Author's Note: Okay, so it partially redeemed chapter 12 (still rewriting), and either way, here's a reviewer-dedicated chapter…oh, and I'm moving Erika's Wish somewhere else…it just didn't go with current events in the story…teeheee.

Chapter 14

The Zala Family

The weather in Japan had gone from crazy to absolutely insane. An unusual forecast of snow had begun and it wasn't even Christmas time! It was supposed to be the cherry blossom season, but the harsh weather just wanted to stay. And so … contests came early and the whole city was nutty again…

Just for today, Lacus, Athrun, and Cagalli had decided to bring the two children to the ice skating rink. It was already being closed down, but with Lacus' influence, they decided to reopen the rink just for the five of them. But no one knew that Kira had also asked to be welcome to their small skating lessons.

As Lacus sat by the cold rink, she checked her watch and heard sliding doors open and a woman passed through named Murrue Ramius accompanied by Mwu La Flaga. Athrun and Cagalli gasped as they passed through the door in their wintry outfits.

Cagalli hit Lacus lightly. "How did you make the teachers come all the way out here?"

"They just got married and they've been honeymooning here. Murrue can probably teach better ice skating then I ever possibly could," Lacus laughed. "I'll be too busy teaching you and Athrun."

Athrun froze. "Me? Ice skating?"

"What did you think you were gonna do here? Sit and watch?"

"Well, actually…" Athrun scratched his head.

"Sorry, we're late," Mwu said as he turned to Athrun and Cagalli. "Haven't seen you two in awhile…where's this Tsubasa kid I've heard so much about?"

Tsubasa came running toward the tall figure of Mwu and stared up at him with a wide mouth. "Wow…he's taller than daddy…mommy, who is he?"

Cagalli bent down and picked up her son, showing him to Mwu. "This is my son, Mwu, Tsubasa."

Mwu stared at him and gave him a noogie. "Little rascal, ain't he?"

"You couldn't imagine," Athrun laughed as he turned to Murrue who was talking to Lacus. "How's everything, Murrue?"

"Athrun! Your son looks almost exactly like you …" she said, forgetting what his question actually was.

Athrun laughed. "I get that a lot …"

"So shall we get these lessons started or what?" Mwu said cracking his knuckles.

"Oh, wait, I have to get the skates out first…" Lacus said, turning around and heading for the storage room.

"Let me help you! You don't know all our sizes!" Cagalli rushed forward, running after her.

Athrun sat down as he placed Tsubasa on his lap as he continued to gaze up at Mwu.

"Where's Erika?" Murrue said looking around. Athrun's eyes widened as he stood up urgently, picking up his son in his arms as well.

"Oh, shit, I almost forgot. Erika!!" Athrun cried out. He stared around the large empty building, until he found her, jumping excitedly at the sliding door. He sighed in relief as he ran after her with Tsubasa in his arms. "Erika, don't run away like that … your mom would kill me if I'd lost you."

"Look! Look! It's Kira!!" she laughed happily.

"Kira? What?" Athrun peered through the frozen glass that repeatedly opened and closed and saw that in the far distance, there he was, walking casually, alone. Athrun didn't get angry, but he turned around, dropping Tsubasa next to Erika and running backward to where Cagalli and Lacus had ran. "Honey! Your brother's coming!!" he yelled out. A clattering of boxes were heard as Athrun rushed even more inside the storage and saw Lacus and Cagalli on the floor with boxes of skates scattered around them.

"What did you just say?" Cagalli stared up at him angrily.

"Kira's coming," Athrun said calmly, breathing hard.

"Oh, no, he isn't…" Cagalli said, scrambling to get up, as she ran past Athrun, heading for the door, right before Kira was to enter. "You little…" she ran forward and clocked Kira in the face…again. She shook her fist. "With that big head, his face has gotten a lot harder."

Erika rushed forward and bent down near Kira's face. "Auntie Cagalli! What did you do to Kira?!!" But Tsubasa had the exact opposite reaction. He was jumping up and down triumphantly punching thin air.

"Go, mommy! YEAH! AGAIN! AGAIN!" he said joyously.

