Tsubame: I'm really sorry if I can't update as fast as before. School had started now and I have a priority to my studies. I hope you understand. I will still keep updating, so don't worry but probably only once a month depending on how busy I am. I can only update 0ne- three stories every month or less…busy, busy…
By the way, ummm… I think that I should warn you before you read this chapter. Ouran Highschool Host Club influenced me a lot when I wrote this chapter. I might sound a bit crazy… Hahahaha…
Thank you for reviewing: Childish HentaiKazumi Kairi or Kairi-chan, daisukiasu'n'caga, Kenshinlover2002, Life.Love.Hate.Death, Vigorian-Asakura, Kitty-Kat90013820, The Jackle, Kageharu Kaco, Dreams of Eternity, Feminist1991, Anonymous-gsd, psychoanalyst, Rayar, SacredBlade, SolidDreamer, Kandida, PINKSISA, Cari-Akira, animemistress419, asga, cleis, IYGU, X-19A Infinite Justice, Kogasgal27, Garowyn, The Angel's Princess, Black Metalmark, Ksenon, Eternally Asuka, x-emyli, lac-le, 3fi-pina3 and M.S Arashi Sumeragi. I love you ALL!
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed Destiny and Gundam Seed. They are property of Sunrise…or was it Bandai? I can't really remember. All I know is that they don't belong to me. Thank you…. I don't own Barbie either…
"Double Identities"
By Tsubame Ongaku
Beta-read and edited by: Garowyn
Summary: Athrun is engaged to Orb's perfect princess, Cagalli Yula Attha. He obediently accepts his fate but one day he met a fiery beauty named, Eulla. She is everything the princess is not but why does he still find himself falling in love with her?
A/N: If it is in italic, that is a flashback… hehhehhee….
-This is the part of the story where the plot of this story changed from the original one. In my original version, I remember writing about Cagalli going to a disco. She met Athrun differently too… I decided to change it because it was just too…standard, I guess…
-Be careful OOC… hehehe… well, at least it is CUTE OOC. :P
-Don't forget! Eulla is Cagalli!
Chapter 7: Princess in the City
Kisaka and his team found the bound and gagged guard when he returned from his assignment from the military base. He didn't waste time thinking about who the culprit could be. He knew exactly what had occurred. Cagalli had something to do with this.
"Sir, we did as you ordered and searched for the princess," one of Cagalli's military-trained bodyguards said. "As you suspected. The princess is nowhere to be found."
Kisaka groaned. He should have known Cagalli would pull off something like this. With Kira busy investigating the Lacus Clyne assassination attempt, it was trouble to ask for his help. Kira had only been gone one day and already Cagalli was causing mischief. Kisaka should have suspected something when he received a call from the base asking him and his men to do a check on the artillery.
When they got there, the officers said that they hadn't called them for a check-up. Only then did Kisaka knew that this was Cagalli's doing. He didn't know how Cagalli did it, but somehow she got a hold on a voice-changing device and pretended to be a base officer.
"What do we do, sir?" the guard asked. The bodyguard couldn't really say that this hadn't happened before. It was better to think about the situation calmly. The last time the princess went missing the whole team panicked. "Do we tell Master Yamato? Or Master Zala?"
Kisaka shook his head. " I don't want to hinder Master Kira's investigation over this. Master Zala? Well, I don't think that he'd take it too well that we lost his fiancée and that that little lady had outsmarted a whole team of highly trained bodyguards. I don't think he'd believe us."
"Do we inform the Representative?"
Kisaka shook his head. "No, I can handle telling the Representative. He's grown used to his daughter's antics." He glanced at the portrait of the Minerva crew. Kira was not going to like this turn of events. "It is Master Yamato that I'm worried about." He removed a card from his jacket pocket. "I never thought we'd ever need this number again." He sighed and handed the card to the man. "Call this number and look for Miss Stellar Loussier. She's Miss Cagalli's cousin. Tell her that we need her help…again."
"What do we do now then?"
"We look for her Highness," Kisaka replied, simply. "No matter how impossible it is. We will find her." He sighed. The guardian knew very well how futile it was to find Cagalli, when she didn't want to be found. The only person who could do that was possibly Kira and they couldn't call him, now. "I want to send out all your best men to comb the city. She has to be out there somewhere."
