Notes: Have you all seen/read spoilers of the GSF second epilogue? AsuCaga was so cute! I am fawning over them.
Phase 05: Calm before the storm
05:04 am.
Athrun woke up before his alarm, even though they slept not more than four hours ago. It was a force of habit as he usually got up early in Morgenroete to get some exercise in before he started his day.
He sat up, the sheets making a ruffling sound. When he did, he heard a groan from Cagalli who was still in a deep sleep, probably because of his movements. Her face looked so serene, and the ring was on her neck. The sight brought a smile to his face. He lovingly patted her hair a few more times and tucked her comfortably under the sheets before he stood up.
He had nothing on from last night, so he felt a bit chilly walking towards the bathroom. After washing his face and cleaning up for a bit, he put on some jogging pants and dri-fit shirt. He went back inside the room to pick up clothes that they discarded on the floor last night. He carefully folded Cagalli's pajama set and lay it on the bedside table.
He walked over to Cagalli's sleeping figure, gave her a quick kiss in the forehead. He left a quick note for her just in case she woke up before he got back and headed out.
The cool morning air and the chirping of birds greeted him when he went for a run in the grounds of the Athha Estate. The property of Athhas was expansive that he could get a good distance in from just circling the perimeter.
He jogged under the lush trees, the flat grounds and near the gardens. As he ran, it dawned on him again just how wealthy the Athhas were. It wasn't just this manor, but their several properties and influence in the precious metals and energy industry as well. The Athhas were such a powerful family here in Orb.
It was a good thing that this area was under heavy security so he could roam freely around the vicinity.
With nothing else to think of, the conversation from the two girls that he overhead yesterday and the thoughts he had running through his head came back to him. He felt a pang in his chest just thinking about it.
People probably have a lot to say about him being Patrick Zala's son, but would people think that he was after her wealth if their relationship were to go public?
After the first war, Athrun didn't go back to the PLANTs and remained in Orb under an alias. At that time, Cagalli did take care of him as he had no way of accessing any of the assets that his parents left him behind, lest he come back and turn into a spectacle. She gave him a new identity, citizenship in Orb, job to sustain himself, and a home to stay in. Basically, she provided him everything that he might need. She even went as far as to buy a car for him, so it was easy for him to get around.
He felt a lot of shame relying so much on her that he refused it initially. His pride didn't want the situation to be like this and it felt like he was taking advantage of her. She insisted that it was no big deal, but it felt wrong to him. After so many talks with her, they came to an agreement that Athrun would pay for his own things with his bodyguard salary and the car would still be Cagalli's property, just that she was lending to him.
Cagalli was incredibly kind and generous not just to him, but to Kira, Lacus and the others too. After the first war, a lot of them had nowhere to go and were fairly traumatized with everything that happened. She took all of them in under her wing, providing them shelter, medical and financial assistance without asking for anything in return. She all her comrades to have a comfortable and peaceful life.
She did all that while she herself had no time to rest easy and heal because she had to pick up the pieces of what her father left behind. What awaited her when she got back was a country that was thrown in a state of confusion and chaos. She chose to step up and lead them, shouldering a whole country worries at such a young age.
Her selflessness was something that Athrun really loved about her. Seeing her willingly sacrifice her own happiness for the sake of Orb citizens made him want to support her and stay by her side even more.
He wasn't with her for any malicious reasons. He couldn't care less about her wealth; he didn't want any of it. If he was asked to sign away rights and stake to the Athha Estate, he would do it. He would not even let Cagalli spend a dime on him to prove his sincerity.
It was true that there may be people out there that might hurl hurtful accusations at him and voice their disapproval. But his intentions were genuine and Cagalli knows that too.
It should be okay right? Right?
He continued to encourage himself to be more optimistic, but it still weighed on his mind.
Running for an hour helped him cool his head a bit and release some, but not all, of his worries. Usually, he could start the day with a clear mind after going for a run, but not today.
He went to Cagalli's home gym to do a quick punching bag routine for a full-body and strength workout. He had to maintain his strength, endurance and athleticism so that his combat skills wouldn't wane. Despite being in such peaceful times, he couldn't let his guard down. He always had to be in tip-top shape.
