Believe, Realize, Reason

by OpposingForce

Long story short, it's a time period after the C.E 71 war where everyone has their reflections and new life as high school students. Will love bloom in their lives? KL, AC, DM, YzakShiho, ShinnStellar, ShaniLunamaria, StellarShaniLunamaria, and more.

7. Confusion Awaits

Believe, Realize, Reason

Chapter 7: Confusion Awaits

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed in any fashion. I am just a fan, just someone who loves nearly all the characters but especially Shani Andras, and Lunamaria Hawke.

Legend:

"…": Speech

'…': Thoughts, and those words in italics could also be in this category.

Scene Changes are listed in bold italic brackets.

AN: After two or three weeks of no update, I am back with a new chapter! Damn this site and their URL failures and all that shit... I couldn't even update! With so many mysteries unsolved, I don't want to delay this thing any longer than necessary. I know my chapters are quite random and I usually don't discuss the same couple twice in a row. I don't know why, I just don't have much love to write some of them. However, their conflicts would be solved in one way or another. Anyway, instead of me doing all that bullshit talk that I usually do, I would just move right onto the Reviewer's Question and Answer Period. Long story short, I would just like to thank you all individually. If you want to skip the next section, feel free to do so.

Asga: Did you think Lacus pretended to slap Kira? Although she was acting, she did hit him hard right in the face. Lacus literally hitting Kira, that's gotta hurt.

Dragon of the Burning Flame: Hey, thanks for liking my work, I am trying to reach for the top. I hope sixteen or seventeen days is an early enough update for you. Thanks for reviewing!

MissKT: It's okay to be cranky at times, hey, it's a human emotion after all. As long as you aren't suffering from menopause or your period then it would fine. What do you mean by going all directions? Do you mean random or something else? Also, no need to be apologetic about giving me a paragraph worth of review, I like long ones because that means the reader is actually reading –that is only if they don't write BS intentionally. Hey, I am the master of BS, I can detect it. Thanks again!

GATX-105B: Is that the Mobile Suit name for Sword Strike Gundam? Are Kira and Lacus going to be together or are they going to fail? If you kill me and rip off my ass, there will be no story, and it will be your entire fault. HA! I hope this update would satisfy you.

Jasx316: It is still easier to find you online. However, I still want to answer some of your questions. From what I gathered from some resources and stuff, Shiho is someone that is engaged to Yzak in Destiny. I never recalled it being mentioned in the anime though… but I think you would know why Shiho is down here after reading this chapter. As for Shani, I will take your advice and make him less wimpy. Also, I think falling in love slowly works better for some of the pairings, and more or less everyone's relationship would never happen in just a snap.

Dust-In: I read "Writer's Block", and I seriously believe that it is a wonderful story. As for your question about which anime suits my story the most… that's hard to say. Sadly enough, I don't think that it would fit in any one of them because it's not multiple girls on one guy type of friendship. However, the closest one I think would be Ichigo 100 Percent. I don't know how, but that is what I think to the least.

About the models… I live in Toronto, and there are plenty of Asian malls, so I could get the Gundams quite easily. As for the outlining tools I use… you could always buy 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 pens at those hardcore modeling shops. Then again, you can always look for STAEDTLER pigment liners for drawing and writing in your local art store. Don't get such thick liners though, 0.2 should be your maximum. Remember, be careful when you outline because you don't have that many chances to mess up.

Thanks for supporting my fic and my Naruto stories. You have my gratitude.

RobinAmon: Which part was funny in chapter 6? I would really like to know. Anyhow, I thank you so much for reviewing!

D.D Designator: Yes, I do believe that ShaniLunamaria should rule for all eternity –in this fic to the very least. Dude, I love your enthusiastic support!

PurgingLight: Glad that you like it a lot, sir. Looks like you like ShaniLunamaria as well. Welcome to my world.

Arurisonu Akane: Finding you on MSN is so much easier than typing my eternal gratefulness here. Thank you so much for reading chapter 7 for me ahead of time! Love you, too, okay?

LoveHurtsAlot: Your patience wasn't in vain, here is the newest update!

Raider-kun: How many people are addicted to this pairing? Is ShaniLunamaria that 'addictive'? Make love… isn't it a bit too soon for him to do that to her? I mean, they only known another for nearly two weeks. Regardless, your review is very much appreciated.

DeAtH ZeAlOt: Your kind words are very much respected and appreciated. Please continue to like my chapters and pairings like you have before.