"What do we do then?"
The tired Kisaka dropped to the sofa. He was feeling a headache coming. "What we do next?" He closed his eyes. "We pray…"
Cagalli was at awe with the swirling lights of Orb. She'd never been outside the city except during broad daylight and she had too many bodyguards around her to enjoy it. This time, she wanted to experience everything. She wanted to taste cotton candy, ride on a roller coaster without guards around to annoy her and keeping her from enjoying the ride; also…make real friends. Not the fake friends that her father kept introducing her to.
She loved Kira with all her heart, but it wasn't fair that he really got to experience having friends. She had been a royal princess all her life and friends were just part of her priorities. Appearances, image and parties were and they annoyed her endlessly. She was no doll and she hated being treated like one.
She knew that Kira was going to kill her if he found out about this. He would most likely put her under house arrest until he finished the Clyne assassination case. Until then, she planned to live. She just hoped that her fiancé didn't find out about this.
She had decided to give her father's second choice a chance: Yuuna Roma Seiran. Her father's first choice might be an idiot and you can actually see it at first glance, but it was maybe too earlier to classify Athrun as one, too.
The first place she went was an amusement park. She had heard so many stories about it from Kira. Kira said that he used to visit the amusement park a lot when he was young with his parents. At first, she wouldn't believe it. Once she even asked her father if she could visit one. When she arrived, the whole park was emptied. Her father had rented the whole park for the day for her sole use. Unfortunately, going to the park alone wasn't that fun.
This time it was different. For the first time, Cagalli saw the park full of life. She saw kids with their parents eating cotton candy, teens with their group of friends and couples holding hands with the girls cuddling stuffed teddy bears in their arms.
She ran to an ice cream cart and bought a chocolate flavored cone. She had already eaten one before, but it tasted better now, feeling the life all around her. She was already listing all the things she wanted to do in her head…
With so much to do and so little time, she estimated that she had approximately three days of freedom before she needed to go back. She had a lot of engagements to keep. "Roller coasters…definitely…carousel…just this once…house of mirrors…hmmm…it might be interesting…the tunnel of love…you've got to be kidding m---" Not watching where she was going, Cagalli suddenly bumped into a hard wall.
This made her drop her chocolate ice cream cone on her chest, smearing chocolate all over her favorite red shirt. "Oh, man. This was my favorite red shirt," she muttered, trying to brush away the stain.
"Are you alright, Miss?" she heard a familiar voice ask.
It was only then that she noticed a couple of hands on her waist. She followed those hands to gaze at the owner's face and gulped. It wasn't a wall after all…
Athrun gazed down at the blonde before him. For some reason, the girl almost looked frightened but at the same time…well…angry.
"Do I look like I'm alright?" Cagalli hissed, after returning to her senses. "You owe me five dollars for that ice cream and a new shirt." Cagalli gulped when he didn't reply, but instead continued to stare at her face. Of all places to see him, it had to be in the very place she shouldn't be in. "Do I have dirt on my face or something?"
Athrun shook his head. "No, it is just that... you look an awful lot like… someone I know."
She forced herself to chuckle. "And who would that be? A movie star perhaps?" she stammered, trying to control her voice and keep it from trembling so much.
He smiled and shook his head again. "No, but maybe close enough…" What he really meant to say was that she looked an awful lot like his fiancée. He cleared his head of that notion, though. What would Cagalli be doing there? He hated to admit it, but this was just no place for a lady.
No matter how much he stared at her, though, he couldn't help but think that except for her piercing blue eyes she could pass as her. The girl definitely didn't dress like the princess. While Cagalli wore regal gown specially tailored, this girl was dressed in khaki pants and a red shirt that was now stained with chocolate ice cream.
This was not the princess and was far from the ladies that he's used to seeing… like his mother, Lacus and Miss Cagalli, but somehow she still looked so cute.
"Hey, Athrun! We've got to try the haunted house next!" Athrun heard Dearka's shout. The blue-haired man groaned and rolled his eyes.
