Disclaimer: Merely a work of fandom.

A New Dawn

Chapter 3

First Turn of the Wheel

by tarot-flair

Athrun did not feel like anything resembling a 19-year-old genetically enhanced human. For one, his heart felt dangerously close to giving out and second, he had not even realized he had been holding his breath until the cause of the disruption of the press conference strode up to the podium and shoved the dark-haired man, whose name he could not and did not care to remember, out of the way.

"People of Orb and all the other nations around the world, I am the Head Representative of Orb, Cagalli Yula Athha, as I am certain most of you will recognize me as. Please do not entertain fanciful ideas of resurrection, lingering spirits or impersonation. The assassination attempt is unfortunately true, as you can tell." The woman who constantly haunted his thoughts and dreams visibly grimaced at the state of her attire – it was almost impossible to tell that her military uniform had originally been white in color, so stained it was in blood and dirt. Blood. She was literally soaked in it; the sickening red mingling with her fine, spun-gold hair, smudged on her cheeks, and tainting the pristine whiteness of her uniform. Athrun was a soldier; years of compulsory basic medical training and warfare made him more than certain that she was favoring her shoulder, or was it her arm or was it- Oh God, if I call for a shuttle now, it should be ready in less than an hour, or maybe immediately if I exploit my status. Or maybe a mobile suit would be faster. His erratic train of thought abruptly screeched to a halt when the indomitable and strangely fragile woman regained her composure and resolutely plowed on.

"However, the fact that I am standing before you now also means that the assassination attempt has quite obviously been foiled." She took a shaky breath and in a husky whisper, "at an undeniably great cost, but nevertheless as long as I draw breath, I refuse to engage Orb in such a meaningless war, any war." The shock at her unexpected appearance, her sudden revival, had subsided a little and the murmur of discussion among the Council and the mass of journalists was beginning to rise to a deafening pitch even as Athrun gazed, transfixed, at the screen. She's alive – it was the one prevailing thought in his head. There was no doubt that the woman on the screen was the same girl who had tried to shoot him seconds upon setting eyes on him; the same girl who had commandeered a battleship and the same girl who had told him in no uncertain terms that she was not going to let him die. She's alive.

Another grimace, but she shrugged it off and leaned forward, closer to the microphone. "The circumstances surrounding this incident are rather unusual, I ask that time be given for a thorough investigation before any conclusion or action is taken." A pause and a sharply drawn-in breath as Athrun noticed her fingers tightening around the edges of the podium, her knuckles white with exertion. He waited for someone to usher her off the stage, to insist on medical attention, to tell the journalists-suddenly-turned-vultures to go to hell, but no such thing happened and Athrun's fist clenched involuntarily.

"In the meantime, I would like to assure the citizens of Orb and the world that I will remain as the Head Representative and while I appreciate the Council's good intentions, there will be no change in leadership and… " The increasing faintness of her voice ought to have alerted Athrun but nothing could have prepared him for the immediate pang of fear when her eyes grew blank and she passed out in a dead faint.

Cagalli! Athrun had risen out of his seat, instinctively moving towards the holographic screen as though he was capable of reaching her in time. Fortunately, there was somebody else who was actually capable of doing exactly that.

"What the hell. Is that SHINN from FAITH!"

Athrun didn't think that there was any need to answer Yzak. The answer was glaringly obvious – nobody else had eyes quite the same shade of red or that perpetually antagonistic expression. Even garbed in the incongruous, baffling Orb military uniform, the boy who was currently supporting Cagalli with one arm and leaning forward to speak into the microphone, was unmistakably, unquestionably, even though impossibly, Shinn Asuka.