Forbidden: Yo, thanks for your reasons for not bitching at me about my mistakes. I am trying to change for the better after all. Thank you so much for reviewing.

KiraIzamura: You think that was good, I hope this is better. Read on, my friend.

Faith2000: I think this would be as soon as I could possibly go… hope it's not a problem with you.

Josh: Okay, your review just pisses me off. I happen to have a life outside of this fanfiction world, when was I someone who is obligated to write for you? If you actually read my last chapter, I said it would take me 2 to 3 weeks –not a several days. I do not write for specific people, and especially not for any individual who rushes me believing that they have the right to do so.

Alex: You want lovemaking action between Shani and Lunamaria as well? Wow, this must be a popular suggestion. You know what, I will consider it. For the meantime, please enjoy this chapter!

AN: What, you are still here? Man, what do I have to do to get you guys reading? Come on, chop-chop!

(At the cafeteria of NKCI yesterday after school)

Yzak did not like this at all. Firstly, Tanaka was back with a new jerky demeanor. Secondly, his former subordinate Shiho Hahnenfuss came to earth at such a random time. Thirdly, Tanaka forced Crot to sit next to Stellar since she spread good influence where as he had Shiho next to him instead. Lastly, Shiho told the Duel pilot to meet her in the cafeteria after school. And at this moment, that was where he was -along with Dearka, Kira, Athrun, and the rest. He was enjoying a carton of chocolate milk, and as soon as he was done he popped a Halls Frost Breaker into his mouth to enjoy the citrus, frosty flavour.

For once in eternity, Yzak was persuaded to buy products due to a commercial. Then again, it was quite rare for advertisements to announce that their products could cure infertility.

It wasn't long before Yzak lost his cool and patience. "That's it!" he shouted loudly and startled poor Stellar from her seat. She really didn't like it when the Duel pilot did that. The rest of them merely moved their heads up from their previous activities –which was more or less talking. "Where the hell is she? She told me to meet her here and now she is nowhere to be seen! What is this trickery? No, why the hell am I wasting my time here?"

The Justice pilot groaned. He was quite drained from the day as he was, and Yzak's infernal outrage wasn't the best medicine. "At least we are suffering with you," said Athrun as he took Cagalli's carton of milk before she got a chance to take a sip. The Orb princess quickly snatched it back and swallowed the remains so her admirer wouldn't steal any more of it.

"That helps," Yzak stated dryly.

"What can you expect? You told us to come despite we may have our own lives to attend to, and we came as ordered. You can't expect that much." That resulted in a small whack in the gut.

"Athrun!" scolded Cagalli, "That is rude! How could you say that to your friend when all he wants is some company?" Did she just sound like Lacus and Stellar just now? She certainly did. Those two girls must've blessed her with a touch of gentleness, but at the same time, that sock did kind of hurt.

"For your information," Yzak intervened despite being defended by Cagalli. "It just sucks waiting all alone. I can live without your lovey-dovey, caring presence."

Cagalli immediately stood up from her spot, somewhat offended –but not to the point she would use violence. "Fine then, we will leave."

Someone immediately caught her. "Oh, no, you won't," Kira declared before pushing Cagalli's shoulders downward so she would sit down. "Remember, you were the one that volunteered us to stay. Besides… I want to know this Shiho person."

"Don't tell me you are trying to hit on her instead of Lacus now, Yamato," Crot commented with a sneer. Stellar just giggled along when Kira's face flushed with embarrassment. Lacus wisely turned away so Kira would receive all the unnecessary attention, and the Freedom pilot obviously knew the songstress was trying to avoid being seen.

"What are you talking about, baka!" Kira yelled as he threw Cagalli's carton of unfinished chocolate milk at the Raider pilot. The Orb princess gaped when she noticed there were still contents in there, and Kira sort of noticed after he threw it. And yes, the Freedom pilot truly knew his mistake when Crot was soaked with chocolate milk, and some of it even fell on Stellar's shoulder.

Although the Gaia pilot wasn't mad, the Raider pilot was furious.

"Bastard…" hissed the male Natural Extended dangerously, "What the hell did you think you were doing…"

"Oops?" Kira asked, detecting the unholy aura emitting from him. "I'm sorry… it was an accident!" As if he would ever get away with that… he knew he was a goner when he saw Crot's hostile blue eyes.

Crot's rage did not subside. "You did it on purpose!"

