Tsubame: Thank you, Feyris! Silly me. How could I forget the Seed mode:P …Hehehehehe…
Thank you again, Garowyn for doing the beta-reading! You're the best! You Rock! Need I say more?
Thank you to all those who reviewed! I'm so happy that you liked the last chapter!
Tamago-chan: I'm so sorry! I wasn't upset over your review! Honest! You were not the anonymous reviewer I was talking about! I was talking about the one that flamed me! Gomen…I'm so embarrassed. You have the same name of my character? That is strange. Hehe…I hope it doesn't freak you out or bother you so much. Please don't be upset. Thank you for your review. I'm so happy!
Thank you to: Feminist1991, PINKSISA, Cagalli Yula Atha, rain angst, Cari-Akira, The Jackle, Rhonda21, SacredBlade, QUEENPaul, animemistress419, blackphoenix, Yukimi noh Daiomoru, Kenshinlover2002, KiraTatashi, Kandida, JC-Athie, sanzo-reload, The Angels' Princess, ANONYMOUS-gsd, SEEDSummoner, Tetsuni, gseedlover, ZGMF X-19A Infinite Justice, Sunflower Seeds, anzcandyangel, mistrial- angel, Feyris, cottongreentea, Tamago-chan last but not least Garowyn!
I can't believe that this fic is finally over, can you? Please don't kill Andy or Annie or Natsumi! WahhhHHH! These characters really grew on me! I'm an AsuCaga fan too but I really don't like to kill my characters (unless I hate them or it is for the good of the story) because they "get in the way." If it makes you feel better, Andy is mine! He's mine! Nobody will have him! –laughs evilly- -coughs- Okay, I'm getting freaky. I want to acknowledge MELCAR16. She is the writer of, "CATtastrophe." She gave me the idea of Alex the kit! Cari, Thank you too for your support! Garowyn! You're the best!
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny! Wheeeeee… if I did own it, chaos will befall the Gundam World! Isn't it great that I don't own it then? There is no telling what I'll end up making the characters do especially, Athrun and lately Yzak. I love torturing them so much! Heheheheehe…
"Green IS the color of my eyes"
By Tsubame Ongaku
Beta-read and edited by: Garowyn
Chapter 9: Confessions from the little Drama Queen
Last time…
Cagalli's jaw dropped with her own amber eyes glowing with anger. How dare he? What right did he have to tell her who to be around with? How dare he try to tell what to do after leaving her to fend for herself for two hours! If Athrun thought she was angry before, she was beyond angry now. "You---you---you idiot! Moron!----" She called Athrun many lovely colorful things. Some were in Latin. Those Athrun couldn't understand. She studied Latin when she was traveling in Greece. She finally finished her long, winded string of insults with, "You jealous jerk! It's like you've suddenly turned into the green-eyed monster."
Athrun laughed. Yes, laughed but it was different from his usual, normal laugh. It was filled with unconcealed anger that could make a grown man shudder. ""Fitting, isn't it?" he replied smoothly. He grabbed her arm, pulled her forcibly towards him and forced her to look him in the eye. "Take a good look, Cagalli, because green is the color of my eyes."
Cagalli was not about to let him have the upper hand. He kept pulling her face to look at him and demanding for her to listen. Cagalli had always been a rebel and when told what to do, she hardly ever listened. She refused. Nobody told her what to do. Call it stubbornness or disobedience. She didn't care. She was in no mood to listen to him.
"No!" she screamed as she struggled to get away. "Let me go, Ath…Alex!" She almost let his realname slip. She struggled but was no match for Athrun of course. Even when she used every ounce of her strength to get away, it was like being held in place by a chain. Athrun literally had an iron grip.
"Look at me!" He shook her. "I said look at me, Cagalli!"
She had no choice but to do it. She met Athrun's eyes and she gasped at what she saw. There was something different in Athrun's eyes. They looked blank yet it was impossible because he was obviously furious and now a very different colored green. They were now a greener than green color. She'd seen this before. This was his SEED mode…but why? This only happened when he was in battle. Could he really be this angry?
