Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed and/or Gundam Seed Destiny.

The Runaway Princess
Part II

She was running away. She might not have been sure where she was going or what was going to happen to her when she got there, but all she knew was that she had to run. So she did. Even though she felt like collapsing, her legs somehow pushed her onward; the concrete ground solid beneath each footfall, her breaths coming faster and deeper in her aching chest.

She passes the doors of the entrance and rushes down the spiral staircase, making her way onto the street, the feathery train of her gown fluttering behind her. When she stepped onto the pavement, she decided on a direction and continued her frantic dash without giving herself time to think. Her heels now made a soft sound against the weathered stone below her feet, but it sounded distant, drowned out by the sound of the wind and the noise of the blaring traffic rushing by as she hurled herself forward, faster and faster, towards anywhere that wasn't there.

In an attempt to jaywalk, she quickly tries to sprint across the busy and bustling street, but she's barely able to take a few steps before she finds her self stopped by a taxi that screeched to a halt by her feet, just narrowly missing her by a few inches. Dozens of passerby's start to look at her strangely and before any of them could recognize her, she flung open the rear door and hurriedly took a seat, pulling the rest of her dress into the vehicle with her.

"Drive." She commanded firmly. The screen separating her from the driver was darkly tinted, but she knew he would be able to sense the urgency of the situation without having to actually look at her face. He would be able to hear it in her voice. And seeing as he seems to do exactly what she says, she assumes that she must have been right.

Finally free, she let herself breathe. She couldn't believe what she had just done - that she had actually just run away from her tightly secured and sheltered life within the borders of the palace, the only life she'd ever known. Her hands trembled uncontrollably at the excitement of the very thought and she tried clutching to the silky fabric of her dress to calm her nerves.

"Are you okay, Miss?" someone asks in concern.

Startled by the voice that she didn't know was beside her, Cagalli instinctively shifted towards the door. To her right was a man, a boy around her age, who couldn't have been older than twenty one or twenty two. His hair was a dark azure blue color—more black that blue—though a few strands seemed to mimic the color of the ocean on a bright summer's day. His green eyes then looked at her curiously, in a way that suggested he was used to being looked at, and she knew she'd never seen anything like them before. They were the green of her emerald necklace - a vibrant color which she thought could never have been replicated - yet, here he was, an absolute stranger peering at her with eyes that were the same hue of the priceless stones that she wore on her neck.

"Yeah, I'm...I'm great'' She managed to stutter pathetically in response. "Absolutely fine."

"You know, I've shared tons of taxis with lots of people from the city before, but I have to say, it was never quite like this," He remarks, and he places his hand on the screen, readying to pull it back. "Where are you going? I'll let the driver know where to drop you off."

Her hand immediately shot up to stop his. "No! Don't!" She cries.

Taken aback at her outburst, the boy mumbled, "Okay." He quickly took his hand of the window, not wanting to frighten the blonde anymore than she already was. "But you should know that I'm heading to a small little town a few hours away from here, past the mountains, and judging by that dress, I'm sure you'd rather be dropped off somewhere downtown."

"Well consider it your lucky day!" She says, still surprised that he hadn't recognized her yet. "I happen to be going there too. We can even split the fare."

"If you say so." He looked a little skeptical of her claim, but if he thought she was lying, he did not pursue the matter. And for that, she was thankful.

The remaining ride was silent. Neither of them moved or spoke for a very long time, until the boy felt her head slowly, but surely, drop against his shoulder. He didn't mind it really, her head resting sleepily on his shoulder. He didn't mind it, or the slow, melodic sounds of breath escaping the girl's slightly-open mouth, or the way that her eyes were beginning to close ever so slowly, despite how hard she was trying to stay awake, or the personal space that was being shattered through this whole arrangement. He was busy watching the passing scenery outside of the window, after all, to pay much attention to her.

His dedication to watching the scenery outside did not, however, keep him from glancing over every once in a while to check on the strange, slumbering girl. He watched her and couldn't help but notice how peaceful she looked, almost like an angel. He decides that he can't disturb her and lets her continue to sleep instead.

"Can I have everyone's attention, please?"

When Uzumi Nara Athha stood up, all conversations died and all eyes were on him. He clinked the glass of champagne he had with his fork and loudly cleared his throat. "I suppose I should make a speech now before I forget - old age is finally catching up with this old man."

The crowd bursts into laugher and he waits for it to die down before he continues. "Ladies and gentleman, and the friends of my beloved daughter," Uzumi begins, "there comes a time in every wedding reception, when the man who paid for the whole thing is allowed to say a word or two of his own. And I should like to take the opportunity to say a word or my emotions are mixed. On one hand, I feel happy that my daughter has finally found someone to share the rest of her life with. On the other hand, I am sad to be, as it were, handing over my little girl to another man. However, the fact that this other man is someone as kind and patient as Yunna makes it all bearable. Because I know that he is going to make the perfect husband and son-in-law."

"Thanks dad!" Yunna grinned smugly, earning chuckles from the many important men and woman across the room.

"As I was saying before I was interrupted," Uzumi smiled, flashing a grin when the guests had settled down, "Although it makes me sad to have to give away my princess, I know I will always have a special place in my dear daughter's heart and my happiness far outweighs my sadness tonight. In fact, I think this is a day for a celebration. So can you all raise your glasses to the happy couple, to Cagalli and Yunna!"

"To Cagalli and Yunna!" The room cheered, erupting in applause. Yunna stood up and took a bow, but he was alone. His fiancee was nowhere to be found.

"Where is she? Where is Cagalli?" Uzumi demanded when he finally noticed her absence, searching the room for the familiar face of his daughter. "Cagalli?" He desperately tried again, rising from his seat. Just then, a breeze blew through the room, causing the curtains to flutter in the wind, drawing his attention to the unguarded entrance. That was when he caught side of the door that was left open and knew at once what had happened.

