More Than Anything

Disclaimer: Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny do not belong to me, nor am I affiliated with the series/producers.

Chapter Five

"You did what?" Miriallia stared at her boyfriend with a strange mix of shock and horror, her hands still hovering over her laptop keyboard. "Say that again?"

Dearka knew he was definitely toast for the next little while, and mentally prepared himself for a week on the couch. "I told Cagalli about the wedding."

The brunette continued to gape at him, clearly at a loss of words, which Dearka took advantage of.

"Hey, I thought someone told her already, like you or Kira or Lacus—"

"Out of all the people she had to hear it from, I think you or Yzak are probably the last people she would have wanted to hear it from," Miriallia remarked, as she slowly went back to the bluish light of her screen. 'Knowing Dearka, he probably let it out by accident, too.'

"Hey, I'm pretty sure Yzak would have been worse," the blonde complained earnestly. He grabbed a beer out of the fridge and took a seat across his girlfriend at their kitchen island. "It kind of just slipped out of my mouth while I was talking about how I got away with drinking on week nights…"

She gave him a pointed look, glancing down briefly at the bottle in his hands before she let her azure eyes meet his again. "Mhmm."

The lawyer simply shrugged, holding his hands up defensively. "Hey, alcohol is like my water, okay?"

"I am not going to help you when you come down with liver problems," was her only response. "And I'll make sure Cagalli does not let you anywhere near her hospital."

An accepting chuckle from the man, which cut off rather abruptly, his cheerful expression giving way to a serious face not many saw very often. "What should I do, Miri?"

She looked up curiously at him, wondering what he meant. "About what?"

"The case."

Miriallia knew that her boyfriend had made it very clear to Athrun as soon as he found out about the case between the Mackenzies and Hibiki Hospital that he refused to be a part of it. His boss had dismissed him, saying it wasn't up to Dearka to decide whether or not he would be a part of it or not.

So far, however, Athrun had not called upon her significant other at all for anything regarding the case.

"Well," she said, after an uncomfortable silence, "what do you want to do?"

"I want to shake some sense into that idiot, that's what," Dearka grumbled, gulping down some of his beer rather hastily. "I want to tell him to stop, that this wouldn't get him anywhere."

The journalist hummed to herself quietly, her eyes resting on her lover's figure. While she had to admit she didn't know Athrun very well – they've only ever really hung out with others – she had found herself wondering why exactly Cagalli's ex-boyfriend was doing this. Out of revenge? Was he still bitter about the breakup? She knew Cagalli and Lacus would say differently, but was that really true?

"Well, do you know why he's doing this?" She typed a couple of words out, before quickly backspacing again.

"I think he just wants to talk to her again, although he sure is going about it in a really crappy way." Dearka groaned, rubbing his temples. "But hell if I know what goes on in his mind these days."

"Aren't you two supposed to be buddies? You guys work together."

"I see him about a grand total of three times during a typical work week," the blonde retorted bitterly. "He's always saying he's too busy with this or that or a client or—"

"It's strange though," Miriallia interrupted, a sudden thought coming to mind. "Why would he invite her to his wedding if he's suing the colourful rainbow out of her hospital?"

Her husband gave her a withering look. "Really? 'Colourful rainbow'? Has journalism wrung the feistiness out of you?"

An azure glare flashed his way. "Seriously. Why would anyone invite someone they're suing – regardless of their history together – to their wedding?" Miriallia had been so caught up in covering the news of the hospital landing in a hot spot that she almost forgot that her close friend was invited to the wedding… until Dearka brought it up again. "If he wanted to talk to her again, well, he could just call."

"Like I said," Dearka repeated, a somewhat frustrated grimace on his tanned features, "hell if I know what goes on in Athrun's mind."

Miriallia pursed her lips in disappointment, pondering the question that he had asked earlier. "Why don't you hop in on the case, then?"

