Thank you so much for reviewing! Your reviews have encouraged me to keep on going! And thank you Lynca for pointing out what I have forgotten =)

Dedications in alphabetical: .CriMsonxLadY., Aihsire Atha, , Alice, AlySimmons, AngelfishXD, asranZARA, ASUCAGAC.C, AsuCaga4ever, AthrunZala4ever, AyameRose, Blackcat8794, Byron Lancaster, B2utiful, cagallifangurl, colourfulgurl, Dandy352, Dhevz, eternalasucaga, Fii aka Ficchan, hellopanda23, Jodeist, Joker Oak, Katina Uchiha, kamille murasame, KazumiSakura, Litari Hatake, Lynca Blanchard, MisakaSuzuki, Miyu Nanami, mokonamodoki93, mrs. zala, Mwah Z, patzie24, precious1421, ren, sakurayamato1, SaKuRaYukIe, Sandyx5, Sawagi-chan, Serenity Venice, stubbornheroine, The Blue Mask-cara, The Only Love For Soujiro Seta, trulyanimelover06, Tuna, VamyMeth, yuki001, Yuniee

Did I miss out anyone?

Disclaimer: I do not own gundam seed.

... ... ...

Chapter 22

Cagalli curled up into a ball on her large canopy bed as she waited for the perfect opportunity to make her move. She was going to escape to the Plants though she had arrived back in Orb not too long ago. She had to see Athrun no matter what. She couldn't contact him before and she had no means whatsoever to contact him now- Kisaka, the head of security, had taken both Kira's and her phone for checking. Who knows for whatever safety reason? And he hasn't returned them.

Tick tock tick tock.

Cagalli watched the minute hand move very slowly. It was almost painful just to lie in bed doing nothing, waiting for the time to pass.

Tick tock tick tock.

Cagalli couldn't take it anymore. She got up and walked towards her closet. She was going to change into something more comfortable than the silvery gown she was wearing. Cargo pants and a tank top would be great.

Suddenly, Cagalli heard knocks on her door. Cagalli cursed under her breath. She was going to have to push up her plans and leave now. She didn't expect Amanda to arrive that early. Knowing Amanda, she was probably going to take a lot of Cagalli's time and Cagalli did not have the patience to wait any longer. Of course there was a possibility that it was not Amanda. But Cagalli did not want to take any chances.

"There's no time like the present!" Cagalli said to herself as she perched herself on the ledge of the window. Then, she clung on tight to the wall as she scooted herself away from the window. She made it just in time to be out of sight from her window as she heard the doors open.

Just then, Cagalli heard a scream from downstairs. She looked down just in time to see one of the maids as white as sheet.

"P-Princess!" the maid stammered.

Damn it! Cagalli had been caught. She has no choice now but to jump down immediately. There were bushes not too far away. She could aim for that. Pulling up the hem of her long gown, she shouted for the servants downstairs to make way.

"Coming through!" Cagalli shouted as she dropped from the second story.

"Your highness!" Cagalli heard the horrified and worried cries of the servants.

As Cagalli landed on the soft bushes, miraculously unscathed, she quickly picked herself up as she ran deeper into the garden. She knew it wouldn't be long before the servants will be at her tail.

Cagalli ran and ran, occasionally looking back to see if someone had caught onto her. She was now in the most secluded part of the garden. That part was more of a forest really than a garden. She looked for the tree with a green ribbon tied to its branch, it was her way out of the palace. There was a secret passage and Cagalli had often used that to escape the palace and go for her little adventures. Even Kira didn't know about the passage. Nobody knew except for Cagalli and Shinn- he was her partner in crime and they had often got into trouble together.

It was nightfall by the time Cagalli reached Athrun's mansion. She was very nervous about meeting Athrun. She wondered how he would react when he sees her at his doorstep. Will he turn her away? Cagalli took a deep breath as she pressed the bell.

Alfred, the old butler, answered the door and looked surprised when he saw Cagalli.

"Good evening, is Athrun in?" Cagalli asked.

"Good evening your highness," Alfred replied. "The young master will be home shortly. Would your highness like to come in?"

Cagalli stared at the old butler in shock. "You know who I am!"

