Hi guys, this is my first fanfic ever. I love this couple so much and wasn't satisfied with how short their screentime was in GSF and have been wondering how their future will be after GSF.

I have included some parts of the GSF novel in the first chapter and edited them, so that I don't go far away from the plot too much.

Enjoy!


Cagalli smiled back at Athrun, lifting the ring fixed as a pendant on her necklace.

Although she felt deep sorrow for the deaths of civilians in Eurasia and Foundation, who died for no reason but the Foundation leaders' selfish ambitions, she was happy that it was over, for now. Everyone was okay, none of her friends were hurt and from Toyah's report that he broadcasted to her just before Athrun flew his Cavalier to her side, there were no civilian casualties in Orb, and everyone had been ordered to come back to their homes since the war was over.

As they descended above the ocean, she noticed birds flying in a straight line to the east. 'It's funny how animals can't talk but are better at communicating and living in harmony than humans', she thought.

She felt her ring again, twisting it as if to gather strength from it. Her heart swelled up with warmth as she acknowledged how far they had come. Their rollercoaster of love had been worth it all along, from the day she tried to kill him twice on that deserted island almost 5 years ago, to falling for each other, to having their biggest conflict as a couple when she made a string of bad decisions that included almost marrying Yuna Roma Seiran, to almost giving up on each other, to accepting that nomatter what the other does or how far apart they are, they'll always love each other.

That's what he made her realise that night a year ago. The night she had had enough, her mind, body and soul had given up. She had sped through the dark of a cloudy, rainy and thunderous night. She had almost given up on everything, her duty, him and even herself. She didn't care about how dangerous the storm was that night, she had lost her will to live. But as she stood at the edge of the cliff, ready for anything that was to come, even if death came upon her that night, she wouldn't care.

The ring had stayed locked away in her drawer since the day she took it off on the Archangel, before the battle of the Messiah and so was Athrun, to her. She had followed her late father's advice.

"With great power, comes great responsibility, so I have to focus on protecting our country, any personal feelings or ambitions that might distract me from that, should be locked away in an invisible box in my head", Lord Uzumi had said to her when she was young. A ten year old Cagalli had asked if her father were to marry again since her mother was long gone.

She had wanted to protect her country like her father did and had been following all his footsteps and tried to do even more than that to protect it. Unbeknownst to her that it was taking a toll on her everyday, the pressure on her shoulders mounting up day by day until she couldn't hold that mountain any longer.

Everything was just dark, everything until that night when Athrun held her under the thunderstorm and said the things he had been keeping to himself since they separated. The things he longed to tell her. He had longed to hold her like that and he felt like his heart had come alive again after a very long time.

After that night she started wearing the ring again on her necklace, not because she was moved by what Athrun had said or how he held onto her like he was afraid she could slip away but because, he himself slipped it onto her finger again, just like he had done a year earlier, only this time, it was different. He actually said the magic words to Cagalli's surprise. He asked her to marry him!

Nomatter how ridiculous and unrealistic wishing for that would be for them, Cagalli tearfully accepted and Athrun captured her lips and they kissed until she almost passed out from lack of air.

And now she was holding it tight to her chest, smiling proudly at how far they come together. Too proud to notice that they were landing at Onogoro island.

Cagalli pulled her gears to reduce the speed and opened communication with the air traffic controllers at Onogoro Island.

"Cagalli Yula Attha, Cavalier Strike Rouge Gundam, requesting to land", she announced.

"Strike Rouge x0G7 Cavalier, permission to land granted", the air traffic controller announced through the radio.

Cagalli landed her Cavalier and parked right beside Athrun's Cavalier and turned off everything. She held on tight to the descending rope as the light-headedness kicked in. This happened to every pilot after coming from space, the change of gravity had it's after effects.

Just as she landed on the ground and tried to stand and balance her posture, waiting for the light-headedness to stop, a pair of hands scooped her up in the air by her knees, sending her into a momentary shock.

It was Athrun.

"Cagalli, we did it!", he exclaimed, swinging her around like a little child.

"Hey, what are you-?!!, Athrun?!", she gasped, trying to hold on to his shoulder so that she wouldn't fall.

Why did he have to be like this? It was embarrassing, especially in front of everyone. Kisaka was there, Amagi had just landed too and a few soldiers were there too, not to mention their peers, Sai, Miriallia and Meyrin. Miriallia was even taking pictures!

It's not like she didn't appreciate it or it didn't make her happy but it's just that...

'What was the enemy pilot blabbering about anyway?', she thought, 'indecent fantasies, what the heck was that about?'

