Gundam SEED Fan Fiction ❯ Sojourn ❯ PHASE 08 A Step Further, A Mile Higher ( Chapter 8 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: PaolaAdara 
Sometimes, it's not easy to see what's right under your nose.
Anime/Manga: Gundam SEED Fan Fiction | Genre(s): / Romance / Drama / Comedy / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 10.01.2006 | Updated On: 10.01.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 5.6K | Visits: 351 | Status: Work In Progress
Sometimes, it's not easy to see what's right under your nose.
Anime/Manga: Gundam SEED Fan Fiction | Genre(s): / Romance / Drama / Comedy / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 10.01.2006 | Updated On: 10.01.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 5.6K | Visits: 351 | Status: Work In Progress
Title: Mobile Suit: Gundam SEED Sojourn (8/?)
Author: Paola
Disclaimer: Mobile Suit: Gundam SEED Sojourn is based on characters and situations that belong to Sotsu Agency, Bandai Studios, and TV Asashi (and other production affiliates that have the right of ownership). No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Considerations: Similarities to other stories/events/passages are purely coincidental unless otherwise cited.
“The reputation of a thousand years may be
determined by the conduct of one hour.”
- Japanese Proverb
PHASE 08
A Step Further, A Mile Higher
Lacus found herself in a conference room furnished with a long, impressive oak table in the middle surrounded by high-backed swivel chairs in black leather. The wooden floorboards were polished to a reflective gleam, and the walls were painted a pale yellow. The only double doors were padded with soundproofing material, while a huge white-screen hung by the north wall with a modest, black projector a little to its right. The pin lights were turned on, as well as the tiny light bulbs of the chandelier. The room, Lacus thought, was as simple as it was grand.
They had left the Athha household as soon as Sai and Miriallia’s parents had picked them up, and the trip to the EAF headquarters was pretty uneventful. They reached the complex a little early, and the officials hadn’t arrived yet.
Off to her right were the adults, discussing something in hushed tones even if they were the only ones there, and off to her left was Cagalli, tugging at the collar of her uniform as she sat down on the plush settee lining the east wall.
“I forgot to thank you, Cagalli,” she said, taking the vacant spot next to the blonde. She remembered laughing a while ago when she saw Mana chasing after Cagalli who had somehow managed to wear a white Orb uniform instead of the dress the nanny was waving about.
“Huh? For what?”
“For letting us stay in your place.”
The Orb princess waved a dismissive hand. “Il n’y a pas de quoi.”
Lacus grinned. “You know French?”
Cagalli chuckled. “Guess I can pass off as an authentic French speaker, huh?” When Lacus nodded, Cagalli added, “I wish. I just heard that on TV before. It’s the only French I know. Why, do you?”
“Sadly, no. But that sounded French, so I thought it was. So, what does it mean?”
“‘Don’t mention it,’ I think. I don’t even know if I said that right!”
The two teenagers shared a laugh.
“Cagalli?” Lacus prodded, breaking the silence that had settled after they had gotten their chuckles under control.
“Yeah?”
“Why’d you take off last night?”
Cagalli halted. “Uh, that…um, something…came up. Um…yeah.”
Lacus didn’t mistake the hesitation that rode on with her answer, but she decided not to pry. It wasn’t her business, and she didn’t fancy sticking her nose in other people’s business. She smiled at the blonde instead. “If anything’s wrong, you know I’m your friend, right?”
Cagalli laughed a little uncertainly. “Nothing’s wrong, really. But thanks, Lacus.”
The songstress gave her a childish grin, her eyes glinting with amusement. She stuck out her hand, which Cagalli looked at strangely. “From now on, we’re friends forever,” she said, very much resembling a child. Lacus had always liked the naïveté and honesty of children, and sometimes, she deemed it good to employ such simplicity to lighten up situations.
Cagalli looked thoughtful for a minute before grinning and shaking hands with the Pink Princess. “Friends forever.”
They both laughed at their actions.
“We definitely have to induct Miriallia, too,” Lacus suggested, the smile never leaving her eyes.
“Cagalli, Lacus,” Kisaka called, waving them over when the two girls looked up at him inquiringly. “The receptionist just called and said they’re here. Ready?”
“Hell yeah,” was Cagalli’s feisty reply.
Lacus gave him a smile that said everything would be fine. Even having experienced speaking to a formal audience before, Lacus had felt anxious a while ago, mainly because she didn’t know what to expect from the EAF officials. No matter how optimistic she was, there were still questions she couldn’t find answers to. What if the EA weren’t as open-minded as she wished they were? What if she couldn’t speak for the Coordinators well enough? Despite those, seeing Cagalli’s fiery attitude helped allay her worries. She had done this before, and doing it again would just be practice.
Lacus Clyne drew a cleansing breath then let it out in a soft puff.
o-o
Yzak had nothing to do that he could consider remotely interesting. Since they weren’t needed at the conference, the guys were stuck in the Athha residence. Although the entertainment room certainly lived up to its name, he had been kicking Dearka’s rump in a racing game since a little after Kisaka and the others had gone, and he was getting bored. So here he was, watching Athrun and Dearka play, all the while wondering how the blonde could get his ass kicked for the fourth time in the same game. He remembered his friend speeding in the highway in a real car before, but he guessed video games were a completely different thing.
“Let me see if I can beat him,” Kira said, taking the controller from Athrun after the blue-haired teen defeated the Buster pilot. He sounded like he didn’t mean to insult, but Dearka probably thought it was a sadistic play of words.
“Man! What the hell is this?” Dearka exclaimed, annoyed beyond belief.
“Don’t take losing too hard, man. Just a game.” Athrun patted Dearka on the back with false sympathy, and the blonde swatted the former Justice pilot’s hand away.
“I don’t wanna side with you, Yamato, but if you lose, you’re even a bigger loser than Dearka,” Yzak snorted, shaking his head. He suddenly found himself being pelted with the haro Lacus had left behind.
“Get that thing away from me, you bastard!” Yzak swung his arm to ward off the pink toy.
“And what? Take away my sole entertainment?” came Dearka’s sarcastic rejoinder.
“I don’t think Lacus would like it if Haro gets mangled by either of you,” Kira interrupted, taking a seat on the floor next to Dearka.
“Do you honestly think I freaking care? ZALA! I don’t understand why you sodding had to make this hellish toy!”
Athrun shrugged, and the causal movement seemed to annoy the Duel pilot more. “It was an experiment, but she liked it so I gave it to her.”
Kira looked to have enough of the screaming, so he took Haro from the hothead and set it on the floor. It then promptly bounced away, saying its name again and again. “Let’s see who the bigger loser is, why don’t we?”