Kira groaned as he slowly got up and scratched his head. He looked up at Cagalli. "I guess I deserved that…"

"You're damn right, you…wait, what did you just say?" Cagalli stared at him confused at his comment. So…he knew that they loathed him?

"I said, I deserved it…Cagalli," Kira slowly got up as Cagalli stared at him completely shocked as Athrun came up behind her.

"Cagalli…is everyone alright?"

"Everyone's fine, Athrun," Kira answered as Erika walked closer to his leg and hugged it. "I'm fine, Erika," he said as he looked down at her. But she only held it tighter.

"Erika, sweetie, let go of his leg," Lacus said coming in slowly with boxes of skates in her arms. "Let it go."

"Lacus…" Kira said staring at her, barely above a whisper.

"Let go," Lacus said with warning eyes as Erika looked up at Kira and back at Lacus.

"No," she resented for the first time.

"What?" Lacus said dropping the boxes to the floor gently.

"No, everytime I'm not here, something bad happens to Kira. I don't like to see him get hurt," she said protectively, wrapping her arms around his leg. "I want to stay with Kira."

Lacus felt a nerve-wracking feeling go throughout her as she heard the ring of Fllay's blackmailing words run through her. Like a wild animal, she pushed through Athrun and Cagalli and pried off Erika, taking her by the hand and violently dragging her away.

"Lacus!" Cagalli called out, grabbing her by the hand. "What in God's name is wrong with you?! You've never acted like this before!"

Lacus controlled her tears, but she stared at Cagalli with frightened eyes. "I can't tell you why! I just … I just have to stay away and that includes Erika!"

"But I don't want to stay away, mommy! Kira might get hurt again! Let me GO!" she said swiping her arm away and rushed towards Kira who picked her up and brought her in his arms. Lacus swerved in his direction and glared at him furiously.

"Give me back, Erika, Kira, NOW," she said in a warning tone.

Kira shook his head. "I can't do that, Lacus."

"She is my daughter, not yours. You have nothing to with her," Lacus clenched her fists.

"I don't care whose daughter she is, she's staying here with me," Kira glared back.

"Just days ago, you didn't give a damn of who the hell she was or what she thought about, so give her back!" Lacus ordered, stomping her way toward him.

"Lacus, stop being unreasonable!"

"I'm not being UNREASONABLE! So shut the hell up, Kira Yamato, you were never part of this family, so give me my daughter, NOW!"

"LACUS, THAT'S ENOUGH!" Mwu roared as he placed a firm grip on Lacus' shoulder. But Lacus continued to convulse with anger that she had never felt before. All she wanted was Erika away from Kira, that was all.

Lacus stared at Mwu who continued to stare angrily at her, with a disappointed look on his face. So Lacus lowered her head in defeat. But she continued to speak. "All I want … is my daughter back."

Kira stared at Erika who simply clutched herself harder to Kira. He sighed as he lowered her to the floor and he bent down to her height. "Go back to Lacus."

"But I don't want to right now," she said shaking her head slowly.

Kira placed a hand on her shoulder. "Go back to your mother, Erika."

"B-But … if Kira gets hurt … then …"

"I won't get hurt, I promise you," Kira whispered, stroking her hair.

"I wouldn't count on it," Cagalli said spitefully.

"CagallI!" Athrun snapped as he pulled his wife back.

"He hasn't been keeping promises lately, Athrun. How is this any different? He'll only hurt Erika and Lacus again!"

Kira turned around slowly to Cagalli and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean again?"

"That's it! If no one's gonna hit him, I am!" Cagalli tried to reach for him, but Athrun continued to pull her back.

"Cagalli, stop!"

"NO! With everything he put us through, with all the promises that he broke, I can't just let him go! I can't! Not when he's so close! He deserves to be hit!"

Kira stared at her and then to the ground. He cringed as he tried to put himself in their shoes and noticed what a jerk and dunce he had been. He turned his head to the side and got up slowly as Erika retreated to her mother's side. Lacus picked her up and had her in her arms.

"Let her go, Athrun," Kira sighed as he stared hard at the two.

"What?" Athrun stared at him with a confused look. "You want her to hit you? Are you mad?"