"Of course. Both the young and the old master have been speaking fondly of your highness. Not to mention your highness has been the centre of the Plants' media recently."

"Oh..." Cagalli said as she followed him into the mansion.

"The young master's room is up there," Alfred showed her the way. "I'm sure the young master will have a pleasant surprise seeing her highness in his room."

"Please Alfred, just call me Cagalli."

"That wouldn't be very appropriate your hi..."

"I insist."

"Very well. How does Miss Cagalli sound?" Alfred said.

"I guess that's better..." Cagalli replied.

Alfred then left Cagalli to her own devices in Athrun's room. At first, Cagalli contented herself by sitting on the couch by the window, resting and waiting for Athrun to return. However in a matter of minutes, Cagalli grew restless and she decided to explore Athrun's room in greater detail.

Cagalli realised that Athrun did not have many photos in his room, or in the mansion for that matter. She only saw priceless paintings and art pieces displayed around the mansion but no photographs. As she thought about it, there were only two photographs and they were framed up and placed in Athrun's room. The rest, if there were any, were probably hidden away in some of the rooms for who knows what reason.

The first was a picture of herself- much to Cagalli's surprise. In the picture, Cagalli wore a loose white spaghetti strapped dress that was slightly above her knees. The picture was taken at the right time- with Cagalli turning around just in time to look at the camera with a wide smile and her golden locks flying in place.

Cagalli recognised that picture. It was Miriallia who sneaked up on Cagalli, catching her by surprise and taking the shot. She must admit, Miriallia was a very good photographer. Then Cagalli's mind wondered to why she was wearing that dress and she thought about Lacus. Lacus was not as sweet and angelic as everyone thought. That girl had manhandled Cagalli into wearing that hideous contraption.

Finally, Cagalli looked at the last photo. It was a family photo. Athrun, who was about six years old in the photo, stood in the middle with the Zala Corp's chairman and a woman with the same midnight blue hair as Athrun at the side. There was no doubt that the woman in the picture was Athrun's mother. She was very pretty and she looked a lot like Athrun. No, correction. Athrun looked like the carbon copy of his mother. Athrun could easily pass off as a girl. Cagalli giggled at the thought.

Walking towards Athrun's bed, Cagalli perched herself at the side and waited for the bluenette to come home.

... ... ...

Athrun was really surprised to see Cagalli in his room sitting at the edge of his bed. "C-Cagalli!" Athrun stammered. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Orb," he said as he walked over to Cagalli.

Cagalli stood up. "Athrun, I..."

Just then, Athrun pulled her into a hug as he interrupted her. "I'm so sorry Cagalli," he said.

"No Athrun, it's my fault. I'm sorry. I should have been honest from the start," Cagalli said sadly as she pulled away, meeting his beautiful emerald eyes.

"Cagalli please, don't. It's my fault really. I've been such an awful jerk. You've had your reasons and I should have listened instead of acting immaturely." Athrun then brushed a few strands of golden hair away from Cagalli's face. "Don't blame yourself. It's my fault and I'm really sorry."

"I guess we're both to blame then," Cagalli smiled ruefully.

"I missed you," Athrun told Cagalli as he took her into his arms once more.

"I missed you too," Cagalli replied as she rested her head on his strong shoulders.

"Cagalli?" Athrun said after a while.

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Wait here. I have something to show you," Athrun said as he walked towards his bedside drawer.

Cagalli wondered, very curious to see what Athrun was up to. When Athrun came back, he took Cagalli's hands and placed a smooth and cool stone on her palms. Cagalli stared for a while at the red stone in her palm. It was a necklace and it looked awfully familiar.

"Do you recognise it?" Athrun asked and he smiled fondly at her.

"It's my Haumea stone," Cagalli gasped in surprise as she looked back up towards Athrun. "You're that boy at the park!"

Athrun laughed. "Yes I'm that boy."

"But... Oh... Well... Why didn't you say so earlier?" Cagalli nearly burst out shouting.

"Well, I only knew your name to be Athha then. And you were known to be a Hibiki in school before."

"Oh right..."

"You know," both of them said at the same time.

"You go first," Cagalli quickly said.

"No, you," Athrun insisted.

"No, I want you to go first," Cagalli was very stubborn.

