I know what you guys are thinking, something along the lines of Finally! Am I wrong? Anyways, sorry fro the delay. I hope you guys like this chap, it's a bit weird. Oh, and a warning to Kira/Lacus fans, you might want to stay away...

For exactly eighteen years, two months and 23 days now, Yuuna Roma Serian and Cagalli Yula Attha had been Orb's perfect couple. And for seventeen years, ten months and 5 days, Yuuna Roma Serian, Cagalli Yula Attha and Lionel Uzumi Attha had been Orb's perfect family.

At least, that was what the press reported. And what the press reported, its readers believed...

Sometimes he couldn't believe he had stooped so low that he had to read gossip columns so he could keep an eye on them. Orb's so-called perfect family, that is. He hid the magazines he collected under his basement floorboards and was the only one who knew of their existence. The man had once heard a respected politician say that there were times when the last resort was the only resort. Of course, that person had been true to their title and never bothered to mention that the last resort was oftentimes the most soul crushing one out there.

Those who were close to them knew the truth, while the average citizens blindly believed what was published in the press. As for Athrun, he was caught somewhere in the middle. He knew Cagalli well, even now, so many years later, and he was almost certain that her feelings towards Yuuna hadn't changed. He wasn't quite so sure about Lionel though. Yet, on the other hand, after spending more than 15 years reading the daily gossip, he couldn't help but think that what they claimed was true.

As Cagalli picked up the pictures Yuuna had knocked down she came upon one that she had forgotten about. That was what happened when you crammed your tiny desk with picture after picture. It was an old one, the blonde woman guessed that it had probably been sitting there longer than the rest of them. There were two people in the photo, her and Athrun.

It was from those two golden after the first war. From a time when they believed they were invincible.

They were so stupid to have believed that.

Back then, nothing went wrong. If something was ever bothering them, it could be easily fixed with a kiss and a few sweet words. They were so happy together as boyfriend and girlfriend. Their future looked so bright, so stupidly bright. They were going to stay together forever and maybe get married, but not until after Cagalli turned 30. Nothing could get between then. Not politics, not Athrun's being a Zala and definitely not that purple haired freak.

It was depressing how optimistic they had been.

Snapping out of her daze, Cagalli placed the picture back on to the table and began to go through her paperwork. This was her life now, but she still hadn't learned to live with it.

Yuuna despised his wife and adored Cagalli. He hated the representative with a passion but loved the princess like no other. And he desperately wished that they weren't the same person.

Yuuna had first met Cagalli when he was only 6 years old; she had only been two. At the time they were both too young to understand what an engagement was, or how it connected the two of them. The little blonde girl was stubborn and passionate, even then. He fondly remembered her bursting out in tears after tripping over her dress, and then smiling from ear to ear a minute later. The man chuckled. Very few people knew it, but Cagalli had been a real crybaby when she was young. And he had been the one to dry her tears. Not Kisaka, not her father, not that stupid coordinator brother of hers and definitely not Alex Dino, but him, Yuuna Roma Serian.

The princess used to be so emotional in front of him. She'd let him know everything and was unable to hide a single feeling. They had gotten along quite well in childhood, they were the best of friends, but as they began growing up things changed. Cagalli became less and less of a crybaby. When she did cry, she was always too ashamed to tell him why. She began spending more time with her father and grew more opinionated. She wanted to do everything for herself and no one was aloud to help. Dresses became the enemy, boys became jerks, freedom became her dream and the sweet little Princess Yuuna loved became history.

Now you mustn't go imagining to yourself that Yuuna cared any less for the new Cagalli, the tomboy one. He had also grown up and developed his own tastes and morals –ones that were radically different from his fiancée's. He liked women, money and power, they were all things that made him feel good. Nobody knew it, but he was terribly insecure. Of course, nobody ever tried to find out either. His father had always been too busy with work and his mother too preoccupied with her numerous tea parties. The gang of boys he hung out with at school only did so because of his money and status. Even Lord Uzumi, the man he looked up to the most as a child, openly disapproved of him. As for Cagalli, she was too busy running away from home all the time to notice.

