Chapter One

Freedom Club. One of the very typical clubs for teenagers to flock in at cool nights like this one. It was an unusually cool midsummer night. The temperature had miraculously dropped to 16 degrees Celsius.

Freedom Club. It was reeking with bloody rich teenagers, those teens that can buy anything they desired.

Amongst them were a group of guys most especially known as the "B5". They were the most sought-after guys of the whole city of Orb.

It was a normal party night for the guys. They were girl-hunting, as usual, for another new fling. Now it may be clear to you that they aren't virgins anymore and that they don't usually last in a relationship for long. That is in exception of Kira, who's got his girl Fllay in for three months straight.

B5 is a group of handsome boys, no mistake about that. Hot, wild, handsome- you get the picture. Plus bloody rich and those sparkling eyes- to die for.

As the name implies, there are five of them in the group. Alphabetically in order, there is Shinn Asuka, Dearka Elsman, Yzak Joule, Kira Yamato and Athrun Zala.

They were young- just sixteen and older. Shinn is the youngest, yet his virginity is not spared. He had the tousled black hair and ruby eyes, and the lean and nice body for a sixteen-year old. But his attitude- his reluctance and pessimism, and the sharp tongue attracted women to him almost like the South Pole of a magnet attracts the North Pole.

As the night wore on, the Freedom, instead of its costumers recessing, is getting fuller by the second. It was summer, for God's sake! They were free from school obligations and their parents don't give a damn where they go.

Blond guy Dearka Elsman kissed his woman companion hotly. Dearka was eighteen for a span of two weeks, and he's definitely legal. He reached for his cup of vodka and drank it, all in one gulp. He was gorgeous all right, but he's such a lady's man. A hot lady's man very difficult to resist.

His friend Yzak Joule sat on the posh couch opposite him. He's a serious, cold, uncaring guy, but deep inside, he's a gentleman. His stern look gives his precious charms all around. But no girl can last for three days for him. For him, women are only for pleasure. His records of one night stands is too long, and he's only seventeen.

"Hey, Kira," he called. The brunette sitting beside Dearka had been seriously in a PDA with his girlfriend Fllay Alster.

The brunette looked up, clearly annoyed. "What?"

"I think you ought to go to a motel now. You are in a serious making-out session over there. May I remind you that Freedom is for drinking, not for whatever-you're-doing-there?" he put down his mug in a bored and lazy manner. "And, boy, am I really starting to feel the kicks of the rum."

"For the record." Kira smiled.

Kira is seventeen years old, and he wasn't pure ever since he's still thirteen. Even so, he was the gentlest of the five, always concerned to the extent Dearka called him "gay". It wasn't such a surprise to know that Fllay wasn't just a fling.

"Record? What record?"

Kira almost laughed at the sight of his blue-haired friend sitting beside Yzak too drunk to even understand a thing.

Athrun Zala is a wild yet serious and really very solemn boy ever since his mother died. He was fifteen then, and he was dying to tell his mother that he had slept with the hottest girl at school only to know that at the very same time he had lost his virginity to Alexandra Knowles, his mother had suffered a stroke.

Of all the B5, Athrun is the most controlled next to Kira. He knows when to get drunk and when not to, he knows when to drink more than Bloody Marys and when to drink hardcore. He's only seventeen.

"Yzak. Getting affected by a glass of rum." Kira told Athrun.

Athrun yawned. "Pass me the rum, will ya, Yzak?"

0_0

She stared at her martini.

It was her seventh glass and she was starting to get drunk. She could've left the club after her second glass, if only not for the prodding and pressing of her two best friends.

She had three best friends, Lacus Clyne, Shiho Hahnenfuss, and Miriallia Haww. Unfortunately if only her saintly best friend Lacus came with them, she would be out of there a minute ago, but since Miri disagreed that a candidate for beatification be corrupted, they went dragging a rather reluctant Cagalli with them.

"But we're underage!" she had argued.

"I don't care. Freedom Club accepts anybody except those in baby carriages." Miri had said.

If only I knew that they don't accept those in baby carriages, I must have come in the frilly one mom had kept upstairs in the attic. She thought.

"Come on. Don't be such a kill joy…" Shiho smiled.

With that she had to go. Shiho will bite her if she didn't.

