JC: I have already come up with a plot for another AsuCaga fic. I'm going to start writing right away after I finish this sequel. I'm still a die-hard fan of the two. I know you've been waiting for this chapter. Here you go. Please read and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam SEED. If I did, I would make Kira kiss Cagalli on the lips. (Joking!!!)

Entwined Hearts

Phase 11: A Broken Heart

To Kira's profound bewilderment, Cagalli popped out of the bed looking irritated. If it was possible, her enraged amber eyes would probably be boring holes on the floor now. Thoughts of kissing Rusty Mackenzie had nearly made her scream. She'd been in much tighter situations before, but her case with Rusty was rather eccentric and unusual.

His wide amethyst eyes glued to her face made his chest squeeze tight. And when she told him everything about Rusty, he almost fell off the bed. He was really taken by surprise. He would never expect his fierce twin, who was feared by almost all, to be troubled over some guy who kissed her. Wait a minute! The guy kissed, no, stole a kiss from her! Kira pondered over his thoughts as he clenched his fists. Of all the girls in ORB, why did it have to be his sister? Although his sister was oblivious to the fact that she was beautiful, Kira knew very well that a lot of guys in ORB want her. But still there were a lot of pretty girls who are more feminine than Cagalli. His sister was already taken, but Rusty still came along and disturbed Cagalli's life. He wanted to meet Rusty to teach the guy some manners, and to tell him to stay away from his sister. As a brother, he had to look out for his sister. He was someone that she could count on.

"What should I do, Kira?" Desperation edged Cagalli's voice. No way would she let Rusty haunt her dreams forever. He was costing her relationship with Athrun way too much. She cursed him so much. She still had the torture-Rusty-until-he-dies plot in her head, but she was not that cruel. For a tomboy like her, she was very kind-hearted, a fact that was known by Kira and her close friends.

The young representative blinked and took a deep breath to ease his anxiety. "Maybe you should go talk to him," he said. Well, that's the only advice he could think of in a short time. Truth to be known, Kira didn't want his sister to meet with a rude guy again. But there was no other choice. It was better to sort things out by talking—a pacifist way to have a treaty. Unfortunately, Cagalli wasn't the patient one. He could picture Cagalli punching the lights out of Rusty Mackenzie.

Cagalli simply didn't want to go anywhere near Rusty without anyone accompanying her. Besides, she needed someone to stop her from throwing punches at Rusty. "You're right, Kira. I should go talk to him again." She heaved a deep sigh. "But I'm not going to like it."

"How are you going to contact him?"

"I know where he works. I'll just pay him a visit there." Of course, Cagalli got to know Rusty at his workplace. With all his smiles and polite words, Cagalli should've known that he has feelings for her. She didn't notice anything from Rusty. She wasn't actually a romantic-type of girl, but she knew the definition of love. Love was a wonderful feeling to share with the one you cherished the most. She has this feeling whenever she was with Athrun. Her heart screamed only his name and nothing can change that. Not even Rusty, who was straightforward with his feelings, could stand a chance against Athrun Zala.

In Front of Wing Zero Café

"This sucks big time," Cagalli muttered under her breath while staring at the delicious pastries displayed in the café. She was clad in a yellow tube top and denim shorts with ribbons and charms. She also wore a jade bangle set on her left wrist and sunglasses to hide her beautiful amber eyes. On top of her head lay her favorite white cap. Cagalli glanced at her watch and gasped. "Weird… It's already 9:15 and yet there's still no sign of Stellar." She knew that her fellow blonde was always an early bird when it comes to gimmicks and shopping.

A welcome breeze skittered over Cagalli, fluttering her silky blonde hair. She slid her sunglasses off and looked up at the sky. It was such a beautiful day. Since she woke up from a great dream this morning, Cagalli's mood was so light. She didn't think of Rusty and his stolen kiss anymore. What was done was done, she said in her mind.

"I can't believe you're here!!!"

Cagalli jumped at the sound of the familiar voice. Abruptly, she turned around and saw the orange-haired person she dreaded to see. She pointed a finger at him. "Y-you!!!" She narrowed her gaze. "What the hell are you doing here?!" Rage fueled her eyes and mind as she planned on strangling him. So much for her good mood, Cagalli cursed in her mind.

Anybody would be afraid of the angry princess, and Rusty felt the intense heat coming from her. He couldn't blame her since it was his fault in the first place for upsetting her. But since he was given the chance to set things right, he needed to treat her all nicely. He had planned out their so-called friendly date the night before. "I'm going to take you on a date," he answered her.

"WHAT??!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. She raised her eyebrow, thinking absurdly of the guy. "You must be out of your mind. Have you forgotten what you did to me?!" She knew that the guy was fresh, but she didn't think that he would be a complete moron. She wouldn't go on a date with him even if he was the last man on Earth.

