Disclaimer: No, no,no and NO…
Note: This chapter is specially dedicated to Athrya, for the wonderful reviews you always drop in my inbox! Hope you enjoy this chapter too!
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Athrun- Mistake
The cool wind blew ever more strongly, signifying the coming of autumn.
juuroku de kimi to ai
To many who could not take the summer heat well, the wind was a welcome relief.
hyakunen no koi wo shita ne
But to a particular man who stood in front of a grave,
A grave dedicated to the ruler of Orb,
A grave dedicated to his lover,
The wind only served to chill him even further.
hirahira to maiochiru
Bending down,
He placed her favorite flowers,
Those fiery, bright orange hibiscus,
So native to the Orb,
So much like her,
On her grave.
sakura no hanabira no shita de
Looking up, he then gently placed a hand on the name engraved on the stone.
aitakute kakenuketa
"Hey, Cagalli. I'm here to see you."
Another gentle gust of wind answered him.
hi no ataru kyuu na sakamichi ya
A few trees away,
Kira Yamato, Murrue Ramius and Lacus Clyne were watching.
kouen no sumi futari no kage wa
Lacus took a step forward, only to be restrained by Kira.
ima mo kawaranu mama
Kira looked at her, then at his childhood friend.
"Let them be."
Seconds later when he turned his head,
Leaves danced in place of the three people who had stood there earlier.
kimi to boku to "sakura biyori"
He looked there for a moment more,
Than focused his attention back on the name in front of him.
kaze ni yurete maimodoru
Once more,
He fondly stroked the name, dusting away any stray dust that could have collected,
Willing himself not to cry,
For she would not like it.
marude nagai yume kara sameta you ni
If she was here,
She would have given him a dressing- down or a whack on the head.
miageta saki wa momo-iro no sora
-You can't be weak, Athrun Zala! How else are you going to be my bodyguard?-
He smiled bitterly.
Bodyguard? Against what? Against all kinds of physical attacks and such? In the end, I couldn't protect her…against myself…
This time, the tears fell.
suki deshita suki deshita
-I hurt her, so many times. I could protect her against all those assassination attempts on her life, but she still ended up hurt anyway…the hijacking of the 3 gundams…the battle at Orb…-
-Just how many times have I failed to protect her!?-
He rammed a fist into the ground, ignoring the sudden stab of pain that had shot through him.
egao sakisometa kimi ga
Why did she have to die!? Why couldn't it be him? Why did she have to pay for his mistakes!?
Why!?
boku dake ga shitte ita
"Why!? Why you, Cagalli!?" He screamed to the grave. "Why not me!?"
"WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE YOU!?"
migigawa yawarakana ibasho
Two fists now slammed down on the ground.
Athrun Zala threw away his pride and cried openly.
sakura no shita no yakusoku
"Cagalli…when you send those paper cranes…you knew, right? So why didn't you tell any of us? Why did you choose to send your message in the form of a crane? Tell me why, Cagalli…"
-This way…it was best for us, Athrun.-
He raised his head in shock.
"rainen mo koko ni koyou" tte
Cagalli was standing in front of him, wearing a green dress with straps. An orange hibiscus sat on the center of her dress around the chest area, and two long green ribbons flowed out from behind the hibiscus, dangling and dancing in front of her. A transparent silk wrapped around the chest, sewn onto the dress itself, and held in place by the hibiscus. Two simple bracelets each decorated her wrists, and unique green ribbons were tied around the side of her hair, and light makeup was on her face.
nando mo tashikameatta kedo
"Cagalli…is that you?" Emerald green eyes danced in hope and disbelief.
Cagalli smiled lightly.
ima mo hatasenu mama
-It was best for you and me, Athrun.-
"No it wasn't! Why did you leave?" He tried to grab her arms, but they passed through her as easily as it would pass through water.
kimi to boku to "sakura biyori"
-Athrun…I swear I did not leave you because of the fact that a Coordinator and a Natural could never be together, even though I had been influenced to think that way. Believe me, Athrun, given a choice or not, I would still have to leave you…-
"But, why?" His voice was anguished.
kaze ni sotto yomigaeru
Cagalli looked away. –But what of Meyrin…?-
"Meyrin? She's nothing more than a sister to me! I swear it!"
Cagalli shook her head. –Its not just here…Athrun…even up till now, you hold the guilt of causing Meer's death indirectly.-
"Cagalli, that-!"
Cagalli placed a hand on his face. Surprisingly, it felt warm.
kimi mo ima dokoka de miteru no kanaa
-Learn to have to let go sometimes, Athrun. Don't bear the weight of everything.-
"Cagalli, at least stay with me!"
-I am always by your side, Athrun. It remains to be seen if you can feel me or not. Believe in everything, Athrun. Live life as normal…when the time comes, I will be there…-
"Cagalli!"
ano hi to onaji momo-iro no sora
No, he would never let her leave him again, never…
oikaketa hibi no naka ni
-Ahou…did I not say it once? I will never leave you…all we have to do is wait…-
"I won't have myself repeating the same mistakes years ago!"
-Oh, but you are repeating it, silly. Learn to live and become more stronger. Tell that baka twin of mine to hurry and marry already. I'm still waiting, and I won't wait anymore…mistakes will always be mistakes, Athrun. However, you can correct them if you learn to, Athrun.-
kizamareta ashiato wa
Cagalli's smile broadened a little.
nani yori mo kakegae no nai takaramono
-And…keep that crane, will you? That was my favourite amongst the millions I made…-
"Cagalli…!"
He watched as she faded away,
Then placed his hand in his pocket.
kimi to boku to "sakura biyori"
kaze ni yurete maimodoru
From it, he drew out the familiar crane that she had sent to him,
tomedonai omoi ga afuredashite
namida ga komiageta
That many years ago…
Shutting his eyes, he held it close to his chest.
kimi to boku to "sakura biyori"
kaze ni yurete maimodoru
-Somehow…we'll see each other again, right, Cagalli?-
mada minu mirai wo mune ni daite
miageta saki wa momo-iro no sora
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A/N: Gimme a sec…# runs to corner and starts bawling # I can't so freaking believe I finished this story! Wahhh!! Ah, nevermind…# coughcough # just ignore me for a moment, I'm a little hyped up because I finished this story…well, not actually finished…there's a bonus chapter coming up soon. Anyway, why am I ranting?
Athrya:Thanks so much for supporting this story! Shinn's would definitely be angsty…well, if not, how is he going to live up to the reputation of emo guy? Just kidding…XD…I felt it appropriate to let Stellar have a share in Shinn's chapter as well, because Stellar was Shinn's first love, no? And yea…my knee's still recovering, but its much better now!
Inulover4eva: By the way your review sounded, I think you're a hardcore fan of Kira, right? Anyway, thanks for reviewing!
Hades.Throne.Heiress: Thanks for reviewing! I felt that it was a little messy, but your review puts me much more at ease…and…I think you know whose in this chapter, rite?
To all my reviewers and readers, thanks so much for reading! I'm proud to announce that this story has a hit of 1106! Thanks a lot, everyone! Anyway, be ready for a bonus chapter coming up soon, even this story is officially finished.
Until then, read and review!