She tried to ignore himbut Athrun shook her again. "Do you see now, Cagalli?" he demanded. "Do you see now what you did to me?" He was frightening her but she stood her ground. She wasn't about to back down just because his eye color changed.
Kira walked towards Athrun, seemingly relaxed and composed. Not showing his anger at all. "My friend, I'm sorrybut I have to do this." He punched his friend right on the kisser.This made Athrun lose his grip on Cagalli as he stumbled back. Cagalli ran to her brother's side. "Never shake my sister like a rag doll ever again." He clenched his fists. "Or you will be answering to me." His frown looked deadly and he, too, converted to his SEED mode. His lavender eyes looked blank but much anger was hidden in their depths. "I didn't save her from that disastrous wedding of hers only to be mishandled by you."
Cagalli tried to assure her brother that she was okaybut he didn't need her assurance. He needed Athrun's assurance that he'd never hurt her again. She remembered her wedding to Yuuna Roma Seiran. It definitely wasn't her favorite memory. Her brother was always there to protect her when Athrun wasn't there to do it. She was angry at first when he kidnapped herbut he only did it because he knew Seiran was using her. He saw something she didn't. Maybe she did but chose to ignore it.
"Alex? Have I made myself clear?" Kira extended his hand to him to help him up.
Athrun stared at the hand at first but then took it. His eyes then returned to their original color. Cagalli felt grateful to have the old Athrun back. Kira pulled him up to his feet and Athrun began to brush the dirt off from his pants
Normally, Cagalli would just beat Athrun up for being gone so long and hitting her friendsbut since her brother already did that what she did was…no, she didn't exactly jump into his arms just yet. It was more like…stomp on his foot. Unfortunately, for Athrun, she chose today to use stilettos.
"You jerk!" she screamed after doing said action, making Athrun jump up and down clutching his foot. "Why don't you think first before you do something as rash as that? He was blowing the dust off my eye. Geeez…what in the world made you think that I'd kiss him? I love you, you idiot!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking!" Athrun started to defend himself but then noticed her last sentence. Was he hearing things now? Had he heard what he thought he heard? "What? What did you say, Cagalli?"
She blushed and looked away. "You heard me the first time, you know. So don't make me repeat it." She forced herself to look at him. Her cheeks still flushed. "You really are an idiot, you know that?"
Athrun smiled softly and nodded. "Yes, I agree. I really am an idiot." He almost forgot that. He almost forgot that Cagalli loved him and nobody else. She was his more than she was willing to admit. He doubted her again and he hated himself for that.
Kira looked from Cagalli to Athrun and knew it was time to make his leave. He turned towards Andy. He was now up and was now watching the two people looking at each other so softly and very much in love. "Andy," Kira told the senator. "I think it is time that we left."
Andy nodded and was about to leave with him. "Stop!" Athrun shouted. "Wait for a while, Mr. Collins. I need to talk to you about thepredicaments that happened to Mr. Yamato and I for the past few hours."
Andy turned to him in confusion. "Huh? Predicaments? I don't know what you're talking about."
Athrun frowned. "Don't play dumb with me! The closet! The Earring! The Maze! Don't any of these ring a bell?"
"Alex…" Kira warned. He didn't have to bring that up. That was just asking for more trouble.
Andy looked positively oblivious. What was Mr. Dino talking about? All this time he was with Ms. Athha, so what was he babbling about? Then it hit him. "Mr. Dino, tell me what exactly happened." He wasn't sure but from the sound of it he had a good idea of what Mr. Dino was talking about.
"Huh?" Athrun couldn't believe him. Andy was listening to him intently. Was this guy for real? "Fine, it all began when I left to get Cagalli something to drink…" he started. It took awhile but Athrun told him the whole story. He told him about seeing Andy's little sister, about the search for the lost earring, getting locked in a closet, and trapped in a maze.
