I guess this is a bit of a appeasement for the previous hiatus (although I'm not sure if the negative effects from it had worn off yet), and also to "tribute" asking people to be patient, because I have absolutely no idea how long the next absent period will be. (Especially since I decided to take a few extra classes during summer, and also take prep-classes for a certain test...I won't say which...it's up to you to guess...lol)
I wanted to ask something, but I think I'll ask it after the chapter is done. Enjoy! XD
Ch. 31: But A Dream
"So Arabella really said that?" Cagalli asked, just to make sure.
Athrun nodded, "That's what Yzak said."
The two of them sighed as they continued walking past the numerous corridors. They had less than one week. Hopefully they could change Arabella's mind by then. But as of now, their chances were very slim. She seemed determined to stand by her position, more so than any of them had ever anticipated. Also, no one in the group could come up with a plan.
"You know, I wonder if the others even want to stay!" Cagalli yelled, frustrated, "They're not even trying. In fact, I haven't seen Dearka and Miriallia since yesterday."
"I'm sure they want to stay," Athrun attempted to reason with her, "maybe the two of them are coming up with their own plans."
"They better be," Cagalli murmured, although calming down a bit.
"And Kira and Lacus deserve a day off," Athrun pointed out.
Cagalli sighed. Athrun was right about that. It was Lacus's birthday after all. In fact, they had a hard time convincing the two of them to go and enjoy themselves. Cagalli had to practically toss Kira out the door in order to make it clear that the rest of the group would be fine without them. And in one sense, maybe it was a good thing they went. If they had to leave, they might as well make most of their time. But Cagalli wasn't a quitter. She would try to convince Arabella no matter what, and with Athrun supporting her, she would always be confident.
"So, think up anything yet?" Cagalli asked, smiling.
"Well...actually...not really..." Athrun grinned sheepishly. He took a couple steps back, hoping to avoid Cagalli's wrath. Fortunately for him, Cagalli merely sweat-dropped.
"So much for support," Cagalli thought, annoyed. Then again, she couldn't get mad at him too much, since she had a hard time coming up with a plan as well.
"Hey, there's Miriallia," Athrun pointed, breaking Cagalli away from her thoughts. Sure enough, Miriallia stood at the other end of the passageway, waving at them.
"Where have you been all this time?" Cagalli asked, curious.
"I've been...away..." Miriallia replied, as if to dodge the question.
Cagalli raised an eyebrow, as Athrun tilted his head and started analyzing the situation. Neither of them was buying it. Miriallia was trying to hide something, and at this point, the two of them didn't want another secret to be added to their list.
"Is there something you're not telling us?" Cagalli asked bluntly.
"No...I don't know what you're talking about..." Miriallia stammered.
"Why are you stepping away then?" Athrun added.
"Well...that's..."
"She's stepping away from me, not you two."
Athrun and Cagalli turned around, to find a downcast Dearka. As if on cue, Miriallia moved behind Cagalli, trying to hide from Dearka's gaze.
"All right, what happened between you two?" Cagalli demanded, annoyed at the way the two were acting.
Dearka shook his head. "It's just...I was being stupid. I'm sorry..." Although he was answering Cagalli's question, he responded towards Miriallia, hoping that she would at least stop avoiding him. He had been disappointed that Miriallia still wasn't ready to accept him, but he was willing to sacrifice that if he could at least stay near her in exchange. Dearka knew he was killing himself in the process, but he had no other choice.
"How long are you two going to play this game?" Athrun interrupted, startling everyone.
"What...what do you mean?" Miriallia stammered. Yet realization hit her at the same time. Yes, the two of them were playing a game, denying the obvious, as she continued dodging Dearka's advances. Cat and mouse. There would eventually be a time when they couldn't do this anymore. But neither wanted to admit that. And recently, she didn't know what she felt. She wasn't ready to be with him, but she didn't want him to disappear from her life either. Miriallia knew she was being selfish with that thought, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn't choose.
"You two still haven't answered my question," Athrun stated, breaking Dearka and Miriallia from their individual thoughts. Seeing that neither of them was willing to answer, he sighed, resolved. "I think it's time we end this..."