"What?" This time, it was him who was staring at her with shock, his mouth hanging quite astonishingly low.

"It would give you access to the case, and you'll be able to work with Athrun. Maybe you'll figure out things that way." It seemed likely that Athrun had decided to respect Dearka's wishes after all, considering that Dearka had not been called onto the case as of yet.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, but remember I can't give you any information about it! Client confidentiality!"

"I know that," the journalist and photographer resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. "I'm not asking you to secretly hand me the information, I'd never. But this will help you clear your guilty conscience," she explained patiently. "You think he's going about this the wrong way, so why don't you work with him and figure out why exactly he's doing this?"

He was considering her words, she knew, although the thought of having to work against a friend was much less appealing than sitting on the sidelines.

"Cagalli would forgive you," Miriallia added thoughtfully. "You know she would not hold it against you for simply doing your job."

Dearka grumbled incoherently in response, though it was clear to her that he had decided, despite his sense of protest. "Alright, alright."

The brunette gave him an encouraging smile before getting up and pressing a brief kiss on his lips.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Standing at the separate table by his desk, Kira decided he could definitely do with some wine. Pouring out a glass of cabernet sauvignon for himself, he caught himself thinking it was a shame he didn't have anything stronger at the moment.

"Just water will be fine, thanks."

Quickly pouring a cup of water for his friend, the brunette walked towards the couch the blue-haired man was sitting on. Athrun had his hands clasped tightly together, elbows resting on his knees, his head down between his shoulders.

'The look of a troubled man,' Kira thought as he sat opposite his friend, recalling the tension that he could feel in the air just minutes ago, when Cagalli had been here. He had stepped out for a minute to go for a walk around the building, and was very close to just giving up for the day when he had this nagging feeling, telling him that he should probably get back to his office asap.

And sure enough, the two people he did not expect to see in his office were there, the strained atmosphere thick in the air. His twin had given him a desperate plea with her eyes, begging him to hold his questions. He felt her trembling as she leaned in to brush her lips against his cheek, and he knew that the night was far from over.

"Why did you want to talk?" The brunette noted the harshness in Athrun's voice, observing the tense silhouette of the other man. "I didn't think our last conversation had left you wanting more."

Kira arched an eyebrow. "Did you need to make that sound so suggestive?"

He was rewarded with an exasperated sigh from the lawyer, and he could see some of the tightness leaving those shoulders. There was a familiar smirk itching at his friend's lips. "Are you a high schooler, Kira?"

"Only for you, my friend," the developer replied playfully, purposefully pitching his voice a few semitones higher, and threw a wink at his friend who gave him a blank stare in response.

There was a moment of silence as they eyed one another, before both of them burst out laughing, their sudden outburst reverberating throughout the room.

It had been so long since they last even shared a laugh, as the last of their childish chuckles left them. They barely stayed in touch since the incident, and Kira understood that it was hard for Athrun to stay in touch after what had happened with Cagalli.

The strained phone call where Athrun had basically told him that Cagalli deserved the mess that was being thrown her way was one of the first conversations they had had in a long time, which did not help matters. That definitely was not a conversation that the software developer had any desire to continue, but this wasn't about that.

Lacus had chided him that night, after Kira had flung down the phone in disgust. "He is your best friend, Kira, and always will be. You may not agree on everything, but I think you need to have a proper conversation with him soon, before it's too late."

He had turned those words over and over again in his head. Athrun's history with Cagalli aside, their friendship was a separate entity; the breakup had been no one's fault, and he suspected – no, knew Athrun did not blame his sister. He realized it was difficult for Athrun to approach him after the breakup; the fact that the person who broke up with him was Kira's own sister aside, the incident itself had left little time for conversation, something Kira had never really forgiven himself for.

Time kept passing, though, and things never really got any easier, and their relationship only grew more distant.

While he wasn't exactly thrilled at the fact that his best friend was suing his sister and the hospital, there was another pressing matter he felt he needed to address right now, as Athrun's friend:

The marriage.