"I- I don't know… maybe I accidentally did it on purpose…" Athrun, Dearka, and Yzak knew Kira was in for it now. Surely, it wasn't the greatest response for the victim to hear.

"Accident my ass!" screamed Crot as he leaped off his seat and dashed at Kira. "I will show you accident!" Even with Kira's perfect Coordinator skills, he couldn't dodge the fist that struck his cheek. Rather, he might've been able to evade it if he wasn't so shocked and scared. In the end, Kira was on the floor for the second time that day. Once was due to Lacus' slap, and now this.

As the Raider pilot continued his onslaught and chases on the Freedom pilot, the rest of the gang –including Lacus- sighed in unison. They watched Kira running past the vending machines, then around some of the benches, jumping on the stage before leaping off it… and wherever he went Crot was less than a meter behind him.

"Shouldn't we help him?" asked Stellar despite she was still sitting at her spot, cleaning her shoulder from the sweet liquid, "I mean, sempai could be rough at times…"

"Kira had gone through much worse than this," commented Dearka with Miriallia observing the amusing display around them. "He will be fine." Did the Buster pilot ever consider he was overrating Kira's capabilities? He would be lying if he said yes.

"Crot is pretty fast…" remarked Cagalli, who was not taking action since Kira destroyed her time to enjoy chocolate milk. Why must everyone be against her when all she wanted was a time to enjoy sweet things –or delicious things in general-, they could be so mean. "So close…"

"You aren't really helping Kira by sitting here," said Athrun to Cagalli as Kira whizzed by him with Crot running after the brown haired coordinator like a frenzied beast. The Justice pilot received the look. What did he do now?

"Who's being the hypocrite?" the Orb princess countered victoriously. "Look at you, you are still on you butt not doing a thing. Admit it, Athrun-chan, you like watching Kira in dismay." The blue haired coordinator jerked back slightly, how could she say such a thing about him? Did he enjoy watching Kira in trouble? Of course not! Although it was funny, amusing, entertaining, youthfully energetic, exciting… okay, maybe he did like it to a degree.

"I got you!" shouted Crot with dark delight as he raised his fist before dashing quicker than before. Just then, the cafeteria door opened as Kira went passed it. In other words, Crot was on the other side before slamming himself cleanly at it. Needless to say, the Raider pilot stopped as he fell awkwardly onto the floor nearly unconscious. Kira turned around while panting, he was saved, he was truly saved! He must thank the person who opened the door at that sort of timing, but he gasped noticeably when the person was no other than Shiho Hahnenfuss.

"What happened?" she asked with a stoic expression that rivaled Shani Andras. The black haired Coordinator lady looked at the ground, her eyes narrowed when she saw an unconscious Crot Buer. She wanted to laugh, but at the same time, her usual calmness took the better of her. "Why is he…"

"Sempai!" Stellar squealed worriedly when she rushed to his side before resting his head onto her lap. Shiho and Kira -and pretty much everyone else- watched this dramatic scene. "Sempai, sempai, are you okay? Say something, please…"

"Stellar…" groaned Crot wearily, "Stellar-chan…"

"Sempai…"

"Before I go…" he coughed midway, "Do something for me…"

"Anything, sempai…" she was on a verge of tears.

"Kill… Yamato…" Those were his last words before he fell into a state of unconsciousness. It was that moment when Shiho laughed out loud.

"I'm really sorry for this…" the black haired Coordinator said, "did I hit him that hard?"

"Shiho!" Yzak yelled from 10 meters away, "Here!"

"Don't be so impatient now, Yzak," said Shiho as she lifted the unconscious Crot with Stellar before dragging the Extended back to the gang, "I was going as fast as I can."

From her movements, she seemed to be taking her time. So much for fast, she was sluggish –intentionally. "Well, you told me to meet here and I don't like to wait." Shiho merely gave Yzak a small stare where as the group smiled at her as a welcome. The coordinator lady smiled back lightly, it appeared that smiling wasn't her strongest trait –she was like Shani, as Stellar would suggest. To the very least, Shiho did attempt to feel welcomed.

"If you do want to know why I am down here, you should wait for as long as you need to." That made Yzak scoff mockingly.

"Listen, just because you were my subordinate in the last missions during the war, it doesn't mean we really know each other, and in other words, I don't need to be all friendly and nice. You tell me what I need to know, and then it's all over with. You will go back to wherever you need to go, and I will live out the life that I want to live out. So, without further adieu, please state your purpose so we don't need to see another ever again." Dearka sighed with exasperation when he heard Yzak's long speech, and the Justice pilot shook his head repeatedly to express his irritation. Shiho covered her mouth with her hand amusedly, she was certain that Yzak would flip when she told him the news.

