Chapter 24
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/ Destiny, Precious Rose and Shoot...^^
AN: I'm dedicating this chapter to you caelumnoctis23. You'll know why as you read^^.., but this is just one time, okay? It's hard writing so many couples in one fic.., and you of all the people knows that I'm not too fond of HIM.., although I don't hate HIM anymore.., HE will not appear again here.., well that is if i won't be able to think of a suitable role for him in the future... (lol.., kung makapag all caps dun sa 'he' at 'him' prng he-who-must-not-be-named lng^^)
Really sorry guys for the super late update... and i don't know if this is worth the wait but i hope it is...^^.. thanks to those who reviewed in the last chapter... blondeprincessa, Saki-Hime, Fate Camiswhil and Miyu Nanami..
Arcade
The ball bounced up and down the cold floor of the gymnasium as a certain blue haired boy was dribbling it. The sound it made was washed away by the loud cheers of the students watching the game. All the fourth year students were having their Physical Education class with Andrew. PE classes of students of the same level were done at the same time and class 4-Freedom and class 4-Justice were having a heated match right now.
Athrun, who was the one with the ball, was being guarded by Yzak.
"If you did not leave our section, then you'll experience victory", Yzak said with a smirk.
"We're going to win", Athrun said confidently as he continued dribbling the ball. Then he caught a glimpse of Kira who was free at that time. He held the ball with his two hands and raised it as if he's going to shoot the ball then jumped. Yzak also jumped to prevent him from earning a point. Athrun smirked as he held the ball on the same level as his chest then passed it to Kira.
'Fake!', Yzak screamed in his mind as he gritted his teeth and watched as Kira shoot the ball for three points while his feet(with the shoes of course) landed on the floor.
"Nice one Kira", Athrun said as he made a high five with him.
"Nice pass Athrun", he replied smiling broadly.
"What do you have to say for yourself, Yzak?", Athrun asked mockingly.
"You won't be able to do that again", he hissed then ran towards the other half of the court.
The current players of 4-Freedom were Athrun, Kira, Auel, Sting and Ahmed while 4-Justice had Yzak, Dearka, Heine, Rey and Shinn.
The raven haired boy with ruby eyes was the one on hold with the ball while Auel was guarding him.
"Go Auel", they heard a certain blonde girl cheered from the bleacher. It was Stellar. Stellar had a crush on Auel ever since she saw him on the first day of school last year. That was why she was so disappointed when he left and now that he's back, she was planning on telling him about her feelings. Unknown to her, Shinn Asuka had a crush on her.
Shinn glared at Auel upon hearing Stellar cheered for him. He didn't notice that Athrun was already at his back so Athrun was able to get the ball from him. He was really surprised by that. He looked at Athrun as he dribbled the ball towards the opposite ring with Auel tailing after him. The other players were catching up with them so he also did. But all of them just watched as Athrun made a slam dunk. Almost all the girls in the gym shouted in delight even those in the other section.
The girls, Cagalli, Lacus, Miriallia and Flay were surprised when Shiho suddenly laughed.
"What are you laughing at?", Miriallia asked raising an eyebrow. How could she laugh when their section is losing?
"Him!", she answered as she pointed with her finger to a certain silver haired guy on the court. He was glaring at Athrun while cringing his nose so all the girls laughed with Shiho.
"You shouldn't laugh at your fiancé who's currently losing in a basketball game", Cagalli said but she was laughing her heart out.
"He's always competing against Athrun and he always lose and his expression is always like that and it's just so funny and you can't deny it", Shiho replied.
"Woah... Too many ALWAYS", Cagalli commented and they all laughed AGAIN.
The game continued and Dearka had the ball. He was dribbling it towards their ring. Then Kira went in front of him extending his arm on both sides following Dearka's moves. Since Dearka couldn't go pass Kira, he passed the ball to Yzak but Athrun got in the way and took the ball then passed it to Auel. Then Auel brought the ball to the opposite court with Shinn following him. Shinn got the ball from him and smirked but the whistle was blown by Andrew.
"Foul, Asuka", he yelled.
"What?", Shinn muttered angrily.
Auel was given two free throws. He stood at the free throw line and Andrew passed the ball to him. He dribbled it a few times then let out a sigh then threw it towards the ring and it went inside.
"Nice Auel", Kira complemented him then Auel shared a look with Athrun.
He threw the ball towards the ring for the second time and it missed. Athrun quickly got the ball and shoot it. The crowd cheered again for the blue haired guy as he made a high five with Auel.
Heine passed the call from outside the court to Rey. Then Rey passed it to Yzak. Yzak brought the ball to the other half of the court but he was being guarded by Athrun. Since he couldn't shoot, he made a pass to Dearka who made a two points score.