"If that's what he wants, then do as he says, Athrun! LET ME GO!" Cagalli said as she pulled herself away from Athrun and aimed a punch right to the side of Kira's face until, she found herself stopping. She paused as she stared at the tears slowly coming out of his eyes.

"Why did you stop? Didn't you want to hit me for everything I've done?" Kira said as he had his head up and he continued to cry. Kira's real eyes had returned … he was … coming … back … "What are you waiting for?! Hit me … why don't you…just hit me, dammit!" he sobbed louder.

Cagalli soon found her arm slowly retreating and she found that she was also crying. No matter how much her brother had put her through, she loved him as well. She loved her brother from the bottom of her heart and instead of hitting him, she wrapped her arms around him and through gritted teeth, soft words came out of her mouth. "Kira…"

"I'm sorry, Cagalli, I'm really really sorry…" Kira sniffed.

Mwu stared at the two twins hugging and then took a glance at Lacus who staring toward the ground as she held Erika in her arms. Erika was fidgeting in her spot as Lacus let her slowly to the floor and she ran to Kira, itching for him to carry her. Kira laughed as he picked her up and she puffed.

"You promised me you wouldn't get hurt!"

"But I didn't, see?" he turned his face about and she crossed arms. "I'm not hurt."

"Then why is Kira crying?" Erika said with a frown. Kira laughed as he rustled with her hair.

"I'm crying because…because …" Kira suddenly caught a glance at Lacus' troubled face as she looked toward him with the saddest eyes he had ever seen in his whole entire life and he couldn't continue with what he was about to say.

"Kira?" Erika blinked.

Cagalli stared toward Lacus and saw that she had completely blanked out. Her eyes were blank…she was lost in her own world and it didn't look like she was coming out of it anytime soon. Cagalli sighed as she thought of reasons why Lacus would lose herself now…when he was actually begging for forgiveness. Cagalli, being her caring self, walked over to Lacus cautiously and took her by the arm. Lacus blinked speedily and turned to Cagalli with droopy eyes.

"What is it?" she said innocently as if nothing had happened.

"Why don't we start the lessons you promised?" she smiled.

Lacus smiled back and then turned to Murrue and Mwu. "Shall we?"

Mwu and Murrue looked at each other and then to Lacus. They both nodded.

----

Patrick Zala made his way out of his black helicopter and was escorted into the back of the Allster building. He made his way up the stairs and entered into Fllay Allster's office as she waited patiently with heels on her desk and she stared at him with an impatient look as he entered.

"What the hell took you so long?" Fllay snapped as she brought down her feet and walked over to him, bringing him to the couch in front of her desk and sat on the opposite couch. He cleared his throat as he looked around.

"Delightful office, Allster. Very different from your father when he still controlled the company. Unfortunate death…" Patrick said almost too innocently. Fllay flicked her hair back and crossed her legs as her secretary came in with a tray of tea.

"Don't talk of my father. I don't want to be reminded," Fllay snapped as she ordered her to pour tea for both herself and Patrick.

"Terribly sorry. Me of all people should know what it feels like to lose a loved one," Patrick sighed.

Fllay's ears perked up as she stared at the tea cup being handed to him. "Your wife, I suppose?"

"Actually…yes … and I've also lost my son."

"Your son? But he's still very well alive. Athrun Zala, correct?"

"No, Athrun…Athrun Zala would've stayed with me in New York, but that man impersonating Athrun Zala decided to stay here in this wretched damp place. I'm surprised that you still live here, Ms. Allster, or may I call you Fllay?"

"I don't really give a damn. Living here was fine until this rain decided to stay. I plan to move this week actually with my fiancé."

Patrick turned to her with a smirk and smiled as he placed down his tea cup. "What? Hooked already? That writer, Kira Yamato, I suppose?"

Fllay giggled with a high-pitched voice. "He is the ideal person for me…four years…" she sighed and continued. "I saw the ring on his table …" she turned to Patrick with a wide grin. "He's probably just having trouble telling me."

Patrick laughed heartily. "Quite happy for you."

----

Athrun sneezed loudly, along with Kira as well, and Cagalli looked toward both of them confused as they put on their skates.

"It's not new for people to be talking about Kira, but Athrun? You haven't been snooping around again, have you?" Cagalli eyed her husband carefully as he sniffed.

