Good Morning, My Groom!
Chapter Five: Action
"Kira..."
She blinked twice to make sure that her twin was not only an illusion brought about by her messed up mind. She broke into a smile when the figure in front of her didn't disappear. She took a step forward and opened her arms for a hug, "Kira! You're ba—"
SLAP!
The sound of flesh hitting flesh reverberated within Cagalli's ears. One of her pale hands reached for her swollen cheek. She cringed, it stung. She looked up and saw Kira's anger seething through his violet orbs. She should be angry right now for Kira's outburst, throwing rude comments and pulling out violent moves along the way; however, she froze on the spot when her own eyes locked onto the cold glare of her twin.
"What's wrong, Kira?" Cagalli managed to squeak out despite the shock. She felt that she was treading on deep waters so she tried to choose her words carefully. She grimaced when she saw Kira's brows furrowing severely on top of his equally angry eyes, he looked really scary. If looks could kill, Cagalli would already be dead many times over.
"What's...wrong?" His jaw was tight; it looked as if every word was spoken with so much control. "You're asking me what's wrong?"
Cagalli didn't like Kira's tone. It was sarcastic, furious, and somewhat pained. She decided that she will let Kira do the talking for now. She tried keeping a straight face despite the fear she felt. She had never seen Kira this serious before. Did I do something wrong?
"You... You smell different, Cagalli." Kira scowled at her.
What does he mean I smell different? I smell like this every single day! She raised an inquiring brow, as if telling him to continue.
"You smell different." Kira hissed. "You..." His hands balled into fists tightly before it was flung recklessly on one of the front doors. Suffice to say, the force was enough to break the door into numerous shards.
"WHA-WHAT THE HELL! KIRA!" Cagalli's eyes widened with shock. Her attention flew back and forth to Kira and the destroyed door. She finally snapped, "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME?!" Kira yelled angrily. His jaw clenched with every word. "HOW ABOUT YOU, CAGALLI?! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Kira's hands landed on her shoulders, gripping them tightly. Cagalli fought the urge to whimper in pain. "I GO OUT FOR A WHILE AND YOU GO OFF BITING PEOPLE AND MARKING THEM AS YOUR GROOM! AND A HUMAN NEVERTHELESS!" Kira shook her rather harshly. "WHAT THE FUCKING HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"
Cagalli's mouth hung open and her eyes widened in shock when it hit her. She totally forgot about the main issue from the start. She was busy for the past few days that her plans to confess to Kira about her recent life-changing accident were buried on the back of her mind. And now, faced with her angry twin, in probably the most dreaded confrontation she has ever had in her entire life, she just didn't know what to say.
"CAGALLI, ANSWER ME!" Kira shook her again. She still stood speechless, however, she felt the tears fall relentlessly from her eyes.
She felt vulnerable. She felt so stupid. She felt the toll of her mistake once again. She felt like crying, and she was. She hated every second of it.
She was lost in her thoughts when she suddenly heard the gentle voice her twin. Kira...
"Cagalli..." He was now frowning at her. He never liked seeing her cry. He wiped the tears that stained her face. She focused on him despite the tears that still blurred her eyes. "Look..." He sighed dejectedly. "We'll talk about this later, okay?"
He kissed the top of her head, and with another heavy sigh, he walked away.
***
Cagalli found herself slumped on her bed, staring at her blank bedroom ceiling after the unpleasant confrontation with Kira. She had been unmoving for a long time already that she didn't notice her tears stopped falling, much less Lacus entering the room.
"Cagalli..."
Cagalli looked up at the source of the gentle voice. Lacus. She wore a concerned look on her angelic face framed by her bubblegum pink hair. Cagalli blinked and then grimaced when she felt a distinct sting from her eyes. She had her eyes open for too long.
"Cagalli... it's dinner time." Lacus informed softly. She sighed when Cagalli rolled to the other side of the bed, turning her back to Lacus.
Lacus silently approached the other side of the bed and kneeled in front of Cagalli. The blonde girl was tightly clutching a pillow to her face. Lacus, with her enhanced hearing, heard muffled sobs from the girl before her. A slight frown etched on her face when she remembered Kira's rather harsh confrontation with Cagalli. Kira can really be irrational at times... especially when it comes to her. She sighed and then stroked Cagalli's hair.