After he finished, he returned to his room past six thirty to find her still peacefully snoozing. The sight of her made him feel a bit better. He let her rest a bit more and went for the shower to freshen up.
When Athrun stepped out, he was clad in his undershirt and work pants. He walked towards the bed and sat down by Cagalli's side. He had to wake her up soon because it was about time that Mana went to her own room.
"Cagalli…" Athrun gently called out to her. "Time to wake up…"
She stirred, her eyes slowly fluttering open. She looked at him unfocused, not registering what's currently happening. "Athrun…" She mumbled sleepily.
"Good morning." He smiled at her, taking in how adorable she looked.
"Good… morning…" She greeted back, but it was obvious that she was still out of it and wanted to go back to sleep.
"Did you get a good rest?" He asked her, to which he received a nod back. She was looking blankly at him, comfortably snuggled in bed.
"You should put your clothes back on and head back to your room before Mana notices that you sneaked out." He warned her. Looking at the time, if she got up now, she still had plenty of time before Mana goes into her room and checks up on her.
"I don't want to…" She pouted, sometimes she was grumpy in the mornings, especially when she was still tired.
"Hey…" Athrun reminded her. "You'll also be late for your meetings if you don't get up now."
That seemed to have snapped her out of her stupor and she got up, albeit slowly. Athrun handed her a glass of water and when she handed it back to him, he gave her a fresh set of clothes next. He always had them handy in cases of situations like these.
"I get it…" She muttered, not having a good time because she was being rushed to get ready. She did insist that they don't sleep yet last night but now she looks incredibly cranky not getting enough sleep. He wanted to chuckle a bit because he found her pouting face adorable but kept quiet.
She put on her clothes, taking her sweet time while she was at it. Once she was fully dressed, her mood shifted a bit. "I'll see you in a while, Athrun." She gave him a peck on the cheek and smiled meekly at him.
"Yes, I'll see you." He smiled back.
He swore to himself that later at breakfast, he'd bring it up.
Past seven-thirty in the morning, he entered the dining hall and was greeted by the Athha Estate household staff. The table was already set for two people to have breakfast. He thanked the maids that were in the same room and sat down.
"It's okay. I'll do it. Thank you, Rina." Athrun got the coffee pot from one of the maids that wanted to pour the coffee on his cup, but Athrun turned down the offer.
Cagalli was probably still getting prepared, so Athrun he took a sip of the hot coffee and read the latest news from his laptop. Some protests lead by environmental activists was taking place in Eurasia due to a construction of a new spaceport, which would lead to some forests being cut down. Elections were heated in the United States of South America as two candidates from opposing parties were running for President. New colonies were being constructed in the PLANTs.
Moving to local news, there was a charity event that Cagalli would be attending in this morning. The local media was abuzz with excitement as people always looked forward to beloved representative making a public appearance in a more relaxed environment. She liked attending these events to boost citizen morale and these were also some of the times that she can just take it easy.
"Good morning Athrun." He looked up from his laptop and saw Cagalli walking to him, in a more cheerful disposition now, clad in her purple Orb representative uniform. "Did you sleep well?"
"Good morning Cagalli. Yes, I did. Thank you." Athrun greeted her back, they were both acting like they weren't together all night.
Athrun knew that the staff of the household discerned this was just for show, but he was grateful that they didn't say anything out loud. Most of them knew what was going on between them, but thankfully, everything that happens in the Athha Estate stays within the Athha Estate. None of them were allowed to talk about what goes on in the property to outsiders. This was also to ensure Cagalli's safety and her privacy.
The staff all loved and adored their Lady Cagalli so none of them ever spoke a thing to anyone else, well Athrun did catch them gossiping amongst themselves about it and giggling. He thought it was fine as sometimes you just need someone to talk to about things that you see and hear in the Athha Estate. It was better that they talk amongst themselves rather than telling an outsider that may cause rumors to spread.
"How are the preparations for the upcoming operations going?" Cagalli asked as she seated herself at the head of the table. This was a legitimate question as they didn't get to talk about work last night. Rina walked over to her and poured her a cup of hot tea to get her started.
