag along to where you're heading to?" He asked.

The girl shrugged. "Suit yourself."

The two walked in silence and Athrun kept his distance by walking behind Cagalli. He could tell she wasn't angry but he knew she didn't want him walking beside her either.

They soon reached the crowded marketplace and Cagalli awed at the things being sold. On her right were stalls lined up together with vendors on the other side calling out to the passers-by. They sold different kinds of what looked like fruits and vegetables. Cagalli noticed blue-coloured pears, orange apples, violet strawberries, pink eggplants, red cabbages, peach lettuces, and yellow carrots – or at least those were what they seemed to be. Cagalli cringed at the mismatched colours of the food, it was understandable that she wasn't used to seeing them like that. To her left side were various kinds of seafood and meat but before the girl even had a chance to observe them, she stumbled a little and was caught by Athrun when she bumped into someone.

"Bastard! Watch where - oh hey, pretty girl. How's it going?"

If blood could really boil, Cagalli's would already be beyond the boiling point. Breathing hard to control her temper from exploding, she looked up at the hypocrite who was obviously hitting on her. Calm down, Cagalli.

The light purple-haired man grinned as he introduced his ridiculous self (in Athrun's humble opinion). "Hello, I'm Yuuna Roma Seiran."

Cagalli smiled the sweetest and most adorable smile she could muster as she batted her lashes at 'Yuuna'. "Hello, I'm not interested." She said, her brows furrowing as she shot the guy ice-cold stares, the 'girly' demeanour completely disappearing as soon as it came. "Now move it, jackass!"

Yuuna hastily stepped aside and made way for the blonde. She was only two feet away when he found his voice again. "Oi, Miss!"

Cagalli turned around with the look which Athrun had seen many times when the blonde was ready to chop off the sorry head of the person who was about to get his ass kicked. Or worse. Athrun smiled at the scene in front of him. Yuuna was in for it. "Save your flattery for someone who'll actually buy your pathetic lines!" Cagalli yelled. She had only met The Jerk but she could already tell he was a self-centered, extremely annoying, dimwitted, phony moron! Her shaking fists clenched tightly at her sides, Cagalli glared at Yuuna and hoped the message would get through his thick dumb head.

Yuuna looked scared – and he was - when he glanced upon Cagalli's fists, ready to punch him any second. His eyes soon widened and he took off running in an alleyway without second thoughts. "N-Nothing! Forget it! Bye!"

His response surprised Cagalli but it pleased her at the same time. Her eyes soon landed on her blue-haired Guardian and she did not fail to see the look of mild surprise in his face when he examined her fists for a second.

"Cagalli... your Epheral..." For a moment, his emerald eyes clashed with her amber ones before Cagalli scowled.

"Spit it, Zala!" Cagalli ordered, she was not in the mood for hanging sentences right now.

"It's fire." Athrun calmly stated.

Cagalli raised her brows in question. It wasn't the time for jokes! As though Athrun read his lady's mind, he glanced at her fists and returned his gaze to her eyes. Cagalli understood what his gesture meant and she did what it implied, slowly lifting her hands to her face, she saw them covered with blazes of fire before her knees wobbled and darkness engulfed her vision; hearing Athrun calling out her name.

≈

Cagalli walked through the dark woods trying to find her pest of a Guardian. Yes, she still hated him and her hatred was intensifying by the passing second. Where was he when she needed him? Cagalli had to find him. Someone. Anyone. It seemed she had woken up earlier that night and found herself lying on the ground at the foot of a tall tree.

It had probably been half an hour since she started her search for any other person in that forest. The sky was unbelievably clear with not one single star in sight. That's weird, stars should be out on a night like this. Except if I missed a fact in the Astronomy Unit we had, I remember dozing off most of the periods anyway. Cagalli shrugged. Stars were the least of her concerns at this time. She was alone in a dark – not to mention scary – forest she hadn't been before. She shuddered at the possibility of another demon finding her for its midnight snack. What made her more uncomfortable was the only light that guided her was a half, blood red, moon. Everywhere she looked, gigantic trees blocked her way, their shadows appearing to be monsters with overlong arms and deformed fingers.