"I'll just bring your dinner here, okay?" Lacus was about to stand up when Cagalli lowered the pillow covering her face. She decided to stay for a while and sat down on a small space by Cagalli's bed. Her pale arms reached for her face and wiped the tears that spilled from her puffy eyes.
"I... I was g-going to tell Kira, you know... but I... I n-never thought... you'll be home th-this early..." Cagalli croaked hoarsely.
Lacus was really heartbroken with Cagalli's current state. Sometimes circumstances are really unbelievable! Their—Kira and Lacus—flight home was scheduled the following week, however, they had to go home immediately when Kira outraged after he called Mwu. Apparently, Mwu had spilled the beans unintentionally when Kira asked him what Cagalli was up to. Mwu thought that Kira already knew about Athrun.
"I'm sorry, Cagalli. I tried stopping Kira but..." She sighed, "He just wouldn't listen to me. He was so worried about you, you see."
"LACUS!" Cagalli wailed while she attached herself helplessly to Lacus's body. Lacus hugged her back and stroked her hair gently. "It's okay, Cagalli... everything will be fine..."
"B-but Kira..."
"I'm sure he'll understand if you explain it to him." She smiled gently.
Lacus's smile somewhat calmed Cagalli's buzzing nerves. "Thanks, Lacus."
***
"How much did you hear?" Lacus asked out of nowhere as soon as she closed Cagalli's bedroom door.
"Everything." A figure stepped out from the corner. He was frowning.
"You shouldn't be too harsh on her, Kira."
A heavy sigh was released, "I know..."
***
DR. HIBIKI KILLED IN PLANE CRASH WITH WIFE
Last week, the private jet of Dr. Ulen Hibiki, a world-renowned genetic scientist, crashed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, bringing down all of its crew, Dr. Hibiki and his wife, a Japanese university professor, Via Yamato-Hibiki. No bodies were found after five days of thorough search and rescue operations within and around the vicinity by the Japanese Navy. The search party, however, found a huge piece of the jet's engine situated on the shallow sea bed of an uninhabited island that is 5 kilometers away from the area of impact.
The cause of the accident was said to be a malfunction of the jet's engines. Further investigations are still underway to determine the exact cause of the accident.
ATTHA TO ADOPT HIBIKI'S SON
Uzumi Nara Attha, a well-known business tycoon residing in Orb, filed papers today at the Orb's Court of Justice concerning the legal adoption process of Kira Yamato-Hibiki, son of late Dr. Ulen Hibiki and Via Yamato-Hibiki. Evaluations and court proceedings are scheduled a week after filing.
ATTHA SUCCESFULLY ADOPTS KIRA YAMATO-HIBIKI
After a month and a half of court proceedings, Uzumi Nara Attha successfully adopts Kira Yamato-Hibiki. In an interview with Attha, he was asked about his primary motives on the adoption and he simply said, "I don't want Kira to grow up without a parental figure in his life."
Seven-year old Kira Yamato-Hibiki, now Kira Attha, decided to live with Attha and his daughter, Cagalli Yula Attha, at the prestigious Attha Manor located in Orb.
Kira was cleaning up his study room at the manor when he accidentally knocked up a pile of folders and envelopes on his table. He was surprised to see these—news clippings he collected about the death of his biological parents and the adoption case. Once in a while, he would open that folder and read its contents; however, because of his busy schedule, it has been a long time since he did so. He started picking up the newspaper clippings and magazine articles and placed them carefully inside the folder labelled KIRA.
He was about to pick up more papers when a picture on the floor, amongst the papers, envelopes and folders, caught his attention—it was Via Yamato-Hibiki holding two bundles of joy in each arm, one was blonde and one was brunette. His eyes softened. It has been years since he last saw the picture. It was the picture that brought him and Cagalli much closer. It was the picture that revealed the truth—that he and Cagalli are biological twins. It was the picture that provided a turning point in his life. At that moment, ten years ago, he devoted his life to protect Cagalli, the only biological family he has left. He vowed that he would protect Cagalli against all odds.
A knock on the door made him panic for some reason that he immediately placed the picture inside the folder and flung it recklessly on top of the pile of folders and envelopes decorating his study table. He started organizing the clutter in a neat pile while replying a gentle "Come in!"
He heard the door close with a soft click and then he turned around to see his guest. It was Cagalli. He grimaced when his mind suddenly reinforced the painful memories of the encounter earlier this evening.