"Our Head Representative requires time for recuperation. You people will have to wait to ask her any questions." It had been over a year since Athrun had last seen those eyes but their intensity was far from diminished. He glared into the crowd unrepentantly, those forceful red eyes challenging anyone to dispute his claim. Casting a disdainful glance over the shell-shocked roomful of dignitaries and journalists, he lifted Cagalli into his arms and marched out of the room without a backward glance. If the physical similarities had not convinced Athrun that the boy was Shinn, the belligerent attitude definitely did. He didn't think even a twin brother would share that many similarities. But why would Shinn be in such proximity to the person he claimed to hate the most? Why would he, in the first place, even be enlisted in the Orb Military that he claimed, killed his parents? Meyrin's shriek shook him out of his disjointed thoughts.

"That's SHINN, right? Oh my god, that's SHINN in the Orb Military!" He wished everybody would just quit saying Shinn in that particular pitch, it was beginning to grate on his nerves.

"You don't think he's going to try to kill her right? I mean… umm… it's… after all…" Meyrin gestured helplessly, her confusion apparent.

"I'm going to Orb, now." It was hardly the answer Meyrin had been looking for but then Kira did not look like he had even heard her question. Athrun could not remember the last time, in fact anytime at all, that Kira had looked so furious. It was a contained anger though, a carefully-banked fire of fury that promised dire consequences when unleashed. Athrun could empathize. For a fraction of a moment, he almost felt sorry for the ones responsible for the assassination attempt; if they knew what was good for them, they had better pray hard that Kira would get to them first.

"How is she?" Shinn asked impatiently, a hint of concern creeping into his voice. Maybe he ought to call for another doctor; this one obviously did not seem to know what he was doing.

The Athha family doctor who had taken care of Cagalli ever since she was a child, clucked disapprovingly at the agitated colonel before turning back to his task of binding the princess' shoulder wound. He had, in fact, made his diagnosis nearly ten minutes ago but he found it mildly amusing to see the impatient young boy squirm. He had no idea how someone like Shinn Asuka, who apparently did not possess a single shred of patience, had risen to the rank of colonel, and so quickly too! Privately, he thought Cagalli-sama was playing favorites but then again, he had never concerned himself with military affairs. When he was finally good and ready, after making sure the bandages were of the right tension, he looked up and nearly chuckled out loud at the livid scowl on Col. Asuka's face. Ah, what a productive day of work. "Now, now, no need to get your blood pressure all up," he gave himself a mental pat on the back when the scowl deepened ferociously. "She just fainted from blood loss. I've extracted the bullet and she probably won't be able to use her arm for a while, but apart from that and a couple of bruises, she's perfectly fine. Cagalli's a tough girl, there's nothing to worry about." With that, he dared to pat the prickly colonel on the shoulder and left hurriedly when Shinn directed his patented glare at him. Really, how they put such unstable people in charge of weapons of mass destruction was beyond him.

Pulling up a straight-back chair, Shinn settled himself next to Cagalli's bed. Her breathing was so light and shallow it barely stirred the covers over her chest. It scared him. Frequently her eyelids fluttered as though she was having a bad dream. Otherwise, she lay motionless, soundless, limp. With those wine-colored eyes hidden from view, her physical resemblance to Stellar was striking and Stellar had… well, he had failed Stellar. Gently, he traced her sleeping features with callused fingertips. Asleep, she looked fragile and young; too young to have to shoulder the responsibilities of a country. He should have forced her off the podium just now, even if he had to drag her away kicking and screaming. "Tough girl huh," he mused wryly at the thought of the doctor's comment, "if you only knew…"

The end of the war had stripped him of his purpose. In the thick of war, at least, he had had immediate objectives set out for him: eliminate this enemy, capture that enemy, quell this uprising. Life had fallen into a routine, albeit a violent one but at least, late at night, he was haunted by the ghosts of the people he had killed and not the memories of the family he had failed to save. The end of the war had stripped him of all that. The trust he had placed in ZAFT and Chairman Durandal had disintegrated, along with his identity and the red suit it represented. Peace meant that soldiers could return home to families, and families could rebuild the homes they lost but peace was an empty word to him. There was no family to return to, no home that he desired. Orb was the closest to both and so he found himself standing on familiar ground, facing a familiar stone memorial.