Yzak rolled his eyes. “Finally.”
Dearka and Kira started to race, and within a minute, half of the screen, which showed the blonde’s vehicle, was flashing “you lose” in big, bright, red letters.
“Dammit!”
Yzak was mightily amused, and it showed.
“Stop grinning, you freak!” Dearka almost yelled at Yzak.
“And why would I do that? I never knew you were such a loser.”
Dearka opened his mouth to retort when he suddenly smirked. This alarmed the Duel pilot.
“What are you smirking about?”
The Buster pilot shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you have never won a single chess game in your entire life? I don’t know.”
Yzak looked ready to tear Dearka limb from limb.
Kira’s eyes widened. “Really now?”
Athrun laughed at Yzak’s misfortune. “Nah. I don’t think so. He just couldn’t win against me. Somehow, even if I try losing, I end up winning!”
Yzak growled. “Go to hell,” was all he could utter. Damned Dearka. So what if Yzak sucked royally in chess? It wasn’t like it was his favorite game, and it wasn’t like he had played before with anybody older than him or in the same age bracket…well, except for Athrun.
“Really? Not once did you win against him? Or is it because he’s the only one you’ve ever played against?” Kira asked incredulously, unwittingly guessing the right answer.
A grin was tugging at the corners of the brunette’s mouth, and Yzak knew it wouldn’t be too long before he started laughing as well. He had to get out of there. Having the Reds know that he had never won a single chess game against the damned Zala was bad enough, but having his former enemy know about his ineptness was something else.
Griping about idiotic teenagers with equally idiotic hobbies, Yzak stomped out of the room, leaving behind the three guffawing Coordinators, whose sides were now probably aching from too much laughing. He didn’t even know why he agreed on hanging out with them in the game room, but he did, and this was the thanks he got? Unbelievable!
Dammit! So much for being civil…
o-o
Miriallia sighed as she put away the last of her belongings. Looking around, she enjoyed the familiar domesticity the place projected. She had lived in Heliopolis all right, but her parents had always given her a feeling of being at rest wherever they were.
She took a deep breath and let it out in a slow blow. The place smelled like home, just as how it was supposed to. Even if Cagalli wouldn’t have minded her staying there---which would be fun in any angle she would look at---Miriallia opted to go home. She’d missed her parents terribly and didn’t think it was sanely probable for her to forego such an opportunity to be with them again.
As she surveyed the room once more, she gave a silent prayer thanking whomever it was that kept her safe all this time. She sighed. When she thought about it, she did glean a lot of positive things from the war, and for that, she was grateful. She left her normal life with the package of an innocent teenager, but she returned with more-she came home a little more seasoned, a little tougher, and a little wiser.
“Mirillia, honey?” her mother’s voice floated inside her door, which stood ajar.
“Yes, mom?” she answered, stretching her arms. She smiled, knowing what her mom would probably want from her.
“Can you come down for a minute?”
After answering her mother, she stood up and stretched. Although she lacked sleep, seeing as how they had arrived late at the Athha estate and she had woken up early this morning, she had never felt this invigorated for a long time. Before she could turn around and leave, she spotted her camera on the study table opposite her bed, and kept a mental note to try to enroll in a photography class when everything was fixed. She had always loved photography, and was even thinking of taking up a profession on it after graduating college.
Thinking that that would be a good start in returning to everyday life, she grinned, and with a bounce in her step, she left her room and proceeded downstairs to join her parents in an early snack time.
o-o
The atmosphere of the living room in the Argyle residence screamed homey. The wooden furniture, the carpeted floor, the pastel curtains, and the pale-painted walls were welcome changes from the Archangel. Sai missed this. Miriallia wasn’t kidding when she told him that little cliché. He had felt jubilant upon touching down on Orb soil, but being back to his home was something more pleasant.
He had finished unpacking moments ago and was now in the family den, surfing the channels as he waited for his mother to finish whatever it was she was baking, and for his father, who was putting away something in the garage. They had apparently left whatever it was they had been busy of to pick him up from Cagalli’s house, and Sai very much appreciated their efforts.
The phone rang, and after a couple of rings, he dove from the sofa and picked up the receiver. “Good morning. Who’s on the line?” he answered politely. Upon hearing the name of the caller, Sai grinned. “Kuzzey! Man! How are you?”
“I’m all right. Never been fine. Glad you guys made it out alive and kickin…”
Sai’s brow furrowed upon hearing the uncertainty lacing his friend’s words. Then it came to him. When Kuzzey was taking advantage of the opportunity to leave the Archangel and the warfront, he had considered staying with the Archangel because every one of his friends was staying and not because he had his heart set to it. Sai had advised him to decide otherwise, and he didn’t regret telling Kuzzey that.
“Hey, man, don’t sweat it. You couldn’t have done anything if your heart wasn’t in it. It had been the right thing to do at that time.”
The other end was silent for half a moment. “Yeah…”
And Sai knew they had just closed that chapter. Kuzzey wasn’t made to be on the battlefield. He’d been brave in his own way, and that was enough.
o-o
Lacus sat quietly beside Cagalli with Andrew to her right. Murrue sat beside Kisaka, who was positioned on Cagalli’s left and was currently talking to the other representatives. They had sat in a way that one side was occupied by the EA delegates and the sole Orb official, while the other side was occupied by herself, Cagalli, Kisaka, Murrue, and Andrew. The two chairs at the opposite ends were unoccupied. They were conferring for a while already, and they had covered a lot of ground since then.
The Pink Princess eyed each and every man on the opposite side of the oak table. It seemed that the EAF had re-organized its board to accommodate the changes in the Natural-Coordinator standings. The previous officials would probably be still too biased against the Coordinators to function with partiality, and the newborn peace could not afford that.
“What do you wish to do with the ZAFT vessel you landed on Orb and the other ZAFT affiliates you’d been on board with, Miss Clyne?” one of the representatives of the EA, who sat beside Schroeder, asked.
Lacus smiled easily. “I would love to have them back home to their families as soon as possible.” She turned her head to look at Andrew. “Mr. Waltfeld? You’ve told me you’d be returning to PLANT as soon as everything is settled. Will you arrange their returns for me as well?”
Andrew addressed the entire body at the opposite side of the table. “As for that, if I won’t be needed here anymore, I will head back home. And as Ms. Clyne has requested, I’ll bring the others with me and fix the proper papers for our return.”
“As the new head of the EAF, I’ll let the paperwork be a forgone process for now. With the war just over, there are new changes here as well. If Orb would allow my suggestion, then that would be good,” Schroeder voiced out.