Andy nodded and listened to every detail. Finally, he sighed. "I understand." He turned towards the shadows. "Annie, Natsumi. I know you're there so come out." When they didn't come out, Andy's voice became sterner. "Annie, Natsumi. I'm warning you, young ladies. Come out."
At first there was silence but then slowly trickled out of their hiding places. First was Annie coming out from behind the curtains, and then Natsumi came out from behind some bushes.
Annie chuckled nervously and then nudged Natsumi. The two girls curtsied politely. Andy's stern face didn't disappear. He understood now why the two little girls disappeared for the last two hours. They were not "playing" as they told first said they were causing trouble as usual.
"Annie, I thought I told you and Natsumi to behave," Andy scolded them. "Did you do all those things to Mr. Dino?"
"Ummm…" Annie bit her lip nervously. Suddenly, she burst into tears and ran to Cagalli's arms. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Cagalli. I was just trying to make my brother happy."
Athrun snorted. Like he was just going to let her go for such an excuse. The little demon was such a drama queen, he thought.
Unfortunately, Cagalli's heart melted. How could she get mad at such a sweet little girl? "I'm sure you meant well, Annie," she said. "But next time don't do it again, okay? It will only hurt other people more if you did. Your brother even received a bruise because of it."
"Mr. Dino should go to jail," she grumbled. Athrun and Kira heard very clearly but Andy and Cagalli didn't.
"What was that, Annie?" Cagalli asked softly.
"Nothing," Annie replied sweetly. "I'm just so sorry for being naughty Ms. Cagalli. I won't do all those things to Mr. Dino ever again."
"That's good to hear, Annie." Cagalli kissed her forehead while Athrun just stared at her disbelieving. Just like that, Cagalli forgave her?
Andy knew that it was time to leave. His sister and friend had caused enough trouble already. "Annie, Natsumi let's go. We'll discuss your punishment later."
"Awww…" the two girls chorused. The two girls knew that they were in so much trouble nowbut they didn't regret any second of it. It was fun while it lasted. Before leaving, each girl gave Cagalli a kiss on the cheek and big hug. "Bye-bye, Ms. Cagalli," they said and then left.
"What a couple drama queens," Athrun grumbled.
"I'm sorry for the trouble these two caused," Andy apologized to them. "Annie enjoys playing tricks on the help. I never thought that she'd cause trouble for you."
Cagalli shook her head. "She meant well," she assured him. "I'm sure she'll behave. I just don't understand what she meant about making you happy."
Andy blushed as red as tomato but didn't reply. Athrun saw and frowned. He knew exactly what the girls' intentions were. He didn't exactly find it an acceptable reason. The girl was trying to steal his fiancée for her brother!
"Mr. Collins, I'll walk with you in," Kira said as Andy passed him. "I need to get back to Lacus. If I know her, she'll still be singing to comply with the requests and over-working herself." Kira also knew that Athrun and Cagalli needed this time alone to patch things up between them. "I'll see you guys later."
The next thing Athrun and Cagalli knew, they were finally alone. Cagalli stared nervously at Athrun, unsure of what exactly to do. She felt awkward. It seemed a lot had happened to Athrun the last two hours she'd been worried about him. There was an awkward silence between them now and she was desperate to break it.
"Ummm…Athrun, I—" she started to say.
"Did you mean it?" Athrun interrupted. "Did you mean it when you said that you love me?" He watched her reaction intently.
Cagalli stared at him for a moment. Suddenly she rolled her eyes in disgust. "No, of course not, Athrun. I always tell random guys that I love them." She shrugged. "It's no big deal."
Before she knew it, Athrun grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him and stared deeply into her amber orbs. At first she suspected that he was angry but then she inspected closer. She then realized that he was neither amused nor angry. Cagalli couldn't read Athrun at that moment but she knew that he was looking for a straight answer.
"Athrun?" she whispered.
He stroked her cheek with one hand and buried his other hand in her lustrous hair. His eyes suddenly became soft and he broke into a smile. It was in times like these that Cagalli just wanted to drown in those green pools of his. She blushed as she smiled back happy just to see her Athrun again. His jealousy flattered her but annoyed her at the same time. She was grateful though just to have him back.