Cagalli looked over his shoulder and saw a group of boys running towards them. All of them laughing as they ran towards them. Well, all of them except for the silver-haired one. He was frowning all the way.
"Tell me you don't see a tanned blonde running towards us," he practically begged.
"You mean the one leading the way and dragging the others here?" she asked, innocently. She liked seeing him squirm. "Sure, I don't see the tanned blonde guy that is now directly behind you."
"I was afraid of that." He sighed.
"Hey, Athrun!" Dearka pulled Athrun to face them. "We still have a lot to see."
Athrun still had his hands on Cagalli's waist, when he had steadied her after she bumped into him. The surprising action made Athrun pull Cagalli further into his arms, unintentionally.
Dearka and Company stared at the pretty blonde that was tucked securely in their friend's arms. Dearka tried to suppress a laugh. "A few days in your engagement and already you're cheating." He shook his head, mockingly. "Shame on you…"
Cagalli and Athrun blushed furiously. "You've got it all wrong," Athrun defended himself. "It was…an accident."
Cagalli nodded in agreement. She'd never been so embarrassed before. "Yes, look what this lug head did to my shirt!" she exclaimed.
"Sure, as soon as you guys actually let go of each other," Yzak smirked.
The pair looked from Yzak to themselves. Athrun hadn't moved his hands from her waist and Cagalli had her hands on his chest, clutching on his shirt. With eyes bulging, they moved away from each other and turned, not facing one another.
Nicol inspected the stain on her shirt. "We should get this dry-cleaned right away before the stain becomes permanent." He smiled, charmingly, to Cagalli. "Since it was Athrun's fault, let us pay for the dry-cleaning and a clean shirt. How about it?"
There was something about the green-haired youth that Cagalli liked. She smiled back and shook her head. "There is no need. I'll just return to my motel and change into a clean shirt."
"Return?" Dearka made an exaggerated gasp. "We can't have that!" He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. "You have to let us do this for you, my lady. To compensate for the horrible thing Zala has done."
Rusty laughed. Cagalli liked his laugh it was friendly and not at all forced. "Please let them do this for you, Miss---- by the way, what is your name, Miss?"
"Ca---I mean," she blushed. She almost slipped up. "Eulla…Eulla Hibiki."
Athrun clenched his fists to his sides. How did he become the villain here? He was just minding his own business. She bumped into him. "Hey! Is anybody going to help me here?"
His "friends" ignored him completely. Even Yzak was enjoying his little banter with the blonde. Athrun frowned at them and glanced to see what was so interesting about her. He turned in time to see her smile. Miguel had said something to make her laugh.
Athrun froze. He knew one other person who laughed like that. Cagalli laughed like that… he saw her in many magazines with captions that said something like "The laugh that launched a thousand ships" or something like that. There was something different about it now. Somehow, her laugh now seemed freer...
He hit his head. What was he doing thinking like that? He was going to marry the most perfect lady in the world and was becoming more and more intrigued by the newcomer. He might as well be guilty of the crime Dearka accused him of.
"It will be an honor to accompany you shopping, my lady," Dearka gave a mock bow. "My name is Dearka Elsman."
Cagalli rolled her eyes. "Please don't treat me like a princess." She folded her arms in front of her and frowned. "I hate it. Please call me Eulla. Besides, how do I know you guys are not kidnappers, Mr. Elsman?"
Nicol laughed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Eulla-san. Dearka is just acting like a ninny again. Don't pay attention to him." He took out something from his pocket and showed it to Cagalli. It was a ZAFT Elite badge. "We're a team of elite soldiers from ZAFT." He gave her a ZAFT salute, not breaking his smile. "Nicol Amarfi at your service."
Cagalli laughed, enjoying the young boy's natural charm. She was happy to have Kira, but she wouldn't mind having a little brother like him, too. She imitated the salute. "Eulla Hibiki, nice to make your acquaintance."
She knew exactly who they were. She had heard that ZAFT had offered to send a few of their best officers to "protect" her. It was strange to see these soldiers without their uniforms. They actually don't look as dangerous as they actually are. She had heard that these were decorated soldiers and were not to be taken lightly.