Kisaka sent Cagalli an inquiring look, and it didn’t take a second before Cagalli gave her enthusiastic nod. “Yes, Orb accepts.”
“What of the Eternal, then?” another man pointed out.
“I’m the assigned Captain of the Eternal even before Ms. Clyne had,” he paused for a short while, “taken over, so to speak, the ship, but I suggest it be taken in by Morgenroete,” Andrew spoke. “PLANT has too much in its hand right now, and, if I’m not mistaken, Morgenroete is quite open.”
The atmosphere in the room was surprisingly light. The tension was minimal and they hadn’t encountered problems as of yet.
“I have an impression that the Orb facility can take care of the three ships without problems,” Murrue interjected. “I know it is under repairs right now, but since the war is over, there’s no rush in the proceedings of things.”
Schroeder digressed a little. “Speaking of procedures, this brings me to the actions of the Archangel during the war. It was under the Earth Alliance when it disobeyed orders. The crew was charged with treason and should be court-martialed and, or, dismissed by now.”
“I see,” Murrue felt obliged to say. “But the EA had been a major factor in fueling the war, and I can’t say that, after what happened in JOSH-A, we were still unconvinced that the EA was doing what was supposed to be done.” Murrue had a determined look on her face as she explained the Archangel’s situation then. “I am the captain of the ship, and even if I’m facing you right now, I won’t have my crew court-martialed. If there were anyone who needed to be charged with treason, it’s I. Nobody else.”
Lacus looked surprised at Murrue’s defense, and her admiration for the captain went up another level. But she wasn’t the only one surprised. Cagalli had, in fact, hissed a somewhat audible “what!” in shock. Kisaka seemed to be the only one who was casual about how the scene played out. And when Lacus’ gaze swept over the EA, she knew why: Schroeder had a smile on his face, and not a malicious one at that.
“I’m impressed with your convictions as the Archangel captain, Ms. Ramius. This is probably one of the reasons the old EA officials had been replaced. I can safely say that the board now is moderate with regards to the Natural-Coordinator issue.
“The EAF accepts its mistakes and is doing reparations. And for that, the previous Archangel record is being discarded. It won’t do anybody good to have those who saved both races be captured. Not only would that mar their honor, but it would indubitably make a mockery of the new standing of the EA,” Schroeder smiled warmly once more.
Murrue looked relieved and thankful that justice had not been tampered with again by the EAF, and she seemed convinced that the new board was a better promise than the one she used to be under. “Thank you,” was all she said.
“Very well then,” Schroeder continued. “With that over, how about the oncoming peace talks?”
“I suggest that we do not involve the kids anymore,” Kisaka said. “The war has made them forego things kids their age should have retained, so I think it’s better that the council takes care of this. And I will not be sending Princess Cagalli into peace talks with the PLANTs because she had not yet officially taken over the position as the Chief Representative of Orb. We have decided to let the Interim Council take over temporarily,” Kisaka calmly told them.
Schroeder looked pensive for a moment. “How about you, Ms. Ramius, Mr. Waltfeld?”
“It would be my honor to participate in the peace talks,” Murrue agreed.
“Not a bad thing. I’ll take Ms. Clyne’s position after I fix things in PLANT,” Andrew followed with a smile.
“I guess that’s settled then?” Schroeder asked, eyeing the five war veterans.
Cagalli, who had been quiet thus far, spoke up. “We haven’t discussed yet the most important thing.”
“Which would be?” a redhead from the opposite side asked.
“Honoring our dead,” Cagalli answered simply.
Lacus gave a small smile upon hearing Cagalli.
“I thought we have discussed about the burial of Lord Uzumi,” the same man replied.
“Yes, we have, and I have also said that I want a private commemoration, but I wasn’t talking about that, Representative Atkins.” Cagalli’s eyes shifted towards Schroeder, who seemed to be just waiting for her answer. “I’m talking about our people.”
A hushed whisper spread like wildfire among the people from the opposite side. “I suggest we hold a public mourning to satisfy the people,” a man farther on the left voiced out. “The EA and Orb itself can broadcast condolences---”
A sudden flash of indignation had Cagalli slamming her fist on the table and using the momentum as leverage to hoist herself up, effectively cutting off the Orb representative. “The people do not need superficial apologies and oblique memorials! What they need is a solemn commemoration for those who died in the war! It’s inopportune and insulting to dish out condolences without a formal celebration, and you know it.” She glared, but she tried to control herself. “I’m ashamed to know that someone from the Orb council thinks this way,” she added for good measure.
The man was embarrassed about his suggestions and apologized as soon as he pondered the words of the princess.
Cagalli felt Kisaka touch her arm, and she took a drag of air to satisfy the fill her lungs were screaming for. “I’m sorry for the outburst, gentlemen, but if you’ve been in the actual battlefield like I have been, you will feel what I’m feeling right now,” Cagalli rectified, taking her seat once again.
Lacus’ baby blues had widened at Cagalli’s outburst, but a smile continued to form on her lips as Cagalli explained. She had spied how Schroeder looked at Cagalli, and she knew the man respected her friend and held her words at such high regard. Although the little hothead that she was, the Orb princess was very much acquainted with her own nationalistic sentiments and would not stand up for the disregard with which one Orb delegate had suggested his plan. And right then and there, upon sweeping her gaze over the officials, Lacus knew Cagalli had secured their respect and trust. It might still be long before Cagalli became the Chief Representative of Orb, but she was already investing in a good repute, and Lacus, being how she was, was proud of her blonde friend.
She turned towards Cagalli and touched her arm to gain the latter’s attention. When she had it, she just smiled, and the Orb princess smiled back.
o-o
Cagalli was in a good mood when they returned home. “Hey, guys!” she greeted as soon as she spotted them in the living room, fighting over something. Something incredibly stupid, she supposed.
Actually, it was Dearka and Yzak who were bickering while Kira and Athrun looked on with amused grins. Kira’s amusement was understandable, but Athrun’s wasn’t. She thought Athrun was used to seeing this as he had the two of them in his team before, but by the way he was grinning, it looked like it was new to him all over again. Maybe Dearka and Yzak behaved when he was with them…? She looked at them again. Nah.
“Someone’s in a good mood,” Kira observed, looking up to see Lacus and Cagalli enter the archway while the adults proceeded down the hall.
“You bet I am!”
“Cagalli?” Kisaka called, silently asking her to stay behind.
