Disclaimer: Gundam Seed and all its characters belong to their respective owners.

Phase 03: Winning Streak

His breath was racing, his brown hair was in his face and sweat stung his amethyst eyes, but he was determined. His muscles were working rhythmically as he sped toward his goal, unwavering. Students around him were cheering wildly as he pushed himself closer and closer to the finishing line. The summer sun beat down on the race track as if it meant to slow him, but Kira Yamato was aware of nothing but the adrenaline flooding his veins and the sound of the roaring crowd in his ears. He crossed the white chalk line with as much grace as his exhausted body could muster, nearly tripping over his own feet to land on his nose when he came to such a sudden stop.

"Wow, you made excellent time!"

"Awesome!"

He spun around to give the cheering fans a smile, which quickly melted into a flustered frown as he realized that no one was even looking in his direction. A large sweat drop made its way down his cheek; most of the kids from the crowd were clustered around the slim, dark-haired boy Kira called his best friend. Athrun was towelling his damp forehead and smiling modestly. Despite having outrun Kira, Athrun did not look the least bit tired. He felt only a slight stab of jealousy over that. He was so drained he thought he would topple over! He quickly smothered that feeling. Jealousy was a destructive emotion, however fleeting. And besides, he did not want to be jealous of his best friend.

"Another track record, Athrun?" exclaimed Alex Tanin, one of Kira's other friends who had also been participating in the race, as he jogged up beside Kira. His voice teemed with awe. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were practicing!"

Kira grinned proudly at his best friend's accomplishment and stepped forward to join the crowd. Getting a closer look, he noticed that Athrun's navy blue hair was slick with sweat too, and liquid pearls dotted his forehead despite the towel. Athrun was just as tired as Kira, he just hid it well.

"Maybe a little," Athrun admitted, allowing his smile to broaden for a moment. It was just like Athrun to be so humble. His ego only pops out when no one else is around to see it, Kira thought with a wry grin. Athrun turned to him with an enthusiastic smile. "You did great too, Kira!"

Kira just shook his head. Having looked around the sports field, he had long since realized that he had not even made second place, or third.

"Guess they don't call him Ath-run for nothing!" Jordi quipped, approaching from the sidelines. "You better slow down, Athrun! This is only practice after all! Leave some records for the little guys!"

Athrun graced the new arrival with an incredulously raised eyebrow. Jordi hated athletics like cats hate water.

"You sure have a lot to say for someone who just came to picnic next to the race track," was Athrun's smooth reply. Kira expected the round-faced kid to blush at least a little, but Jordi's grin only stretched even broader. Despite how much he ate, Jordi was not really overweight, but rather just healthily plump. Standing beside them, he made Athrun and Kira look like twigs, though.

"I saved some for you guys!" he boasted. "Who wants some of the kitchen lady's famous super duper ultra delicious beef-and-vegetable sandwiches!?"

Kira felt his stomach grumble loudly. He did not know whether it was his extreme exhaustion causing this reaction or hearing the name of the most famous snack in moon boarding school history. But as he reached a hand out to take the delicious-looking bread, Athrun popped into view so fast Kira almost fell over backwards.

"You can't eat that, Kira!" Athrun cried, his voice filled with horror and his eyes wide.

"Eh? I can't…?" Kira stammered.

"No, you can't!" his best friend repeated firmly.

"W-Well, why not?"

"You could get a stomach cramp!" Athrun exclaimed. "And do you know how dangerous it is to eat right after exercising? It's bad for your heart, you know!"

It sounded a bit ridiculous, yet Athrun's forest green eyes were dead serious. Until Jordi burst out laughing. Athrun rounded on the grinning, yellow-haired boy with absolute indignation.

"Gee, Athrun, I'd swear you thought the thing is poisoned!" Jordi chuckled, his grey eyes twinkling with mirth. "So serious!"

When he turned back, Athrun's expression was as close to sulky as Kira had ever seen him. While Athrun was usually a calm and collected person, Jordi always found a way to get under his sombre exterior. Athrun hated Jordi's teasing for the simple reason that he wanted to be taken seriously. Jordi did so enjoy making fun of Athrun in ways the serious, green-eyed boy despised. It was never anything vicious; Jordi was not that kind of person, but the worst of it was that Kira thought it was quite funny himself, even if he did not care for any of Jordi's other jokes.

