Gwah… I'm sorry I wasn't able to update the other day and yesterday… I was sick—up to now... I had this 'attack of the sniffles' thing and it's giving me a great big, Godzilla size splitting headache. It feels as if a gundam just decided to launch missiles in my brain for fun. Anyway, so much for that…

I thank you all for the reviews and the support on this fic. I have reached 247 reviews. That's something to celebrate. Haha. Achoo! Sniff! Hell, I look like a tomato gone wrong with my color.

Now, for the shout-outs:

Risingsundynasty: hmmm. Considering with what happened in the last chapter… The confessing of Cagalli is kinda not doing so well. Haha. And I'm a proud sadist.

gwgrmRPGNM: Cagalli deserves some waterworks, I agree with you in that. Denying Athrun is the worse she could do. Haha.

Cagalliyulathaa: There! I finally removed that one 'A' you've been whining about. Haha! Hmm. Inspiration? I don't know… I just looked at the trash can and 'ping!' the title came in. hehe joke. I have really no idea how I came up with the title… other than it's what Cagalli said to Athrun. Woot! I really like the conversation review you gave me.. haha. It made me laugh! Right, scary.. hehe I won't put another 'A' in your name ever. Oh and about Athrun and Cagalli? Heehee, I won't tell… but this will be a bumpy ride after that denying thing. Thanks!

Kagally: Yeah.. Cagalli's was… completely hilarious hands down. Athrun was sort of a 'poof!' I remembered, but I will completely stay calm… soo Athrun. Haha. But he was somewhat hysterically happy rather than embarrassed about it. Haha

3fi-pina3: haha. That's a first. Everyone said it was sad and you found it funny? Haha! Good one!

Hades.Throne.Heiress: Yes, Athrun kissing her again after agreeing it was just a kiss is an interesting idea… I will further explain it in later chapters. The exhibit will still commence on its said opening. Only, the confessing part is totally, totally off the list for Cagalli.

Aishiteiru to itte kure: yes, we all want that it would not be just a kiss. But, Cagalli had said it, Athrun agreed to it, and I'm a sadistic little thing that walked the earth. Haha.

Thank you all!

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The art of Love – chapter 26

Recap:

"To make up for it, I suggest we forget it ever happened. It was after all just a kiss." Cagalli finished and forced a smile.

What? Athrun couldn't believe it. Here he is in euphoria that Cagalli and he actually kissed… but now she's telling him to forget about it? That it was just a kiss? It wasn't just a kiss…

But then again, maybe Cagalli doesn't think of her the way he thinks about her.

Athrun frowned and forced a smile after. "Yeah." was all he said. He can't trouble her also with the fact that he loves her more than a friend if she doesn't feel the same.

He stood up and reached for her hand to pull her up. They stood there looking at each other for a minute when Athrun spoke, his hands holding on to Cagalli's shoulders.

"It was just a kiss. No big." He sadly said as he gently leaned forward to press his lips against hers one more time and perhaps the last… At least, he thought to himself, he did it when he was conscious.

Cagalli stiffened, but relaxed after.

Athrun let go of her after a 5 second kiss. He smiled at her and said: "Must be the side effect."

Cagalli smiled and nodded. Then she bid goodbye and told him she had to leave.

Athrun stood there for awhile as he watched her retreating back. It was as if she was so close yet so far again… but this time, this time, it hurt like hell. He gently sat himself down as he felt himself shiver and almost, just almost cry.

Cagalli got out of the building and rode a bus towards the diner. And for once, she felt lost, lost in a place she thought she knew so well. Lost in her world she thought she had memorized. And she almost, just almost broke down inside the bus.

The new kiss had triggered something else, something she knew she should have had before she denied him. "What have I done?" She sobbed silently.

Why did she deny? Why did she have to be so stupid?

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What we all think

Cagalli was sweating cold bullets. She's in hell, in freaking hell.

It wasn't all good, two nights ago, she actually denied Athrun Zala, denied that she kissed him, denied about almost everything. The keyword here is: DENIED.

Oh well, since she's in denial, she might as well try to live with it. Forgetting everything that transpired between her and the said emerald eyed young man would hurt like hell, that's for sure… but then, she's not that hot on telling Athrun to not forget about it if she pulls thru with her confession plan.

He might think she's either so indecisive or not serious about anything.

And he agreed with what she said actually. Though she was disappointed that he did, meaning he doesn't think of her like that… But then again, And now, she thinks she's thinking too much again.

"I would kill to be murdered." She sighed.

Three freaking weeks before the said exhibit. Three Freaking weeks of intense torture. She decided that she won't tell him anymore. But what would she do? She cannot face him anymore like before. If she's going to forget about him, she can't see him always. That's it, I'm moving far away from here! She grumbled.

No one knows about that night of stupid decision—better known as the night of denial, she shut her mouth after all of it. She doesn't want to remember anything about it, so she decided to not tell her nagging friends to avoid it.

But she's not doing so well with her own nagger anyway—her conscience.

She buried her head in a pile of pillows, hoping that it would suffocate her to death.

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Athrun sighed; he's not in a very good mood today, or any other day for that matter. Cagalli just denied their first ever kiss.

Their first ever kiss that made him so happy and then in a snap, sad.