"Ok fine," Athrun gave in. "I'm really glad to have met you Cagalli," Athrun said seriously as he looked deep into her amber orbs.

"I'm glad to have met you too Athrun," Cagalli replied as she smiled warmly back at him

... ... ...

Many days had passed and upon Cagalli's stubborn attitude and insistence, Cagalli and Kira came back to Archangel Academy to study. Though Kira wouldn't admit it out loud, he was actually very glad to be back. He had missed Lacus. Her reaction when she found out that Kira was the prince of Orb wasn't as bad and drastic as Athrun's had been. She forgave him almost immediately.

"So let me get this straight," Dearka said. "You are not the real daughter of King Uzumi but his niece actually. By birthright, you are still a princess of Orb because your real mother is King Uzumi's sister, thus making her a princess and making both you and Kira a princess and a prince. Did I get that right?"

"Yes finally Dearka! I wonder why it took you so long to get it! They've been explaining to us for hours!" Miriallia said exasperated.

"But I'm still confused!" Dearka said. "Why is Cagalli an Athha and Kira is not? Cagalli's the crown princess right?"

Miriallia sighed. "Gosh Dearka you are so slow. Let me explain it to you in layman terms. King Uzumi has a sister who is Princess Via. Princess Via married a man called Ulen Hibiki. Via and Ulen had twins called Kira and Cagalli. Cagalli's name was changed to Athha for reasons not explained to us yet because you can't seem to move on. Kira's real name is Hibiki but he is known as Yamato in school to hide his identity, which has been exposed know. And Cagalli randomly used Hibiki as her name to hide her identity as Princess Cagalli Yula Athha. Get it now?"

"Yes yes! I get it now!" Dearka said excitedly. "People can just google Kira Hibiki anytime so Kira used Yamato to hide his real identity!"

"Finally! Now we can move on!" Miriallia said rolling her eyes.

"So Cagalli what happened? Why did they change your name to Athha?" Shiho asked.

"I'm sure you know about my father, or uncle as you put it, King Uzumi. He had a wife who died a few days after childbirth," Cagalli paused for a while before continuing. "The truth was that both his wife and newborn daughter had been assassinated. Around the same time, our biological mother gave birth to us. Nobody knew she had twins and to cover up the murder of our cousin, I was taken. Orb was unstable at that time and things would have gotten worst had word got out to the public about the assassination."

"What happened to the assassin? Did you guys manage to get him in the end?" Miriallia asked.

"The assassin was shot dead almost instantly after he murdered our aunt and cousin," Kira said.

"I still don't get it. Why didn't they just announce that both died of disease or something? Why did they have to take Cagalli?" Dearka said.

"It's not as simple as that," Shinn said. "There was a motive. And that was to wipe out the royal family. It was more for safety reasons. If the crown princess was proclaimed dead, the next in line for target other than the King himself would be Princess Via and her children. With Cagalli there, she could keep the attention to herself. She would be the prime target."

"But that's just madness! And dangerous too! Have they even spared a thought for Cagalli's safety?" Miriallia said appalled.

"Of course they thought about my safety Mir," Cagalli replied gently. "It's easier to guard one person and keep that person safe than a group of them. That's why Kira and our biological parents have been trying to keep a low profile."

Just then, the school bell rang. And all the students started to leave the cafeteria. Kira stood up and beckoned Cagalli.

"It's time to go for our Geography class sis," Kira said as he slung one side of his backpack across his shoulders.

"Ok. See you later guys!" Cagalli waved goodbye to everyone.

"I thought you always walk her to class," Dearka said to Athrun.

"Not the classes she has with Kira," Athrun replied.

"Oooh! Athrun's scared of the over-protective brother!" Dearka teased.

"Oh stop disturbing him already Dearka," Miriallia said as she pulled her boyfriend's ear.

"Ouch! You're hurting me real deep Mir!" Dearka cried.

"Save your tears for someone who cares Dearka," Miriallia retorted as she dragged the tan boy off to their class.

... ... ...

"Psst! Kira!" Cagalli gave a light nudge to her brother.

"What?" Kira whispered as he quickly glanced at the teacher whose back was turned to them.

"Athrun's birthday is coming soon. We should organise some surprise party for him," Cagalli said as she copied down some notes from the board.