"It's not poisoned!" the mischievous boy said sweetly. "Look!"

And with that, he took a great big bite out of the sandwich Kira's stomach had been yearning for… The amused smile melted off his lips instantly.

"Hey… I wanted to eat that…" he managed pathetically.

Jordi gave him one look and burst out laughing all over again. His laughter was choked off in a big gulp and his eyes suddenly went wide.

"It might not be poisoned," Alex put in from the side, slapping Jordi on his back, hard, and sending the stunned boy into a coughing fit, "but it will kill you if you shove it down the wrong pipe!"

Now it was Jordi's turn to look indignant. Alex was already chatting away about a different subject, completely ignoring the bland look Jordi was trying to give him. Athrun looked… smug. Kira grinned. Leave it to Alex to brighten anyone's day!

Just then, three ominous giggles filled the air. Kira spun around and found himself face to face with the infamous girl trio from their class, Merri-Anne, Elmary, and their notorious leader, Collina. She was finicky, girlish evil personified. Still, she was kind of cute. Kira could almost feel Athrun's elbow poking in his ribs. Of course there was no way for his best friend to know what he was thinking, so his hands were firmly at his sides, but guilt and Kira's imagination planted the feeling of an elbow there in his ribs. Girls were not all evil, after all. Not all girls… Maybe not even Collina. He did get a poke in the ribs, then, but not from Athrun. When he looked to his left, he saw Jordi with an outraged expression on his face. He had not spoken anything aloud, had he? For an instant he felt so embarrassed that he thought he would colour from the roots of his hair to the tips of his toes. His cheeks did feel very hot.

"Don't look at her like that! She'll think you're asking for trouble!" came Jordi's heated whisper.

Kira felt like he could pass out from pure relief. No one suspected what he had really been thinking. Or did someone? Collina gave him a disdainful look before locking her deadly, green laser sights on Athrun.

"That was a good race," she said icily. Athrun arched a cool eyebrow at the ginger-haired girl. At this, she sniffed and tipped her nose a notch higher into the air. She planted her hands on her hips and turned to Kira. Her stare sent shivers down his spine. "I just thought I'd come to inform you boys that you better make sure our team doesn't lose like last year."

"L-Last year?" Kira parroted, his stomach giving a violent twist.

Collina pinned him with her poisonous gaze and he found himself wishing he had not spoken.

"A terrible incident, that," Elmary noted, her glasses reflecting the glare of the sunlight as she stared down at the boys.

At her shoulder, Merri-Anne nodded gravely, the bouncing of her flame red braids emphasizing the movement.

"I don't appreciate my reputation suffering because some boy couldn't pull his weight," Collina told the air as she spun away from them gracefully, heeled by her two friends — in Kira's opinion, they looked more like two bloodhounds.

Without another word, they sauntered off, their noses tilted so far up that it seemed they would have tripped at any moment if they had not been so graceful. Kira felt like the wind had been punched out of him.

"What was that all about?" Alex's words came out in a whoosh of air, as if he had been holding his breath the whole time.

"I don't know," Athrun lied.

Athrun knew full well what it was about. Last year, their class needed just a few points to get ahead, but then "some boy" — namely Kira — tripped up and they ended up losing. Alex had not been in their class back then, and, mercifully, Jordi had decided to skip that particular athletics meet, otherwise Kira was sure he would never have heard the end of it. He sighed, grateful that Athrun was helping to keep his secret.

"Well, as long as it's got to do with those three, I don't fancy finding out," Jordi piped up, making a face.

Athrun nodded, but he seemed kind of distant, like something was bothering him. Setting aside his girl-related problems for now, Kira resolved to find out what the matter was, later.

The four boys said their goodbyes. Alex waved cheerfully and was off in his usual energetic manner. While Athrun went to fetch their bags, Kira stood watching Jordi make a mad dash for the hostel, hoping to be in time for dinner, his picnic basket flailing beside him. Kira winced. How could anyone enjoy dinner after just gobbling up so many sandwiches?

"For someone who hates athletics, he sure can sprint," Athrun commented as he returned with his and Kira's bags.