The game went on and Ahmed was dribbling the ball then he made a overhead pass to Auel. Shinn forcefully got the ball earning his fifth foul.
"Another foul for Asuka. You are now out of the game", Andrew said after blowing the whistle.
"You've got to be kidding me", he exclaimed.
"You know the rules Asuka. Five fouls and you're out", Andrew said as he held the ball in between his hand and waist. Shinn left the court with a scowled face then he sat on the long bench for their section.
On with the game, Miguel entered the court. Auel made two points from his free throws. So now, section Justice was in possession of the ball.
Rey passed the ball to Dearka who made a lay-up which earned them two points. Sting got the ball then passed it to Ahmed. He held the ball on his chest level then step his right foot. Then the left... then the right again and they heard Andrew blow his whistle. Athrun made a face palm.
"Travelling, El Fasi", Andrew shouted.
"Does he really know how to play?", Kira muttered as he scratched the back of his head.
The game went on and it was nearing its end. There was only eighteen seconds left on the clock. The score was 81-77 in favor of 4-Freedom. Section Justice was in possession of the ball.
Heine was dribbling the ball as he tried to get pass through Kira who was giving him a hard time. Then suddenly, he held the ball up as if attempting the shoot the ball. Kira, thinking that he was going for it, jumped to prevent him from doing so but he was surprised to see him passed the ball to Yzak who was ready to shoot for three points. Upon getting the ball, he jumped high as well as Athrun who was guarding him and blocked him earning a foul. But before Yzak's feet (AGAIN…with the shoes)could touch the ground, he throw the ball towards the ring and they heard the whistle.
"Basket counted! Foul Zala", Andrew announced. Athrun gritted his teeth while Yzak was smirking like mad.
Yzak proceeded to the free throw line then Andrew passed him the ball. He dribbled it a few times then raised it overhead getting ready to shoot it. There was only 5 seconds left on the clock.
Ahmed who was at one side was like muttering a ritual for Yzak not the score. He bent his knees slightly as well as his arms ninety degrees with his palm open(Er... If you guys have watched Slam Dunk, it was the one made by Sakuragi in their match with Ryonan, he actually did that to Ouzumi)
Yzak felt something weird that he couldn't explain then he just threw the ball towards the ring. It was like time became too slow as the ball made a projectile motion then when it reached the ring, it made a circular path around it.
Yzak gulped hard praying for the ball to fall into the ring because if not, they would definitely loose. And his prayer was answered when the ball did. Kira went outside the court then passed the ball to Athrun. He was only in the middle of the court when the clock read 2 seconds. Before it could reach 0, he threw the ball towards their ring with all his might and for some unknown luck, he earned the score which also earned a very loud cheer from the students.
4-Freedom won against 4-Justice with 3 points lead. 84-81. The boys of 4-Freedom raised Athrun up since he was the one who caused their victory..
"You're just lucky today Zala. Next time, it will be us who will win", Yzak said then went to their bench and drunk some water.
"Aren't you going to him?", Lacus asked Shiho.
"No", Shiho replied.
"Nice girlfriend, huh! You should console him after losing the match. You know that he hates losing, especially to Athrun", Flay said.
"Do you want me to laugh in front of him?", Shiho asked giggling.
"Yeah, I guess Yzak wouldn't want to see his fiancé right after losing", Cagalli said laughing.
"How about you Catherine, aren't you gonna congratulate Athrun?", Miriallia asked with a teasing smile.
"Eh?", Cagalli said raising an eyebrow. "Do you really think I could go near him right now?", she asked pointing at the crowd surrounding the blue haired guy.
"Why don't we hang out tomorrow?", Flay suddenly said changing the topic.
"Since tomorrow is Saturday, I think that's a good idea", Miriallia agreed.
"Where are we going?", Lacus asked.
"How about the arcade?", Flay suggested.
"Oh, I wanna go to the arcade", Cagalli seconded.
"Then to the arcade it is", Shiho said.
"Isn't that Meer?", Miriallia suddenly asked pointing at the pink haired girl who was currently hugging Athrun.
"Why don't she give up on him?", Shiho said. Cagalli frowned seeing him hugged by another girl but did not say a thing. Then they saw Athrun pushed her away. The bell already rang signaling the end of classes. Andrew gave them a few words before dismissing them.
After that, the gang gathered up on a corner of the gym. The girls congratulated the boys from section Freedom. They were also telling them the plans they created for tomorrow.
Stellar was left sitting alone on the bleacher staring at Auel when Shinn suddenly approached her but she didn't notice him.
