Chapter 3 – Operation Love Letter Part 1
"She's going to kill me…" a voice wailed.
"Shut up you!" another voice, this time snarled "We're freaking doing this for them!"
"Then why isn't he here?" the first voice asked.
"Because I didn't think that having him along in this plan would be a good thing" a third voice explained.
"Why do you suddenly sound so stupid" someone sighed "It's obvious that he isn't here because he will ruin everything!"
"But! But!... We aren't even sure if there is anything going on!"
"Sheesh, you're even more hopeless than I thought" the mysterious voice pointed at the one beside him, "I don't know how you got hooked up with her."
"That's something different!"
"Shut up you two!" the one who had snarled earlier snarled even more, venom dripped from his voice. "Or else I'll be forced to kick your-"
"Oh shut up!" a haughty voice interrupted "Anyway, back to operation Love Letter"
"What a lousy name!"
"I'm going to die!!!"
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The tiny bell on the door of a luxurious café sounded as a customer entered. A woman with shoulder length blonde hair shouted a greeting as she turned to meet the newcomer with a bright smiled –which faltered at the sight him. And instead of finishing her usual, "Good afternoon sir, welcome to Cat's Eyes", her regular routine of words was replaced by a string of highly discouraged greeting.
"Good afternoon sir, welcome to- Athrun Zala! What the hell are you doing here?"
A co-worker who caught Cagalli Yula Attha's uncharacteristic greeting sent her a warning glance, promising some unheard misfortune for the said girl. Cagalli, in return, grinned sheepishly to the other girl and proceeded to her prey.
Athrun grinned at the blonde as she walked towards him, her steps visibly held some weight as her sole touched the cool marble floor –which could be described as, much to Athrun Zala's distaste, stomping.
"I do believe you would scare away customers with that greeting of yours" he said with the grin still playing on his lips as he walked to a near by table positioned new the glass wall.
"Shut up you" Cagalli glared at him, "What brings you here anyway?"
"It's a free world Cagalli, there's no law that states Athrun Zala cannot dine in the café which Cagalli Yula Attha works in" he answered.
The blonde glared at him more and shoved the menu -which she got on her way to the table- to his chest, causing him to rub the inflicted spot after.
"I was being serious Athrun" she told him as she played with the pen on hand while her eyes watched the blue-haired guitarist scan the menu over and over again.
"So was I"
His answer made Cagalli even more annoyed at him.
First he came to the café she was working in –part-time of course. Of course all of the nine hells knew it was a sin to drink even a cup of instant coffee in a place where your best friend's sister worked in.
And then when she asked him a question –nice even. He goes answering her in the way which makes her blood boil most –sarcastically.
God, what happened to the gentlemen?
"Yzak kicked me out of your house" he finally told her.
Cagalli cocked her brows at what he told her.
The minute of silence turned into a never ending fits of giggling.
"He did what?" she dared ask again despite her laughing state.
This time it was Athrun's turn to glare at her, but not with the intensity like Cagalli's, it was more of a gesture of self defense.
"He kicked me out your house –literally" he told her again, momentarily forgetting the fact that adding that last thought would only bring him to more humiliation. But truth to be told, he didn't even know what the hell was funny.
But he guessed Cagalli did and she was enjoying every sweet second of laughing at him.
"Mind telling me everything?" she asked again, her hand free from the pen she held earlier –to hold her aching side.
Athrun groaned, "Spare me".
Cagalli grinned, her earlier mood forgotten. "Fine, I'll just have Kira tell me" she taunted playfully "Besides, nothing gets juicier, you know, with all the exaggeration and details".
"Oh shut up" the emerald-eyed man told her, shoving the menu back at her. "Just get a cup of cappuccino and a slice of rum cake. And god, I didn't know Kira had the guts in him to destroy my guitar!"
The blonde quickly scribbled his order on a piece of paper which she retrieved from her apron pockets and walked to the counter to place his order.
Athrun sighed. He didn't even know why he went here instead of going home.
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Shiho angrily erased the sentence she had written down not to long ago. "What should I have written Kira?" she asked irritably, her eyes twitching in annoyance.
Kira sighed, at this very moment, he didn't know why he bothers to correct all the flaws of the letter which might bring his sister and best friend together, especially since he knows Cagalli will kill him afterwards. "It shouldn't be your eyes are as deep as the sea. It's so cliché and cliché is bad, plus it's doesn't sound like Cagalli talking" he stroked his chin in thought, "Sounds like Dearka trying to court Milly some years ago".
"Hey!" the said blonde protested from the background. "I so did not say that".
Milly, who stood beside Dearka laughed, "Of course you didn't she told him" but before the blonde could sigh in relief of having his fiancé support him, the brunette woman added, "You said something between the lines of, Oh the heavens has blessed you with eyes the same shade of those healthy carrots I love to eat!"
"Oh god that's worse!" Yzak, who was standing beside Shiho laughed out loud at the embarrassment of his friend. "What idiot compares his so called girlfriend's eyes to carrots?"
"That was a spur of the moment thing!" Dearka tried to defend the little pride he had left. "And natural is always good… yeah"
Kira laughed this time and Lacus, who was sitting on the sofa near by also giggled. "Yeah, by what you mean 'natural'… is it the carrot?"
The tan skinned man slapped his forehead, feeling that all hope is lost on defending his humiliated self. "Oh what in the name of heavens did I do to you people to deserve this?"
Yzak narrowed his eyes at him, "You really want to know?"