“Yeah?” she walked towards her keeper as the others entered the household. The sun had already set an hour ago, without her noticing it. She must’ve enjoyed the complimentary tour around the EAF complex to even notice the time pass by---she never thought she’d like the place, but it had been well-designed, almost looking as if it weren’t connected to anything military. Then they went back to Morgenroete to talk to the Eternal crew, and had taken a while there since Mr. Waltfeld and DaCosta had something to talk about. Today wasn’t so bad actually.
“About a while ago…”
Cagalli bit her lip. She already apologized for her earlier behavior, but she had a feeling that wasn’t enough. “Look, Kisaka, I’m really sorry that I let my temper get the best of me. I may have hurt what little reputation I have, but…well, I’m sorry.” When she looked up, she was surprised, however, to see Kisaka smiling gently at her, almost in a fatherly way.
“You didn’t hurt anything, Cagalli. If anything, I’d be guessing that you impressed those people. I didn’t ask you to stay because I want to reprimand you.” Kisaka placed his hand on her shoulder, pride reflecting in his eyes. “I’m proud of you, Cagalli.”
Then Cagalli grinned like a little schoolgirl praised for her good performance in class.
The two ZAFT pilots stopped what they were saying to look up. Dearka donned his usual smirk. Or was that a grin? Cagalli couldn’t really tell. “Everythin’ good?”
“Oh yes!” Lacus answered, taking a seat beside Kira. “They were really accommodating, and Mr. Schroeder had been very nice! Right, Cagalli?” she asked, to which the blonde princess nodded.
“Schroeder? Sounds familiar,” Athrun said, leaning back in his seat with his hands cradling his head.
Cagalli picked up the throw pillow that had fallen when Yzak sat down and threw it at the Duel pilot. “Should be. You were there when Kisaka told me about him.” She stretched.
“Oh yeah, at the Kusanagi. I remember.”
“So, did anything interesting happen while we were away?” Lacus asked, hugging a throw pillow as she snuggled deeper into the sofa, making her feet dangle at the edge.
Kira’s grin widened. “Actually, yes…and it involves chess…”
“Oh, for the love of…!” Yzak abruptly stood up to leave the room.
“Man! Don’t go! Let’s listen to Kira’s wonderful version of the events!” Dearka almost sounded serious, but he burst out laughing before he got everyone convinced of his act.
Yzak glared hard. “Go rot and die, you big racing loser,” he muttered, throwing the throw pillow from before at Dearka.
When the pale-haired pilot was gone, Cagalli looked inquiringly at Dearka as she settled herself in the lone armchair Yzak had vacated. “‘Big racing loser?’”
Kira took the liberty of narrating how the guys had spent their entire afternoon, not leaving a single detail untold. Of course, with Dearka to assist the brunette, some details were exaggerated, but the rest didn’t have to know that. They chatted for a while as they waited for dinner, laughing at Dearka’s misfortune and Yzak’s embarrassment.
o-o
Athrun was surprised to feel Cagalli’s hand on his forehead. He looked up at her questioningly. One moment she was a few feet away from him, sitting comfortably in the plush armchair, then the next she was right in front of him with a worried look on her face.
“You’re not running a fever. Are you all right there?”
He was confused. “Huh?”
She smiled. “Well, everyone’s gone to the kitchen to have dinner, but you stayed rooted to your spot. You spaced out. Anything wrong?”
He looked around and saw the empty living room. He blushed in embarrassment. “Uh, no, sorry.”
Cagalli laughed at him. “Get your lazy rump up and let’s get dinner, Zala! I’m starving!” She held out her hand for him to take, and he did.
Athrun stared at their linked hands as he followed her to the kitchen. So he had spaced out. Hn. He’d had half a mind to ask the princess to sit next to him a while ago, but he didn’t quite know what reason to give if they rounded on him not even a second after he finished his sentence. Did the guy need to have a reason? Now he was confused.
Weird. Athrun never knew he had this side in him. During his engagement with Lacus, he never felt this…this---Athrun frowned---clingy, so to speak. When they were together and Lacus would be positioned far from him, he never did have the inclination to ask her over to his side. But now, with the spitfire of Orb, it was different. They weren’t even alone when he started having those thoughts. Hell, they were in the living room with their friends! But he had wanted Cagalli to be close. Right beside him. With an almost non-existent space between them. Since the ceasefire, and maybe even before that, he had always found himself making excuses to touch her: pulling her along, offering a hand to stand her up, even dropping a kiss to “comfort” her cheek. They’d had their intimate moment, but he had a feeling they still weren’t there yet---that they hadn’t exactly widened the gap between them and the line of friendship. Sure, he was attracted to her, that much was obvious, but there was something more, and that something was what he felt the need to establish.
They reached the dining area, and both of them threw a casual greeting towards the adults who were having their dinner in the formal dining hall again. Cagalli let go of his hand to use both her hands to swing the doors open.
“Okay, guys, I have news. I forgot to tell you this a while ago,” Cagalli announced, sitting in the same seat she had occupied that morning.
Athrun found himself taking the same seat beside Cagalli as well, and when he looked around, he noticed they were all positioned the same way they were during breakfast, with Miriallia and Sai’s chairs vacant. He guessed they were already warming up to the place, and usually, that would be accompanied by claiming specific seats in the dining area. Well, back then, when he and Kira were young, they would always have sleepovers in each other’s house, and each had a specific chair in each other’s dining room. He smiled to himself upon remembering those fun times.
“Kisaka’s placed the proper calls on our way here, but he still has a few things to arrange before we can enroll in a school. So, give or take another day then we’d be lining up in a school registrar,” she finished, grimacing.
“You don’t look too happy,” Kira observed, glancing at her sister. He grabbed his fork and moved his peas around, waiting for his sister’s reply.
Cagalli scooped some rice onto her plate before answering. “Of course I don’t! Unlike you, people, I don’t like school. In fact, I think it’s a dumb way to learn.”
“School is fun!” Dearka happily put in after taking a sip of his iced tea.
“You’re opening yourself to another round of teasing, Dearka,” Cagalli replied, smirking at the tanned pilot. “You don’t look like one who likes school so the only logical reason you think ‘school is fun’ is that you have a chance of going to the same school as Miriallia Haw, the seemingly love of your life!”
Dearka turned beet red. “That’s lame already! You’ve been at it since this morning! Even that can get old.”
“Idiot,” was all Yzak said.
“It’s amusing to find you so flustered over someone, Dearka,” Lacus said, giggling.
Everybody laughed at Dearka’s misfortune because this time, he had no one to share his embarrassment with. He liked the brown-haired Natural, and it was way obvious that it left everyone wondering why he wouldn’t just admit it---and, in return, Dearka must be wondering why Athrun and Cagalli had not come clean of their “thing” as well…and why the people were only bent on teasing him and not the Justice pilot and the Orb princess. Yzak just snorted, rolling his eyes at his “idiot” of a friend.