He regarded the other man, noting the tired lines under those emerald orbs that had caught the hearts of so many, a certain blond-haired sister and his own secretary included.

"How are you?" The blue-haired man lifted his head up at Kira's question, his face unreadable. The bliss from their shared laughter had vanished without a trace.

"Busy," Athrun confessed, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Both at the office and… ah, personally."

"Like planning the wedding you didn't want to invite me to?" The brunette watched as the other man stiffened up again, his jaw clenched tightly. "Meyrin told me."

"I should have known," Athrun sighed again. "I expected you two would show up though, one way or another."

"I just want to know why." It had stung, knowing the invitation came from the bride-to-be, and not his best friend. Lacus had brushed it off, murmuring that the invitation was received, no harm done. "You even invited Cagalli."

The wince that followed was not missed by Kira. "I'm sorry."

Those were definitely not the words the developer had expected to hear. "What?"

"I didn't want to invite you or Lacus, not because I didn't believe in our friendship," the blue-haired man insisted quietly, "but because I didn't think I'd be able to face you as a friend, not after this lawsuit."

"You know that I would not have held it against you, Athrun. Not when you're truly doing this for the client." 'If you are, that is.'

Athrun let out a sigh, relief mixing with grief. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely, "I fear it's been such a long time that I have begun doubting you and Lacus."

"I'm sorry as well," echoed Kira, before taking another sip of his red wine. "For both the lack of contact and for hanging up on you last time."

An empty chuckle. "I understand the reason for the ungentlemanly action, but it's nice to hear your apology nonetheless."

"Don't push it, Athrun." Another laugh in response.

They sat in silence again, Kira leaning back on the couch opposite his friend. This was going much better than he had expected, and he was quite pleased. He had missed this friendship of theirs, and while the current situation was not what he desired, he was content.

"Congratulations," he uttered quietly, sending a heartfelt smile at the other man. "I never did say that, did I?"

"No," Athrun confirmed after the initial shock had faded, watching him with careful eyes. "Thank you."

"Are you happy?"

Athrun gazed at him, as though uncertain as to how to say what he wanted to say. "I… yes."

Kira knew there was more to that simple, three-lettered word, but he did not pursue the matter. Athrun could be so self-sacrificial at times, but he wasn't one to lie to himself about his own feelings. Another question tugged at the brunette's lips and he decided to ask, despite wondering if it was better not to. "Why did you invite Cagalli, then?"

Another reign of silence followed. "Because I wanted to extend an olive branch, of sorts," murmured Athrun, after another moment of awkward stillness, sudden sadness echoing in his hoarse voice. "Not about the lawsuit; I think you know my opinions about that."

Kira bit back his harsh comeback, waiting for the other man to finish expressing his thoughts.

"You probably know we never talked again after we… separated," the lawyer was peering down at his water, missing the slight nod of assent that Kira gave. "You probably also know why we broke up in the first place."

'We broke up,' the purple-eyed man noticed silently, curiously. 'Not she broke up with me, even though we all know that is what happened.'

"While the timing is probably not ideal, I thought that sending her the invitation would bridge a friendship of sorts… and would reassure her." The words he left unsaid were loud as thunder in the quietness of the room.

"She wouldn't have come anyways," he continued, letting his emerald-green eyes slowly close. "I wasn't going to bring this up in work-related conversations… but I felt like she needed to know, at the very least."

Kira had suspected as much, although he had often wondered if he was wrong. It had hurt when he first saw Cagalli after their breakup, and seeing Athrun now pained him still. 'You two are so attuned to one another, for you to not be together is such a shame.'

"Do you still love her?" Kira breathed, the wine glass in his hands shaking slightly with the faint trembling of his hand. The look of longing he had seen, perhaps unintentionally, plagued him, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know but he had to know.

Athrun looked up from his hands and simply gave his best friend a look that only anguished Kira more, confirming his worst fears.

