Part 13
Previously-
"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.
Cagalli had no idea when she had felt more bored in her life. Sure, parties were a yawn, and sometimes summits seemed to drag on forever, but she had thought that investigations would be more exciting. It was only one hour into the meeting, and already she felt that sleeping. All they had done so far was to review everything she already knew.
"Cagalli… Cagalli…" Athrun whispered to her, knocking her out of her daze. She was about to retort him sharply when she realized that the rest of the table had their eyes on her.
"Yes?" She said with as much dignity as possible.
"I… was just saying that my men finished the report on Kisaka's attacker, and I was wondering if you would like to take a look." Reyn said almost disapprovingly at Cagalli's lack of attention.
"Uh. Erm. Sure. Ok." She replied as Reyn passed a thick file to her.
As Cagalli flipped it open, she couldn't help but utter a sharp cry of surprise.
"Is something wrong?" Reyn asked at once.
"That's… that's…"
She stared at the picture of Kisaka's attacker, and she couldn't help but think that she had seen this face before.
"That's the waiter whom I tripped over during the ball where I was nearly burnt to death."
"Aaron Dayes, twenty-four years old. He graduated from Orb University, just like the guy who tried to knife Cagalli." Athrun said thoughtfully after they had all absorbed the newly found information. Flipping through the papers, he suddenly looked up from the file and shot a look at Ryo.
"Say, Mr. Handel, you went to Orb University too didn't you?"
"Yes, I did." Ryo said stiffly, "What are you trying to imply?"
"Nothing, except, did you know either of them?"
"Not at all. I saw them around in school, but I didn't know them personally." Ryo paused, and then realized that Athrun was still looking at him with a curious glint in his eye. "Again, Mr. Zala, I ask you, what are you trying to say?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all."
It had been a week since the attack on Kisaka and the breach in the palace security, and during that week, meetings and discussions had been held about the situation and the investigations. Although the situation seemed critical, Athrun Zala refused to divulge what information he had told Kisaka, leading both Reyn and Cagalli to be utterly frustrated about him.
Aside from that, Athrun had also pushed for an extra meeting to be held – at 11 p.m. in his study no less. At Athrun's insistence, Reyn had kept the meeting as small as possible. The fewer people who knew the plan, the better for the investigations – they had to minimize the threat of a leak of information at all costs.
"This meeting has begun." Reyn said as both he and Athrun stood up, surveying the faces around him. Kira, Lacus, Cagalli, Meyrin and Ryo. "Mr. Zala has called for this meeting today… in order to, I believe, discuss a plan which he hopes will decrease the threat on the Princess' life. He has discussed it with me prior to the meeting, and I think that it is a… good plan, and I have approved of it." Reyn motioned towards Athrun.
Athrun nodded and then promptly started, "As all of you know, the security in the palace has been compromised. Cagalli is no longer safe there. We are, therefore, proposing that Cagalli hide away some place safe for the time being-"
"Hide away?" cried Cagalli incredulously, "Who's going to run the country then?"
"Kira will take over your position as Head of Orb – for a while." Athrun replied, looking a bit nervous.
"Kira? But Kira hasn't had much experience! I know I asked for Kira to take over take over some of my work, but I really don't think he should take over all of it!"
"Lacus has agreed to help him."
Cagalli clenched and then unclenched her fist, looking as if she was about to launch into a tirade of objections, but before she could open her mouth, Athrun had seized the short moment of silence and continued.
"The Chief-Inspector, Mr. Handel, Meyrin, and I will be escorting Cagalli to the hideout. The second in command will take over the investigations for Cagalli's case. Only when the situation seems more stable, or when the case is solved, will Cagalli return to Orb. All right, I guess that's the plan in brief –any questions?" Athrun rushed out, speaking as quickly as he could before he could get interrupted again. Cagalli waved her hand in the air, and Athrun had to bite his lip from smiling in amusement.
"Yes, Cagalli?"
