Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED/ Destiny

Wherever I Go

~Wherever I go, I know that you'll always find me and wherever you go, I know that I'll always find you.~

It was a rare occasion.

Of course it was. Cagalli Yula Athha sat there on the trimmed grass, her knees folded closely to her bent body, her arms around them.

It was one of those special days when she didn't have much work to do. Don't get her wrong, she loves working for her country but sometimes, the workload gets too much and her shoulders have a limit to the burdens she could only carry.

And added to that, she was wearing a dress.

Yes, people, Cagalli Yula Athha was actually wearing a dress, by her own will.

I told you this was a rare occasion, didn't I?

Cagalli stared at the scenery before her. It was sunset and she gazed at the round peach going down slowly, disappearing into the depths of the sea. She tilted her head as a breeze blew her way.

She sighed.

It had been two months since the war ended. She had already signed the treaties and all and with Lacus as mediator, it's possible we wouldn't see war in a very long time. If we're lucky, we wouldn't see war ever at all.

Everything had actually gone back to normal in Cagalli's life. Or at least, there weren't any hostilities present in her relationships…well, maybe except one.

But this one's an exception.

She swallowed as tears welled up. What did she do to herself?

She closed her eyes and memories suddenly flooded through her.

"First decide, and then just do it."

"Sometimes we choose the wrong path and we never get to where we wanted to go."

"There's still time to set things right."

"But power is necessary…there will always be conflict."

"The only way to decide the winner of war is to kill all your enemies, is it not?"

"What do you intend to protect with just your feelings?"

"This nation isn't your play thing! Would you stop making decisions based on how you feel?"

"Are you willing to see this nation in flames again, like Lord Uzumi?"

"I wish people who didn't understand stuff wouldn't talk about things as if they did."

"One guy takes a life for vengeance and someone gets revenge by taking his life, how is that kind of twisting thinking ever going to give us peace?"

"I know why you did it. But some things are unforgivable, even for me."

"I feel very fortunate to have been your father."

"I'm pretty lucky to have met you."

"The hardest battle is to keep living."

"What we can do, what we want to do and what we've got to do…it's the same for everyone. For you, for Kira, for Lacus and for me too."

"I wish you a long and happy life."

"You're going to get a cold if you're going to stay like that all night."

Cagalli's head snapped up but she did not turn her head around. It was already dark. In the duration that Cagalli's eyes were closed, the skies turned to a beautiful shade of midnight amethyst with stars appearing and shining ever so often.

That voice…god, that voice…how she missed it so much.

She swallowed again.

Athrun stood there, his hands in his pockets and he looked at Cagalli rather wistfully with breezes blowing at his face.

It was cold.

"You're going to get a cold if you're going to stay like that all night," He said on impulse. Maybe he was worried she'll get sick or maybe it was out of habit?

After all, he had told her that line so many times before.

He saw her head snap up, her body tensed and he could hear a faint 'gulp' from her. She didn't look back, though.

He sighed and walked to her side. He sat down beside her calmly and swiftly in just one move.

She still didn't look at him.

"Athrun…" She finally said in a voice above a whisper.

"Hi, Cagalli," he greeted lamely.

There was an unnerving silence.

"What…what are you doing here?" She finally asked.

"I don't know either," Athrun admitted. "I guess it just felt right to come here…it felt like home."

"The Athha Manor is home?" Cagalli said incredulously, still not looking at him.

"I've called this place my home ever since you told me to fight for my life," He told her. "But the Athha Manor isn't exactly home either…home is…"

"Don't, Athrun," She pleaded softly.

"Home is where you are," He finished.

Cagalli bowed her head, trying hard not to look at him. Again, the silence of the evening enveloped them.

"Cagalli…"

It was just one word.

It was just one word and yet the way he said it, it was full of meaning. It was just one word and yet it was as if the sole word carried all his emotions to her, telling her what he feels.

That word said it all.

Pathetic, isn't it?

Cagalli finally dared to look at him.

"Why..." She trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Everything is so complicated," Athrun whispered, his voice loud enough to only let Cagalli hear. "Why is that?" He directed his last statement more to himself.

"Well," Cagalli rocked her body a little. "When has something been not complicated?"

"You're right," Athrun laughed without humor.

"But some people make it look so easy," Cagalli mused. "It's as if nothing's complicated."

"People like Kira and Lacus?" Cagalli might not have been on that particular subject but Athrun had already known that she was thinking about relationships- their love life, to be specific.

Cagalli remained quiet, turning her head to face the moon once again.

"You know," Athrun continued. "I don't think we worked this hard for nothing."

"Nothing?" Cagalli echoed. "This world is at peace…or at least for now, it is."

"Yeah," Athrun agreed. "We did all the work, all the sacrifices and the rest of the world benefits while we get all the pain."

"Don't say that," Cagalli's voice was cracking. "We benefit as much as the others."

"Do we really?" Athrun asked, even though he's usually not like this. Sometimes, people get tired, even the noblest ones. "And people say I'm the noble one."

"Well, it's true," Cagalli said. "You are noble."

"Maybe we deserved this," Athrun laughed a little, shaking his head. "After all, how many people have we killed?"

Cagalli smiled a bit, laughing at herself, it seemed. "Karma."

"I always thought that…" Cagalli continued.

"You always thought what?" Athrun faced her.

Cagalli smiled wistfully, "No, no, it's nothing."

Athrun knew something was troubling her but if she didn't want to talk about it, he didn't press on the matter any further. He knew that much.

"Do you think it's still possible?" Athrun asked, knowing perfectly well that Cagalli knew what he was talking about.

Cagalli bit her lip, shook her head and looked like as if she wanted to cry. "I don't know, Athrun. I don't know."

