A/N: Right. Now. Er. SORRRRRRY! What was the problem, you ask? The problem was actually that I didn't really know how courtroom procedures go, because I would never ever want to be a lawyer, so I didn't really know how to progress the fic. And then there's also a problem of my watching SEED years and years ago when I was a kid, and you know how memory can be faulty sometimes? Add that to me being a dumb kid who hardly understood what was going on… Anyway, that killed all my motivation.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED. Yeah.
Chapter 5 – Stress
Representative Athha gave a cold look to the ZAFT officer sitting in front of her. "I must apologise, Colonel, but I'm afraid that I cannot entertain your request. ORB is a neutral country, and I will not compromise that. Now, I have another appointment. I will see you another time, Colonel."
The stiff-looking man on the other side of her desk wore a barely concealed mutinous look, but he got the message. He stood up, and the assistants standing by the door escorted him out of the office.
Once the door slammed shut, Cagalli dropped her facade and rubbed her eyes. As though she didn't have enough problems to deal with regarding Onogoro, now the ZAFT and Atlantic Federation were pestering her with regards to the trial. Were Cagalli the same girl that she was before Onogoro went up in flames, she would have screamed into their faces that it was just a trial, just one unimportant, insignificant foot soldier, and sent them packing.
But just like she wasn't that same girl, she didn't do anything of that sort, only endured and hinted subtly that she was at the end of her patience.
The sound of the door opening once more made Cagalli sit up straight and remove her hands from her face, ready to face another nitpicking politician with a stern look on her face. But now, it was just Athrun. She relaxed and gave a half-hearted wave that belied how exhausted she was.
Athrun approached his love cautiously, correctly reading that she was having a bad day. It wasn't because he was afraid or anything like that. He loved everything about the girl he met on that island, even the temper that rivalled a lightning storm, and he was the only one who could bring her out of it. No, the reason he was cautious was because he happened to be the bearer of bad news for the day.
He would really love to let someone else handle it, but so many leaders of ORB died on that day.
Athrun ignored the chair and desk and just went to Cagalli's side, kneeling down to look at her directly. "Are you alright?"
Cagalli sighed and nodded. "Yeah, but it seems like it'll never end. How're things on your side?"
Athrun blanched. He wasn't really expecting to broach that topic soon.
Cagalli tilted her head to contemplate his silence, even more striking now that the room was empty. "Athrun?"
The sixteen-year-old sighed. "Not too good, actually. We've received reports that citizens have started demonstrating outside the Allsters'."
Athrun also happened to be in charge of security in a lot of areas, Fllay's house being one of them.
"O-ok, but we expected this, didn't we? So what's the issue?" Cagalli wore a puzzled look that Athrun, in better times, would have taken the time to appreciate, because it was rather cute.
"Not just Coordinators, but Naturals too," added Athrun. That was actually the bomb. "Most of them blame her for Onogoro. We can't drive them away with force, because most of them are civilians. Your orders?"
The Representative was silent. Now it was Athrun's turn to prompt her. "Cagalli?"
Cagalli's reply was just a blank stare directed at him, though he knew that she wasn't really seeing him. She was seeing that day her father died, sending her off with his hopes. That fateful day just wouldn't stop haunting all of them, and it probably would never until they saw an end to this.
Athrun placed his hands on her shoulders to shake her gently. "Princess?"
It worked like a charm. Cagalli came back and frowned at Athrun. "I told you to stop calling me that!" Unbeknownst to her, Athrun really did like how she reacted to it. It reminded him so much of her usual. She chewed her lip. "I suppose we have to post more guards then. Make sure that none of the protesters actually get hurt though, I don't need more casualty reports on my desk." Her expression returned to sad and nostalgic all over again as she looked at the pile of paperwork waiting for her. "Father would never have been like this."
She looked so down that Athrun couldn't help himself. He pulled her into an embrace, surprising her somewhat, and stroked the back of her head. "Don't worry, we'll pull through this somehow."
It took her a second, given her exhaustion, but she returned the embrace. "I know." And for that few precious moments, she felt truly relieved for Athrun. For knowing that she loved him, and him alone. If only Kira had it this easy.
Fllay didn't really want to go out that day, nor on any day, and anyway where would she go even if she could? But Nelia had insisted, in her usual calm and unwavering fashion, that her mistress needed to do something for once, and so here she was, holding a basket and a mat.