"Won't I be stuck on wherever we're hiding at for a long time?"
"That depends, of course, on how fast the case is cracked."
"Ha, then where are we going to get our supplies from?"
"We've ensured that the hideout is stocked with enough to last us for 2 years. But just in case – there's radio equipment in the hideout, and we can call for supplies to be delivered by air."
At this point, Kira's eyebrows furrowed, and he raised his hand.
"Kira?"
"There's something I don't understand. I understand that Mr. Handel has to go with Cagalli because he's her bodyguard, and I understand that you have to go because – er – of personal reasons, but I don't really comprehend why it is necessary for Miss Hawke to go, wouldn't it be more dangerous for her? And also… Wouldn't it be more productive if the Chief-Inspector stayed behind to investigate the case?" Kira asked.
"Athrun felt that it would be good for Cagalli to have female company." Meyrin said, "and since Lacus was needed in Orb, he thought I was the next most suitable candidate for the job. As for the Chief-Inspector…" Meyrin's voice held a questioning tone, and it was obvious that she also wondered what the reasons for his going with Cagalli were.
Like it had been in the hospital, all eyes turned towards Reyn yet again. He licked his lips, and then began his explanation.
"Mr. Zala had initially asked me to stay behind to lead the investigation, however, I do not that think there would be much of a difference with regards to the investigation if I go or stay. Firstly, there will be a stable network set up between the Orb police force headquarters and the hideout, so we'll be able to assess the situation from there.
"And secondly, I don't think that I would make… much development. I have been working on this case ever since the attacks started, and before Mr. Zala came into the picture, there were barely any leads at all. No… I do not think I would be effective as an investigator, I would rather follow the Princess and make sure that she does not come into any harm." Reyn replied quietly, his shoulders slumped, looking weary and defeated.
"No, you're not ineffective! You've tried your best." Cagalli said at once, trying to reassure Reyn.
"It's alright, Your Highness, there's no need to console me-"
"I am not consoling you, I am speaking the truth." Cagalli replied, "All – All of you have tried your best to help me, and I can see that, I'm not blind." She paused, and then after thinking a while, she started again.
"Alright. Although I'm a bit worried at leaving Orb in the hands of my little brother, I… approve of this plan." She said, though it came out a tad bit reluctantly. "When do we leave?"
Athrun grinned.
"Tomorrow."
The group was at the jetty at 4 a.m. the next morning: Cagalli, looking positively grumpy at being awoken without having had her fill of sleep; Athrun, whose brows were furrowed as though he was thinking through a difficult problem (which he happened to be); Reyn, who looked a little nervous at the lack of guards around (Athrun had managed to persuade him that the less people who knew about this operation, the higher the success rate and the less the need for actual security to be around); Kira, who was worriedly looking through a notebook in which Cagalli had hastily noted down some tips and instructions the night before; Lacus, who patiently explained technicalities to Kira when he asked her questions; Meyrin, who was looking at Athrun from time to time; and Ryo, who was sneaking looks at Meyrin occasionally.
"It's time." Athrun announced as the doors of the vessel were lowered.
Cagalli hugged both Kira and Lacus, and then as she turned to face them she smiled for the first time that morning.
"I don't know when I'm going to see the both of you again, but I just want to tell you two that you are the best people I have ever met. I hope… I hope that we'll see each other again soon. I… Thank you, Kira and Lacus, just- thank you."
When all farewells were made, Athrun, Cagalli, Meyrin, Ryo, and Reyn boarded the boat, which was programmed to take them to the hideout. However, as the doors were closing, Cagalli suddenly stood up and yelled anxiously to her twin brother on shore.
"KIRA! ONE LAST THING! YOU KNOW, I TRULY BELIEVE IN YOUR ABILITY BUT - YOU BETTER MAKE SURE ORB ISN'T IN PIECES WHEN I RETURN! YOU BETTER MAKE SURE YOU DON'T SCREW UP THAT MEETING WITH THE ASIAN AMBASSADOR! YOU BETTER MAKE YOU MANAGE TO SIGN THAT DEAL WITH-"
Just then, the metallic doors clamped shut, leaving a rather bewildered Kira shouting "WHAT MEETING?" as the quickly disappearing vessel sped off into the horizon.
