JC: Here's Chapter 12. Thanks so much for the reviews! I just love reviews because they inspire me to write more! As promised, I will reveal Hel's real identity here. Please read on...

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed Destiny.

Gundam Seed: Mythical Legends

Phase 12: Roses for Cagalli

It was already 6:00 AM.

Cagalli rose up from bed and stretched out her arms. She went to the window to open it. When the window was opened, a cool and refreshing breeze blew in. She knitted a smile on her face and closed her eyes, while she enjoyed the breeze. I wonder if Shinn is okay now, Cagalli thought silently. She hoped to see her best friend back in school looking alive and well.

After getting dressed, Cagalli went downstairs to eat breakfast that was prepared by her mother. She greeted her mother first before she sat down at the dining table.

"Cagalli," her mother called. Cagalli looked up at her with a what-is-it look as her mother continued, "I'll be home late again."

"Your job is really pressuring you," Cagalli muttered, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"It can't be helped." Her mother struck her long brown hair before she faced the kitchen sink to wash the dishes.

When Cagalli stepped out of the house, she found a bouquet of roses on the front porch. She picked up the bouquet and inhaled its sweet aroma. "These are nice looking flowers. I wonder who left it here." She then noticed a card hidden behind the flowers. She pulled it out and read the note written on it:

You are my Precious Rose, Cagalli Yula Athha.

From: A

"It's from that A again. Who is this guy?" she asked herself, raising an eyebrow. "There's no use thinking about it now." She went back inside to place the flowers in a vase. "The only A I know is Athrun..." she muttered, while arranging the flowers. "But it can't be."

Then she heard the doorbell ringing.

"Who could that be?" She opened the door and saw her best friend standing composedly with his hands in his pockets. "Shinn, it's you." She stared at him with wide eyes. "Are you all right now?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm totally fine." He sounded annoyed. He crossed his arms and sighed. "We're going to be late if you'll just stand there and do nothing!" he blurted out without a care.

At that, Cagalli pinched his cheek and pulled him towards her. "What did you just say?!" she shouted near his ear.

"AH!" yelled Shinn, backing away from Cagalli, as he rubbed his sore ear. "You don't have to shout, Cagalli!"

Cagalli presented a playful smile. "Whatever..." She grabbed his wrists and walked off in a hurry, pulling Shinn along with her. "Let's go, Shinn!"

"Hey! You don't have to drag me! Ah!" Shinn struggled to keep up with Cagalli, because she was walking too fast. "Let me walk on my own!"

Cagalli slightly turned her head at him. "No, I won't!" She giggled and walked even faster this time, without letting go of Shinn's wrist.

"I'm going to be exhausted when I get to school." Shinn grimaced, sighing.

Class 2-F

"We are going to have two new students," the teacher announced to the class before she turned to the two young ladies standing beside her. "Please introduce yourselves to the class."

The girl nearest to the teacher took the liberty of introducing herself first. Taking a few steps forward, she struck her long crimson hair which was flowing and silky. Her smile illuminated the glow she held in her emerald-green eyes. She stood before the class with confidence, showing no nervousness or whatsoever. "Good Morning!" she beamed. "I'm Jean Corda. I'm good at badminton and tennis. I love PE and I suck at Math." She stuck out her tongue, making the students laugh.

The other new student, a girl about the age of 17, stood there unperturbedly. I can't believe Verdandi is making a fool out of herself. She blinked and took a deep breath to ease her sense of disappointment. She wanted to be in the same class with her father. But fate wasn't really on her side and she had the Norns to thank for that. Sighing, she turned her head back at Verdandi who had just finished her introduction.

"Thank you, Miss Corda. You may take a seat now," the teacher told Jean.

"Yes ma'am!" Jean made her way towards the seat located on the 4th row at the far left.

The teacher turned her head at the other girl and said, "It's you turn now..."

With that, the girl knitted a smile on her face and placed one hand on her waist. She showed a very natural yet sexy pose, making the boys howl. Brushing away some strands of hair from her face, she smiled divinely before the class, impressing each and every student there. Indeed, she was someone with beauty and glamor. Knowing she has the attention of the class boosted her confidence. With a flip of her hair, she said, "I am Fllay Alster. I'm a friend of Jean and I love to dance. I'm thinking of joining this school's cheerleading club. Hmm...What else? Oh yeah, I'm also into shopping. That's all."

Cheering out loud, the boys whistled and complimented her. In return, she showed them an ever-shining smile.

Giggling, Jean stared at Fllay. Looks like Hel made a really good impression on the mortals. That thought made Jean realized something new about Hel. All along she thought of Hel as an anti-social type of goddess, but she was wrong. As one of the goddesses of destiny, she should have known Hel's important trait. But she had never taken Hel's trait into consideration until now.

However, Hel could be a little...

"By the way, my father is really amazing. You should see him when he's fighting. He's unbelievable!" The goddess of death just went on and on and on... She was a real daddy's girl. Whenever she talks about Loki, she tends to exaggerate a bit. Who could blame her? The goddess loves her father!

And Jean knew that too well.

She glanced around to see if there were any students feeling sleepy because of Fllay's chatter. Surprisingly, the students looked rather interested.Whoa! Hel is good at catching people's attention. Jean blinked twice before shifting her eyes back at Fllay. Noticing how happy she looked made Jean wondered about her life in Niflheim, the realm of the dead. She already had gone to the said place in the past. When she met Hel there, she immediately felt the presence of loneliness inside of her. It was like having a dagger pierced through your heart. But Hel was capable of bearing such feeling. The Hel she knew back then was totally different to the Hel she presently knows. Truthfully, Jean liked the new Hel and so does her sisters.