"I wish it was that simple," began Shiho, her hand was on her hip, "But it is a long story. Long story short, I was ordered to come down here by your mother." Kira, Athrun, Dearka suddenly howled with laughter for an unknown reason. When Cagalli, Miriallia, and Lacus flashed them a weird look -for the sake of their own image- they stopped. Yzak looked like he suffered from a stroke.

"My mother?" he gasped through multiple of breaths. "What the hell…"

"Yes," Shiho said all giddily and happy, "Your mother, Yzak. She was concerned over your safety down here, you know, the Coordinator prejudice that some or most of these Naturals still have. She has sent me to look out for you to see if you have been doing anything stupid. You do know you are like a Coordinator prince in PLANT being Ezaria Jule's only son, just like Athrun Zala-kun here, and she can't let you wandering all alone like this."

Yzak was not pleased to hear this section of her explanation already. "So by relinquishing my freedom… I am going to be shackled to you? What sort of sick joke is this! You don't see Zala being binded like a victim of a web!" Shiho had to give him enough praise for his metaphor. Athrun winced and shivered just by picturing himself being tied to some random stranger that he didn't know. However, if that was Cagalli, that would be another story entirely. Shiho was utmost fascinating, the Justice pilot seriously thought that way –but Cagalli noticed he was staring at the newcomer a tad too long.

The outcome of it was the Orb princess forcefully turned his head so he would be staring at her instead. That victorious, proud grin never left her face.

"As much as I hate to say it, Yzak," replied Shiho, "Patrick Zala is dead, and no one has the right to tell Athrun Zala what to do." If she said no one gave a damn about what Athrun's future, she was very sure that her words would hurt the blue haired Coordinator in the emotional department. Unlike some people, Shiho was very vigilant about her surroundings. The Duel pilot just mumbled after hearing her justification, why couldn't his mother leave him alone for a while when he was just starting to enjoy this new life? Talk about a pain in the ass.

To everyone's surprise, Lacus was the next to speak.

"So, Shiho-san, you are going to stay with us, too, right?" Happy as usual, as Kira would say. She was just so easy to satisfy at times. "You will be looking after Yzak, right? Oh, now Yzak would have more company… I feel really bad not spending enough time with all my friends." Cagalli and Miriallia nodded to concur, but when they thought about what Lacus just said, they looked at another in confusion.

"You make me sound like I am his babysitter," Shiho said in a laugh despite Yzak's discomfort, "Well, I am not really one, nor am I a bodyguard. I am sure Yzak can handle himself better than I can, he is a Gundam pilot after all."

Dearka decided to step in, "Yeah, at getting owned." Athrun and Kira laughed along with him although the Duel pilot was on a verge of eliminating them both forcefully –and most importantly painfully. This was his former comrade; he didn't need his 'friends' to mess up his status as Commander more than it already was. Shiho, to Yzak's surprise, only chuckled instead of mock laughing.

"Where will you being staying though, Shiho?" Cagalli inquired curiously, "You do need to stay near Yzak after all, right?" Shiho then took out a card from her wallet before reading it.

"Judging from what Yzak's address is, I can safely say that my place is fairly close by. I live in your apartment, in room 103." Everyone's eyes widened –except Crot since he was still sleeping peacefully on Stellar's lap. They didn't believe this at all, they had a new neighbour that came yesterday –or at least they thought it might have been yesterday- and they did not even notice during the entire day. Were they that trapped in their own duties to neglect such a fact?

"When did you move in though?" asked Miriallia.

"We didn't see you at all," added Stellar in agreement, "Was coming here that much of a secret?"

"No, not really," replied Shiho, shaking it off, "I suppose the time period in PLANT is a little different than it is on earth. I actually came this morning, and I needed to see if Yzak is in this school and also to check if he's doing okay. I would've come tomorrow but I suppose seeing that Yzak is enjoying himself relieves me, you all know his mother would like to see her son in one piece."

"Agreed, agreed," that was the reply that came from her new acquaintances except for Yzak.

