Behind the Scenes

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Build Fighters Try, yada yada yada. This isn't AU as of now, but I can almost guarantee it will be. "Pairings" (in quotes because they're not explicit or the point of the story) are LucasXShia and hinted FuminaXSekai. If you want an explanation for the first one, head to the author's notes.

"Lucas Nemesis."

The blonde blinked, a confused expression on his face as the female voice on the other end of the line greeted him coolly.

"Yes," he responded easily, all the while wondering who this was and how they had gotten his room number. "My apologies if this comes off as rude, but you are…?"

A small laugh this time – Lucas noted that the voice did sound a little warmer than before. "I suppose I should have introduced myself first – it wasn't exactly reasonable for you to know me by voice alone. This is Kijima Shia."

Kijima Shia. The image of the smallest member of Celestial Sphere entered his mind, and the boy felt an unwilling smile tug at his lips as he remembered her role in the last battle. Though she was the pilot who had delivered the crippling blow to his team's chances to advance, he had to salute her ability; building and detailing all those repair drones must have been hell, but it had been worth it in the end.

(Besides, if he had managed to disable her Gunpla properly when he had the opportunity, it would have been a moot point to begin with. Lesson learned, albeit harshly).

"Kijima-san," he acknowledged, his friendly manner returning as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I remember. To what do I owe the pleasure of Celestial Sphere's ace builder contacting me?"

"Oh, nothing too pressing," she replied easily, her soft, precise tone carrying easily through the speaker. "I wanted to know if it would be alright if my team imposed on your time in the near future. We have an… offer, of sorts."

Well. That was vague. Resisting the urge to voice that particular thought out loud, Lucas answered. "An offer, hmm? Sounds interesting! I'll unfortunately only be here for a little while longer, though I'm guessing your team will be preoccupied preparing for the upcoming match. You're probably going to have quite the fight on your hands – I only wish I could stick around to see it with my own eyes," he told her, the longing plain in his tone for her to hear.

Another soft laugh. "I'm sorry you can't stay – Sekai-kun and the others will be sure to put up an excellent fight. But you're right; we'll be tied up with planning strategies and repairing our Gunpla."

A brief pause. "Thank you for that, by the way."

"Anytime," Lucas quipped, he green eyes flashing with mirth as he took solace in the fact that he and his teammates had made it anything but easy for the Gunpla Academy representatives. The shellshocked looks they had sported as they walked out of the arena had spoken volumes. "But if you can't meet with me here…"

"You're going back home after this, correct? We can meet you there after the finals are over."

"Wait, to Finland?" he asked incredulously, taking the phone away from his ear for a second to stare at it in disbelief. Okay, so this may have been a little bigger than he had originally thought…

"That is where you live, yes?" Shia asked amusedly. "It's no trouble at all, and it would be better to do this face to face. Mind you, I can't tell you what it is right now, but I'm allowed to say that we won't exactly be surprised if you refuse."

"You make it sound so ominous," Lucas chuckled as he shrugged in acceptance. "But hey; you've got me all curious now. I'll certainly have some time before I have to return to Granada, so if you don't mind some more international travel it shouldn't be any problem at all. If you let me know when you intend to arrive I can just meet you at the airport. Would you need help getting lodging as well, or…?"

"Oh no, just meeting us would be fine. We've gotten used to the pitfalls of the hotel lifestyle at this point," she replied wryly, and Lucas could only nod in sympathy. "But with that said, I think I've taken up enough of your time. Thank you in advance for hearing what we have to say."

"Don't worry about it," he assured her. "You're the ones who are going to be flying out, and besides – in for a penny, in for a pound. I'll leave contact info for you to reach me at with the desk, so once you have an idea of your arrival details you can just pass it on."

"Thank you," she said again, and Lucas could hear the slightest bit of relief in her voice.

"You're very welcome." A brief pause. "Good luck with the match," he added sincerely, the sentiment coming from the bottom of his heart. "I hope it's a great one, and I'm not too happy about having to miss it. I'd love to have seen those repair drones of yours in action from a viewpoint that was a little less stressful. Those were great," he tossed in, the Gunpla geek side of him unable to resist praising his opponent's ingenuity and talent.

"As if scratch building a dockable Core Fighter is run of the mill modelling," came her rejoinder, and the admiration in her words was just as evident.

"Fine fine, we're both awesome and we'll leave it at that. I'll see you guys in a few weeks?" he asked her.

"Barring any disasters, yes. I'll be sure to leave our information with the hotel desk when everything is finalized. Have a safe trip back, Nemesis."

"Appreciated, Kijima-san. May the best team win."

"They usually do. Goodbye for now, then."

The 'click' of a disconnection, and the line went silent. Lucas placed the phone back on the cradle, taking a long breath as his fingers moved up to absentmindedly play with the petals on his pendant.

"An 'offer', she says. I don't know if I should be looking forward to this or not…"

"HOLY CRAP, THAT BATTLE WAS NUTS!" Aiba exclaimed for what had to be the tenth time that day, and Lucas could only laugh at his teammate's enthusiasm through his computer's headset. While it was true none of them could physically be there for the match, a little detail like that wasn't going to stop Team Von Braun from viewing what was sure to be the match of the tournament. Live streaming was a truly wondrous thing.

"No kidding! Like I know that kitbashed Gunpla can work in a pinch, but that hasn't been done since Iori Sei did it against Tatsuya Yuuki, right? And that battle wasn't finished because of that particle malfunction that they never talk about…" Tomita chimed in, the slight bit of static in his words doing nothing to cloak the amazement underneath.

"I kind of figured it would come down to the Try Burning and the Transient," Lucas commented, his eyes still shining bright from witnessing such an intense battle. "Nothing against the other four, but you could tell that those two were determined to settle it one way or another."

"No kidding, Nemesis!" Aiba tossed in, before pausing briefly.

Lucas blinked. "Aiba? What is it?"

A short scoff. "Nah, nothing. It was just… even if we had made it past Celestial Sphere… Tomita and I would have…"

"He's saying that you'd have had to have win this one by yourself too," Tomita said succinctly, the enthusiasm that had been coloring his words since the start of the telecast having been dimmed somewhat.

"Come on, you guys are still on that?" the blonde exclaimed exasperatedly, rolling his eyes as he toyed with his pendant. "I wasn't lying to spare your feelings, you know. The both of you did everything I said to, and we still lost, meaning that I didn't pull my weight when all was said and done. Don't discount my own inexperience in this. You two did nothing wrong."

"Yeah, but – if we had been better…!" Tomita started, his words frustrated now.

"Then we could have fought them as a team, and not left you to do all the heavy lifting yourself, right?" Aiba continued on, barreling through even as Lucas tried to protest.

"Look," he pressed on. "We don't know your plans from here on out. I dunno if you're going to stick with Granada, transfer somewhere else, or whatever. Hell, even if you do stick around the coach is probably gonna hold open tryouts next year for the other two spots instead of trying what he did this year. But no matter what ends up happening…"

"If we're ever your teammates again, Nemesis," Tomita took over, sounding more resolute than Lucas had ever heard him, "we won't let you down. It's not gonna be like before."

Lucas blinked, feeling oddly touched by the sentiment. He really hadn't been trying to soften the blow any, as he genuinely felt there was no blow to be softened. As far as he was concerned, the result of that battle was on him and him alone. And besides; Gunpla Battle was something to be played by yourself, wasn't it? While he didn't dislike the three on three format per se, it wasn't his cup of tea when all was said and done, and he had been raised with the ideal of Gunpla Battle being one of the ultimate examples of competitive individuality, Iori Sei and Reiji notwithstanding.

And yet, if these two improved enough by next year to earn their spots by merit, he would have no problem standing beside them. In fact, when he found himself really thinking about it, he would actually welcome it. No other team members would have more motivation than they, and that in itself might very well play a key part of victory next year.

… Next year. Lucas hadn't thought about it until now, but the idea of getting another shot at Celestial Sphere – and actually getting a shot at Team Try Fighters, for that matter – started to make his pulse race. Team format or no, the only way to rise to the top is to defeat the best, and right now… he knew where his targets lay, and how he had to use his time.

"Like I said," he began, trying to keep his newfound excitement out of his voice. "Our loss wasn't on you two. That said, if you're serious about trying again next year… well, I wouldn't be opposed to helping with that."

The stereo cries of "Really?" and "Seriously?" made Lucas laugh out loud. "Absolutely. It's the least I can do after reducing you to batteries in our semifinal match."

"We'd really appreciate it, Nemesis," Tomita got out, sounding as psyched as Lucas felt. "We'll need some time first, we're looking at new machines right now – "

The blonde raised his eyebrows at that last statement, clearly impressed. If they were willing to put the time and resources into designing and building new models, they really were serious about making a run next year.

"Yeah, we don't know what we're gonna get yet, the new bunch of HG's are looking impressive – "

"Relax," Lucas assured them, leaning back in his chair and stretching, working the kinks out of his now stiff back. "This isn't the kind of decision you should rush, and seeing as how you two know your battle styles better than I do, I'll leave it to you. Once that's done, I'll come up with a regimen of items to work on. Don't expect me to take it easy on you two, though," he warned, though with enough levity to keep the mood high. "It's not going to be easy."

"Hell no it's not gonna be easy," Aiba fired back, obviously eager. "But we're getting trained by the friggin European champ – who the hell wants easy?"

"That's the spirit!" Lucas exclaimed, as a notification popped up from his computer's e-mail client. "Huh?"