In his teens, the one thing Yuuna wanted more than anything else was control and he saw only one way to get it: Cagalli. He tried to stop her from leaving and he tried to talk her into wearing dresses. Whatever he could do to have a certain amount of power of her. The few times he succeeded, the growing man had always felt so confident, so proud, so excited. All his worries would disappear and he was the master of the universe for however long it lasted.

As he moved on into adulthood, his need for control diminished but he still got excited every time he could get Cagalli to do something his way. At age 19, he was the youngest emirate Orb had ever known and his life was working out perfectly. Women would flock at his door, he had a weekly allowance of 100 000 earth dollars and was quickly gaining influence within the government. Plus he always had his special moments with Cagalli.

Then the war broke out and everything changed. Not immediately, but slowly things started adjusting. Orb had declared itself neutral and on the outside it was not at all affected by the war. Yet, on the inside, war was very, very apparent. The cabinet of emirs had been divided in two: those who wished to remain neutral and those who wanted to side with the Earth Forces. None of them wanted to side with the PLANT.

Cagalli ran off again, three times. The first time she went to Heleopolis, coming back with a salvaged escape pod and a memorable temper tantrum for her father. The next time she went to Africa and joined a resistance group, The Desert Sunset, or something like that. She returned with a bang, the Archangel and that coordinator pilot. On her last escapade, she went to space, and when she finally arrived home she had brought with her a long lost twin brother and a coordinator boyfriend, among other things.

She decided that she would take her father's place, much to everyone's disagreement, and did just that. Her coordinator boyfriend became her bodyguard. At first, everything went smoothly. She did a great job of reconstructing and looking after Orb. Foreign politicians, especially the PLANTs chairman, Dullindal, all took to her frank and straightforward ways. The people of Orb loved her. She never told Yuuna, but he knew she was on cloud nine.

And he knew that her political achievements weren't her only cause for joy. She was having an affair with that bodyguard of hers. Yuuna had always suspected him. From the moment he saw him docking the Archangel, only inches away from his Cagalli, whispering what the older man was sure were naughty words into her ears, he knew the Alex Dino was trouble. Yet, it was only when he caught the two acting inappropriate (a/n: no, you perverts, not that sort of inappropriate, think make-out, nothing more) that he really got on the younger man's case. The truth was, he was jealous of him. Alex Dino. A man of working class means with no past and not much of a future. He had something Yuuna knew he would never have control over Cagalli. And not just any kind, the kind that she consented to and allowed him to have. The kind that she actually sort of enjoyed. He knew how to keep her stable while letting her be free.

When he left, Yuuna nearly jumped for joy. Cagalli on the other hand was all over the place. The second war was looming over her heavily and now her biggest support team (a/n: Team Athrun, woo-hoo!) was gone. He instinctively jumped in to take his place. For the very first time, Cagalli was too lost to resist. Within a day or so of Dino's departure she became his puppet, his plaything and started acting very emotional (a/n: not emo, emotional). In fact, she was so readable and open that it reminded Yuuna of the good old days, when they were children.

Accept that they weren't what they were then anymore. Cagalli hated him now. She found him disgusting and violent, she called him a bore. As for Yuuna, he was still in love with her, but was so overcome by the desire to control her and his lust for that satisfaction that came with it, that it was impossible for his feelings to shine through. Nevertheless, the two married, signed the treaty with the Atlantic Federation and went on with their lives.

Hardly a day or so after the wedding, Alex Dino returned, to save his princess no doubt. The two met privately and talked for a long time. Yuuna had no clue what had gone on between them that day, but when his new wife returned to him, she was more of a ghost than before.

As the war came to it's end, Yuuna started to tire of Cagalli. She didn't seem to care about anything anymore. She was just a shell, walking around aimlessly, taking commands like a dutiful servant. Her hair became lank and her eyes dull. Now if she did something he asked, he considered it normal. There was no more excitement left. That was, until she announced that she was pregnant. Suddenly, she came back to life. Her hair began to shine again and her eyes were brighter than ever. She started challenging Yuuna again, and would no longer do as he said.

Cagalli was back, along with her excitement. But she had changed, and something told Yuuna that she was never changing back, not for him at least. It was only as she lay on her hospital bed, pushing and screaming, close to death, did the man rediscover his love for her. Yet by then it was too late, for the Cagalli he had known was gone. In her place was Mrs. Attha, mother of Lionel and Orb.

