A chance of Fate
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam seed/Destiny.
Chapter 1
"Jess, look at this dress! Doesn't it look simply gorgeous?" Lacus shrieked in excitement holding onto a purple dress staring at it in awe. She's been shopping for clothing for her new career and didn't seem much interested until she spotted a cute dress.
"It's nice, Lacus. But don't you think it's a little tight and not to mention…kind of…erotic??" Jess asked narrowing her eyes not knowing what words she should use to describe the dress in her friend's hands.
"I have to find such dresses for my next job offered to me." Lacus sighed. She knew the 'job' she was talking about in her mind, but she never planned on telling her best friend, Jess.
"What kind of job would require you to find such a tiny fitting dress? It doesn't even cover much of your body and it is weird how you've been looking at such clothing throughout our whole shopping trip this evening. Tiny bras and panties that doesn't require more fabric than a shoe lace has." Jess sighed. She didn't know what's gotten over Lacus recently. All of the sudden, she's beginning to change her mind settings.
Her taste of clothing when she's shopping. It's weird how Lacus still dresses up like her old usual self and those revealing clothes she recently shopped for was not put to use yet.
Still, something made her feel better; Lacus's perception towards friendship still didn't change. She still had Jess as her best friend and the two girls still went shopping often. However, Lacus wasn't at all interested in tight fitting, revealing clothing. She used to look at ones that wrapped her body nicely with elegance.
"Lacus, what's wrong with you and your taste recently?" Jess pried again after not getting a reply from dear Lacus who's before her still looking at the dress. She didn't realize the sadness in those clear cerulean orbs when they were facing away from her though.
Lacus held back her tears and hid her sadness well before turning around to smile at Jess. "I guess I'll be making a payment now then!" She smiled, skipping towards the counter.
'I wonder what sort of occupation would require one to wear something like that.' Jess thought to herself as she held up another piece of the same outfit that was still hung on the rack Lacus picked out from. Twitching her eyes, Jess gave clearly disgusted look thinking about how she'd look like in that dress.
"Don't tell me…" Jess thought of something all of the sudden as she quickly hung the purple dress from where she took it from approaching Lacus.
Lacus just paid for the dress and it's the fifth time she's bought something like that in the whole week. She knew deep down that she didn't want to be like this though, but at the same time, she had no choice. Her eyes stared at the plastic bag she just took from the cashier lady's hand.
She was aware of the looks shot towards her given by the guys around her for buying something like that, and not to mention, the surprised and despised look given to her by the lady she paid her money to. She ignored all weird stares at her as she blinked a few times more snapping herself out of the trance.
Lacus turned around, yet again putting on that strong mask that is always present on her face to see Jess giving her an angry glare right in the eye right in front of her. Lacus jumped in surprise at the sudden actions by Jess. "You scared me Jess!!" Lacus shouted, using her free hand to pat her chest area where the heart is located at from the shock.
She attempted walking away to avoid the weird gaze that was shot to her by her best friend till she felt a force pulling onto her arm.
"Lacus, hold it right there." Jess commanded in a serious tone, showing signs of disappointment and anger within. Lacus knew that Jess is going at it again. It's been coming to her ever since she started to change her dress code two-weeks ago.
She knew that tomorrow night; she'd be starting her job and knew that she'd change from the first day of starting work. Regrets and sadness started to fill in her eyes.
Jess noticed the change of expression on her best friend's face. This is now scaring her as she went to before Lacus forcing her to look at her right in the eyes straight. She could see fear writing within it and wondered why she didn't realize that before.
"Lacus, tell me that your job is not a night hostess or a bar top dancer. Not a stripper and neither is it a bar waitress." Jess held into her both her arms sounding serious. It surprised her by a lot about how Lacus changed all of the sudden after crying to her over the phone on one night around two weeks ago.
Jess was Lacus's childhood pal and both of them treated each other even closer than normal sisters do. They shared things together, adventures, gossips, experiences and even gifts on special occasions and this made Lacus a special friend to her. Jess was also well aware of another fact about Lacus's family background.
Lacus had a bad father. Probably the worst kind anyone would ever hope to have. He'd always beat Lacus and her siblings up whenever he was drunk. Lacus's mother committed suicide three years ago out of desperation when the loan sharks began to look up for the whole family because of debts.
Siegel Clyne was not only an abusive father, but a hard core gambler as well. Lacus had to learn to bake or cook and not to mention, become a private household maid for her relatives to borrow and earn enough income to finally pay up for the debts that was piling up from the interests.