"I don't want to go out," insisted Fllay as she curled up on her bed.
"Miss, you cannot stay cooped up in the house all the time. It's not good for you," reiterated Nelia patiently.
"I don't care," sulked Fllay. She knew she was being childish, but she didn't particularly feel like facing the outside world. Because it was a reminder of everything she had done since she had last lived in this house.
Nelia didn't say anything, only left the room and Fllay. The young girl heard footsteps heading down the stairs, and even knowing that it was childish and vindictive, thought, Good. Now she'll leave me alone.
Far from that, Fllay's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by footsteps coming up the stairs. Fllay rolled over and sat up in time to see Nelia enter holding a full glass of water, which was promptly thrust into her hand.
"Here," the maid said, looking kind and motherly and not at all tyrannical. "Is it heavy?"
Fllay frowned, what kind of question was that? "No."
"What if I asked you to hold it for a day? Or two?"
Fllay paused to think of an answer that would win her the argument. She found none before Nelia began speaking again.
"Stress," she pointed at the glass," is like the glass full of water. You can hold it for a while, but if you hold it for too long, your wrist will get tired. You have to let go sometimes." She took the glass from Fllay and left without another word, certain that her young charge would follow now.
And so this was how Fllay ended up carrying a basket full of food and a folded mat. Nelia had decided to hold a picnic out on the front lawn, given Fllay's current confinement. Thankfully, the garden was a pretty place, like the rest of the house, and if she tried, she could pretend that guards weren't standing outside the gate.
Nelia came out of the kitchen holding a pitcher of orange juice. Fllay could see condensation dripping off it as Nelia took the basket from her, leaving the mat, and nudged her in the direction of the front door. Fllay's hand hesitated as it closed around the doorknob; with Nelia right behind her, she somehow managed to turn it and give herself the illusion of freedom. Once again, she hesitated, but Nelia nudged her again, and she stepped out for the house for the first time since she was confined.
Fllay couldn't help feeling that the air she breathed was different somehow, fresher and cleaner. Even though it was no different from usual in actuality. She reached up, still holding the mat, and stretched, feeling a small smile break out. That reaction startled her; Was it really that long since she had last smiled for real?
Of course, a small voice in her mind whispered, and she unwittingly ran through the events that happened since she was last happy.
A small cough from behind brought her back to the present. "Oh," she breathed. She was still blocking the doorway. Fllay quickly ran forward and allowed Nelia out into the sun. The food-laden nurse smiled at her, and she found herself smiling back despite herself.
Fllay felt younger as she ran forward and unfolded the mat, smoothing it out on the grass. The sun was shining, there were a few clouds in the sky that made sunscreen and umbrellas unnecessary, and there was a cool breeze making her shirt flap around her waist. All in all, a perfect day for a picnic. She even forgot about the guards at the gate as she looked at the well-tended flower beds. It's pretty, she couldn't help thinking.
Nelia set the basket and pitcher on the mat and settled down herself, watching Fllay take in her surroundings and smiling to herself. Years and years of caring for petulant children had made her somewhat an expert at dealing with them, and she was sure that this excursion would do this little one good. She reached into the basket and pulled out a sandwich, handing it to the girl who was just sitting down.
Fllay took the sandwich and unwrapped it before it occurred to her to thank Nelia. She looked up but the words froze on her tongue. She never had to thank anyone before, much less a servant, but she felt bad not to. Which made her feel strange, because this was the first time she felt that way. Her gaze flickered back to the sandwich. Say it, she urged herself. But she couldn't stop herself from feeling awkward.
"It's alright, miss," Nelia said soothingly, misinterpreting Fllay's sudden twitch as anxiety from being outside. She took another sandwich out of the basket for herself, but didn't unwrap it, just laid it in her lap.
Fllay's tongue unfroze all of a sudden. "Thank you," she murmured shyly, and bit into the sandwich so that she had a reason to be looking down. Her cheeks felt warm but at the same time, she felt proud of herself for taking that first step. She wondered if Kira felt this way all the time. She could remember him thanking the mechanics on the Archangel often, and Miriallia and everyone else too. Is this normal? She wondered vaguely.
If Fllay had looked up at that moment, she would have seen the nurse's smile grow wider still. But she didn't.