She was gone.

Cagalli stirs slowly, awaken with the strange feeling that something wasn't quite right.

"It seems like sleeping beauty is finally awake, I'd say."

Her eyes snapped open at that and she got up, turning to stare at the boy she had forgotten all about. "Did I fall asleep on your shoulder? How long was I out?"

"Around an hour and a half. But we're here now." He paid the cab fare in full with no objections from his travel companion and they got out. For a reason unknown to him, she hid her face from the driver and didn't lower her hand until he drove off.

"This is main street." He announced, as they walked past the stores which had already been closed. "And I know what you're thinking – if this is the main street, what does the rest of the place look like? Well, December City is a pretty small place. If I remember correctly, the population is less than thousand."

"It's okay – I love it." She clasped her hands together, as she looked up at the stars; swirls of purple and pink and yellow, something she'd only ever seen before in a city planetarium. "I think this might be my favorite thing in the world," she mumbles in awe, still looking up at the sky. He glances at her curiously, and looks away when she doesn't notice.

"What?" He asks her. She shrugs her shoulder slightly, embarrassed by her outburst, and their shoulders accidently brush.

"The stars, the view," she answers quietly. "And the travelling. Everything. I think I love it all." At this, she smiles at him and he nods.

"Me too," the boy agrees. And just like that, they're silent again, as the sky gets darker and the stars burn brighter. "I'm heading that way." He pointed towards a small dirt road that led to pitch-black darkness. "Think you'll be alright from here?"

"Another coincidence. I'm going that way too," Cagalli grins, walking in the direction of his extended finger before he could say anything. Had she only turned around to look at him, she'd have seen a look of total bewilderment on his face. But she hadn't, so he said nothing and followed her. She kept on the narrow dirt path, struggling to walk steadily in her heels, and he simply slowed his pace to match hers.

Although the walk was long and her feet hurt, she didn't complain once. And, in what seemed like half the time it took to drive there, they finally reached a small house that was tucked away from the rest of the little town. In the moonlight, she could see the right wing of his home was at the base of a lighthouse. There was a bright light revolving at the top of the tower, as it did in all of the countless olden-time movies she had watched as a wide-eyed child.

She stopped by the porch steps and turned around to see if he still there.

"You're running away, aren't you?" The boy finally concluded. The smile she had been wearing the whole night drained from her eyes and her heart dropped to her stomach. She felt her pulse quicken and heard the pounding in her head. Her thoughts were so loud in her mind she did not know whether to listen or shut them out. Had he discovered her true identity? Would she have to run and pray to God he wouldn't chase her?

Her silence only prompted another question. "Who are you?" Her eyes shot up from the grass to meet his. "Look, I just want the truth.'' He pleaded.

Cagalli looked at him, wondering if he was being serious or just playing a game with her. Did he really not know that she was Cagalli Yula Athha, the crown Princess of Orb, next in line to rule the oldest throne in history? Was she actually getting a chance to start over and live the life she'd always wanted?

"Just tell me this, then. Do you have anywhere to go?"

"No." She shakes her, her heart racing so quickly she swore it was going to explode. "And I can't go back home."

He stared at her for a few moments before he stepped onto his porch to join her. "Well, my house isn't anywhere big enough for two people, but I'm sure we can make this work somehow."

She threw her arms around his neck and tightly hugged him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She cried, her chest crushing his.

"It's really not a problem,'' He swore, his arms hanging awkwardly by his sides.

Realizing the situation they were in, she let go. "Sorry, I got a little overexcited. But thank you again. Really, thank you."

Without another word, the boy nodded and opened the door to his house. He didn't use a key; instead he just pushed open the door and with enough force, it swung right open to reveal a cozy little living room. There were two adjoining rooms, a cramped kitchen and an even smaller bedroom. For a boy, she had to admit that he kept his house neat and clean. There were no dirty dishes in the sink and all the shoes were neatly arranged in order at the entrance.

"Everyone here knows each other here so there's never a need to lock the door," He explained, in case she hadn't noticed. 'Oh, and uh, like I said – the place is pretty small. But you can have my bed, and you can borrow one of my t-shirts in the closet if you don't want to sleep in the dress." He led her to the bedroom, where she, to no surprise, found the bed laid and the blankets neatly folded by the foot of the bed. There was a piano between the far side of the bed and the window that overlooked the ocean. It didn't have any dust on it - not that he would allow it, she thought - but she could tell it had been untouched for months, maybe even years.

"Thank you," Cagalli said, not wanting to reject his hospitality. Admittedly, the bed was much smaller than the one she was used to in the palace, but she'd get accustomed to this life soon, and would bear with any discomfort of change if meant the freedom she so desperately sought.

"It's really okay. I don't get company here much, so you can stay here as long as you'd like." The boy smiled. It was the first time anyone had ever freely give her one, and it was gentle and sincere, unlike the smiles of the palace employees. "I'll fill you in on the rest tomorrow. But right now, you should sleep. You've had quite a night."

He was about to leave the room when she held him back with her voice, "Wait!" He turned to face her, an eyebrow arched in curiousty. "I never got your name." She admitted, embarrassed that she had spent two hours with the boy, was now living in his house, and still knew nothing about him or who he was or what he did.

He smiled at her again. " It's Athrun."

"I'm Cagalli, Athrun. It's nice to meet you."

"That's a very pretty name, sounds like it's of a fairytale." Athrun's voice was warm, welcoming. "Well, it was nice to meet you too, Cagalli."

"Thank you," she said softly. "Good night."

"Good night," He said back, and their the last words she hears before the world goes black.

Author's Note: The end. Make sure to review if you want me to continue!