Hers was the most common household name in the country. His was a name that was almost forgotten.

It was a wonder that their paths intersected, even if briefly.

The Start

She had blond hair and golden eyes. She wore her hair too short and spoke too crudely for her position. Yet she was loved by everyone everywhere. Maybe she was loved because she was so genuine despite her roots. She was lightning – ostentatious, charged, untameable and hard to miss.

"Princess!" she heard her governess shriek, "Why aren't you dressed!?"

Cagalli looked up at the stern expression on the overdone face of her keeper. "Dressed for what?" She asked casually, returning her attention to the puzzle before her.

The twiggy woman scowled at twenty year old outstretched on the floor before her. "For the dinner to celebrate the union of-"

"Oh, that." Cagalli interrupted, uninterested in the event.

"Oh, that?" The governess tried to remain calm, but anger was spilling into her voice. "Please, princess, you must get ready immediately. You leave in half an hour."

"Yeah, yeah." Cagalli yawned, placing another piece on the puzzle.

"Kaori, Ana!" The old woman screeched her loudest. Immediately, two girls, not much older than Cagalli, rushed into the room. "Please, make sure the princess is ready in the next 20 minutes." She said storming out of the room.

The two girls giggled as Cagalli reenacted the old woman's sharp facial expressions behind her back. "Nothing too fancy girls. Please, just this once." To this her helpers looked apologetic. "They've already picked out my dress haven't they?" Cagalli sighed, pushing herself off the floor.

"Yes, princess." They replied in unison.

"Okay, okay, I won't be difficult," Cagalli ran her fingers through her hair, pushing her bangs back. "Lay it on me girls."

With this, the two girls pulled the large doors to the room close and locked it. Kaori fetched the dress from the closet while Ana set out all the needed jewelry and make up. Cagalli reluctantly undressed. She hated dresses and jewelry and heels and shimmering make up. She would rather sit in her room all day and put together jigsaw puzzles. If she could, she would run around outside and play like she didn't get to as a child. But she was princess, so she would live the life most girls her age dreamed of. She got to play dress up and drive around in limousines and go to dinner parties and meet good-looking boys... men. She wanted to trade lives.

When the girls were done with her, she was in a long white dress holding the long feathery train in one hand and a crystal studded clutch in the other. Her jewelry was simple yet expensive. Her make up was the only subtle thing about her, but drew the attention to her eyes which were pools of pure molten gold. She never looked subtle but was rarely overdone. She was always the perfect amount of dramatic to keep her the center of attention. Her hair was left down today, instead of pinned up in an elaborate bouquet of braids and curls. A simple barrette of pearls held back her bangs. She stared at herself in the mirror and wondered what it was about her that attracted the royal family enough to adopt her as their only child. She was average through and through - unworthy of being some so important as the crown princess. Her father told her she'd understand someday, but that day had yet to come. So, every morning when she woke and every night before she slept she would remind herself of how average she was and that she was here only by chance.

She arrived at the dinner on time, the crowd turning to gape at her and pay their respects. She shook hands with some of the most important people in the world. She smiled and curtsied politely, radiating the elegance that everyone expected of her. Occasionally, she'd giggle with a blush on her cheeks because of some innocent mistake she made. Princesses didn't make mistakes, but she constantly did.

Cagalli managed to get away from the crowd and settle into a shadowy corner of the majestic entrance. She was thankful for the pianist's skill which had snared the crowd's undivided attention. She listened to the pleasant melody thinking about how many mistakes she had made over the years which were unfitting of a princess.

To her, in this moment, her entire life seemed like a mistake. She wasn't very popular at the orphanage because she had a very simple, naive perspective. After her father adopted her, she'd felt important and loved for a few weeks that she called the assimilation period. Once those weeks had passed, the expectations of the crown princess were put on her. She remembered wondering if the world was as heavy as these expectations. Today, she smiled, knowing that the world was much heavier. But when she was six and a half, the world seemed a lot lighter in comparison.