"Hey." Cagalli greeted him softly with a weak smile. She was now leaning on the wall beside the door across the room.
"Hey." Kira looked back at her and sighed inwardly. Cagalli looked so broken. And he's sure that he's the reason why. Lacus even told him that he was too harsh on her.
Kira approached the unusually-placed loveseat in his study room. Lacus insisted he get one since he is a sadist for all-nighters especially when work interests him, she preferred him sleeping on the loveseat instead of his cold, hard desk. When he was comfortably settled on one end of sofa, he patted the unoccupied space beside him and glanced at Cagalli to tell her, albeit wordlessly, to sit down. Cagalli approached the sofa slowly and sat down. No one said anything for a short while, nevertheless, Cagalli decided to break the silence.
"It was an accident, Kira."
The brunette twin looked up. Cagalli was now leaning her head back on the couch. He knew this weird mannerism of Cagalli—she was leaning back to stop the tears from falling. He knows that she was easily driven by emotions. She always cries. He stayed quiet as if urging her to continue.
"But I… I admit it was my fault since… I lost control."
"What exactly happened, Cagalli?"
"Well, I was supposed to go home early like what you told me to do but… there was this guy—"
"Ar…Arthur?" Kira's forehead creased in thought. He recalled his recent conversation with Mwu for the name of the guy.
"No, stupid." Cagalli glared at him. Kira clamped his mouth shut. Cagalli turned her attention back to the ceiling and in an almost inaudible voice, she said, "Athrun Zala."
Athrun Zala, eh? His surname rings a bell… Kira also noticed the hint of tenderness when Cagalli spoke of the guy's name. He grimaced mentally. She's not getting attached already, is she?
"I met him that morning when I arrived at school. He told me I looked constipated when he saw me." Kira didn't miss the small smile that carved its way on Cagalli's lips. "I was trying to fight the urges, you see…" The small smile disappeared. "In the afternoon, just after class, the urges started coming back so I locked myself in the girl's CR to calm myself down. When I did though, there were hardly any people left so I hurriedly left the building and was on my way to the parking lot when… when he saw me again.
"I didn't know what to do." A wistful smile ghosted on Cagalli's lips. "I caught a whiff of his smell and then suddenly, the urges came back. Worst of all, he started approaching me… I ran. When I got into the small forest thingy at school, I was surprised that he followed me." She sighed heavily. "The urges were already so strong then… and he looked quite…" Cagalli gulped. She was already flustered. She cleared her throat a bit to fight off the blush invading her cheeks but it was useless. She continued nevertheless. "He looked quite tempting."
Tempting? Kira's scowl is now evident. Fuck this. I need to hunt down this guy, pronto! He was on the verge of snapping when he froze on what he heard next.
"I literally pounced on him." Cagalli was looking at Kira squarely in the eyes, effectively stopping his movements and any of his stray thoughts. He was probably itching to beat Athrun to a pulp. She knew him that much. "And then I… I bit him."
Cagalli's lips drew into a thin line. Of course, she dropped some very minor details like kissing Athrun senseless on the forest floor. She's sure that Kira would be angrier if he hears that. She regulated her breathing in her mind. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Kira's not saying anything yet… She was starting to get nervous. She peered at her twin curiously.
Kira didn't know what to say, or rather, he didn't know what to do since it was obvious that Cagalli was at fault. He never wanted to raise another offending hand at Cagalli. Frustrated, he leaned his head against the loveseat's backrest. However, for some reason, he became annoyed at the guy. If that guy didn't follow Cagalli, then any of this wouldn't have happened... His fists closed into a tight ball. He just wants to punch somebody senseless right now. Or perhaps, punching that bastard is a better idea!
"Kira?" Cagalli asked gently. He seemed to be brewing some mad ideas in his head. She groaned inwardly at the thought.
Kira smiled and pulled Cagalli into a half-hug. He patted her blonde locks affectionately, "Thanks for telling me this, Cagalli." Don't worry, I'll think of an idea to get you out of this mess! Of course, Lacus always berated him of being overprotective of Cagalli, however, he really didn't like breaking promises—he vowed to protect Cagalli—and right now, in Cagalli's current situation, he's sure as hell wants to break someone's neck—someone by the name of Athrun Zala.
