Part 12
Previously-
The cold night air billowed in through the open window, chilling Kisaka to his bones.
That must have been how the intruder got in – and out. He leaned over to shut it, and then shook his head wearily.
Time is running out.
Breakfast the next day was a very unpleasant affair.
Cagalli and Kisaka were at the table waiting for their food (Because of the attacks, all of the food had to be tested before they could be served, hence the delay) when Kisaka cleared his throat and announced that the palace had been burgled the night before.
"What?" Cagalli exclaimed incredulously in response to his report. "Burgled? Why am I only hearing about this now? Why didn't anyone wake me up last night when the security of the palace was compromised?"
"Forgive me, Princess, "burgled" might be a bit of an exaggeration." Kisaka explained, "I woke up last night when I heard someone creeping around in my room, when I went to investigate, I found that the room had been ransacked. Upon investigation, I realized that nothing was missing except for… certain documents. I informed security, and a thorough search of the grounds and palace was conducted. However, the intruder was nowhere to be found. I apologize if you think my actions were inappropriate, however, I felt that something of such a small scale was not worth disturbing your sleep over – especially since you've just been discharged from the hospital."
Cagalli glared at Kisaka for a moment, before she finally shook her head and gave a sigh.
"No, no, it's… it's alright. What exactly was taken? Was it anything confidential?"
"Not exactly. The document that was stolen could have been accessed from the Archives down at the Police Headquarters." Kisaka answered truthfully.
Cagalli's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What was it?"
"It… contained information regarding a lead that Athrun had made in the case."
Cagalli stood up abruptly, causing the people around her to stare at her in shock. Her face was suddenly drained of colour, and for once, she looked absolutely frightened.
"So, Athrun's dragged you into investigating the case too, huh?" Cagalli's voice, when she finally managed to get it out, was shaky.
Kisaka nodded slowly. "I would have volunteered to help him sooner or later anyway."
"That means… that means they probably know that both Athrun and you are involved in my case…" Cagalli smiled sadly, "They know…"
"Don't worry, Princess, so what if they know?" Kisaka said reassuringly.
"So what if they know? You do know that some of Reyn's men have died throughout the course of the investigation right? You do know that they didn't exactly die under natural circumstances, don't you?" Cagalli's voice was harsh, and she stared directly into Kisaka's eyes, and there, she was met with unwavering loyalty.
"My job was to protect you, Princess, and though I am no longer your bodyguard, I still plan to do just that." Kisaka said, determination filling his voice.
Cagalli sat down slowly, and then nodded.
"Don't think that I'm not grateful for all this, because I am – I truly am. You have sacrificed so much for me, so please be careful, Kisaka. I wouldn't want to lose a friend like you."
Kisaka smiled warmly, and then he laughed.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of myself. I'll make sure Mr. Zala doesn't end up in trouble either."
"Was it necessary for you to mention him?" Cagalli asked warily.
"What's wrong between the two of you?" Kisaka's questioned, concerned, "Are you… Is this about his promotion to the Supreme Council?"
Cagalli sat up straight and stared at Kisaka.
"Pro-promotion?" She stuttered, obviously in shock.
Kisaka's eyebrows shot up. "You mean… he didn't tell you?"
"N-no… Wh-Why am I only he-hearing about this now?"
"It happened while you were in hospital, and very naturally, we didn't think it was appropriate for us to make announcements regarding work while you were unwell." Kisaka said quietly. "I'm sorry if I upset you. I thought that Athrun would have surely told you by now."
"I… No, I'm fine. Excuse me, I don't feel very hungry after all." Cagalli said as she quickly ran from the dining room.
"Now that we've stolen the information, why is there still a need to harm them?"
"Just because we know what findings they've made doesn't mean that the information they have does not pose as a threat to us."
"But they haven't discovered anything incriminating yet-"
"Soon, they will. They're on the right track, and you know that."
There was a short sigh, and then a voice full of regret-
"Fine. Fine. But only if absolutely necessary."
The man nodded in approval, and then he turned to the other man who was slouching in the corner.
"Be on guard tomorrow, that fool Kisaka is having tea with the Chief Inspector. Make sure that nothing goes wrong."