"It's going as planned." He mentioned as he sliced the sausages that were on his plate. "The remaining forces from the USSA have arrived and they just need to be briefed with the mission. Some equipment from Morgenroete is also coming today so I'll have those checked out, but I do think that the OS that Kira worked on should be compatible and there would be no need for any tweaks."
"I'm glad that everything is going smoothly. The equipment that you just mentioned… does that include the new mobile suits that Erica-san was working on?" She asked him, aware that Erica and Athrun were working together on a new prototype that she gave a go-signal on.
"Ah those, no. We did some testing the other day and Erica-san has to make some minor adjustments to the prototype." He shook his head no and ate a spoonful of omelet. "But with the pace that Erica-san is going, she may finish it in just a few days. But it still won't make it to tomorrow."
"I see." She nodded, taking another sip from her cup. "My escorts from COMPASS have arrived today too! Shinn, Lunamaria and that other girl that's always with them… What was her name…?" She racked her head for the name, but it wasn't coming to her because they only interacted once before.
"Agnes?" Athrun tried to guess for her.
"Yes, Agnes! I should remember it for later! I wouldn't want to be rude to her!" She said to herself and ate some of the food off her plate.
Athrun frowned. He didn't like her very much, especially not after she almost tried to kill Kira. He initially thought that she her mind was being controlled by the Foundation, but he later found out that she did it because she was bitter that Kira rejected her. He heard that she was very remorseful of her actions and did change for the better, but he still didn't trust her…
"Is it still possible to have another escort that isn't Agnes assigned to you? Shinn and Lunamaria are fine, but Agnes is a little bit…" His voice trailed off as he was pitching the suggestion to her. He really did not want Agnes to be someone providing Cagalli safety and protection.
"Are you thinking about what happened with Kira?" Cagalli caught on to Athrun's trepidation, well-aware of why he was hinting this.
"Yeah…" Athrun admitted. He was worried that Agnes might not be someone who they could rely on.
"Don't worry." Cagalli reassured him. "Kira has put that incident behind him, and she did reach out and apologize from what I heard. I do want to believe that people can change and that we all deserve second chances. We all do…"
"…" Athrun couldn't really refute her because he agreed with what she said. It wasn't as if he was someone that didn't commit any wrongdoing in the past. He even did worse things, but he wanted to change and here he was, able to be on Cagalli's side. Miriallia even treats him very well despite what he did. He would always be grateful for the kindness that everyone granted him.
"That's why, don't worry so much okay?" Cagalli looked at him with a face that Athrun couldn't say no to.
"I understand…" He sighed, not having the heart to be so hard-headed on this when Cagallli had a valid point. "Your flight to the Kingdom of Scandinavia is also tonight?"
"Yes…" Cagalli replied with a hint of sadness in her voice.
Athrun decided to change the subject and they talked about the operation tomorrow while they continued eating.
The time that they spent this time was again so brief with of their busy schedules. Cagalli would be away due to the ball that will be held overseas while the joint operation that Athrun was spearheading would depart by tomorrow. When they both get back, things will be hectic once again, with Cagalli's Chief Representative duties waiting for her and Athrun needing to pick up any post-operation work and flying back to Morgenroete for his main duties.
For now, this was how things were between them, that is why they looked forward and treasured every moment they spent with each other.
"By the way Cagalli…" Athrun started again. He was trying to think of a timing to talk about what had been bothering him since yesterday but now is much the right time as any. If he didn't tell her now, then he may not have the chance to because they'd be away from each other for a couple of days.
"What is it?" She put his attention on him, which made him a bit more relieved and decided to just go for it.
"Yesterday, I-" He was about to open up about the incident when another member of the household staff entered the room and caught their attention.
"Cagalli-sama, your chauffeur is ready."
The timing couldn't be more unfortunate. He was pretty sure they had at least ten minutes more before she needed to leave, but he could only blame himself for pushing it back for as long as he did.
"Oh yes, of course." Cagalli hurriedly finished the food that was left on her plate and then stood up.
Athrun was also finished with his breakfast and did the same. "I'll walk you to your car." Once Cagalli left, he would make his way to the military headquarters as well.
