Kira stared at his sister without talking, not quite believing his sister is running away from the reality and the problems she's facing. She was a strong woman, fighting off her enemies in business line, facing the truth and he doesn't quite believe the drastic change in her.

"A business trip to where?" he asked while keeping his fingers busy on the keyboard, rushing his deadline.

"Australia. There's a big company that the boss wanted me to make a business deal with. Big profit it seems." She said with a business look on her face.

"Are you sure you are not trying to avoid something or to be exact somebody?" he stopped his typing, raising his eyebrow at her and waited for an answer. Cagalli looked away a little before regaining her composure.

"Kira…it isn't like that. I just want to go away and think about it. This business trip is my chance to do so."

"What's the difference with avoiding the subject? You don't even give Athrun a chance!" he snapped. He stood up and walked over to Cagalli and holds her shoulder with both hands.

"I am your brother Cagalli and Athrun is my best friend. I wouldn't want any of you to suffer. This isn't like you to run away. This isn't fair neither to you nor to him. Do you understand that?" he said as Cagalli buried her face on her brother's shoulder and slowly let the tears flow.

"It's hard. I kept on listening to rumors and I can't stand people comparing me to them. I don't even know why I suddenly felt like this. I usually wouldn't even care about it." Kira patted her on the back and stroke her head. "That shows that you really love Athrun and you felt insecure when being compared with others right?"

She nodded.

Make the right choice Cagalli. Make the right choice.

One year later…

Walking around the airport, Cagalli's eyes scanned through the whole airport to search for her brother and sister-in-law to fetch her after staying in Australia for a year. Seeing no sign of them in the airport waiting for her, she walked out to the main door and catches a taxi to go home to.

She looked at the driver carefully and said her wanted destination before looking outside the window, seeing the building passes by. Her fingers lightly caress the seat of the car, feeling the leather fabric and thought that Athrun's taxi too had a leather seat. She sighed silently.

Who was she kidding with anyway? Thinking that maybe if she left, she might be able to let things go and forget about it but it seems to her, she failed doing so. Almost everything she did can be related to Athrun. Even the snowy cold weather reminded her of Athrun and how they enjoyed watching the beautiful sunrise.

"I wonder how he is doing now." She muttered silently to herself.

She kept thinking that in that one year, Athrun most probably already let her go, forgotten about her and found himself a new companion. She most probably feel glad for him, for what she had done to him but she felt bad and hurt thinking that he might have forgotten about her when nothing she could do to forget about him. All she can do is just comforting herself.

Slowly, as the familiar sight of building in sight, she tightens her shawl around her neck and holds her luggage near her.

"We are here miss." The driver spoke, looking back at her.

"Thank you" and Cagalli handed the money to the driver and stepped out of the taxi. She looked at her house and took a deep breath before entering. She unlocks the pad lock on her gate and walked into her house. She sighed in relief as she finally able to rest in her own house.

She walked up the stairs and as she reached her bedroom, she simply put her luggage on the floor and slumped into her bed. "It feels so good to be home." After resting for a moment, she sat up and scanned around her room and raises her eyebrow, staring at a wooden oak door at the vacant space in her room.

"There wasn't a door there before." She quietly walked towards the wooden door and opens it, finding herself eye to eye with another set of bedroom with different design. She felt bewildered, just like Alice in Wonderland. She tip-toed in and glance around the room and not sure whether to be relief or not that there is nobody there.

"Searching for someone?" Cagalli jumped as she heard a voice behind her, before realization took place. Her eyes open wide and keep on chanting inside her heart that it couldn't be him standing behind her.

It couldn't be…

"A-Athrun?" she slowly turns her body around and found herself face to face with the man she was trying to avoid. She gasped and tries to run away but being held back by Athrun's strong arm around her waist preventing her from moving any further. He buried his head on to her shoulder and muttered a soft welcome home to her. Her tension died down.

"How did you know I stay here?" she asked.

"Kira told me. He told me that you are living next to me all the time. The neighbour that I have never set my eyes on before." He said and Cagalli felt herself feeling comfortable in his warm embrace, no longer feeling the cold air.

"The door…" she started.

"I made it to connect both of our houses together."

Cagalli remained silent.

"Cagalli, did you find someone else in Australia?" Cagalli could feel his embrace around her tightens and his warmth spread through her body. She shakes her head, indicated she had not found anyone to replace him.

"Why?" he asked and Cagalli turned around, staring deeply into those emerald green eyes that she missed so much. She took turn to bury her face into his shoulder and rested for a moment, thinking a reason why she did not find someone else all this time.

"This is because I couldn't forget about you." She paused for a moment. "What about you? Did you find someone else too?" she asked, taking a deep breath, awaiting the answer that she was afraid to know all this time.

"No." and she sighed in relief as if she felt a lump of burden have taken off her shoulder.

"Why?" A small smile found its way to her face.

Athrun lifted up his hand from Cagalli's waist and held her chin high and slowly lowering his head near hers and gave a small kiss on her lips. He retreat and looked straight back at her eyes and one of her hand gripped her right hand tightly. "I love you, Cagalli and that's the only reason why."

"Ahhh…me too."

I love you Athrun.

Author's Note:

A very small and crappy ending because I can't seem to write something else other than this. Please forgive me for bad grammars and not updating for a very long time. I had an important exam before.

Thank you for everyone who read and reviewed my previous chapter. Please continue to do so even though if you found this chapter/ending terrible.

P/S: Just in case: This is the end of Routine of Love.