***
Athrun sighed. It has been almost a week since he last saw Cagalli. For some reasons, she seems to be avoiding her. He called her every day since their date but she wouldn't answer, he sent her text messages but she wouldn't reply, he waited every lunch time at their bench hoping that she'll appear, and he even went to her classroom to see her but she wasn't there. He scratched his head in frustration. It was already Friday and he still hasn't seen even a glimpse of Cagalli's shadow.
He looked at his watch; it was already four in the afternoon. They were dismissed several minutes ago but Athrun found himself standing on the rooftop of the Boys' Division building. He always liked the wind there. Though it was already fall at Orb and the temperature became a bit chilly, he still gave himself the pleasure to go up there once in a while to think and to breathe. The breeze from the rooftop always brought him the calming effect he wants. He exhaled and was slightly amused when he produced a puff of air. He wound the scarf around his neck a bit tighter and then fished out his cellphone from his pant's pocket. He reread Cagalli's message for the nth time.
I'm very sorry. An emergency came up at the manor, I had to go home.
Thank you very much for the date, Athrun.
Good night.
He tried asking Shiho what happened at the Attha Manor since she's one of Cagalli's closest friends, however, Shiho always brushed him off, telling him that it was not his business to know.
"It's also my business, damn it! Cagalli's my... my bride!" Athrun said crossly.
"Then, go to her." Shiho replied simply, anger also burning from her eyes.
I think I made her angry when I asked her if Yzak's also a vampire... He frowned. What Shiho told him about Yzak was a huge shock to Athrun's system. He became one of Athrun's closest friends (despite their attitude differences) when he entered this school. Yzak's a vampire... and also one of Cagalli's close friends. He sighed. Now, I've got Yzak and Shiho to kill me if I do something wrong to Cagalli... I wonder how Nicol and Dearka will react when I tell them the truth about the couple. He gulped at the thought. Yzak and Shiho would most likely kill him, and most probably, Cagalli would be helping the two. He sighed. Cagalli...
He looked around. The surroundings got a bit darker. The afternoon sun hid behind the thick orange-gray clouds thus creating a beautiful silhouette of the Girls' Division building in front of his eyes. He was in the middle of indulging himself on the scenery when he noticed someone at the other side—at the Girls' Division building's rooftop. The figure was standing on top of the rooftop's exit shed, stretching her lean form in all its glory while her skirt billowed in the autumn breeze. She stood there afterwards, with both hands on her waist looking as if she was also admiring the view of the majestic sunset.
Athrun froze on his spot when the girl turned around and jumped on the rooftop floor gracefully. But that wasn't the reason he stayed unmoving, it was the face that the girl carried, the face that haunted him every night, the face that always invaded his thoughts—CAGALLI!
***
He ran as soon as Cagalli exited the rooftop. He was panting heavily while running down the flight of stairs of the Boys' Division building. In a few minutes he found himself at the building's lobby, trying to catch his breath. In the midst of all the panting, he saw Cagalli exiting the Girls' Division building and making her way to the parking lot. With a huge gulp of air, he ran across the courtyard and it was then he noticed a hot red sports car exiting at one of the school's gates.
It's Cagalli! It's really her! That's her car!
With an unwavering resolve, he went to the parking lot and got into his own car.
If the vampire runs away from the prey, then the prey will go after the vampire.
***
The Attha Manor loomed in the distance. It looked magnificent as ever, however, there was an unusual air around it that Athrun cannot describe. It was almost telling Athrun to go back. He grimaced; he cannot back down now, not when Cagalli is already at reach. He scolded himself mentally for not thinking of this—going to Cagalli's house—much earlier.
The gates of the Attha household opened smoothly. It seemed like the guard already knew him and gave him a smile as he passed. He pulled into the curb and got out of his car. He straightened his clothes while he made his way to the front door. He was about to ring the doorbell when the door opened revealing a smiling brown-haired, violet-eyed man.
"Good afternoon, young man."
Athrun was slightly taken aback but retained his composure afterwards, "Good afternoon, sir. Is Cagalli home?"
"Cagalli?" The man's eyes narrowed slightly, "And who might you be? One of her friends from school, perhaps?"
"Um, yeah... I'm one of her friends." He smiled and introduced himself, "I'm Athrun Zala, sir."
The violet eyes of the brown-haired man widened in shock. Athrun gulped. Did I do something wrong?
"Athrun Zala, you say?" The man's voice was grim, almost threatening in fact.