Nelia reached over for the pitcher of orange juice with one hand, and reached into the basket with another. Realising that she had forgotten to pack cups, she withdrew both hands and said, "Oh dear, I forgot the cups. Excuse me for a second, dear." She handed the sandwich on her lap to Fllay and pushed herself up to her feet. She dusted herself off and headed back into the house.
Fllay nodded a second too late. As she watched Nelia get up, it dawned on her that the woman was getting on in years. That thought made her more grateful to the nurse still. As she unwrapped the second sandwich, she began to look around once again, feeling a tiny bit bored already. That was when she noticed that there were actually quite a lot of people outside the fence.
A lot of people holding signs written in red, actually. And they didn't look friendly. Fllay cast a nervous look at the guards. She couldn't see their expressions from the back, but their posture implied that they were rather bored. And lax. They weren't bothered by the crowd at all, so she shouldn't be either… right?
Now that she really looked, the fact that there were a few faces pressed up against the fence unnerved her. She looked away, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone that hostile, lest they be spurred into action. Her effort was wasted as a rock came flying over the fence.
Fllay jumped in fright. Even though it missed by quite a wide margin, even though it landed a few feet in front of her, she was definitely spooked. Her wide eyes darted back to the fence, where more than a few faces were twisted and snarling. "Murdering witch!" one of them, a young man who couldn't be more than twenty, shouted.
The harsh words made Fllay flinch, and she refused to look at any of them in the eye. More rocks and stones came flying over the fence, and Fllay backed away in fear, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. It seemed that the whole crowd was flinging whatever they could get their hands on now, and some of them had pretty good aim. One smashed the pitcher of juice, sending a spray of glass shards in her direction. More of them began shouting obscenities coupled with accusations of "murderer" and "traitor". Fllay scrambled backwards faster still.
Then a pair of hands were pulling her up and dragging her back into the house. She turned to see Nelia, her face grave and serious. Nelia was pulling her back to tiles and walls and positioning herself to protect her ward from the brunt of the assault. Before Nelia slammed the door shut, though, Fllay turned back once and saw the guards attempting to up the mob.
"Are you alright?" demanded Nelia, though gently. Fllay nodded, and found that she was trembling. Nelia looked like she didn't believe that, and checked her over for injuries. She clucked her tongue sympathetically. "You have a few bruises, but nothing too serious. I'm sorry you had to go through that, miss, I had no idea that they would be so depraved as to attack a young lady."
Fllay was shaking still, and as Nelia guided her to the sofa she berated herself. Of course she was hated, of course people wanted her dead. As Nelia left to get the first-aid supplies, she reprimanded herself for forgetting, even for a moment, that she was branded a criminal to a large proportion of people on this planet and beyond. Tears of fear and anger clouded her vision, and spilled out of her eyes onto her cheeks.
Nelia returned with a first-aid box, as well as tissues, correctly guessing that Fllay would need them. She silently handed the tissues to Fllay and knelt down to work on the bruises dotting her legs. Fllay wiped her face and pressed her lips together to keep from crying out as Nelia rubbed the bruises. These are nothing, she told herself.
"I, er, left the basket outside," Fllay said, her voice cracking. "They broke the pitcher, though." She grabbed another tissue and blew her nose.
Nelia straightened. "It's alright, miss. I'll get them. You should go and change." She put the salve away and shut the box.
Fllay wanted to stop Nelia, to tell her that it was too dangerous, before she remembered that they were angry at her and not Nelia. She looked down instead. Her shorts were dotted with pieces of egg and splatters of mayonnaise from the sandwich she dropped. She bit back another sob as she stumbled up onto her feet and up the stairs.
Nelia called out to her again as she was making her way up. "Oh, and miss, pack your things as well."
Fllay stopped and turned around. Nelia was at the foot of the stairs. "Why?"
The reply was short and logical. "Because you can no longer stay here."
A/N: Right. Again, I'M SORRY! I really am. But that aside, I feel that over these years I've grown and fixed my writing style a bit more, so it's not really a waste of time or anything. Think of it as a sabbatical, if you want. I feel that I've changed a lot over this time, and I'm much more pleased with what I've written. For example, that Asucaga scene that filled the first part of the chapter. The me that wrote chapter one could never have achieved that.
That aside, I really do need a consultant or whatever you want to call yourself to help me out, because I really can't remember SEED all that well. Also, I would like to know what you guys think about my writing now, since I feel that it's very different from before. I still want to improve more, so reviews are very much appreciated, even if you're just saying "your updates need to be more consistent". Please?