Konnichiwa, minna! Sorry I took so long to update… Gomen nasai! I've been swamped with end-of-year work. But, now that I'm out, I'm fine. It was just a time thing. I wrote the whole thing in the past three days because I had nothing else to stop me! Hehe. Alright, hope y'all like it! It's starting to look exciting! Have fun!
Disclaimer: I do not own G Gundam, sadly enough.
Chibodee, who was talking with Bunny and Cathy, looked up as Rain entered the kitchen. He smiled and nodded at the two girls before standing up and touching Rain's arm. "Can we talk?" he asked in a low voice.
Rain turned puzzled eyes onto his face and nodded slowly, "Sure. Why don't we go in here?" She led him into a side room and closed the door behind her. Light shined through the window, illuminating the room, eliminating any need for an artificial light. Rain peered into Chibodee's face.
Two plushy chairs were situated to the side, and Chibodee sunk down into one. "Alright," he began, "We have a slight problem. I'm outta ideas." He spread his arms wide for emphasis.
Rain nodded slowly, "Yes, that could be a problem. I don't have any either. I was sort of hoping you would." Both were silent for a moment before Rain spoke again. "Maybe we need an outsider's opinion. That always helps. Who else knows?" she wondered aloud. Rain began to count off on her fingers, "Just you, me, and Shirley. Why don't we ask her?"
Chibodee suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "Uh…well, ya see…" He cleared his throat nervously.
Rain narrowed her eyes, "You haven't told her yet?"
Chibodee coughed lightly. "I will. I just haven't had time…"
Rain sighed and pursed her lips. "We are going to tell her now. Come on." Rain took Chibodee's arm and led him out into the kitchen. "Shirley?" she asked.
The young woman turned around. "Yea?"
"Can we talk to you?" Rain asked, gesturing to herself and Chibodee.
Shirley hesitated for a suspicious moment for nodding and following the pair into the side room again.
Rain shut the door behind them and turned to face Shirley and Chibodee. "Tell her," she commanded Chibodee.
Chibodee took a deep breath. "Rain and I aren't dating." Shirley could not hide her relieved sigh. Chibodee frowned in confusion but continued on. "Ya see; we had a bet. I said Domon loves Rain, and Rain said he loves Allenby. So, we bet on it. We said the only way to prove who was right was to try and make him jealous. If Domon gets jealous, then he loves Rain and I win, but if he doesn't get jealous, then he doesn't love Rain, and Rain wins. We pretended to start dating, but Rain said we should tell you what's going on, so that's the story."
Shirley gave them both a strange look before bursting out in laughter. "I can't believe…I was being so…stupid. I should've known you wouldn't go for Chib, Rain."
Rain laughed with her.
Chibodee looked from one to the other, "Whaddya mean?"
"Nothing," they giggled.
Chibodee shrugged, "So, are we alright, Shirl?"
Shirley smiled and hugged her friend briefly, "Yea. Thanks for telling me."
Rain interrupted their moment with an amused smile. "Shirley, we're having some trouble. We've both run out of ideas and we need something new. We were wondering if you could help us out."
Shirley frowned in thought for a moment before answering, "I don't have anything, sorry. I'm not a particularly creative person, though. But you know who's always got a cute new idea handy?"
"Who?" Chibodee prompted.
"Sai Saichi!"
Rain and Chibodee, desperate in their search for a newer and more efficient plan, sought out the youngest Gundam fighter of the group. They found the boy playing video games in his room with Domon. "Come on! Go! Go! Go!" Sai Saichi screamed.
"Come on! Just a little further! Yes!" urged Domon.
"There's no way you can win!"
"Whaddya talking about? I'm destroying you!"
"No way! That's nothing! I could kick your sorry butt any day!"
"Keep dreamin', kid!"
"Ahem!" Chibodee called both boys to attention.
Domon looked up, a slight blush on his face at being caught playing games by the girl of his dreams. Sai Saichi just grinned at the two. "Yea? Wanna play?"
Rain smiled, "No, thanks, Sai. I'm no good at video games. Can we talk to you for a second?"
Sai shrugged and nodded. "Sure. Don't touch the game 'til I come back," he warned Domon.
Domon took on a look of mock hurt, "You think I would cheat?"
Sai chuckled, "Maybe." He followed the pair out into the hall. The three stepped into Rain's old room this time, which was right across the hall. "What's the matter, you guys?"
Chibodee shut the door and faced the boy. "Ok, you can't tell anybody what we're about to say, got it? This is top secret stuff." The older man winked at the boy.