She always made her father promise to kick that gambling habit he's hooked up each time she had to clear up the mess he made. He'd always promise on that day, but also never fails to change back to his old ways, living a life with absolutely no moral values. Hoping to recoup the amount he lost, he always ends up losing even more and even turned to borrowing from dangerous organizations out of his unstoppable desperations.
Lacus tried to ignore his gambling debts and run away from the family time and again, but he'd always find a way to track her siblings and her down, putting them in the same trouble he's been facing. Every time Lacus told him to take care of his own matters himself, she'd get beaten up harshly, making matters worse, bruises are made more often when she's always using her own body to shield her younger brother and sister.
Lacus celebrated her eighteenth birthday exactly two weeks ago. Apart from being happy for turning matured that year, Lacus's father also has his own plans that night after they blew off the candles of the cake Lacus baked with her own hands.
"I'm working to serve the public, Jess. These clothing are merely the appetizer to the clients, for only eyes to watch." Lacus flashed a fake smile at her, what she said was true to a certain extent, but she just couldn't tell Jess the real thing.
Jess smiled at Lacus giving her a light pat on the shoulder. Although she didn't buy her story, she did feel a little better knowing that it wasn't one of the jobs she mentioned earlier. Clinging onto Lacus's arm, Jess slowly pulled Lacus out of the shop to continue on their shopping trip that day.
Lacus was relieved that Jess didn't pry any more but she wondered how long she still has to keep the ugly truth from her best friend. What Jess knew was just a bite out of the whole fact, but there was a larger reason to why she was acting this way and why she was so upset. It all had obviously started from her family matters once again.
Flashback
Lacus was sitting alone quietly in her bedroom as she slowly opened up her gift given to her by Jess after Jess left her place, it was a nice keychain with a message on it. "Lacus, fight on!" She even attached a card to the nicely wrapped up gift as she opened it out to read it out loud for herself to hear.
"Lacus, no matter what setbacks you're faced with, take it on bravely and you will realize that you're never alone! Happy eighteenth birthday to you!" Lacus read the same message over and over again, with tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
She knew that no matter how bitter her life wad, she always had Jess standing by her, to watch over her. Lacus was enjoying her moment to herself and her meaningful gift until her door creaked open, with a figure she didn't want to face again approaching her.
She growled silently in frustration for her happy moment to be broken as her father never once gave her a happy birthday since the day she was born as far as she could see. She carefully placed the priced possession back into the wrapping paper putting it in her old wooden drawer. It was old and a little spoilt, just like her other furniture in the room were, but she didn't have a choice, she had to support for the family herself, paying the house rental fees, the school fees and not to mention, living expenses.
She sighed at the thought of her cursed life. With all the things she had to spend on relying on plainly one income, she could never make enough money to buy new furniture to improve on the standards of living for her siblings and herself. Making the ugly truth even uglier, her father's never ending gambling debts and uncontrollable temptations to gamble robbed all her savings away from her, so no matter how hard she tried to save up for new stuff that she might one, it always ended up being taken away from her by force.
She didn't want to look straight at whom she thought of as a jinx before her. She could hear the opposition growl in a low voice, expecting what's going to happen next.
Lacus was slapped across the cheek as the figure forcefully turned her face towards him to make her face him straight, only for her own eyes to meet with a pair of angry ones. Her heart did tell her that he didn't come for money this time though.
"Happy EIGHTEENTH birthday Lacus." His father smirked happily. Lacus could feel chills sent down her spine as this was the first time her father greeted her with a birthday greeting; and it didn't sound as nice when it came out of his mouth.
She knew he had more motives than to wish her a happy birthday. She even knew that looking at him itself spoilt what she could've spelt as a perfect birthday. "What's up?" She asked in a cold tone. She didn't want to hear what is going to come out of his mouth, but to her only, at that point, every bit of his breath stinks.
She couldn't have imagined or even thought about what she was about to be told the very next minute, but it did stun her. Especially if such words were to come out from the mouth of ones own BLOOD related father.
"You're eighteen now, lawfully legal age. I want you to work in a Prostitution Agency where my debt collector worked in. That way, you only have to pay him the amount of money your customer has to pay to sleep with you to pay up for the debt and get to earn house allowance for me by keeping the tips." He smiled. He knew right then that Lacus is going to be earning a lot from the job given her type of feminine features she possessed.
Any guy would've hungered for the likes of her, but instead of letting it go to waste, he could benefit from it more if he put that natural gift she had into proper usage wisely.
Lacus was utterly disgusted at what her father just said to her. She was about to debate and rebut back to him till her father continued, as if he predicted what she was going to say.