"Nope."

----

Fllay stood up as she approached her window and stared out as Patrick stared at the back of her. Sighing heavily, she returned to face Patrick as he sat comfortably on the couch. "Shall we get down to business?" she sat at her desk and Patrick snapped his fingers as his men passed Fllay a blue folder.

"Here are the Yamato files from years ago…unfortunately, they were traced, but we were still able to get a couple more during the time of mourning when Siegel Clyne died. When people die, it's always the right time to strike, wouldn't you agree, Ms. Fllay?" Patrick sneered as he cracked his knuckles.

Fllay stared at her "fiancé's" files and laughed as she stared at the pictures of Kira and Lacus during their time at San Francisco. "Wonderful pictures, I must remember to save these for Lacus' sake if she ever decides to cross me again."

"Glad you're enjoying…but you also spoke of something else for the Yamato files…"

Fllay turned her head to the side and then swirled her chair around. "How could I forget … the Yamato fortune…all I needed are right in these files … his numbers and everything … "

"Oh? So we're done?"

"Not just yet," she sighed.

"What else is it?"

"The Clyne blackmail, is Rau available at the moment?" Fllay said staring around her office.

And out of the shadows came Rau Le Creuset. "Right here, Ms. Fllay."

"Ah, yes…Kira happens to be at the skating rink at the moment for his own self-pleasure…so … I need you to closely watch Lacus Clyne beginning tonight. When she arrives home, keep an eye on her."

"But why, Ms. Fllay? You do know that Lacus is famous for being honest and true."

"Honest and true, huh?" Fllay snapped slamming the blue folder to her desk. "Then what do you call having a child with someone who already had a girlfriend at the time? Do you call that honest and true?"

"Sorry. Excuse my comment," Rau bowed slightly as he pulled his white gloves back.

"Rau, do as Ms. Fllay says and Fllay, you do remember your part of the deal?" Patrick stared her down hard and Fllay was silent for minutes. She then, turned around to him and faced him darkly.

"How could I forget?"

She bent down on her desk and pulled out a box.

"All the signatures are in here."

----

For the fifteenth time in a row, Cagalli fell to the hard cold ice on her butt. She screamed out in pain as Athrun dared to bend down and help her up, but ended up falling with her. Lacus shook her head as she gently lifted them up, somehow keeping her stand on the slippery ice.

"Shall we try again?" Lacus said looking at the both of them as they scratched their heads. They both nodded. "Alright, once more."

Kira had already knew how to skate from the beginning and so all he had been doing was circling the ice field as he closely watched Lacus teach the seemingly hopeless Athrun and Cagalli. He continued to smile, laughing from time to time as Athrun and Cagalli would continue to clutch onto each other for support only to fall to the ice again.

"Kira! Kira!" Erika called out as Kira blinked and skated over to her and bent down to her height, keeping his stance upon the ice.

"Yes?"

"I can skate by myself now! Watch me!!" Erika said with a hyper tone as she was able to skate about five feet away until she had to turn around and skate back another five feet. Kira clapped as she approached him and hugged his legs. "Kira!! Skate with me! Skate with me!"

"Hey!! What about me?!" Tsubasa glared scornfully as he had his hands on his hips and then, forgetting his balance, fell back on the ice. Mwu grabbed for him as Murrue shook her head as did Lacus moments ago.

Kira laughed. "Like father, like son."

Athrun had his fist up in the air in Kira's direction. "I heard that!! Wa..waaaa!!!" he fell again.

"A-Athrun!!" Cagalli bent down for him and this time, kept her balance. She picked up Athrun and then stared at herself in amazement. "Hey, I didn't fall!"

"Cagalli! Hey! Cagalli! AHHH!!" Athrun fell … again and Cagalli rushed forward, helping him up. He sighed in defeat and stared at Lacus.

"I give up," Athrun shrugged as he fell on his knees and slithered away. Cagalli scratched her head.

"Athrun!! Come on, one more time, please?"

"It's okay…you can skate…I'll just go get some hot chocolate for everyone," Athrun said pulling off his skates and putting on his comfortable shoes. "Heaven at last…"

Lacus laughed as she turned to Cagalli who had now found her balance upon the ice. "Do you still want to skate?"