Before Cagalli got in the car, she turned to Athrun and smiled sadly at him. "Take care and please come back safely." Even though she was confident with Athrun's abilities, knowing that he was going to be fighting again made her feel a bit troubled. "Always keep me updated, okay?"
"Don't worry, I'll definitely come back successfully." Athrun reassured her as he pulled her into a hug, also feeling a bit forlorn that they had to part so soon. "You too, enjoy the ball, okay? Don't have too much fun with the Prince though… Also, send me a picture of you all dressed up."
"Huh?" Cagalli looked up blushing and wanted to whack him in the head. Why bring the Prince of Scandinavia in the discussion? And he was also requesting photos? "Wha-what? Having fun with the P-prince? What on earth?" She knew he was joking but it just made her choke a bit.
"Yes, don't have too much fun or else the masses will really love to tease you two together." He said, looking at her like he was a poor puppy.
Cagalli looked at him questioningly. "Just ignore them… Also… send you a picture? You're going to see it anyway being reported in the media and online…"
"That's no fun because everyone else gets to see that. I want a photo that you send to only me…" He said trying to coax her into it. "Besides, the Prince gets to dance with you while I can only look at you in photos while I'm on a mission…"
She sighed in defeat. It was a simple thing that he was asking for. "Okay I understand. But I will send that photo to Kira and Lacus too so Ren can also see…"
"Hmm… I guess that's fine…" He agreed, not minding it because it was them. If it were another person, then he would…
"What's that disappointed face?" Cagalli raised her eyebrows at him when she noticed that he wasn't too thrilled about the idea.
"Send it to me first though… I want to be the first one to see you in it…" Athrun requested. Too bad Miriallia won't joining the event so that she could take tons of pictures that she would exclusively share to him.
"Fine." Cagalli almost rolled her eyes and Athrun couldn't help but chuckle at how adorable she was. She did the same seeing his hearty laugh. That seemed to have eased the atmosphere a bit.
He usually won't make these types of comments even if he did think this, but he did want her to cheer up and send her off with a smile. Her mood considerably lightened now, which was important to him.
"What was it that you wanted to tell me?" Cagalli brought up what he had been hesitating to tell her since last night.
"Oh, it's nothing important." Athrun shook his head. It wasn't appropriate to discuss it now as she was about to leave.
"Are you sure?" Cagalli sensed that it had to be otherwise and was making sure.
"Yes!" He replied cheerfully so he won't arouse any more suspicions from her.
"I see…" She wasn't very convinced but decided to let it go.
They hugged again, wished each other well and had a quick peck on the lips. Cagalli then got on her car and then it drove off.
Athrun exhaled deeply, wondering when they'd see each other again. Probably not in a few weeks again…
"Rear Admiral Zala!" A cheery voice called out to him.
He was walking out of a meeting room and turned to see Miriallia running towards him. "Miriallia? What is it?"
Miriallia handed Athrun a paper bag. "Uhm, could you hand this to Cagalli-san later?" She whispered. People might overhear them and be taken aback by how Miriallia casually addressed their representative.
"Sure, I can drop this at her residence later." He got the paper bag from her, curious about the contents. "What is this you're giving her?"
"It's a secret among us girls." Miriallia winked and put a finger on her lip as if doing a shushing motion.
Athrun raised his brow. "Are you lending her things again?" He inquired, but if it were clothes, like the mini skirt that she wore before, then he'd even thank her for it. He was trying to feel the bag for the weight and how thick it was, it doesn't seem like they're clothes to him. It seems to be some documents.
"Not telling you!" She insisted. "Also, don't peak at the contents, okay? Not allowed! Per Cagalli-san's request!"
"Okay, okay." He agreed. "Is this something of utmost importance? But Cagalli won't be seeing this until she gets back from the Kingdom of Scandinavia."
"You're not going to see each other later tonight?" She asked him, fully aware that he stays in the Athha Estate when he's in Olofat.
Athrun shook his head no. "She departs to the Kingdom of Scandinavia later today. I don't think I'll make it in time to see her off later."