It made him uneasy, nauseous even, to stand there and face that cold, unforgiving stone slab. That's proof that they are really dead, a voice whispered at the back of his head. He fancied he could hear Mayu's laughter floating on the breeze. Here, the memories were more tangible; as tangible as shards of glass pricking at him. Luna told him to set the past behind him, and to start life afresh, with her. He knew she meant well and he would always be eternally grateful- she had been his only anchor in life after the war. But to set aside the past was impossible because that was really all he consisted of. He feared that the day would arrive when he would wake up and his first thought was not of Mayu making fun of him over breakfast, or his mother admonishing him to finish his cereal or his father insisting on his studying. At least this constant pain and longing was testament to their existence; that they had lived and still lived in Shinn's memory. There was no immediate place he had to be at after the war; nothing that particularly needed him anymore, so despite the vague sense of disquiet, he remained on Orb to, as Freedom's pilot put it, replant the flowers.

The house they had lived in previously was naturally destroyed by the war. In its place, a temporary house for refugees and orphans was set up and so Shinn found himself in the awkward position of caring for orphaned children in exchange for a room in very nearly the exact position of his old home.

"Shinn nii-chan! Cagalli-sama is coming! She's coming to visit me!" 7-year old Ted howled in delight.

A solemn boy with hair the color of snow rolled his eyes in contempt. "She's visiting us, you twit."

Shinn ignored the ensuing chaos. "Cagalli Yula Athha! What the hell is she doing here?" He asked, incredulous, and immediately slapped his hand over his mouth guiltily. Why did they have to make him take care of the children, he was probably, unconsciously, teaching them enough swear words to earn himself a very uncomfortable place in a very warm climate after death.

"She's visiting me, of course, Shinn-nii-chan. I just told you!" Little Ted looked put out and that was never a good sign.

"Aa, so you did." Shinn placed both hands in front of him in a placating gesture. "She's nothing special though, unless you count exceptionally inept and short-tempered as special."

The eyes of both boys in front of him grew wide as saucers. "You met Cagalli-sama!" He winced at the near-shriek. The entire room had grown unnaturally silent as all the children focused their attention on him. What was this- an Athha fan club? God knows the annoying woman didn't deserve it. "Uh…" He hedged, desperate for a way out. "Well…"

"Children! Cagalli-sama's here, don't you want to say hello?" Martha, the portly overall-in-charge, called out and the room was emptied of children almost instantly. Shinn could have kissed her in relief. He had better hide somewhere before he bumped into the infuriating woman though, which would inevitably result in a very public and loud brawl. As luck would have it, the moment his foot left the threshold of the room, he found himself gazing into a pair of amber eyes. Damn.

"I thought the name was just a coincidence when all they could talk about was a Shinn nii-chan."

How she had such an uncanny ability to irritate him was beyond reasoning. "Don't you have more important things to do than bother me?" Just her voice alone was pissing him off.

"Ah well, just don't go corrupting the children into destroying Orb."

The nerve of the woman! Shinn felt very close to bursting a blood vessel, if he had not already done so. "If they do, you deserve it!"

"I was just kidding; I have to agree that was a poor joke though. Seriously, thank you for looking after them."

"Why the hell are you thanking me, I didn't do it for you!" Shinn didn't know quite what to do with this new and strangely calm woman, so different from the uncertain and dim-witted fool he had first met on board Minerva.

"Although, I admit I've never thought you would suit the role of nurturing little kids." Her eyes twinkled in mischief as she blatantly ignored his angry outburst.

Almost involuntarily and instantly, he felt his ire rise. Honestly, every word that came out of her mouth was offensive. In fact, he was amazed that the other countries' leaders had not declared war on Orb simply because of how offensive the woman was. "What would you know about nurturing little kids! You're probably the reason they wake up screaming at night!" Shinn couldn't believe the cheek of the woman, to make a joke when her country lay in ruins and not five feet away were kids orphaned by war.