"I don't think that's such a good idea sis," Kira replied.

"Why not?" Cagalli asked.

"Athrun has not celebrated his birthday since his mother died," Kira explained.

"But that was ten years ago! There was no way he could have not celebrated his birthday for that long!" Cagalli exclaimed.

"Shh! Keep your volume down sis! I don't want to get into trouble!" Kira tried to hush Cagalli down.

"Oops sorry. But why?" Cagalli was quieter this time.

"Athrun's birthday is his mother's death anniversary."

Cagalli remained quiet as she let Kira continue.

"His mother died in a plane crash on her way to see Athrun for his birthday. Athrun blames himself for her death. That's why he's been all cold and aloof ever since. It took me quite a while to get through to him. His mother's death had an enormous impact on him. His relationship between his father suffered too..."

"Is there really nothing we can do then?" Cagalli asked sadly.

"I don't know Cagalli. I honestly don't know."

... ... ...

"Athrun," Cagalli hesitated for a while. She and Athrun were walking home from school. "Your birthday is in a few days." Cagalli had no idea what had gone through her mind to say that. Kira already knew it was a sensitive topic to Athrun. Was she trying to test him?

"Oh really? Oops, I guess I forgot about it," Athrun said lightly. In fact, it was too light for Cagalli's comfort.

Cagalli suddenly stopped walking. "Athrun," she said.

"What's wrong Cagalli?" Athrun stopped too. He looked back at Cagalli and saw the worry in her eyes. She knew. "Kira told you didn't he?"

"Yes," that was all Cagalli had said.

"It happened a long time ago Cagalli. You don't have to worry," Athrun assured Cagalli with a smile.

But Cagalli saw through the pain in his eyes.

"You still blame yourself. You haven't gotten over it," she stated rather bluntly.

"It's about to rain. We should hurry if we don't want to get caught in the rain and fall sick," Athrun said, determined to change the topic.

But Cagalli was as stubborn as ever. She refused to give up. She strode in front of Athrun and blocked his way.

"It's not your fault Athrun," Cagalli said with conviction.

"She wouldn't have died had I not asked her to come back for my birthday," Athrun said bitterly.

"It was an accident," Cagalli said. "There was nothing you could have possibly done."

"She wouldn't even be on the plane had I not insisted for her to come back in time for my birthday."

"Athrun, you were six then. Which six year old child wouldn't want his mother to be present on his birthday?"

"That's not a good excuse Cagalli!" Athrun nearly shouted. "My father has every right to hate me because I took away the person he loved most. If only I had been less selfish Cagalli... She wouldn't have died..." Just then, a lone tear dropped down from Athrun's eye.

"Your father doesn't hate you," Cagalli said. "No parent will ever hate his child."

"That's what everyone tells me. But do you know something Cagalli? My father has never celebrated my birthday with me not since my mother died. He has never really forgiven me Cagalli..."

Cagalli didn't know what to say anymore. She was just making things worse. She did the only thing she could do now. And that was to pull Athrun into her arms and let him cry. Athrun cried out all his pain and anguish he had been keeping for many years. And Cagalli stood there beside him, giving him the support he needed, soothing him and just being there for him.

... ... ...

"You may enter now your highness," the female secretary told Cagalli. The woman then opened the large oak doors to the chairman's office.

"You came to see me child?" the man behind the large Brazilian rosewood desk said. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Err, yes sir," Cagalli replied, feeling a little intimidated. She was in the Zaft Corp building in the central business district.

"Take a seat Cagalli," Chairman Zala gestured to one of the leather arm chairs in front of him. And Cagalli sat down immediately.

"So what brings you here?" he asked a little more gently this time.

Plucking up her courage, Cagalli took a deep breath before she answered. She was after all in front of the most influential man in the business world, a ruthless business tycoon.

"Athrun's birthday is coming up sir," she said.

There was an uncomfortable pregnant pause before the chairman finally answered.

"Why yes. How time flies..." he said.

There was another awkward silence between them and Cagalli broke it.

"When was the last time you celebrated Athrun's birthday with him?" Cagalli asked more daringly. Her question surprised Chairman Zala greatly. He had a very shocked look plastered on his aging face.