But before Dearka could utter another word, the long-haired brunette snapped. "Shut up and help me think of this!"
The fair haired man glared at the woman beside him, "This was your idea Hahnenfuss, and you deal with it".
"I could have!" she retorted "If only Kira wouldn't oppose to my ideas to much!"
Kira shivered under the glare of Shiho –which reminded him much of Cagalli-, "I was trying to help!"
Lacus on the other hand took the current situation calmly, "Why don't we have some tea and let me handle this letter?" she suggested with a little smile on her face. "I think I know how to put just enough romance, mystery and practicality to our little problem here".
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Shinn Asuka entered his room with a sigh.
Today had been a very bad day. Many unexpected and unwanted events had happened, which leaded him to ponder on a subject he'd rather not. It had all started with Mayu waking him up rudely this morning, interrupting his dream of –chocolate rainbows and cotton candy clouds- and then forced him to cook her breakfast since their mom already left for work and their dad was still, in his own room, fast asleep.
If only the world knew how spoiled his sister was.
After all the morning fuss, he was ready to go Kira's residence to practice and maybe have a little chat or two with Cagalli. The thought of the blonde brought a smile to his lips and at the same time an empty feeling in his chest. It was the same feeling he always gets, and what frightens him most is that he knows the source of this agonizing emotion yet he denies it.
He wants to believe he loves Cagalli. But a part of him –a big part even- loves another. Another being who left him for her dreams, and when she left, she carried a big part of him with her.
Cagalli was there when it all happened; it was when her misery has yet occurred. She was there to comfort him, and in return, he sought for that comfort. But right now, he didn't want to think of her as some… rebound for a love he had lost; he wanted to really love her.
So then, as he drove happily to her place that morning, his mobile phone rang. It was Kira, telling him that practice for today had been cancelled since Athrun had some personal agendas to attend to.
So much for seeing Cagalli today, he bitterly thought, and I thought Athrun was the one who always prioritized practice.
But Athrun was least of his concern. As if the blue-haired guitarist has ever been at the top of his priorities.
He glanced at the lone picture frame on his nightstand, and with another sigh, he plopped down his comfy bed and stared at the white ceiling. He missed her. Turning to his side, he decided that these thoughts shouldn't be dwelled at right now.
Or maybe he was just running away. Taking shelter at the nearest bus stop, and right now maybe… just maybe he could have Cagalli replace her.
He was a coward. But then like all of us, he hated the pain.
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Kira sighed and sat on the sofa of his living room. He was damn glad those pestering people were gone. He questioned himself again on why he had agreed on doing this absurd plan in the first place. He wanted Cagalli to find her own man, she was old and hopefully wise enough to do that even though he knew she wouldn't have any guy he doesn't approve of.
And of course, he approves of his best friend. It wouldn't be such a hard task to monitor –scrutinize each and every move- their… behaviors.
"You seem to take this very seriously Kira" he heard his girlfriend tell him.
"Of course," he chuckled "If the letter sounds so plastic and unreal, I'm sure Cagalli will be suspicious of us… me"
Lacus giggled and touched his hand, "I'm sure that's not the only reason" she said.
Kira looked at her for awhile, "Of course not" he sighed "You do know that we aren't… well biological siblings right?" he asked even though he already knew the answer.
"Hm…"
"Cagalli… has suffered a lot" he explained "According to her; she lost her mother at birth, and her father was murdered"
"Kira…"
"I know that I can never be her real brother, because I can only imagine what she might have felt. But even though she won't ever open up to me, I want to be a true brother to her, Lacus".
The pop star smiled at his answer and leaned down to touch their foreheads, her baby blue eyes looking into his deeper ones. "I'm sure you are, Kira"
"And I'm sure she loves you just as much…"
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By the time Athrun got home, it was already a good hour past 2pm when he saw Yzak's car parked in front of his house.
What's he doing here?
But by the time he was about to enter his house, the fair-haired was already ready to leave.
"Hey" came Yzak's stern greeting.
Athrun waved a little, "What are you doing here?" he asked as Yzak walked down the front porch and to his own car.
"Delivered a letter, we found it in Kira's mailbox" he nonchalantly answered while climbing into his car, "See you". Then he was gone.
"A letter?"
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Cagalli sighed and shifted in her bed. It was only about past three and she was felt exhausted… too exhausted. Athrun had kindly offered to drive her home from work since her car was busted and at home. Everything was fine as it is until he opened the radio, and the radio station had to be playing that song.
"'Cause all I can do is hold on…"
"And wait for you to set me free…"
She sighed again and got up. She didn't know why but after that incident, she felt like trying to play again. She wondered if it would still hurt after all this time she had been running away.
But running away was tiring, it drained her up.
Cagalli opened one of the closets in the left side of her room. She blindly dug her hands into the cramped closet until she found what she was looking for. Her hands automatically stopped and wrapped her slender fingers on the black casing all too familiarly.
This was it.
She pulled the irregular object out.
Now it lay on her lap, a black guitar case which still reflected its glossy color after all these time she had kept it inside her closet. Slowly, she unzipped it and as the beautiful wooden color instrument revealed itself to her, her breathe caught on her throat…
"And wait for you to set me free…"
"Then tell me you love me…"
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Author's Note: Thanks for all those who reviewed!!
Meowmeow: I didn't want to bother you and your studies. I hope you like this chappie all the same, and good luck to your exams!!!
What to look forward to in the next chapter: Athrun and Cagalli decides to meet their 'secret admirers'.