Sai nodded and played along. He saluted with a roguish grin. "Not a word, mon capitan." Rain winced at his attempt at French.
Chibodee explained the situation. "So," he concluded, "we're outta ideas and we need your help. You got any?"
Sai bit his lip and frowned similarly to how Shirley did not long before. "Not now, but I'll come up with one. I'll get back to you, ok? I promise I'll think of one by the end of today."
Rain and Chibodee sighed in relief, "Thanks, Sai," they chorused. The two looked at each other and blushed slightly before laughing.
Sai chuckled, "Are you sure you two aren't really dating?" His words immediately silenced the couple. The two glanced at each other and blushed red. Sai laughed his way out of the room.
That night, Rain was cooking dinner. Lost in thought, she absently poured a box of instant pasta into boiling water. Italian food is so much easier to cook than Japanese. Hopefully, Domon will like it better. He always says my cooking is bad… Dinner will be ready soon and Sai hasn't come to us yet. I hope he does soon. Rain's thoughts swirled inside her head as she stirred the spaghetti. Her meal was a fitting representation of her brain. Rain sighed and noticed that the pasta was finished. She turned off the heat and meandered over to the cupboard to pull out a tall stack of plates. She set them out and then adorned them all with cutlery. When that was finished, she took the pot of pasta and dumped an equal share on each plate. This pasta stuff smells good. Mmm… As she stirred the sauce one last time before turning off the heat for that burner as well, her thoughts brought her back to something troubling her. The one thing that she had been avoiding all evening. The reason she had offered to make dinner. But as hard as she tried to escape her thoughts, they followed her avidly. The memory of Sai's words came back to her. "Are you sure you two aren't really dating?" She paused, the saucepan tucked under her arm, one hand on the handle and the other holding a ladle. Why is that bothering me? But she knew why. The feeling of her stomach churning at those words scared her. My stomach hasn't felt this restless since... She almost couldn't finish the thought. Since I realized I loved Domon. Rain shook her head and focused her energy on spooning a little bit of tomato sauce on each portion of spaghetti. I don't love Domon…
Chibodee put his head in his hands with a sigh. He ran his hands through his hair and looked up again. I can't get her outta my head. And I don't know why… He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. For a moment, his thoughts were lost, but as soon as he opened the door, he heard Rain humming as she cooked and all his thoughts came rushing back. I can't have this right now. Luckily, or perhaps unfortunately, he spotted Sai rushing into the kitchen holding something. Maybe he's thought of something, Chibodee mused. I'll go check it out. He followed the boy into the kitchen and both turned around quickly. They sighed in relief.
"Oh, Chibodee," Rain smiled, "I thought you were Domon."
Chibodee managed a grin. "Nope. What's that you got, Sai?"
"My idea," he announced proudly. "Tada!" He held out a large white T-shirt. Rain and Chibodee nearly fell over in surprise. In bright red lettering on the front, it read 'I DID IT WITH RAIN MIKAMURA!' "This one's for you, Chibodee!" Sai grinned.
He put it down on the table and held up another one. "And this one's for you, Rain!" It read it bright green lettering 'I DID IT WITH CHIBODEE CROCKETT!'
Both Chibodee and Rain blushed a bright red. "I am not wearing that!" they cried in unison. They grinned at each other with red faces.
Sai shrugged with a smirk, "It'll get Domon madder than anything. This would decide your bet, you know."
Rain bit her lip and Chibodee stared at the floor. "We'll think about it," Rain finally answered for them both.
Sai looked slightly disappointed but hid it as best he could. "Alright. They'll be in my room." He gave them both a roguish wink before scuttling off to his room.
Dinner went smoothly. It was one of those moments when everybody talked in low murmur. It was happy, but quiet. Not silent, just not loud and excited. It was peaceful and calming. This was just the wrong thing for Rain and Chibodee. Rain found herself staring at Chibodee, and every time she attempted to tear her eyes away to focus on something else, that something else was always Domon. It was confusing her more and more as the evening drew on.
Chibodee was not much better off. He kept glancing at Rain. Every time she would laugh at something George would say, his stomach would twist jealously. As much as he tried to ignore it, the feeling just became stronger and stronger. He just couldn't understand it. Why would he be jealous over Rain? People are only jealous over people they love… He paused in horror. I love her like a sister, he amended quickly before any stranger thoughts could creep through.