"Nemesis?" Tobita asked, sounding confused. "What's up?"

"Don't know yet," he replied, as he clicked on the message. "It's from the hotel we were all staying at – oh!"

An airline, a flight number, and a date. That had been surprisingly quick.

"Hey, everything okay over there?" Aiba inquired, his questioning tone matching Tomita's.

"Yeah, it's nothing," he flippantly replied, deciding to keep his upcoming meeting with Celestial Sphere under wraps for now. Kijima had said it wasn't anything pressing, hadn't she? "More importantly, don't you two have Gunpla to shop for?"

Predictably, his two teammates immediately jumped back to more pressing matters. "Oh, right! Hey, what do you think about something with funnels? Maybe like a Jagd Doga?"

A snicker. "Yeah, like you'd have the coordination to handle those."

"What was that? Big words from someone who's more suited for a Leo!"

"A Leo? Considering your results in the last ranking matches those are some pretty big words!"

"The hell are you talking about? I was like a spot behind you!"

"A spot's a spot. Why don't you try something more your speed, like a G-Savior?"

"Fair warning: if either one of you two shows up with anything from G-Savior, much less the MS itself, I'm taking back my offer and doing my part as a self-respecting Gundam fan by annihilating it in a match when I get back to Granada. Damage level A. Just a heads up."

"Oh, because this doesn't look suspicious at all," Lucas thought wryly, as he waited for Celestial Sphere in the terminal of the Helsinki airport.

Well, he and approximately 40% of his security staff, all of whom were being regarded with wariness by virtually everyone else in the vicinity, the airport's own security personnel included.

"Teemu, is this really necessary?" Lucas asked his butler plaintively, managing to temper his annoyance. They were just doing their jobs after all, and they did their best to be as unobtrusive as possible.

The older man shrugged in apology, his expression sympathetic. "My apologies, Lucas-sama, but your grandfather was very insistent. You know how he is."

"Indeed," the blonde sighed resignedly, turning to look toward the arrivals gate before looking back at one of the many mounted TV sets along the wall. "You'd think that they could at least gone plainclothes, though,"

"He believes that would lessen the intimidation factor," his butler replied, his deferential, understanding tone somehow managing to make the ludicrous statement credible.

Lucas merely nodded, wishing that he had taken a few minutes to pick up that car magazine he had been flipping through – Mitsubishi's new Lancer Evolution had him drooling specs-wise, and saying he looking forward to how it did against Subaru's current STI was an understatement. He sighed wistfully. He was certainly going to miss Finland's constant, religious WRC coverage when he went back to Granada. Well, at least Japan cared about F1. Plus they had Super GT, so it wasn't as if it was a total loss.

Teemu coughing brought his attention away from his internal musings on gearboxes and turbochargers and toward the arrivals gate, where he was greeted by the sight of a tall blonde and a shorter, pretty girl with significantly lighter hair, both wheeling luggage behind them. The girl saw him first, and she waved her hand in greeting, a smile on her face.

Lucas smiled back, raising his own hand in response. "Welcome to Finland, Kijima Wilfrid and Kijima Shia. How was the flight?"

"As enjoyable as a ten hour jaunt in the air can be," Wilfrid replied dryly, stopping in front of Lucas and extending his hand. "Thank you for meeting us here, Nemesis, as well as hearing what we have to say. It's appreciated."

If the taller teen was tired, he did an amazing job of hiding it. "Not a problem," he assured him. "Like I told your sister during our phone conversation; I'm not the one taking the international flight," he laughed, as he released Wilfrid's hand to reach out to Shia's. "You both look well."

"As well as we can be," Shia mumbled tiredly, as she slipped her delicate hand into his and shook. Lucas bit back a chuckle. Okay, so one of them felt tired from flying, and one didn't. That left it to the third to be the tie-breaker…

Except there was no third. For that matter, their coach wasn't there either. Lucas blinked in confusion as he let go of Shia, his gaze looking around the immediate area for a bespectacled man and a grey-haired teen.

"Is something wrong, Nemesis?" Wilfrid asked, his head tilted slightly in confusion.

"No, nothing's wrong," Lucas began, having completed his quick survey and seen nothing. "You seem to be missing some people, that's all. I had been under the impression your whole team was coming along."

Wilfrid clearing his throat quickly and Shia looking away briefly indicated that he had caught into something, though he wasn't sure what. Well, whatever. He supposed they would tell him when the time came, and besides… they had to be absolutely wiped, no matter how unflappable Wilfrid looked.

"There's a reason for that," the leader of Celestial Sphere acknowledged, nodding at Lucas. "But we'll leave that for later, if that's alright."

"I figured as much," Lucas agreed affably, shrugging his shoulders. "You two would be best served with some rest right now. We can take you to your hotel, and you can get settled and try to make your body clocks work for tomorrow," he joked, as he turned to lead them toward his scattered pseudo-phalanx. "How long are you here for?"

"A few days," Shia replied, as she gripped her wheeled suitcase and started to follow Lucas, "Our coach wanted us to sightsee and… decompress a few weeks after the final, win or lose."

He resisted the urge to wince when he heard the slight catch in her voice. He hadn't wanted to bring up the match right when they touched down, no matter how amazing he thought it was. That loss had been right down to the wire, but in the end a loss was a loss. Even if it had only been a metaphorical inch, that inch was the difference between Celestial Sphere and Team Try Fighters.

"For the record," Lucas began, mindful of every word that came out of his mouth. "That fight was nothing short of spectacular. My teammates and I had our eyes glued to our screens from 'battle start'. I'm pretty sure Aiba-kun said 'holy crap, that battle was nuts' at least ten times," he told them, hoping a bit of mirth would lessen the sting. While some time had passed, Lucas knew from experience that there were certain losses that took a lot longer to recover from than others. Hell, some you didn't recover from at all.

The matching smiles on the Kijima siblings told him that his instincts had been on the mark, though he did notice that the expressions didn't quite reach their eyes. Still, he'd call it a win.

"We're flattered," Shia told him as they walked. "I'm sure the replay must have been a sight to see."

Lucas looked confused. "Replay? I wasn't willing to wait for a replay! I caught it live thanks to a stream. I mean, with a matchup like that who needs sleep?"

The smile that blossomed on the girl's face looked a lot more genuine now, as she laughed in response. "Well, thank you. It means a lot coming from a rival."

"Especially one with a time difference against him," Wilfrid added, the respect in his words evident.

"Worth the couple of cups of coffee needed," Lucas chuckled, as he led them to his group. Feel free to let them take care of your luggage, we'll just need your hotel address and we can have you over there in – "

Belatedly he realized they weren't following him anymore, and he sighed in resignation knowing full well why. "I see you've seen my security team."

"They're… sort of hard to miss," Wilfrid said delicately, a tinge of amusement coating every word. Shia kept silent for her part, though the small smile on her face gave her away.

"My grandfather insisted they were necessary," he told them, making a gesture to two of them, who immediately snapped to attention and took hold of the siblings' suitcases.

"I hope they're not," Shia deadpanned, as she nodded in thanks to the suited man who had taken her luggage.

"Try to touch me and you can find out," Lucas jibed back, as he turned to lead them toward the parkade.

A sharp gasp. "My, so forward! But that's to be expected of the European champion, though I would have liked for you to have bought me dinner first."

Lucas nearly tripped over his own feet, with only his Gunpla trained reflexes keeping him from faceplanting in the most inglorious way possible. Eyes wide as he quickly looked toward Wilfrid (because really, who says something like that in front of their brother?) he was relieved to see that the ponytailed teen was trying – and failing – to generate a look of disapproval toward his sister. Shia, meanwhile, was staring at him, her blue eyes theatrically wide with her index finger on her lip. "Was it something I said, Nemesis?"

A number of possible responses whirled through his head before he finally admitted defeat and laughed, nodding as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

"You're not the first one – just ask Kamiki Sekai," Wilfrid commented mildly, as Shia raised her palm vertically with her left hand while using her right index and middle fingers to pantomime a figure marching smack into it, the innocent expression never leaving her face.

"I'm not sure if that's a relief or not," Lucas quipped, a grin on his face now. "But I'll be sure to watch myself from now on."

"Now where's the fun in that?" Shia asked him, a playful pout on her delicate features as the party resumed their trek through the crowded airport.

"Mitsubishi's latest incarnation of its flagship sports car brings more of the same to the table, which some may find boring. Nevertheless, the Japanese brand has committed to making this generation of the Lancer Evolution just as effective on the street as it is on the dirt, with the revised turbocharger setup generating 20 more horsepower as well as significantly more torque and response in the lower ranges due to the new – "

"You had me at hello," Lucas mumbled under his breath as he sat and waited for his guests to arrive, his attention transfixed by the TV. Not for the first time, he wondered where he would have been without Aila Jyrkiainen's forceful words jarring him into earning the many Gunpla accolades he had won over the years. It was possible that he may have wound up in the same place of his own volition, the urge to build, compete, and win conquering everything else.

… of course, having also grown up hearing about the exploits of drivers like Kimi Raikkonen and Tommi Makinen, it was also very possible he would have wanted to drive awesome cars really fast. That was part of his national heritage too, after all, and it wouldn't do to neglect a pastime that had brought his country international fame and fortune.

"First thing I do when I win a national title at the professional level – buy one of those," he told himself, as the coverage of the auto show shifted toward the latest flock of hybrids and other non-fuel vehicles.