Shiho came form a rich but conservative family. She is a respectful girl and her father didn't like the idea of his little girl partying late at night. In fact, she was only sixteen, turning seventeen in about five months. But her mom wanted her to have fun, so Mrs. Hahnenfuss sent her clubbing every other Friday of the month. So she was so excited to go clubbing. Just like the normal alcohol-deprived teenager.

No need to warn Shiho about predatory guys that wanted to women as toys. She pretty much hated men- she was a certified man-hater. Except for her cuddly baby brother, Hayden, she totally shut herself out from the world of sex-manic men.

But tonight she was daring. She'll show the boys what kind of girl she was. She'll send those men to damnation.

She reached for her cup of hard cognac. Seeing it half- empty, she groaned. Someone ought to buy herself her own cognac.

"Miriallia," Shiho grumbled. "could you keep your hands off my glass?"

"I ain't-"

"Don't lie, Miri. Red wine tastes awfully far from cognac."

Miriallia peered at the glass she'd been holding. "Wow. Since when did red wine turn to ocher?"

Shiho rolled her eyes. Miriallia's a hopeless drunk. She glanced at Cagalli. "Hey, Cagalli, how are you doing?"

"Fine." came a nasal reply.

Cagalli buried her head in her hands. If Stellar knows that she had been drinking late at night, she's dead.

Cagalli Yula Athha is a little more than sixteen years old, and she's got a younger sister, Stellar. Since Stellar is a gentle, meek, mild, and shy little girl of fourteen, Cagalli had decided for Stellar to change her surname to Louissier for her safety and privacy form kidnappers, paparazzi, and assassins. It had been a usual thing for Cagalli since they own a multimillion company. Ever since their parents died, Cagalli had been protective of her little sister. She'd tried to make a good role model.

But drinking and partying late at night? Nuh-uh. This was not good.

"I've had Talia to take care of Stellar, Cagalli. No need to worry about that." Shiho said, distracting Cagalli from sinking further into depression of not being able to become a good older sister.

Cagalli sighed. Since it was Shiho who had made her go with them in that partying night, Shiho also got to take care of the fact that Cagalli wasn't at work but In fact in a club. And someone whom Shiho knew that could distract a rather naïve and innocent young girl of fourteen was her aunt, Talia. Talia is so much older than any of them, and Stellar adored her as much as she loved Stellar. As it turned out to be, Shiho's planning was flawless.

"Stellar will believe you've gone out for business purposes… most likely because the Angels and Demons Company is still one of the biggest investors in the Orb Economy." Shiho grinned knowingly- almost too knowingly. "Convincing enough?"

"You're so smart, Shiho." She said sarcastically.

"Thank you! Drink your martini."

0_0

Athrun glanced at his friends. One, two, three… Someone's missing.

"Hey… where's Shinn?" he asked groggily. The rum had hit home.

Kira smiled. "Making-out."

"With?"

"Some girl. I don't know who she is... and I bet she's a waitress." Yzak cut in.

Athrun scratched his head. Dearka had passed out and his woman companion had left. Yzak was still cool as ever and very much awake. Kira is alone on the other bench, sipping on his coconut juice- slash- gin.

"And Fllay?"

"I sent her home. Wouldn't like to her to get a hangover and headaches the size of South Africa." Kira replied. "And Athrun, man, button your shirt up. The spawns of Jezebel here may rape you."

"Holy guacamole." He muttered as he buttoned up his shirt.

"And, holy cow,"

All three of them looked at where Dearka had been lying down. He had been sitting up all along and seems very much awake.

Dearka pointed somewhere and winked.

0_0

"Oh, damn, Miriallia." Shiho complained as they helped Miriallia out of the Freedom.

Cagalli sighed. Miriallia had passed out and had been throwing up all along. This Miriallia Haw is sixteen, but she is a daring, adventurous one. And it had been a habit of her to keep things in secret, and this was one disturbing, really gross secret. She was allergic to cognac.

"Let it be, Shi," Cagalli sighed.

"Let it be my ass, Cagalli!" Shiho complained. "I haven't got my fill yet and I won't be able to come here for more than two weeks! Miriallia Haww, you're such a bummer."

You never get your fill, Shiho Hahnenfuss. If ever you do, we'll be staying there drinking for a millennium. Cagalli thought. "Let's just… help Miriallia to my car, should we?"

Shiho groaned as she dragged Miriallia to the exit.

Cagalli looked around. The Freedom was getting crowded. She sighed.

Then a certain VIP section at the corner of the establishment caught her attention.

Especially the certain blond guy who was advancing to them.