She could take wild guess but if he meant what she thought he meant, then they've got a problem. If he meant something else entirely, then they would have an even bigger problem.

He put her down and strengthened his grip on her when she almost fell. The swinging around increased her light-headedness.

"Are you okay?", Athrun smiled at her.

"Yes", Cagalli smiled back at him.

They stared deep into each other's eyes. Cagalli wanted to hug him so bad but that would only stir problems for them. She had missed him so much since he started working at Terminal. At least he was now working full time in Orb but still they couldn't see each other that often.

"Everyone has done an amazing job and your actions were exceptional Commander Zala", Kisaka interrupted, causing Cagalli and Athrun to jack away from each other in shock. It's almost like they had forgotten they were in public.

"Uh-...", both Cagalli and Athrun stammered.

"Your strategy gave Orb more time to react", Kisaka added.

"Uh, thank you, Colonel Kisaka", Athrun smiled, "Everyone worked really hard to save Orb and we did, all of us".

"Well then, this calls for a celebration," Kisaka smiled widely, "what do you think, Representative? should we host a celebration gala for the war heroes someday soon, maybe after a memorial for the war victims too?".

"Uh, yeah...yes, we'll find a date", Cagalli said absent mindedly. Just thinking about the things that needed to be done after this gave her a headache.

In the midst of cheerful chatter amongst the soldiers, Toyah arrived and he wanted to give Cagalli all the reports and inform her of things to be done too. So Cagalli left for her office.


Sunset graced the ocean, and birds chirped. Cagalli knelt and offered flowers at the memorial. Once barren, this sacred place had been lovingly restored, now lush with blossoms and verdant greenery.

With eyes closed, Cagalli offered a heartfelt prayer for her father's soul, the souls of Orb's fallen, and the countless lives claimed by the

recent battle.

Hearing footsteps behind her, she opened her eyes and turned around. Walking towards her, blue hair tousled by the wind was Athrun.

He, too, carried a bouquet. A soft smile played on her lips as she watched him approach.

"Thank you," she said as he knelt before the memorial to lay the flowers.

"It's the least I could do..." he replied, standing up, and they began walking towards the sea. This time, he had no bruises whether on his face or any sign of injury on his body, and she was immensely thankful for that. Every time he came from war, he would come back hurt, and she would dread for several days afterwards whether he was going to live or not. Nomatter how small or minor the injuring were , she would get stressed out. Maybe it was just the fear of potentially losing him that made her think of the worst things in somewhat normal circumstances.

Cagalli's voice broke the long silence, "How is it out there? Have things started to settle down at all?"

"No, there's still confusion everywhere. Eurasia and its surroundings, PLANT too..."

Blue Cosmos, silent since Michale's disappearance, was now stirring again, galvanized by the actions of the Accords.

With its capital besieged, Eurasia's foundations had further weakened, precipitating a precarious shift in the global balance of

power.

Meanwhile, the PLANTs were in upheaval, deeply divided over the severe punishment meted out to this rebellion's participants, with a growing chorus of voices rising in sympathy.

Regarding the Accords, too, some called them mere butchers, while others lamented them as true saviors.

Athrun's tone was laced with bitterness as he revealed, "There are still those obsessively searching for them." It was about Kira and Lacus, who had vanished without a trace

after the battle on the moon. Officially, they were listed as missing in action. But many were unsatisfied with that.

That was how strong people's feelings were in seeking them out.

"Orb has no knowledge of that matter," Cagalli responded with formal detachment.

"Of course, you're right," Athrun concurred, and the two exchanged a secret smile. But Athrun soon lost his smile.

"No one has the right to force them anymore... but..."Both Kira and Lacus had given their all, their hearts worn thin by battles they never sought.

As a result, they were in tatters, on the verge of losing even the feelings of caring for each other. Athrun would never want to drag them back from that. But...

"From now on, the world will have to manage without them." A subtle anxiety gnawed at Athrun, shadowing his thoughts as he

pondered the future. Would they be able to somehow handle this chaotic world? Could they inspire those who relied on Lacus's guidance to find strength in themselves?

Would they be able to stop the warring factions without borrowing Kira's strength?. Could they guide this even more deeply wounded world... to peace?.

But Cagalli countered with a confident smile, "We'll find our way through this—I'm sure of it."

Her eyes, unwavering and filled with a gentle resolve, met his.

Athrun gazed into those eyes for a while and nodded. Her positive attitude always amazed him. Even in the darkest times when everyone around them is panicking, she always uplifts him and gives him hope with her optimism. That smile always brought him back from the depths of his worried thoughts.

"You're right", he smiled back at her and took her hand in his.

