Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny or its characters and names.


The Feud

2

Athrun had fallen asleep drooling on his textbook, when he heard his name being called from downstairs.

'Zala, Yamato's here!'

That jolted him wide awake. Then an unusual spike of fear ran down his spine.

Cagalli Yamato or Kira Yamato? He wondered which of the twin had come to spell his doom. He wasn't sure which of the two he preferred and briefly contemplated escaping from the window before realising what a stupid thought that was.

Athrun took a deep breath, fixed his textbook hair up in his mirror then bravely waltzed to his death. Halfway down the staircase, he could see a mop of brown hair, and the knowledge that it was his best friend didn't ease the tension in his body.

It wasn't unusual for Kira to be here, he told himself. Since Kira was his best friend, and his best friend dropped by all the time to hang out. Surely this visit had nothing to do with what happened with his sister.

His hopes however were dashed once he reached the bottom and Kira turned around with a glare of death that matched the one Cagalli have given him hours earlier, only where Cagalli's eyes were a raging gold, her brother's were a steel cold amethyst. It was then Athrun remembered that whenever Kira visited, he would always pay a visit to his sister next door first.

'Athrun,' Kira addressed solemnly. 'I heard some disturbing news from Cagalli just then. And I would like to give you the opportunity to explain yourself before I tear you from limb to limb and discard the remains to the dog.'

Athrun gulped. 'You would?'

'We don't have a dog!' someone piped in from the living room behind them.

Kira nodded. 'As my best friend, I think it's only fair I hear your side of the story.'

Athrun looked suspiciously at his best friend. Although Kira seemed calm, that stare of his was really unnerving. In all the years Athrun had known Kira, he had never known Kira to be a violent kind of person. He had to believe that Kira was more reasonable than his sister and that their years of friendship counted for something. Maybe Kira would give him a head start before releasing the dogs on him. The fact that they didn't have a dog didn't make things better.

'It was an accident, I swear!' Athrun blundered out and when he started he couldn't stop. 'I didn't mean to see her getting changed. She was just playing her music really loudly and I went over to the window to see and she started to take her clothes off! When I realised what was happening, it already happened, and before I had the chance to look away, Cagalli saw me. And when I tried to apologise to Cagalli, she didn't give me a chance to explain. It's really just a whole big misunderstanding. I was NOT perving on your sister, Kira. You have to believe me!'

When he finished, Kira was silent for a long while. Athrun wondered if this was supposed to be the head start Kira was giving him and if he should start running now.

'What music?' Kira asked finally.

'What?'

'What music was my sister playing?'

'Taylor Swift. Shake It Off.'

'Prove it.'

'What?'

'Sing it.'

'I shake it off?' Athrun started uncertainly. The serious look on Kira's face made him continue dubiously. 'I, I shake it off, I shake if off. I, I shake it, I shake it off.'

There was another round of silence before Kira suddenly said, 'Okay, I believe you.'

'You do?'

Kira came around and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze. 'You're my best friend, if you said you didn't intentionally perv on my sister, then I'm inclined to believe you. Besides, I know Cagalli has a short temper and a tendency to overact. And I know you would never have indecent intentions towards my sister, right?'

The way Kira smiled too brightly and the emphasis he placed on the word never, had Athrun nodding his head fervently. 'Right.'

Kira's grip on his shoulder relaxed into a friendly pat, and all manner of seriousness was gone. 'Also, it was fun listening to you try to sing Taytay.'

Athrun groaned and palmed his face. 'You did that on purpose.'

Kira let out a loud laughter this time like he couldn't hold it in any longer, slapping his knee in the process. 'Seriously, don't quit your day job, you have horrible pitch,' he managed the words between sobs of raucous laughter.

Athrun shook his head in disbelief, half amazed he still had a head on his shoulders. Though Kira had forgiven him, Kira wasn't the one he had offended, Cagalli was. Somehow, he still needed to make it right with Cagalli.

'Hey, Kira. Can you talk to Cagalli for me? She was too mad to listen to me earlier. Will you tell her I really am sorry?'

'I'll try, but I can't guarantee she'll listen to me.'

Kira continued to snicker as he made his way to Athrun's living room, muttering 'I shake it off,' under his breath, imitating the way Athrun was singing.

From the lounge he could hear Yzak asking, 'Not dead yet, Zala?'

'Nope!' Athrun replied. Apparently his best friend was satisfied with just embarrassing him for now. He followed Kira into the lounge area where they were greeted by Yzak and Dearka on the sofa.

