Authors notes: First, no Kiba but I'm sorry. I ran out of flamethrowers after the flood attack last chapter. We do have grenade launchers now and-no! You don't release the ammo yet-oh...too late. Good help is hard these days.

Disclaimer: I will step on you with my Gundam if I have to remind you again for all eternity.

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"You're kidding me. Dearka is your brother?!" Ssigh exclaimed at the revealed secret.

"So that's why you hijacked an Astray, almost killed yourself on many occasions, and disconnected with the Archangel for over a week?"

Cagalli took in a deep breath. She had been through too much already and wasn't about to

be bad-mouthed by a lowly information opertist. "First of all, it's not hijack if it's Orb

material. Second, you wouldn't know the risk of death by staying in here all the time.

Third, Dearka and I wanted to be alone for a while to get used to being brother and

sister!"

"She got you there..." said Mwu with a smirk. He then turned at the young princess and

asked, "So what are you going to do know? I'd doubt you were here so you could meet

us. Maybe you guys left something here after a job?"

Her brother stepped in for this. "Yes. It was our wallet that was there and someone forgot

it back at the colony." He eyes Cagalli.

"Says you. I know if you had the money, you will buy a stupid horror film and watch it on

the Buster."

"For the last time, it's not always the butler! Sometimes the maid is responsible, too!"

"Fine! It's always a service person that murders. Let's say the fuel man massacres a

village in a ridiculous vampire suit!"

"They would never!"

"Yes, they would!"

"Never!"

"Would!"

"Never!"

"Would!"

"Never!"

"Would-"

"Shut up already!" A view screen suddenly appeared before them, showing Andrew quite

annoyed at the two siblings. "Jeez, just like real brothers and sisters. You guys give me a

pain, especially you girl." He pretends to finger his ear to try and hear again. "Now, I

personally don't care if you guys quit or not for us but at least be quiet about it."

"What?!" Cagalli was shocked at seeing his face. "You're-you're supposed to be gone,

aren't you?"

"Save it." He put his hand before the screen. "I already had this conversation with Kira

alright? Yes, I'm miraculously alive and no, my partner didn't make it. If you got any

more questions I'm at the Eternal."

"The what?" Dearka asks.

"It's the third new ship in our faction." Mwu began. "Brand new with Clyne's trademark

pink, although I don't know if that was intentional or not. It was originally meant to be

the hanger carrier of the Justice/Freedom Gundams, but as you know they were taken. Of

course, it was a great escape plan for Athrun to get away from ZAFT."

"ZAFT?" She turned towards the boy on the railing. "You were on ZAFT?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It was real close, but Kira came just in time to rescue us from being

destroyed. I guess that makes us even then, huh?"

"Yeah, that's right. You saved me on Orb, and now I save you in space. No, wait...you

still owe me for trying to blow me up. I want dinner now." Kira joked.

"Hey, give me a break! I got a sling for an arm here. Better ask Cagalli, or better yet

Miriallia." Athrun said before quickly ducking punch from the mentioned girl.

"You jerk! What do you mean 'better yet?' Are you saying I stink at cooking?"

"Remember that island back on earth? We had rations and you somehow burned them.

Who burns crackers, let alone an entire package of it?!"

"See, that's why I complain about ZAFT stuff. They require perfect precision and skill to even try and use it. I'm surprised you had the crackers at all, being handled by all those people."

"You're not even supposed to cook the crackers! Who puts them over a fire for 3 hours?"

"And who tries to shoot an innocent girl with nothing but bare clothes?!"

"Who throws a loaded gun?!"

"You saw my sister in her underwear?!" Dearka was steaming at the thought. "Come here, Athrun! The brother wants to talk to you now!" he warned before flying off towards his direction.

"Dearka, wait!" he tried to stop after realizing what was said. "It was an accident! I didn't really mean to look at her. I mean, we had to share a blanket one night but- Dearka, put that gun away now. Please, put that gun away-no!"

"You're dead now!"

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"...ow. My head hurts..." Crot had woken up from his long slumber, rubbing his eyes while adjusting to the light. "Where am I?"

"Calm down before you panic." a voice told behind him.

"Wha? Who's there- you!" He was face to face with the rumored Andrew Bartfeld, former leader of the troublesome Desert Tigers not too long ago. "You're supposed to be dead! The reports said you were killed in battle by that traitorous ship on Earth!"

Andrew simply shrugged. "Well, now I'm alive or you're hallucinating. And besides, the enemy of my former enemy is my maybe-friend after fighting him as an enemy...or something like that Crot."

"...! How do you know my name?" The boy floated slightly away to the wall, even more suspicious that this Tiger knew his name. "I was never a pilot before now, and our information was top-secret. Your spies are hard to spot, then."

"Eh? What are you talking about? Miss Lacus told me about you the last time you woke up. And your info isn't exactly top-secret. You guys need to jam your communications more. 'I am Crot!' Sheesh, why don't you tell us about your Gundam while your at it."

He still eyed the one-armed man cautiously, but was intrigued by the mention of the girl. "Lacus? As in that ZAFT girl that tried to tell me I was okay here? That...liar?"

"Hey!" Andrew yelled out. "You're lucky this room is sound-proofed, or her guards might just smack you one for disrespecting her. Either that, or I'll make you look like me."