Cagalli nodded. "Then I can help Tsubasa…doesn't look like Murrue is having much luck…"

"Alright, then, go and do what I told you …"

"Got it!" Cagalli said as Lacus held her steadily and soon let her go to skate on her own. She nearly made it all the way across without falling until Kira had to go and fetch her because she couldn't get up.

"TRY AGAIN!!" Lacus yelled from across the rink. Cagalli nodded as she nervously skated across, back to Lacus with Kira following her patiently by her side with his hands behind his back.

"That's it…slowly…" Kira said softly.

"Go, Auntie Cagalli! Go! GO!" Erika said as she skated on her other side. Cagalli stared at her with a smile as she sighed staring at her feet toward the ground.

"Cagalli, why does Erika call you auntie when you're nowhere nearly related?"

"Yeah…why does mommy make me do that?" Erika said confused as she began to skate backwards.

"I'm not exactly sure either…" Cagalli sighed. "Especially when he doesn't even know," she mumbled.

"I know I didn't …" Kira responded quietly.

Cagalli's eyes widened at him. "What did you just say?"

"I know …I know…" Kira laughed. "I know."

"You mean you know that…" Cagalli looked toward Erika and then back at Kira. "You know about that?"

Kira nodded. "Ever since … Tsubasa's birthday party and that time when you and Athrun completely ignored me."

Cagalli scratched her head. "Then…you should tell Lacus."

"I want to…but every time she looks at me … it's like she's so in pain that she won't be able to recover and .. I don't know … I just freeze."

"Kira, you know that you have to tell her and if you don't …" Cagalli stared painfully at Lacus as she came to a stop and turned around to face Kira. "Then she'll never ever recover, Kira."

Cagalli, acting as if she had known how to skate for years, turned around and skated speedily away from him and gave Lacus a high five with a bright smile. "I think I got it now," she shrugged as she began to skate freely around the large rink. Just after Cagalli had left Lacus' side, Erika speedily skated toward her and hugged her legs taking Lacus aback nearly knocking her off her feet.

"Erika, we're not on regular ground. Watch out next time," Lacus sighed patting her daughter's beanie-covered head.

"Mommy! Mommy! Carry me! Carry me!" Erika laughed happily reaching for her mother's arms.

"Ah…but Erika, you know that I can't just…"

"Kira said that mommy has lots of talent that you could twirl me around while skating!! Please!!"

"You can, Lacus?" Murrue said looking up from the struggling Tsubasa. Lacus blushed a dark red as she looked toward Kira who grinned happily and then she looked toward her hyper daughter.

She sighed and closed her eyes. "Fine, fine."

She took her daughter in her arms and stared at her cautiously and moved to a more deserted park of the rink. "Are you ready?" Lacus asked her and Erika nodded happily, holding onto her mother's neck. She gagged. "E-Erika, I'll hold you, just close your eyes, you might get dizzy."

"Okay," Erika said, shutting her eyes tight and braced herself for the incoming fun.

"Three, two, ONE!!!" Lacus yelled as she raised her daughter above her head and twirled her around, balancing on one skate.

Kira and everyone else watched Lacus and Erika as Lacus continued to twirl her around. Erika's high-pitched giggles came out as Lacus continued to twirl her around. Lacus was enjoying her time with her daughter but losing concentration on the position of her feet, she nearly fell backward, until she collided her back with someone's chest. A feeling that was all too familiar.

"Thank you, Kira!!" Erika laughed brightly as Kira helped straighten out Lacus and Lacus placed Erika down, only for her to be picked up again by Kira.

"It's not like you to lose balance, Lacus…I think someone's out of practice," he taunted.

"I'm perfectly fine, Kira," Lacus said as she skated away and headed to help out with Tsubasa who was on the brink of tears because he wanted to skate with Erika.

"Kira…why does mommy look at you with dragon eyes?" Erika said, popping Kira out of his mind.

"Huh? What?" Kira said looking toward her.