As if on cue, a knock was heard, followed by Teemu stepping into the room. "Lucas-sama, Kijima Wilfrid and Kijima Shia have arrived."

"Right on time," the blonde muttered, shooting a disdainful gaze toward the TV – electrics, really? – before nodding at his butler. "Thank you. Send them in, please."

The older man nodded, before turning on his heel and walking out. Grabbing the remote, Lucas quickly flipped through the channels in attempt to find something that could give some background noise. "Let's see – there are no Gunpla highlights on, the F1 telecast isn't until later, same with hockey – WRC highlights it is," he decided with a flourish, as he lowered the volume just enough to be barely audible.

The sound of footsteps made him stand up and pull out chairs, and he was subsequently greeted by the sight of the much better rested Kijima siblings as they walked into the room. "Good morning, you two. I hope you slept well?"

"Good morning," Wilfrid greeted as he nodded politely and took a seat, his sister following suit. "We slept immediately after unpacking, though I'd be lying I said our bodies were used to the time difference."

"Breakfast helped," Shia commented, as she looked around the room. "You have a beautiful house. A beautiful country, for that matter."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you were here during a snowstorm," he laughed, before looking at the siblings. "Before we start – coffee, tea…?"

"Coffee, please," at the same time as "Tea, please," and Lucas chuckled a little as the two siblings exchanged amused looks – clearly, this was a running joke for them.

"Any particular blends?" Lucas asked. Wilfrid shook his head in the negative, while Shia nodded vigorously.

"Earl Grey, if you have it," she requested, and his response was a smile.

"You have good taste – that's my favorite too," he told her, as Teemu moved swiftly to the kitchen.

"Great minds," she murmured, her eyes flicking toward the television. "We didn't interrupt anything too stimulating, I hope."

He waved a hand in response. "No, not at all. Just a replay of the latest WRC stage in Argentina. I think Volkswagen Motorsport is leading the standings, but Citroen's not far behind. Hyundai's B team is pulling up last, to no one's surprise, but – "

The totally blank expression on her face reminded him of the few times he had tried to explain Gunpla Battle to those who weren't interested and he couldn't help but blush a little bit. "Uh… sorry. Cars are kind of a big thing over here," he told her sheepishly.

"So I gathered," Wilfrid said, who to his credit was either at least a bit little interested or faking it beautifully. "I take it this is one of your main interests outside Gunpla?"

Lucas nodded in affirmation. "Absolutely. I grew up watching tires on dirt and asphalt as much as I did Gunpla on battlefields. The cool robots beat the cool cars – but only just," the European champ grinned. "Still, I keep up with it when I can."

"It's probably one of the few hobbies that make ours look cheap," the ponytailed blonde commented, as Teemu returned with a tray of coffee, tea, sugar, cream, and assorted biscuits.

"I'll say," Lucas laughed, as the drinks were poured. "But, you guys didn't fly here to talk about cars."

"If we did, no one told me," Shia murmured as she took a sip of her tea, and her eyes widened. "This is delicious."

"Isn't it?" he said, stirring in his cream. "Not a bad way to start the day, especially during winter."

A few moments of silence passed, before Wilfrid set his spoon down and stared at Lucas, aqua eyes meeting emerald.

"You were right when you said we had some people missing," he acknowledged, not bothering with a segue of any kind.

"Our third, Adou Saga, is with our coach in Japan right now getting his wrist reevaluated by medical professionals," Shia took over. "He suffered an injury some time ago and there was fear that it might be permanently debilitating."

Lucas winced. "I hope that's not the case," he said honestly. He had never met Adou Saga aside from their battle – he had only known him through reputation, and it wasn't a particularly good one. Still, he had clearly loved Gunpla, and he wouldn't have wished having that taken away on anyone.

"So do we. That said, if the worst comes to pass… our coach felt the need to have a contingency in place," Wilfrid told him, looking him dead in his eye. "While this visit was originally meant to be a mere formality, Adou's injury worsening in the final changed things.

Suddenly, a lot of what Shia had said on the phone started to make sense.

"Should Adou Saga be unable to continue with Gunpla Battle," Shia spoke slowly, "Then Celestial Sphere will be short a member, and thus unable to compete. This would be unacceptable. Furthermore, there are no students currently on the Academy's roster that can match up to Adou-san's skill level."

Lucas nodded. He had a feeling where this was going now, but he was going to have to wait for it to be official.

"Thus on behalf of Gunpla Academy," Wilfrid began, his tone solemn. "We would like to extend an invitation to Lucas Nemesis to join our team, should our teammate's injury push him into retirement."

And there it was. Lucas nodded slowly, digesting the offer in his head. It was certainly an opportunity, there was no denying that. The Academy was renowned for producing some of the strongest pilots and builders in the sport, and their resources and instruction were second to none. There was a reason everyone else had painted a target on the Academy's back, and it was a simple one; if you were on top, the others who weren't wanted to knock you down. Oldest story in the book.

Truth be told, it was tempting. Very tempting. He'd be a fool to turn it down. But deep in his gut, he knew what his instincts were telling him.

"You don't have to answer right away," Shia said suddenly, her tone clipped and tense as she toyed with her fingers. Wilfrid narrowed his eyes at his sister, but said nothing, looking as uncomfortable as she did.

Lucas looked from one sibling to the other. While it was certainly a proposition of tremendous magnitude, he didn't see any reason for both to be as prickly as they looked all of a sudden.

"If you look like this now, you're going to look even worse when I say no," he thought, still not saying anything. While there were a ton of reasons to say yes, the fact remained that if you wanted to be the best, you had to beat the best. He wouldn't be able to do that as part of Celestial Sphere; he'd be part of the favorites, part of the pack leaders, and he didn't want that. He wanted to take to the field against the siblings in front of him, with The End's fighter right beside them. He wanted a chance for Tomita and Aiba to prove their worth. He didn't want to be part of their system. He wanted the chance to beat it.

… and looking at the tense fighters across from him, he suddenly understood.

"You don't want me to say yes, do you?" he asked, a grin on his face, the insight having come in a flash.

"That's not – " Wilfrid began, before his sister beat him to it.

"Were we that obvious, Nemesis?" she asked him, the pretty girl wearing a relieved smile. It was much more suited for her, he decided.

"Shia…" Wilfrid said warningly, though it was clear from his body language that his sibling had hit the mark.

"It's fine," Lucas assured him. "This is just you guys taking care of due diligence. You can go back and say that you did everything to get me onboard in case your teammate's wrist is beyond recovery – "

"It's not," Shia murmured, the fire in her words belying her cool voice.

Wilfrid stared at him for a long moment, before he finally nodded at Shia in acquiescence, sighing tiredly. "She's right. While there are those who doubt Adou's ability to recover, we are not among them. Both of us firmly believe that he will be back as Celestial Sphere's third, and ready to compete for next year. But…"

"But," Lucas jumped in. "You still had to cover all your bases, right? And I do make sense – I'm a transfer already, plus I'm not exactly half bad at this Gunpla Battle thing."

"Understatement," the white haired girl said flatly, causing him to flash an appreciative grin at her. Shia merely smiled back in response as she made a gesture for him to continue.

"With this done, you can go back and say 'hey, at least we tried', your coach is satisfied, and Adou's spot is saved for when he returns," he concluded, taking his tea cup and draining what was left of it. "Plus…"

Intrigued, Shia leaned forward. "Plus…?" she repeated, wanting to him to finish.

Lucas set down his tea and closed his eyes for a second or two, and when he opened them again any trace of his even-handed demeanor was gone, his friendly grin having been replaced with a smirk that was about five percent manners and ninety-five percent challenge. "If I'm being honest, if I had a choice between teaming with you guys to gun for the title, or teaming against you so I get a second chance to bring you down on my way to the title… well, I think you know what I'd pick."

The change in atmosphere was instantaneous, and both Kijima siblings were suddenly smirking right back, their competitive instincts flaring to life. "Oh?" Shia asked, her eyes half-lidded as she stared at him with an intent that bordered on predatory. "That didn't work out so well last time, did it?"

"Nope," Lucas responded easily, the thought of the loss not gnawing at him the way it might have a few weeks ago. "But next year's going to be different. Don't expect walking batteries in our next battle – I've learned my lesson, and my teammates want to take Gunpla Academy down a notch as much as anyone else in the field."

"Interesting," Wilfrid mused, his aqua eyes looking much like his sister's at the moment. "And you have some kind of plan to ensure that the Full Cloth doesn't run dry mid-battle? Its fundamental characteristics won't change between now and later, as I'm sure you're aware."

"I thought about taking a different tack," Lucas admitted freely, taking a moment to brush his bangs out of his eyes. "I figure that if I can help my teammates improve as much as I think I can, then the Full Cloth's particle issues won't be as problematic as you might expect."

"Training benchwarmers to take on the best in Japan? That's… an ambitious idea," the younger Kijima opined, her raised eyebrow indicating her skepticism.

"Maybe. But Aiba and Tomita don't have to be worldbeaters – they just have to be able to compete without being outmatched from the get-go, and remember; while Granada may not be as prolific as the Academy, students don't get in without possessing some talent. They might very well surprise you after I'm done with them."

"Touché," she acknowledged, her enigmatic smile back on her face. "And we haven't forgotten that you aren't 'half bad' yourself, either."

"Understatement," her brother echoed wryly, and she briefly turned to make a face at him before looking back at Lucas.