He thought, so Cagalli doesn't 'dig' him that way… but how come there was sadness in her eyes too? Hopefully, she doesn't take me kissing her again for the last time as something that would entitle me as the 'Martian from planet pervert.'

And then he sighed, he is already thinking too much.

He pushed the paperwork aside to breathe; he's not anymore in the mood to sign anything now, let alone read those freakin' reports that doesn't seem to end.

To be honest, he doesn't really know how to act in front of Cagalli now. If he were to chose, he would rather avoid her for now… than face her knowing it will it hurt so much—plus he might do something he sure he would regret later on if he snaps.

He might as well retire for the day; his mind is too preoccupied to think anything else anymore. He might just need sleep to calm his nerves down.

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Lacus sat down on a red couch inside Kira and Cagalli's apartment. She glanced up at her fiancée, who is busy playing with his playstation… Kira is such a kid sometimes. And he deliberately skipped work today… so much for mature business man, and pity Athrun for all his hard work.

He was making weird movements and grunts every time he tries hitting the master enemy in the game.

Lacus smiled, and then turned her attention towards Cagalli's room, the said blonde hasn't come out since Lacus came, and she is beginning to get worried.

"Is she still sleeping?" asked the pink haired woman.

Kira, not looking at her direction still answered, "Nope. She woke up quite early today… looking slumped and all. I tried asking her what's the problem but she growled back at me like she's some kind of Doberman with rabies."

"Oh. Do you think it's because of the impending confession?"

"What? No. I don't think so… this one doesn't have 'nervous and anxiety' written on her face… it's more of like 'I wanna die, I deserve to rot' type." The brunette placed down the joystick and breathed out, finally happy that he accomplished his mission in the said game.

"Why would she think that? Unless perhaps… something happened that we don't know of." Lacus came again.

"I tried finding out about it by asking Athrun… but funny, he had the same face. I tried making him sing with what happened…. But he's just not there." Kira stood up and sat beside Lacus.

"What do you mean not there?" His beautiful fiancée inquired.

"Not there as in not there at all. His mind went kaput, and all it does is thinking about how he could die in the easiest way possible."

And the two looked at each other. There was no doubt, that something did happened… and it was not good, not good at all.

They have to get to the bottom of this.

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Miriallia, Dearka and Nick simultaneously sighed.

They had been sitting there for about 30 minutes thinking. There is something wrong, and they can't help but feel guilty over it.

Two nights ago, they dared Cagalli to share chocolates with Athrun. They had been giddy and evil over it, but when Cagalli came back and met them at the diner, eyes almost red as is from crying, and face trying very, very hard to force a smile, they all frowned—something wrong happened.

Dearka didn't help much with concluding what happened. He'd given the two cousins perverted ideas like Athrun trying to force himself on her and so on and so forth. The two had given him a smack on the face because of that.

Nick didn't do much either, saying maybe they fought over the box of choco pops since both are addicted to it. Miriallia wanted to smack him a good one too but decided her cousin's idea wasn't that bad, just freaking weird.

Dearka protested and shouted 'biased' at her when she didn't do so.

Which leaves her; the only one with the 'normal thinking mind' to well, think about what exactly happened.

But even having a normal thinking mind could leave you clueless too sometimes.

Cagalli made a huge effort to avoid questions about what happened as well as her answering to the said questions. She either smiled and changed the topic or growled and ready to pounce on someone who dares ask her.

The exhibit is coming; they can't have a depressed exhibitor. She might go nuts and scatter hell all over the place.

Then, the three sighed simultaneously again for the 5th time that day.

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Cagalli decided to take a nice stroll to relieve her even a bit of the stress, and the stupid ness she's done… And maybe, just maybe some car will swerve and hit her right on to die.

When Kira and Lacus went inside her brother's room for a brief moment to do god knows what, she decided to slip off and just leave a note on the fridge.

She didn't want them to catch her and hover around her with questions. She knew they noticed her slumping and 'the world hates me' expression she had, it wasn't exactly the mystery of the century.

After a few minutes of walking, she noticed that her feet had taken her right towards the direction of Kira and Athrun's building.

She scoffed.

It was either she was being stupid again or it's a force of habit. 'Great, I actually go towards his direction even when I am not myself. I gotta work on this.' She thought and was about to turn around when that familiar blue hair came out of the spinning door exit.

Cagalli recited her collection or curses inside her head.

"Somebody up there really hates me—No, scratch that, loathes me." She grumbled and turned away, but looking sideways up at him.

The blue haired young man decided not to take his car home today. He could walk, he had feet, perhaps that's the only thing useful now than his mind.

He walked and then stopped, turned around and sighed.

He decided not to take his usual trail home this time. Perhaps to forget about the places he passes by in doing so that reminded him of the fiery blonde.

Cagalli eyed him and sighed too, then started walking at the opposite direction.

They did not meet each other in doing so.

The two decided to stop fate that day and decided to go walk on the road they had never taken in hopes of forgetting something they thought could be so painful than anything else.

Too much thinking after all, could lead you in one way or another.

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There. Not much, pretty short but what the heck… I am soo sick… And when I am, philosophies of life flash before me… so I thought I'd make this day's chapter into a thinking fest. What everyone thinks inside after the denying incident… and then after we would go back to normal… exhibit is coming folks. Let's see what happens. Haha. Thank you all for the support.