"Why does mommy look at you with dragon eyes?" Erika said with a baby face. "Before mommy would be happy to see you …when she looked at pictures in a book … she'd smile and sometimes start crying. Whenever I asked her what's wrong…she just told me that she just missed the old days…the old days, what does that mean, Kira?"

"Dragon eyes? You mean angry eyes?" Kira blinked. "You must've gotten that from Tsubasa, huh?"

Erika nodded. "He told me that's what Uncle Athrun says when Auntie Cagalli gets mad. But you still did not answer my question, Kira. Why?"

"Because… because … she misses …she misses…her best friend," Kira choked, biting his lip.

"Her best friend? Who is it? Did this person die? Does Erika know this person?" Erika said cocking her head to the side.

"Don't worry, Erika, Kira will fix everything," Kira smiled as he placed her down. He looked at her with sorrowful eyes and then looked toward the direction of Lacus helping Tsubasa who had magically glided across the rink by himself.

"Tsu-TSU!!" Erika called out, rushing her way across the ice.

The two cousins joyfully raced each other as Murrue and Mwu laughed.

Lacus smiled at her achievement and stared at Kira from the corner of her eye and back again. "I'm sorry, Kira. We can't be friends again …"

----

"How she managed to grab all those signatures is a mystery to me…" Patrick laughed as Rau sat in the limo with him.

"Yes, well, that Fllay has some influence ever since her father died and when she started dating that Yamato writer," Rau stared downward and smiled.

"Yes, according to reports, I've heard that he's always been with her for four years now. You think they would've been married two years ago."

"Well, I must fulfill my duty in this bargain if we want what you wanted to be accomplished…"

"Yes, what that man prevented years ago…shall return and with no problem, I presume?" Patrick sneered at Rau.

Rau nodded and stared out at the damp streets of Japan. "Should I tell him? I think not …"

----

Kira sat next to Athrun as he continued to watch his love and his child skate around and he laughed when Cagalli nearly tripped.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," Kira said as he grabbed one of the hot chocolates out of the tray.

Athrun simply looked at him and then returned to watching. Kira sighed.

"I know you're still mad at me, but come on, Athrun, we were best friends for how long?" Kira laughed.

"Almost fifteen years," Athrun laughed as he turned to look at Kira. "But forgiveness isn't enough Kira."

"I know that," Kira said staring down. "Even for Lacus. I owe her so much…"

"Kira, I think there's something you should know about Erika."

"You and Cagalli…you both tried to tell me something I already knew. What questions me is why didn't Lacus tell me? What was she so afraid of?" Kira sighed.

"She was afraid that it would ruin your wish to be with Fllay…a child … is a burden at times and then at other times it can be so joyful, you wouldn't want that time to end," Athrun said staring up at the grey round ceiling.

"Erika has been nothing but joy for Lacus, but Cagalli tells me…she's still crying."

"I know that, too…Erika tells me that she's always sorry for not having a dad…" Kira cringed, his eyes shadowed underneath. "And…it's all my fault for being so blind."

"You weren't what I would call blind, Kira."

"Then what would you call it?" Kira said, looking toward him.

"Stupid, an idiot, a completely and absolute moron," Athrun shrugged.

"Oh, that makes me feel so much better," Kira said sarcastically, rolling off his shoulders.

"Well, you were. You were so in love with someone that you even forgot about your own family and friends. You forgot about your sister. You forgot about your own nephew's birth!"

"It's not that I forgot!" Kira yelled as quietly as he could, hoping not to disturb everyone else's happiness.

"Then what was it? You just decided not to come?" Athrun glared, hoping that wasn't the answer.

"I didn't know, Athrun. I wanted to come so badly. Me and Cagalli had talked about it for months …. You don't know sorry I feel for hurting her, for hurting you…for hurting everyone," Kira paused. "But Fllay…she kept me from my family because she wanted me with her…she didn't tell me because she didn't want me to leave her side. It wasn't my choice…I'm sorry…and I guess all the responsibility just went to my head and I ended up being a complete—"

"Ass?" Athrun finished with a smirk.

"Don't push it," Kira growled.

"Well, you were about to say it yourself," Athrun shrugged. "But that's not a good enough reason, Kira. So she kept you from seeing us, but you didn't even call us!"