Cagalli trudged forward trying to occupy her mind with anything other than her surroundings. After spotting what looked like a small cave of leaves, the girl kneeled down, placed her palms on the ground, and crawled her way through various leaves and plants that seemed to tug at her clothes. She felt the cold soil beneath her as she commanded herself to remain focus. At the end of the tunnelling leaves, she could feel a strong urge she would find what she has been searching for. Specifically: someone. Her instincts were soon proven correct when she pushed herself up and patted away the dirt that stayed on her hands and knees of her cargo pants. She had never been happier to see Athrun Zala since their first encounter.

"Hey." She called, making her way behind him. He was standing at a deserted area of the forest where no plants seemed to exist. Athrun turned to her and sneered.

Sneered? A confused look could be seen on her features as she reached her hand out to him. She stopped mid-way as she swore to her pet goldfish's grave that Athrun was always smiling most of the time when he saw her. Now, the way he looked at her with that unreadable expression in his eyes, made her insides feel as if they were thrown in a mad blender. There was definitely something wrong. Terrified and nervous, Cagalli swallowed hard as she rounded up her courage.

"What's up with you?" Cagalli then gasped. "Aren't your eyes a shade of green?" She asked.

When she met his piercing gaze, eyes with a colour redder and darker than crimson stared back at her lazily. The next thing he did made Cagalli scream for dear life.

He attacked her.

"Cagalli! CAGALLI!"

The said girl opened her tired eyes as a clouded vision of Kira welcomed her. Her hand automatically landed on her forehead as she massaged away the pain that tingled her sweaty temples. It was just a dream but it felt so... real.

"What... happened?" Cagalli asked, her weary voice increased her brother's concern.

"Are you okay? I heard you screaming so I ran here and woke you up." Kira explained, Cagalli's eyes finally steadied on him.

Soon after she sat up, Kira gave her a glass of cold water. Cagalli drank up the colourless liquid that delivered a new set of energy to her exhausted body. Nightmares... it appeared to be her turn to have one that night. When she placed the glass down on the table beside her bed, it finally dawned to her that they were in her room. They were, at last, home.

"We're back." Cagalli thought aloud, Kira nodded. "Where are Lacus and Zala?"

Kira scratched his head as a smile played below his nose. "Lacus is downstairs fascinated as usual, with the TV."

Cagalli grinned at the picture of Lacus watching TV in her mind. That girl was like the Goddess of Innocence, pleased by the simplest things. Her thoughts were then moved to him and Cagalli flinched at the memory of her dream. Remembering another memory, she pulled one of her pillows and whacked her twin with it.

Kira was appalled. "CAGALLI! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT!"

"THAT, dear Kira, was for being a useless brother! How could you NOT do something when A CERTAIN BLUE-HAIRED GUARDIAN just KISSED me! YOUR SISTER if you need reminding!" The blonde yelled. As far as she knew, any normal brother would go ballistic when a guy kisses their female sibling! What kind of brother was he? Well he -

"HEY! I can't do that! He kissed you for a reason! What was I to do? Cagalli, it was a MUST for crying out loud!" Kira fired back. "I'm sure he told you himself, Guardians DO seal Eternal Vows like THAT!"

"WHATEV-" Cagalli stopped herself. Wait a minute... if the only way for Guardians to seal their vows is by kissing the person they protect... then... "Your saying the so called 'seal' would be meaningless if your Guardian didn't... you know." Cagalli said in a more calm voice.

Kira sighed. "Yes."

That made Cagalli grin from ear to ear. "You mean to say... LACUS kissed YOU?"

The brunette blushed.

Cagalli rolled on her bed, laughing like a maniac. "KIRA! Your... FIRST... kiss... AT LAST!" She laughed harder and was soon gasping for air. "We... should... CELEBRATE!"

Kira's cheeks turned to a deeper shade of pink. "Not like you're any different." He meekly mumbled to himself.