She had heard of Nicol Amarfi. He was allegedly the pilot of the Blitz gundam. She was going to meet him in a few days and she was expecting to see a man in his late twenties at least. It was a surprise to see how young he really was. She shouldn't be surprised. He was a coordinator after all.
The one with fiery-orange hair extended a hand towards her. "I'm Rusty Mackenzie, but you can call me Rusty." He pushed an older blonde forward. "This old guy is Miguel Aiman."
Miguel frowned. "Hey! I'm not that old!" He hit Rusty on the head. "You're such an idiot!"
Yzak sighed and shrugged, making no move to shake her hand. "Yzak Joule. Not that it is really any of your business," he muttered. "I just want to let you know that I never wanted to come along in the first place! This pack of monkeys made me. The blonde ringleader is the worst."
Dearka grinned, cheekily. "Would you enjoy this outing better if Hahnenfuss was invited?" Yzak practically froze. "It is not too late to invite her you know." Dearka began taking out his cell phone.
Yzak's eyes turned dark. "Elsman, call her…" He fisted his hand on Dearka's shirt. "…And you're as good as dead."
Dearka chuckled nervously. "It was just a joke." The blonde knew Yzak pretty well and he knew that Yzak wasn't kidding. "You can let go of me any time, Yzak." The silver-haired man growled and finally let go. Dearka tried to put some order in the collar of his shirt. "Oh, man. You ruined it!"
Cagalli arched her eyebrow, not understanding what was going on. She looked towards the others for answers, but they seemed to be too busy trying to keep from laughing. "Am I missing something here?"
Nicol was the first to speak. "Sorry, Miss Eulla." His lips twisted into a smile. "We didn't mean to leave you out."
There was just something about the young boy that just made Cagalli want to smile. She ruffled his hair, playfully. "No problem. I just want to know who this Hahnenfuss -person is."
Athrun, who had kept quiet until now, answered her. "Shiho Hahnenfuss is Yzak's tomboyish fiancée." He shrugged. "Although he obviously likes her, he keeps comparing her to Cagalli Yula Athha and annoying Shiho a lot." He folded his arms in front of her. "If he has a crush on my fiancée, I'll…" he never finished his sentence. He noticed her squirm at the mention of Cagalli Yula Athha. It was odd.
"I suppose he says something like, why can't you act like a lady like her?" she mumbled, almost dejectedly.
"Well, along those lines, but I doubt he means it. He doesn't want her around us because she's so comfortable around guys." He snorted. "The poor guy gets jealous." While the others were busy with their private disputes, Athrun suggested to Cagalli and Nicol that he'd treat them to brunch. They readily accepted; anything to get away from the rambling.
When they finally settled in a quaint café, Nicol ordered for them some tea and biscuits. "The tea here is delicious, Miss Eulla," Nicol assured her. "The biscuits are also always fresh."
Cagalli wanted to ask more questions but suddenly the big screen televisions around the park turned on. It was a news report about Princess Cagalli Yula Athha's successful appearance in the Lady Chandler breakfast event that morning. Cagalli knew very well that she didn't go to the event. How could she? She was busy exploring the city.
She knew what was going on, though. She could almost smile that they were using that trick again.
"Isn't the princess pretty, Miss Eulla?" Nicol asked. "And you know what? You look almost like her."
Cagalli this time really smiled. "Oh, really?" she folded her arms. "Tell me though, little Nicol. Which one of us is prettier?"
Nicol blushed, shyly. "Miss Athha might be pretty, but I think you, Miss Eulla, are prettier," he declared. Athrun had watched them for awhile and frowned at Nicol's admission, but then shook his head. He scolded himself that it wasn't any of his business.
Cagalli was flattered by his compliment, but shook her head, disbelieving. She turned towards the screen and observed the blonde-haired, golden-eyed lady who looked so much like her. She wore a mask and according to the reports it was because the princess was ill. Her hair was also styled the same way as Cagalli's, but knew instantly it Stellar Loussier, Cagalli's cousin.
This was not the first time Stellar had covered for Cagalli. Before Kira came, Stellar used to cover for her at almost a daily basis. Kisaka probably called her. If anybody knew she was missing, the world would go to a worldwide panic.
Stellar's personal bodyguard, Shinn Asuka, was with her as usual. Shinn was new, but knew what he was doing. He wasn't chosen for just nothing.