"I love you, Athrun Zala," she finally said. "I'm sorry it took me such a long time to tell you that." She shrugged. "I guess you can just say that I'm slow."
He shook his head. "No you're not slow."
They could still hear the music from inside the ballroom. Lacus's voice was unmistakable. Kira must have given her permission to sing just one last song for the night. The last song for tonight was, "Fields of Hope." It was one of Cagalli's personal favorites.
"Cagalli, I know it is a bit late but would you give me the honor of this one last dance?" Athrun asked. He brought her hand to his lips and gently kissed it.
A thought crossed her mind then. He looked more like a prince charming than ever that moment and she felt like Cinderella but the only difference was that none of this would disappear after the clock struck midnight. Her prince would still be there to protect and she would always be by his side.
"Yes," she answered. "I'd love to."
He nodded. "You didn't need to tell me that you loved me." He took her arms and had them wrap around his neck. "I can see it every time I look into your eyes, but..." He wrapped his arms around her waist and began to dance to the music."…It feels good to be reminded every once in a while."
She leaned her head against his chest, closed her eyes and lost herself to the rhythm. She finally got her dance with Athrun. Her night was finally complete.
"Cagalli?"
"Hmm…" She swayed, following his every movement.
"I love you too."
"Awww…come on, Annie," Natsumi whined. "You have to admit that Mr. Dino and Ms. Cagalli make such a cute couple."
The two girls got away from Andy's watchful gaze. They hid behind the huge curtain and watched the dancing couple under the moonlight. With a heavy heart Annie had to agree that she'd never seen a more beautiful looking couple. She didn't mean any harm with her pranks. She only wanted her brother to find someone.
She felt disheartened and disappointed that Ms. Cagalli won't be her brother's wifebut she didn't want to make her sad either. She was happy with Mr. Dino and even Annie could see that. She wished Ms. Cagalli all the best and Mr. Dino to take care of her. If he didn't, she'd do much worse things next time.
"Psst…Annie, who's that pretty lady with big brother Andy?"
Annie turned to her brother. He was talking and laughing with a lovely, brunette woman wearing a tux. Annie always thought that the tux was a men's suit,but the lady wore it like it was made for her. A frowning, silver-haired male was with her, his arm wrapped protectively around her waist.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Natsumi?" Annie grinned evilly.
"I think I am, Annie," Natsumi chuckled.
A week after the ball, Athrun was relieved to have everything back to normal. Natsumi and Annie were back in the States to film their next movie, "Double Troublemakers." Annie and Natsumi made Cagalli promise to see it. Athrun smirked he couldn't have thought of a more fitting title for those two.
Andy was busy man. He thanked Cagalli for her hospitality but he was now needed back in the States. He left with his sister, promising that they'd come to visit soon. Athrun really hoped not.
Athrun was also glad that Yzak returned to his usual stubborn self. For some reason, Yzak had been acting strangely since the party. He kept glancing around him like something was going to strike him at any moment. Ever since the two girls left, he'd been acting more like himself. Though, his usual self was annoying.
Athrun walked towards Cagalli's office with a big box at hand. He was proud of his latest gift to Cagalli. It took him some time but it was really worth it to see her smile. The box was wrapped in a navy blue gift wrapper and emerald green, satin ribbons.
Inside the office, Cagalli was seated on her desk with her back at him. She was on the phone and talking to Kira. He could guess that it was about the security system again.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Kira?" she practically screamed into the phone. "The security is fine the way it is. I don't need you to tinker with it. Have I made myself clear?"
She quieted for a while. It was probably Kira saying something. He just stood by the doorway and watched her for a few minutes.
"Keep Kisaka out of this, Kira." She tapped her fingers on the desk.
Another silence.
She groaned, probably from frustration. She was fighting a losing battle. She wasn't giving up though. No way was she going to lose to her little brother. "We'll talk about this later at dinner," she finally said. "It's at your mansion, right? I haven't seen the kids in a while. How is Lacus?"