"So, to make this official; I thank the Gunpla Academy for the generous offer to join their institution, but after careful consideration I must decline, as I have no intention of leaving Granada at any time in the near future. That said, I look forward to competing with the Academy in whatever circumstances may arise in the near future," Lucas concluded, the tension in the atmosphere abating almost immediately after he finished his piece.

"We understand," Wilfrid said placidly, nodding his head as he went through the motions. "We understand your commitments to Granada, though we regret the lost opportunity for you to have been part of our team."

A brief pause.

"So, uh… is that it?" Lucas asked, looking uncertain. "Everyone's on the same page?"

"That we are," Wilfrid replied, his entire countenance looking much lighter than it had mere moments earlier. "Our coach might act disappointed, but he wants Adou to beat the odds against him and come back just as much as we do – though I'll admit that if the worst happens, you would have been a welcome addition."

"That means a lot coming from fighters of your caliber," Lucas told them honestly, and was rewarded with a nod of respect from Wilfrid and a soft smile from Shia. "I really do look forward to the next time we battle; I know you won't make it easy on us."

"Us as well," Wilfrid replied, standing from the table and walking over to Lucas, his hand extended. "Thank you again for listening to our offer."

"It was no problem at all," he replied, shaking Wilfrid's hand as Shia rose to join them. "I can't believe you guys flew all the way out here expecting to hear a 'no', though!"

"We believe in due process," Shia quipped easily, her hands smoothing out her dress. "Besides, like I said – our coach did want us to rest and relax a bit after the finals ended."

"Fair enough," Lucas allowed, as he regarded the siblings with curiosity. "What do you plan to do for the remainder of your trip?"

"Sightsee and relax, mainly," Wilfrid told him, pulling a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "There are a few things we want to see in Helsinki."

"Make some time for the cathedrals, if you haven't already. Our architecture kicks ass."

"The brochures made that clear," the taller blonde told him affably, as they started to walk to the mansion's front door. "What about you? What are your plans for the rest of the day?"

Lucas shrugged. He really didn't know himself; he kind of took things as they came if they weren't Gunpla related. "I was going to head out and grab some lunch – after that, no idea," he told them, before snapping his fingers. "Hey, you should come along! It'll be my treat, it's the least I can do to repay the compliment."

Wilfrid chuckled briefly, before shaking his head. "I wish I could, but our coach wanted me to report back with a summary of what happened as soon as the proceedings were finished. I should probably head back to the hotel. Shia – "

"I'll come," she interrupted, looking at Lucas. "It's bad form to turn down free food," she added with a mischievous flourish.

"Sounds good!" the green eyed blonde replied, missing the brief flash of surprise crossing Wilfrid's face. "I can grab one of our cars, stop back at the hotel, and we can get something to eat. Sure you don't want to come along? I can guarantee it'll better than room service food, and that's not exactly bad where you guys are staying," he told the older Kijima.

"I'm sure it will be, though I unfortunately still need to pass. My apologies," Wilfrid told him. "I appreciate the offer, though. Next time?"

"Of course," Lucas nodded affably as he stopped in front of the phone. The Celestial Sphere members looked on as he picked up the receiver and said a couple of phrases in rapid-fire Finnish, and both tilted their heads in curiosity when they saw an irritated expression cross his face before he sighed in resignation.

"Problem?" Shia asked, as he finished the call and walked back.

"They were a little reluctant to let me drive," he admitted, still looking annoyed as he motioned toward the front of the house.

"Understandable," Wilfrid said, as he started to march forward again. "They seem quite protective of you. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they had a mental image of you driving like the footage you were showing us earlier."

"Not with passengers in the car! Even I know better than that!" Lucas exclaimed indignantly as he turned, thus missing Wilfrid's raised eyebrow and his sister mimicking something flying over her head as she mouthed a 'whoooosh' sound.

"You can stop now," Lucas moaned into his palm, as Shia batted her eyelashes at him while slowly eating her appetizer. "Really, you can. I think they get it."

"Oh, that may be true," she practically purred, flicking her gaze back to look at the latest female fan of the European champion she had sent storming off in a huff. "But what sort of dining companion would I be if I allowed such flagrant encroachment on your personal space, Nemesis?"

"One that's not going to get me plastered all over the tabloids," he said flatly, though the corners of his mouth twitching slightly indicated that he wasn't entirely opposed to getting the many fangirls to shove off.

Really, Lucas had expected it. While it would be an overstatement to say he was routinely mobbed (because that just wasn't true) it wasn't exactly uncommon for fans of the female persuasion to get a little… over-enthusiastic when they saw him in public.

(And he was just the European junior champion now. God only knew what would happen if he ever reached the stature of Meijin Kawaguchi).

The first few encounters were okay, eardrum splitting screams aside. An autograph or two coupled with a quick grin usually sent them off on cloud nine, and generally speaking that was usually the end of it. Shia, for her part, took it with good grace, though she didn't hesitate to send him mischievous sidelong looks after each one left.

After, though – well, he supposed word had gotten out, because the next bunch were significantly more loud and pushy, and worse is that they had come when Shia had excused herself from the table briefly.

He had forgotten just how obnoxious the bad ones could be, because he suddenly found himself trying to pry them off without being rude or hurting them, all while listening to them prattle on about how nice it would be if he could join them, and they're sure his friend (whoever she was) would understand…

Lucas was busy trying to figure out how exactly he should have gone about it when the decision was taken out of his hands. A sensation of someone softly gripping his shoulders from behind overtook his senses, followed by the pleasant sent of lilac.

"Sorry about that," Shia breathed, her lips centimeters away from his ear, and the blonde had found himself swallowing hard and trying not to blush as she released him and sat down across, resting her cheek in the palm of her hand as he leaned on the table. "Niisan called and wanted to pass on our coach's regards."

She paused then, blinking guilelessly as she looked around the small group of females, all of whom looked absolutely poleaxed. "Luc – ahem, Nemesis," she 'corrected' herself, as she slowly alighted her calculating gaze toward him again. "Are these acquaintances of yours?"

"That's a question we should be asking you!" the ringleader (a brunette who he probably found attractive if not for her personality) demanded harshly, only to shrink back when she found herself pinned by an annoyed glare from Lucas.

"Don't talk to my friends like that," he warned, any veneer of politeness gone now, his tone icy. "I won't say it again."

The unexpected brush of fingertips across his forearm nearly made him jump out of his chair as he swung his now incredulous stare back to Shia, who continued to try and 'soothe' him, only the spark of mirth in her eyes serving as a clue that this was a performance. "That's alright," she assured him. "No harm done. But I have to say, I'm disappointed – only friends, after I flew ten hours to see you?"

In any other scenario, Lucas would have found the looks on the surrounding faces hilarious. As it stood now, he was finding it hard to concentrate on anything with Kijima currently annihilating any sense of propriety in favor of driving the fangirls off.

Okay. He could make this work. This was fine, right? She was doing the bulk of the misdirection anyway, so it wasn't even a huge investment on his part. He took a deep breath, opened his mouth to speak…

And any words he may have had ready died a quick death as she made eye contact and full on pouted, her lip quivering ever so slightly.

Battle ended.

"I – you – that's… that's not remotely fair," he choked out, knowing full well that his cheeks were blazing red and he was helpless to stop it.

"All's fair in love and Gunpla, you know," she breathed, leaning forward ever so slightly.

"Yes, but I don't see any GP bases around here," he muttered, trying really hard to ignore the fact that Kijima was quite attractive. "Poor choice of field, too."

"Oh, it has its perks," she told him coyly, before taking a quick look around and reclining in her chair, suddenly back to normal. "Look at that! They seem to have gone, for some reason."

"Thank god," Lucas muttered, massaging his temples before regarding Shia again, who looked very much like the cat that had caught the canary. "Little over the top, don't you think?"

She shrugged. "It worked. Besides, they were really rude. I don't like rude people."

"Neither do I," he agreed, some semblance of his equilibrium back now. "At least you drove them off for now."

She blinked. "For now? You think they'll come back?"

Lucas threw up his hands helplessly. "Not them, specifically, but others. Y'know, it's like in the non UC Gundam shows, where the grunt suits always come in waves to get shot down?"

His companion threw her head back and laughed at that, and in spite of the situation Lucas found it to be a very pleasant sound. "And I'm your twin buster rifle, is that it? Destroying the opposition without a hint of remorse or resistance?"

"An analogy that no normal person would get, but yeah, I guess so!" he agreed with a laugh of his own, before the waiter came to take their orders.

Everything had gone smoothly since then, other than Shia choosing to swing back into her act every time a new one came. He was convinced she was enjoying this a lot more than she should have been…

"Isn't any press good press?" she asked playfully, snapping him back to the present. He quickly shook his head no, a bemused look on his face.

"Not really. My grandfather always taught me that – he took as much flak as he received praise for the Nemesis Foundation's methods of methane hydrate excavation. For every piece that hailed him as an industrial innovator there was one that accused him of placing personal profit above the environment, or trying to create a monopoly on the stuff," he finished with a sigh. Though he wasn't overly invested in the economic side, he could still read and hear, and he knew that Josef Kankaansyrja was a very polarizing figure on the best of days.

She nodded sympathetically, the amusement fading from her features. "I suppose I can understand that, though I can't say the same about the business."

He simply nodded at her as the main courses came; the next few minutes were dominated by the sounds of eating, coupled with the occasional exclamation about how good the food was.