"Why did you shake your head like that? You are prettier," Nicol insisted. "Don't you think so, Athrun?"
Athrun suddenly had the urge to blush and look away but stopped himself. "I'm biased, you know?" he teased. "It's my fiancée you're talking about." Actually, he was torn. Cagalli Yula Athha had the charm acquired by years of practice of grace and poise of a lady, but Eulla Hibiki had her own charm, too. Athrun couldn't put his finger on it yet, but one thing was for sure…
Eulla Hibiki was unique. Sometimes he thought that maybe she was the same as Shiho. Shiho was tomboyish, too, refused to wear skirts, and fought like a demon when provoked. Eulla was almost the same, but she had a touch of…poise…
He could tell by the way she held her cup. He'd been observing her for a while and he just couldn't understand her. She spoke like a guy, but she held the cup in her hands like a lady. She also took delicate and poised bites of cookies. It was strange. It was not awkward like he'd expect from someone new at it, but she looked like she had been doing it for years.
Cagalli noticed her "fiancé" watching her so closely. She suddenly felt shy. Was there something on her face that was he looking at? "Stop it…" she whispered.
"What do you mean?" he replied, his gaze still not leaving hers.
"Please stop looking at me like that." She was frowning. "It is like I'm deformed or something."
Athrun smiled, an almost disarming smile, and shook his head. "You're not deformed. You are actually quite lovely in your own way." He took her by surprise with that compliment, but then he had to say, "Have you ever thought about wearing a dress? I mean don't all girls wear them?"
Cagalli's jaw dropped. Figures… he was just like every other guy who'd like to push her into a dress. "So I have to be in a dress to be considered a girl. Is that it?" she growled. "Do I have to be in a skirt to be attractive?"
Athrun actually didn't mean anything by that comment. He just thought that all girls wore them. Except for Shiho, he always saw girls wear them. "Huh? No…I didn't mean it like that…"
"Oh, just admit it!" she sneered. "You don't even consider me as a girl." She gave an unladylike snort as she folded her arms. "I probably look like a boy to you."
Athrun just stared for a moment and began to run his eyes over her. She looked very much female despite her attire, he had to admit. From her beautiful crown of golden hair, eyes of clear blue and a figure that had curves in all the right places. He could see her curves very clearly. How could he not? He was engaged, but unfortunately still a guy. No, Eulla Hibiki could never look like a boy…at least to him.
She was not be your typical lady, but then again it might be just part of her charm. "I didn't mean it like that…"
Cagalli was seeing red, but before she could retort, Dearka and Company arrived and cut into their little chat.
"Heya! We were just looking for you," Dearka said, grabbing Cagalli's arm and dragging her up. "Come on. Let's buy you something suitable to wear. We can't let you wear that dirty thing all day."
"Wear are you taking me, you clown," she screamed, trying to pull away from his grasp. Unfortunately, she was just no match for a coordinator.
"The perfect place to buy a lady clothes!" he replied, still dragging her. When she continued to struggle, he swept her off her feet and began carrying her. She screamed, almost destroying his eardrums… but then again that was the idea. "Geez, woman. Do you have to scream so loud?"
Dearka felt a hand touch on his shoulder. It was Athrun, his expression unreadable. "I'll carry her for you, if you like."
Cagalli screamed and Dearka winced. "Are you sure you can handle her?" Athrun nodded. Dearka dumped the girl into Athrun's arms. "It is my pleasure…"
"Stop tossing me around like I'm just a sack of rice!" she demanded. "I'm not, you know!" She began beating Athrun's chest, but it did very little good. The blue-haired coordinator hardly felt anything…maybe even nothing at all.
"Dearka why don't you guys go ahead while you guys start the car?" Athrun called to them, ignoring Cagalli's complaints completely. "I'll try to calm this…lady down."
Dearka and others were only too happy to go ahead. The screaming was irritating to their coordinator hearing. "Good luck, Zala…you're going to need it."