She's really mad at me. Rusty felt guilty. He didn't mean to steal a kiss from her. He was just a guy in love.He bowed his head like a true gentleman and held out his hand. "I'm sorry for what I did, Princess Cagalli. I would like to make it up to you by taking you out today." He spoke in a mild-mannered tone.

"Shut it, Mackenzie!" she retorted, firm as ever. She spun on her heels and walked off in a hurry. But the orange-haired guy grabbed her wrist right away, stopping her from leaving. Of course, Cagalli got angrier at him. She pulled her hand away and threw him a nasty glare. "Leave me alone, idiot! I don't want to waste my time with a sorry loser like you!"

Ouch! Her words were very painful, and Rusty felt like he got shot by thousands of arrows. But he was not going to give up on her. He was going to try his best to make the princess forgive him. "Princess, I just want to talk to you. I want to say sorry…"

Because of his words, Cagalli recalled back what Kira told her. "Maybe you should go talk to him," he said. She even agreed that Kira was right. Talking would be the only way to resolve her problem. She couldn't stay mad at Rusty forever. She sighed deeply as her eyes softened a little. She took his hand and said, "All right…"

Rusty quickly looked up at her, shocked written on his face. The princess just took his hand! Rusty wanted to jump up and down in excitement, but he knew he would look like a deranged fan if he did that. "Princess, are you serious?" he asked, swallowing hard.

"I'll go out with you not because I want to," Cagalli said harshly as her cheeks flushed pink. She was feeling embarrassed. "And you better not bore me to death, understand?!"

"You are so not going to regret this, Cagalli!!!" Rusty held her gentle hand with both of his hands and smiled widely.

Cagalli stared at their hands before throwing the guy a deadly look. "Don't get to comfortable, idiot," she grumbled. "Don't call me by my name either. I still haven't forgiven you."

"Oh sorry…" He released her hand and chuckled. "How about let's go to this café first? They sell some good cakes here." He pointed at the café in front of them.

Since the blonde princess had been eyeing the pastries inside the café a while ago, she agreed right away. But she didn't want to admit that she has an extreme fondness over sweet things. She also planned to make Rusty pay for everything she'll order.

ORB Military Headquarters

"Nii-san, where's the princess?!" the red-haired Jean Zala said as soon as she'd stepped into the cafeteria. Her brother was there sitting on one of the tables having his breakfast. She approached the table and sat down as well.

"It's her day-off today. She's probably at the mansion." Athrun picked the hotdog with the fork and took a bite. He went to work pretty early and he didn't get the chance to have breakfast back at home.

"Mansion?" Jean poked her chin, looking surprised. "But Miriallia-san told me that she saw Cagalli leaving the mansion at 8:30 AM. I was hoping you would know where she went." She stared at her brother keenly.

"Cagalli didn't mention anything to me," Athrun replied, sadness etched across his face. As her fiancé, Cagalli had always told him her plans and schedules. Lately, he felt like he didn't know Cagalli anymore. She wouldn't even let him kiss her. They haven't talk much because of work, and Cagalli seemed to get more restless these days. Athrun was worried. He was beginning to think that Cagalli didn't love him anymore. He hoped his intuition was wrong. If he were to lose Cagalli, he would go crazy.

Jean shrugged. "Nii-san, you love Cagalli-sama, right?"

Athrun stared at her. He had already answered that question a thousand times already. Why would Jean bother to ask him that again? That was weird. He dropped his fork on the plate and sipped a drink from the cup. "Jean, if I didn't love her, then I should not have bothered proposing to her in the first place." He answered calmly like always.

The red-head nodded. She knew how much her brother loved Cagalli. She just felt like asking that question. "You know what?" She rested her elbow on the table and leaned her head against her hand. "Kai told me you were cheating on her." She released a raw sound of frustration.

"Kai?"

"Of course, I didn't believe him." Her glance flew to the hotdog on her brother's plate. She pointed at the food and said, "Are you going to eat that?" She smiled innocently like a little girl.

Athrun pushed the plate towards her. "That Kai…" He made a mental note to shoot Kai later with a Gundam. Speaking of Kai, he did tell Athrun to ask Cagalli about her problems. But it seemed that Athrun wasn't able to talk to her because he felt a little awkward. Maybe I should ask her a later after work… He needed to know what was going on with her.

Head Representative Office

Kira, exhausted, took a sip of his coffee to ease his sleepiness and then he looked over the papers. He picked up a pen and started signing. Though he seemed to be concentrating on work, his mind was actually on his blonde sister. The fact about Rusty stealing her kiss still bothered him. He didn't know why, but he was kind of jealous. Well, it was pretty normal for an overprotective brother like him to feel that way. Kira settled the papers on the desk and slumped down on his chair. He needed to take a five-minute break before his head will explode.