"Yes, si—"
A solid punch to the face jolted Athrun's senses. He fell unceremoniously on the tiled floor with a thud. What the hell?! Athrun's hands flew to his mouth. His lower lip was busted and it stung considerably. He wiped the small amount of blood that managed to ooze out from the small wound. He looked up and glared at the furious brown-haired man standing before him.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRO—"
Athrun received a harsh kick on his stomach. He rolled off from the steps of the patio and landed on the hard pavement of the curb. Damn it. He tried standing up, supporting his body on all fours. He coughed out all of a sudden and his eyes widened when he saw the pavement stained with his blood. Ugh...
When he successfully stood up, albeit weakly because of the sudden beating, he was grabbed tenaciously by the collar by the brown-haired man. He looked up and saw the infuriated violet eyes of the man. Athrun asked himself a few times if he did something wrong to anger the man before him, however, all thoughts ceased when another punch landed on his jaw. He was still in the man's hold when he coughed out some blood again. The brown-haired man's punches were rather strong that it made Athrun feel a bit light-headed. His head lolled unconsciously while he tried to catch his breath.
"You..."
A venomous voice called Athrun's attention. He stared at the man in front of him. His lips were drawn into a thin line, his jaw was tense, and his eyes were out to kill. Athrun groaned as the man tightened his hold on his collar. He felt another punch coming when the man loosened a hand from his collar, however, the man went stiff when an angelic voice echoed in the air.
"Kira?... Oh my! Kira! Let go of that man this instant!"
Athrun saw a dash of pink before he was flung roughly across the pavement. He rolled around a few times before halting face down on the concrete. Using his hands, he pushed himself against the ground and turned his body on his back with a rough thud. He was now lying on the pavement, his eyes were closed and he was breathing heavily.
"Hey, Lacus, is there any problem?"
A familiar voice joined the aggravating buzz inside Athrun's messed up head. Cagalli...
With this, he submitted to his defeated senses and fell unconscious.
***
Cagalli's heart raged furiously in her chest.
Lacus was restraining a furious Kira. She was trying to pull him inside the house—trying desperately to divert his attention from the heap of flesh lying on the front curb. She was looking at her anxiously as if asking for help and as if trying to tell her something more unpleasant.
Cagalli looked at Kira and then looked at Kira's object of attention. She felt her heart skip a beat when she saw a tattered Athrun lying helplessly on the pavement. Her feet started moving on their own and in a fraction of a second, she was already kneeling beside an unconscious Athrun. She gulped. He was bleeding. Oh my God... Her heart started beating faster. Her fangs started lengthening. The smell of Athrun's blood was overpowering her senses. She cursed inwardly. It has been a full week since she drank blood and unfortunately, she's already near her limit. Damn it, not now!
She was on the verge of tears because of the sudden dilemma, however, she decided with much determination that she needed to help Athrun first. She blinked back her tears and gently picked up Athrun's limp form from the ground. She draped one of his arms around her shoulders and she encircled one of her arms around his waist for support. She walked to the porch, dragging an unconscious Athrun with her.
"Let go of him, Cagalli." Kira said crossly. He was being restrained by Lacus's strong hold.
Cagalli glared at him and ignored his command. She continued walking.
"I swear, if that bastard sets one foot inside the house, I will—"
"You will what, Kira?" She glowered at her twin with the same intensity of anger in her eyes. "You've beaten him up. Thanks to you, he's now unconscious. Aren't you happy now? What more do you want to do?"
"Cagalli, I—"
"Perhaps, you're the impulsive one, Kira."
Cagalli continued walking, dragging Athrun in the process, while ignoring Kira's protests.
***
Athrun opened his eyes slowly. He groaned when he felt pain all over his body especially on his face. What happened? He blinked a few times to adjust to the darkness of the room. He tried sitting up but didn't do it anyways because he felt sore all over. He looked around. He seems to be lying in a bed. There was an open table side lamp near him, illuminating a small part of the room. Finally adjusting to the scarce lighting of the room, he roamed his eyes around. Hmm... This room looks familiar... Where am I anyways?
"Ah! You're finally awake!" A gentle voice perked up from the door. It was a young woman with pink hair.
Pink? Athrun blinked as the woman approached him. She seems to be carrying a tray full of food which she placed on the bedside table.
I'm sure I saw something pink before I got knocked out... but what happened before that? He creased his forehead in thought. He seems to be forgetting some major details.