When they were gone, she slapped his chest again. He didn't even budge. "Now you see me as a girl." She attempted to kick him, but it did little good, too. "I'm not calming down, you…you…"
He did the most unexpected thing…she didn't even see him move. One moment he was walking, trying to contain her struggling and then the next, he had his lips on hers. The first contact of his lips on hers sent electricity all throughout her body. This was just her second kiss…she was kissing the same person as the first but she was kissing him as a different person.
She was kissing him not as Princess Cagalli Yula Athha but as Eulla Hibiki, a person that was not supposed to even exist. Like the first time, she felt like melting… It didn't matter what name she chose to use. Athrun Zala could still make her melt. She closed her eyes and was about to snake her hand around his neck, but he pulled away.
"Don't ever say that I think you're a boy, Miss Hibiki," he whispered closely to her ear. "Because you certainly don't feel like one or smell like one. I think that you're 100 female."
She was too dazed to understand what he was saying. When she finally caught on, she blushed. She couldn't understand why. She was kissing her fiancé, right? There was nothing wrong with that. She looked around, desperate to see if somebody saw them. It turned out, that without her knowing it, he managed to take a detour in an alley.
Cagalli wasn't used to being told that she was 100 female. When she was sixteen, she was always being mistaken for a boy. Her fashion sense had not changed much in two years. She still liked to wear pants and shirts… so what was the difference?
Cagalli didn't understand that the change wasn't in the clothes, but in the girl. She wasn't sixteen anymore and she developed in all areas of her body. She didn't have her sixteen-year old body anymore, but due to all the years of being locked up she forgot that.
They finally arrived at the parking lot where they parked their jeep. The other Le Creuset boys were waiting impatiently. "Finally," Rusty said, chuckling. "We were about to call a search party for you guys." He noticed that the girl in Athrun's arms was completely silent and redder than when they first saw her. "Athrun, what did you do to make her so quiet?"
Both of them blushed but didn't reply to him. Instead, Athrun helped her up the jeep and hopped on himself, making sure that he sat right by her side. Dearka, who was driving, was oblivious to what was happening. Instead he kept talking about a lot of… nonsense.
Those behind him weren't exactly listening. They eyed the couple suspiciously but said nothing…
Minutes later, they arrived to the place Dearka considered to be the perfect place to look for an outfit for Cagalli. Cagalli was now wishing that she stayed at home. But since she didn't, she might as well kill Dearka now.
"A boutique?" she squeaked. The clown brought him to a boutique. The very place she was trying so hard to avoid. "You brought me to a boutique?"
"Isn't it great!" He mistook her horror for delight. "My aunt is a designer and is in need of a model!"
"I should have known," Athrun groaned, shaking his head. "I thought it was kind of odd that he agreed to this too easily."
Cagalli was silent. She fought the lump in her throat and the urge to choke the blonde monkey to death. If she modeled for his aunt now, then her bodyguards might discover her. Kisaka would come running it no time flat to drag her back to the mansion.
Instead of choking him to death, Cagalli ran and punched him as hard as she can. It sent him crashing down to the marbled floor. He looked her wide-eyed and confused.
"Do I look like a model to you? What kind of girl do you think I am?" she screamed, Athrun ran towards her and tried to hold her back. "Do I look like some kind of Barbie doll to you?" Cagalli had been a Barbie doll for her whole life. She didn't need her first vacation in years to turn her into a Barbie doll again. It was the reason why she had this vacation in the first place, to escape the Barbie life.
Yzak Nicol, Rusty and Miguel laughed so hard, trying to keep their stomachs in. "I like this girl," Rusty said, clutching his middle. "It is a treat to see Elsman so out-of-it."
Still holding her back, Athrun whispered into her ear, "If it will calm you down, I'll buy you something in a place without a skirt in sight." She stopped struggling and turned towards him, suspiciously.
"You promise?" she muttered. He nodded. She finally smiled; Athrun was surprised of such a sincere and adorable smile.
He couldn't miss noticing that she seemed relieved too. Did she hate wearing skirts and dresses this much? She could act like a lady, but what was it with her hatred for skirts? He had never met such a confusing girl before. She was a girl that could act like a perfect lady one minute and just one of the guys in another. Who was she? Who was Eulla Hibiki?