'So, Kira,' Dearka asked, twisting himself around on the couch so he could get a better view, 'you really just gonna let Zala off the hook like that? 'Cause if it were my sis, I would have bashed Zala's head in.'

Athrun threw his housemate a warning glare. He wasn't quite sure how he had escaped the hook himself, but he certainly didn't need Dearka changing Kira's mind about it.

Kira picked an armchair and plopped down on it, sprawling out his limbs. 'Oh, I'm not worried. Cagalli can take care of herself. She'll string any man who gets on her wrong side up by their balls,' he announced with such loving fondness in his voice. 'I mean, have you met my sister?'

'Actually, no,' Yzak replied from the opposite end of the couch where Dearka was, then let out an irritated growl when Dearka tried to rest his feet on Yzak's lap. He pushed the other man off the couch and there was an audible groan as Dearka hit the floor.

Athrun had to agree with Yzak. Although Kira would mention his sister quite often, usually with horror stories from their childhood, he had never once invited Cagalli to any gatherings with his friends. And although Athrun had been friends with Kira since high school, he barely knew his best friend's twin at all, aside from her name, what she looked like, and that apparently she had a bad temper.

'Well, probably for the best,' Kira replied. 'Did I tell you about what happened to her ex-boyfriend in high school? No? Well she caught him cheating on her, and I'm not too sure about the details, but whatever she did to him, he was found weeping behind the gym for a whole week.'

'No shit.' Someone, probably all three of them uttered out.

'No shit.' Kira agreed.

Afterwards, Yzak got up, stepped over Dearka who was still sprawled on the floor, went to the kitchen and came back with a six pack of beer and a bowl of chips. He offered the first beer to Athrun who gulped it down far too quickly. Then the rest of the night continued like nothing had happened as the boys bunkered down for cards and a predictably bad movie.

So when Kira was leaving, after a few more beers and a few more rounds of cards, and turned to Athrun and said, 'Good luck,' Athrun didn't think anything of it.


The next day, Athrun was determined to apologise properly to Cagalli and put the whole incident behind him. He didn't want to have wronged her in any way, even if it was by accident, or to have her feel uncomfortable around him.

When he spied her across the courtyard on campus, he tried to approach her only to have her see him then promptly walk in the opposite direction. Then he spotted her on the other side of the building after his first class and she again went the other way. Next, he thought he saw her next to the water station but as soon as he blinked, she was gone. So far, Cagalli was making it very difficult for him to say that he was sorry.

When at last, he inadvertently bumped into her exiting a lecture theatre where her class had just finished, and where his was about to start, he thought he finally had his chance to set things right.

'Cagalli, I-' that was all he managed to get out before she reeled on him.

'Leave me alone, you creep!' she shouted at him before turning abruptly and storming away. A crowd of people turned his way, giving him weird looks and murmurs started erupting.

Athrun ignored the sneers and whispers all directed at him and chased after the blonde who was running away from him.

'Cagalli, wait! I didn't mean to-' He caught up and reached for her.

Cagalli looked visibly distressed when she turned to face him again. 'Will you stop following me?'

'I wasn't,' Athrun protested, although technically he had been following her all day. Then realising that he had grabbed onto her arm, hastily let go. 'I mean, not in that way. Not the creepy kind of way.'

She jerked her arm back, not believing a word he said and turned to go again. Athrun almost followed again, desperate for her to understand him, when a brunette suddenly appeared in his face. He recognised her, she lived next door in the share house with Cagalli. Miriallia Hawwe. And he only knew her name because Dearka had been chasing her since freshman year. And since Dearka was not a decent human being, and since Miriallia was a human being with a brain, Dearka had been unsuccessful in his attempts at getting her to go out with him so far.

'Hey, get away from her!' Miriallia spat at him with what clearly was a look of disgust on her face before she ran after the blonde who was desperately running away from him. He heard Miriallia ask Cagalli if she was alright, and saw the solemn nod of Cagalli's head before Miriallia wrapped a comforting arm around her friend.

Athrun watched them disappear into the crowd and suddenly realised what an idiot he was. If she thought he had intentionally perved on her while she was taking off her clothes and then saw him pursuing her across the campus the next day, no wonder she appeared freaked. He probably came across exactly like the creep she thought he was.

His mother would definitely be disappointed in him. At least his best friend wasn't going to kill him.

'Hey, Athrun, what's up?' Speaking of the devil, Kira squeezed through the crowd and stopped beside him.

'Why is everyone staring at you?' Yzak remarked a second later, appearing after Kira.