Athrun, on the other hand, was watching Cagalli laugh, and then it struck him. Why he didn’t figure out before was beyond him, but now that he knew what that something was, he smiled.
-To Be Continued…
Author: Paola
Disclaimer: Mobile Suit: Gundam SEED Sojourn is based on characters and situations that belong to Sotsu Agency, Bandai Studios, and TV Asashi (and other production affiliates that have the right of ownership). No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Considerations: Similarities to other stories/events/passages are purely coincidental unless otherwise cited.
“The reputation of a thousand years may be
determined by the conduct of one hour.”
- Japanese Proverb
PHASE 08
A Step Further, A Mile Higher
Lacus found herself in a conference room furnished with a long, impressive oak table in the middle surrounded by high-backed swivel chairs in black leather. The wooden floorboards were polished to a reflective gleam, and the walls were painted a pale yellow. The only double doors were padded with soundproofing material, while a huge white-screen hung by the north wall with a modest, black projector a little to its right. The pin lights were turned on, as well as the tiny light bulbs of the chandelier. The room, Lacus thought, was as simple as it was grand.
They had left the Athha household as soon as Sai and Miriallia’s parents had picked them up, and the trip to the EAF headquarters was pretty uneventful. They reached the complex a little early, and the officials hadn’t arrived yet.
Off to her right were the adults, discussing something in hushed tones even if they were the only ones there, and off to her left was Cagalli, tugging at the collar of her uniform as she sat down on the plush settee lining the east wall.
“I forgot to thank you, Cagalli,” she said, taking the vacant spot next to the blonde. She remembered laughing a while ago when she saw Mana chasing after Cagalli who had somehow managed to wear a white Orb uniform instead of the dress the nanny was waving about.
“Huh? For what?”
“For letting us stay in your place.”
The Orb princess waved a dismissive hand. “Il n’y a pas de quoi.”
Lacus grinned. “You know French?”
Cagalli chuckled. “Guess I can pass off as an authentic French speaker, huh?” When Lacus nodded, Cagalli added, “I wish. I just heard that on TV before. It’s the only French I know. Why, do you?”
“Sadly, no. But that sounded French, so I thought it was. So, what does it mean?”
“‘Don’t mention it,’ I think. I don’t even know if I said that right!”
The two teenagers shared a laugh.
“Cagalli?” Lacus prodded, breaking the silence that had settled after they had gotten their chuckles under control.
“Yeah?”
“Why’d you take off last night?”
Cagalli halted. “Uh, that…um, something…came up. Um…yeah.”
Lacus didn’t mistake the hesitation that rode on with her answer, but she decided not to pry. It wasn’t her business, and she didn’t fancy sticking her nose in other people’s business. She smiled at the blonde instead. “If anything’s wrong, you know I’m your friend, right?”
Cagalli laughed a little uncertainly. “Nothing’s wrong, really. But thanks, Lacus.”
The songstress gave her a childish grin, her eyes glinting with amusement. She stuck out her hand, which Cagalli looked at strangely. “From now on, we’re friends forever,” she said, very much resembling a child. Lacus had always liked the naïveté and honesty of children, and sometimes, she deemed it good to employ such simplicity to lighten up situations.
Cagalli looked thoughtful for a minute before grinning and shaking hands with the Pink Princess. “Friends forever.”
They both laughed at their actions.
“We definitely have to induct Miriallia, too,” Lacus suggested, the smile never leaving her eyes.
“Cagalli, Lacus,” Kisaka called, waving them over when the two girls looked up at him inquiringly. “The receptionist just called and said they’re here. Ready?”
“Hell yeah,” was Cagalli’s feisty reply.
Lacus gave him a smile that said everything would be fine. Even having experienced speaking to a formal audience before, Lacus had felt anxious a while ago, mainly because she didn’t know what to expect from the EAF officials. No matter how optimistic she was, there were still questions she couldn’t find answers to. What if the EA weren’t as open-minded as she wished they were? What if she couldn’t speak for the Coordinators well enough? Despite those, seeing Cagalli’s fiery attitude helped allay her worries. She had done this before, and doing it again would just be practice.
Lacus Clyne drew a cleansing breath then let it out in a soft puff.
o-o
Yzak had nothing to do that he could consider remotely interesting. Since they weren’t needed at the conference, the guys were stuck in the Athha residence. Although the entertainment room certainly lived up to its name, he had been kicking Dearka’s rump in a racing game since a little after Kisaka and the others had gone, and he was getting bored. So here he was, watching Athrun and Dearka play, all the while wondering how the blonde could get his ass kicked for the fourth time in the same game. He remembered his friend speeding in the highway in a real car before, but he guessed video games were a completely different thing.
“Let me see if I can beat him,” Kira said, taking the controller from Athrun after the blue-haired teen defeated the Buster pilot. He sounded like he didn’t mean to insult, but Dearka probably thought it was a sadistic play of words.
“Man! What the hell is this?” Dearka exclaimed, annoyed beyond belief.
“Don’t take losing too hard, man. Just a game.” Athrun patted Dearka on the back with false sympathy, and the blonde swatted the former Justice pilot’s hand away.
“I don’t wanna side with you, Yamato, but if you lose, you’re even a bigger loser than Dearka,” Yzak snorted, shaking his head. He suddenly found himself being pelted with the haro Lacus had left behind.
“Get that thing away from me, you bastard!” Yzak swung his arm to ward off the pink toy.
“And what? Take away my sole entertainment?” came Dearka’s sarcastic rejoinder.
“I don’t think Lacus would like it if Haro gets mangled by either of you,” Kira interrupted, taking a seat on the floor next to Dearka.
“Do you honestly think I freaking care? ZALA! I don’t understand why you sodding had to make this hellish toy!”
Athrun shrugged, and the causal movement seemed to annoy the Duel pilot more. “It was an experiment, but she liked it so I gave it to her.”
Kira looked to have enough of the screaming, so he took Haro from the hothead and set it on the floor. It then promptly bounced away, saying its name again and again. “Let’s see who the bigger loser is, why don’t we?”
Yzak rolled his eyes. “Finally.”
Dearka and Kira started to race, and within a minute, half of the screen, which showed the blonde’s vehicle, was flashing “you lose” in big, bright, red letters.
“Dammit!”
Yzak was mightily amused, and it showed.
“Stop grinning, you freak!” Dearka almost yelled at Yzak.