"Do they?" The unexpectedly captivating sparkle in her eyes was gone, replaced by an unfathomable sadness. "Do they wake up screaming at night?"

The unintentional revelation of weakness unnerved him and Shinn felt like he had glimpsed something he should not have seen, something private. He shuffled awkwardly. "What do you care?" He refused to back down, though. Damn her.

"You're right, why would I care about such trivial things..." It was better to pretend that he had not heard the brittleness in her voice.

"Cagalli, it's time to leave. You have more places to visit." The imposing figure of a grey-haired, pony-tailed man appeared on the porch. Her bodyguard, of course, Shinn thought derisively. If I were her, I would keep a couple by my side too, seeing as how aggravating she is, no doubt there was a queue of people waiting to kill her. Pity he wasn't allowed sharp objects or firearms around the children.

"I'm afraid I'll have to cut this pleasant meeting short." She smiled and the light returned to her eyes. "And Shinn, the kids really love you." Her smile widened and she waved goodbye as though Shinn was a precious friend she was reluctant to part with. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

The next time he met her, he and Luna were helping pilot mobile suits to clear rubble to make way for new housing. She was not ten feet away, discussing blueprints with several contractors. Or rather, arguing would be a more appropriate word. There didn't seem to be a single politically correct bone in her body. She gesticulated wildly at the large pieces of paper, her insistent demands drifting into his hearing: No! You have to make this room larger, that's hardly enough space for a family of five! No, there isn't going to be a military installation there, convert it into a school and a playground. But he was vaguely comforted that he was not the only person she smiled to in that unsettling way. She smiled in a similarly infectious way to the contractors when they finally relented to her demands and he was suitably disgusted when they predictably melted.

When he descended from the cockpit for lunch, he was appalled to find her still in the vicinity, this time arguing with a military commander. He couldn't help but overhear since the woman was so damn loud-there's no way I'll agree to a military post so near to a residential site. Are you crazy? He was starving and she stood in the way of food and salvation. He stuck his hands in his pockets and tried to nonchalantly stroll past. No such luck.

"Shinn!" She beamed and waved enthusiastically at him.

Why the hell did she persist in treating him as a friend? He knew he hadn't done anything to encourage it. He wished she would just get it into her thick skull that he hated her, absolutely hated her.

"Are you helping with the housing project?" Her eyes practically radiated delight and he felt aggravated already at the extraordinary amounts of good cheer she was projecting. "Is she helping too?" He turned around and saw Luna walking towards them. "Lunamaria Hawke, isn't she? Please thank her for helping Orb rebuild too."

"Stop acting so saintly. It's your fault that there is any need to rebuild at all." The words came so easily, so reflexively that Shinn had not even processed the thought.

She hesitated, her smile dying abruptly, and Shinn felt as though he had kicked a puppy. "That's true. But thank you all the same." She finally said, quietly, before turning back to her conversation with the military commander.

He would meet her several more times, it was impossible not to. The damn woman was everywhere- she paid another visit to the orphanage, visits to the refugee centers, she oversaw every building project he was involved with and somehow, she still found time to attend peace treaty conferences. Even Luna commented on her stamina, "she's really something, I thought we saw her at the new elementary school yesterday," while Shinn and her were watching the evening news of yet another peace treaty signed between Orb and another country. To which he retorted sharply, "maybe she's learning a thing or two from Durandal and using a double." But the words had lacked his usual sting and Luna had looked at him oddly, head cocked to one side.

It was six months when he woke up and his first thought was one of irritation that the kids were creating a din so early in the morning. He rubbed at his bleary eyes and scowled at the strong sunlight streaming into- Oh god. He jumped out of bed and frantically rummaged in his desk drawer for the pink phone he used to carry everywhere. It was only when it was lying in his hand, when he could feel the firm weight of the plastic that his heartbeat slowed down marginally. When he had used to carry it around in his pocket everywhere, even into the battlefield, he had now, left it in the darkness of a desk drawer. He had told himself that it was alright; that Orb alone, was more than enough of a constant reminder of them, but this morning, he had woken up feeling as though everything was alright with the world, and that world had not included Mayu and his parents.