"Pfft. Is she a princess of ZAFT? How pathetic the ZAFT must be to let royalty, let alone a woman to take control of an entire ship." he confidently said.

"And the Dominion isn't?" he eyed.

'Damn. Forgot about her'. Trying not to lose control of this argument, he simply responded "She's only there so we'd be recognized as a faction. Apparently we need a high-ranking female in the ship and we decided the Captain position was the least area to screw up."

Andrew slapped his forehead. "Oh, god. Now I know your problem! You don't really hate Coordinators...you hate women!"

"WHAT?!" Crot was outraged at this comment. "How can you say that to an elite natural like me? All the females fawn over me wherever I go, with thick and thin though I prefer the thin a thousand fold over thick."

"And did I mention I was kidding about the sound-proofing room thing?" A second after that, they could've sworn hearing intensive giggling about the stupid pervert and his dreams. "And most of the crew are young women themselves?"

"Grrr!" he sat down in anger, arms crossed in frustration. "Damn Coordinators...and damn women." he mumbled out.

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"Ow! That hurts, Cagalli." Kira complained as the bandage was being wrapped, albeit tighter since the mention of pain. "Hey! You're doing that on purpose now."

"You stop whining, and I'll help you more gently. Honestly, this is what you get for hiding Athrun's gun."

"Well, I knew Dearka's gun was empty but he didn't know so I had to hide it. Someone should schedule these 'gravity on-line' tests. Who turns on gravity at level 5 peace time?"

"Who hides a gun in a gun holster? If Athrun wasn't on dear life, he would've checked again it was there all along. And...done!" she gloated in excitement of her first bandage wrap, although Kira doesn't know about it." See, that wasn't so bad."

"I guess so." His hands felt the layers upon his head and was satisfied with the result. "At least this will get me off any practice drills for a while. Thanks, Cagalli."

"No problem. And, uh Kira?" she suddenly said without thinking the words. As she did, her mouth quickly gaped back in. "Never mind."

Unfortunately for her, the boy heard her. "Cagalli, you wanted to say something?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all. Well, see you tomorrow then." She began her quick escape out of the medical room. However, a hand grabbed hers tightly before such a thing could be done. "Uh, Kira? Can you let go-" She turned around to see a very near Kira staring down her orbs. 'His hand is so warm...I can't get over how his hair parts with his eyes like that...almost entrancing like a hypnotic glow- Oh my god, Cagalli! Stop thinking those thoughts!'

"Um, Kira? Can you let go? People might think that we're doing something suspicious here or other things." she nervously said.

"Why didn't you tell me about earlier?"

"Huh?!" Cagalli was wide-eyed at the statement. "What do you mean?"

He went closer, squeezing her hand more but gently. "I know what you feel...since Dearka told me."

"Wha-what are you talking about?" 'Damn that brother of mine!' she mentally cursed.

"I know that you love......"

Gulp!

"...Athrun."

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"What?! What do you mean, 'apples are good for you?!' No food that requires you to eat its skin is good for you!" Crot argued with Andrew, still in the sick bay waiting for Lacus.

"And you call yourself a Natural? Apples are the best! Any food you can eat right away from its source has got to be the best, if not the most useful, eatable in the entire galaxy!"

"Apples are bad! Try some pears, old man."

"Hey, kid, eat your vegetables."

"Eat your prunes first!"

"How about some cereal?"

"What's wrong with cereal?!"

Just then, Lacus came in at a busy time with Crot and Andrew shooting fire in their eyes. "Did I...interrupt something important here?" The Natural simply turned away at the sight of the girl.

"Hmph! I don't need to answer to a woman!" he gruffed out.

"My! Are all men on earth like this?" Lacus exclaimed with true naivety in her voice.

Bartfeld shook his head. "Nah, just this gay guy." he pointed out."

"I am not gay!" he turned to CLEARY disagree. "Who said I was gay?!"

"You." He started counting off with his fingers. "You don't like women, you don't respect them, you think they're things, you most likely think they're competition and you don't even blush at her entrance." This did make Lacus blush at the comment.

"And why would I blush because of her? Look at this!" Unconsciously, he got up and held her arms up. "Dainty arms..." He reached and strayed her hair. "A fine mess this is..." Then he tucked for the outfit. "What is this? A cape? And the mini-skirt isn't so mini." His hands made her face slightly fish-faced. "These lips are not red enough. Need lipstick! And even though she's got decent natural skin she- OH MY GOD! I AM GAY!"

In a flash, Crot went to the next room and used his abilities to lock the room. "GOD!"

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"Athrun?! You think I like...Athrun?" Cagalli was confused by the statement. 'Why does he think I like Athrun? Who I really like is...no, no, no! You like nobody, Cagalli! Get a hold of yourself!" She tried to let go, but couldn't resist the touch of him.

"Cagalli...you don't have to lie to yourself. Tell him how you feel. It'll make you feel better if you do."

"Kira...I...that is to say, who I really like is-"

Ssigh interrupted with an announcement. "Attention all crew! We are in a level 2 red alert! Freedom, Buster, Justice, Strike Gundam pilots! Report to the hanger now!"

He looked down at their hands, then quickly broke off and ran. "Don't worry, Cagalli. I'll protect Athrun so you can declare your love!" he said with happiness.

The girl started down at the boy with much sadness as he heads off towards certain death once again. "You idiot...the one I really like...is you."

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