"No," Cagalli declared firmly. "We can't do this." Uzumi gave her a pitying look, while Kisaka merely looked away, unable to meet her fiery glare.

They had approached her as soon as she walked in that morning, still sleepy after spending the night at Kira and Lacus' house. She had stayed up later than she intended, confessing all her slightly drunk thoughts and worries to the couple; Kira had returned just an hour or so after she left his office. Eventually, she fell asleep mid-word on their couch, and was jolted awake just a few hours later out of habit, realizing that Kira had stayed by her side all night.

'You idiot,' she had thought to herself, before noticing that Lacus was fast asleep by his side. 'You idiots.' She had whipped up a quick breakfast, just omelettes with toast and jam, and left a note alongside her meal of gratitude. The drive was slightly longer than she anticipated, which she suspected was partially the cause behind her two trusted advisers lurking for her entrance.

Uzumi was suggesting that they simply pay the Mackenzies the 21 million the family had demanded from them. This was definitely not the way she had expected to start her morning and she was furious at them for even considering the option .

"We can't afford to draw this out either," Uzumi insisted, meeting her heated gaze with one of his own. "If we just pay them the settlement fees, then it will save us resources in the long run, Cagalli."

She hesitated. While their hospital was not poor by any means, 21 million was still a steep price to pay. And if they managed to settle this soon, then the hospital name would avoid taking too much of a run in the mud as well.

Yet she did not feel right just handing the money over either. It would certainly mean the cancellation of so many research programs ongoing, Insuliphax included, as the cuts had to happen somewhere. They were so close though, so where had things gone wrong?

"What has the investigation turned up?" Holding out her hand for the documents she was sure Kisaka was already holding, she was not disappointed when a stack of folders found themselves in her grasp.

"There is much to go through," the darker man admitted, his deep voice tinged with uncertainty. "We have questioned the researchers and while there was a volunteer by the name of Mackenzie, the results of her tests are rather unclear."

"Unclear?" She had a faint recollection of the name Mackenzie, likely from the results from the research crew. Several times she had gone down to the research centre, on the fourth floor, and interacted with some of the patients, but 'Mackenzie' did not bring any faces to mind. "This is a drug trial, no one can get away with 'unclear'."

"Unclear is probably not the right word," Uzumi responded. "Strange, more like."

"How?" Her head downwards to read the first of the documents, she easily unlocked her office door without even looking up. The CEO strode into her office, casually putting her bag down near her desk, and collapsed into her chair.

"The Mackenzies, in the suit they filed, insisted that because of Insuliphax, their daughter suffered dire consequences last year. It is true that she was one of the patients, but according to the research records, she withdrew after a year and a half."

"Because of adverse side effects?" Cagalli raised an eyebrow at Kisaka, who simply shrugged his response. "Didn't the researchers get a reason for withdrawal?"

"We spoke with Mr. La Flaga, and he said while he did remember Mayura Mackenzie, he insisted that up until her withdrawal, the drug seemed to have had a positive effect on her."

"Then why?" Cagalli frowned, flipping the pages in front of her around. "If she was doing well, why are they blaming us?" 'Something is wrong here. Are the Mackenzies lying? Or is Mu losing his touch?'

"We also spoke with Ms. Badgiruel, who insisted otherwise," informed Uzumi, a graver look than ever on his face. "She says she recalled noting rather severe negative side effects just before her withdrawal."

Disbelief flitted across her face. "Why do our two head researchers have two different memories of this event?" Cagalli shook her head, frustrated at how confusing this was all becoming. "Is she the only one to have suffered supposed side effects?"

"No," Kisaka answered, his tight lips grim. "Three others were noted to have similar side effects."

A moan of terror escaped her lips before she could help it. 'This can get messy, soon. What should I do?' She should have asked Kira and Lacus for advice last night, not whining about her other insecurities.