"I did call you, but whenever I called, it just wouldn't go through and something would always come up somehow. I wanted to go to all your 21st birthdays, but … I don't know, things just seemed to pop-up at the worst possible times and they wouldn't let me get out of it."

"Or at least Fllay wouldn't let you," Athrun snapped.

Kira looked up at him surprised at his remark as he continued to glare at him and then Kira looked back down and sighed. Athrun's eyes softened.

"Kira, everyone still cares about you. We just missed you to the point that we hated you for not being there. But it's obvious that there's still someone here who loves you more than anything in the world," he chuckled, "Unless you count Erika."

Kira's eyes began to slowly turn into a dreamy state as he gazed through the plastic window, to where Lacus and Erika played on the ice. His eyes slowly squinted and then to a close. "She should've told me."

"Leave Lacus' decision alone, she thought it was for the best. After the trip in San Francisco, she wasn't exactly the same, Kira. In fact, she'd do anything to move there, but she didn't want to separate Tsubasa from his only cousin…well, at least the only cousin I know of at the moment," Athrun laughed again as he patted Kira hard on the back. "But don't worry, I also have my own secrets," he said with a toothy grin.

Kira raised an eyebrow. "What secret?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret, now would it?"

"Cut the crap, what is it?" Kira said, becoming annoyed at his best friend's sudden cockiness.

Athrun grin grew to a point where it could grow no more, and he slowly turned to Kira, his grin slowly turning back into a normal smile. "Cagalli's pregnant."

Kira's eyes widened once again in surprise as he stared at Athrun, who was on the brink of laughing. "You're not messing with me…are you?"

Athrun chuckled a bit once again and only smiled.

"Athrun? What did you do to Cagalli?" Kira stared at him, getting slightly angry at his momentary silence.

"Okay, okay, no need to get all worked up. Look, I took her to her usual checkup, and well, I told the doctors that if they found anything, to tell me, not her."

"That doesn't make any sense, Athrun," Kira blinked.

Athrun fell back onto the chair and sighed as he stared at his wife skating with his son. She waved at him and he waved back as he turned to look at the writer sitting beside him. "Kira, she doesn't know she's pregnant."

"But why keep it a secret anyway? She's going to notice, haven't the symptoms shown yet? The morning occasions of skipping to the bathroom and having to vomit …"

"The symptoms will be soon…very soon … the doctors said tomorrow morning at the earliest, but I wanted to be the first to know so Cagalli wouldn't have to worry so much about telling me…although I'm starting to worry that she might get mad at me for not telling her. I guess either way I lose but what matters is we're going to have another Tsubasa…" he laughed, "He's already a handful."

"So are you happy or mad about it? You're really confusing me," Kira said scratching his head.

"I'm happy, in fact, I'm delighted, because if Lacus ever decides to actually move…then Tsubasa won't feel so lonely if Erika is gone."

Kira stared downward. "Will he be that sad if Erika is gone?"

"Yes, he loves his cousin a lot. Their relationship is like a popsicle."

"A popsicle? What kind of comparison is that?!" Kira reacted strangely to the bizarre simile as he gazed at the blue-haired man.

"If you lick away the candy…then it's only a stick and nothing else. So if you take away Erika from Tsubasa, he's only Tsubasa and no one else…it wouldn't be the same without Erika around. Something would be taken away from Tsubasa…something we find to be very special."

Kira sighed. "I guess this means you want me to make Lacus' decision permanent to stay here, right?"

"I'm not asking you anything, Kira," Athrun spoke as he sat up and stretched out his arms as Tsubasa slowly made his way to exit and run to his father.

"But I can tell that you want something from me," Kira said following him as he got up.

Athrun paused as he picked up his son and as he cuddled Tsubasa in his arms, he turned to Kira once more with a smile on his face. "I just want a decision that comes from your heart, Kira, not one that comes out of Fllay's mouth."

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Author's Note: Kira's back! Woot! Woot! Teeheeeehehehheeee….

Please review!!!

Preview of Next Chapter

Rau Creuset is up to something … AGAIN!

Kira and Lacus have another argument…DUN DUN DUN!

Erika likes to twirl…WOOT! WOOT!

And more … MWAHAHHAAA!!