"Shinn, are you alright? I heard a crash…" Luna's red head peeked around the door before the woman herself came into full view, her brows furrowed in concern.

It was hard trying to speak past the lump in his throat so Shinn kept silent, his fingers closing tightly around the pink plastic.

He felt, rather than saw, Luna move to his side, kneeling down next to him and closing her own fingers around his.

"Are you still thinking about them?"

I wish I was, he thought bitterly. You don't know, you don't know how I've already forgotten about them.

"It's time you forget about the past, Shinn. They can't come back and they wouldn't want to see you like this." She bit her lower lip; she only ever did so when she was nervous. "Besides… we have a future here, don't we?"

Staring into her luminous violet eyes, he mutely nodded and allowed her to pry his fingers from Mayu's phone and place it back into the drawer.

Nevertheless, it was a sleepless night and Shinn finally gave up on sleep at around 2am and headed to the beach. It wasn't the first time that he had wandered the sandy shores under moonlight, but it had been a long time. The last time, five years ago, he had sneaked out of the house to the beach with his little sister on a dare and was subsequently grounded for six weeks. Mayu had been so excited about their illegal expedition only to fall asleep on his shoulder not nearly an hour later. He smiled fondly at the memory; she was utterly mischievous and insufferable but mostly, she had been wondrously alive. He skipped a stone across the surface of the sea. It barely skipped twice before the waves swallowed it and Shinn gave a frustrated sigh. The memories were getting fainter and against his will, being replaced with new, happy memories. He was… happy here.

"What are you sighing about?"

He started, and whirled around, furious that he had been caught unawares. Goddamn it, just his luck. She seemed determined to curse his existence.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He said, without preamble.

"Do you have to be so angry all the time?" She wrinkled her nose in indignation and maybe it was the moonlight, but Shinn thought she looked softer… for a second, he almost thought she was Stellar. Or maybe it was the sleeping robe and the mussed up bed head. It was probably what Mayu had looked like five years ago when they had sneaked out of bed to the beach. Maybe he had finally gone insane from obsession though, because he didn't think there was anything more ridiculous than the Head Representative of Orb strolling along the beach at 2am in the morning dressed in her sleepwear.

"Sometimes, I can't sleep…" She volunteered meekly. She had moved closer and looked too solid to be a hallucination.

"Have you gone dumb? I'm not an apparition, in case you're wondering." That sounded more like the Athha he knew, it must be the real thing then, unfortunately.

"Are you stalking me or something? Why are you always appearing around me!"

"Don't flatter yourself, Asuka." She snorted inelegantly. "You're the one intruding on my usual haunt."

"Sometimes, I can't sleep." He mimicked sarcastically before turning his back on her and settling on the soft sand.

A companionable silence settled over them and Shinn felt certain that he had really gone over the edge this time. He felt no inclination, whatsoever, to break this temporary, magical peace between them. Peace! He had surely lost his mind.

"Do you still hate Orb?" It was a small, conciliatory whisper but Shinn was not feeling charitable.

"Yes."

Pause.

"Well, if you don't feel like talking, I can leave."

He could hear the sand shifting as she made to get up and before he could stop himself, the words spilled out, "it feels like I'm moving on without them."

"And that's why you hate Orb?"

He turned around, instantly incensed at her tone of incredulity, and expected to see her laughing at him. The words abruptly died in his throat when he discovered that she was sitting at an uncomfortably close two inches from his left shoulder. He felt an utterly inexplicable heat surge into his face and swiftly averted his gaze.

"Orb reminds you of what you've lost, doesn't it? Of what could have been had they lived…"

To have his most hated enemy breathe such sentimental nonsense was almost more than Shinn could bear. That didn't explain why he felt so inordinately close to tears. "What would you know about loss!" Anger was a safer emotion.