"We cannot afford to give up just because the internal investigation is not going as smoothly as one would like," Cagalli decided, giving the older men a meaningful look. "Let me do a little research of my own first before I decide."

Ignoring the looks of concern and impatience on her elders' faces, she picked up her office phone, and quickly dialed an extension. "Hey, Shiho, it's me. Can we meet up on the fourth floor?"

"Hey, Meyrin," he greeted, sparing his phone a quick glance. "Is this a good time?" It was just past 9 PM, and Athrun had just gotten back from a dinner with Leon Mackenzie. He wasn't too sure how he felt about the other man, although perhaps it was just because of who they were suing.

"Yep, no worries!" Her bright and cheery voice, just a tad delayed, echoed slightly throughout his office.

"How are you?" It had been a couple days since they had seen each other, and his busy schedule was unforgiving. "Sorry I had to cancel dinner tonight."

"That's fine!" There was no disappointment in her voice, and he knew she was not one to get caught up about something like this. "I've been doing alright, Kira didn't come in to work until noon today, and Shinn gave him a mouthful."

He chuckled, fairly certain that the late night conversation they had had the previous night was at least partly to blame. "Who exactly is the boss there?"

"Last time I checked, I thought it was Kira, but with Shinn the way he is these days…" Meyrin's soft giggle floated through the phone, and he couldn't help a fond smile.

After a brief moment of tranquility, he said, "I hear that someone gave Kira and Lacus an invitation to a certain wedding of theirs."

"Hmm, I wonder who?" There was the slightest hint of playfulness in her voice.

"Kira said it was a certain red-headed secretary of his…" He teased back.

"If I didn't know any better, I would have thought he meant me…"

"Meyrin…"

"You know it was me," she chirped back, abandoning all pretense. "But you know you wanted to."

"I did," he agreed honestly, without any hesitation.

"And?" There was definitely a knowing smile evident in her soprano voice.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said warmly. "Kira told me this morning they would be there. I'm guessing you two had a talk?"

"Last night," he said in response, beginning to read another document that had laid, somewhat neglected on his desk for some while.

"And?"

"What are you thinking?" He grumbled, half exasperated, half amused at his fiancée's expectant tone. "We held hands and skipped around? Rainbows? Flowers?"

"Something like that," she giggled, and Athrun couldn't resist a chuckle of his own. "Oh, speaking of flowers, are you free this weekend? We need to visit the florist and the bakery to confirm things for the wedding."

He quickly opened up his digital agenda and checked the coming Saturday and Sunday. "I'm free. Saturday at 11? We can grab lunch beforehand."

"Sure." There was the sound of a keyboard being tapped away on from the other end.

"I have to do more work, but I'll call you tomorrow night?"

"Tomorrow," she affirmed, hesitating just a tad. "I love you, Athrun."

A small pause. "Good night, Meyrin."

Hearing the ending click of her phone, he sighed and leaned back into his office chair, thoughts wandering back to the conversation he had had last night.

"Do you still love her?"

He had been unable to give Kira an answer. What was he supposed to say when he knew that her brother would not appreciate the answer? It was a long time ago, and there was no point in bringing up things that should have been buried long ago.

'Should have,' he thought to himself, a storm of emotions brewing within him. 'And yet, here I sit, feeling this way.' He rubbed at his temples wearily.

Athrun shook these thoughts out of his head. She had made her decision, he had made his. He had chosen Meyrin. Heck, they were getting married in less than a month. 'Dwelling on this any longer will only make things worse for both of us in the long run', he mused. There was no going back now, not when he had resolved to let the matter die.

Peeking at the digital clock perched on his desk, he groaned inwardly as he grudgingly resigned to another hour's worth of work.

Tempted to throw all the documents in the air, Cagalli barely buried the urge to and continued reading instead. She had gone through half of the documents that Kisaka had dumped on her desk. Shiho had helped with half of them, but still she did not know what to think of the Mackenzie's case against the hospital.