'Hey, Kira, have you spoken to your sister for me?'

'Not yet, why?'

'Oh nothing,' Athrun gave a pathetic sigh. 'Just, put in a good word for me, okay?'


The next day, Athrun resolved to just keep his mouth shut and stay away from Kira's sister. He should probably give her some space, as she clearly did not want anything to do with him, and every time he tried to apologise, it just blew up in his face anyways.

Athrun gave a loud sigh as he rolled out of bed. He opened his curtains and noted that Cagalli's curtains were still drawn and had been that way since two nights ago. He oddly missed the view from his window, not the black lace and golden skin, he told himself, but the ever changing posters on her walls, the array of books on her shelves and the frantic way she would rush in and then rush out whenever she forgot something in her room.

Athrun had to stop himself there, because dammit, he really was a stalker.

He turned away, determined to forget everything about the girl next door, and got ready for class.


When Athrun arrived on campus, he got the distinct impression that he was being watched. Not in the 'someone was following him and spying from behind the bushes' kind of way. In the 'everyone is looking at him weirdly' kind of way. It couldn't possibly be because of what happened yesterday, right? He knew gossip travelled fast around campus but surely, it couldn't have caused this much of a commotion.

'Why are all the girls staring at you?' Yzak noticed as he and Athrun walked to class later that day.

'Maybe they're staring at you.' Athrun dared to hope.

'No, they're definitely staring at you.'

Athrun hung his head low and tried to ignore it, hoping that whatever it was, it would go away soon.


The next day the same thing happened. Only instead of getting better, it only got worse as the curious glances from yesterday turned into outright glares as he passed in the hallways. The day after that, whispers accompanied by pointing fingers started following him around.

He was beginning to feel like a freak show in the circus. Was it his hair? Not many people had blue hair, but he had never gotten this much attention for it before. Was it his face? His mother always said he was handsome and he did seem to receive the majority of the glares from the female population of the campus. But that was definitely not it either.

'What the hell is going on?!' Athrun let out in frustration on the fourth day.

'I don't know, but apparently you're a sicko,' Yzak replied beside him as he lifted a sticky note stuck on his back and handed it to him.

Apparently, they were back in middle school too, Athrun thought as he stared at the yellow note with the word 'sicko' scrawled across it in barely legible handwriting. He wasn't even going to bother with asking how or when that had gotten stuck onto his shirt, he just wanted to know why.

Athrun had just about had enough of whatever it was that was happening. He could scarcely concentrate in class, because people kept on whispering behind him, or turning their heads to sneak glances at him. He had a few rude gestures directed his way too and he had no idea how he had offended people he had never met before.

He was seriously contemplating grabbing the next person that looked at him funny and demanding being told what was going on, when Dearka waltzed up to him in the middle of the corridor, holding something in his hands.

'You're famous, dude,' Dearka stated excitedly then handed over a piece of paper. It was some kind of a flyer or poster. 'It's all over the girls' locker rooms!'

Athrun snatched the paper away and held it up to his eyes. His jaw almost hit the floor in disbelief. 'You've got to be kidding.'

On the A4 piece of paper was the letters B-E-W-A-R-E, followed by a photo of him, then the words PERVERT ON CAMPUS in capitals, and in that order.

'How did you get your hands on this?' Athrun asked, turning back to Dearka.

'Like I said, the girls' locker room.'

'You're the REAL pervert!' Athrun accused.

The blond simply shrugged. 'Hey, at least I never get caught.'

'You're disgusting, Elsman. Why am I even friends with you?' Athrun muttered under his breath then turned his attention back to the poster with his face on it.

Slowly, things began to make sense. Cagalli's threat. The photo she took. Kira's subtle or rather not-so-subtle warning about his sister. The odd looks and quiet whisperings behind his back.

So this was what Cagalli meant when she said she was not going to make life easy for him.

The photo Cagalli had snapped of him had caught him right when he was in mid-blink. His eyelids we halfway open, and his mouth was half agape in surprise. The flash on the camera did him no justice either as it turned his skin into a sickly pale colour. The photo made him look half drunk and half axe-wielding murderer. Even his mother would struggle to call him handsome in this photo.

'I look like a freak,' Athrun said in dismay.

'No,' Yzak said behind him. 'You look like a creep.'

Yzak gave him a sympathetic pat on the back and walked away with Dearka, leaving Athrun to continue to stare at his photograph.

It turned out it was his face after all. And he couldn't really blame anyone for believing what the poster said about him.

Because Yzak was right, he really did look like a creep.