Lucas had finished off his pasta before he noticed that Shia was staring at him quizzically, her eyes betraying her curiosity. "Something wrong, Kijima-san?"

"No, nothing's wrong," she said delicately, as she shook her head. "I was just wondering about something, that's all."

The blonde looked confused for a second, before favoring her with a friendly smile. "You can ask, you know," he told her. "I won't bite."

"About what you said earlier about your grandfather – is that why you chose Gunpla? From what I've seen, it seems like most others would be happy to inherit a business worth that much, even with all the pitfalls, but you trained and worked to get to where you are. You avoided taking the easy way out."

She didn't bring up the fact that some might consider the Nemesis Foundation's money to be a tremendous leg up, because she wasn't among them. Talent would inevitably rise, and money only went so far. A perfectly designed and tuned HG given to an incompetent pilot wouldn't last long even at the lower levels of competition, much less the sink or swim world of the game's giants. If Lucas Nemesis had merely tried to pay his way to the top without putting the work in, no one would have ever heard of him.

He nodded in response to her question, exhaling slowly as he crossed his arms and leaned back, clearly trying to formulate an answer.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to," she offered, sensing that she may have made him uncomfortable. He shook his head quickly, before looking right at her, his gaze frank.

"… yes and no," he finally answered. Before she could ask for clarification, he continued. "You remember how I told you at the house I grew up watching Gunpla and rallying?" Upon seeing her nod, he went on. "Well, Gunpla came first, and it fascinated me ever since I first laid eyes on a model. The tactics, the combat, the construction, everything. Watching all the Gundam series only served to stoke that fire even more."

Seeing that she was listening intently, he kept going. "Finally, when I turned seven, my grandfather saw me staring at the huge trophy on TV, and told me right then and there he intended to give it to me as a birthday present."

Shia laughed softly at that. "That's quite the birthday gift."

Lucas looked uncomfortable. "It's a real possibility that it may have been the only thing good enough for me. I was… a spoiled brat, back then," he admitted, looking away in embarrassment.

His companion simply smiled at him. "Maybe so," she said, "But you grew out of it. Not everyone is so lucky. Besides, you were cute for a brat; I remember seeing a picture of you on the wall at your house. The suspenders and hair worked well together."

Somehow managing to keep himself from smashing his head against the table repeatedly, Lucas kept on going, very aware that he was blushing again. "Anyway," he said, resolutely ignoring the amused look on her face. "Grandfather thought the best way to do this would be to sponsor a team to try and win the championships that year, and he ended up choosing the Flanagan Institute. Their ace pilot was – "

"Aila Jyrkiainen," Shia finished, any trace of levity gone. There wasn't a Gunpla fighter alive who didn't know that name, or that was unaware of the events that had occurred during that tournament.

"Got it in one," he quipped, though it seemed forced. "Anyway, I wound up watching the match between her Qubeley Papillon and the Star Build Strike. To this day, I have no idea what happened in that battle," he confessed, throwing up his hands helplessly. 'From that weird glow halfway through, to the final attack, to that bizarre fist fight…"

"That last one was funny," she murmured, remembering how she used to laugh every time Uncle played it for her.

"Not arguing with you there," he agreed, the memory of the absolutely gobsmacked look on his grandfather's face still able to lighten his mood even now. "After the bareknuckle portion of the festivities had ended, my grandfather decided to try and go on the comm link he had ready from our place to ask Aila-san what the hell she thought she was doing. That went about as well as you could have expected, and then…"

He trailed off, and the expression that he now wore was somehow brilliant enough to outmatch the sun. His eyes shone with remembrance, pride, determination, and fondness as he recalled that day, and Shia found herself leaning forward, utterly entranced.

"And then she told me, 'Kid, if you want to win at Gunpla Battle, play it yourself!' right before turning back to try and deal with the Star Build Strike," he told her, his gaze still focused on something far off in the distance.

It was something he couldn't see. It was something he might possibly never reach. But it was something he had to keep striving for, running for, trying for. He could do no less.

"That was it. After the tournament was over, Grandfather tried to apologize for not being able to win the trophy for me, but I told him to forget about it. Instead, I asked for permission to start learning how to play myself. I don't think I'd ever seen him so proud. He bought me my first Gunpla, then when I was reasonably sure I wouldn't hurt myself I got the customization tools and paint, and, well…"

"The rest is history, right?" she finished quietly, having been spellbound for the duration of his tale.

"It is, except I'm not done writing yet," he said with a proud grin as he pumped his fist. "Don't get me wrong, there wouldn't have been an issue with inheriting my grandfather's role in running the Nemesis Foundation, but… it's not what I want. I wanted Gunpla, and I was willing to go into it win, lose, or draw. Still am. They have a board that can run it by proxy if necessary, and besides – when I saw how happy my grandfather was, I realized that one of the reasons was that I might not have had to run it anymore. I was doing something for myself, and I think that's the way he preferred it. He only ever wanted what was best for me, even though it sometimes leads to things like security being posted around a restaurant where I'm eating lunch," he sighed.

That immediately made her do a double take and look around. "Here?" she demanded, before whirling back to look at Lucas. "But – "

"They're not in suits and they're being quite subtle right now, but make no mistake – if one of those fangirls had tried to do anything to you or me, their presence would have been made quite clear," the blonde told Shia flatly, clearly used to their constant presence.

"Oh. Well, that… that's good to know," she murmured, still a little surprised, before her mind snapped back to the story. "That was quite the flashback. No regrets so far?"

"Only that I never got to thank Aila Jyrkiainen for what she did, even if she didn't mean to do it," he sighed, sounding nostalgic. "No one knows what became of her, or Reiji. Every time I asked my Grandfather about it, he would clam up, look uncomfortable, and say that he had no idea. It's almost like he's hiding something about her, except I have no idea what."

"She'll come back someday," she told him quietly, her voice resolute and self-assured. "If she's anything like Lady, or like Meijin Kawaguchi, she won't be able to stay away from Gunpla. You'll get your chance to pass your gratitude on, Nemesis."

"Lucas."

The white haired girl blinked. "Eh?"

"You can call me Lucas, if you want. I never really got used to being referred to by my team name, as it were. I know it's not quite traditional in Japan, but…"

"It's fine by me, but only if you call me Shia," she replied, a serene smile on her face. "Turnabout is fair play."

"For sure," he murmured, his expression matching hers.

A companionable silence.

"Plus, if we had done this earlier, it would have been more fun to deal with your rabid fans!" she exclaimed happily.

"… And you're right back to trying to play bodyguard in the most uncomfortable way possible, I see."

"Oh, if I truly wanted to make you uncomfortable, you would know – just ask Sekai-kun, should you ever see him."

"That seems to be a recurring theme – dare I ask what you did?"

"You make it sound so inappropriate! All I did was assist him on a training trip he went on when he was trying to further modify his Gunpla -"

"He made his Gunpla stronger?" Lucas eagerly asked/interrupted, his eyes alight.

"Thank you for focusing on the important part," she said dryly. "You'd be amazed how many others home in on the trip portion and set the Gunpla element aside," she continued, the amusing image of an infuriated Hoshino Fumina and Sazaki Kaoruko entering her mind. Really, they were so gullible – give them an inch to use and their imaginations ran wild and turned it into miles. Though to be fair, she hadn't been lying at all, so…

"But why?" Lucas asked, tilting his head quizzically to the side.

"Too much shoujo manga?" she deadpanned.

"… I should probably leave this alone, shouldn't I?"

"That might be best, yes."

"Any plans for the rest of the day?" Lucas asked, his eyes following the street signs as his right hand remained on the shifter. Beside him, Shia shook her head.

"Not really. When I get back I'll get niisan to fill me in on anything our coach said to him, but besides that I plan to enjoy doing nothing," she responded, watching the scenery go by as the Opel moved along. "How about yourself?"

He shrugged absentmindedly, as he pushed the clutch in and shifted down into second gear. "Tune the Full Cloth, probably."

That got her attention. "Are you expecting any challenges?"

"Not really, but it never hurts to stay on top of maintenance. Plus, it's fun. Keeps me busy when I'm not glued to the TV or doing something equally as mundane."

A soft chuckle. "You make your life sound so interesting."

"Look, it's either that or hit the books and prepare for exams and I'm not ready to face the reality of school yet," he lamented, flipping the turn signal with his hand and pulling up to the lane in front of the opulent hotel.

She made a commiserating noise. "Fair enough," she said, as she reached for her seat belt. "Thank you for today," she told him.

He simply waved it off. "You make it sound like I did a whole lot," he shot back. "I paid for lunch and didn't consign us to a fiery metal grave – not exactly rocket science, right?"

"Not what I mean," she laughed, shaking her head slowly. "Just for… listening to us. Understanding where we were coming from. And for that story you told me," she finished softly, looking at him with an expression that he might have called fond had he known her better. "Even though we're rivals, I appreciate being trusted with that."

"You're very welcome," he replied, meaning every word. While he'd be lying if 'have a heart to heart with Kijima Shia' had been anywhere on his list of things to do, he'd also be lying if he said that he didn't enjoy it. It had been a fun day, even taking into account her tendency to throw him off balance at any opportunity. Kept him on his toes, he supposed.

"Take care, Lucas," she told him, as she reached for the door handle, before pausing.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"… You may want to put a little more effort into tuning the Full Cloth than you might have originally planned," she commented enigmatically, her features once again inscrutable. "After all, you never know who might want to drop by."

Lucas looked confused, before he read between the lines and his face lit up with anticipation. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Anything can happen, right?"