Why exactly did the daughter stop participating in the trials, to begin with? Was her cause of death really because of the drug? 'They should have reported it if she began to feel any negative side effects,' was her only thought. 'According to the contracts, she should have spoken up as soon as she felt any worse. And then there is the matter of the other three troubled patients.'

She was so torn. She wanted to just throw the money at the Mackenzies to make them go away. She knew Uzumi was right; to drag this on would run the hospital name and their funds into the ground, yet…

There was something odd about the whole situation, and she needed to get to the bottom of it. But was it worth it?

She let her eyes fall on the picture of the Mackenzies' daughter, Mayura. Beautiful red hair that stopped just below her ears, glimmering blue eyes that were full of life and energy. What a cruel fate, to be afflicted by diabetes at such a young age. If they were responsible for her death, then maybe they should just pay it—although why 21 million? Cagalli let her lips turn downwards just a tad. It was a steep price to pay – funeral costs were usually under 20 grand. Perhaps 50, considering this was an affluent family.

She reread the two conflicting reports from Mu La Flaga and Natarle Badgiruel. She knew both quite well; Mu had been like a much older brother to her and Kira ever since they were young. Neither of them would lie though, Mu having dedicated so much of his career for this treatment.

'Would that be reason enough for him to lie, though?' Doubt began to muddy her mind. He had not taken the sudden and rather mysterious death of his father well, and Cagalli understood the man's desire to find better treatment for diabetes. But was he desperate enough to abandon all formality? Would he lie? Natarle was one to stick by the rules to the dot, and she found it highly unlikely that the older woman would have lied deliberately for any reason.

The room was silent, save for a sigh the CEO could not hold back. She had had so much for Insuliphax, when they first began trials almost three years ago… but perhaps it was not meant to be. She leaned back into her chair, letting her eyes close as she thought about what to do next.

Someone had died, and possibly from a mistake the hospital – the researchers – had tried to cover up. What if more were to follow?

A shudder trembled throughout her body. 'Have I truly failed this hospital? What would Mom and Dad do?'

She was not Ulen Hibiki, despite the many comparisons that have been made; how she looked like him with the blonde hair and amber eyes, how they were sported fiery tempers that could burn for ages. Kira had resembled Via, with beautiful light brown hair and dazzling purple eyes, and a soft demeanour. She would never be able to fill her parents' shoes, nor did she bother to try.

This hospital was her parent's life, apart from their family. And she refused to see it fall in shame under her own reins. Not when she had given everything up – her dreams, her freedom… him – not even when it was him who threatened the one thing she had forsaken her own life for.

Giving in now would only mean giving up.

She stole a quick glance at the time on the wall, before reaching for her phone and starting a conference call.

Kisaka was the first to pick up. "Cagalli?"

"Hi Kisaka, just waiting for Mr. Athha." As soon the words left her mouth, she heard another click.

"Uzumi Athha speaking."

"Mr. Athha," she greeted calmly. Her heart was racing, but she knew she could not afford to let her doubts cloud her judgment. "I've made my decision."

"Yes?" Both men prompted, their anxiety clear in their voices.

"We're fighting this."

Emerald green eyes darted towards the digital clock that sat at the corner of his desk. Neon bright numbers informed him it was only 10:12 AM, just over an hour since he had come into the office earlier that morning. Yet Athrun was fairly certain the numbers were playing tricks on his eyes, for he had had anything but a short morning.

Dearka had ambushed him as soon as he walked into the elevator at the bottom of their building; with a rather resigned look of determination on the blonde's face, he said firmly, "I want to work on the Mackenzie vs. Hibiki Hospital case."

"Excuse me?"

"I want in on the case against Cags – I mean, Hibiki Hospital." Dearka repeated, his lips tightened in a thin line.

Athrun couldn't help but turn his head towards the other man curiously. "Didn't you swear at me, call me a jackass and some other derogatory words, and then shout something about never touching a single file of this case?"