The pink-haired lady looked at him with concern. "Does it still hurt?"
The lady touched his cheek gently. It stung severely even with feathery touches. He groaned. That man can pack a punch! His eyes widened in his sudden mental outburst. Man?... Punch?... He gulped when some violent scenes replayed in his mind. Apparently, he was punched, kicked, and thrown like trash by a brown-haired man when he arrived at Cagalli's doorstep. He groaned once more in realization.
"Oh my... do you want to take some painkillers?" The lady asked once again.
Athrun looked at her and croaked out the first thing that rolled off his tongue, "Cagalli..."
The pink-haired lady looked at him questionably and then smiled afterwards. "I'll go call her."
Athrun blushed. What was he thinking, saying Cagalli's name like that? He was hoping that he did not sound that desperate. Oh God, help me...
A few seconds after the pink-haired lady exited the room, Athrun heard hurried footsteps outside, followed by a hasty opening of the bedroom door. In a blink of an eye, Cagalli was in front of Athrun. He smiled. Finally...
"Thank heavens, you're awake!" Cagalli buried her head on his shoulder. Athrun suppressed a groan from escaping his lips. He was still sore but he could care less since Cagalli's back in his arms once again. With a lot of effort, he placed his free hand on top of Cagalli's head and started caressing her blonde hair.
"I missed you so much, Cagalli..." He sounded hoarse, nevertheless, he was so happy that he had no care on how he sounded like.
"Me too." A muffled reply came from Cagalli, who was still buried on his shoulder. She tilted her head a bit so she can look at him. Her eyes were wet but she was smiling. "Do you want to sit up?"
"Yes, please."
Cagalli lifted him gently, letting him rest by the bed's headboard. Athrun produced a faint whimper which made Cagalli look at him worriedly.
"Does it still hurt?" Cagalli was frowning. She looked guilty.
"Don't worry, this is nothing..." He smiled. Cagalli blushed at the process and he smiled some more. She looks so cute when she blushes!
"Uh... ah... You should eat!" Cagalli moved frantically, desperately trying to hide her embarrassment. She reached for her bedside table and got a bowl full of rice porridge. She scooped a hefty amount of porridge on the spoon and blew on it gently. "It's still a bit hot..."
Athrun opened his mouth when Cagalli placed the spoonful of porridge near his face. They were silent while Cagalli fed him. He never thought he was that hungry that he finished the porridge in no time. He finally felt some energy coursing through his body. He sighed in relief.
"Here." Cagalli placed a glass of water near his lips and he complied by drinking the liquid. He finished the whole glass and smiled gratefully at the girl before him, "Thank you, Cagalli."
A comfortable silence ensued. Cagalli was fidgeting on her spot by the side of the bed while Athrun was staring at her, smiling in satisfaction because she was there.
Athrun didn't want to break the silence but he had some questions that needed to be answered. "Hey, Cagalli... Who's that brown-haired man earlier?" I hope he's not some crazy, possessive suitor of yours. He gave me quite the beating...
"Oh..." Cagalli frowned, "He's my... brother."
Brother? She has a brother? Athrun looked at her quizzically.
"It seems like I haven't told you about him yet, haven't I?" Cagalli said sheepishly. "Well, he's my brother, my twin, in fact. I'm so sorry about what he did to you. For him to go berserk like that was unlike him... I thought you would be in a serious coma afterwards or something much worse." She sighed heavily.
Athrun gulped. Much worse? "Is he also a... vampire?"
Cagalli nodded. That explains the inhumane beating I received earlier... Athrun groaned inwardly at the thought.
"And who's that pink-haired lady?" She seems really nice, Athrun added mentally.
"Oh, that's Lacus. She's Kira's wife... her bride." Cagalli added the last part in a whisper.
Athrun shuddered. This house is full of vampires... He cleared his thoughts and decided to focus on one thing—Cagalli. He had not seen her for a week and he wanted to know what's wrong. "I haven't seen you in a week."
Cagalli evaded his eyes. She was now staring intently on the blanket covering him.
"Tell me, is there something wrong, Cagalli?" Athrun grabbed one of Cagalli's fisted hands. This action made Cagalli look at him.
"Cagalli..." Athrun coaxed her gently.
The girl before him took a deep breath and mumbled, "I had to avoid you for a while."
Athrun was in shock. So it was true... she really was avoiding me. It pained him. "...Why?"