"I'm glad you see it my way," Shia said, as she opened the door and stepped out. "Have a good night."

"You too, Shia," he replied, raising his right hand to make a two fingered salute. A wave and a smile later, and the girl was gone.

Silence reigned.

"So, Kijima Wilfrid's coming, huh?" he mused, practically shaking with excitement as his mind ran over all he had to do to make the Full Cloth battle ready. "Well. This should be fun."

Two days had passed, and Lucas had forgotten just how intense high-level customization was when you were working under a time limit. It was even worse when that time limit was ill-defined.

Nevertheless, the Crossbone X1 Full Cloth stood fully repaired, from the Peacock Smasher to the Muramasa Blaster. It showed no signs of damage from the traumatic battle against Celestial Sphere, and it was ready and able to take on all comers.

Granted, its fighter was only expecting the one, but still, the point stood. Taking a sip from his tea, he reflected on the lost opportunity to have gotten a cell number or something from Shia – as it was right now, while he believed that Kijima Wilfrid would show up it was also undeniable that sitting around waiting for a challenge was kind of boring.

Luckily for Lucas Nemesis, he wouldn't have to wait much longer. A knock on the door caught his attention and Lucas looked up as Teemu entered the room.

"Apologies for the interruption, Lucas-sama," the older man began, bowing slightly. "But Kijima Wilfrid and Kijima Shia have arrived and wish to speak with you again."

"Perfect," he murmured under his breath, surprising the butler – his young master hadn't spoken about expecting the siblings and yet he wasn't surprised at all. "Is Kijima Wilfrid carrying anything with him?"

"Aside from some luggage? What appears to be a small briefcase, sir. I'm not sure what it could hold, though, as its dimensions are quite minute."

"Enough for protective foam and the Transient, I'll bet," Lucas noted, as he stood up. "Please, meet them and send them to the Battle Room. I'll head down there myself to get ready."

"Very good, sir," came the prompt reply as Lucas stepped past him, his feet taking him to another set of double doors – inside lay the Gunpla Battle equipment of the Nemesis Foundation, and it was this sight that greeted Celestial Sphere as they walked into the room a few minutes later.

"I gather you've been expecting me?" Wilfrid called out as he set his case down, dispensing with standard pleasantries. On the other side of the massive projector, Lucas flashed him a small grin, the Crossbone X1 Full Cloth standing directly in front of him revived and renewed.

"I had a feeling," he deadpanned, tossing a small grin to Wilfrid's sister, who for her part gave a quick wave. "Good morning to you both."

"Good morning," she replied easily, as she walked over to the side of the room to get a better view. "I look forward to a good battle, but I'll be honest – I'm rooting for niisan."

Lucas shrugged in an overly exaggerated 'what can you do?' gesture. "My heart breaks. Can't say I'm surprised, though."

"You're crushed, I'm sure."

"I think I'll be able to get over it so long as I don't see any Karels mid-fight," he quipped, smirking with anticipation as he grabbed his GP Base. ""Let's cut to the chase. Battle damage A?" he asked, his fingers travelling across the console's keys in a sequence that was second nature.

"GUNPLA BATTLE, COMBAT MODE, STARTUP."

"Of course," Wilfrid replied easily, as he opened the case he had carried in, revealing the resplendent Transient Gundam.

"Hey, wait a second!" Shia interjected, looking at the two worriedly. Lucas blinked.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking at the Transient and his Full Cloth. "Both suits look ready to go, so – "

"Is level A really necessary? I mean, this isn't a tournament match…" she trailed off, looking unsure.

"Well… no, but…" Lucas said, not quite sure where she was going with this, as the sight of Wilfrid rubbing his forehead briefly in exasperation caught his attention.

"Shia," he said patiently, "We're both capable builders, as you know. We'll be using this setting every time we set foot on the world stage, and as we're both high level players, I don't see any reason why – "

"Because!" she snapped, making Lucas's eyebrows rise in surprise. This was as animated as he'd ever seen her, and it was interesting to see. "It's one thing to have Gunplas wrecked for tournament play. That's unavoidable. But to see them possibly destroyed for a match like this – "

"Level A gives consequences!" Wilfrid retorted, turning toward his sibling. "The knowledge that any mistake, no matter how minute, might result in the destruction of the Gunpla is a massive source of pressure for the fighter, and is something that will always be present."

"So you're willing to risk two works of art for a wall you've already overcome?" she asked, her voice low and eyes flashing. "You can deal with that pressure and you know how to fight! It took you a long time to repair the Transient, niisan – save the higher standards for where they matter!"

"Shia – "

"Niisan – "

"Level B, then."

The bickering siblings looked at the third person in the room, and when they both realized at the same time that they had forgotten he was there, their expressions went from fiercely determined to sheepish in a heartbeat.

"I'd be okay with compromising with Level B," he said again, looking between them steadily. "While he has a good point, I guess it would really suck if both of our machines were beyond salvaging after this battle – and let's face it, if the last encounter we had was a baseline then it's a very real possibility."

Wilfrid took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes, before exhaling slowly and nodding. "Level B it is," he conceded, much to the relief of his sister.

"Okay! With that settled, shall we set the field choice to random?" he asked, his hands hovering over the projector controls as a synthetic voice announced "MODEL LEVEL DAMAGE SET TO B. PLEASE SET YOUR GP BASE."

"I'd like for us to battle in space, if that's okay," Wilfrid proposed, gauging Lucas intently as the fighters prepared their GP bases for combat.

The European champion found himself being taken off guard for a second. While in theory the space field was a neutral battleground for many types of MS, the wide array of thrusters and verniers that the Full Cloth possessed to aid its maneuverability in gravity meant that its responsiveness in zero-g settings was second to none, even if it was a bit twitchy to someone who wasn't used to it. Though the Transient was by no means a slouch in comparison, the fact remained that his Gunpla was optimized for the battlefield whereas Kijima's wasn't. "Are you sure?"

"Win or lose, I want you at your best," Wilfrid told him, determination burning in his aqua eyes, and Lucas found himself grinning in anticipation.

"You got it," he replied, and as the mechanical voice blared to life announcing "BEGINNING PLAVSKY PARTICLE DISPERSAL. FIELD 01: SPACE," the empty void within the boundaries of the playing field vanished, to be replaced with a vast expanse of darkness that was only broken up by simulated starlight and the remnants of what looked to have been a colony. "PLEASE SET YOUR GUNPLA."

"Are you ready?" Wilfrid asked rhetorically, the Transient loaded and ready to go. Across from him, Lucas flashed him a thumbs up as the Full Cloth was set.

"Bring it on," he fired back, his calm exterior camouflaging the heat he could feel rushing through his veins, and he didn't notice the girl who was observing so carefully smile a little at that.

Nothing could compare to the moment right before a fight to the limit was about to start. Some felt queasy in the stomach, some started shaking, and others still would find themselves a little short of breath. For Lucas Nemesis, this was the moment when the world fell away, when his blood turned to fire and made his soul come alive, and he knew just by looking at him that his opponent was the same kind of man.

"Well then," Wilfrid said softly, almost to himself, before his head snapped up, nothing but clear focus in his eyes. "Kijima Wilfrid, Transient Gundam – flying away!"

"Lucas Nemesis, Crossbone X1 Full Cloth – here I go!"

With twin flashes of light that split the void, the two Gunpla charged to meet each other in the seemingly eternal sea of darkness, and as the system's voice echoed one final time…

"BATTLE START!"

… the battle was joined.

There really wasn't much to do in-between tournaments and training, Kamiki Sekai thought, as he and his two teammates lounged comfortably in the living room of his house. Neesan had thought it was a good idea for the Try Fighters to use the time off to keep up with their schoolwork, and while he hadn't exactly been excited about idea both Yuuma and senpai agreed that it made sense. Thus, here they were – though as per usual Sekai suspected Yuuma had ulterior motives. It wasn't like neechan minded, though.

Luckily for him, at least it hadn't taken senpai very long to stop being annoyed with him about his training trip. If it was anyone else (neechan or shishou aside) that was cross with him, he was usually happy to let it roll off his back. That said, Sekai found that he really wasn't happy when Hoshino was angry with him. It made him feel weird.

As if on cue, the person in question looked up and tilted her head confusedly as she set her English book down. "Sekai-kun?" she queried, noticing that he had zoned out a little bit. "Everything all right?"

"He could probably use a break," Yuuma tossed out, the bespectacled boy stretching his arms above his head as he let out an exaggerated yawn. "I'll admit, he's actually been pretty diligent these past couple of hours, so maybe it's due."

Fumina snickered in response to that. "Don't make it sound like Sekai-kun's the only one wanting to take five, Yuu-kun," she teased, chuckling a little at the mock-offended face he made before turning back to Sekai. "I guess this isn't exactly fun for you, is it?"

The redhead simply smiled and laughed, conceding the point. "It's really not, but we kinda have to do it, right? Besides, if we get it done now, I'll have more time to train later!"

"He's got his priorities set, that's for sure," Yuuma snorted as he slid his glasses off to clean them, but both Sekai and Fumina noted that the statement didn't contain nearly as much heat as it would have a few months ago.

Shaking her head as she regarded the younger boy fondly, she shrugged her shoulders in agreement. "You're not wrong, but there's no problem with relaxing for a bit, either," she announced happily, before throwing herself backwards in an exuberant manner. "Break time!"