Yzak was undoubtedly bitter about this entire thing from the start, he was seventeen, he did not need this sort of treatment. What was his mother thinking, sending this girl was a deliberate statement to insult his intelligence and independent abilities. In addition, he was someone who had the potential to be a Commander, and now a woman would stalk him? It didn't matter if she was gorgeous or ugly; the bottom was that the Duel pilot did not need this in any possible means. "So… that is why Mother ordered you to be… here?"

"Yes." That was simple indeed.

"What are you supposed to be, my… irritating bystander who can't live without putting your face in my business?" the gray haired Coordinator pressed on with an attitude. Shiho was suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable. Her uneasiness became his strength.

"No… Yzak, that's not…" Deakra, Kira, and Athrun quickly noted the girl's discomfort.

The Duel pilot was not done with her yet. "Why did you take on the job, Shiho? Because Mother told you to? Was it because you get a lot of money if you take on this role? Any normal person would not simply come to a Coordinator Hunting Ground just for some lame task of checking if I am living okay." Each blow was significant - Lacus and Cagalli did not fully know how upset Yzak was when he heard that Shiho's true reasons of being here. Now thinking back, Yzak actually seemed happy being down here despite how much he hated to admit it, and this whole issue of shackling his freedom had revived some of his hurtful attributes during the war. "Shiho, I don't want you near me like this, you are invading through my private space. You are better off going back to PLANT and receive some more pointless orders instead of wasting your time trying to see if I am fine."

"Yzak…"

The Duel pilot grunted before yanking out a small booklet and a pen and started to write, "Let's do another a favour and deal with this. You know what, Mother wants to know if I am okay, right? Okay, I will just write that I am fine, life is great, there are plenty of hot chicks, and I have done it with a few of them to see if losing your virginity is actually good to experience. You know what, you can even make up some things like having sex was great, especially those one-night stands where you can just do it with anybody. What else… I will tell her that this mission is useless, and it won't be necessary to send down any more fools to look out for me. Sincerely, Yzak Jule." He then tore the paper and slipped it in her chest pocket. Shiho wanted to blush when Yzak's hand brushed over her breasts, but luckily, no one noticed it. She appeared confused when Yzak even took out a checkbook; he wrote several scribbles on it before ripping it and handed it to her.

"What's this?" questioned Shiho. Stellar and Lacus wondered what that was for, and at the same time, they could detect that the coordinator lady was threatening to cry.

The Duel pilot did not hesitate at all to answer. In fact, he was delighted to elaborate. "Money that you pointlessly spent to come down here, and there should be enough for you to go back. See, this entire trip was useless, and when you go back to PLANT, tell Mother that I am fine and also tell her not to send anyone else down here. See, Shiho, why did you waste your time comin-"

Slap.

Gasps were heard from everyone. Yzak held the spot that was slapped with stun, he didn't believe that he was slapped. Him, Yzak Jule, got slapped! Kira did not laugh, neither did Athrun and Dearka. In fact, they simply stood there with awe, wondering why Shiho slapped their friend. Kira jerked when he saw Shiho's expression, he never believed it until he saw it –stoic girls did cry. She was actually crying, tears flowed down endlessly, and it did not look like any sort of act. What troubled her this badly, they did not understand.

"You just don't get it, do you!" Shiho shouted angrily with her voice choking slightly due to her sadness, "Why are you so dense and stupid!" With that said, Shiho –in a fashion that resembled anything but confidence and firmness- turned around before running out of the cafeteria. Needless to say, her heart was shattered, yet the Duel pilot and everyone else did not realize what caused her to be like this. Kira looked over to Lacus; his heart sank when the cheerful songstress for once was out of ideas. Athrun held Cagalli closer, he too pitied that newcomer for experiencing such devastation despite he did not know what that truly was.

Something was amiss, it didn't take a genius to figure that much.

"Yzak…" Dearka first spoke with disappointment plastering his voice, "What did you do?"

The Duel pilot was equally lost, but when he felt being accused, he countered back, "How would I know! I thought I was doing her a favour for going back to PLANT. All I did was give her back some money that she pointlessly wasted, what was wrong with that?" That statement didn't sound like it had any holes, but that still didn't explain why Shiho ran off crying.

Lacus was the next to talk, "Yzak… may I ask you something?" Who was Yzak to refuse now? "Who is Shiho to you?" Just what kind of question was that? The songstress made it sound like as if Yzak knew her all his life. Reality check, Shiho was nothing more than a subordinate who showed amazing promise on the battlefield, that was all. No more, no less. When Yzak replied with what he knew, that still did not solve this current mystery.