Side by side, they stood, their gazes lost in the tranquil expanse of Orb's sea, the South Sea, glittering like a jewel under the expansive

sky.

Hesitating, driven by a sudden impulse, Athrun asked, "Cagalli... have you ever thought about giving up?"

"Sure, I think about it. All the time, "Cagalli replied with a laugh, bright and clear, "But my heart belongs to Orb, you know. It's just the way it is. "

And he found her like that, dear. His heart belonged to her, and he wished to protect the future those beautiful golden eyes gazed upon. Athrun gazed intently at her and turned towards the sea.

'Someday, surely, we will see that day... A world where no one loses their loved ones to conflict, nor takes from others, where guns are forever silenced, and children never know the horrors of war, "he thought.

With steadfast belief in that day's arrival, they continued their walk, holding hands.

"So, do you have work tonight?"she asked.

"No," Athrun replied clearly, and a frown formed on his features, "and you? are you gonna work tonight?"he asked worriedly, stopping in his tracks and looking at her. He studied her features, searching for any traces of lying when she answered the question.

"I'm not sure yet, maybe-", Cagalli started, but Athrun interrupted her.

"Cagalli, we talked about this, you can't work after office hours, you'll end up destroying yourself again", Athrun urged, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders, "you can't-".

"Athrun, it's just a few documents that I have to sign, that's it," Cagalli interrupted him.

"It doesn't matter, Cagalli, I'm not letting you overwork yourself again," he said firmly.

"You can't tell me what to do," she chuckled.

"Oh yes, I will if you give me no other choice."

She burst into laughter. Even if he told her not to do something, there was no way he could actually stop her from doing it. She found it funny that he thought she could stop doing anything she wanted by just telling her not to.

"This isn't funny, Cagalli, you have to take your health seriously," he emphasised gently, holding her face to look at him.

"Athrun, you can't stop me from doing what I want by just telling me not to, I'm not a Gundam that you can program to do whatever you want it to do", she continued laughing.

"If you don't listen, I'll have no choice but to take matters into my own hands again."

"What will you do?".

"Become your bodyguard again."

"Eh?!!..", Cagalli choked in shock, "...my bodyguard?".

"Yes and I'm serious Cagalli".

"You can't abandon your post as Commander, Athrun-"

"I don't care, as long as it will stop you from making foolish decisions regarding your health, Cagalli."

"Well, you can't be my bodyguard because of your track record of putting me in danger, Athrun", she chuckled, remembering the day she met him at the restaurant over a year ago, before they got back together.

"When have I ever put you in danger, Cagalli?" he asked, amused by her statement.

"When you kidnapped me from my security detail, remember?".

"Unfortunately, for you, your security detail contacted colonel Kisaka afterwards and he actually advised them to stop chasing us because I was capable enough of protecting you on my own, so my CV is quite suitable for me to take that job again, Cagalli-san", he said tickling her nose playfully, "and if you neglect your health again, I won't hesitate to leave my hard earned post as commander and guard you until you learn to take care of yourself ".

"You two timing bastard!"she protested.

"Oh yes, I am one, so you better behave," he smiled.

She wouldn't want Athrun as her bodyguard again even if she had enjoyed spending time with him 24/7 as her bodyguard, but she didn't want him to baby her again. One day, he went as far as locking her up in her room so she couldn't 'overwork' herself again as he liked to put it.

She had brought home a few documents that weren't necessarily an emergency, after an extended 13 hour shift.

"I'll just reject your application".

"That's not in your power, remember?".

He was right. She groaned. It was funny how the Chief Representative of Orb had authority to control the country but didn't even have the authority to decide for themselves on many things like who they'd want to employ as bodyguards or maids, or even their personal lives were out of their control.

"Promise me you won't overwork yourself again Cagalli," Athrun pleaded with her, looking deep into her eyes.

"Athrun-".

"Just promise me please", his voice shaked. She could see his features turn soft and sorrowful.

"I promise ", she said softly after hesitating for a while and in a split second, he pulled her into a tight embrace, too tight for her to breathe properly.

He held her as if his life depended on it. Something in her switched. The banter she was throwing at him stopped, nervousness grew in her. The embrace was familiar to her, too familiar for her own liking. It's identical to the one he gave her that fateful stormy night. The embrace that meant he was afraid she would slip away from his arms and jump of the cliff in front of them. But this wasn't that night anymore, she was okay now, her optimism had come back and the depression was gone. Why was he being like this? Was he as paranoid of losing her as she was paranoid of losing him too?. Was he ever gonna trust her with her own safety again after that night?.

Had he not recovered from the events of that night?.