"Kira got mad when he knew about you. He said that I smelled different. You see, we vampires have heightened sense of smell so we can notice the slightest of changes. He did. It seems that your smell rubbed off on me since we have been spending time together a lot... so, I had to avoid you for a while. I'm sorry." Cagalli bit her lip. Another major reason of her week-long hiding was because of that girl. She had been so shocked to see Athrun in the arms of another girl and to see him so happy like that pained her so much.
"Oh." Athrun was speechless. He seriously thought that Cagalli was mad of him because of Meyrin since she coincidentally disappeared after Meyrin appeared. Nevertheless, his thoughts rolled off from his mouth effortlessly, "I really thought you we're angry at me because of Meyrin."
Athrun's mouth instantly snapped shut as soon as he finished the statement. He never meant to voice out his thoughts. Cagalli stiffened.
He waved his hands frantically in front of her as if telling her to dismiss his last statement. Cagalli was frowning and averting her eyes from him. He looked at her quizzically, and then heard something click inside his head. Oh my God... don't tell me she's really mad at me because of Meyrin?!
His eyes widened in realization, however, an amused smile followed, "Could it be that you're jealous of Meyrin?"
"Hmmp!" Cagalli glared at him and stood up from the bed. She was about to stomp away when Athrun caught her hands in a tight grip. She glared at him again.
She really is jealous! Athrun chuckled inwardly as his male pride swelled in happiness. "Is this for real, Cagalli?"
"So what if I am?!" Cagalli retorted, "At least I'm not some womanizing blueberry head!" She tugged at her hands held by Athrun's own but groaned in frustration afterwards when it didn't even budge a bit. What the hell?! She felt her strength fading because she still hasn't drank any blood since last week. She silently prayed to the gods to at least make her rational for the time being.
"...Womanizing blueberry head?" Athrun stuttered awkwardly. He gulped. Cagalli thought he was flirting with Meyrin. What the hell... He looked at her firmly, "Cagalli, Meyrin is just a childhood friend of mine that I haven't seen in years! There's nothing romantic between us, I swear! There's no reason for you to be jealous about! You're the only girl I like!"
Athrun's eyes widened and his mouth hung open, he didn't mean to blurt out the last sentence. He gulped. He was so frustrated that he didn't even think of his words. Mother in heaven, please help me...
Cagalli's mouth also hung open. Athrun likes me? A hefty amount of blush invaded her cheeks. She asked once again, albeit sheepishly, "You like... me?"
Athrun nodded slowly. He might as well go with the flow. He was also flustered but he said it clearly, "I like you, Cagalli."
A small smile crept into Cagalli's lips. She never thought it would come to this.
Athrun noticed the small smile forming on Cagalli's lips. He grinned confidently, "So does that mean you like me too?"
"No way, you womanizing blueberry head!" Cagalli teased and then she was pulled into an embrace by a chuckling Athrun Zala.
***
"Kira, you shouldn't go in there." Lacus warned the brown-haired man gently. She was holding one of his arms in a firm grip.
"But Lacus!" Kira whined desperately, "What if that blue boy does something bad to Cagalli?! I can't let that happen!" He gripped the doorknob firmly. He's going into Cagalli's room even if that means dragging Lacus with him and even though Cagalli threatened to skin him alive and ship him to Antarctica if he entered.
"Kira, they can handle themselves perfectly. They're not kids anymore." Lacus sighed. Kira's such a worrywart. Oh my...
"Lacus! I can't take it anymore! I'm going in!" With a surge of strength, he entered the room, dragging Lacus with him. He froze on his spot when he saw Athrun and Cagalli on the bed, sporting a very suggestive position.
Lacus heard a loud snap—somewhat like a volcano eruption when Kira yelled angrily.
"LET GO OF HER, YOU BASTARD!"
End of Chapter Five
Author's Notes: I'm giving out imaginary creampuffs to whomever guesses correctly the "very suggestive position" that Athrun and Cagalli were sporting. Hahaha. The characters are OOC again. And I'm very sorry for all the sudden POV shifts. If you're confused by that, I accept flames. By the way, I decided that this story will be around 10 chapters long. If you want it longer, or perhaps more interesting (in terms of content), please suggest or prompt me some scenes and I'll try to incorporate your ideas on the next chapters. Please tell me what you think, it's greatly appreciated! Reviews are love! :)