“And why would I do that? I never knew you were such a loser.”
Dearka opened his mouth to retort when he suddenly smirked. This alarmed the Duel pilot.
“What are you smirking about?”
The Buster pilot shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you have never won a single chess game in your entire life? I don’t know.”
Yzak looked ready to tear Dearka limb from limb.
Kira’s eyes widened. “Really now?”
Athrun laughed at Yzak’s misfortune. “Nah. I don’t think so. He just couldn’t win against me. Somehow, even if I try losing, I end up winning!”
Yzak growled. “Go to hell,” was all he could utter. Damned Dearka. So what if Yzak sucked royally in chess? It wasn’t like it was his favorite game, and it wasn’t like he had played before with anybody older than him or in the same age bracket…well, except for Athrun.
“Really? Not once did you win against him? Or is it because he’s the only one you’ve ever played against?” Kira asked incredulously, unwittingly guessing the right answer.
A grin was tugging at the corners of the brunette’s mouth, and Yzak knew it wouldn’t be too long before he started laughing as well. He had to get out of there. Having the Reds know that he had never won a single chess game against the damned Zala was bad enough, but having his former enemy know about his ineptness was something else.
Griping about idiotic teenagers with equally idiotic hobbies, Yzak stomped out of the room, leaving behind the three guffawing Coordinators, whose sides were now probably aching from too much laughing. He didn’t even know why he agreed on hanging out with them in the game room, but he did, and this was the thanks he got? Unbelievable!
Dammit! So much for being civil…
o-o
Miriallia sighed as she put away the last of her belongings. Looking around, she enjoyed the familiar domesticity the place projected. She had lived in Heliopolis all right, but her parents had always given her a feeling of being at rest wherever they were.
She took a deep breath and let it out in a slow blow. The place smelled like home, just as how it was supposed to. Even if Cagalli wouldn’t have minded her staying there---which would be fun in any angle she would look at---Miriallia opted to go home. She’d missed her parents terribly and didn’t think it was sanely probable for her to forego such an opportunity to be with them again.
As she surveyed the room once more, she gave a silent prayer thanking whomever it was that kept her safe all this time. She sighed. When she thought about it, she did glean a lot of positive things from the war, and for that, she was grateful. She left her normal life with the package of an innocent teenager, but she returned with more-she came home a little more seasoned, a little tougher, and a little wiser.
“Mirillia, honey?” her mother’s voice floated inside her door, which stood ajar.
“Yes, mom?” she answered, stretching her arms. She smiled, knowing what her mom would probably want from her.
“Can you come down for a minute?”
After answering her mother, she stood up and stretched. Although she lacked sleep, seeing as how they had arrived late at the Athha estate and she had woken up early this morning, she had never felt this invigorated for a long time. Before she could turn around and leave, she spotted her camera on the study table opposite her bed, and kept a mental note to try to enroll in a photography class when everything was fixed. She had always loved photography, and was even thinking of taking up a profession on it after graduating college.
Thinking that that would be a good start in returning to everyday life, she grinned, and with a bounce in her step, she left her room and proceeded downstairs to join her parents in an early snack time.
o-o
The atmosphere of the living room in the Argyle residence screamed homey. The wooden furniture, the carpeted floor, the pastel curtains, and the pale-painted walls were welcome changes from the Archangel. Sai missed this. Miriallia wasn’t kidding when she told him that little cliché. He had felt jubilant upon touching down on Orb soil, but being back to his home was something more pleasant.
He had finished unpacking moments ago and was now in the family den, surfing the channels as he waited for his mother to finish whatever it was she was baking, and for his father, who was putting away something in the garage. They had apparently left whatever it was they had been busy of to pick him up from Cagalli’s house, and Sai very much appreciated their efforts.
The phone rang, and after a couple of rings, he dove from the sofa and picked up the receiver. “Good morning. Who’s on the line?” he answered politely. Upon hearing the name of the caller, Sai grinned. “Kuzzey! Man! How are you?”
“I’m all right. Never been fine. Glad you guys made it out alive and kickin…”
Sai’s brow furrowed upon hearing the uncertainty lacing his friend’s words. Then it came to him. When Kuzzey was taking advantage of the opportunity to leave the Archangel and the warfront, he had considered staying with the Archangel because every one of his friends was staying and not because he had his heart set to it. Sai had advised him to decide otherwise, and he didn’t regret telling Kuzzey that.
“Hey, man, don’t sweat it. You couldn’t have done anything if your heart wasn’t in it. It had been the right thing to do at that time.”
The other end was silent for half a moment. “Yeah…”
And Sai knew they had just closed that chapter. Kuzzey wasn’t made to be on the battlefield. He’d been brave in his own way, and that was enough.
o-o
Lacus sat quietly beside Cagalli with Andrew to her right. Murrue sat beside Kisaka, who was positioned on Cagalli’s left and was currently talking to the other representatives. They had sat in a way that one side was occupied by the EA delegates and the sole Orb official, while the other side was occupied by herself, Cagalli, Kisaka, Murrue, and Andrew. The two chairs at the opposite ends were unoccupied. They were conferring for a while already, and they had covered a lot of ground since then.
The Pink Princess eyed each and every man on the opposite side of the oak table. It seemed that the EAF had re-organized its board to accommodate the changes in the Natural-Coordinator standings. The previous officials would probably be still too biased against the Coordinators to function with partiality, and the newborn peace could not afford that.
“What do you wish to do with the ZAFT vessel you landed on Orb and the other ZAFT affiliates you’d been on board with, Miss Clyne?” one of the representatives of the EA, who sat beside Schroeder, asked.
Lacus smiled easily. “I would love to have them back home to their families as soon as possible.” She turned her head to look at Andrew. “Mr. Waltfeld? You’ve told me you’d be returning to PLANT as soon as everything is settled. Will you arrange their returns for me as well?”
Andrew addressed the entire body at the opposite side of the table. “As for that, if I won’t be needed here anymore, I will head back home. And as Ms. Clyne has requested, I’ll bring the others with me and fix the proper papers for our return.”
“As the new head of the EAF, I’ll let the paperwork be a forgone process for now. With the war just over, there are new changes here as well. If Orb would allow my suggestion, then that would be good,” Schroeder voiced out.
Kisaka sent Cagalli an inquiring look, and it didn’t take a second before Cagalli gave her enthusiastic nod. “Yes, Orb accepts.”
“What of the Eternal, then?” another man pointed out.