"You'd be surprised." She breathed sharply, suddenly, as if there were a stab of pain, or she had to catch a sudden breath in a wind. Shinn looked at her and realized that the impossible was happening. Far from baiting him, Cagalli Yula Athha was actually confiding in him. Not much. But a little. Athha was human and Shinn had been allowed to see.

"You're not the only one who lost people you cared for in the war, you know." She hesitated; the instinctive pause of one about to take a leap off the side of a cliff. "I lost my father in the first war, friends, and then some. Of course there are others who have lost much more." She smiled whimsically.

"What, are you stupid? It isn't something you ought to be smiling about!"

"Would crying, screaming or in your case, moping around, be preferable?" Ah, this was familiar ground. This, he could handle.

"I guess it isn't surprising, coming from you, seeing as how your father did leave you the Head Representative seat." He sneered, smiling smugly even as he prepared to block a punch.

Unfortunately, his moment of exultation was short lived as tears welled in her eyes. He wished she would just resort to physical violence, women never did play fair. "Uh…" He swallowed hard, an apology lodged deep in his throat. Instead he said the first thing that came to mind. "We had picnics at the beach." He awkwardly ran a hand through his hair. "My family, Mayu."

A pregnant pause and Shinn briefly contemplated how long it would take to drown himself in the ocean.

"Maybe I saw you when Father brought me to visit the navy ports." She offered tentatively, a metaphorical olive branch.

It was so quiet, so still, it felt like the world was holding its breath while Shinn deliberated over accepting the peace offering.

"Mayu… was really good at building sandcastles." There it was, the words were finally out in the open and the constant, iron ring of pressure around his heart eased a little. Someone else would now know that Mayu had built sandcastles; magnificent ones with moats and castle spires.

She brightened and inched closer. "Father was really good at solving crossword puzzles..."

It was impossible to stop the torrent of words now that the floodgates had been cracked open a little and before he knew it, the sun was peeking over the mirror-like surface of the sea.

She stretched, lazy and catlike, and stifled a yawn with one hand to her mouth. "It's a new day already, Shinn." Her gold hair was very nearly the exact shade of the sunlight. "Shall we go?" She bent a little, extending a hand to him, her eyes, clear and entirely without artifice.

"Aa, but there's still tomorrow." Shinn responded with a small smile, taking her proffered hand and allowing her to haul him to his feet. There was after all, still tomorrow to look forward to.

Shinn blinked, disoriented. He had fallen asleep by her bedside, the ache in his neck reminding him that a straight-back chair was really not the most comfortable place to sleep in. Gradually, he accustomed his eyes to the light and let them come open all the way. They drifted towards the tall French windows and he saw Cagalli's bedroom reflected in the glass. It was dark outside, and raining. It had been a pleasant dream. The clock showed half past six, nearly time for dinner and Cagalli had yet to stir. If she did, he hadn't felt it. He smoothed a stray lock of her hair from her forehead and reassuring himself that she would be alright alone for a few minutes, left in search of dinner.
Consciousness returned painfully slowly. Her mouth seemed to be lined with cotton and there was a throbbing pain coming from some point on her body, but she couldn't seem to locate it. She tried to orient herself and pin down her last memory but her random thoughts refused to be organized. Weren't I at the press conference room? Lightning streaked across the sky and illuminated her surroundings. Ah, my bedroom, the family manor. I must have passed out in the middle of my speech. She blinked away the last few remaining cobwebs of her disorientation and struggled to sit up. Her shoulder was entirely covered with thick swaths of white bandage and like the surge of a tsunami, the memories of how she had acquired the wound flooded back. The betrayal. The mysterious woman… and Kisaka.

"Kisaka," she breathed, in the hopes that vocalizing his name would once again summon him to her side instantly. The name tasted like ashes on her tongue, filled with bitter regret and guilt. She had left him there, lying in a pool of his own blood while she saved her own skin. That he had insisted upon it was no excuse.