"So… some papers were stolen last night?" Reyn asked, furrowing his brow.
"Unfortunately." Kisaka replied sighing, as he poured Reyn a cup of tea.
"Mr. Zala passed them to you?"
"Yes…"
"If I am not wrong, they supposedly contained leads on the Princess' case?" Chief-Inspector Reyn's lips were tightly pursed, and it was clear that he was highly displeased. Kisaka's lips twitched upward in amusement, and he chuckled lightly as he passed the teacup to him.
"Now, Reyn, I know what you're thinking."
"And what might that be, Kisaka?"
"You're wondering why Athrun didn't pass the information to you, aren't you?"
Reyn gave a little snort of contempt. "Well, I am Chief-Inspector, and I am heading the case. He should have had the respect to consult me if he had found anything."
"Well… considering the treatment you gave him, and how his relations with you are now-"
"The treatment I gave him? Excuse me, but I believe that it was Mr. Zala who more or less threatened me into giving him access to the archives! He is a most reckless, unreasonable, hotheaded, disrespectful and rude young man." Reyn glared at Kisaka, obviously feeling a bit hurt and offended, "Kisaka, you know that I try to be reasonable. How could you possibly side with Zala?"
Kisaka intertwined his fingers and sat back thoughtfully. "I guess it's because he… reminds me of myself in some way. Both of us… are willing to die for Princess Cagalli."
Reyn stared at him in silence for a while, before his countenance relaxed and a small smile appeared on his face. "I… never thought of it that way before. I must admit I do respect Mr. Zala for his loyalty towards the Princess, especially since he isn't even a citizen of Orb. But at this point, there is no way I can bring myself to like him."
Kisaka smiled warmly at his friend, "Fair enough."
Reyn returned the smile, and then his face turned serious. "I don't suppose you could tell me what Mr. Zala found? After all, if the enemy thought it was worth creeping around in your study and jumping from the window, it must have been something."
Kisaka's expression changed suddenly, and he nodded solemnly.
"Just a moment, I'll tell you what I've found so far."
Athrun was trying to draft a proposal when Meyrin came into his office after knocking on his door twice.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, Athrun, but there's an important call on line 2."
"It's alright, Meyrin." Athrun said good-naturedly. He picked up the phone and held it to his ear as Meyrin walked out of his office.
"Hello? Cagalli?" Athrun said in surprise.
A minute later, Athrun and Meyrin were running out of the building and into the carpark.
"I don't mean to be rude, Athrun, but it would be nice if you could tell me what's happening." Meyrin said breathlessly as Athrun unlocked the car door. "Why are we going to the hospital? What's happened?"
"Kisaka was attacked while he was having tea with Reyn. Someone threw him out of the window."
Cagalli never thought that she would be back in the hospital so soon. This time, however, it was Kisaka who was the patient. Bandages were tied firmly around his chest and the top of his head. A tube from his nose hooked him up to a machine, which ensured that he would have sufficient air to survive.
Cagalli would never have thought that Kisaka would be in a coma. Though she was grateful that he wasn't dead, a coma was no better. It was like hanging onto the ledge of a cliff – you never know if you'll slip, or if you'll ever get rescued.
Kira had his arm over Cagalli's shoulder, and Lacus had slipped her hand into hers. Though Cagalli was touched by their gestures and knew they were trying to comfort her, she could not put her mind at ease at all. Kisaka – the one man who had been there with her for as long as she could remember, was now lying in the hospital bed because of her.
Ryo, Athrun and Meyrin stood next to the three of them silently, and Reyn was sitting next to Kisaka, shaking his head as he clenched and unclenched his fists over and over again.
It was Athrun who broke the tense and uncomfortable silence.
"What happened, exactly?"
The question was directed at Reyn, and the others turned to him expectantly as well. Though he had already made a statement with the police, no one amongst them had heard the full story, and in their initial anxiousness, no one had asked.
Reyn sensed that all eyes were on him, and he looked up and sighed.