The other lawyer gulped, chuckling weakly. "Err, are you sure that was me, boss?"

Athrun had respected Dearka's wishes, despite telling him that he didn't get to pick and choose what he worked on. There was no point in getting someone who didn't want to work to work, after all. "Why the change of heart?"

The blonde had spouted some nonsense about being friends and coworkers and what not, but Athrun suspected there was definitely something more. He warned the blonde, reminding him of attorney-client privileges.

"I know, I know! Why does everyone think I'll leak information out?"

He dismissed the senior partner with a nod as the elevator reached the 18th floor, and made way for his office when Heine decided to grace him with his presence.

"Luna says you have a call from the hospital's lawyer." A groan was uttered before he could stop himself.

"It's not even 9 yet," he muttered under his breath, giving the orange-haired lawyer a nod of thanks as he quickened the pace towards his office.

"Athrun Zala speaking," he answered, opening up his laptop as he sat down.

"Mr. Zala, my name is Andrew Waltfield and I am representing Hibiki Hospitals," a deep voice returned, and Athrun raised an eyebrow, knowing that the other lawyer could not see him. Waltfield and Ramius was one of the larger firms in Orb, a rival of sorts to Zala Law. He knew Murrue from his university days, but was not acquainted with Waltfield at all.

"Good morning, Mr. Waltfield. I'm assuming you have a message for me?" Tapping impatiently on his keyboard, he inhaled anxiously, wondering what to expect.

"I would like to inform you that my client, Hibiki Hospital, will not be settling. We will participate as needed but we will not be paying the 21 million the Mackenzies have asked for. We are undergoing our own investigations and will proceed to court."

Athrun withheld his sigh, his brow creasing in frustration. "Then I suppose I will see you soon, Mr. Waltfield."

"That you will, m'boy. I'll be in touch. Have yourself a good one." Frowning at the older man's implication that he was a mere child, he let the call end itself.

Staring at his laptop background blankly, he let the news sink in, letting the fact that he would have to see her again and again for the next few months – perhaps even years – make itself at home in his mind.

Could he handle it? Seven years was a long time, enough for him to give romance another try. He clenched his fist unknowingly, the thought of having to fight against her numbing the physical pain.

Almost as if possessed, he suddenly reached for the phone again, and was dialing a number he knew by heart, but had left untouched for over five years. The dialing tone seemed to go on forever, until finally…

"Hello?"

He let the voice wash over him, his eyes closing for just a moment.

"Cagalli, it's me."

There was a soft intake of breath before her hesitance. "Athrun. Are you even allowed to talk to me?"

"I'm not calling to talk about work." He could not stop himself, did not want to stop and think about what he was doing, for then he would never do what he truly needed – or was it wanted? – to do.

"What are you calling about, then?" She asked, her voice welcoming yet cautious.

"Will you join me for lunch sometime this week?" He rushed on to talk over her forming protests. "All on your terms. Purely business, or simply as friends. It's your call."

Let me just say, I have absolutely no idea how lawyers or researchers do their thing. Anything I say here is likely unrealistic and so please bear with me. 21 million is a hefty price indeed though, but something a well-doing hospital can shell out.

Sorry for the rambling and frankly boring chapter. The action will (hopefully) pick up next chapter...

I realized that my writing style kind of shifts between the chapters I wrote last year and the ones I've worked on recently… sorry about that, guys. "orz I don't even remember where I had planned to take this fic originally (I didn't really give myself any clues as I just wrote on whim) but rest assured, I have things sorted out now, though they're probably a tad different than what I intended when I wrote chapter one.

Thanks for all the reviews, by the way, I would answer them but I also worry I might give things away because I get too excited and tend to ramble… I'll keep the mysteries to myself, but I really do appreciate all your comments! Let me know what you think of this chapter?

Thanks for reading! Take care. :D

Lavellia.