"Only when it's about food," Kira laughed. He took his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He was ready to go, but Athrun was fiddling distractedly with the zipper on his own bag. Kira cocked his head at his best friend, trying hard to decipher the intricate puzzle that was Athrun. "We're still on for tonight, right?"

"Huh? W-Well… as a matter of fact…"

"Athrun, what's wrong?" Kira coaxed. "If you'd rather stay home, I don't mind."

He was sure the problem was somehow linked to their sleepover tonight. Athrun was supposed to spend the night over at Kira's house to make their final preparations for the athletics meet, but if Athrun was tired or something, Kira did not want to force him. They would not be able to have much fun that way.

"N-No, no, it's not that!" Athrun defended quickly. "I'd love to come, it's just…" His friend lowered his emerald eyes and his shoulders sagged. "I can't."

Kira felt his eyebrows climb in surprise.

"You can't?" Kira echoed. "Why not? I thought we planned this a long time in advance!"

His best friend graced him with a weak smile.

"That was before I knew Father was coming to visit," he said quietly.

"Your dad's coming?" Kira was proud that he had managed not to sound shaken. He did not want to show his friend that he was afraid of his father. Mr Patrick Zala was strict to the point of harshness, but he was still Athrun's dad.

"He's probably here already." For some reason, his friend sounded sad. "I would have loved to come, but since my father's come all this way, and he doesn't always get a chance to visit, I ought to spend some time with him…"

Well, Kira was not about to let a stern man — who was probably as loving and huggable as Barney once you got to know him — come between him and his best friend. No way!

"I've got an idea! I've always wanted to meet your dad!" Kira encouraged brightly. "Sure, I've seen him a couple of times, but I've never met him in person! Yeah!" He nodded for emphasis. "So why don't I come over to your place instead!?"

"Kira…" Athrun's pupils glittered with an emotion Kira could not exactly identify, but at least it seemed like a good emotion. His lips were on the verge of forming a grateful smile. "You don't mind? Are you sure?"

Kira fixed Athrun with his best grin and nodded reassuringly.

"You bet!"

---

Athrun stood on the front porch of his house, contemplating turning the key in the lock as his eyes involuntarily ran along the sleek, black vehicle that announced his father's presence. His mother would be home. She had taken the day off to spend more time with her husband. He was still amazed at his best friend's incredibly calm reaction at hearing the news. He felt a pang of jealousy at that. He himself had not been so placid upon hearing that his father was coming to watch the athletics. Guiltily, he pushed the feeling down. He refused to be jealous of his good friend's kind heart. Normally Athrun would have been happy that his father was visiting. It made their family whole. But it was that phone call the night before that bothered him…

"You're coming to the athletics meet, Father?"

Athrun had been astonished that his father would even come to an event like that. He never attended any of Athrun's school functions.

"Of course I am!" his father had enthused, and Athrun thought there was a touch of pride in the man's voice. "I have to watch my son win his race!"

Collina's haughty expression flashed though his mind, fuelling the feeling of contempt building inside of him. Gritting his teeth, Athrun squeezed his eyes shut. Was winning the only thing people cared about? Of course, Athrun would have no trouble winning the race tomorrow, but ever since Kira's terrible humiliation the year before, Athrun had made a promise to himself — one he intended to keep. His father's unexpected presence put a different face on the situation, but he would find a way to deal with that.

There's more to it than that, he thought as he envisioned how boldly Kira had run, even though he did not even make third place. The image of his best friend's refreshed smile, the look of sheer joy in his laughing eyes as he threw his hands into the air triumphantly upon making it to the finishing line, that image told Athrun that athletics was about something other than winning. Something else entirely.

Athrun shook his head. Surely his father saw that too. Maybe the words had just not come out the way he had meant them. With a sigh, he unlocked the front door and slipped inside.

"I'm home…!" he called out to the silent household.

His parents were probably outside, taking a walk in the garden. Athrun did not want to disturb them. He paused long enough to hang his jacket on the coat rack before trudging up the stairs to get an extra bed ready. Kira would arrive soon, anyway. Watching his parents' stroll from his bedroom window, he realized anew how important it was to their family that his father visited, no matter how briefly. His father was here because he loved them. This was not about the prestige of watching his son win. It was about showing his son that he supported him. It was about the three of them as a family. Athrun did not have to win to please his father, he only needed to give his all.