"Do you think Shiho is upset because Yzak declined her service?" asked Cagalli, hoping that her question would help. Athrun shook his head first, and the Orb princess did not appreciate how he argued with her logic like that without giving a justifiable reason. "And why not, Athrun?"

"If their relation is nothing more than leader and follower… she wouldn't react this way," Athrun told her and everyone else who was listening. "Think of it this way… Cagalli hires me as her bodyguard. I try to suck up to her but she notices it and tells me that there is no need for it. How should I be reacting? One, I apologize and drop the act. Two, I did what Shiho did and cry about it." After this example was brought up, Athrun did make sense at proving his thesis. "Yzak, is there something about Shiho that you're not telling us about? You did say something about doing chicks… did you take her virginity away without telling any of us?"

Yzak was deadly outraged.

He immediately gaped at Athrun, "You bastard! Can't you tell the difference between realism and sarcasm? I was kidding! Kidding, damn you! I won't waste my virginity on hookers, Zala, never in this goddamn lifetime!" The green eyed coordinator had to use his hands as a shield so Yzak's spit would not strike his face, he was disgusted at how wet his palms become, and Cagalli quickly shifted away from him not wanting any part of the spit.

Damn that Yzak…

"Should we talk to her afterwards?" suggested Stellar supportively while cradling Crot's head and running her fingers through his orange hair. She was just so loving to everyone. "I mean, talk to Shiho-san…"

Miriallia sighed a little before standing up to stretch, "Let's do it when she calms down, okay?" Sadly enough, they had to agree. "And we better make sure Yzak-kun here is the person to talk to her afterwards." She then even gripped on to Yzak's shoulder so he wouldn't escape so quickly. "If Shiho-san does not show any sights of being happy… Dearka will…"

The Buster pilot jolted. "Hey, Miriallia, why do I have to-"

"Fine…" groaned the Duel pilot, "I'll talk to her when she cools off, okay?" Yzak was finally able to drop this subject when the girls nodded in unison. Since when did he need their permission to do whatever he wanted? Then again, when it came to relationship problems, who was he to decide when he knew absolutely nothing about women?

This was going to be one hell of a day –Yzak could feel it to the bone.

(Present Day, at Athrun's apartment)

"I'm bored…" whined the Orb princess in Athrun's lap. She even starting to pound with her fists to further explain her boredom, "I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored…" The Justice pilot tried hard to ignore her adorable protests, yet he found it immensely difficult when he felt her right fist striking an area near his groin. Curse her for lying on him.

"You gotta stop that…" Athrun told her in a choke.

"Stop what?" she questioned innocently. "You mean this?" Athrun winced when her fist hit that area again.

"Yeah…"

"I'm just helping you massage it, Athrun Zala," Cagalli told him, as if her reasons were purely justifiable and correct, "There won't be any other woman who is going to do that for you." The dark haired Coordinator did not know if Cagalli was that innocent or was she simply oblivious. Whatever it was, it was getting him aroused. Come on, getting his private areas with sensitive brushes was something difficult to ignore.

"Cagalli…"

"I'm bored!" she whined loudly, and much to his disbelief, she practically slammed her fists directly at his groin. Instead of feeling aroused, a painful gasp escaped the Justice pilot before he curled up in the most pathetic fashion that she had seen him. Athrun first looked stunned, and soon his hands went on his abdomen, and lastly, he made himself as small as possible without moving his legs and fell to the side. What made Cagalli blush deeply was because his head landed on her rear end, she wanted to yell and fidget but she found it surprisingly comfortable. In other words, she didn't protest –much.

"Ouch…"

"Athrun!" Cagalli screeched while shaking her body to signal him a message, "You are leaning on my butt! Don't touch there! Get off, get off, get off!" Unknown to the blond twin, Athrun was actually smiling although his cheek was making full contact with her rear.

"Why? It feels good." That was sufficient to make her rage surface.

Cagalli immediately got herself off the bed –her cheeks were burning a deep scarlet. The Justice pilot watched her with amusement as she took each breath of air with much force and strength. She was so endearing to him, yet he chose to keep it quiet. "Why you, pervert!" Cagalli yelled as she raised her foot a little about ground level. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was plotting. "Eat foot, Athrun!"

With his swift Coordinator skills, Athrun easily caught her foot using his right hand when she attempted to smash it in his face. The Justice pilot grinned happily when he noticed what sort of position they were in. He was lying on the bed –still in pain- and Cagalli raised and extended her foot high towards him. In other words, he was having a very nice view of her nearly developed body. The princess wouldn't have caught this not-so-innocent position if it weren't for his too-knowing grin.