"Our leader's spoken, Sekai," the builder quipped as he set down his own textbook to look at them both. "And I'll admit; not a moment too soon, either."

"Knew it," she said smugly from her prone position, her eyes closed, only to have them open again as she found the martial artist flopping beside her, an easy grin on his face. "Gunpla Battle's amazing and all, but it's nice to relax like this, too."

"No kidding," Sekai sighed, as he closed his own eyes and just relished in the sensation of doing absolutely nothing. A noise of affirmation from Fumina and a laugh from Yuuma signaled that all was right with the world...

Until a sensation like lightning crackled in the back of his mind and Sekai found himself bolting up from the floor, his eyes scanning the room wildly. Predictably, this did not go unnoticed.

"Sekai-kun?" Fumina exclaimed, pulling herself to her feet as she grabbed his arm, wondering what caused the 180. "What's the matter?"

"Are you all right, Sekai?" Yuuma demanded, having scrambled off his chair to stand with his teammates. "What's wrong?"

Sekai looked frazzled, his gaze still flying to and fro. "What - you mean you didn't feel that?" he demanded, absolutely incredulous.

The rush of battle. The thrill of victory. The agony of defeat. So many feelings that he was intimately familiar with, all coalescing in that one surge of adrenaline. To make matters more confusing, he had felt a sense of… familiarity, somehow. Like he had met the warring presences before.

"Feel what?" Fumina asked him worriedly, her grip tightening on his arm. Beside him, Yuuma looked equally confused, but said nothing.

"It – it was…" Sekai got out, before looking between them and belatedly realizing they wouldn't get it. As a martial artist, he had been taught to hone in on intent from other fighters, and there was no doubt in his mind that it was warrior's intent that he had felt just then. But the odds of someone who wasn't trained understanding the concept? Pretty low.

"Nothing," he said finally, smiling weakly and letting the tension bleed from his body. "It was nothing. Maybe I just needed more of a break then I thought."

"Hmm," Yuuma said quietly, not entirely convinced but willing to let it drop when he saw Sekai rapidly calming down. "If you say so," he finished, still looking uncertain about the whole matter.

"Are you sure, Sekai-kun?" Fumina quietly whispered, and without even thinking about it he absentmindedly gave the hand holding his arm a reassuring squeeze before moving it away.

"Yeah. I'm fine, senpai," he told her, his mind still focusing on who exactly he could have felt, thus totally missing Fumina's face go bright red and Yuuma muttering something about being itchy all of a sudden. "We should get back to studying."

That got their attention. "Wait, what?" the other two Try Fighters demanded in sync.

"Like I said!" Sekai exclaimed, his good mood returning. "The quicker we get this done, the quicker we can train! C'mon, a little bit longer and we can be in the middle of Gunpla Battle before we know it," the redhead told them, his urge for combat having been reawakened by that split second moment of - whatever it was.

"Unbelievable," Yuuma muttered under his breath, though with a relieved smile on his face as he saw his friend back to normal… or what passed for normal with Kamiki Sekai, anyway. "One moment he's having a Newtype flash and the next he's all about schoolwork again."

Sekai blinked guilelessly. "What's a Newtype flash?"

The room was filled with the sound of two bodies gracelessly hitting the ground. "I – how – why – really?" Fumina demanded, her jaw nearly on the floor.

"And the circle is right back around to me wanting to strangle him again," Yuuma groaned, before looking Sekai dead in his eyes as he pulled himself up. "Okay Sekai, we're assigning you extra homework. Hell, we'll even help you. Watch. Some. Gundam."

Sekai blinked, suddenly feeling very intimidated. "O… kay. What should I watch?"

"ANYTHING!" Yuuma exploded. "The 0079 movie trilogy! Wing! SEED! Zeta! How you don't have G memorized is a mystery in itself! You can even watch G-Savior for all I care!"

"No! Vetoed! We're his friends, Yuu-kun! Friends don't let friends watch G-Savior," Fumina scolded, making Sekai look confused before he snapped his fingers in recognition.

"Oh wait, I know that last one!" he chirped happily. "G-Savior's the one that everyone makes fun of, right?"

"Yes," Fumina and Yuuma replied flatly.

"What's wrong with it?" Sekai inquired innocently.

"Everything," Fumina and Yuuma replied flatly, and that subsequently spiraled into a debate about which series he should get started on first, and before the three knew it the books lay forgotten, much to Mirai's affectionate resignation when she got back home.

"I feel it," the young man at the desk said quietly, his work abandoned as he looked up with burning fervor. "I feel everything. I feel your hot blood. I feel the work you've put into your machines. I feel your overwhelming desire to win against all odds!"

Standing up from his office chair, Yuuki Tatsuya slid his mirrored lenses over his eyes as he swung his right arm in a grandiose fashion. "I know not who you are, mysterious fighters, but keep that indomitable spirit! Push through whatever obstacles lie in front of you, and sojourn the infinite sea of stars! RAGE ON, GUUUUUUNNNNNNPPPPPPPLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAA!"

… and outside of the Meijin's office, the newest intern stood absolutely poleaxed, blissfully unaware of the look of amusement on her guide's face.

"Is…" she said delicately, before finally finding her voice again. "Is that normal?"

"For the Meijin? Very much so," the older woman said affably, as she directed her charge past the hallways. "He's a genius, and geniuses are renowned for being eccentric. You get used to it."

"I see," she said vaguely, allowing herself to be guided onward, and she now knew why the new hire package came with a pair of Gundam themed earplugs.

Shia stood frozen, unable to breathe. Within the confines of the battlefield lay countless chunks of shattered debris, the large colony remnants having been torn to shreds by the Transient and the Full Cloth. Pieces of armor and weaponry were strewn around, a testament to the clash of titans that had just taken place.

And in the middle of the carnage, at the epicenter of the mortal battle, was the Transient Gundam with the Muramasa Blaster having been driven clean through its chest. The headless Full Cloth, missing its right arm, stood absolutely still as the azure light faded from the eyes of the pure while mobile suit, the trails of energy from what remained of the Transient Burst's final energy surge dissipating at the same time.

Silence reigned for a few moments.

"BATTLE ENDED," the disembodied voice rang out, and Lucas fought the urge to drop to his knees – not in proud exaltation, but in absolute exhaustion. That had been, without a doubt, the toughest match of his life. Knowing that a protracted battle would be a losing battle, Lucas had no choice but to go with all out offense from the start, using the Full Cloth's maneuverability and ranged combat advantages to their fullest. Celestial Sphere's leader had been every bit as strong as he thought he would be one on one, and there had been a few moments where it had been touch and go for both fighters. But in the end, he had managed to decisively reverse the result that had ended his last tournament run.

His fingertips toying with his pendant's petals, he stepped shakily out of the cockpit and he walked over to Shia first, intent on giving his opponent some time alone.

"That was an excellent battle," Shia complimented, though with an understandable tinge of disappointment. "Congratulations. You deserved it."

"Thank you," he replied tiredly, before giving a quick glance to the damaged – but not destroyed – Full Cloth. "Thank you also for talking us out of damage level A," he added, knowing full well that the battle would have come dangerously close to damaging both models beyond the point of repair. "In retrospect, it would have been a poor idea."

"I told you," she said glibly, a little bit of the mischievous air that he had come to expect from her coming to the forefront. "Works of art like yours and niisan's don't deserve to be destroyed in a place like this. I would be sad if they were."

"Save it for the tournament, huh?" he replied quietly, as he saw Wilfrid exit his own cockpit. Walking over to the taller teen, Lucas extended his hand. "Excellent match, Kijima."

Kijima looked up for the first time, and while Lucas was not surprised to see a little despondency on his expression it was nothing in the face of the pride and dignity that his opponent carried himself with in defeat.

"Congratulations, Nemesis," Wilfrid told him as he shook his hand, no false airs put on for the sake of good form. "You was amazing."

"You too, Kijima," Lucas replied, the respect practically radiating from him. "You were every bit as good as I thought you'd be."

His lips quirked in a sardonic grin. "Not good enough today, though," he admitted, not breaking his gaze from Lucas for an instant.

"Maybe not," Lucas replied evenly, knowing that false modesty would be a slap in the face at this point. "But that's just today. I know you're going to get even stronger, and I want you to know that I'm going to be ready for you when you do."

"Myself as well," Wilfrid told him, and the look in his eyes spoke volumes to Lucas. This was a fighter who thrived on excelling, on being the best, but unlike so many others like him, he was not content on curling up and licking his wounds when he hit a roadblock. No, he would keep on coming, eagerly awaiting the chance to prove that he had surpassed his past self, and Lucas knew that if he wasn't careful, he would be the one chasing Kijima's back. "Mark my words, Lucas Nemesis – Celestial Sphere's path to the title next year will be through Von Braun and the Try Fighters."

"You must be glad I said no, then," Lucas couldn't resist tossing out, and Wilfrid involuntarily smiled in response.

"You have no idea," he said, before his expression turned serious again. "I had thought that Kamiki Sekai would be my main target for the next tournament, but this… well, this changes things."

"Glad to hear it," Lucas deadpanned. "For the record though, I wouldn't mind a shot at his new Burning Gundam myself."

Wilfrid looked confused for a moment. "New…? Ah, right," he finished dryly, turning toward his sister who had schooled her features into a faux-innocent expression that Lucas now associated strictly with her. "The fruits of that 'training trip' that made Hoshino-san and Sazaki-san so angry with you."