Her memory brought back times when she'd disappointed people. These memories were both distant and recent. They overwhelmed her, as they usually did. Her head hurt from wondering why it as her that ended up living this elaborate life. This happened often; an alarm went off in her head prompting her to run. Alas, she'd always be in the middle of a sea of people under the watchful eye of her bodyguards or the confines of the palace walls. Except today, when she was off in the shadows of the Victorian drapery adorning the grand entrance with everyone's attention on the elegant movement and music of the pianist.

She turned and ran, her heels making no sound against the red carpet. She rushed down the stairs, the feathery train fluttering behind her. She had a desperately hopeful look on her face. When she reached the last step, she decided on a direction and continued her run. Her heels now made a soft sound against the cemented walkway beneath her feet, but it was lost in the noise of traffic rushing by.

She abruptly stepped onto the street in an attempt to jaywalk. A taxi screeched to a halt by her feet. She flung open the rear door and hurriedly took a seat, pulling the rest of her gown into the vehicle. "Drive," she commanded - requested earnestly. The screen separating the driver from the passengers had a dark tint, but the driver knew the urgency of the situation without having to look at her face. He would hear it in her voice.

Her breathing was heavy and her eyes wide. She couldn't believe she'd just run away from her tightly secured and sheltered life. Her hands trembled, tightly clutching the silky fabric of her dress. She tried to smile despite her quick, shallow breathing. It dawned on her that she had nowhere to go, yet the driver was driving with a destination in mind.

"Are you okay?" She was startled by the voice beside her and shifted toward the door. To her right was a man, a boy around her age. He had blue hair, which was due for a haircut, hidden under a beret. His green eyes looked at her curiously. She'd never seen anything like them before. It was the green of her emerald necklace - a vibrant colour which she thought couldn't be replicated. Yet, here sat this boy, peering at her with eyes the very colour of the stones on that necklace. She liked his eyes, but couldn't exactly place why.

"I'm fine," She managed to stutter in response. Her breathing was stabilizing and she sealed her lips, not wanting to look too surprised.

"I knew people in this city shared taxi's, but I did not know that it was such an abrupt process." He said, putting his hand on the screen to pull it back. "Where are you headed? I'll let the driver know."

Her hand shot up to stop his from sliding the screen. "Don't." She said, an urgency to her voice.

"Okay," He took his hand off the window, not wanting to panic the blond anymore than she already was. "I'm heading past the village by the cliffs. I'm sure you want to get off somewhere in the city." He did not name the village, thinking a small place like his home would not be known to a fancy city girl like her.

"I'm heading there too!" She beamed at him. She was surprised that he hadn't recognized her yet. "Lucky! What a coincidence."

"Okay..." The boy looked a little skeptical of the claim, but did not pursue the matter. Her ruby red lips were twisting nervously and questioning her would only lead this bizarre situation in the wrong direction.

The remaining hour long cab ride was silent. He paid the cab fare in full with no objections from his travel companion. She seemed to hide from the driver as he drove off. Could she be any stranger?

"This is main street." He informed her. "This is probably the downtown section of the village. Its a farming village so the population isn't very large."

"It's so much smaller than I imagined!" The blond seemed excited by the view of the town. "I can see stars!" She gaped at the twinkling sky. He thought maybe she'd never seen stars like these before. City folk often only saw stars in planetariums.

"I'm headed this way," He pointed towards a small dirt road leading into the darkness. "Will you be all right from here?"

"I'm actually going that way too," She said, walking in the direction of his extended finger. Had she turned around to look at him, she'd have seen the surprised look on his face. He said nothing and followed her. She kept on the narrow dirt path, struggling to walk steadily in her heels.

The walk was long and her feet hurt in the shoes, but she did not complain. In what seemed like half the time of the drive into the village she reached a small house. In the moonlight she could see the right wing of the house was the base of a small lighthouse. There was a bright light revolving at the top of the small tower, as it did in the countless movies she watched. She stopped by the porch steps and turned to see if the boy was still around.