"Ohh… I see." Miriallia sounded a bit bummed with that. "I didn't think that her flight was today, oh no… I would have personally delivered it to her yesterday."
Looking at Miriallia's slightly distressed expression, whatever the contents of this bag is, it seemed that he had to get it to Cagalli before she left. "I can take it to her later during lunch, I have time to squeeze it in." He was aware that by that time, Cagalli would be back from her charity event. Maybe he'll have the chance to talk to her properly then.
"Really? Is that fine? I can take it to her myself, it's no problem for me." She offered.
Athrun shook his head. "It's fine I can take it. I need to drop some files to her office, but instead of doing that after work, I'll do it now. If I'm lucky, we can have lunch together too."
"Thank you so much Athrun! You're a lifesaver! See you later then!" Miriallia gave him a pat on the shoulder and ran off. She was also busy with the preparations after all.
Athrun stared at the paper bag from the outside and wondered what this could be that it had to be delivered to Cagalli now?
He was so curious and was so tempted to peek, but he ultimately decided against it. It may be something that wasn't for his eyes if Cagalli never even mentioned it to him.
For Cagalli, the highlight of the event she attended has now come to an end. She kickstarted the event with her opening remarks and participated in the actual tree planting. When she grabbed a tiny shovel and some seedlings, people around her scrambled in a panic and discouraged her from doing so. But she insisted. What was the point of coming all the way here if she only gets to stand like an ornament while everyone else did the work?
She was asked to change from her representative suit into a more comfortable outfit. The shirt was provided to her by the event and Mana packed clothes for some light gardening. She was grateful that she could change and move more comfortably.
Cagalli liked attending events like these because she happy to raise awareness for some initiatives that may not be popular for the citizens. Things such as taking care of the environment and other social issues can be taken for granted by ordinary people and having her here means there is publicity for these things.
The two consecutive wars not only have affected their citizens and the economy, but also their environment as well. Many of their forests, oceans, mountains have been either damaged during battles or natural resources have been taken from them for military purposes. Now in times of peace, they had to restore whatever they can to the environment.
Orb was rich in natural resources and the reason why their country could stand on their own. Cagalli felt that it was only right that the citizens also take care of Haumea's blessings to them.
The main agenda, which was planting trees in this nature reserve was done. As much as she liked to pack up and leave, her work here was not finished yet. There was still a press conference that she needed to attend before they could wrap things up.
She cleaned herself a bit and then changed back into her Orb Representative uniform to head into the press conference. There, there were dozens of delegates from the media, journalists, and photographers that greeted her. She was led to sit in the table with the head of this initiative, Anne Kendle. She was also a government official, in charge of environmental affairs in the country.
The questions were equally directed at her and the Anne. To her, these were questions that were directed at the general support and budget allocation for "green projects" to which she answered in a positive light that one of Orb's pillars is their natural resources. If Orb were to continue to be a sustainable country, each one of them should play a role in preserving and preventing their exploitation.
For Anne, it was more of the specific mandates and projects that were slated for the near and long-term, which she answered skillfully. Cagalli was very pleased with her performance so far as Orb's Environmental minister.
The press conference proceeded smoothly and there were a lot of good things discussed by both Cagalli and Anne. They both caught up and chatted with each other afterwards, Cagalli interested to know more details of the project that she had relating to the barrier reefs situated in the Akatsuki Island.
When she was walking outside to her chauffeur, she thought about Athrun and the conversation that they had before she left. Even though he said it was not important, it felt like the opposite. Otherwise, he wouldn't go out of his way to bring it up. But since they wouldn't have the chance to see each other, she could ask him when they get a chance to talk via video call.
She was with security, but outside, she was greeted by a swam of entertainment media personnel ready to ask her questions. It looked like a long road to her car, and she couldn't avoid them.
"Representative Athha! Cagalli-sama!" A cacophony of voices called out to her excitedly. "We have a couple of questions! Won't you please entertain them?"
"Representative Athha, this way." Sai stepped in and ushered Cagalli away from them. He knew that they were about to ask her intruding questions.
The media were persistent to get something out of her and be the first to make the latest scoop. Her security blocked her from any of the media, but some shameless ones still tried to push their way towards her.