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
A loud scream came from one of the corridors, causing Athrun to stop in mid-sentence. Lucia's corridor. Everyone in the group stared at each other, wondering what was going on.
"What are we doing standing here? Let's go and see what's going on!" Cagalli remarked, dragging Athrun. Dearka and Miriallia followed suit, the tension between them forgotten for now.
They half expected to find an unconscious body sprawled on the floor. To their amusement however, an irritated Yzak and an embarrassed Ray greeted them instead.
"Um...hi everyone," Ray grinned nervously, "I'm sorry I caused such a commotion..."
"What did you do Yzak?" Cagalli glared, seeing the smug look on Yzak's face.
"Why do you assume that I had anything to do with this?" Yzak retorted, rolling his eyes. "I just happened to pass by when I heard the scream. Then the idiot over there proceeded to knock me over." He gestured towards Ray, as if to emphasize his point.
"You expect me to believe that?" Cagalli raised an eyebrow.
"No...no, Yzak's right," Ray stepped in, surprising everyone. Did Ray just defend Yzak?
"Well...if you say so Ray," Cagalli gave in, caught off-guard. The group looked relieved, having been saved from a possible Cagalli-Yzak argument. Having two people with short tempers at each others' throats was not a good idea.
Yzak on the other hand, continued to glare at Ray. He didn't need the idiot's help! Besides, he knew his rival had an ulterior motive, and seeing how everyone else seemed concerned towards Ray proved that. Ray could fool others, but not him. One of these days, he would find out just what the schemer was up to.
That reminded him. He needed to find a way to change Arabella's mind. It frustrated him just how stubborn she was. They both knew this was ridiculous, and yet she continued to hold onto her decision. Did she not realize that they were all too involved in the situation to just back down and pretend as if nothing had happened?
"So what exactly happened?" Athrun asked, bringing everyone's attention back to the conversation.
"Well, the good news is that Lucia gave up scratching. The bad news is, she decided to start biting instead." Ray answered, while rolling up his right arm sleeve. Ugly teeth marks were all over his arm, a few of them bad enough to bleed.
"Ouch! That must have hurt!"
"I can't believe she did this to you!"
"And you're just standing here?"
"It's not as bad as it looks," Ray tried to assure them, but they weren't convinced. Cagalli, Miriallia, and Dearka continued to worry, whereas Yzak and Athrun looked on suspiciously.
"Not bad? Don't be ridiculous." Cagalli remarked, attempting to drag Ray somewhere. "Where's the doctor in this place? Do we have to make a house call?"
"Actually, doctors visit this place frequently," Ray answered, "but..."
"Oh good, it's all settled then," Miriallia added agreeing with Cagalli.
"But I don't like seeing them." Ray stated firmly, suddenly getting serious.
Cagalli blinked once, caught off-guard by his sudden seriousness. However, she composed herself again. "Well too bad. I'm going to make sure you get those wounds taken care of. Do you want to be added to Arabella's worries? It's bad enough Elise disappeared."
Ray was about to protest, but hearing the last two parts, he stayed silent, and resigned to have Cagalli continue dragging him. The others followed, not having much else to do. However, Athrun and Yzak trailed behind.
"Zala, is it just me or is there something odd about this?" Yzak asked in a low voice, making sure the others couldn't hear.
Athrun nodded. Yes, something wasn't right. It wasn't necessarily the fact that Ray didn't want to see the doctors. He knew there were people that didn't quite trust letting others, especially strangers, take care of them. There were also some, especially during wartime, that didn't want others to see their wounds, whether it be external or internal. In fact, such a person was walking right next to him. Although at the time Yzak couldn't hide his face scar because it was too deep, not to mention, placed in the most obvious of places, he still managed to keep others from seeing other wounds; wounds he continued to carry, the ones that would take longer to heal. Athrun himself had a few of those to deal with as well.
So what was odd about Ray then? It was subtle, yet obvious when perceived in the right way. Ray didn't want anyone to treat him. Yet he voluntarily showed the nasty marks to the group. Why did he do that?
"I'm assuming that you agree," Yzak remarked, causing Athrun to pay attention to him again. "I don't know what it is, but I can't trust the idiot."