Lunch Hour

After eating her lunch, Cagalli went to the garden to relax. She always thought of the garden as the best place to hang out. When she got there, she saw Athrun sitting under a tree while reading a book. She approached the guy and greeted him."Hey," Cagalli said as she sat down beside Athrun. "What's up?"

Athrun turned to her and said, "Nothing much."

"What book are you reading?" she asked, pointing at the book Athrun was holding.

"It's a book that tells a story about two lovers," Athrun answered. "The girl here is a goddess and the guy is a mortal."

"That sounds interesting," Cagalli said, looking interested, as she hugged her legs. "Tell me more about it."

"The goddess and the mortal loved each other so much, but unfortunately their love was forbidden."

"That's so sad. By the way, what are the characters' names?"

"The goddess is Freya and the mortal's name is Alexander."

"Freya?" Cagalli muttered. She was having that strange feeling again. Why is her name so familiar to me? Freya used to be Shinn's good friend until Odin ruined everything for them. But it doesn't explain why I feel like I know her, she thought.

Athrun noticed her in her state of deep thinking. He placed a hand on her shoulder, which brought her back to her senses. "Is something bothering you?" he asked.

Cagalli swiftly shook her head. "No, it's nothing," she replied. It's better if I keep quiet about this. She looked up at Athrun and remembered something from this morning. I wonder if Athrun gave me those roses...

"So, do you want to hear more about the story?" Athrun questioned.

"Yes, but before that... Athrun, someone left me a bouquet of roses on my porch this morning."

Athrun's lips curved into a simple smile. "It must be from one of your suitors. You're not popular for nothing," he remarked.

"I guess so. But I'm still wondering who that A-guy is..." She leaned her back against the tree as she looked up. "It's not you, is it?"

Cough... Cough... Ahem... Athrun gradually shook his head. "Um... err... no! What made you say that?"

"Well, you're the only A I know."

"That's true, but there are many guys in this school whose name start with an A."

"You're right," Cagalli said in awe. She somehow felt disappointed that it wasn't Athrun. "I'm sorry if I suspected you."

"That's all right," Athrun replied. Actually, you're very right. I was the one who gave you those roses. He felt bad for lying to Cagalli, but it wasn't the right time for him to express his feelings for her. He planned to keep it a secret until the perfect moment comes.

Going back to the book, Athrun said, "So, you wanna hear more about the story?"

"Sure," Cagalli answered , inching a bit closer to Athrun.

Athrun got a bit nervous, but he was doing a great job staying and looking calm. Without anymore delay, he continued reading the story to Cagalli.

After Class

"Stellar and her sisters are getting along just fine. You don't have to worry about them," Shinn said knowingly because he knew the Norns better. Leaning against his locker, he faced his blonde best friend who was looking anxiously at him. Shinn raised an eyebrow at this. "What's the matter?" he then asked.

Shaking her head, she told Shinn that it was nothing. Turning around to face her locker, she noticed a rose sticking out of it. Carefully, she pulled it out along with a card. She glanced at the rose for a moment before she turned her attention to the card. She started reading the card, which says:

Take care of yourself, Cagalli...

From: A

Shinn happened to see the card Cagalli was reading. Quickly, he swiped the card away from her and read it. "What is this?" He faced Cagalli with a stern look. "Let me guess, it's from one of your suitors again, right?" he added, sounding very annoyed.

"Isn't it obvious?!" Cagalli answered back in a rough voice. She took the card from Shinn and hid it inside her pocket.

"Hey, who is A?" He looked curious. "Don't tell me it's Zala?"

Cagalli immediately shook her head after hearing him say Zala. It couldn't be Athrun, because he clearly told her that it could've been some other guy. Besides, from her point of view, Athrun doesn't seem to be interested in her.

"Are you sure it isn't Zala?" Shinn questioned her again.

"No!" shouted Cagalli.

"Okay... okay... You don't have to shout!"

"Why are you shouting back?!"

"Well, you started it!"

"Why I ought to...!" Cagalli raised a fist, preparing to smack Shinn on the head, as she knitted a malicious grin on her face.

"Wait, can't we talk this over?" Shinn pleaded, clasping his hands together, as he smiled faintly at her.

Giggling, Cagalli spun on her heels and crossed her arms. "I'll spare you this time, Shinn," she said.

Shinn sighed in relief. "That's good. Please remind me not to irritate you next time."

"You don't have to be reminded of that!"

"I'm just saying." Shinn lightly laughed. "Well, I better go now. See you tomorrow, Cagalli," he said before he ran out of the building.

Now that she was alone, Cagalli took the opportunity to gaze at the rose. It was a red rose—the same kind she received this morning. Who are you, A? I want to find out who you are. If only there was a clue...

Sniffing the sweet aroma of the rose gave her a soothing feeling. Its simplicity and beauty was quite admirable for her eyes. Showing her admiration to the flower, she touched it as softly as possible. The rose made her realized her fondness for flowers. A great surprise for her and yet, she didn't care. All she cared about was the flower, the Precious Rose from her mysterious suitor, known as A.

To be continued...

JC: It's fairly obvious who the A-guy right is? It's really sweet of him for giving her roses. Cagalli is a Precious Rose. That's all for now, but there will be a lot more in the next chapter. Please don't forget to review this fic and no flames!