At the mini-living room of his office, the cheerful pink-haired princess, Lacus, spoke merrily to the somewhat irritated red-haired beauty, Fllay. Lacus seemed to be unaware to the fact that Fllay was cursing under her breath. As the latter sipped her tea, Lacus took a bite of her cookie and threw a soft gaze at Fllay. From Lacus' expression, Fllay guessed that she wanted to ask her something.

"Fllay-san, what do you think of Kira?" Lacus asked, placing her teacup down on the coffee table. She clasped her hands together on her lap as she waited for an answer.

Casually, Fllay crossed her legs and arms. She cast one furious look at Lacus before rolling her eyes away. "He's okay for a guy," she said in a cold tone. "But I don't find him interesting or whatsoever. He's a bit plain." She was always frank and straightforward.

"I think he's nice and wonderful," Lacus said, smiling like angel. She placed a hand on her heart and closed her eyes. "I'm very fond of him now." Her cheeks turned a little pink as the image of the Ultimate coordinator came to her mind.

"If you're so fond of him, why don't you marry him?" Fllay uttered without a care. Sometimes she wondered if Lacus was a natural-born idiot who has the talent of annoying people. All Lacus could ever talk about was Kira whenever they were alone, much to Fllay's dismay. If Kira wasn't the topic, Lacus would talk about her cooking, house chores, and her singing career. Fllay was so sick of it. It was pretty remarkable that she didn't blow up on Lacus yet. It must be Lacus' overwhelming kindness that kept her from picking a fight with her.

"I would love to marry him," Lacus replied and she was serious about it, though her face didn't show it. "But I still have to compete with you." She took a cookie from the platter and bit it.

Right from the start, Fllay never intended to compete or marry anyone. But since Lacus was determined to fight for Kira's love, Fllay thought of something interesting that would really spice things up. And when Kira emerged from his workplace, and looked at them, she smiled maliciously. She quickly turned to Lacus as she put on a kind face. "I would like some more cookies, if you don't mind."

"Really?" Lacus beamed, putting a hand on her cheek. "Just wait here while I'll go get some more!" She stood up, crystal blue eyes sparkling, and ran off to the miniature kitchen. Kira's office was like an apartment if you look at it.

Kira sat down on the couch right next to Fllay. "I hope you didn't get bored while waiting for me," he said, looking apologetically. He had to take the girls out again. It was like his usual routine.

Normally, Fllay would snap or glare at him, but she just smiled heavenly at him this time. "With Clyne-san around, I will never get bored." She felt like throwing up after saying that. Truth to be known, she never met a rich girl who likes doing house chores before. Lacus was really a special case, but she will never admit that to anyone.

"I'm going to take you girls to the orphanage today," Kira said comfortably. He wasn't afraid of Fllay's attitude anymore. In his heart, he knew that Fllay was a kind person. He could say that Fllay was like his sister—someone who hides their gentle nature under a tough façade. But of course, Fllay was more lady-like than the ruthless Cagalli.

It was time to put her plan into action, Fllay thought sinisterly. She took out her handkerchief, when Kira wasn't looking, and dropped it on the floor. "Ah, my handkerchief!" she uttered, pretending to look surprise.

Kira saw the handkerchief on the floor and bent down to pick it up. As Kira touched the handkerchief, Fllay's hand went on top of him. He blushed ten shades of red. Being the shy boy that he was, he accidentally brushed Fllay's hand away and hit her pretty face. Kira was stunned. He couldn't believe he just did that.

"What was that for?!" Angered, Fllay rubbed her soar face and stood up. "You're such an idiot!" she shouted, glaring furiously at the brunette. She was going to walk away when Kira grabbed her wrist. Fllay got more irritated at him. She told him to let go, but Kira wasn't going to let her go until he apologized to her properly. With all her struggling, she tripped on Kira's foot and fell down to the floor, dragging poor Kira along with her.

The pink-haired girl emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray of cookies. She walked up to the couch and gasped at a very surprising scene. She turned around, with hands trembling, and settled the tray on top of a medium-sized cabinet. She was blushing hard, embarrassed and hurt at what she saw. She clamped her mouth as she threw a glance at them again. She felt like crying, but she was strong enough to hold her tears in. She lowered her head, hiding her crystal blue eyes under her pink locks, and ran out of the room without a sound.