Athrun had to stop himself from smirking. Oh, he knew why Yzak was hostile towards Ray. He was hoping Yzak would finally go about admitting the real reason, but apparently the former Duel pilot was too stubborn for his own good. Still, Yzak had a point. Athrun didn't know what to think about Ray. It wasn't as if he were bipolar...no, it wasn't as obvious as that. But there was something about him that kept Athrun wondering whether he was friend or foe.
"Could you stop drifting off and have a conversation with me?" Yzak growled, obviously annoyed.
"Oh, sorry about that," Athrun apologized although knowing that Yzak could care less about it. Then a thought flew fast his mind, causing him to stare incredulously at Yzak. "Wait a minute, did you just say that you wanted to have a conversation with me?"
"Kira, this is beautiful!"
Lacus continued to stare at the scene in awe, as Kira smiled. He knew she would like it. At first he had been hesitant to listen to Ray's suggestion, but after doing some research, he became convinced. Hopefully he wouldn't do anything stupid and ruin the day.
Indeed, the place was beautiful. A tranquil lake lay in front of them, with waters pure enough for them to see the grains of sand and the aquatic plants at the bottom. Trees and flowers of all sorts surrounded the area, secluding the place from troublesome outside interference. Not to mention, no one else was present at the moment.
"So what are we going to do here?" Lacus asked, curious.
Smiling once again, Kira led her to a small boat, one just big enough to seat two people. "We're going to row around the lake in this."
Lacus looked at him, surprised, "You know how to row?"
Kira looked away, embarrassed. "Well...yes..." In truth, he never tried it on water. But he wasn't going to tell her that. Besides, if he could pilot a gundam, would rowing be that hard?
"I'll believe you," Lacus replied, although the look on her face showed that she wasn't completely convinced. However, she proceeded to sit on the boat, and waited for Kira.
Kira took a deep breathe, praying that he wouldn't make a fool out of himself. In fact, he was near panic mode, and had to use every bit of willpower to keep from showing it. Lacus deserved a great birthday, and he wasn't going to ruin it.
They cast off, and Kira started to row slowly. He knew he probably wasn't doing it right, but at least they were moving. Besides, as long as Lacus didn't know...wait, did she? Kira searched her face for any signs, and almost sighed in relief when he confirmed that she didn't know.
"Kira look!" Lacus suddenly pointed, almost making him drop an oar in surprise. A turtle was swimming past them. He sweat-dropped. A turtle swam past them. How slow were they moving?
"And there's fish over there..." Lacus pointed to the other side, and sure enough, an assortment of brilliant fishes swam back and forth playfully.
The two continued this, with Kira struggling to row, and Lacus pointing at the wildlife. Eventually Kira got used to it, and the rowing became more natural. He couldn't help but laugh at Lacus's antics. Who knew aquatic life could get her so excited? It was odd, and yet Kira didn't mind much, as long as she was enjoying herself. In fact, he was relaxing as well, the peaceful setting providing a dream-like quality.
A melody started playing in his head. He didn't know much about it, except that it used to be a famous song from a foreign country. Row, row, row your boat...
He never understood why the song was so catchy, but as he continued to row across the lake, it started to make sense to him. Merrily, it said. But the last part stuck to him the most. Life is but a dream.
Indeed, in this worry-free, serene lake, life really was a dream. There were no battles, no one pressuring them to act a certain way, but just the two of them, providing a time for them to just be...well...ordinary people. Yes, this was a dream. The life that they lived would never give them this leisure. Well then, let them dream a bit longer.
Soon, the two of them were at the middle of the lake. They stayed there for awhile, looking up at the sky, enjoying the moment.
"No matter how advanced we get, we can never replicate this," Lacus remarked.
Kira agreed. A lot had happened during the war, exposing him to the real world. However, nothing had inspired more awe in him than his first encounter with earth's vast, deep oceans. There was a reason why the earth was called the "blue planet".
"I...I know this sounds impossible," Kira stammered, surprised that he had the courage to suggest this, "but after everything's in order, the peace treaties settled, maybe we could disappear...live somewhere near the ocean..." He stopped, not knowing how Lacus would respond.