Kira replied.
"Oh, she's fine." She turned to finally see a smiling Athrun by the doorway. She smiled back. "Give her my regards, I have to go. Bye, Kira!"
She hung up. "What are you doing just standing there?" she asked him. "Come in." She noticed the big box he was carrying. "Is that for me?" She raised her eyebrows
He shrugged. "It might be."
"What is it?" She bounded towards him.
"Open it."
She took the box from him and slowly began to untie the ribbon. She felt the box shake. Shocked, she backed away. "What do you have in there? A bomb?" she demanded.
He chuckled. "No. Of course not!" He shoved it towards her. "Just open it."
She gave him a look of suspicion but then proceeded to untie the green ribbon. She then unwrapped the gift wrapper. She hesitated before taking the lid of the box. To her surprise, a little creature popped out of the box.
It was a little mechanical kitten. It was blue in color and had green eyes that shone like emeralds. It climbed up Cagalli's arm and began to rub itself to her face and purred softly. Cagalli's face shone with delight. It was such an adorable gift.
"Athrun, he's beautiful!" she exclaimed. She stroked the kitten and it purred louder from pleasure. She picked it up from her shoulder and began to cuddle and cradle it in her arms. "I love it! What's his name?"
He took her chin in his hand and had her face him. "Alex." He dared her to argue,but she didn't. It was because the little critter did remind her a lot of Athrun Zala a.k.a. Alex Dino.
She smiled. Now she understood what the kitten was for. It was another reminder that she was his alone. She remembered the ring on her finger and the emerald necklace around her neck. Athrun never made her forget it. Athrun's possessive nature was getting more and more apparent by the day. She felt like snorting. Yeah, right! Like she was ever going to allow him to control her. In his dreams maybe.
"Alex it is," she sighed.
"Don't I get a kiss for my hard work, princess?" He pretended to whine. "Alex took six months to make, you know?"
She giggled. "Aww…poor baby," she teased. Alex suddenly jumped from her arms and began to prance around the room before jumping on the sofa. It licked its paws and then laid down on the soft sofa for a catnap.
Cagalli's eyebrow arched. "He needs a catnap?"
Athrun shrugged. "I programmed him to act like a real cat. So sue me."
"Tell me. Did you program fur balls too?"
Athrun's eyes widened and pretended to contemplate with the idea. "Gee…I never thought of that." He glanced over to the sleeping cat and grinned. "That can be arranged."
She laughed so hard that she began to hold her stomach to contain herself. Athrun watched her, very pleased. This was what he wanted to see. This was the reason he worked so hard the last six months. With her still laughing, Athrun took her into his arms. He joined her laughter.
When they were done, they stared at each other's eyes completely content.
"Are we just going to stare at each other like this?" Cagalli murmured. "Or are you going to kiss me?"
Athrun's eyes widen in surprise but then chuckled lightly. "Not until you tell me the magic words."
Cagalli groaned as she rolled her eyes. She wrapped her arms around Athrun before finally saying, "I love you, Athrun."
"That's what I wanted to hear." He took her lips in his in a passionate, soul-stealing kiss…
THE END
Tsubame: Hmmmm…I'm working on a new fic but I'm having second thoughts about posting it. Please give Constructive Criticisms…
Please Visit my new livejournal! W w w . t s u b a m e o n g a k u . l I v e j o u r n a l . c o m (just take away the spaces) I want to work on a new story but I don't know which one to choose from the two drafts I made. Please help me!
Listening to: AIR (I really recommend this anime! It is just so adorable! –squeals- Ryuuya is MINE!) soundtrack and Kareshi Kanojou no jijyo (SOS! SOS! YEHAY!) soundtrack + BLEACH soundtrack + GetBackers soundtrack
Mood: Lazy…very lazy…very bored…wants to sleep….ZZZZzzzzzZZZzzzzz…
Working on: "Double Identities" Chapter 4 and my new fic, "Fighting Spirits." Please watch out for it! If I ever decide to post it…hehehe…