"I'm still not sure what the issue was," she commented airily, turning her eyes toward the green eyed blonde. "Right, Lucas?"

"As per your suggestion, I'm still not thinking about it. It makes my head hurt," he muttered, as Wilfrid raised his eyebrow at the casual use of his first name.

"I'll tell you when you're older," she teased Lucas, who made a face as she looked over at her brother. "You played well, niisan."

"Thank you, Shia," he acknowledged, favoring his sister with a proud smile. "I'll win next time."

"That's the beauty of not actually being a Gundam pilot – for us, there's always a next time," Lucas said, already looking forward to their next encounter.

"The perils of being an anime character," Wilfrid sighed, as he walked over to his cockpit to place the damaged Transient back in its transport case.

"Look on the bright side - at least you won't have to worry about excessive repairs this time around," Shia needled Wilfrid, and Lucas had to laugh at the normally unflappable fighter rolling his eyes in response.

"She's got us there," Lucas conceded, as he walked around to his own side to pick up the Full Cloth.

"It's been known to happen," Wilfrid jibed, not dignifying her resultant mock pout with any kind of reaction. As Lucas' gaze swung back, he noticed both siblings looking toward the door, and he took that as a cue.

"I take it you have to leave?" he asked.

They both nodded in sync. "Our flight's actually later today," Shia informed him apologetically, looking regretful that they couldn't stay longer.

"We brought our luggage with us and your butler was kind enough to have it set aside in the foyer. He said as soon as we came up he would arrange a car to drive us to the airport, though I insisted it wasn't necessary."

Lucas laughed loudly at that. "Good luck with convincing Teemu to scale back on anything that has to do with hospitality. Saying that there are worse flaws for employees to have would be an understatement."

"Indeed," Wilfrid agreed, before looking at Lucas with a frank gaze. "Thank you again for indulging us these last few days. We greatly appreciate it."

"You're both welcome," he replied, before speaking himself. "I should really be thanking you for the awesome battle we just had. You're setting a high bar for me to match for next time, Kijima Wilfrid."

"I'll be ready," the ponytailed blonde replied, extending his hand for one last shake before turning on his heel and exiting the room smoothly. "Until we meet again, Lucas Nemesis."

Lucas waited for the sound of footsteps to recede before grinning a little bit. "Okay, your exit's not going to be nearly as cool."

"I gave up on that a long time ago," she replied smoothly, the mirth in her eyes plain to see. "It's hard enough to replicate the gravitas without niisan's ponytail, but when you add in the height difference…"

"I could see that being an insurmountable problem," he conceded readily, before extending own hand to her. "Safe travels, Shia."

"Take care of yourself, Lucas," the smaller girl replied, slipping her hand into his own. "It was a pleasure. I'm glad we came."

"So am I. The next tournament's going to be interesting for sure," he told her, already looking forward to seeing how Von Braun would stack up against Celestial Sphere the second time around.

"We'll still win," she said, sounding as self-assured as ever, and Lucas could only nod and smirk, the challenge unspoken. "But we should make some time to meet again after – I can pay you back for lunch, for one thing."

"Oh?" he asked, as her hand relinquished her grip and her fingertips brushed his palm. "I suppose that could work, though you don't have to pay me back for anything."

"I'd like to do it anyway, though," she told him, as she stepped around him to walk toward the door. "You're interesting."

"Am I, now?" he playfully asked her, the girl's small frame silhouetted in the light from the hallway.

"You are," she informed him, before turning one last time to see him off with a warm smile, her expression as open as he'd ever seen it. "I like interesting people."

And before his mind could register what she had said, Shia had gone, leaving in her wake the familiar scent of lilac and a confused Gunpla fighter.

There was absolute silence as he stared at the spot where she had been, and the burning in his cheeks told him that he was blushing again.

"You couldn't leave without scrambling my brain one more time, huh?" he muttered to himself, running his fingers through his hair in exasperation. "What do you say to that, anyway…?"

A floor up from where Lucas was, Shia emerged to see her brother discussing directions with a black-suited man, who was presumably ordering a car to transport them to the airport. Giving the beautiful main hall one last look, her gaze quickly found the butler who had been so helpful over the past few days. As if he sensed the possibility of someone needing assistance, he quickly turned around and trotted over.

"Is there anything else I can for you, miss?" Teemu asked pleasantly.

Shia couldn't help herself. "I don't suppose it'd be possible to get a copy of that picture in the next few minutes?" she asked, her finger pointing toward a framed photo on the wall of a much younger Lucas, rosy cheeks and suspenders at the forefront.

The butler's eyes followed her direction and he subsequently chortled when he saw what she was pointing at. "My apologies, but I don't think that's possible. And even if it were, I highly doubt Lucas-sama would be overly pleased with me," he finished, with the underlying 'if I could, I would' clear for her to hear.

"I thought so," she sighed, before quickly glancing to make sure that her brother was occupied with the security member. Upon seeing that he was (and that they were talking about turn of the century art, of all things) she quickly pulled out her cell phone. "In lieu of that, there is something else you could give me…"

"Done!" the blonde exclaimed, as hit save on the word processor and leaned back in his chair, satisfied. It had taken him longer than he thought it would have, but the training regimen for Aiba and Tomita was finally complete.

Whether or not it would work out as well as he intended was another matter entirely, but he was quite optimistic, particularly when he found out that they had jumped the gun and started reviewing fundamental team battle tactics by themselves without any prompting.

"Once they get their new MS built and I get back over there, the fun can really start," he murmured quietly, as the notification tone of his phone went off. Absentmindedly grabbing it and unlocking the screen, he did a quick double take when he saw that the message wasn't from one of his many contacts. Curious, he opened it up and was greeted with:

"we got confirmation today. adou-san's wrist is well on the way to recovery"

Green eyes stared at the message, utterly befuddled before neurons started firing and made the connection. There were only two people this could have been, and he highly doubted one would take the time to send a text message no matter how highly he regarded Lucas. So that left…

His fingers automatically started typing out a response before he could think about it. "that's great! your team's back to the way it should be, then"

The reply is swift. "sort of. niisan's warning him to ease back into training so we don't ever have a repeat of this. adou-san is stubborn though, so who knows"

He nodded in spite of no one being in the room – he had met many people like that, who had the best of intentions but wound up pushing their bodies too far and making things worse. "at least he's confident?"

"there's a difference between being confident and reckless. you're not wrong, though, he keeps making tasteless jokes about having to fight off the fangirls with a bad arm'

Lucas scoffed in spite of himself. "the way i recall it, you were already pretty good at that'

Nothing came for a little bit, making Lucas think that she had gone to sleep – they were a solid six hours ahead, after all.

His phone went off again.

"that was one time, and it was a service specifically for interesting people who wanted to get rid of rude people"

He grinned. "i think i'm still interesting and the rude ones are still rude, can i count on you for the next tournament? they come en masse there"

There was another pause, before the tone broke the silence again. "if you insist, i can probably make time to help drive off some of your obsessed fans"

"just some?" he typed back, and he could practically hear her dainty scoff and see her eyes roll.

"fine, i'll help you drive off ALL your obsessed fans. the things i'm willing to do for some people, honestly"

… screw it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And besides, he thought she was pretty interesting too.

Slowly flipping through her paperback as she lounged in her bed, Shia gave a cursory glance at the last message she had sent. The idea had come on a whim, really; she had gotten the number, and when Uncle and Adou triumphantly announced the news of his now-assured path to recovery, she had used it for the first time, flying high on the surge of emotion that only good tidings for a friend could bring and wanting to share that feeling.

It had turned out well, if she was really being honest about it. She rather enjoyed having a friend outside Celestial Sphere, even if they did happen to double as a rival. Humming quietly to herself, she prepared to set the book down and sleep. There was a lot to do tomorrow…

Her phone rang, and without looking at the ID she answered, knowing that it could be niisan with something important. "Yes?"

"Promises, promises," a familiar voice teased her playfully, and she couldn't quite hold back the smile from spreading across her face. "I'm not bothering you, am I?

"No bother at all," she said, propping herself up against an oversized stuffed Haro as she absentmindedly twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "Were you as busy as I was today?"

A quiet laugh. "Probably not so much. Just finished off a training regimen that my teammates are going to use to try and beat you guys. Also, I started rewatching Gundam X, I'm still not sure why that series doesn't get more love…"

AN: I have no idea how this story came about. Actually, that's a lie; I would follow BFT on reddit religiously by lurking, and as a result not only did I get quite familiar with the show, I got familiar with what the denizens of the /gundam subreddit called the Meatbun Chronicles AKA all the shipping that occurs in the BF franchise. Along the way, I realized that I really liked Lucas and wanted to flesh him out. Then came episode 25, and with all the hubbub about SekaixShia or SekaiXFumina (I like the latter, but you probably figured that out already) there were a few that jumped onto LucaShia. It made me chuckle a bit, because it was based off a really quick interaction they had at the end of the episode during the credits and Sunrise probably wouldn't build any future ship tease off that, right?

F' that. It's Build Fighters, for all we know they very well could. Plus, we've seen this with G-Gundam where SPOILER a female that's in theory better suited for the lead comes along but doesn't actually win SPOILER. So, I decided to kill two birds with one stone; write a story about Lucas/make him more of a character (had a lot of fun building the story with this dude, and his butler who I named after the Finnish Flash himself) and see if I could realistically make LucaShia a possibility because I like both characters and thought that in theory, they might work. A crapton of words later, and I have this. Hope someone enjoyed it!