The vessel's seats were arranged in pairs, and much to Cagalli's dismay and Ryo's secret delight (this meant that the seat next to Meyrin was free, after all), Athrun had immediately taken the seat next to Cagalli.
Throughout the journey, Cagalli tried her best not to look at Athrun and gave only monosyllabic answers to every query he had for her.
That's right, Cagalli, keep ignoring him and maybe it'll be easier to forget him when he leaves for PLANTs.
"Stop ignoring me, Cagalli." Athrun's voice suddenly sounded, and Cagalli's head snapped up at once, wondering if it was possible that he had read her thoughts.
"Huh?" She replied eloquently.
"You've barely said anything to me since that day you got discharged."
"That's not true!" Cagalli quickly retorted, though she knew very well that she was lying. Athrun stared at her hard, and she cleared her throat and tried to think of something to say to change the subject.
"So, uh, erm, where's this secret hideout anyway?" She asked.
Surprisingly, Athrun did not try to steer her back to the topic they had been discussing earlier on. Instead, he grinned mischievously.
"Oh, you've been there before."
"I have?"
"Yup. I'm even willing to bet that you remember it clearly."
"Ha, if that's the case, then how secret can this place be?"
"You'll see." Athrun assured. At that moment, the vessel came to a stop and a slightly mechanical sounding voice announced that they had reached their destination. The five of them lugged their personal belongings and stepped out into the glorious sunlight.
As Cagalli's eyes took in the surroundings, she realized that Athrun was right.
It was the island where the two of them had first met.
Oh GREAT, Cagalli thought with a sinking feeling settling in her stomach, how am I supposed to ignore or forget him now when everything here reminds me of him?
To Cagalli's immense relief, their lodgings were not in the cave where Athrun and her had previously spent the night, but were somewhere in the forest instead. In fact, their hideout turned out to be a bungalow covered with vines so that it somehow managed to blend into the surroundings.
As Cagalli entered her new room, she couldn't help but feel impressed. It was furnished beautifully, and it was certainly more than she had expected.
"Do you like it?"
Athrun's voice made her jump, and she immediately turned round and scowled at him.
"Sheesh, haven't you heard of knocking?" She said, face starting to colour, and then reluctantly she nodded, "Yes, I like the place very much." Then she smiled at him, "Thank you. It… It must have been a lot of work. How did you get this place fixed up so fast anyway?"
"I thought something like this might be necessary once I heard that about the attacks. I had a talk with Kisaka and he agreed. He allowed me access to the island and I managed to get one of my family's summer houses transported her in matter of days."
At the mention of Kisaka's name, Cagalli remembered something that had been nagging at the back of her mind for days.
"Athrun… Why can't you tell us what you asked Kisaka to find out?" Cagalli asked, and Athrun's face immediately darkened.
"All in good time, Cagalli. All in good time."
"But- during the meetings in this past week, you've kept mum about the information and you've refused to say anything about it. Why, Athrun?"
Athrun hesitated. "Some things… aren't confirmed. I'm afraid that I would be complicating matters by laying down what I've found. Other than that, I've also no solid proof. But most of all, I'm laying a trap."
"A trap?"
"Yes. A trap." Athrun's looked serious now, and he placed his hands firmly on Cagalli's shoulders.
"Cagalli, the only thing I can tell you now is – don't trust anyone. Sometimes, things aren't always what they seem."
With that ominous word of advice lingering in the air, Athrun walked out of the room.
A/N:
AnimeCrazyLovingRoyalty: Thanks for the review (: As to regards to Yzak… I don't think he's going to appear in this fic at all. I wanted to concentrate mainly on the relationship between Cagalli and Athrun, so, yeah… Maybe next time (;