"I don't know either," Athrun admitted.

"I've always thought Kira was a bit too crazy when he wanted to propose to Lacus just a year after we returned to earth and settled down," Cagalli said.

"Now, it didn't seem like a bad idea after all?" Athrun raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Kira had always been the smart one," Cagalli told him. "Maybe he thought, 'I don't want to lose Lacus the way I lost Flay.'"

Athrun remained silent this time.

"He was right, though," Cagalli remembered. "It wasn't necessarily to death, I think."

"Was I too late?"

"No, you did nothing wrong," Cagalli replied. "But I did and I'm sorry."

"You already apologized."

"One apology isn't enough."

"As long as you're sincere about it, it's already enough."

"You said," Cagalli paused. "You said what I did was unforgivable…"

"I didn't mean that," Athrun said in a low voice. "I was mad, hurt and angry. But I would never…I could never do that."

"We…we won't have another chance, will we?" Cagalli asked.

"We don't know that…" Athrun answered. "We won't know that unless we try."

"You make it sound so easy," Cagalli scoffed.

"Well, there's that idiom right?" Athrun said, his lips quirking a bit. "Easier said than done."

"I never believed in fairytales. Never," Cagalli said. "And I pity those who do…love…is it a fairytale?"

"No, it's not," Athrun replied. "It's not because love is real. People love each other and show that love…though right now, after what happened, saying this world has the ability to love is rather ironic."

Cagalli gave a snort, "Yeah…but our relationship…us…is it just a fairytale? A fantasy? A dream?"

"No," Athrun shook his head. "What happened between us is reality. It already happened, right? And anything that happens in this world is reality."

"Is that so?"

"I've got a story…one that I'm certain is reality," Athrun said, his voice a little wry. "One day I met a woman. She was from the enemy but even though I knew that, I couldn't kill her; I don't know why. We ended up not killing each other that day when we first met. When we crossed paths yet again, she wanted to kill me because I told her that I killed a friend of hers. But she didn't and instead, gave me an amulet that was going to protect me. Who knew that after everything that had happened, I'd actually fall in love with her? And who knew that the stubborn, impulsive, temperamental and feisty girl that I fell in love with is this woman right in front of me?"

Cagalli smiled a little, "Hm."

"Well, isn't that reality?" Athrun took out a familiar red pendant. Cagalli saw it from the corner of her eye and gave a little smile.

"That's what happened, alright. No arguments about that," Cagalli answered.

"I think…" Athrun started. "I think that we were meant to be together."

"Meant to be, huh?" Cagalli mused.

"Do you not think so?"

Cagalli looked at Athrun and smiled, "Maybe, we are."

"There are just a lot of things needed to be done, to be accomplished," Athrun made a move to touch the hand Cagalli had settled on the grass. She didn't flinch or remove her hand.

"We may be meant for each other," Cagalli said. "But that doesn't necessarily mean we have to be together, does it?"

"We'll become hypocrites if we said we were destined to be together, huh?"

"After defeating the man who wanted destiny to rule us?" Cagalli arched an eyebrow. "We'll be damned."

"But maybe, in a way, the chairman was right," Athrun said. "We are destined for a lot of things…but it's up to us if we are willing to become its puppet."

"Well, do you want to?" Cagalli asked.

"No, but who does?"

"Me?" Cagalli said jokingly.

"Cagalli, being with you is difficult," Athrun stated.

Cagalli looked down, a bit guilty.

"But it's worth it," Athrun continued. "No matter what this world throws at me, no matter how hurt or angry I am, as long as I know that you're here, waiting for me, loving me, then it's more than worth it."

"You do know that you're just being cheesy, right?" Cagalli grinned.

"I don't care," Athrun said. "That's how I feel."

"Yeah, me too," Cagalli smiled at him, gripping his hand. "I love you, Athrun, I just don't think it's time yet…but if you still love me…if you still want to try, then remember that I'll always be here, waiting."

Athrun smiled. "No matter how long, no matter how far, I'll always be with you…"

"I think you're spending too much time with Kira and Lacus," Cagalli said, a bit amused now. As she laughed, Athrun spotted a familiar ruby resting on Cagalli's neck, glistening under the moonlight.

"Maybe," Athrun laughed and then turned serious. He laced his fingers with Cagalli's and gripped her hand tighter. "Wherever I go, I know that you'll always find me and wherever you go, I know that I'll always find you."

Cagalli smiled and nodded, "I know."

Athrun caressed her cheek and kissed her chastely on her lips. "I love you and I'll wait for you no matter how long it takes."

"Just like what you said, right?" Cagalli tilted her head and touched the hand that was cupping her face. "Wherever I go, I know that you'll always find me and wherever you go, I know that I'll always find you."

"Always."

~Wherever I go, I know that you'll always find me and wherever you go, I know that I'll always find you.~

This will also serve as the compensation for my earlier fiction, 'Memories' wherein I became the bad guy and wrote a sad ending. 'Wherever I Go' was my interpretation of Athrun and Cagalli's relationship in a more positive light. None of us know for sure what really happened at the end and I made our favorite characters sound hopeful. They can't really be a couple right after the war but if they truly love each other, which more or less, they do, they'll wait for the right time no matter how long it takes.

I hope I didn't make them too out of character and I also wish that I made this story realistic and relevant enough...As always, it is my utmost wish that all of you liked it and that you'd spare me a minute of your time to review!

And also, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the most recent tragedy- the tsunami and the strong earthquakes many countries have encountered. Let God bless those affected and give them the strength and faith to live on. And for those who have sadly passed away, let them go to paradise and rest in peace. We will surely miss them but will also remember them in our hearts.