"If you don't agree to doing it willingly," Siegal grabbed her hair forcefully, "Then the owner of the agency will come down to bring both you and your sister into that line. Would you like to drag dear Amelia into this case as well?" He smiled narrowing his eyes before throwing her back down onto her bed. Lacus flinched at the movement at hurt her and not to mention, the feel of his hands touching any part of her, even if it means her hair.
She hated her father by heart and nothing could ever change that fact.
"Make the decision by tomorrow and I'll make in contact with that guy. I believe that if you use your assets wisely, you'll earn more than predicted." He smirked and with that, walked out of the room turning off the lights leaving Lacus crying all by herself about the decision she was about to make. Lacus picked up her cell phone as she called Jess to tell her bits and pieces of what ever happened that night, of course, leaving the prostitution part out.
End of Flashback
Lacus heaved a soft sigh till Jess suddenly stopped, turning around. Lacus panicked thinking that Jess heard her sigh or thinking that she's been talking in her day dreams. Her face turned instantly as pale as sheet till Jess said she was about to go to the toilet.
Lacus blinked a couple of times laughing at her own foolishness. She brought her hand up scratching the pack of her head laughing like an idiot only to be returned with a look of craziness from Jess herself. Jess went into the toilet for more than twenty minutes and that irritated the hell out of Lacus.
She began to pace to and fro around the same area waiting patiently, but she knew that her patience is going to run out soon.
Suddenly, something hit her shoulder hard and she felt herself falling on the floor with her palms and knees still supporting her, into a position as if she's begging to someone. She winced in pain placing her hand on the part of the shoulder where she was hit as the impact was pretty big to just knock her down that quickly.
"I'm so sorry!" A voice suddenly apologized from before her as Lacus shook her head saying that it was ok.
Lacus lifted her head up to see a handsome brunette standing before her, but within that brunette, there is also another side of his own story just like Lacus herself that is a lot more than what is seen on the surface.
She could see the gentleman offering his hand to her in a friendly gesture to help her up. Lacus blushed in a light shade of pink at the sight of the handsome young man that seemed not much older than she was. Her guess was, he's of around the same age as she was.
Lacus gently placed her shaky palm on his only to be met with a strong touch as he slowly pulled her up to her feet with Lacus still blushing while trying to avert her gaze from the cute guy before her. She's never felt this way for a guy before.
Sure she had crushes in the past, but the sight of them never made her blush that way and it also never made her breathing seem so difficult before. She didn't even remembered the time her heart raced like this other than before getting back her examination papers.
The brunette found himself, also unable to let go of her hand and it's probably because Lacus avoiding looking at his face straight that he was able to hide his unhealthy red shade on the cheeks as well. He suddenly realized what he was doing as he let go of her hand placing his sweaty palms into his pockets.
"Well…err I apologize for the collision. It was pure coincidental and I was just trying to get away from a girl who's been bugging the day lights out of me." He smiled.
Lacus regained to her senses as she flashed one of the cutest smiles she had to him. "Hi I'm Lacus Clyne. I'm sorry if I was blocking your way though."
"I'm Kira Yamato anyway and it's nice to meet you. If fate allows it, I believe we will meet again." Kira finished his statement with full confidence in his tone as he flashed a warm smile to Lacus making her heart and stomach flutter.
With that, Kira ran off back into the crowds as Lacus stared at him in awe. Not long later, another figure ran past her. It was a red head who was wearing a pink top and skirt. "KIRAAA!!!" She screamed as she ran across the by-passers not caring a world for the amount of disruption she's been causing around the mall.
Lacus smiled to herself and suddenly giggled. "I see what he meant, this girl is really daring." She whispered to herself.
"Who's daring?" A voice suddenly startled her from her own thoughts as she recovered from her shock after finding out that it was Jess.
"Oh it's nothing, let's go." Lacus smiled at her friend before pulling her away from the scene, while still thinking of the brunette. 'I wonder is he's still single'
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With Kira
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"WAIT UP!!!" A certain red head amongst the crowds shouted loudly across the place.
Kira turned behind to look at the direction where the voice came from to see a girl weaving through the crowds at top speed. 'Fll….FLLLAY!!' Kira screamed mentally as he continued running as if his legs were operated by a motor which had no brakes.
Kira ran all the way with all the speed he could muster to the only place he knew was available for him to take cover from the incoming predator right on his tail. Rushing down the mall past the shops, he came across a turn at the corner of the level before using his left hand to grab onto the corner of the wall making a right turn into the toilet.