"I… I was having tea with Kisaka. He had invited me over. He told me about the stolen papers, and suddenly during our conversation he seemed to have a brainwave. He was about to tell me about his discovery when… a man burst into the room. He charged straight at Kisaka and the next thing I knew… Kisaka was… flying out of the window. It's lucky that the ground below was grassy and we were only on the third floor. I-I took out my gun and shot him in the leg as he was running away. He's… He's in custody now." Reyn said shakily, as if he had just been forced to relive a nightmare.
"Who is he?" Athrun asked.
"Pardon?"
"Who is the attacker?"
"He- Apparently one of the kitchen staff. A young man named Aaron Dayes. I've asked one of my assistants to conduct a search on his background."
Athrun nodded. "We need to work fast. The enemy knows-"
"Work fast? Athrun, give it up already." Cagalli's voice suddenly sounded. "Kisaka's in a coma, and do you why he's there? It's because he tried to save my life. No, Athrun, I'd rather not have anyone getting seriously hurt or dying because of me. In fact, Chief-Inspector Reyn, I would appreciate it if you stopped investigating this case as well."
There was a stunned silence around the room.
"What did you just say?" Reyn asked in disbelief.
"I said stop investigating. I can protect myself. I don't need anyone to do it for me." With that, Cagalli marched out of the hospital ward.
"Don't listen to her-" Athrun started hastily as he started running out of the room as well.
"Well, of course, did you seriously think that I would do what she just asked me to do? I would never give up on the Princess, you nitwit!" Reyn called out after him irritably.
Athrun found Cagalli and Ryo at the hospital's garden. Ryo was trailing Cagalli, looking a bit awkward as Cagalli continued to fume and kick at clumps of grass.
"Cagalli…" He called out, and when Cagalli saw him, she rolled her eyes.
"What do you want, Athrun?"
"Could I speak to you?"
"Well, aren't you already doing that?"
"Privately, I mean." Athrun said, staring pointedly to Ryo. Cagalli sighed exasperatedly, and then nodded at Ryo, who silently walked a few meters away, such that he could still keep Cagalli in his sight.
"Alright, Athrun. You can talk now."
"Why did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Ask us to stop investigations."
Cagalli glared at him impatiently. "I thought I already told all of you. I don't want anyone else to get hurt."
"So you'd rather get killed?"
"I… I don't want to see anymore innocent people dying or getting hurt because of me."
"But by letting them go, they'll have gotten away with killing so many. There's no justice-"
Cagalli let out a dry laugh and cut Athrun off. "Justice! With you, it's always about noble principles. But what about the people? Aren't lives worth more than justice? Let me ask you, Athrun, didn't it hurt when your father died?"
Athrun's features became immediately stony, and Cagalli's voice softened.
"As much as possible, I don't want anyone else to feel that pain."
"I… I know."
Cagalli smiled. "So you see, Athrun? If I just let them take me, it'd be much easier."
"But that would be running away, Cagalli. Don't run. To live… To live is to fight."
Cagalli could only stare quietly as she recognized her own words. Athrun smiled gently at her and continued, "It's not just about justice, Cagalli, it's a lot more than that. Your men were willing to lay their lives down for you, if you give up now, you'll be letting them now. You'll have let them die in vain."
There was a long pause, and then Cagalli finally nodded.
"Alright, alright. We'll continue the investigations then. Please inform me of when we're meeting up to discuss the case-"
"We?"
"Yes. We. I want to be part of this too. Heaven knows why I never thought of participating in it sooner, I guess I was too bogged down by everything. But now, I suppose, I'll have Kira take over some of the work for the time being."
"Well, Cagalli, I'm impressed by your spirit. Let's go back, then." Athrun held out a hand to Cagalli, but to his surprise, she didn't take it.
"No, Athrun. You can tell them for me. I'm going to walk around some more. After all, I can't always be beside you, especially not when you join the Supreme Council." She flashed him a sad smile and turned to walk towards Ryo; and as Athrun realized that Cagalli had already found out about his promotion, he felt himself filling with guilt once more.
A/N:
To Cari-Akira: Hey, no problem (: Nah, I'm not offended. Haha.
I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed! I know I'm taking an awfully long time to update, but my results have been going down lately so… Yeah… Hahaha. Thanks for bearing with me – just a few more chapters to go till the ending, I think. So watch this space!