Cagalli immediately stopped as if Kira's statement smacked her on the face. Growling, she grabbed her alarm clock and threw it to her twin who, in luck's hands, dodged it in time. "I HEARD THAT, DOLT!" Cagalli shouted, an evident blush on her face. "Now where is that jerk! Tell me!"

Kira chuckled, unafraid. "Missing him already?"

Cagalli narrowed her eyes into slits as she stood up and took her baseball bat beside her closet. All it took was for her to hold it high for Kira to answer her seriously – not really.

"H-He's still i-in Syphoria! S-Sis... there's really n-no need for t-that, you know." Kira stammered, eyes pleading, as he sunk lower into his chair.

Cagalli blinked, still oblivious of Kira's unsaid requests. "He stayed behind? How come?"

Kira glanced to his left, his right, to the ceiling, down the floor, but never at Cagalli. Fidgeting with his hands, he said, "Uh... well he said he has to run an errand for Lady Laura." He took a quick look at his sister before taking interest with the lines of his palms. "He told us what happened this morning and err... he'll be back as soon as he can." Desperate to change the subject, he looked at Cagalli and added, "Congratulations, Cagalli! You've discovered your Epheral!"

"Kira you're the most HORRIBLE liar around." Cagalli said through gritted teeth. "You're hiding something. Spill it out before I use this bat on you!"

No matter how scared he was, Kira cleared his throat and earnestly answered his sister. "I'm sorry, Cagalli, but I think it would be best if Athrun tells you himself."

Cagalli's anger was soon forgotten once Kira cast that look. The blonde knew it perfectly well, it was one look that meant the discussion was over. Granted, Kira was usually goofy, clumsy, and shy, but when he was serious, he really meant it.

"I'm going downstairs, wanna come?" Kira asked, his gentle voice and soft lavender eyes were back once again.

Nodding her head, Cagalli placed her bat back to where it originally was and walked out the door, following her brother.

≈

Unlike the night from her dream, thousands of stars were twinkling in the sky accompanied by a pure white crescent moon shown on Earth. Kira, Cagalli, and Lacus were all standing outside the house for Kira and the songstress have convinced the blonde to try and summon her flame. It was one of those summer nights that made people want to go out and enjoy the warm breeze and take a stroll outside.

"Ha!" Cagalli shouted for the umpteenth time. Her right hand was wide open, expectant for fire to come out from it. She glared at the piece of wood with intense rage.

Nothing.

Cagalli was absolutely pissed. She had been trying various hand gestures and attempts to see her Epheral again but luck seem to have ran away from her since she passed out. Her hands formed the shape of a rock, paper, scissors, the peace sign, a C, a rectangle, a heart, a triangle, and other possible shapes she could make out with her two hands. She knew they were lame but she was determined, desperate, and

...maybe demented too. Cagalli mused. BURN, dammit!

It had been an hour since Cagalli hopelessly tried to burn the block of wood lying on the ground a few feet across from her. Yes, it had been an hour of disappointment as well. She hated the said object and all she wanted was to burn it into a crisp.

Kira and Lacus silently watched Cagalli from behind. They could sense her anger from where they stood and they could tell her patience was already gone after her first five tries. The two spectators remained quiet and still, cautious to Cagalli's bursting temper.

"GRR..." Cagalli clenched her hands into tight fists as her amber eyes shot daggers at the wood. Burn, damn you! Burn, explode into flames, I DON'T CARE! Just do something! The girl was unaware of her fists now blazing with fire; she didn't feel any different.

Lacus let out a small gasp. The two had noticed it as well, although they didn't make any effort to tell Cagalli. They were quite sure if they told her what was happening – even just call out her name, her concentration would disappear.

Just BURN and get the hell out of my sight already!

It started as a spark and then soon turned into a mini bonfire. Cagalli FINALLY got what she wanted and even though she was very shock at her doing, she grinned like a little child who received the toy of her dreams. "BOOYAH!" The blonde yelled, hands facing the sky, as she watched the wood burn into dusts. Due to her excitement, the flames on her palms skyrocketed in the form of fireballs that crashed on top of the two cherry blossom trees planted on each side of the Attha-Yamato home.

Oops.

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To Be Continued
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