Lying on the smooth carpeted floor was the two young leaders, with the representative being on top of the girl. Not only was his body pressed against hers, his lips was also savoring her strawberry-flavored lips. He felt a strong sensation, a strong passion, as his heart pumped so hard. He never thought that kissing a girl would give you so much pleasure. But it wasn't his fault for being in that position. When Fllay dragged him down with her, his lips immediately landed on top of hers. He was shocked at first that he wanted to get off of her right away. However, the red-head responded to his kiss, which tempted him to deepen it further.

ORB Mansion

Cagalli and Rusty had hanged out most of the day, visited some sights, ate at delicious fast-food joints, said hello to friends, and by the end of the day, Cagalli was ready to hit the hay. Rusty offered a ride to the princess, and at exactly eight-thirty they were driving away from the park. Once they've arrived at the big gates of the Athha Estate, Cagalli hopped off the car and stretched out her arms. A smile was clearly seen on her face. She had to admit that it was fun hanging out with Rusty. She had already forgiven him, and they were back being good friends. Cagalli was happy that her problem was solved. Now she could spend some quality time with Athrun without thinking of Rusty anymore.

"Thanks for the date," Cagalli said, facing him with a strong front. "For a moron, you sure know how to give a girl a good time."

"Do you have to insult me every time you open your mouth?" Rusty didn't know that his princess had a bad mouth. Although it was an interesting discovery, he felt like a degraded being whenever she insulted him. Well, he had no right to correct her in any way, since it was his fault for a making her angry. But he wished that Cagalli would call him by his first name.

"Moron, idiot, stupid and bastard suits you well." With a smirk for a smile, she extended her hand to shake. "And I'm lying…" Her voice trailed off, which caught Rusty's full attention.

"Princess…" Rusty's lips curved into a smile. "Thanks…" He took her hand, but instead of shaking hands with her, he kissed her hand like a true gentleman.

Cagalli's face flushed up like a bright Christmas bulb. What Rusty did totally caught her off-guard. She didn't get angry, though. A kiss on the hand was harmless, and Cagalli knew that it was his way of showing gratitude. "That's enough," she said, pulling her hand away. She walked towards the gate and placed a hand on it. She peered over her shoulders and cast one genuine smile at him. "Don't push your luck, Rusty, or you'll regret it."

At the mere mention of his name, Rusty raised his fist high. "Yes! Finally, you said my name! I was waiting for that all day!" he shouted as he honked the horn.

"You're really a simpleton," Cagalli said, shaking her head slowly. "Just go already before anyone sees you. I don't want others to think that we actually know each other." She took off her sunglasses and cap, turned around and leaned against the gate.

"Yes, ma'am!" Rusty answered cheerfully. "Bye then!" He pushed the metal to the pedal and drove off in blinding speed.

Cagalli stretched out again and yawned. She was getting sleepy. Who wouldn't get tired after a long day with Rusty? That guy had the same energy level as her friend Stellar. She yawned once again as she entered the grounds of her home. But before she could proceed further, she stopped at the sight of a blue-haired coordinator. It was Athrun, and his eyes don't seem to have the usual sparkle in them. Cagalli wondered if he was all right. "Hey there, Athrun!" she greeted happily. Since she was free of problems, she can act normally around Athrun again.

"Who was he?" Athrun said in a low voice, which wasn't enough for the blonde to hear.

"Huh? What did you say?" She took a few steps forward.

Athrun quickly backed away and clenched his fists. "Who was that guy?" There was a hint of rage in his voice. He hid his emerald-green eyes under his bangs.

"Guy? Oh you mean Rusty… Well, he's a—"

"Your new boyfriend?" he said in a sarcastic voice. "You just had date with him, right? Figures… That's why you didn't even bother to tell me your plans for today."

Cagalli's amber orbs grew wide. From the tone of his voice, she knew that Athrun was jealous. It was her first time to see him talking that way. She felt afraid of him. She needed to explain things properly to him before he'll completely misunderstand the situation. Rusty was just a friend to her and Athrun was the one she loved. She was going to tell him that, but Athrun cut her off.

"I'm going home now. Good Night, Cagalli." He walked passed her, as if she wasn't even there. He didn't want to listen to her excuses or explanation. He wanted to be far away from her for now. Yes, he was angry, but he wasn't angry at her. His fury was directed at the orange-haired guy he saw a while ago. He got completely mad when he saw the guy kissing Cagalli's hand. If he had a gun, he had probably shot Rusty already. In addition to that, he could clearly see that Cagalli was comfortable around him. How ironic.

To be continued…

JC: Chapter 11 done! Rusty and Cagalli are in good terms now. But Athrun saw them together and got jealous. It's normal for a guy to be that way. Athrun is not the only one jealous. Lacus saw Kira kissing Fllay! That's bad. What will happen to them now? Shinn and Stellar moments will be in the next chapter. Please review and no flaming.