“I’m the assigned Captain of the Eternal even before Ms. Clyne had,” he paused for a short while, “taken over, so to speak, the ship, but I suggest it be taken in by Morgenroete,” Andrew spoke. “PLANT has too much in its hand right now, and, if I’m not mistaken, Morgenroete is quite open.”
The atmosphere in the room was surprisingly light. The tension was minimal and they hadn’t encountered problems as of yet.
“I have an impression that the Orb facility can take care of the three ships without problems,” Murrue interjected. “I know it is under repairs right now, but since the war is over, there’s no rush in the proceedings of things.”
Schroeder digressed a little. “Speaking of procedures, this brings me to the actions of the Archangel during the war. It was under the Earth Alliance when it disobeyed orders. The crew was charged with treason and should be court-martialed and, or, dismissed by now.”
“I see,” Murrue felt obliged to say. “But the EA had been a major factor in fueling the war, and I can’t say that, after what happened in JOSH-A, we were still unconvinced that the EA was doing what was supposed to be done.” Murrue had a determined look on her face as she explained the Archangel’s situation then. “I am the captain of the ship, and even if I’m facing you right now, I won’t have my crew court-martialed. If there were anyone who needed to be charged with treason, it’s I. Nobody else.”
Lacus looked surprised at Murrue’s defense, and her admiration for the captain went up another level. But she wasn’t the only one surprised. Cagalli had, in fact, hissed a somewhat audible “what!” in shock. Kisaka seemed to be the only one who was casual about how the scene played out. And when Lacus’ gaze swept over the EA, she knew why: Schroeder had a smile on his face, and not a malicious one at that.
“I’m impressed with your convictions as the Archangel captain, Ms. Ramius. This is probably one of the reasons the old EA officials had been replaced. I can safely say that the board now is moderate with regards to the Natural-Coordinator issue.
“The EAF accepts its mistakes and is doing reparations. And for that, the previous Archangel record is being discarded. It won’t do anybody good to have those who saved both races be captured. Not only would that mar their honor, but it would indubitably make a mockery of the new standing of the EA,” Schroeder smiled warmly once more.
Murrue looked relieved and thankful that justice had not been tampered with again by the EAF, and she seemed convinced that the new board was a better promise than the one she used to be under. “Thank you,” was all she said.
“Very well then,” Schroeder continued. “With that over, how about the oncoming peace talks?”
“I suggest that we do not involve the kids anymore,” Kisaka said. “The war has made them forego things kids their age should have retained, so I think it’s better that the council takes care of this. And I will not be sending Princess Cagalli into peace talks with the PLANTs because she had not yet officially taken over the position as the Chief Representative of Orb. We have decided to let the Interim Council take over temporarily,” Kisaka calmly told them.
Schroeder looked pensive for a moment. “How about you, Ms. Ramius, Mr. Waltfeld?”
“It would be my honor to participate in the peace talks,” Murrue agreed.
“Not a bad thing. I’ll take Ms. Clyne’s position after I fix things in PLANT,” Andrew followed with a smile.
“I guess that’s settled then?” Schroeder asked, eyeing the five war veterans.
Cagalli, who had been quiet thus far, spoke up. “We haven’t discussed yet the most important thing.”
“Which would be?” a redhead from the opposite side asked.
“Honoring our dead,” Cagalli answered simply.
Lacus gave a small smile upon hearing Cagalli.
“I thought we have discussed about the burial of Lord Uzumi,” the same man replied.
“Yes, we have, and I have also said that I want a private commemoration, but I wasn’t talking about that, Representative Atkins.” Cagalli’s eyes shifted towards Schroeder, who seemed to be just waiting for her answer. “I’m talking about our people.”
A hushed whisper spread like wildfire among the people from the opposite side. “I suggest we hold a public mourning to satisfy the people,” a man farther on the left voiced out. “The EA and Orb itself can broadcast condolences---”
A sudden flash of indignation had Cagalli slamming her fist on the table and using the momentum as leverage to hoist herself up, effectively cutting off the Orb representative. “The people do not need superficial apologies and oblique memorials! What they need is a solemn commemoration for those who died in the war! It’s inopportune and insulting to dish out condolences without a formal celebration, and you know it.” She glared, but she tried to control herself. “I’m ashamed to know that someone from the Orb council thinks this way,” she added for good measure.
The man was embarrassed about his suggestions and apologized as soon as he pondered the words of the princess.
Cagalli felt Kisaka touch her arm, and she took a drag of air to satisfy the fill her lungs were screaming for. “I’m sorry for the outburst, gentlemen, but if you’ve been in the actual battlefield like I have been, you will feel what I’m feeling right now,” Cagalli rectified, taking her seat once again.
Lacus’ baby blues had widened at Cagalli’s outburst, but a smile continued to form on her lips as Cagalli explained. She had spied how Schroeder looked at Cagalli, and she knew the man respected her friend and held her words at such high regard. Although the little hothead that she was, the Orb princess was very much acquainted with her own nationalistic sentiments and would not stand up for the disregard with which one Orb delegate had suggested his plan. And right then and there, upon sweeping her gaze over the officials, Lacus knew Cagalli had secured their respect and trust. It might still be long before Cagalli became the Chief Representative of Orb, but she was already investing in a good repute, and Lacus, being how she was, was proud of her blonde friend.
She turned towards Cagalli and touched her arm to gain the latter’s attention. When she had it, she just smiled, and the Orb princess smiled back.
o-o
Cagalli was in a good mood when they returned home. “Hey, guys!” she greeted as soon as she spotted them in the living room, fighting over something. Something incredibly stupid, she supposed.
Actually, it was Dearka and Yzak who were bickering while Kira and Athrun looked on with amused grins. Kira’s amusement was understandable, but Athrun’s wasn’t. She thought Athrun was used to seeing this as he had the two of them in his team before, but by the way he was grinning, it looked like it was new to him all over again. Maybe Dearka and Yzak behaved when he was with them…? She looked at them again. Nah.
“Someone’s in a good mood,” Kira observed, looking up to see Lacus and Cagalli enter the archway while the adults proceeded down the hall.
“You bet I am!”
“Cagalli?” Kisaka called, silently asking her to stay behind.
“Yeah?” she walked towards her keeper as the others entered the household. The sun had already set an hour ago, without her noticing it. She must’ve enjoyed the complimentary tour around the EAF complex to even notice the time pass by---she never thought she’d like the place, but it had been well-designed, almost looking as if it weren’t connected to anything military. Then they went back to Morgenroete to talk to the Eternal crew, and had taken a while there since Mr. Waltfeld and DaCosta had something to talk about. Today wasn’t so bad actually.