Still not satisfied with his hide out, he ran into one of the cubicles, shut the door and locked it secure. After making sure that he was safe from troubles, he decided to take a breath from all that running he did a minute ago and not to mention…from all the heart racing moments with the pink haired girl he saw a minute ago.
He knew it was the right path to take if only he had followed Athrun's guide, not to fool around with girls. As a matter of fact, all he did was just charming the girls with his electrifying amethyst eyes, swaying his massive brown locks around to walk in a confident manner, with his hands stuck in his pocket.
Kira is a confident boy in university now, excelling in almost everything, he could be most described at topping the entire cohort, not to mention, outstanding in basketball and is definitely a winner when it comes to cricketing with games like the ultimate Frisbee, hockey, badminton and rugby no trouble for him at all.
Yes, he was an all rounder which was why he was the favorite student of many teachers and not forgetting, a popular heartthrob in the campus. But on the other side of the story of a perfect boy, he was also known to be the heir of the Yamato Group which inherited billions and zillions of wealth and property all around the world.
Apart from the bright side of everyone, Kira has a dark side of himself too…he was a player. Not that he slept around with girls, but he actually enjoyed the process of toying with the feelings of girls' heart, making them flutter in heaven for a moment and dropping down back to earth the next second.
His last target was Fllay and she was apparently, the hardest girl to get rid of. He could easily dismiss the rest with a sum of money as it was what they were after in the first place. Fllay however, didn't want the money, she wanted his wealth, his reputation, his social status and not to mention, him.
He decided to try something new recently though. Instead of letting the girls fall in love with him, he was set on making them his.
He started having second thoughts about his new idea though, only after he saw that pink haired beauty. He felt the lustful and flirty ghost leave his heart as all he saw for that beautiful girl was pure love. Something he could never thought of harboring for any girl in his life before. Yet he was once again told by his heart that if he went on to proceed with his original intention, he'd find the same feeling yet again.
Kira began thinking of the features of the girl. Blue orbs with complimenting pink wavy hair, slim figure with an appropriate height, beautiful voice and a gorgeous name – Lacus.
Kira placed his palm on his beating heart again from the over reaction of the last meeting with this special girl, he can't take any of this torture anymore. He wanted to see this girl again. Not understanding if whatever he's experiencing is love, Kira just concluded that he merely wanted to see this girl who has a mysterious yet blurry look from her eyes out of curiosity.
Hours passed and Kira slowly unlatched the door of the cubicle leaving eyes and gossips on him because of the long time he stayed in the toilet. Kira washed his hands trying to avert the gaze of wondering eyes as he slowly stepped out of the toilet, hoping to see that the coast is clear.
Kira wanted to go back to the spot where he saw the girl he met just now, but he figured that it was getting late and she might've gotten home by then. Slipping his hands into his trousers pockets yet again, he started walking back towards the car park where he left his car.
The next day
Kira went back into the same shopping mall where his legs blindly led him to as he picked the very spot where the girl was pacing about to wait. He wasn't sure what he was waiting though, perhaps for her to just appear again.
His heart was once again blinded by his feelings as he leaned against the wall, smiling at the ceiling waiting aimlessly and patiently as if money was going to drop by at that place.
Kira paced around just like Lacus did as his eyes caught hold of everything that was in the catchy shade of pink her hair was yesterday. Kira suddenly stopped where he was as he closed his eyes laughing at himself for behaving like a loser for the first time.
"Most popular guy in school waiting here for a mysterious girl?" He taunted himself, but his heart and mind wasn't convinced at all.
"I can't believe how much I thought about her last night when I just returned home. My mind's been flooded by the color pink and it seems as though I can never get it out of my head." Kira mumbled to himself under his breath which a tone that was only audible enough for himself to here.
Kira's been thinking of Lacus when he was at home the last night. When he was watching television, he couldn't help but notice the actress that has never caught his eye before. She was known for only selling her looks to audience instead of acting talents as her emotions were exaggerating and fake, she was called Meer Campbell. She also had pink hair.
Kira's been behaving so weirdly at home, his twin sister, Cagalli's been bugging him for the whole night about him targeting another girl. Holding the exact same thoughts as Athrun, she also felt that Kira should repent from his ways as it will only lead to more trouble in the near or far future.
Sometimes, Kira couldn't help but realize that Cagalli's always been agreeing to what ever Athrun says. He knew for the fact that Cagalli admired the midnight blue haired guy, but even when they are not together, he couldn't help but notice how much they've been acting like a couple; always agreeing to each other's points and also fighting their opposition for each other. In other words, it seemed as though they always had the same thoughts.