When he was sure he had himself completely convinced, he turned away from the window.

---

The twinkle was back in Athrun's green eyes when he welcomed his best friend at the front door to his house. Kira was surprised, and a little relieved, at how Athrun's mood had turned itself around since earlier that afternoon. Kira returned Athrun's smile. He had done the right thing to insist on meeting Mr Zala. That was what he thought, at least, until he stood staring up at the man's intimidating countenance. Athrun's dad was a big man, and physical size had nothing to do with it.

It was only until after Athrun had led Kira to his room that Kira managed to take a whole breath. He could not remember two words of his introduction to Mr Patrick Zala. He just felt so infinitely puny being in the man's towering presence. He could not imagine what it had to be like to stand in this man's shadow as his only son. Kira shot Athrun a sidelong look as he began methodically unloading his stuff onto the spare bed. It had to be a scary thought, knowing you had to follow in this person's footsteps, but Athrun took it in his stride and never complained about it. Kira felt a sort of admiration blossoming for his friend. He hoped Athrun had not picked up on his nervousness. That would mean that all of Kira's bravery would have been for nothing.

But Athrun was more cheerful than Kira had seen him in a long time. Though he never talked about it, he probably missed his father an awful lot. Whenever the subject did come up, Athrun would always get a proud smile and say that his father was working hard to make the world a peaceful place for everyone.

At the dinner table, Kira was hard-pressed to remember his best table manners. Even by his high standards, Athrun sat impeccably straight in his chair, with not a hair out of place. Though his friend was precise and formal by nature, Kira had never seen him eat so gracefully before. It felt like he was among royalty. To be truthful, he was beginning to feel more and more left out. With a knot in his stomach, he watched Athrun and his family dine in serene silence, until Athrun's mom spoke.

"Athrun tells me you two have been practicing very hard for the athletics tomorrow," she said, smiling kindly at Kira.

He swallowed the mouthful of food he was still in the process of chewing. Given the atmosphere in the room, it just seemed like an unforgivable sin to talk with food in his mouth.

"Y-Yeah," he managed with a tight smile. "Athrun's been in charge of our regimen." He dared to raise his eyes to meet those of Mr Zala, and was relieved to see that the man had no interest in him, but was instead scrutinizing Athrun thoughtfully. "He can be a hard taskmaster."

That had been a major understatement.

What sprang to mind immediately were the countless mornings of Athrun ringing the doorbell at the crack of dawn and practically dragging Kira out of the kitchen, past the enticing smells of a cinnamon and pancake breakfast feast that would have to wait until after the morning's torment session. The pancakes his mom saved for them were already cold and sticky by the time the two boys returned from their early morning jog, but his loudly complaining stomach had welcomed them anyway. Memories of grainy eyes blearily focused on the seemingly endless pavement in front of his feet made Kira spontaneously renew his vow to never in his life get up early again.

Athrun was a slavedriver! But Kira could hardly say that in front of Mr Zala. He had no idea how the man would take the comment.

"I would expect nothing less from my only son," Athrun's dad said, and Kira thought he saw a glint of pride in the man's eyes.

Something in Athrun's expression conveyed that he read more into his father's words than Kira could grasp, almost like it was an unspoken command not to disappoint. Kira really hoped Athrun won his big race tomorrow, otherwise all of his hard work would have been for nothing. Kira did not mind winning or losing so much, but he knew how hard his friend could be on himself. Kira had started to wonder at Athrun's seemingly boundless reserve of energy throughout their strenuous exercise routine — he had been all but bouncing up and down when Kira could barely lift his feet! — until, one morning, the blue-haired boy fell asleep face-down on the table next to his half-eaten pancake. Athrun often pushed himself further than his body would willingly go, Kira knew. And his best friend had a way of putting on a mask of brave endurance that would fool anybody, except maybe his own mother. But Kira saw how hard Athrun had been working to prepare for this race. He hoped that Athrun's father saw it too.

---

That night, it was quiet for a long time after Athrun had switched off the light and felt his way to his own bed in the dark. Kira lay staring at the ceiling, wondering what kind of person Athrun's father really was. Finally, Athrun spoke up.

"Kira?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

His friend's tone was thoughtful, considering.