"It... It has been quite a while..." he replied after thinking for a long time.

"Why? Do you hate him?" Cagalli asked. "Do you blame him for her death?" Cagalli was very direct. Her earlier fears had diminished. She only wanted to understand the peculiar old man in front of her.

And again, Chairman Zala was taken back by Cagalli's complete lack of tact.

"You know about Lenore." Again it wasn't a question. It was a statement.

"You hate your son. You think he's to blame," Cagalli continued.

"What makes you say that?" Chairman Zala asked thoughtfully.

"What makes me say that?" Cagalli echoed back. "Even a blind man can see that you have something against your own son! You have treated him with nothing but coldness! Athrun doesn't have to tell me that you hate him because your actions already show it!"

There was another moment of silence.

"A-Athrun, he... he thinks I hate him?" Chairman Zala asked in disbelief. "Does it appear that way to you?"

"It appears that way even to the blind," Cagalli replied.

"... ... I-I've been a terrible father haven't I?" he said sadly.

Cagalli didn't say anything. She waited for him to continue.

"It's... It's not that I didn't want to celebrate his birthday with him or something. It was just... It was just too painful... He looked so much like her... Whenever I look at him, I see her... I don't hate him. I could never hate him, he's my son. Goodness... What have I done?" he said as he buried his face in his hands. "I was in so much pain when she left... I never blame him. It wasn't his fault; it was heaven's will... But he was a reminder of her to me, so I pushed him away... I buried myself in work... And neglected him... What kind of a father am I?" The chairman was full of remorse and sadness as he hunched back, reflecting and regretting his past actions.

"It's not too late," Cagalli told him. "It's never too late. Athrun, he... he's still waiting for you."

... ... ...

"Is it time yet?" Patrick asked Cagalli as he peered into the oven. He and Cagalli were baking a cake for Athrun's birthday. No one knows how Cagalli managed to get the Chairman of Zala Corps to bake.

"Err... I don't think so..." Cagalli replied as she peered into the oven as well to check the progress of the cake. "The book says one hour... but it has only been thirty minutes..."

"It looks burnt. Is it supposed to look like this?" Patrick asked again.

"Well... It's a chocolate cake isn't it? It's supposed to look brown?" Cagalli replied.

"Brown? It looks a bit black to me..." Patrick stated.

"Oh shoots! I think it really is burnt!" Cagalli exclaimed.

Minutes later...

"Is it edible?" Patrick asked. The black cake- resembling a rock- merely thudded heavily onto the table as Cagalli dropped it by accident. Fortunately or unfortunately, the cake didn't break. It was as hard as a rock.

"Well, I'm sure it's just black outside. We just have to cut the outer layer off and then it'll be edible!" Cagalli said optimistic.

"Should we just wait for Alfred to come back?" Patrick was rather sceptical.

... ... ...

It was in the early evening when Athrun reached home. Despite not wanting to celebrate his own birthday, Cagalli went ahead and gave him a birthday present. She gave it to him the day before and told him that he could only open it on his actual birthday- which was today. Athrun had spent the morning with Cagalli in the cemetery. They had paid respect to his mother. The rest of the day was spent in the Zala Corp. His father's secretary had loaded him a ton of work, muttering something about having to start helping out in the family business.

Athrun rang the bell in his house again. He had rung it four times now. He had no idea what was taking Alfred this long to answer the door. However, he was pleasantly surprised when it was Cagalli instead who answered the door. She was wearing a blue apron.

"Athrun! You're finally home!" she smiled at him. "Come on! Hurry in! I have a surprise for you!" Cagalli said as she ushered the bluenette into his own home.

"What's going on Cagalli?" Athrun wondered what was in store for him as the blonde dragged him into the dining hall. His guess was that Cagalli had cooked for him and knowing Cagalli's almost non-existent cooking skills, he was prepared to see the doctor the next day.

It was pitch black in the dining hall. The lights weren't turned on. However, as soon as Athrun entered the room, the lights went up and Athrun saw his father standing in front of him wearing a pink apron and holding a chocolate cake lighted up with white candles.

"Happy birthday son," Patrick mustered up the biggest smile he possibly could.