Lacus stayed silent, and continued to look at the sky. After a few tense seconds, she smiled back. "I would like that."
Arabella paced back and forth across her room. That's all she seemed to be doing these days. A part of her screamed at her for becoming so weak and irrational, yet she fell deeper and deeper into the trap. But everything around her seemed to distort her already confused mind. There were so many questions that she couldn't answer. Why was Elise kidnapped? Yes, others might think she just disappeared, but Arabella knew that wasn't the case. The clues she had gave her that much.
It had to do with the underground secrets. But exactly what? There were so many things down there that it was hard to pinpoint just what the enemy was aiming for. It also depended on who the enemy was. Blue Cosmos? A radical faction of ZAFT? Purists? Her gut feeling told her it might have something to do with the latter, but with her supposed future father-in-law's death, it was no longer so clear cut. She regretted not monitoring the situation more closely. For all she knew, this was a conspiracy, and all the major groups were in it together. As ridiculous as that sounded, she had to consider every possibility.
Sighing, she returned to her desk, trying to figure out the situation. She ignored the fact that the others were probably worried about her, and were most likely trying to scheme a way out of having to leave. It wouldn't happen. Certainly, she already missed them dearly, but it didn't cloud her judgment enough to let them stay. From here on, it would get dangerous. Not only did she fear for their personal safety, but also the implications that would be brought forth if something were to happen. Politics was never something to agitate.
But Yzak's words haunted her. What if she couldn't take care of this problem herself? No doubt the crisis would escalate.
She feared for them all.
"I had such a great time today, Kira." Lacus thanked him as they excited the quaint yet surprisingly tasteful French restaurant in complete bliss. Kira blushed at the compliment, not knowing what to say. One thing he knew for certain though...he was going to thank Ray profusely. At the back of the mind though, he wondered how Ray knew all these places. Wonderful lake...amazing French restaurant...eccentric antique shop...Not that he knew Ray well, but none of those seemed like places that Ray would frequent often. Maybe he didn't want to know. Kira would leave it at that.
"And thank you for the turtle clock," Lacus added, lifting her bag for emphasis.
Kira tried not to laugh. He still couldn't believe Lacus wanted the thing. There were so many items at the antique shop and yet she chose that. "It reminds me so much of the turtle at the lake," she had commented. Although he didn't want to be reminded that the turtle out-paddled him, since Lacus wanted the clock so much, he purchased it without hesitation. Besides, she probably needed some other object to fawn over since her haro was...well...
Ever since the incident that the skating rink, Lacus's "Pink-chan" malfunctioned, becoming even more hyper than before, trying even Lacus's infinite patience. So Athrun shut it down until he could get the right parts to fix it. With the chaos that had been going on, he never had the chance.
"I wonder how the others are doing. Even though they told us to leave, I still feel guilty about it," Lacus remarked.
"Well, Cagalli did toss me out the door," Kira chuckled at the memory, "but I can't help but worry too."
Lacus sighed, "I do hope everything turns out well."
Kira looked away, not knowing what to say. They continued walking, past stores and alleys...His eyes widened, spotting something.
"Kira what is it?" Lacus asked, noticing his demeanor.
Kira ran towards the object, with Lacus following right behind. Both gasped in realization, yet with disbelief.
"Is...is that really..."
"I think it is..."
The familiar silver ribbon Elise had worn when they first met hung limply on a rusted ladder, with an ominous note attached at the end.
Done...
Blah...I don't know...this chapter seemed...odd...and with my hiatus effect still not wore off, it's even odder...hopefully I didn't completely ruin the story...
Oh, the question that I wanted to ask before...I was wondering whether people would find it weird if I replied to the reviews. Some of the reviews I really want to say something back, yet I feel a bit awkward since it's no longer just responding before a chapter, but messaging. So let me know. XD
Next chapter:
By the bargaining tool found by Kira and Lacus, the group is allowed to stay. (maybe I shouldn't have told you this...lol)
Miriallia and Dearka in danger?
Lacus and Ray talking...what does Ray mean by that?
Kira and Yzak awkardness...lol
What's this? Yzak finally getting his package?
Hopefully what sounded decent for the next chapter.
And as always, thanks for reading! XD