"Representative Athha, since you are attending the ball in the Kingdom of Scandinavia, is this a sign of an engagement between you and Prince Fredrik?" The man insisted on asking the question even though there were a lot of bodyguards surrounding her.
She kindly shook her head no and proceeded to walk forward, following Sai's trqacks. Then the media personnel, not satisfied with that, pushed for another question.
"Then what about Athrun Zala? He is an eligible bachelor and one of your closest allies."
You could hear a pin drop when his name was uttered. Everyone froze, including Cagalli. She was very surprised that someone outside their circle had dropped his name so casually.
Athrun also has created a name for himself here in Orb. In the military, he was already known for his combat prowess, robotics knowledge and military tactics. But what really made him known to the public was when one of the Orb Admirals was making a statement regarding some future military policies and he was standing behind him. His handsome nonchalant face caught the eye of the masses, and his image went viral for a while.
Who is that handsome guy? It was the buzzing question everyone wanted answers to.
Naturally, more information came and then they found out that name behind that dashing face was none other than Athrun Zala, the son of the former chairman of the PLANTs, Patrick Zala. He was also the former fiancée of Lacus Clyne and good friend of the Freedom's pilot.
Aside from that, with regards to Orb, he also fought with their dear Cagalli-sama during the battle of Jachin Due. During the second war, he defected from ZAFT and was key in preventing Orb getting destroyed by Chairman Durandal. During the battle of the Foundation, he played a vital role and prevented another threat to their country. He was a war hero, and he became a hot topic.
They were silent for a while, then followed a series of murmurs that made Cagalli so uncomfortable.
"Athrun Zala? Patrick Zala's son?"
"Oh, that's right, he's still a bachelor as well, right? His engagement with pop idol Lacus Clyne was broken off."
"Didn't Lacus Clyne dump Athrun Zala?"
"Isn't he known for being a promiscuous ladies' man?"
"Promiscuity? That's so surprising!"
"I wonder why he's in Orb now instead of ZAFT?"
All the whispers, especially the malicious ones, ticked off Cagalli. She didn't mind any rumors about her, but she couldn't stand any rumormongering if it were people she cared about. Athrun usually didn't react to these types of comments, but she knew that these kinds of words also hurt him deep down. She already knew that he was quite sensitive and didn't like being the center of attention.
"EVERYONE, PLEASE CUT IT OUT!" Her voice was louder than expected that another silence filled the area. Everyone didn't dare say anything after that. There was a bit of mixture and fear. While their Representative was known to lose her temper, those instances were far too in between so this came as a surprise.
Sai was sweating coldly. He did not expect this development and didn't know what to do. He understood why Cagalli would be frustrated though.
Cagalli took a deep breath and then stated in a calmer, yet still commanding tone. "I don't appreciate these types of comments made to one of my closest comrades or anyone for that matter. Please avoid any gossip of the sort from now on. We're all better than this."
Everyone seemed to have felt ashamed of themselves for acting the way that they did. It was very immature of them to be saying such things about another person without their presence. Athrun Zala, despite being from ZAFT, was a hero that protected Orb many times. They ought to be more grateful rather than acting like
But it seemed that the only person unfazed by that was the media employee that made the initial question.
"So, there's nothing romantic going on between the Representative Athha and Athrun Zala?" He asked before some of the colleagues their shushed him and attempted to pull him away. They were all
"Cagalli-sama…" Sai, one of her closest aides, tried to placate her. But he noticed that her eyebrows were already twitching, and her fists were starting to get white from all the clenching that she was doing.
He won't be able to stop her…
Cagalli tried to reign in her emotions, but she couldn't. She was already incredibly worried for Athrun and yet here she was, dealing with media that didn't respect his privacy.
"There is nothing going on between us! Stop it already!" She yelled in exasperation.
She regretted saying that as soon as the words slipped out of her mouth.
Notes: I am surprised with how quick I finished this chapter. Maybe because I'm nearing the juicy portion of the story – which is something that was always in my mind. I was struggling to build it up, but yay I'm already at the point of where my head canon starts.