“About a while ago…”
Cagalli bit her lip. She already apologized for her earlier behavior, but she had a feeling that wasn’t enough. “Look, Kisaka, I’m really sorry that I let my temper get the best of me. I may have hurt what little reputation I have, but…well, I’m sorry.” When she looked up, she was surprised, however, to see Kisaka smiling gently at her, almost in a fatherly way.
“You didn’t hurt anything, Cagalli. If anything, I’d be guessing that you impressed those people. I didn’t ask you to stay because I want to reprimand you.” Kisaka placed his hand on her shoulder, pride reflecting in his eyes. “I’m proud of you, Cagalli.”
Then Cagalli grinned like a little schoolgirl praised for her good performance in class.
The two ZAFT pilots stopped what they were saying to look up. Dearka donned his usual smirk. Or was that a grin? Cagalli couldn’t really tell. “Everythin’ good?”
“Oh yes!” Lacus answered, taking a seat beside Kira. “They were really accommodating, and Mr. Schroeder had been very nice! Right, Cagalli?” she asked, to which the blonde princess nodded.
“Schroeder? Sounds familiar,” Athrun said, leaning back in his seat with his hands cradling his head.
Cagalli picked up the throw pillow that had fallen when Yzak sat down and threw it at the Duel pilot. “Should be. You were there when Kisaka told me about him.” She stretched.
“Oh yeah, at the Kusanagi. I remember.”
“So, did anything interesting happen while we were away?” Lacus asked, hugging a throw pillow as she snuggled deeper into the sofa, making her feet dangle at the edge.
Kira’s grin widened. “Actually, yes…and it involves chess…”
“Oh, for the love of…!” Yzak abruptly stood up to leave the room.
“Man! Don’t go! Let’s listen to Kira’s wonderful version of the events!” Dearka almost sounded serious, but he burst out laughing before he got everyone convinced of his act.
Yzak glared hard. “Go rot and die, you big racing loser,” he muttered, throwing the throw pillow from before at Dearka.
When the pale-haired pilot was gone, Cagalli looked inquiringly at Dearka as she settled herself in the lone armchair Yzak had vacated. “‘Big racing loser?’”
Kira took the liberty of narrating how the guys had spent their entire afternoon, not leaving a single detail untold. Of course, with Dearka to assist the brunette, some details were exaggerated, but the rest didn’t have to know that. They chatted for a while as they waited for dinner, laughing at Dearka’s misfortune and Yzak’s embarrassment.
o-o
Athrun was surprised to feel Cagalli’s hand on his forehead. He looked up at her questioningly. One moment she was a few feet away from him, sitting comfortably in the plush armchair, then the next she was right in front of him with a worried look on her face.
“You’re not running a fever. Are you all right there?”
He was confused. “Huh?”
She smiled. “Well, everyone’s gone to the kitchen to have dinner, but you stayed rooted to your spot. You spaced out. Anything wrong?”
He looked around and saw the empty living room. He blushed in embarrassment. “Uh, no, sorry.”
Cagalli laughed at him. “Get your lazy rump up and let’s get dinner, Zala! I’m starving!” She held out her hand for him to take, and he did.
Athrun stared at their linked hands as he followed her to the kitchen. So he had spaced out. Hn. He’d had half a mind to ask the princess to sit next to him a while ago, but he didn’t quite know what reason to give if they rounded on him not even a second after he finished his sentence. Did the guy need to have a reason? Now he was confused.
Weird. Athrun never knew he had this side in him. During his engagement with Lacus, he never felt this…this---Athrun frowned---clingy, so to speak. When they were together and Lacus would be positioned far from him, he never did have the inclination to ask her over to his side. But now, with the spitfire of Orb, it was different. They weren’t even alone when he started having those thoughts. Hell, they were in the living room with their friends! But he had wanted Cagalli to be close. Right beside him. With an almost non-existent space between them. Since the ceasefire, and maybe even before that, he had always found himself making excuses to touch her: pulling her along, offering a hand to stand her up, even dropping a kiss to “comfort” her cheek. They’d had their intimate moment, but he had a feeling they still weren’t there yet---that they hadn’t exactly widened the gap between them and the line of friendship. Sure, he was attracted to her, that much was obvious, but there was something more, and that something was what he felt the need to establish.
They reached the dining area, and both of them threw a casual greeting towards the adults who were having their dinner in the formal dining hall again. Cagalli let go of his hand to use both her hands to swing the doors open.
“Okay, guys, I have news. I forgot to tell you this a while ago,” Cagalli announced, sitting in the same seat she had occupied that morning.
Athrun found himself taking the same seat beside Cagalli as well, and when he looked around, he noticed they were all positioned the same way they were during breakfast, with Miriallia and Sai’s chairs vacant. He guessed they were already warming up to the place, and usually, that would be accompanied by claiming specific seats in the dining area. Well, back then, when he and Kira were young, they would always have sleepovers in each other’s house, and each had a specific chair in each other’s dining room. He smiled to himself upon remembering those fun times.
“Kisaka’s placed the proper calls on our way here, but he still has a few things to arrange before we can enroll in a school. So, give or take another day then we’d be lining up in a school registrar,” she finished, grimacing.
“You don’t look too happy,” Kira observed, glancing at her sister. He grabbed his fork and moved his peas around, waiting for his sister’s reply.
Cagalli scooped some rice onto her plate before answering. “Of course I don’t! Unlike you, people, I don’t like school. In fact, I think it’s a dumb way to learn.”
“School is fun!” Dearka happily put in after taking a sip of his iced tea.
“You’re opening yourself to another round of teasing, Dearka,” Cagalli replied, smirking at the tanned pilot. “You don’t look like one who likes school so the only logical reason you think ‘school is fun’ is that you have a chance of going to the same school as Miriallia Haw, the seemingly love of your life!”
Dearka turned beet red. “That’s lame already! You’ve been at it since this morning! Even that can get old.”
“Idiot,” was all Yzak said.
“It’s amusing to find you so flustered over someone, Dearka,” Lacus said, giggling.
Everybody laughed at Dearka’s misfortune because this time, he had no one to share his embarrassment with. He liked the brown-haired Natural, and it was way obvious that it left everyone wondering why he wouldn’t just admit it---and, in return, Dearka must be wondering why Athrun and Cagalli had not come clean of their “thing” as well…and why the people were only bent on teasing him and not the Justice pilot and the Orb princess. Yzak just snorted, rolling his eyes at his “idiot” of a friend.
Athrun, on the other hand, was watching Cagalli laugh, and then it struck him. Why he didn’t figure out before was beyond him, but now that he knew what that something was, he smiled.
-To Be Continued…