The next day, everybody was bored out of his or her minds. Most of the jobs had been finished, and it was too hot to go outside. Sai, eager to do something, decided to spend his pent-up energy on video games once more. "Hey, Chibodee! I'll play ya in 'Speed Racer'!"
Chibodee, desperate to escape his thoughts, agreed readily. Rain followed them into Sai's room, having nothing better to do, and watched them amusedly.
By the second race, both were very into their game. "I'm soooo gonna beat you!"
"No way! I'm just about to pass you!"
"No you're not!"
"Yea, I am! I'm the blue car!"
"No!"
"Ha! I win!"
"Fine. Let's do it again. And this time, I'll kick your butt for sure!"
"You wish!"
After both had tired themselves out, and Rain had confused them all by alternating every race whom she was rooting for, a comfortable silence overtook the room. Lying on his back on the floor, clutching his sore hand, Sai began a conversation amiably. "How come you guys don't wanna wear my shirts?" He put on a fake pout that made all three giggle.
Rain and Chibodee exchanged glances. "It's too early for something like that," Chibodee replied.
"And we're not sure we feel so comfortable in them," Rain added.
"So?" Sai asked, "It's not like it's true."
"But everybody else doesn't know that," Chibodee pointed out.
"We just don't know, Sai. Can we have some more time to think about it? We promise to consider it seriously," Rain offered.
Sai sighed dramatically. "Alright!" he chirped. "Tell me what you decide when you decide."
"Will do," Chibodee promised.
Shirley approached Rain with a grin. "I have an idea!" she announced.
Rain's attention was suddenly riveted on her friend. "Oo! What?"
"Why don't you and Chib go on a double date with Domon and Allenby? That'll tell you a couple things, just from his initial reaction." She winked and walked off.
Rain smiled and nodded. "Good idea, Shirley," she murmured to herself.
Chibodee approached Rain in the kitchen, ignoring Domon's glare. "Rain," he announced, "Would you like to gout to dinner with me tonight?"
Rain, playing along, answered accordingly, "I'd love to!"
"Hey!" he acted as if he had just had the idea. "Why don't we have a double date?"
"With who?" Rain inquired.
Chibodee turned to look at Domon. "Domon and Allenby! Domon, why don't you ask Allenby on a date with us?"
Rain nodded eagerly, "It'll be so much fun!"
Domon grunted in the affirmative and left for the phone.
As soon as he was gone and out of earshot, the couple still in the kitchen grinned.
Domon was in a bad mood. He stalked past everyone in his path, focused on the phone at the end of the hall. No one bothered to get in his way, wary of his angry outbursts. Domon reached the phone and picked it up, roughly dialing in Allenby's number. The other side rung twice before Allenby answered it. "Hello?"
Domon paused, realizing he had no idea what to say. "Uh, Allenby? It's Domon.""Domon?" Allenby repeated, surprised.
"Yea. Uh, I was wondering if, uh, you would like to go out to dinner with me tomorrow."
"Like a date?"
"I guess," Domon nodded reluctantly.
"Alright! I'd love to! Where and when?"
"Um, six at the Italian restaurant at the end of the market. Oh, and it'll be a double date with Rain and Chibodee."
"Rain and Chibodee? Are they dating?"
"No!" Domon answered quickly before realizing what he had said. "I mean, yea, they are."
Allenby said nothing about his slip of tongue. "Ok, I'll meet you there at the restaurant tomorrow!"
"Sounds good. See you then." He heard the 'click', meaning she had hung up, and then slammed the phone down angrily. Domon then stomped to his room and slammed the door behind him.
Rain and Chibodee giggled quietly in the kitchen.
Rain surveyed herself in the mirror the next night. She was wearing a tight, red, Chinese-style dress that fell just past her knees. There was a long slit that ran up to the top of her thigh. Rain kept checking it sub-consciously. Her discomfort would certainly be worth it. For both men. Gold dragons raced across it at every angle. There was thick gold thread outlining the ends of the short cap sleeves, the neckline, and the hem. The neckline had a short collar, which tapered off as it reached the front of the dress. A piece of fabric ran across the top of her chest to her left armpit with ties all along the way, like a traditional-style outfit. The strip left a wide elliptical opening showing off a tempting amount of cleavage. The dress hugged her curves all the way down. Finally, Rain finished off the outfit with ankle-high black leather boots. She applied mascara, eyeliner, and some tan lip-gloss. Perfect. Rain smirked and, picking up her black purse, stepped out into the hall.
Chibodee did not take half the amount of time or effort preparing himself as Rain did. He unconcernedly flung on a light blue shirt and buttoned it up to the top. After stepping into a pair of well-pressed black pants, he threaded a brown belt through the belt loops and tied his tie. This was the only interesting piece of clothing on him. It was his favorite tie. The tie was navy with large green diamonds all across it. Inside each diamond was a small maroon oval. It was a neutral pattern, but he liked it. Chibodee tightened it, combed his hair quickly and gave himself a once-over in the mirror. He shrugged on his navy blazer and left.
Domon took even less time to get ready than Chibodee. He buttoned his forest green shirt and his black pants. It was uncharacteristic of him to wear a color like green, but Rain had once said it was her favorite shirt. And a statement like that never left Domon's head. He buckled his brown belt and proceeded to tie his tie. It was black with thin red diagonal stripes running across it. Once that was done, he pulled out his red ribbon, ran a comb through his hair, and left with his black blazer flung over his shoulder.
The trio was happily silent as they made their way through the market streets to the part of town where the restaurants were. Their eyes searched for the restaurant at which they had made reservations, and it was Rain who spotted Allenby waving at them from a quaint white building on their left. "Rain!" the young girl called.
All three hurried over. "Good evening, Allenby," Rain greeted politely.
"Hey to you, too," she replied with a grin. Allenby was wearing a short black leather skirt and a tight-fitting sequined turquoise spaghetti strap top that brought out her eyes. The straps had no sequins, but the fabric was sparkly. She wore ankle-high black leather boots identical to Rain's, except that they had much taller heels.
"Hey, Allenby," Chibodee nodded.
"Hi, Chibodee. Long time no see. Hey, Domon!"
"Hey, Allenby," Domon grinned halfheartedly. He didn't really want to go on this date. He didn't want to see Allenby and he didn't want to see Rain with Chibodee. He wanted to sit in his dark room and brood. But his one true love would not let him.
Rain grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. "Come on, Domon!" she shook his lightly. "Let's go sit down."
"Wha? Oh, yea, coming." He followed them sulkily and sat down across from Rain and next to Allenby. They all spent the next quiet moments looking at their menus. When they had ordered, the conversation began.
"So, Allenby," Rain began, "How's your training going?"
Allenby smiled, "Really well, thanks. I'm gonna beat Domon's butt in our next match!"
Domon grunted, "You wish."
"How's life been for you, Rain?"
"Uh," she glanced at Chibodee, "Different. Lots of changes."
"Oh? Like what?" Allenby didn't miss the look Rain had shot at Chibodee.
"Well, for one, I've quit my job."
Allenby, who was sipping her water, nearly spat it out. "What? So you're not Domon's partner anymore?"
"No."
"Have you joined another team, then?"
"No. It's just me. I'm sort of…taking a break." Domon immediately looked away.
Allenby didn't miss this either. Looks like he's mine for the taking. "Wow. Anything else?" she asked, pointedly staring at Chibodee.
Rain blushed slightly, "Oh, and Chibodee and I are dating."
"Really?" Allenby looked both impressed and delighted. For some reason, the latter did not make Rain feel very good. "Congratulations!"
"Thanks. How about you?"
"It's been good. I've just been hanging out and relaxing. You know, going to the arcade every once in a while, training, and hanging out with Domon sometimes."
Rain arched an eyebrow, "I know. You guys are becoming really close. I'm happy for you. Domon could use a friend who isn't so girly." She glanced at Domon blankly, who blushed lightly, but did not turn away.
Allenby held in an exasperated sigh and turned to Chibodee. "How have you been?"
He looked surprised at her attention, but did not say anything about it. "I've been training mostly. I try to hang around with Rain as much as I can, too." He smiled at her kindly.
Rain smiled back, but it disappeared moments later as she felt something frightening. As she looked into Chibodee's face, her stomach began to flutter. When he looked away, she found she wanted him to look back at her and give her another dazzling smile. I'm like a lovesick puppy! As soon as she realized what she had just thought, it was too late. Rain looked down and stood up. "I'll be right back. I need to use the restroom," she muttered before rushing off, her face hot. Chibodee stared after her in concern.
Rain reached the bathroom and stepped inside, leaning against the wall. I cannot believe this. There is no way this could be happening. She walked purposefully over to the sink and gingerly splashed her face with some cold water. One she had dried her face off, she felt much better. I don't know what's come over me. She took a deep breath and walked back out to her table.
Chibodee searched her face for some explanation for her actions, but there was nothing but a happy mask. Inwardly, Chibodee groaned. He had a feeling what was going on, and he didn't like it one bit. What's gone wrong? He wondered. It was fine before. And now this.
Domon, however, was having a different issue. He brooded in sulky silence, watching his date interact with the couple that made his stomach turn in jealousy. Why am I jealous? He had long decided it was useful to lie to himself. He just didn't need to admit such information to anyone outside his person. It just made life easier. I don't care about Rain that way. She's just my partner. Ex-partner. Whatever. He crossed his arms and leaned back, scowling under his bangs. I don't care. They can do what they want. I don't need anyone. I'm just fine on my own. I was fine before Rain came. He tried to picture an example of such a time, but couldn't summon one. He painfully realized that there wasn't one. He had never been without Rain. Rain had been there from the beginning. He had always had her there, and it was only now that she was gone, that he was beginning to miss having her with him.
Dinner went smoothly for the rest of the evening, and both Rain and Chibodee for thankful for that. They stood up once Chibodee had paid the bill and pushed in their chairs, leaving the restaurant still chatting. "I think I like Italian food," Rain mused happily.
"Me too!" Allenby agreed whole-heartedly. "I could eat it all the time! If I were a guy, I'd marry an Italian girl."
"You still could," Chibodee commented slyly.
Allenby shot an annoyed look and let him with in silence. "Well, it was great to see you guys! I hope we can do this more often!" She walked away, waving. The trio left in the opposite direction. Allenby preferred Rain when she wasn't a threat.
What didja think? Didja like it? Didja hate it? Tell me what you think! How will you do that, you say? I dunno, come to think of it. There's only one way really. REVIEW. Hehe. The next chapter is going to get interesting. I warn y'all, this isn't going to be a particularly long story. I'd say seven-eight chapters, ten at VERY MOST. I'm just not writing it as a long novel. I'll do my best not to make it a four-chapter story, though, k? Tell me if I'm moving too fast.
By the way, I got into all 3 schools! In case you guys were wondering (which you probably weren't) I'm going to The Lawrenceville School, in Princeton, NJ. It's a boarding school. Luckily for all of you, this doesn't affect you. It won't change updates or anything. (I barely get them out as it is…)
Personal Reviews
RisingGundam2004 Yea, poor Domon. But, he needs this sort of thing once in a while. Goodness knows he deserves it! Thanks for the review!
Pan's Son Thanks for the review! I'm glad you think my story is cool!
Cleopatra2 Glad you liked the ending! Yay! Someone found it funny! Hehe. I know this doesn't classify as 'soon', but I hope you like this chapter all the same! Thanks for reviewing!
Jen23 Yep. Poor Domon. Oh well. He deserves it, doesn't he? Thanks! Hehe, I agree, if I were in a position to do so, I'd probably fall for Rain, too! As it turns out, I fell for Domon hehe. Thanks for the review!
Fang Hey! Glad you liked it! Hehe, it's only gonna get worse for Domon. Thanks for reviewing!
Kay-san1(ShinomoriMiyu Good crying is always nice. Hehe, I loved your title! Thank you for suggesting it! Wow, genius! I DO feel special now! Haha, yea I thought of "right wrong conclusions" and I just couldn't help putting it in! Hehe, yea he'll be really mad really soon. It's good. As long as it isn't permanent… Hope you liked this chapter just as much! Thanks for reviewing!
chibodeeandrain4ever Thanks for reviewing! Well, it's C/R for now. You'll have to wait and see if it ends up that way haha. Omg me too! It's like you've got me hooked and then you leave me hanging! I'm glad you think I'm a good author! I'll see about more C/R fics… I just have so many story ideas already on my list that it may not be for a while. That's great! Yea, I've read the first couple chapters, which reminds me, now that I have some free time, I should check to see if there are any new ones! You're story is good, you should definitely keep writing! Don't' worry! I LOVE long reviews!
RurouniMarionu –cowers in a corner– You're scary sometimes, you know that? Well, I'd tried my best. I know this isn't exactly soon, but I did update at all! Does that mean you won't stuff me in a blender? 'Cuz you know, if you do, I won't be able to write anymore! -looks proud of herself for figuring that out- Thanks for reviewing!
agehron –looks all mysterious– If they kiss and make up at all… Mwahahahahaha! Glad you like my story! Thanks for the review!RogueGoddess007 Well, I updated. Hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!
ashley I will definitely continue! Fear not! Hehe. Hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!