The parquet felt cool to her feet and she padded over to the tall windows. The view from the Princess of Orb's bedroom was naturally exceptional. She could see the distinctive architecture of the Parliament House, the northern beach and her faint reflection in the glass. This is what you gave your life to protect, Kisaka. Was it worth it? She looked at her image in the glass. It was remarkably unchanged, though she felt irrevocably altered. Nothing was the same. She touched the mirror, hesitantly, reminiscent of the girl she used to be. She would have liked to be able to run away again, to join a desert resistance group, maybe even the circus, and to have Kisaka drag her back.She couldn't help the tears that slid down her cheeks. Kisaka would have disapproved. You are the daughter of the leader of Orb. Commanders do not cry. But of course, she had never been either a good daughter or a capable commander. She had always disappointed. And all that remained now was this hollow feeling of loss, seeping into the empty spaces they once filled.

For a moment, she envied Kisaka, envied him fiercely. He was beyond pain, beyond suffering, beyond loneliness. His war had been fought. He was victorious. You left me! Left me to cope with this by myself! I can't! I'm not strong enough! I can't let you go, Kisaka. But he had left for a place where he couldn't hear her, and she couldn't follow. No longer did she grieve for Kisaka. Her sorrow was for herself, for missing his presence, for having to live in this world without this noble friend by her side. She would never see Kisaka again.

Cagalli was standing in front of the windows with an expression that made his heart wrench. It only took a second for her to notice his entrance and in the time she took to turn around to greet him, she had schooled her face into a suitably solemn, blank expression. He was furious. It was perhaps acceptable that she pretended around everyone else but to do it to him too, that was unforgivable.

"Thanks for taking care of me." Her voice was hoarse, from tears, he had no doubt.

"Of course, seeing as how you are incapable of taking care of yourself." It seemed as if he would never learn the right words. A shadow flitted across her face and he felt his anger melt away. "You ought to be in bed."

Astonishingly, without a single word of protest, she moved mechanically towards the bed and curled beneath the covers, knees drawn up to her chin.

Seconds ticked by as Shinn contemplated asking but when he saw a lone tear slide down her cheek, he made his decision. Lifting the covers, he slid between them and placed one arm under her shoulders. Her eyes widened perceptibly and she made to move away but he tightened his grip and pressed her head against his chest. "Sleep, Cagalli, I'll be here." He murmured into her hair and gradually, he felt her relax. Her fingers curled into the hair at the nape of his neck and her gentle breathing tickled his collar bone. Miraculously, within moments of the time slumber reclaimed her, he fell asleep too.

Author's Note: Before AsuCaga fans (that actually includes myself -.-) go up in flames, please note that I did put ShinnCaga as one of the main pairings. I'm actually pretty convinced of the relationship too because let's face it, with the way Shinn hates Cagalli, its bound to not last very long. Hatred, I believe, is not the direct opposite of love, indifference is. So I don't think it's really that far-fetched to believe that his strong feelings of hate might convert to a similar intensity of love once he realizes that she isn't as bad as he had imagined. After all, if Shinn can fall in love with the sister of somebody he killed moments ago, he can fall in love with anybody! Naturally Athrun and Cagalli will get their chances later, save the best for last eh? I have quite a few chapters planned for them /grins/ This chapter didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to be – for one, Cagalli was supposed to be way stronger but Shinn insisted that he get to play the hero for once… Oh well, but I guess I'm ok with it this way too because losing Kisaka is probably a big enough blow to warrant all that crying. I hope you'll make it to the end and let me know what you think!

Oh and is anyone interested in Dearka and Miriallia? I originally planned to leave Dearka up on PLANT but… well Yzak's going to be out of the picture for a while and with a main cast of Athrun, Kira, Shinn and Cagalli for the next few chapters, I think I'll write myself into depression. I love Heine very much too but I'm reluctant to employ Fukada's usual cheap resurrection trick (he totally cheated my feelings with Mwu's fake death!) Let me know what you would like to read!