Kira turned his head to the shadow-cloaked shape on the other bed, wishing he could make out Athrun's features and maybe get a clue as to what his friend was thinking.

"Nope!" he replied, flipping onto his back and propping his arms under his head. Maybe, if he acted insanely positive, a little bit of optimism might rub off on Athrun and help keep his friend's mood light. "I'm just gonna do the best I can! It'll be fun!"

"But… what about what Collina and those other girls were saying?" Athrun pressed.

Suddenly, all of his optimism evaporated. The memory of Collina's hypnotically beautiful eyes shooting poisoned daggers at him made Kira shudder and blush at the same time. He did not even have strength to try and stop blushing. That familiar twist was back in the pit of his stomach.

"I…"

Even though they were just a couple of silly girls, the way they treated him made him feel like crying. So he was a bit clumsy. People made mistakes. What probably hurt the most, was that the three of them were holding a year-old grudge against him for something he had not done on purpose. What if they lost again, because of him? Collina would tell everyone just who had lost them the top spot. Everyone who did not already know. Kira did not think he could live with the humiliation. He could already imagine the sort of cracks Jordi would make, and he did not find the prospect funny at all. They would tease him for the rest of the year, no for the rest of his life!

"You'll show them, Kira!" Athrun's forceful whisper broke the silence. "All that training was not for nothing!"

"Athrun?"

Kira goggled at his friend in the darkness. And all this time, he had thought Athrun was the one who needed optimism! The certainty with which his friend reassured him now seemed to come out of nowhere, but Kira found himself feeling comforted by it.

---

Kira was quiet. Athrun could sense his best friend's whole being relax as the words of encouragement sank in. Collina's cruel words had truly hurt Kira. Athrun felt a little ashamed of himself that he had not realized it sooner. He had been so caught up in worrying about his father's sudden visit that he had completely forgotten about their encounter with the pack of girls earlier that day. The very reason he had come up with the idea of a fitness regimen in the first place, had been to help Kira overcome last year's tripping incident, though Kira did not know that.

"Don't let them walk over your feelings, Kira," he continued to assure his friend. I'll make sure they don't… he vowed silently. "Now go to sleep, we need to be well rested for the race."

"Okay!" Kira replied. "Good night, Athrun!"

"Good night…"

He would make sure Kira impressed everyone tomorrow, even if it meant giving up his own glory. He was not sure what his father would think of that notion, only that he would not like it. But Athrun's mind was made up. He could not go back on a promise, not even one he had never spoken aloud. Kira would be everyone's hero tomorrow.

---

The next morning, crowds of eager students and anticipating parents were gathered at the sports field. Though all the action was on the racing track, most of the kids gathered there constantly had their eyes on the scoreboard. Athrun's best friend was no exception. The closer the two scores came to one another, the more Kira squirmed in his seat on the pavilion. The situation was perfect for Athrun's plan to succeed. If their team had been winning anyway, there would have been no point in carrying through.

But luck was on Athrun's side. By the time it was their turn to run, the scores of the two teams were equal. He could see Kira start to sweat when their names were being called out. He lightly patted his nervous friend's shoulder.

"Just do your best," he whispered as he passed Kira to his starting block. I'll do the rest… He noticed Kira's eyes on him as he assumed his ready position. He would have to put on a good show.

The shot rang in his ears and he sped off at his best pace. One look darted in Kira's direction told him that his friend had drawn confidence from Athrun's good start. Kira was matching him stride for stride. He could feel a sort of pride swelling in his chest as the two of them left the other athletes behind in the dust. For the short moments they were running alongside one another, the wind whipping past their ears, it felt as if they were flying instead. If Kira could keep this up, their team would win without a hitch! He became aware of their fellow team mates cheering them on. He could hear them screaming his name.

That was about to change.

Steadily, he slackened his pace. Not by much, just enough for Kira to gain a reasonable advantage. The crowd roared Kira's name as he took the lead. Keeping his pace second only to Kira's, Athrun let his eyes take in the cheering masses. Collina and her friends were standing in a neat little cluster, their noses in the air, as always, but their dignity had cracked and was leaking wide-eyed surprise. They would not be bullying Kira again after this! Mrs Yamato was also among the supporters, laughing and waving as she watched her son dash towards the finishing line.

And then he saw them.

The only pair of eyes that was not laughing. Athrun missed a step as his father's eyes drilled into him, saw right through him. He lost his balance. Time seemed to slow as he was pinned by those eyes. Athrun tried in vain to secure his footing. There was no way his father could have known that he was letting Kira win on purpose. A sharp pain shot up his leg as he sprained his ankle. His father's gaze glittered strongly with disapproval.

Patrick Zala looked on as Athrun hit the ground.

---

He crossed the finishing line, heart thundering. With a great smile on his face, he spun, his arm half-raised to slap a high five with the person who had helped to make this moment possible, only to realize that Athrun was no longer right beside him. Confused, Kira searched for his best friend. His eyes found Athrun, a defeated bundle on the ground in the middle of the racing track. Head down, he had his arms wrapped around his one leg, nursing a badly scraped knee. On the sidelines, directly across from Athrun, the unmistakable figure of Mr Zala stood watching.

Kira half-expected the man to approach his son and stroke his hair, scoop him up and carry him to the first aid tent. That was whathis father would have done. Athrun's dad had a frigid look in his eyes as he turned around and walked away from his son. Kira sucked in his breath sharply and ran.

"Athrun!" he cried, nearly tripping himself as he rushed to his friend's side.

Athrun kept his head down, his face hidden away by his hair.

"I'm fine…" he whispered.

He pushed himself to his feet and limped in the direction of the pavilion, absently shooing the medical staff trying to attend to his leg. Stunned beyond words, Kira stared after him.

---

A week had passed since the athletics meet had come to a dramatic close. Their team had won by a hair's breadth. Kira was the hero of the day. At least that much of it had worked out according to plan. His father had returned to PLANT without saying a word about the race, even when Athrun's mother asked him about it. He never gave any sign of knowing that Athrun had rigged the race, but whether he knew or not, he was disappointed in his son. That much was clear to Athrun. He could not help but wonder if anything but first place would ever be good enough for Patrick Zala.

The two boys were sitting in Kira's room, doing their homework. Kira had been uncharacteristically quiet all day. Athrun was just focusing on a particularly complicated problem when Kira spoke.

"Why did you do it, Athrun?" he asked in the direction of the worksheet on the desk.

"Do… what?" Athrun hesitated.

"Throw the race, I mean," Kira said softly. "Why'd you do it?"

Athrun could feel the colour drain from his face. Wide-eyed, he stared at Kira.

"I didn't— I mean…" He bit his lip, trying hard to think of a way to change the subject. "Why would I do something like that?" he asked, battling to mask his shock behind an innocent expression.

"Alex told me he saw you running at full speed when you suddenly let up so I could pass you," Kira explained.

"I… tripped," Athrun defended lamely.

"He wouldn't lie, Athrun," Kira reasoned. "He's been watching us practice from day one, remember? We all know how good you are."

"I…" Athrun took a breath, then plunged ahead. "I wanted them to stop teasing you about what happened last year! I wanted to—"

Kira looked up, then, and Athrun gasped at the betrayed look in his best friend's eyes. He had suffered something worse than defeat — a hollow victory. He should have looked like he wanted to hit Athrun, but he just looked hurt. Somehow, Athrun found that he would have preferred it if Kira just hit him.

"What did we do all that training for, if you were going to let me win anyway?" he asked slowly. "How would you feel if someone did that to you?"

"Kira… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that to you," he admitted. What kind of a stupid apology was that? he silently berated himself. And what was I thinking? He felt like a jerk for cheating his best friend like that.

He wanted to hit his head against something.

Hard.

"Apology accepted!" Kira said, surprising Athrun by clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"Wha— What?" he spluttered. "Just like that!?"

"I know you were only trying to help," his best friend replied with a genuine smile. "I just wanted to let you know how it made me feel." Kira's eyes took on a playful light. "Besides, I couldn't let you get away with putting me through cold pancake hell for nothing!"

"You think I enjoyed getting up at five o'clock every morning to haul your sleepy carcass out of bed!?" Athrun laughed, infinitely relieved that Kira had let him off the hook so easily.

"I know you did," Kira snorted, apparently unaware that he had just taught Athrun a valuable lesson in life.