"Hey", Shinn called waving a hand in front of her. "You alright?", he asked. Stellar turned to see the person bothering her. She instantly glared at him upon recognizing him. She actually didn't know him. She just remembered him to be the "jerk" who was always giving foul to her crush in the basketball game earlier. She stood up and walked away. But before she could get any farther, he held her by her wrist.
"Wait", he said. Stellar faced him with the same expression then her gaze went down to his hand holding her wrist. Shinn quickly let go of her blushing (endless blushing...Lol) madly.
"What do you want?", Stellar finally spoke. She was usually the sweet and shy girl even childish but once you get on her wrong side, expect the opposite of it and Shinn seemed to be on that side so unfortunately for him.
"I... uhmmm...", he said stuttering while scratching the back of his head with his left hand. "I'm Shinn... Shinn Asuka of 4-Justice", he introduced himself extending his other hand to her.
"So?", Stellar replied raising an eyebrow. Shinn scratched the back of his head.
"I... uhmmm... Can we be friends?", he asked avoiding her gaze.
"No", came Stellar's short reply then made an attempt to leave again. But this time, Shinn wasn't able to stop her because he was frozen on his spot due to the very cold treatment of Stellar. He was bewildered why she was like that on him since it was actually the first time that he approached her. It made him wonder if he ever did something wrong to her and if there was, then what was it?
"Hey Shinn", somebody called but Shinn was still deep in thought that he seemed not to hear. The blonde boy walked towards him and placed a hand on Shinn's shoulder which surprised the latter a bit. Shinn faced the boy.
"Is there a problem?", his blue eyed friend asked.
"It's nothing, Rey. Let's go", Shinn replied then both of them walked towards their dorm.
After discussing the plan, the gang decided to head back to their respective dorms. After changing into something more comfortable, Cagalli told her roommates that she'll just go for a walk. As usual, she went to the rooftop bringing her brown messenger bag. When she was already there, she sat on a corner and looked around to check if there were other people in the place. When she sensed none, she pulled the zipper of her bag to open it and got the black notebook inside. She stared at it for a few seconds before turning its pages and continued reading it. She already started reading it a few days ago and now she was nearing the end. After some time, she closed the notebook with tears coming out of her amber eyes.
"Why?", she muttered.
The next day, Kira was awoken by the rays of sunlight coming from the window. He groaned as he covered his eyes by his left arm to prevent too much light from entering his eyes and remained like that for a few more minutes.
"Oi, wake up", Auel, who just came out of the bathroom wearing a gray polo shirt and jeans, said but Kira did not bulged from his position. Auel raised an eyebrow and shook him.
"Wake up", he said again.
"Hnnn...?", Kira muttered then sat up. "What time is it?", he asked then yawned.
"It's already 8:30, your highness", Auel replied as Kira rubbed his eyes.
"What? Oh, I'll take a bath now", he said then hurriedly grabbed his towel and some clothes.
"You better be", Auel said then went to his bed and started combing his hair.
Meanwhile, Cagalli and Shiho, with their arms crossed on their chests, sat on Cagalli's bed watching as Lacus and Miriallia do their girly things(You know, applying make ups, choosing what to wear and thinking how they will have their hair). Cagalli was wearing her favorite cargo pants and red shirt. Her gray cap was lying on the bed next to her. On her left was Shiho who was wearing a white polo and jeans.
It was already quarter to 9. Athrun, Yzak, Heine and Dearka were already in their meeting place, their hide out. After some time, the girls, including Flay arrived. A quarter after nine, Kira and Auel came running.
"Sorry, we're late", Kira apologized while scratching the back of his head.
"And why is that?", Cagalli asked raising an eyebrow which made Kira sweat-dropped then he looked at Auel with a pleading look.
"We woke up late", Auel lied and Cagalli knew it but decided not to ask anymore.
"We already wasted fifteen minutes waiting for those two, let's go now", Yzak said irritatedly.
"Are we in a hurry?", Dearka asked just to tease him. Yzak have him his signature glare before speaking.
"If you arrive earlier than the time set, you're wasting your time. If you arrive exactly on time, you're wasting nobody's time. BUT if you arrive late, you're wasting other's time. I already wasted 15 minutes of my time just because you, Zala and Westenfluss are too excited for this activity and then Yamato and Neider just have to waste another 15 minutes of my time for the lame excuse of waking up late which I actually don't believe in. Don't you realize that there are so many things that I could've done with that 30 minutes? And shouldn't we go to the place we're supposed to go now? Or we'll just stay here and talk until we get enough of each other's stories? If that's the case, then tell me already so I can use my time for more important things", he said.