Athrun was speechless. His father was here on his birthday, holding a cake. He was even wearing an apron. Athrun immediately thought of his father in the kitchen.

"F-Father, d-did you bake that?" Athrun asked.

"Well... Not this one... Alfred did this," Patrick admitted. "The one Cagalli and I made is in the kitchen. We sort of... messed it up."

Athrun stared at his father and Cagalli for a while. There were so many emotions going through his head. For the first time in years, his father had come back to celebrate his birthday with him. He even made an extra effort to bake him a cake which didn't turn out so well in the end.

"I want the cake that you and Cagalli made," Athrun said.

"What?" Patrick and Cagalli said out loud together.

"I want to eat the cake you two baked for me," Athrun told them.

"But Athrun..." Cagalli tried to protest. She was too late as Alfred had gone into the kitchen and produced the messed up cake they had made earlier.

"It looks fine to me," Athrun said. And he was right. The cake looked rather edible, though people could tell with one glance that the cake was made by amateurs. Taking a fork from Alfred, Athrun took a small piece and put into his mouth.

"It's really good..." Athrun said in between mouthfuls of cake. There were tears brimming up in his brilliant emerald eyes. He was just too happy.

... ... ...

Two days later, Athrun, Cagalli, Kira, and Shinn were at Minerva Hotel for a Halloween party for the rich and famous. The four of them, being children of influential people, were invited. After a while, they grew bored and decided to leave the party halfway.

When they reached the lobby of the hotel, they saw a large crowd gathering outside the hotel doors. There were sudden flashes of light from them. Kira, who reacted almost instantly, pulled his sister into a corner, away from the cameras.

"Oh man! What are they doing here?" Shinn said annoyed. "Pesky irritating paparazzi, they seem to have nothing else better to do in life than to follow you around Cags."

"But Shinn, this is their life," Cagalli pointed out.

"So what should we do?" Shinn asked. "We can't go out now with them at our tail."

"Simple," Cagalli said as she looked at Kira with a sparkle in her eye.

"I don't like where this is going," Kira gulped.

A while later...

Athrun was staring at Kira in shock. He kept on looking at Kira and then back at Cagalli.

"Don't I at least get a say in this?" Kira protested.

"Hmm... No. Not really," Shinn replied as he helped adjust Kira's clothes. Kira was wearing a pale yellow gown with large silky purple ribbons similar to Cagalli. He could believe this was happening to him again. If there was an award for the world's greatest brother, Kira would have won it hands down for he things he did for his sister.

Athrun, on the other hand, could not keep his eyes off Kira. Not in the sick way but with disbelief.

"It's freaky isn't it?" Shinn said to Athrun. "They are so alike that even you cannot tell them apart."

"Alright Athrun," Cagalli said as she interrupted the two boys. "Let's go to the back now."

... ... ...

Athrun and Cagalli had barely escaped the paparazzi. They thought they could have gotten away using Kira as a decoy. However, they were wrong. There was another group of paparazzi hiding at an alley behind the hotel.

"Come on Athrun!" Cagalli said as she held on tight to Athrun. "Let's make a run for it!"

Athrun agreed as he ran with Cagalli. They were now on the main street. It was Halloween and there was a large procession in front of them. It was either the paparazzi or the large group of people. Of course, Cagalli chose to dive in to the procession, pulling Athrun with her. The paparazzi would have a harder time following them then.

"Cagalli, wait up! Slow down!" Athrun tried to tell her as they were separating. Athrun found it very hard to keep up with Cagalli. To make matters worst, there were so many people who looked like Cagalli- they were all dressed up as the princess of Orb for Halloween.

It took Athrun quite a while to break free of the crowd. He finally saw Cagalli at the side of the road. There was a suspicious looking black van beside where she stood. Suddenly, the doors of the van opened, revealing large men in masks. Everything happened so fast. The men grabbed Cagalli before she had any time to react. The next thing Athrun knew, he was running in vain after the black van that had sped off with his girlfriend.

"CAGALLI!" Athrun cried out. He didn't make it. The van had already disappeared from his sight.

To be continued...

Alright this is the longest chapter I've ever done! And this is the second last chapter too. I hope it's not too abrupt though I did mention earlier that this was ending. Thank you again everyone for your patience and support! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter!