Believe, Realize, Reason
Chapter 5: Chaotic Complexities
Disclaimer: How many times do I need to say this… I don't own Seed, I don't own nothing! The only exception would be this story plot.
Legend:
"…": Speech
'…': thoughts, they are also in italics.
Scenario changes are listed in bolded italic brackets.
Lines are to indicate a flashback that is being said in a scene.
AN: Okay, due to the fact that this site had some major, major technical difficulties, it became an evident impossibility for me to update. At the same time, I wasn't really done yet, so I wisely used this time to perfect my work. OR, you could just call me a lazy ass. Fine, I was being lazy, but don't start accusing me of being sloppy, WE ARE ALL like this at times. Enough of my personal experience during the past ten days, let's get on the real deal: This fiction.
Yes, I received the complaints of having too much ShaniLunamaria and not enough of others. Mostly, you readers want ShinnStellar, AthrunCagalli, KiraLacus etc, sure, I can write that. Hopefully this would be good enough, I am not really a KiraLacus writer –since they are like dead zombies in Destiny. Regardless of the situation, I am glad that I got this chapter out. Oh yeah, I've decided that Yzak should go with Shiho, I just need to figure out how she can actually show up. Don't worry, I'll find a way.
Let's do some author-reader one on one answering. I can't believe the most dedicated readers review, I am shocked and gratified.
Jasx316: Does Shinn really act like a zombie? I didn't even realize until you actually told me. Wow… Anyway, I will make some ShinnStellar action, it's not a bad change, and I do need a little bit of practice on it since I never really witnessed Shinn and Stellar in romance that long in Destiny. Thanks for your loyal support.
Dust-in: You want mobile suits? If I know what most readers want… all of them may actually stop reading my fiction once mobile suit battles take place. I, for one, am not a sci-fi fanatic, and I can't stand that kind of novels in real life. Maybe I am not very imaginative, or I am just not dedicated. Nevertheless, there will MOSTLY and more than likely to have no Gundams. Yes, yes, I know KiraLacus and ShinnStellar forever… but a little twist in between would just be so much more fascinating.
Mick: I thank you for your endless support. Hey, I am not the genius to make up those names, these names just happened to fit well in those chapters. Thanks for reviewing and reading!
Ruler of the Dark: You want more of the other pairings? Well, you got it. Hey, you are from Toronto as well? I am too. If you know the school A.Y Jackson Secondary School on Leslie Street and Steeles Ave East, yeah, I go there as a Gr 12 student. VERY BAD place to be despite what kind of reputation you have heard, never ever be a student if you don't have to. Aside from that, please enjoy this chapter like you always have with the others.
MissKT: Hey, no need to be so… furious with my review on your story, if I don't do it honestly, I would be lying to myself. Regardless, don't take it too personally, yet do take it seriously. Lunamaria is your favorite female character, right? I am glad that you like where her relationship is going. Good luck with your story too, it's finally getting some recognition while this one still needs some work. Hopefully the love triangle would last long enough (long enough to cover the essentials, short enough to be attractive), I really find it easier writing two girls on a guy than vice versa. Thanks for reviewing! (If I don't review, it doesn't mean I am dead, okay?)
Hawkhanyou: Thanks for your info on Shiho, now this story can release a new pairing in the very near future. Thank you so much, my friend!
Mizue-chan: Was my humour that funny? Well, a candy that could heal infertility is quite dramatic, and I think I made Yzak into a spoiled brat. Let's hope Shiho could smarten him up with her strict solemnity. Would ShaniLuna rule all? I don't know, yet I love this pairing –they are my favorite characters in Seed, and people think I am crazy for liking a druggie. I will show them ALL! Thank you for your forceful motivation, but next time, use a gun. I happen to be immune to stuff that can't instantly wound my flesh –just as long as you don't kill me with it or there would be no story.
D.D Designator: Your short words are always appreciated. Thanks!
Raider-kun and Rin-chan: Are you giving me too much credit? Is it that good to deserve such wonderful descriptions? I am very delighted to know that you are loving this fic, it relieves me greatly to see more supporters. Enjoy this latest chapter with high hopes!
AN: Enough explanations already, let's get this thing started.
(At Yzak and Crot's apartment)
Everyone needed to calm down; that was something Lacus kept telling the gang. She had no idea how fortunate she was when they actually obeyed. They all needed it… that was for certain. Ever since the last event in the exhibition was finished, their day turned from great to something in the lines of misery. Crot was lying in his bed –wounded-; Athrun's body was hurt all over, and Cagalli was massaging the spots that needed to be healed every now and then. Dearka seemed fine but Miriallia knew he was also in pain; Kira also appeared to be okay but in fact he was actually hiding the torment in his arms from everyone –especially Lacus-. Stellar was still sending mail to Shani; Lacus was worried about everyone; and Yzak –miraculously- was the only one in a great mood.
Ever since those prank calls, Tanaka had been missingfrom schoolfor a several days. Each day without that bastard only meant paradise, and the Duel pilot obviously supposed that the teacher chose to be absent due to the fact that he no longer had any face to meet with the other staff. Yzak was honestly not looking forward to the day Tanaka would return.
It had been a several days since Shani left –four to be exact- and the pink haired princess suggested that they should keep in touch with the Forbidden pilot. Normally, Stellar would've instantly volunteered to call him but she was out doing some necessary shopping. Crot argued that Shani would be fine, and calling him would be nothing but a waste of time. Long story short, the Raider pilot did not want to go through the hassles of dialling numbers. In the end, they drew from a hat, and whoever got the one with the black dot must call him.
Athrun's eyes cringed with rage when he saw that detesting black mark on his folded sheet of paper. What angered him more was that everyone appeared so relaxed, relieved, and at peace seeing that they were not given this task. How he envied all of them. He felt cheated, and certainly felt robbed. Not even his beloved Cagalli was going share his pain, and more so, she decided to change the subject and ran to Lacus to start a conversation when the Justice pilot wanted to talk about it.
Seeing that he had no choice, and Stellar was not here, he dreadfully picked up the phone in Shani's old room –which was now Yzak and Crot's little dump, but dumps were significantly cleaner- and dialled the number that matched his cellular phone. Up to this day, Athrun was still bewildered in terms of how this place could've turned into a devilish mess when someone had not lived there for only four short days! It was still fine on the day Shani left for crying out loud. Talk about ridiculous! After four rings, someone finally picked up on the other end.
"Hello?" the voice matched the Forbidden pilot's completely; stoic and lurking. "Lieutenant Andras speaking."
"Lieutenant Andras?" questioned Athrun, shocked to hear this rank, "Wow, that is quite stunning, Shani." Obviously, the natural did not even know who the blasted hell this was. Then again, that voice did sound familiar.
"Who are you anyway?" Shani demanded an identity.
"Cool it," said Athrun casually, "It's just Athrun."
"Zala?" the Forbidden pilot asked to see if this was true. To be blunt, he would not have expected Athrun Zala to call, and especially not for him. "Is it really you?"
"Yes!" shouted the Justice pilot rudely, "Do you think I am lying?" Shani was not expecting that kind of furious outburst, he didn't even do anything –at least he didn't think he did. Why was Athrun so angry then? In his opinion, he always believed that the blue haired coordinator was a calm guy where rationality was his strong attribute, something to be admired. It appeared that all previous beliefs were washed down the drain.
"I'm sorry for pissing you off," replied Shani not very pleased, "Can you please tell me what I actually did to piss you off? In reality, you are the one who called me."
"You didn't do anything!" exclaimed Athrun, shocking the Forbidden pilot for the second time today. "Sorry… I am just not really in a good mood…"
"Then don't look for me to spill out your anger on, look for Yamato or Crot or something. I am quite busy, you know."
"Everyone is not feeling too great actually," replied the Justice pilot sadly, that had stunned Shani quite a bit. It was natural for one person to be not feeling that great, but all at once… that was intriguing.
This was strange enough already, and on impulse, Shani found his chair and sat down. "How come?" questioned the one eyed male curiously, "From what I heard from Stellar… you guys went to chill off at an exhibition the other day, right?" Gathering all the knowledge on the English language –he was an European man- he was utmost certain that the slang words "chill off" meant to relax, not make things worse.
"Don't even get me started on that day…" groaned Athrun filled with exasperation. He sounded very weary, and not to mention weak. Weak and Athrun never fitted in the same sentence, as far as Shani was concerned. "I can't blame Lacus… she was just trying to lighten things up… then it went to complete chaos…"
"Wait," interfered the Forbidden pilot completely lost. "Stellar said that-"
"Oh, screw what she said!" yelled the Justice pilot raising his voice very violently. That silenced the ZAFT Lieutenant in less than an instant. "We were having fun when we separated, we were having a lot of fun without another, but that was before we reunited."
Did Athrun make sense? Certainly not.
"What?"
"Okay, let me start from the beginning… after we split up after a several hours in the exhibition, we decided to meet up for dinner."
The Forbidden pilot nodded despite no one could see it, and then he turned on his computer. "Did something happen during dinner? What happened? Food fight? Fire? Someone got hurt? Cagalli-san was beating up Dearka or Kira? Someone got blind since a fork or chopstick went into their eye?"
"Just shut up and listen!" roared Athrun in a manner that was identical to Yzak's. "No, it was none of those. We didn't even have dinner, okay? We met up in front of a bumper cars station, and then Kira suggested that a round of bumper cars wouldn't hurt. I was an idiot, yes, me, idiot! I should not have listened, we should've left, but no…" Just like before, Shani did not even understand what Athrun was saying. When the Forbidden pilot advised him to calm down, Athrun took a deep breath before stating it in a serene voice –which had a high chance of breaking. Regardless, it got the message through.
"Hey!" said Kira happily when he saw the other three groups came back happily. Miriallia was holding a large stuffed bear –Dearka obviously won it for her-; Stellar was carrying a several whale and dolphin keychains as souvenirs from the aquarium; and Cagalli was indulging herself with junkfood. The guys weren't carrying anything but their smiles of delight. As long as the girls were happy, they were satisfied. Humility was a strong trait in a male's blood –most males to the very least. "They're back."
"Hello, you all," greeted Lacus as bright as ever, "Did you guys have a fun time?"
"A blast!" commented Crot as the first one to answer, "No one was a challenge in the arcades! What a bunch of newbies!" Stellar only grinned gently before finding much fascination in her watery, glittering keychains. She loved the water.
Cagalli was still munching on her fries that were soaked with gravy, but she decided to speak up. "Maybe Yzak should've came along with us," she commented as she moved her food away out of Athrun's reach. The Justice pilot's eyes widened a little, when was Cagalli this spoiled. What really made him smile was when his admirer smiled mischievously at him in victory. She could be so cute. "You don't get one."
Athrun began to beg, "Oh, come on, Cagalli," he pleaded as he reached his hands trying to get the fries, "I paid for those."
The Orb princess decided to play hard-to-get, and tried harder to get her food from his reach by cowering over it. "You gave it to me, it's now all mine! All mine!" Kira groaned audibly to himself as he continued to witness Cagalli's behaviour, when did she become this spoiled? Or was she just addicted to this stuff? It didn't matter which one it was, the bottom line was that she was being mean.
That gave Dearka an idea.
"What are you up to, Dearka Elthman?" questioned Miriallia as she tugged on to his sleeve to catch his attention. The Buster pilot gave her an innocent look, telling her that he had no idea what she was saying. However, Miriallia was not that easily swayed.
"What makes you think I am up to something?" replied Dearka in a form of a question, attempting very hard to be innocent. That would work with almost anyone else, but the former Archangel CIC knew better. She experienced something just now, and that was the sole reason of how she had her large stuffy bear in her arms. Earlier that day, Miriallia told Dearka how much she wanted something to hug and cuddle at night, and a bear would be just so perfect. Like before, the Buster pilot gave her that smile, the smile that meant he had a plan, since his lips never formed that way unless he was up to something. As a result, Dearka managed to convince Miriallia to allow to play those highly-possible rigged games, and due to the fact that he was a coordinator he won her the biggest prize.
If Dearka lost a lot of money during those attempts, she would be guilty for receiving such a gift. However, he didn't, and so she took it without any troubles. Besides, her heart warmed up when she had the chance to see the Buster pilot with a genuine smile on his handsome face. Maybe if he smiled like that more often during the war when she needed it most, that might've turned her days of darkness into some light of hope. Although Lacus was the hope of the war, most of them just wished that Kira cherished it more.
"I know that look of yours," Miriallia told him dryly, "You are planning something now, aren't you? Don't even think of lying to me." When the natural girl gave him a cautious expression, the blond coordinator swallowed slightly, and knowing that nothing could escape from her eyes. In truth, when it came to Dearka, Miriallia kept her caution and alert level up a notch. Why wouldn't she; Dearka did not make the greatest first impression when they first met. In addition, when was a knife –that was aimed for the face- a welcoming action of pleasure?
"I can ensure you that I am planning nothing," lied the Buster pilot still having that grin. He gracefully took a few strides to reach behind Cagalli, not even the Orb princess knew he was back there due to the fact that she was busy trying to get Athrun away from her gold. Just when Cagalli thought her back side was safe, Dearka quickly snatched one saturated fry from her waxed paper container. Miriallia cheered for his success silently so their happiness would only be between them, but she wanted to slap herself when Dearka tapped Cagalli on the shoulder to prove his victory.
If the former Archangel CIC knew the objective of search and steal/retrieve missions and she was the thief, she would not tell the victims that she achieved their hidden treasures. At that moment, Miriallia really doubted if Dearka received high grades in ZAFT, or did he actually earned the title of the red-coat honestly. She recalled Dearka saying that his parents were in the high-councils of PLANT, just like Athrun's, Yzak's, Nicol's, and Lacus'.
"Looking for this?" taunted the Buster pilot, waving the fry in front of Cagalli's visage from behind. As if possessed, the Orb princess shoved all of her food to Athrun in a hush before turning around in a desperate manner to get just that one. Kira grunted seeing Cagalli like a seal trying to balance her beach ball when Dearka moved the fry like a pendulum where as Crot started to laugh when Stellar was now secretly taking more pictures. Athrun did not even know how he should be feeling, he certainly "Ooo, so close!" Dearka commented filled with sarcasm as Cagalli tried to snatch it back.
Needless to say, Cagalli was deadly furious. The glare she flashed was much more than just hostile; it meant death, she lusted for death.
"You have signed your death sentence!" the blond twin screamed, her voice was covered with dangerously poisonous venom. In the Buster's pilot imagination, he could image Cagalli's nails turned into claws, deadly golden orbs transformed into crystal clear merciless pools of vengeance, rage erupted into a powerful aura, a human forcefully mutated into a crazed demon. For very obvious reasons, Dearka had plenty of legitimate excuses to fear for his life. In all honesty, Stellar, Crot, and Lacus were quite stunned with wide eyes, and the blond timid girl even cowered behind the Raider pilot with her eyes sticking out from his shoulders from time to time. Were they valuing their lives? If one had the basic intelligence that most humans should have, then yes.
"Forgive me!"
"Never!" Without any interruptions this time, the Orb princess tackled Dearka by the stomach heavily. Therefore, the blond coordinator was knocked painfully to the ground with the girl ready to do her thrashing. As Cagalli moved her fist above her head so she could sock her victim, someone instantly held her wrist, making her stop for just a moment. A moment was all that person needed, but Cagalli refused to remain at ease for long. Yet, once she saw her intruder, her eyes winced seeing Kira. Kira… that was the second time that happened, oh, how she just so wanted to tear off his arms for such unwanted interference. "Let go of me, little brother… I need to put some sense into Elthman!"
"He was just joking, Cagalli," reasoned the Freedom pilot, trying to persuade her sister from doing anything stupid. "Can't you take a joke like the rest of us?" That only gave Kira a lesson that he should not insult his sister's intelligence and opinions. An insulted Cagalli was a dangerous Cagalli.
"He has been teasing me, taunting me, making fun of me, insulting me, mocking me, and you still side with him, Kira Yamato? This is obvious not an accidental action, Kira! Don't you know deliberation when you see it? What he is doing right now is nothing but intentional emotional torment!" The Orb princess demanded an explanation from him at that instant without delays. Cagalli's uproar was something to be feared, and the rest wisely became cautious –while watching the furious tension increase between the siblings. "If you are a good little brother, you should support your big sister and allow me to avenge my pride, that is what I deserve!"
Talk about capabilities of gaining authority and power.
"Well, fighting does not solve anything," justified the Freedom pilot carefully, and with a cold sweat dripping down his back ever so annoyingly slow. He then managed to dart his eyes to the left and right, trying to look for a possible solution. He grunted worriedly when he found no reasonable possibilities –and Cagalli's patience was wearing considerably thin. "Let's try talking." That only caused his sister to make a deadly death glare. Nearly the entire gang jerked the moment they saw Cagalli's golden pools of hostility.
"I have done enough talking!" she objected fiercely. "You always suggest talking! Well, it's time for some decisive action! Athrun, do you agree with me on this? I want some action!" When she turned her head back to meet Athrun's, her eyes screamed bloody murder when she found Stellar, Crot, and the Justice pilot consuming her fries without her permission. In truth, the container was now empty. Once the Raider pilot noticed that they have been caught, he scratched his head sheepishly with a frightening smile –where he was the one who was afraid.
"I can explain, Cagalli!" Athrun hurriedly said something before more devastating outbursts were made, "You know I am hungry… and I just wanted something to eat… you can understand that much, right?" Just as Cagalli's hands now formed into a twitching fist, it didn't take a genius to figure out how furious she might be. In fact, they didn't want to know –if they valued their life.
However, some of them were beginning to wonder if Cagalli's blood pressure was at normal rate, but they would discuss that issue another time.
"Cagalli," Lacus began, attempting to remain calm, but she found out she was actually faltering, "Let me buy you some more fries if you want some more… It's okay for me to spend a couple of dollars, I really don't mind…" Unfortunately for the peacekeeper, the blond twin was not paying a speck of attention; all Cagalli could think about was her salty, savouring, flavour-full, tasty fries. They would never come back after being consumed, and she didn't even had enough of it, yet it was taken away from her when she could not do anything about it!
Unfair… why was it so unfair…
"I want my vengeance…" hissed Cagalli in a dreadful whisper, which did a magnificent job at making Stellar shiver. "Vengeance will be mine… where can I satisfy my vengeance!" When one word was repeated a number of times, it was quite serious.
It was then where the suggestion came out of Kira's mouth that changed the fate of that day. "Hey," announced Kira to get the others involved, "There is a bumper car ride over there! It would be quite fun if we went."
"Kira," said Miriallia somewhat objecting this suggestion, "It's getting kind of late…"
"And I'm hungry…" added Stellar holding her stomach adorably. When it came to cuteness, Stellar definitely equaled the songstress'.
"Come on," said Kira, trying to persuade the others, "It would be fun. One round wouldn't hurt. What do you say, Crot?" He clearly knew that the Raider pilot loved any challenge available, and bumper cars were no exception. As expected, Crot immediately agreed.
"I don't know about this…" commented Athrun hesitantly. "I mean, it's kind of late… and we are all hungry… and I am getting tired of this place already…" However, he was silenced when he saw Cagalli in front of him, the eyes and facial expression that she carried only meant one thing; give in. Athrun was a natural gentleman, and he could never reject a woman's offer –despite that if he knew them or not. If this was the woman he loved –which he had not fully told her yet- what options were left for him to decide on?
Without much further consideration, the Justice pilot reluctantly agreed –clearly, he didn't do it in a graceful emotion.
"I guess one round wouldn't hurt…" said Lacus silently, wondering if Kira's suggestion was a mistake. After finding no possible faults at the moment –key word: moment-, even the pink princess agreed to this proposal. It could be fun after all, right? "Who else wants to go?"
"Fine by me," said Dearka with enthusiasm, "I can take this no problem. It's just a game." Miriallia noticed that look on Cagalli's face when the Freedom pilot offered that submission. Her intuitions took the better of her, she just knew this was a deadly mistake that was worth regretting. With Cagalli searching for her longed, hated vengeance, bumper cars were perfect to release all sorts of hate.
"Since everyone has agreed," said Kira –although most of them felt quite farfetched for compromising to this, "Allow me to pay for everything. Come on, let us go and have endless entertainment before we return to school, okay?" With haste, Kira took Lacus' hand by surprise, and led on their friends to the designated ride without any worries or even hints of concern.
Athrun sighed to himself; he certainly did not like where this was going. It was too smooth, it calmed Cagalli too easily… there must've been a catch! Stellar, on the other hand, did not have much of an intention to care; she would follow Crot and Lacus obediently –unless it was beyond acceptable. Dearka –who was still considerably oblivious- truly believed that this would be fun, when Cagalli had been staring with a gaze matching perfect evil. Did he even realize what he had gotten himself into? This death trap would be his downfall for certain if he didn't smarten up.
Aside from that, the Orb princess adored this. She would have her vengeance, that would teach everyone to stay away from her precious fries. This time, Dearka shall be undone.
"So," said the Forbidden pilot trying to recall everything, "So why was Cagalli rubbing her hands together the entire time as if she is planning a devious scheme?"
Athrun was undignified, in other words, outraged. "That doesn't matter! What I am trying to say is that she was out of her mind!"
"And why?" Shani stated urging the Justice pilot to continue.
"Because I was an idiot to steal her fries!"
"I still don't see why Cagalli would be so angry…" commented Shani still quite confused, but he wisely listened until more questioned were needed.
"Well, I don't either. And the story doesn't end there…"
After buckling the seatbelts on their bumper cart, Kira, Athrun, Dearka, Crot, and Cagalli were very prepared for battle. Being mobile suit pilots, driving such a simple piece of machinery would be a snap. In truth, Miriallia was just doing this for fun, she did not have much of a dislike or disapproval to this. As someone who had neverridden in a bumper car before, Lacus was very excited. Just handling that hard plastic wheel was giving her a new light in life. She could not wait until she pushed the gas pedal with her foot, and more so, her heart was filled with raw anxiety. Lastly, once Stellar was done with her seatbelt, and stationed herself comfortably, her soft, loving eyes, suddenly underwent a transformation for the worst. Unfortunately, no one detected it.
At the same time, the Raider pilot changed his peaceful nature to an emotion that was identical to the one when he was in the actual mobile suit. Rage consumed him a tad too quickly, and he too was anxious when the power purged his cart, empowering him the access that he needed to fight.
Once the worker allowed the electrical current to reach the ceilings of this 18m by 25m arena, things went absolutely insane where the scenario was no different from hell itself.
Each Gundam pilot went for their respective targets; in all honesty, it was just Crot and Cagalli.
"Dearka Elthman!" shouted the Orb princess at the top of her lungs as she punched the gas at the maximum. The Buster pilot immediately turned her way, and also, he screeched with terror as his violet eyes cast upon Cagalli fuelled with anger. He never knew that bumper cars went that quick, it was abnormal! "Die!"
Not prepared to intercept this collision at any possible means, Dearka fell back to his only option; turn away like mad by pulling the steering wheel with force. Unfortunately for him, he was still rammed heavily at the right, therefore the force caused him to fall back very hastily. Impacts on bumper cars were much more devastating than the Buster pilot first anticipated, and as a result, he coughed with pain.
"What are you doing?" questioned Dearka, ordering her to explain herself, but he had no luck when the girl drove her cart behind his before colliding at full force.
"You will pay for stealing my fries!" she pouted angrily and hit her steering wheel with her small fists. Dearka was just amused.
"So that's how you want it, eh?" questioned the Buster pilot before moving his cart in reverse to strike Cagalli away. That caused Cagalli to scoot a foot away, and just enough room for Dearka to get free. "Fine by me, let this be our battle to the death."
Cagalli would never back down from such a simple challenge. "You're on!" she shouted profoundly, "You will regret approaching me!" It was then the duel between these two Gundam pilot raged on, but not even knowing greater tensions of chaos were just happening at the other side of the arena.
Crot was insane. "Take this! Obliterate!" he screamed out loud as he charged his vehicle towards Athrun and Kira at maximized agility. Hearing upon uproar of that sort, the Justice pilot and the Freedom pilot darted their heads at that direction, and their pupils contained nothing but fright. For a moment, they could've sworn their eyes witnessed Raider Gundam in its frenzied combat maneuvers. However, once they refocused, all they could see was the Raider pilot filled with great endurance.
Being coordinators, Kira and Athrun hurriedly turned their machines to move away as quick as they could. Fortunately for them, Crot missed his target –like plenty of times during the war. He gritted his teeth before taking his cart to maximum burn, and charged straightly for his foes. What the two Gundam pilots did not understand was why did the orange haired natural held this sort of hatred? They had no time to care, the only thing their minds could put on was that the Raider pilot would not allow them to escape. Having no choice whatsoever, Athrun and Kira prepared themselves for combat.
"This is completely reckless!" commented the Justice pilot as he swerved to the left to avoid Crot's ramming vehicle. "Stop it, Crot!"
"To hell with that!" roared the Raider pilot with fierce eyes, "This is for Gamie-chan, Zala!" After that verbal burst, Crot only increased his speed before successfully colliding his cart to Athrun's front bumper. In response to that, the Justice pilot gasped loudly once he felt the severe impact and force. "Teme!"
"Shit!" cursed Athrun as he suffered from a two-pronged collision due to the side-wall. He couldn't keep this up forever, or he would be pummeled to the ground, and Crot would reign supreme –as if he would allow that to happen. Grabbing on to the wheel tightly, Athrun quickly backed his cart out of the wall's reach, and readied himself for the worst. His eyes widened with deadly shock when he could not see the Raider pilot. He moved his head frantically from right to left, but yet Crot was not found.
"I got you!" came a loud cry from behind. How did he get there? There was no time for him to evade, therefore, he deliberately took the hit, but not without some painful curses when he felt his organs move due to the crash.
"Athrun!" Kira shouted with concern for his friend. "Crap…" From what his Japanese violet eyes could gather, his best friend was a sitting duck. He cringed when Athrun was rammed into again from the back, and more so when his front bumper made contact with the wall to increase the damage. He had no other options, he had to help.
"Kira…" Lacus said knowing those eyes of his, she just knew he was going to intervene. "Please…"
"I'll be okay, Lacus," replied the Freedom pilot like many times in the war, "Everything is going to be okay. I promise." In the exact same fashion that Kira left Eternal on their final battle, Lacus' eyes were filled with tears that were threatening to fall. Although this was nothing but a friendly bumper car ride, the survivors did not find it to be any different from the actual war itself –except for Cagalli and Dearka, they seemed to be enjoy it too much to realize the other tensions that were building around them. Lacus should not be so worried, yet she couldn't help herself but to feel that way. Despite Crot was now their good friend, he was quite a different person when it came to competitions.
"Kira…" whispered the songstress to herself one last time as she witnessed her lover moving in to save her previous fiancee, Athrun.
Stellar, without anyone knowing, watched Kira very carefully before her icy eyes made a deep dedication.
"Damn you!" yelled the Justice pilot as he moved in, attempting to hit Crot. Much to his disbelief, the Raider pilot swiftly dodged his assault with ease. Athrun did not believe it, he was losing to Crot in a game of bumper cars! If this were Justice VS Raider, it would not have been that difficult –not like Raider Gundam was an easy opponent though. The extended natural smirked cockily as his opponent was positively losing his grip. Weaknesses meant strength for the opposition; that was something Crot always had learned ever since he was a boy.
"You think you can hit me like that, Zala?" taunted the Raider pilot still smothering his face with that sneer. "You need to do better than that!" At that instant, Crot struck Athrun again before the Justice pilot's cart slid uncontrollably towards the center. Managing to regain control, the blue haired coordinator panted weakly as he leveled his head a higher to make eye contact with Crot. He wanted to yell when he saw his opponent coming in quickly, and in all honesty, Athrun thought his life was over. It was sure nice knowing everyone. Cagalli was splendid; Stellar was wonderful; Shani might be creepy but prepared; Yzak… it was good to see him well; Lacus, he still didn't thank her for her endless emotional support; Dearka, friends forever; Miriallia, he regretted not knowing her too well; Kira… he wish that their friendship would not be cut short so quickly; and Crot, well, he was the murderer.
Closing his eyes, he accepted defeat. However, a miracle happened. "Athrun!" That voice, he knew who it was… Kira!
"What?" Crot yelled in disbelief as he saw the Freedom pilot coming in from the right. Charging at that kind of agility, there was no way to stop. In the end, Kira bashed forcefully into Crot, and the Raider pilot cursed loudly as he collided at the wall without having any force to stop it. No doubt the orange haired natural was furious. In fact, anyone would. "You… how dare you interfere!" he demanded angrily with an accusing finger as he regained his composure.
"Thank you, Kira…" groaned Athrun tiredly, he clearly suffered from numerous hits. Miraculously, it seemed that driving bumper cars were more damaging compared to piloting a mobile suit. None of them knew how this was possible, but this was reality, they had to accept it. "I owe you…"
"Let's take that guy out," Kira stated with dead seriousness as Athrun nodded to agree. Crot narrowed his eyes further when he found that his chances of winning were thinned. Two on one; definitely not a good sign indeed.
Crot certainly found it increasing difficult when he was dealing with Athrun and Kira at the same time. One was an elite pilot that flew the Justice Gundam, and the other one was the perfect coordinator who took control of Freedom Gundam. The odds were clearly against him now, and he cursed bloody murder as Kira managed to ram into him again at the side. To make things more hopeless, Athrun was finally getting the hang to drive this machinery made for the purpose of sheer entertainment. As soon as the confusion was gone, Athrun became quite swift before taking his cart and rushing in at Crot. Once again, an agonized yell seethed out of Crot's lips.
"Crap…" the Raider pilot complained as his body was hurting all over by this time, "I'm a goner…"
"It's over!" yelled Kira coming in rather too quickly, "Surrender!"
"Never!" another voice was heard, but it seemed so distant to Kira and Athrun. It belonged to a woman, a very young, soft lady. Once Kira looked over to his left, he wanted to gasp as he saw Stellar rushing towards him at high speed. He didn't know how these bumper cars were this fast; it was absolutely unreal. Despite that, Kira had to worry about his own safety. Swerving to the right to avoid Stellar, the Freedom pilot hoped it would be enough to dodge Stellar. Unfortunately for him, his luck ran out when the blond natural girl whizzed by him, but not before making a clean crash. It was about time the perfect coordinator experienced the pains from this game, and damn, he didn't like it. "Leave Crot alone!"
Kira was bewildered to the maximum. "Stellar?" he choked not ever believing this, "Why are you…"
"You have no right to intervene," Stellar told him with eyes fixed on him cautiously, "If you want to fight with Crot, you have to come through me." What Kira did not understand was why was everyone so passionate about a game. Then again, he was quite desperate and determined to take down Crot himself. If he complained about others' zeal, he would make himself into a hypocrite. Banishing that thought aside, he gladly accepted Stellar's challenge.
Emitting a fierce battle cry, the natural girl and the perfect coordinator stepped on the accelerator at full force, and not once considered the consequences of their actions. Who knew what would happen the moment the two vehicles collided with another? Miriallia watched with horror where as Lacus just wanted to faint.
"Wasn't that a bit too extreme, Athrun?" questioned Shani with his right eye filled with amazement. "I mean, this is just a game…"
"Looks like we all went overboard, didn't we?" Athrun said wanting to laugh at his own stupidity back then. Oh, how he detested bumper cars now, and still he did not know how he would allow Kira to drag him into it.
"So… what happened in the end?" Shani asked as he took out a sandwich and chewed on it.
"4 of us got shot out of our vehicles." Hearing that reply, the Forbidden pilot choked hard.
This was an outrage! "What did you say? Are you trying to get yourselves killed, Zala? Aren't you the one who always promotes the belief of valuing your life a little more? What the hell were you trying to accomplish?" Those words did not make Athrun pleased at all.
"Hey, I was an idiot, okay?" the Justice pilot retorted, "Do you want to hear the story or not?"
"Fine…" Shani said telling him to proceed. "But… how did you guys get knocked off your vehicles?"
"Long story short, Crot and I collided at top speed, and then our safety belts snapped and the force shot us out of our carts. The two of us hit another as we practically flew out, and we were kind of in a mangle. In other words, the two of us were extremely wounded and we still are. Crot is still in bed and he can't move that well." The Forbidden pilot was just stunned; no other words could justify the emotions in his drugged heart.
"What about Stellar?"
"She's fine," said Athrun with evident envy towards the female dancer, "She successfully made Kira fly out of his cart with one heavy crash at his back. Kira was shot out of the arena." Again, Shani just absorbed this like a sponge; words could not even form in his mouth. "Don't tell Lacus this, but Kira's arms are actually very weak right now. He didn't want to worry her so he didn't tell her anything –despite that he crashed outside the arena." No response came on the other end, and Athrun was getting impatient. "Hey, Shani, you there?"
"Yeah… but Stellar is okay, right?"
"She is fine, I said. Well, Cagalli also hit Dearka pretty hard. He was fired out of his vehicle like a cannonball. Miriallia was so scared that she drove to him to see if he was okay since he landed in arena. However, she forgot how to brake and she didn't stop although she already reached Dearka." Shani safely assumed what happened next. "All of us flinched quite badly when all we heard was a breaking sound coming from Dearka when Miriallia's car ran over him." Shani could imagine it quite well actually, and damn hell he didn't want to be in the Buster pilot's shoes. The part that snapped must've been a bone or a part… hopefully it wasn't the crotch. If it was… the Forbidden pilot was certain that Dearka would not be blessed with any kids.
Somehow, Shani could just imagine Dearka saying, "This is even more painful than it looks" before fainting and arising in a realm of unconsciousness.
"Did he go to the hospital?"
"All four of us went, Shani." The blue haired coordinator stated exasperatedly, "The one with the worst results had to be Crot. And if Kira did not suggest this… oh, our day would've been great…"
"Did you guys miss school?"
"Nah, we weren't in casts or wheelchairs," said Athrun guaranteeing that they were more or less fine. "But we have been getting tired quite easily."
"That's understandable…" Hesitance was all the Justice pilot detected. "Well, I would stay and chat, but I got to deal with some more reports and lesson plans. Thanks for calling though, I do appreciate it to know that you guys are okay. Should I chat with you again some time soon?"
"No problem. And… congratulations on your rank as Lieutenant. I forgot to mention that."
"It actually sounds good coming from you," Shani commented in a joking way, "I never would've expected you to call. Anyway, someone is knocking on the door right now, I will call back soon, okay?" Before Athrun could bid a farewell, Shani already hung up. What could he be doing that required his attention this badly? At the same time, Athrun was still shocked at the Lieutenant rank. As far as he remembered, he didn't receive such a high rank when he became a red-coat. It was only after he shot down Strike that his father gave him the status of an elite soldier. Nevertheless, Athrun should be dealing with his own problems instead of worrying about Shani's. Besides, concentrating to be well again was first priority –or a certain golden eyed girl would begin her protesting.
Surprisingly, someone stood in front of him. When he moved his beautiful green eyes upward, he focussed on the legs, then the thighs, the narrow waist, the breasts, and finally the face. He jerked when the mystery person was Cagalli for he shouldn't be staring. Staring at a girl was not considered graceful –at least that was what he was taught ever since he became a soldier.
"Hello…" mumbled the Justice pilot weakly. He knew Cagalli was here to massage his back since he injured it quite bad back at the exhibition.
"You don't want to see me?" Cagalli inquired in a hurting voice. "What's wrong? Did Shani something to you that made you angry? Or am I the problem?"
Athrun shook his head slowly. "No, he didn't say much… he just listened to my ranting."
The Orb princess appeared confused. "What were you ranting about then? Did you tell him about your injury?" Athrun merely nodded to answer. "Does it still hurt, Athrun?"
"Yeah…" he replied with a grunt midway, "What do you think? I was shot out of my bumper car like a crash dummy."
"Sorry," she said as guilt overwhelmed her tone of voice, "I keep thinking that I am responsible for this… I mean, I am the one that caused everyone to be hurt…" Miraculously, a smirk came upon the Justice pilot's face. "Hey, what's so funny."
"It's funny how your zeal could lead Kira to suggest such things…" groaned the Justice pilot as he stood but Cagalli rushed to his side as he flinched a bit. Her face displayed nothing but genuine concern. "You are quite a bad influence on Kira… and possibly to everyone else here." That statement only made Cagalli feel worse about herself, and she even threatened to cry. As soon as Athrun noticed his princess was shivering, he wondered what he actually said to make things worse. Clearly, he was lost.
"I already said that I am sorry…" Cagalli sniveled as she used her tiny fists to pound Athrun's arms. Due to his current state, each blow was considerably damaging. Yet, his pride forbade him to yelp or react in any ungraceful manner –so he held it to himself. "I was feeling so guilty that everyone else was so worried about another, and even some of you guys turned this fun game into a one-on-one deathmatch. I was only playing for fun, I was just angry at that Elthman always making fun of me, but I never wanted you guys to be hurt. I admit this, I admit that I felt like a winner when I made Dearka fly out of his cart… but I didn't find it too funny when Miriallia accidentally ran him over and crushing his bones during the process. I really don't know how he is even alive… but I was so scared when I found you and Crot lying next to each other."
"We were having fun…"
"Don't lie to me, Zala!" ordered Cagalli with tears falling down her beautiful visage, "I feel that it's my fault that all of you are hurt despite that I was only hurting Dearka. Do you even know how damn freaked out I was when I saw Stellar sending Kira out of the arena like an anime character defying all the laws of physics? I mean, this isn't a show, it's real life! I mean, I am stunned that he survived without any harm." She didn't know half of it, thought Athrun, smiling inwardly. "I am only trying to make it up to you, why are you trying to make me feel like more of an idiot? Don't you care about my feelings? I am worried about you, you know!"
"Why do you care about me so much, Cagalli?" asked Athrun, smiling as he guided her to sit on the mattress –since Cagalli and Dearka destroyed Shani's bed. He once again observed this room, and cringed his eyes at the disgust. Maybe this wasn't the ideal spot to remain for too long –but judging from the Strike Rouge pilot's eyes, she didn't mind, not even for a second. Remarkably, the princess chose to sit firmly on his lap, and in reaction, Athrun's face flushed up just slightly. For the second time today, Cagalli shocked Athrun when she rested her head lovingly on his right shoulder. What would the Justice pilot do? Of course he merely allowed it to happen, he didn't have the heart to reject her.
By that time, his arms already encircled her waist to lock her in position. Cagalli's lips formed into a smile within a matter of moments, and to reward him for giving her such affection, she pecked him on the cheek. That was a small technique that she caught from Stellar, and she had been told that it worked quite well with most men. It appeared that Athrun was no exception –but in truth, Athrun was allowing it because he loved the Orb princess.
"Because I know you care about me," she replied back as her hands snaked itself around his neck before she planted more kisses on his cheek. "I know you do."
"If you care," the blue haired coordinator said in a teasing voice deliberately, "Do you mind if you start massaging my back… it still hurts a bit."
"Here?" she questioned as she moved her hand around the room for Athrun to observe this wretched spot. "This place is a dump! Wait, I forgot… I initially wanted to ask you why are you in here? I mean, it's not like you don't know that Yzak and Crot trashed up this room, and this room doesn't even have a bed!"
The Justice pilot chose to grin immediately, she did make quite a strong argument there. "It gives me the privacy that I want."
"Why would you want to have privacy?" the blond haired girl inquired as she held both his hands in hers, giving a several smooth rubs didn't pain her for that made him smile. She loved his smiles –although she had not told him once about it. It didn't quite matter, it wasn't like Athrun was an oblivious person, she was certain that he had a general idea in his mind.
"Because… Forget it, I'll tell you another time. Can you start on my shoulders now, Cagalli? It's really starting to hurt again… thanks so much…"
Not hesitating one little bit, Cagalli moved her soft, gentle, loving hands to his shoulders before giving it a squeeze. Soon enough, she made it into an excellent treatment for the soul.
(Meanwhile, at the ZAFT Military Academy)
The reason why Shani hung up on Athrun a tad too abruptly before was due to someone knocking on his door. In truth, Shani was actually on duty at that time, but like any typical 18-year-old, he liked to slack off at times. Of course, he wouldn't do it too often or he would receive one major scolding lesson from Heine. However, the Forbidden pilot wondered who would be looking for him at this time. It was only half an hour after class, and people rarely visited him at this hour. Actually, no one ever did.
Once he heard the voice of the person outside, he knew who it was immediately.
"Lieutenant," that must've been Lunamaria. "Can I come in?"
Checking if everything in his office was okay, Shani finally decided to speak after a three second delay. "Yeah, you may." The moment that instruction was given, the magenta haired coordinator happily entered with a smile on her face. When she saw her superior, her cheeks couldn't help but to blush a little. "Hello," said Shani in a surprised tone, "What brings you here, Lunamaria-san?"
"I just want to thank you yesterday…" the coordinator lady spoke trying to hide her burning cheeks, but she was failing in such a wondrous way due to the fact that she was carrying something.
"For what?" the Forbidden pilot inquired with his eyes raised. "I don't recall doing anything… " To his surprise, Lunamaria began giggle at his humility.
"Oh, you're too humble, Shani," she commented, still managing to keep up a gentle grin, "Do you know how happy you made me last night?" Not trying to be perverted or anything, but to Shani, those words really made him believe that he laid with her last night –but in reality, nothing happened between them. "I can't believe that you actually stayed with me when I couldn't sleep last night. We talked for hours. You are a man of your words. Tell me, why did you do it?"
"A promise is a promise, I suppose," he told her as he took a seat and motioning Lunamaria to sit down on the couch with him. "I think I overstepped my boundaries as your superior back there…"
"Well, no, you didn't come to help me as a ZAFT Lieutenant, you came as Shani Andras, my friend." After giving some thought into her words, the green haired natural found her to be quite supportive and considerate. He liked her, he really did –but nothing close to romantic yet. To the very least, he was fond of Lunamaria. When he nodded at her to agree, that made Lunamaria smile another depth. "Oh yeah, I thought you may be quite tired from the day…" she said as she reverted her attention to the object she was carrying with her, "So, I fixed you a cup of hot milk tea with three teaspoonfuls of sugar. Hope you like it."
Shani was deeply gratified. "Oh, thank you so much, Lunamaria-san," he told her as he took the cup, "I bet it would taste great." Lunamaria was watching him hopefully as he placed the cup near his lips, deep down, she was very nervous if Shani would like her little creation. Although it might something as simple as tea, she wanted it to be the best. However, it was then the Forbidden pilot removed the cup from his mouth without having one drop of sweetened tea dripping onto his tongue. Lunamaria wanted to curse but chose to keep quiet.
"Is something wrong, Shani?" the girl questioned him with a tint of concern. He only stared at her with his violet right eye much to Lunamaria's discomfort. When she finally flushed up due to pressure, Shani finally spoke –of course, that was intentional.
"Nothing, actually," he said still watching her amusedly, "But what I want to know is how do you know that I like milk tea with three spoonfuls of sugar?"
Busted.
"Well…" she was stuttering now, Shani loved this –but if he valued his neck, he would keep it to himself. "I don't know… I mean, when you were with Heine yesterday at lunch… remember I walked by saying a hello?" The Lieutenant nodded for he did have that memory somewhere in his head, "You can say I was being curious and saw you put three teaspoons of sugar in your tea. So I guessed you like it in all your other drinks…" She then stole one small glimpse at him, and to her discomfort, he was still observing her with that knowing smirk. She felt defeated with nowhere to run, and to make it worse, she knew he was doing this deliberately to tease her.
"I understand," he stated simply as he finally dropped his act for her sake, "I'll guarantee that your tea would be great." He then initialed a small toast, smiling the entire time.
"Are you teasing me, Shani?" she asked him playfully as she brushed her hand on his gently. When she emitted a small giggle, Shani figured his silent intimidation was no longer working. Therefore, he needed a new plan. He had to admit one thing though; being with Lunamaria was undoubtedly enjoyable. It was sure making his working days here that much more wonderful for it was quite stressful at times. Having a friend like that was no different than having a support to fall back on when necessary.
"Of course not," he said with half insincere sincerity for he was trying to tease her. Needless to say, the coordinator lady wasn't that clueless; she saw through him like glass –at least to a certain extent. He finally took one good sip at it –and Lunamaria even forgot that she made it until he swallowed it down- and in an instant, he smiled. "What did I tell you, it was good." Her eyes soon turned sparkly, and watching him to plead.
"Really?" she questioned Shani, blinking and moving her eyelashes innocently –when there were no signs of innocence detected whatsoever.
"Yes, Lunamaria-san," the Lieutenant stated with no lies in between, "Really. It's wonderful."
She didn't answer him just yet, in fact, she didn't even hear his declarative statement for her mind was too lost in her thinking. The coordinator girl's clear blue eyes just watched Shani's lonely left hand; her cheeks were burning with timidity; those smooth hands of hers just itched after feeling his hand… that soft, firm, strong hand… she was desperate to hold it again. Only the calmness in Shani could heal her warmth, she couldn't wait until she took control of him and place his hands over her overheating flushed cheeks… she would love it, she would love the moment that her wildfires became wild. It was so close… and her hands began to move on their own…
Am I starting to like him?
"Lunamaria?" Shani asked a little nervously when she overlapped her hand over his in an action that was considered affectionate. Not knowing what he should actually be doing due to the reason that he was not a dating type of guy, he was forced to grasp the situation despite lacking the knowledge. Needless to say, he was having a hard time attempting to keep himself calm. In addition, he had a very clear idea that this was going beyond the expectations of a soldier, and as a Lieutenant, he should know that better than his students. Although he knew, to the very least, it felt soothing. Lunamaria was just so caring.
However, his logic thinking overpowered his emotions. Not wasting any haste, he tried to pull away, but her grip on him was stronger than he first imagined. In other words, she wasn't releasing him that simply. It was quite evident to anyone that Shani was panicking quite frantically inside. His mind was battling a ferocious combat, and if it gave in, his face would blush –he obviously could not afford such an expression to be shown.
"Shani…" Lunamaria started, at last making eye contact with her current admirer, "Don't let go… please…"
Was she for real, he thought in bewilderment, she could not be serious, could she? "Lunamaria-san… what are you…"
"Please…" she silently commanded, her voice managed to rival a divine angel fallen from the brightest skies of glory, "Just talk with me… like this… without any worries…"
"Lunamaria-san," reasoned the Forbidden pilot with noticeable hurry and disturbance. In truth, he truly liked this moment –somewhat-, yet, he knew the two of them would be in the deepest trouble imaginable if someone caught them. Really, if Heine or Gladys came in this instant, who knew what sort of chaos would erupt. "You have to…" His eye opened up widely when she shamelessly silenced him with her right index finger to his lips, what really made him stunned to the core was that charming smile on her face.
"Don't be so formal with me, Shani," she told him as she leaned in an inch closer, and his fears only worsened. "You can call me Lunamaria-chan if you want… or even Luna-chan… We are friends after all, right?" There was no possible way that he could hold in any longer, and she actually smiled brightly when he blushed. As far as he was concerned, the Forbidden pilot did not blush. No, he refused to blush for that word did not exist in his vocabulary. Not now, not ever! The only exception was Stellar… and now Lunamaria as well? Was he having feelings for her too? No, that just couldn't be.
"I got something I have to deal with!" he exclaimed hurriedly and snatched his hand away quickly. That was a complete insult to his usual stoic attitude, was she breaking his character? "It's an emergency," She did not believe him for one second but he was already at the door. "I will see you later, Lunamaria-chan… I mean, Luna-san… no, Lunamaria-san!" Hher charm shattered his cold shell, and he clearly did not like it one bit.
He was disgusted at himself for being so frail.
With that said, Shani exited his own office before giving a bow, and not ever wanting to look back so soon. The once delighted Lunamaria soon frowned with raw sadness as she covered her face with her hands. Although her pride did not allow her to cry, tears were demanding to fall. She screwed up, she only could suppose that she messed up very severely. What was she thinking just now? This was her Lieutenant! Even so… she couldn't help it, she wanted him to be here so badly… but why? Why was she feeling this way… it was so unexplainable, so very unimaginable…
Do I really like him?
Outside, Shani took in a deep breath before giving one back out. In his right eye, it gave off nothing but confusion and grief. What just happened… he really wanted to know. Yet he was deeply afraid to face it. Who knew what he was truly frightened of; was it his job; was it rejection; or was he just afraid of himself? There were too many questioned Shani wanted to ask the world, but much to his discomfort, there were never enough answers.
Am I having feelings for Lunamaria? No… that can't be… that's not possible… don't I like Stellar?
(Back on Earth in Lacus' apartment)
Lacus had been in the kitchen for some time now, Kira knew it very well since he was paying quite a bit of attention to her despite the TV being on. Even though 20 minutes may not be a very long time, the catch was that Lacus wasn't actually cooking in that room, she was writing. In all honesty, if someone would be writing, couldn't that be done on the dining table? Better yet, it could take place in the bedroom. Being the curious man that he was the Freedom pilot got off the couch slowly before walking into the kitchen to greet Lacus. At the same time, he had to pretend everything was fine; Kira really preferred not to have the songstress know about his arms' current condition.
"This will be perfect!" Kira heard Lacus cheer just as he placed one foot into the polished kitchen floor. "Lacus, you are so smart!" The perfect coordinator had his head tilted slightly with confusion, he had to admit that she was quite cute at exclaiming things like that, but more importantly, what was she cheering about?
"Lacus?" questioned the Freedom pilot catching her off guard as his head peaked in.
"Kira!" said Lacus surprised to see him –more or less humiliated to know that Kira saw her acting like a child. "What are you doing here?"
"What were you talking about just now?" he asked while taking a glimpse around this room to see if anything was wrong. Judging from her facial expression, she was hiding something from him. He knew it wasn't anything too drastic, but he still wanted to know. Like mentioned, Kira was considerably curious.
"Me?" Lacus pointed to herself innocently to plant a seed of doubt in her lover's judgment.
"Yes, you," stated Kira quite flatly –not to forget dry. "Who else?"
"Oh," she said sweetly with a very convincing smile along with her words, "I wasn't talking about anything, Kira, honest!" The Freedom pilot merely raised a brow, obviously not persuaded by her actions. The Eternal commander could tell she was being cornered.
"I don't consider 'Oh, Lacus, you're so smart!' nothing," replied Kira in a girly voice as he quoted her line from before, "You know you could tell me anything. What are you writing?" As soon as he took another step forward, the songstress –to Kira's shock- hugged that sheet of paper to her breasts like a mother protecting her babies. What could be so vital that Lacus would risk her life on? Correction, what else was there that was worth protecting with her life on the line? As Kira remembered it, a useless piece of paper could never achieve the same amount of care and thought than anything that Lacus truly treasured. "Lacus?" he asked again as her previous worried face softened. He smiled as soon as she managed to form a grin. Kira just loved her beautiful smiles.
"Well, I suppose I could tell you…" replied the pink haired princess while loosening her hold on that poor piece of paper, "I do need help after all…" Kira was unquestionably puzzled. What in blazes was she talking about? In a natural reaction, the perfect coordinator motioned his hands to tell her that she should elaborate further. "Oh, I'm sorry! Kira, I was just planning a surprise dinner."
The violet eyes that were attached to his face opened up fully, he indeed was stunned to hear it. This surprise dinner certainly did a great job at shocking him; Kira would give her that in spite that the dinner did not even start yet.
"What for?" he asked curiously while his brains continued to search for possibilities. Once again, he failed to achieve anything. "What, is Shani-san coming back without anyone knowing?" Lacus just decided to shake her head.
"It's a dinner to relieve our pain," she explained. She wanted to giggle when the expression Kira showed displayed everything but intelligence. In simpler terms, he didn't get it. "Okay, most of us got hurt a several days ago, right? I just want to have a dinner as a small celebration of healing. I already made a long list of what kind of foods I should make for you all. Miriallia knows about it already, and she would be coming with me to the supermarkets later. What we lack is some manpower, that's where you come in." Kira paled, but not to a degree where Lacus would detect the changes –at least not yet.
In order to keep his weak arms a secret, he had to come up with any lame excuse available. In spite that his excuses might be the most defective pieces of garbage, he had to make a risk. "I don't know, Lacus," he started his own operation of lies, "The last event that you suggested wasn't too successful… Maybe for the sake of Crot, Stellar, Cagalli, Athrun, Yzak, Milly, Dearka, and myself… you shouldn't do this… Not like you're not a good planner or anything, maybe you could do it another time?" Lacus only gave him a pout and a frown.
This wasn't good. He knew failure when he saw it.
"It's not my fault," she argued sweetly, "It was that bumper car ride that you offered, Kira. On the contrary, I was only promoting it with good intentions, where as you suggested it so Cagalli could have her childish vengeance. See what kind of tragedy and misery you have caused everyone? If I should be scolding and yelling to anyone in particular, I would have every right to yell at you. However, like me, you were just trying to help –despite the situation." Ouch, that was quite the direct insult to the Freedom pilot's pride. Who knew Lacus could be so flexible with her vocabulary. She wasn't Sigel Clyne's daughter for nothing, as Athrun would say.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Easy, help us carry some of the stuff back. I know you are strong enough to do that." At this point, Kira swallowed hard. To be honest, the Freedom pilot could barely carry two textbooks. If it weren't for Athrun secretly putting his books in his backpack at times, his cover would've been blown. Now, Lacus wanted him to show her his strength, which he lacked at the moment, and he was in no position to deny. This was Lacus, the most sweet, most beautiful, charming, considerate, understanding, patient, non-bitchy, reliable, optimistic girl that he had ever met. It was an impossibility to refuse her requests.
Oh, how he detested his blasted weakness! And much to his own disbelief, he accepted her offer but nodding like a damned moron! He would have a real hard time trying not to let Lacus figure this out… how did he get himself into this kind of mess?
"Thanks so much, Kira!" she giddied happily as she skipped next to him before planting a loving kiss on his cheek. "This dinner would be the greatest! I would do my best!" The Freedom pilot simply smiled as he kissed her back, but oblivious to Lacus, there was a large amount of hidden dread. When she received that kiss from him, she giggled again before giving another legion of sweet kisses back. In normal circumstances, Kira would've loved this, but now, it only strengthened his bond with the darkest pits of hell.
Indeed he was a goner, and a major scolding session would take place as soon as Lacus would see him not even able to carry a butcher knife properly. The two broke their embrace despite that they wanted it to last, and Lacus bid a goodbye before skipping off like a child to tell Miriallia the good news.
The Freedom pilot's face maintained that smile for as long as he could until Lacus was finally out of sight. Once that happened, Kira really wanted to cry. Not in agony and pain though, it was more or less exasperation. If there was anything that he learned right now, this would be it: If there was something that he couldn't do, don't pretend that he could!
All the odds pointed to one thing; his lies would be revealed before this day was done.
(Later on that day)
Stellar came back shortly after Lacus broke her small announcement to Kira. As she entered the apartment with a several bags of her personal necessities, she was somewhat taken aback when she saw Cagalli and Athrun on the couch. The Justice pilot was shirtless and lying on his front, and the Orb princess was delightedly rubbing his sore back. They really should be doing that in Cagalli's room, Stellar thought, but she decided to banish it at the back of her mind since she needed to return to her room anyway. Although she didn't have anything specific to say to the two of them, it would be quite rude to simply pass them without saying a word.
Obviously, the blond dancer chose to approach them. She fought hard not to look at Athrun's built body despite herself. "Hello," she said politely. Cagalli and Athrun welcomed her by smiling too.
"You're back already?" asked Athrun kindly.
"How was shopping?" added Cagalli as she massaged Athrun a bit gentler since her concentration was separated.
"It was okay," Stellar told them in a not-too-impressed tone, "Kind of boring going alone."
"Maybe I should've came with you…" suggested Cagalli, "Even if I do kind of despise shopping."
"Oh no," the magenta eyed natural said with utmost understanding, "You should be staying with Athrun-san instead of spending your free time with me, Cagalli-san. Besides, he needs you here." When Stellar gave her an intentional wink, Cagalli immediately blushed. Athrun was tempted to laugh, but with his body in such a weak state, one punch from the princess would easily send him to the depths of hell.
"Stellar!"
"I'm kidding," she joked along with a cute giggle escaping her lips, "Hey, what did you guys do when I was gone? Did something happen?"
"Nothing really happened," answered the Justice pilot on Cagalli's behalf –but the Strike Rouge pilot was more than capable to speak for herself. "But I called Shani earlier to check up on him." Stellar's ears instantly sharpened when the Forbidden pilot's name was called. She suddenly became anxious.
"You called Shani-kun?" Stellar questioned in a noticeable rush. "Why did you call him?"
"Um… to check up on him…"
"Why didn't you tell me that you were calling him? I would have!"
"You weren't here before…" choked the blue haired coordinator dumbly. He really did not know if that argument was reasonable enough. From what he could gather, Stellar was not pleased.
"When did you call him?"
"75 minutes ago…" Before he could finish his sentence, the blond living weapon took her belongings before running into her room in a wild dash. Cagalli and Athrun stared at another for a second, they seriously did not understand what just happened around them. Judging from the passion she gave, Stellar truly liked Shani. Like any admirer, it was only comprehendible to see her wanting to hear his voice again. At the same time, Cagalli really found Shani's voice to be unquestionably creepy.
Stellar did not waste any time. After placing everything that she bought on her desk, Stellar opened her top drawer to find her address book. Due to the fact that she was an organized person –unlike Crot-, it didn't take her long to find the number that reached to Shani's office. She hoped that he would be there, he should be since 75 minutes wasn't too long ago. She nearly memorized his number for she typed the 10 digits with pure swiftness, and as the phone rang, she awaited with excitement.
What would she say to him? Would he be surprised to hear her voice? How would she react when his voice flooded in her ears? Oh, the list could go on for ages, all she desired now was for someone to pick up. In five rings, Stellar heard the phone was answered at last. At first, she really thought that no one was there.
Due to her impatience, she quickly assumed that the receiver was Shani. "Shani, is that you?" she asked in a hopeful voice. However, much to her grief, it wasn't Shani, but this voice did sound somewhat familiar.
"Uh…" the person on the other end was clearly a guy, "Lieutenant Shani isn't here right now."
"Who are you?" Stellar's voice carried much caution immediately, "Where is Shani?"
"I'm one of his students… you seem to know the Lieutenant well, would you mind if I take a message?"
"Did you just say Lieutenant?" the blond natural questioned hopefully. When the mysterious stranger on the other line noticed her minor hostility had vanished, he raised his brow a little bit at her sudden change of behaviour.
"Yes. Shani Andras is our Lieutenant."
"Shani-kun is a Lieutenant!" squealed Stellar, delighted despite that her volume was deafening the other listener, "I can't believe it! I can't believe he didn't tell me! I am so proud of him! I'm so happy!"
"Why does that fact surprise you, miss?" the male coordinator asked humbly. "Sorry if I may be asking something too personal."
"Not at all!" Stellar was too happy to notice, "Because Shani-kun made a promise to me to become the best ZAFT soldier ever! And already he is a Lieutenant… he is such a man of his word!" The person on the other line laughed along with her, Stellar sure was someone who had much potential to revive anyone's spirits.
"Wow, the Lieutenant must be quite lucky to have you supporting him," he said softly, "You're right about the man of his word thing, he actually helped my shooting to achieve better accuracy."
"See, Shani-kun is amazing." Stellar stated as if she proved her thesis statement with no flaws.
"Yeah, I agree, at least he is a whole lot better compared to our old instructor."
"Really?" questioned the natural girl innocently, "How was he like? Was he old and boring?"
"Precisely," declared the mystery coordinator, "No human emotions, no commitment, no soft side, not fun… kind of older but not really old… kind of out of date too…"
"Shani doesn't have much emotions or soft side either…" said Stellar as she recalled things in her memory. To the coordinator boy on the other end, that was striking news. Of course, he merely chose to keep it to himself instead of making a large commotion about it. At this time, he wouldn't want to make a demented fool of himself to a woman in spite that it was on the phone. Miraculously, he found it undeniably comfortable when he spoke to Stellar.
"Indeed?" he asked her curiously, "Lieutenant seems to be quite alive when he teaches… maybe that's why some of the girls really like him." Unknown to him, Stellar turned stiff. Not to forget stunned. However, she decided to ignore it for the time being, yet she would not know how deeply this would affect her in the future.
"Well, I should really get going then… it was nice talking with you… um… I don't really know your name."
"Oh, I'm Shinn Asuka," said the vampiric coordinator on the other end, "One of Lieutenant Shani's students. Don't ask me why I am in his office, but I actually needed to look for him. It was a pleasure talking you. Oh, did I tell you that you sound kind of familiar?"
"No, not at all," replied the Gaia pilot –although the suit was actually in development. "Actually, I don't think you have heard my voice. In fact, your voice is quite familiar to me…" Being a natural extended, her memory capabilities were much higher than a regular natural. She wasn't lying, the moment that Shinn announced his name, Stellar already had memory that she heard that name. The problem was where…
"I am really sorry for this…" Shinn apologized for Lunamaria in a whisper, "Please don't take it personally, okay?" Before the Forbidden pilot could even respond, Lunamaria make a loud knowing cough.
"Shinn?" she questioned him immediately, which made the vampuric male stiffen before he caught up with her. "Come here right now! We are leaving!" As they were no longer within Shani's sight range, the Forbidden pilot finally loosened all the pressure within himself and sighed heavily.
That was it. That was where she heard his name. He was that friend of that girl at the shopping centre two weeks ago.
"You're that guy who looked like a vampire!" exclaimed Stellar suddenly much to Shinn's uneasiness. Why did everyone keep saying that? Shinn truly wanted to curl up and die. "I didn't even know it was you!"
"Yes…" said Shinn, rolling his eyes as another sigh escaped, "Vampire…"
"Don't be so down, Shinn-kun, you are unique."
"Thanks… I think…" Enthusiasm was not a strong attribute in his voice. Her comments felt like needles stinging into his pride and dignity, and contaminating it with a rare, virulent poison.
"Wait… if you are here… that means that girl that Shani-kun groped is here too, right, Shinn?" Groped… that event didn't pop up in his mind in that instant, but he certainly had a clear visual of something happening. In less than a second, he figured that Stellar was referring to Shani and Lunamaria. He gave a nodding sound to respond. "If she's here… Shani-kun would get killed! That woman said to never see him again… and I am a woman… and I know she would mean it. Tell me, Shinn, is Shani-kun really okay?"
The vampiric coordinator really wanted to laugh, but again, his own sense of image disallowed that kind of actions. "Don't worry, Lunamaria and Lieutenant are getting along very well." That confused Stellar to no end.
"What?"
"They are pretty good friends, miss," answered Shinn not finding a problem at all –how he would learn to regret it later on. "I wouldn't worry."
"I see…" said Stellar a little sadly, but Shinn failed to catch it. If her woman's intuitions were correct, she safely assumed something was going on, and she did not like it. However, she wouldn't protest it in front of Shinn for he was more or less a bystander who observed it all. Just thinking that another woman trying to get Shani's attention irritated her, but her gentle nature won over instead of crying in agony. Was Stellar jealous? At this point… quite. "Anyway, Shinn, can you tell Shani-kun that Stellar called him? Can you do that favour for me to the very least?" Once hearing her name, Shinn's dark red eyes opened up widely.
"You're Stellar?"
"Why, yes."
"It is such a pleasure to be talking to you. Do you know that Lieutenant talks a lot about you when we have lunch with him? He says you are one of the kindest person he knows."
"Really?" Stellar asked with eyes gleaming hopefully.
"Really. I wouldn't lie. Hey, he was right, you are very kind." Stellar didn't care if Shinn was flattering her, or attempting to flirt, or was he stating it sincerely, all that mattered right now was his words sounded unquestionably kind. In addition, she knew Shani did not forget her, that alone was sufficient enough to brighten her day.
"Thank you, Shinn." Stellar said back sweetly.
"It was a pleasure. Sorry, Stellar, I am actually late for my shift… I lost track of time. It was great to have talked to you."
"You too." It was her human personality to be so caring.
"I'll give him that message, Stellar. I promise."
"Thank you so much," she said gratefully, "Goodbye, Shinn." After that, she heard the receiver making a click. Shinn must've been in quite a hurry. She felt somewhat guilty for taking away his time, yet she smiled when she noticed that was one of the most pleasant conversations she had in a long while. People had been quite busy these days, and Crot was not the most enlightened person to speak with. In fact, the Raider pilot was not a fool, it was just that he was… not the most sensitive person compared to Shani.
The Gaia pilot fell back onto her bed as she began staring at the ceiling with delightful eyes along with an angelic smile on her face. She was so happy that Shani spoke such great things about her, and she could not wait until she could see him again. Maybe the next time she called, she would hear his voice instead of Shinn's –not like Shinn wasn't someone she disliked. In all honesty, Stellar detected that he was lonely and needed someone to care for. She couldn't stand it when someone was in those shoes for she went through it painfully last year. Nonetheless, she brushed those thoughts out of her mind for a moment before closing her eyes hoping to sleep.
Even with her mind clear, someone continued to float in her mind.
All her head could imagine was Shani, yet at the deep depths of her sub-consciousness, the thought of Lunamaria getting along and having her being all friendly with her admirer nagged Stellar relentlessly.
AN: If that is not enough plot, character development, and fluff for you, I really don't know what else I can do. Shiho should be here next chapter, and other sorts of crazy, random conflicts would erupt very soon. Is it me or do I have a liking on fries? Who knows, just as long as the story works, I guess. Thank you all for reviewing, and thank you so much for giving me the motivation that I desperately need. Sadly to say, whips don't threaten me enough, I don't even know that my life is at a stage of ending until a nozzle is pointed at my head –or at some forbidden areas where one shot would be sufficient to finish me.
Regardless, I hope to make the next chapter by next week or so. Thank you once again! I just love ShaniLuna… such an impossible pair.