Everybody's jaw dropped upon hearing Yzak. It wasn't what he said that made them surprised but its length. Yzak don't usually talk that much when he was with the gang. It would always be a word or a sentence or two which he usually did when saying a side comment (especially to Athrun) or answering questions thrown at him. Yzak raised an eyebrow upon seeing his friends' reaction.
"What? Is there a dirt on my face?", he asked.
"Let's go now", Shiho replied grabbing Yzak by his left arm then started walking towards the main gate and the others followed them.
When they reached the arcade, they decided what to play first.
"How about the videoke booth?", Lacus, who loves singing, suggested.
"Videoke booth?", Athrun asked with an eyebrow raised. Truth to be told, he didn't have a beautiful singing voice.
"Why Zala, you can't sing?", Yzak asked with a smirk.
"As if you can", Athrun retorted but the smirk on Yzak's lips grew wider.
"You wanna hear me sing?", Yzak replied. He didn't usually sing in front of others but if he can beat Athrun to it, then he'll go for it.
"Then let's go to the videoke booth then", Athrun said. He actually didn't care about Yzak being competitive with him, he just want to hear him sing. And so they did. Yzak grabbed the song book and chose a song. It was the song "Shoot".
The intro started playing and the gang, excluding Yzak, was all excited to hear him sing.
"tooku hajike tobu starlight chiri isogu yume no kakera nagesute sashinoberareta tenohira wo kizutsukeru", all of them jaw dropped for the second time as Yzak began singing the first line of the song. They were amazed by his voice which was actually better than some professional singers out there. The chorus came and some of them sang along with him until the song ended and everybody gave him a round of applause.
"I didn't know you have a nice voice, Yzak", Shiho said which made him blush a bit.
"You didn't ask", he replied then turned to Athrun. "It's your turn, Zala", Yzak said with a triumphant look as he handed the microphone to him. Athrun blinked a couple of times as he stared at it.
"But I don't sing", he replied.
"Nobody will leave this booth until all of us already sang", Lacus said will an evil look on her usually angel like face.
"She looks scary", Dearka whispered to Heine.
"I heard that Dearka", Lacus said glaring at him which made him sweat-dropped.
"Sing now Athrun so we can still play some games later", Cagalli said smiling broadly.
"Yeah, sing", Miriallia seconded followed by the others. Athrun was left with no choice but to sing. He got the song book and selected a song.
Athrun half-heartedly sang, he avoided looking at them because he didn't want to see their reaction. Well actually, they were just wearing a poker face trying hard not to laugh fearing that Athrun would stop singing. Once the song ended, Dearka, Heine, Yzak, Miriallia, Shiho and Lacus laughed out loud. They couldn't hold it any longer. Athrun placed the microphone on the table then hid his face with his hands and sat beside Cagalli. He took a glimpse of her and he felt a bit better that she wasn't laughing.
"You alright, Athrun?", she asked still wearing the poker face. She removed his hands from his face and stared at him and Athrun looked away.
"I'm fine", he muttered.
"Cheer up, you're not the only one who can't sing", she said. Athrun didn't know whether she was really cheering him up or the opposite of it. Did she really have to say it straight to his face that he couldn't sing? Although it was true, it still made him frown.
"Who'll sing next?", Shiho suddenly asked.
"Athrun should choose", Auel said so Athrun got the microphone again and gave it to Cagalli.
"Go Catherine", Auel cheered for her bestfriend. Cagalli sang "Precious Rose". They were also amazed by her voice. They didn't know that she could sing well.
"I thought you can't sing", Athrun said.
"I don't remember saying that I can't sing", Cagalli defended herself.
"But you just told me that I'm not the only one who can't sing", he replied.
"I do, but I'm not referring to myself. There are some people out there who can't sing", she explained with a grin then she passed the microphone to Auel.
After some time, all of them already sang so they went out of the booth and played some games. When they had enough, they decided to eat at a nearby restaurant before going home.
The next day, Cagalli and Auel were sitting on a bench near the soccer field as they watched the boys' practice. Lacus, Flay and Miriallia went out for shopping while Shiho was doing something important.
"Why don't you join the soccer team?", Cagalli asked with a smirk.
"Seriously?", Auel replied with a grim expression.
"Just kidding", Cagalli said while laughing. "By the way, why were you and Kira late yesterday?", she decided to ask which made him laugh.
"The prince fell asleep in the bathroom", Auel replied in between his laughter. Cagalli blinked a couple of times but instead of laughing, she made a frown.
AN: For those who don't know, Shoot is sang by Tomokazu Seki, Yzak's seiyuu... it's actually yzak's image song...^^ speaking of Yzak... i suddenly thought of killing him in the next chapter.. but if you guys don't want me to... just tell me so i won't...^^
I'm sorry again for the errors...^^too lazy to proofread...