An hour later, Athrun took her to another store. It was a tailor and they really specialized on men's clothes, but they also designed for women once in a while. The tailor led Cagalli into the dressing room to try out a couple of their new designs. Nicol wanted to go along to accompany her, but she shook her head.
She kissed the boy on the forehead, brotherly. "It's fine. "I'll be alright."
She had been in there for twenty minutes already. Athrun was beginning to worry what could be taking her so long. A few minutes later, not able to take it anymore, "Guys, I'm going to see what is taking her so long to choose."
Dearka smirked. "Just admit it. You just want to see her model."
Athrun blushed and shook his head furiously. "Don't be ridiculous, Dearka. It is just that it can't really take a half hour to change."
Yzak rolled his eyes at Athrun's naiveté. "Though she sometimes acts like a guy, Zala, don't forget that she's still a girl and when it comes to looking good, they take their sweet time."
Rusty grinned at Yzak. "Take his word for it, Athrun. I bet he learned that from always being around Shiho." Yzak whacked him hard on the head. "Hey, that hurt! Why so angry? It only means it is true!"
While teasing the blushing Yzak distracted them, Athrun sneaked into the dressing room or at least the outside of the REAL dressing rooms. It was the place of the big mirrors. He knew Cagalli would come out of one of those changing rooms to see how she looked.
He heard rustling behind one of the curtains, so he stepped back at the sides to observe in silence. Cagalli came out seconds later. The tailor had left earlier to get another batch of his designs. She was wearing a green ensemble and she looked very good. He had seen girls wear pants before but they weren't "ladies" to him.
The blonde was wearing pants, but with her back erect, head held high and the regal air around her, it was difficult to remember that this girl was one of the guys. She turned to see the outfit from all sides and bit her lip, indecisively, wondering whether to finally buy it.
Athrun smiled. Yzak was right. No matter how much she acted like a guy, she was still a girl and it was practically human nature for a girl to want to look good.
Cagalli really didn't plan on letting the guys buy anything for her. She could afford the whole store. She did not like being treated like a Barbie doll, but she didn't like looking like a slob, either. She liked the tailor's designs. They were exactly what she'd want to wear. She had plans now of talking Kira into buying some for her, but then again… clothes like this would never fit her Princess image.
"Why not buy that?"
She turned towards the voice to find Athrun smiling at her. She was too shocked to react at first but slowly outrage and embarrassment was evident on her face. She turned away to keep him from seeing the flush on her cheeks.
Athrun walked beside her and stared at her reflection in the mirror. After seeing a little pink on her cheeks, he chuckled and patted her head. "This looks very good on you."
Cagalli gulped and nodded. "I'm going to go pay now," she told him, picking up two shopping bags from a sofa not far from her. Athrun saw this and takes the bags from her. "Hey! Give me that!" She reached out and tried to take them back, but Athrun kept dodging her, shaking his head.
"No, I can take care of it," he said while walking towards the direction of the door. Cagalli followed him, scolding him all the way.
"Do you think I'm somebody you can take care of?" she demanded. "I don't know who you think you are but I'm no damsel-in-distress. I can pay for my own expenses." She grabbed his shoulder. "Are you even listening to me, Mr. Zala? I don't need or want your charity."
"I wouldn't be a gentleman if I don't do this, Miss Eulla," he replied, taking the bill from the cashier. When he saw the price, he didn't even blink. He just took out his wallet and took out a thick wad of money.
"I'm no lady, Zala," she sneered. "Why are you treating me like one?"
He patted her head. "Despite what you're saying, you're more like a lady in those pants than most girls in skirts I've seen." He stepped back to observe the outrage in her eyes. "I guess that is what is so fascinating about you." He walked away but before joining his team again he said, "You can hide yourself in those clothes, Miss Eulla, but I know a lady when I see one."
Tsubame: Again, sorry for the late update. Oh, well... I have to thank you all! You've been so great! What do you think of this? Do you hate it? Love it? I'm not even sure of what I think of it. Hmmm... I'm going to be very busy for the next few months. We just had prelims and now we're going to have midterms next month. I hope you understand...
Correction added: refused to wear skirts and Cagalli: "Shiho-person" to "Hahnenfuss-person." Thank you, Eternally Asuka for the correction:)