"Mr. Kira! What are you doing here?" asked Meyrin happily, taking a seat next to him on the route 43 city bus. She was coming home from spending the night at her sister's. Kira looked up at the younger woman, then turned back to looking at his feet.

"Hey," he mumbled weakly. He buried his face in his hands.

Meyrin had never seen Kira like this before. When she had first met him on the Archangel he had so serene and so calm. Even when she spent more time with him after the war, the older man never seemed distressed. At least in her presence. Athrun had once told her about how his old friend was an emotional wreck during the first war but Meyrin had always found that impossible to believe. So it was a shock to see the legendary Freedom pilot like this.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly, in a calm, sweet voice. Kira jerked his head up, and for a moment, his violet eyes did not leave Meyrin. But he wasn't really staring at her, for that moment, he was focusing on a distant memory that she had somehow evoked. The younger woman gently put her hand on his back and began to stroke it, like one would a sad child. "What's wrong, Mr. Kira?" she asked again.

"It's nothing," replied the man, shifting his gaze from her. Meyrin pouted, but decided to drop the subject.

"So, what are you doing roaming around town on such a fine Saturday mourning?" she inquired curiously, "as far as I know, you don't have 100 hours of work per week," she added smartly. Kira chuckled a bit at her comment.

"Lionel ran off," he answered simply, "I'm looking for him." The red head didn't say anything so he continued to talk. "I really shouldn't be," he said offhandedly, "especially after all the time I spent telling Cagalli not to go. She woke me up at least three times last night wanting to go look for him." He paused, remembering how tired he was, and closed his eyes. "I told her no every time," he continued, "I said that we should just let him be, that this would somehow be good for him."

Meyrin nodded slowly to show Kira that she was following him, "and now you're looking for him?" she asked, realizing that she sounded quite stupid. The man next to her grunted in response (a/n: Kira grunts?).

"I'm such a hypocrite," he mumbled angrily. Without wanting to, he stared at the lady next to him. He barley knew her and she barley knew him. On the rare occasions they had talked, their conversations had always been superficial and formal. She called him Mr. Kira and her called her Miss. Meyrin. Even their conversation the day before had been strained. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, "I really shouldn't be telling you this, it's rude."

What Meyrin did next surprised Kira. Awkwardly, she moved closer towards him and gave him a hug. A friendly hug.

"It's ok, you know," she told him, her left hand now stroking his hair. "I think I know how you feel. No, I know I do. Lionel's your nephew right? It's ok to be worried about him, but you can't let it get to you too much. After all, you're not his parent…" she trailed off, unconsciously removing herself from him. "It's the same for me," she added quietly. "Mayu… I love that kid so much it's a sin. Sometimes I wish I was the one who married Shinn and consummated with him, just so I could be her mother. But then I remember that she wouldn't be the same Mayu if that was the case…"

She trailed off again, and this time she didn't bother to restart. The two adults both sat in silence as the bus drove. They were on the outskirts of town now, in the factory district. Not the glamorous Morgenroete type factories, but the regular, working class ones. The ones where the workers were paid lousy salaries to make products that would then be sold for three times more what they were making. Meyrin and Kira both sat in silence as the bus drove on. After a while it came to a screeching halt.

"Hey! Lovebirds!" called the driver, "this is the end of the line, get off the bus!"

The 'lovebirds' looked around and noticed that they were the only two people, save for the diver, left on the vehicle. Meyrin started laughing and after a moment, Kira joined her. They got off the bus with stupid grins on their faces. It was only as the bus left that the joke lost its humor.

"I forgot, you're looking for your nephew, right?" stammered Meyrin, embarrassed and ashamed.

"Lionel!" remembered Kira, panic filling his eyes. He gave the woman with him a curt nod and ran off to catch the next bus going into town. He was stopped by something tugging on his sleeve.

No, someone.

It was Meyrin. "I…I want to help," she said quietly, in a whisper.

Kira smiled.

Ok, I know the whole Yuuna part was a bit weird and probably OOC, but hear me through. I love getting to know your villians and understanding why they're so evil. So Yuuna is still an ass, especially when it comes to Cagalli. I just wanted you guys to understand why he is. Anyways, review please!