For some reason though, that night, Kira also had a weird dream. He dreamt of himself sitting by the beach watching the ocean with a pink haired girl whom he was certain is Lacus, in his arms. It was a peculiar dream, but he knew that he liked it either way too.
After waiting for what seemed like minutes because of his thoughts, Kira stared at his watch to realize that it was nearing night fall yet again. He haven't had dinner and neither was he in an appetite for it too since he did not get to take another look at Lacus. Kira's initial plan was to go home immediately, but something seemed to have stopped him from doing so.
Kira decided that Fllay might be somewhere near his apartment right now. She's been making it a point to turn up at his condominium every weekend and to think what he found amusing then was starting to really irritate and get on his nerves now.
He also knew for the fact that Fllay had a job behind the backs of many and that is probably where she got all her money to buy her branded goods too. Yet something tells him that what she was doing did not gain respect from as many people as any other occupations would.
Kira walked out of the mall still thinking of where he was headed to when his previous idea struck him yet again. Was it a good choice though; to go to the famous prostitution agency? He's heard rumors about a new girl joining the circle soon and from what he heard from his friends who are practically spoilt rich brats, that girl was wonderful.
Kira's even heard about rumors that if he stood at alleys down the agency itself, he could still easily get hooked up onto any girl out there. Kira started to ponder over whether he should pay a visit to that place where his friends deemed as heaven right now since there is no way he could see himself going home in a safe situation at this point.
Kira battled in his thoughts before deciding on proceeding with his original plans to take a look at the place. Apart from his sexual arousal as a guy, his heart also told him to follow his mental destination too. Something kept telling him that he won't regret going to that place. Besides, he has nothing to lose, does he?
Kira took a fifty minutes drive to the place as it too, wasn't really far away from where he originally was. Kira stepped out of his car as he gulped at the sight of all the unsightly scenes he's been witnessing; people making out and engaging in little activities on their own.
Kira decided to walk a little more as he went past this darker and quieter alley, or that was what he thought it was; dark and quiet when a bunch of girls started to gather around him, hoping that he'd fall into their money making trap as Kira silently gulped.
He felt uneasy right then at the situation he was being put in and not to mention, the attire of those ladies. Kira could also conclude something from this; he wasn't really enjoying himself as much as his friends told him that he would. He felt utterly disgusted, even as a playboy in school.
Kira apologized to them profusely as he squeezed through the crowd of girls around him, feeling that he was cursed at the back by them for not being aroused by their actions.
He knew that turning down their offer is considered an insult to their 'professionalism' as he wasn't even turned on by their actions. Kira attempted walking back to his car to just face the fact that he had Fllay waiting at his house for him when he spotted a crowd around a certain corner.
He went closer to see many of them ogling at a certain something. Kira tiptoed, trying his best to take a look at what's been causing all those commotion as he noticed a blob of pink within the crowds. He strained his eyes, trying to get a better view at whatever is creating such a scene.
Kira struggled to strain his neck awhile more as he was on the verge of giving up till he was finally given the honor to take a proper look at what's among the crowds as he was shocked beyond words.
Among those lustful eyes, there was a girl who had pretty long pink hair and blue eyes that seemed to quiver in fear as she was squatting down covering her head with both her hands. Kira couldn't help but notice that he's been meeting girls with pink hair often lately.
The girl finally looked up straight to see the situation she was in and that was where Kira was hit with familiarity by the similar face he could lay a finger on.
He felt sorry for her though, she seemed so afraid to be in the chaotic situation and suddenly, he was collided in the shoulder by yet another on looker. That was when it hit him hard remembering the incident where he collided with the girl who possessed a striking resemblance as the one in the crowd.
"Lacus??" He voiced out unknowingly only to get the attention of the girl in the centre as she looked up feeling strange as if someone just called her by her name or something.
"Huh??" She mumbled, with tears slowly streaking down her cheeks.
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A/N: This is another new fic I had in mind for a long time. I have to admit that I'm pretty surprised at the amount of reviews and support I was given for 'Love's Test' as a new fiction and I hope that I'd get supporters for this fic as well. This is a T-rated fic because I'm merely using the reputation of the job 'prostitution' for Lacus to gain a different image. Don't worry though, I'm a sucker for good endings and this will also be one. I'd like to mention also that there will be no adult themes nor scenes in this fiction, let alone course language. I hope that this fic will be appealing to readers as well and I would also like to say that this fiction might be a short one. So please R&R. Thx!!