"Why are you running away?" He asked her seriously. The smile drained from her eyes and she looked cornered. Had he discovered her identity? If that was the case, she'd have to run and hope that he wouldn't chase her. She knew she could not outrun him in her golden party shoes.

Her silence prompted another question, "Who are you?"

Her eyes shot up from the grass to meet his beautiful eyes. "What do you do?" He asked.

She look at him, completely baffled. Was she getting a chance to start over and live the life she's always wanted? "Do you have anywhere to go?" He was looking at her patiently, waiting for her to respond in any way.

"I am a pianist," she lied, "and I'm running away because somewhere along the line my love for playing the piano was turned into a greedy money making endeavor. I like to play honest music and pour my feelings into it, not wear flashy gowns and bright lipstick and entertain people who only pretend to understand the beauty of the piano's sound."

She looked at him, wondering if he believed her. If he didn't, he hid it well. "...I don't have anywhere to go." She answered the final question, waiting for him to say something.

He stared at her intently for a few minutes before saying, "My house isn't big enough for two people, but I do have a piano that no one has touched in years if you want to stay."

His heart skipped a beat at the sudden illumination in her eyes. They sparkled like the ocean in sunlight, holding a warm amber colour. She had a distinct beauty to her which matched her strange personality. He absently wondered what kind of sound her piano would create.

Without another word, he opened the door to his house. He didn't use a key; instead he just pushed open the door to reveal a cozy living room. There were two adjoining rooms - a kitchen and a bedroom. The bathroom was accessible only from the bedroom. For a boy, he kept his house neat and clean. There were no dishes in the sink and all the shoes were neatly arranged at the entrance.

"The door is never locked, so you don't need to worry about keys." He reminded her, in case she didn't notice. "You can have the bedroom. Just grab one of my shirts to sleep in since I'm sure you don't want to sleep in that dress." He led her to the bedroom, where she found the bed laid and the blankets neatly folded by the foot of the bed. The piano was between the far side of the bed and the large window onlooking the water at the foot of the cliffs. The piano did not have any dust on it, but looked unused as the boy had mentioned earlier.

"Thank you," she said, not wanting to reject his hospitality. The bed was much smaller than the one she was used to. But she'd slept in tighter, harder places at the orphanage. She would get accustomed to this life soon, and would bear with the discomfort of the change till then. The discomfort of such a lack luster life was a small price to pay for her freedom.

"You can stay here as long as you like." The boy smiled. It was the first time she'd seen him smile. It was gentle and sincere, unlike the smiles of the palace employees. "I'll tell you the rest tomorrow. You must be tired. Get some sleep."

He turned to leave when she held him back with her voice, "Wait a minute!" He turned to face her, an inquisitive look on his face. "What is your name?" She asked, ashamed that she had spent two hours with this kind boy and still had no name to remember him by.

He smiled at her again. "Athrun."

"I'm Cagalli!" She said, refraining from habitually saying her full name.

"That's a very pretty name, Cagalli." Athrun's voice was warm and welcoming.

"Thank you," she said politely, shyly, "Good night."

"Good night." He turned out the lights before he left.

This was how they met, brought together by chance. Tonight, neither would truly understand the significance of the impact they would have in each other's lives. Tonight, they slept in separate rooms thinking about emerald green eyes and lively piano tunes.

Andhera's Note

I need to stop watching perfume commercials. They inspire me to write a bit much. This was inspired by the commercial of one of my favorite perfumes. While the commercial itself was slightly scandalous, it made me want to write a pure, innocent love story. This story should deal with the simplicity of summer love and first love.

Of course, when I thought about what characters to write into this fleeting plot, I chose Athrun and Cagalli. I can't seem to stay away from this fandom.

Thank you for reading. I appreciate feedback.