Don't we all love Yzak? XD
Permanent Menstruation
"Yzak — what's…what's that?" Dearka Elthman asked, frowning at the book Yzak was holding. The other looked at Dearka, frowning as well.
"This, Elthman," he replied hotly, tapping the book, "is obviously a book."
Dearka rolled his eyes. "I know it's a book! But…dude — this is so wrong!"
Yzak snapped back. "What is?"
"The — the — well, the—"
"It's Kitchen Mayhem, that's what's wrong," Miriallia implored, since her blonde boyfriend couldn't find any words to voice out his worries. Dearka snapped his fingers, pointed at the book cover (which bore the writing Kitchen Mayhem by Fujiwara Kumiko — a best-seller) and said,
"Aha! Yes, exactly my point! That's Kitchen Mayhem, that's why it's so wrong for you to read it!" Yzak glared dangerously.
"Well, so? I still don't see why I cannot read this book," he said through clenched teeth.
"What d'you mean by, 'so?'?" Dearka gasped, looking shocked. "Yzak Joule, you're a ZAFT army — and that's a girly book!"
That was the last straw.
Yzak snapped the book closed and stood up, sending the chair flying away. His raised fist was clenched tightly. "Well, so? There's nothing wrong, is there? Besides, Shiho said this book's great—"
"Shiho this, Shiho that…" Athrun mocked lightly from his seat. The azure haired person was reading a car magazine, and his ears were stuffed with earphones. How on earth he managed to hear the other two's conversation, only God knows.
"SHUT UP! CAN'T A GUY READ A BOOK PEACEFULLY?" exploded Yzak.
"A girly book," Athrun reminded him.
"Look, dude," said Dearka in a would-be sympathised tone of voice, "I know that whoever created this Gundam Seed Destiny anime series had designed you with — err — some feminine touches—"
"I think he means your hair," Athrun interrupted, before sipping his fruit juice.
"—and that some people said you're actually experiencing, uh, permanent menstruation—"
"And I think, by that, he means your temper," Athrun said casually again.
"What! He is experiencing permanent menstruation?" Miriallia butted in. "Reaaally? Owh, that's gotta hurt…!"
"—but that doesn't mean you have to act like a girl," Dearka finished. He gave the silver haired guy an innocent look (and received a death glare from the other), before adding, "No really, honest!"
Athrun closed the car magazine, and frowned at Dearka. "Hey, wait a sec, Dearka…"
"Hmm? What?"
"If," Athrun began, with a thoughtful look on, "Yzak is experiencing permanent menstruation, wouldn't he — err — die of blood loss?"
Dearka's eyes widened with (fake) fear, and whirled around to face Yzak once more. "Yzak! Friend! Don't die yet!" he grabbed and shook Yzak by the shoulders violently.
Sensing danger, perhaps, or maybe it was a mere coincidence, Athrun stood. "Well, I promised Kira and Lacus that I'd meet them around ten. It's almost nine fifty now…"
As Athrun exited the room, he heard a huge explosion from inside, and Yzak's (obviously) pissed voice, saying, "IT'S A BEST-SELLER! AND I DO NOT HAVE PERMANENT MENSTRUATIION AND AS FOR THE HAIR, IT'S WHAT YOU CALL COOL, DAMMIT! NOT FEMININE!"
———X———
The library was peaceful, and quiet. The silence would occasionally break when a person turned a page of the newspaper, or when people walked off towards the bookshelves and then back again to their seat with a new book in their hands.
But later, eyes stared carefully as a silver-haired guy marched into the library, his footsteps echoing loudly in a uniform noise. The children stared fearfully at the guy's frowning face, but sighed in relief as he disappeared behind a bookshelf.
Mumbling curses, Yzak placed Kitchen Mayhem back onto the shelf with an unneeded force. He then stood there, arms crossed, as he looked up at the book titles.
"Idiot Dearka…useless Zala…"
He kept on muttering obscenities when suddenly a hand tapped him on the shoulder. Still hot with anger, he spun around and was about to hiss, "What?", but when he saw who it was, he didn't do it.
Even though his frown did not fade away, he actually blushed.
"Finished reading it, then?" asked the person who'd tapped him on the shoulder earlier — Shiho. Her black hair was tied up neatly, and was wearing a casual sleeveless shirt and jeans. She had spoken those words in a calm and toneless (yet —somehow — affectionate) tone of voice. Yzak mumbled a, "yeah". "So how was it?"
"…Great," he mumbled. Shiho smiled warmly, and looked at the books with him.
"I've just found another one — it's called Lost and Found by Harukichi Aida," said Shiho, after a moment's pause. "It's kinda great… You can read it after I finished it," she suggested.
"Hmm," the scarlet Yzak said, "kay."
After picking up the books they favoured, the two sat down on comfortable chairs.
"What did your friends say when they saw you reading that book?" Shiho asked suddenly, as if she could read what Yzak was thinking of. Yzak hesitated for a while, and decided that he'd tell her.
"…They called me a girl and Dearka said I have permanent menstruation," he mumbled, in a way a child would when confessing something embarrassing. He expected Shiho to giggle, or laugh or chuckle, but surprisingly, she sat closer and relaxed her head on his shoulder. He stiffened up.
"Well, you can't have permanent menstruation," she said softly, in her toneless-yet-caring voice, "because men own no ovaries and without ovaries you guys cannot have ovum and menstruation can't take place." She then pecked him on the cheek before starting to read again. "And if you're Mrs. Joule, I would have to be Mr. Joule, and I don't like the sound of that."
"Yeah…me too," said Yzak, still sitting up straight and dared not to move. Then, slowly, he placed an arm around her. "…This one's kinda cool too. It's Do You Want to Know a Secret by Nakamura Miharu…you should have a go."
Shiho smiled. "Okay."
——xENDx——