I. Dried bones… Shattered Spirit

" I came here to… say goodbye…" Cagalli looked away from Athrun.

Athrun, who was also feeling the same emotion, remained quiet. He just stared at the transparentwall that displays the outside view of Earth. This was the same place where they had their first kiss.

"You… you're the only person that I have loved…this way…" she said to him.

" Please, don't make this hard for both of us," Athrun told her with sad eyes.

"Be happy…move on…"

Then she removed their promise ring. She handed it over to Athrun.

" There's still a lot of work to do," she continued.

" For both of us, this will just become a memory…" Athrun said with his eyes on her.

They sounded as if they have no regrets overthis decision.

But Athrun couldn't hide his emotions. He couldn't avoid the tears as they fell.

After handing over their ring, Cagalli turned and started to walk away.

"Wait!" Athrun called out to her.

She stopped.

" Please, tell me that you don't…" Athrun caught his breath. He doesn't want to continue those painful words.

Cagalli understood. She said what he wanted to hear.

"I don't feel that way anymore," Cagalli lied.

"Then look at me in the eye. Say it to me." Athrun demanded.

Cagalli turned and met his eyes.

His were drenched with salty water. Hers were stoned.

" I don't love you anymore."

She continued to move away. But he caught her as she did. He pulled her towards him, and locked his arms around her in a fierce embrace. She refused to touch him. She remained still.

Eternity has passed. Athrun let her loose.

She tipped her toes and reached out for his forehead.

She gave him a kiss. Their last kiss…

Then she walked away.

A week later…

Kira was talking with Lacus. He was staying with Cagalli in the Athha's mansion.

Lacus was speaking to him through an on-line space communicator. She already returned to PLANTs and is currently one of the members of the Supreme Council.

" So…Athrun's left. How's lady Cagalli?" Her face was filled with sorrow. Kira noticed it.

" I rarely spoke to her these past few days. She's been very preoccupied…or she's deliberately making herself busy." Kira replied.

" Go check on her. I have a feeling she's not taking this lightly."

Kira, who shares the same opinion as Lacus, went to Cagalli's office.

It's almost midnight and the room's lights were still turned on.

He knew she was there, burying herself to forget.

"Cagalli. May I come in?" he asked as he knocked.

When no one answered, he opened the door and went inside.

Her seat was empty. He searched for her around the room. She's not there.

He looked at her table.

Her coffee was already cold, and the cup was half-empty.

The sheets of documents were scattered on the desk.

Her cell phone was there.

Then he went to the restroom to check.

He was beginning to feel worried.

He opened the door and searched around to switch the lights on.

As he moves forward, he stumbled across something.

"Cagalli!" he exclaimed as her body unfolds itself in front of him.

He was running. He couldn't remember what happened after. Everything was unclear.

She was in the stretcher and Kira was talking to her as he runs together with the doctor towards the Intensive Care Unit.

"Don't you dare leave me…" he warned as the tears overflow.

But she couldn't hear him. Her eyes were tightly shut...as if she never want to open them.

"Please, sir. You can't stay inside," the doctor explained.

Kira backed away. He leaned on the wall and closed his eyes.

His cell phone rang. It was Lacus.

"I'm on my way. How is she?"

"I don't know… I don't know," Kira's voice was weak.

"What did you see in the restroom?" Lacus asked.

"Some pills… " Kira said as he tries to recall.

" She was cold. Damn it!" He was cursing himself for not going to her, a little earlier. After what happened, he felt so useless.

He remembered trying to awaken her.

But her body was too limp. Her dressing robe was on loose.

He turned the lights on and saw a piece of broken glass beside her. The pills were also scattered. It's like she has suffered from some terrible pain.

"Kira… I'm with… Athrun. I told him everything. You want to talk to him?"

"NO." He said bluntly.

This is my the first chapter of my third fic. The next chapter will take a little while cause I'm going "on-leave" … bye for now...

-Crookedsmile.