"Wow…" the blue haired Coordinator whispered in awe when he admired her body. At the same time, his left hand began to crept on her caught foot. Athrun almost wished that she wasn't wearing any socks.

"Zala!" she screamed to the top of her lungs when his fingers started their operation/mission, "Don't you dare!"

"So, Cagalli is ticklish."

She could not hold in her laughter for much longer, yet she had too much pride to simply let it all out as if it was natural. In order to prevent it from getting out she had one option –collapse on the Coordinator. Putting more force into her left foot, she instantly attempted to make a small leap. Athrun stopped whatever he was doing when she saw her jump and he more or less wanted to yell when Cagalli forcefully fell on him. In reality, it didn't hurt much when she made contact with him (not when her breasts were seductively brushing on his chest) but that was not the case when her knee jammed itself in his stomach.

"Gomen…" Cagalli apologized in a moan –which nearly made Athrun insane. Her face was still plastered with that lovable crimson, how could he not adore it? "But I don't like being tickled…"

"You're heavy…" groaned the Justice pilot while coughing. Again, Cagalli took it the wrong way.

"Are you saying that I am fat, Athrun?"

"No…" he told her along with a weak, sincere grimace. When he did that, she knew he wasn't lying to her –he was serious. "My body hurts…"

"Where?" she asked but she still wasn't getting off yet. Part of it was because she found it very comfortable being on him despite she would not admit it out loud, and secondly it was because their entanglement was quite awkward and messy.

"Your knee is crushing my abdomen… it hurts…" Cagalli didn't need to reconsider her thinking when she leaped off him immediately. Unfortunately, she used a tad too much force in her thrust. Therefore, Athrun only experienced more torment and agony but he was too lenient towards his beautiful princess. His heart felt warm when Cagalli appeared to be concerned.

"Are you okay?" she asked him as she rushed to his side with concern all around her actions.

"I'll be fine, Cagalli."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry." Cagalli didn't look convinced though. "Cagalli, I am really fine."

"Why did you lean on my butt earlier?" she immediately asked him, her previous concerns forgotten in less than a flash. The Justice pilot was taken quite aback when she suddenly asked that sort of question. He did have a several options; one, tell her that her butt felt great; two, say it was an accident; or three, pretend nothing happened. If logic were his primary attribute at that hour, he would've told her the 'good' truth. Instead, it was one of those days were silliness was mandatory.

"What's wrong with your butt?" he replied in a questioning form, "It was so supple and soft… It was one of the softest-"

Smack.

"Pervert!" she yelled at him forcefully. One would believe that she was furious, but her face was speaking otherwise due to constant blushing. "You like my butt because it's soft? What's next, Zala, my breasts?"

"It's hard to say," he told her while nodding his head and staring at her chest deliberately, "It's fairly difficult for me to find anything there right now."

Athrun earned another good punch in the arm.

"Are you saying that I don't have breasts? Just because my haircut is like a boy and Kira even thought I was a boy doesn't mean that I have a body like a guy! I have breasts, you just can't see it because of this jacket! I will show you!" Athrun's dreams were becoming reality when Cagalli was actually pulling down her zipper to reveal a white T-shirt underneath. He had dreamed this for quite a while now, but he was somewhat expecting her to be in that thin red T-shirt instead because he was certain that she didn't wear a bra when she wore that. Much to his disbelief, his hands overlapped hers and halted her from whatever she was doing.

His mind said yes but his mouth contradicted his desires.

"I believe you," he said as his mind continued to scold himself, "I don't need proof." Cagalli smiled warmly when he said that, yet Inner Athrun was weeping a waterfall of tears. Cagalli wanting to take off her clothes was a chance that happened once in a lifetime, and she was doing it willingly! He couldn't believe that he said 'I believe you'! Compared to Michael Jackson's face… his decision was ten times more messed up!

"I'm glad you aren't that bad, Athrun," she told him as she kissed him on the forehead. Was she kidding? Did she have any idea how badly the Justice pilot wanted to see her clothes removed? He was this close; it was so hard being a guy at times despite he never had PMS or ever having a need to be bitchy. How could guys be a bitch anyway?

"I know…"

"Athrun…" It was back to her whiny mode once again. "Athrun…" She just loved moaning his name.

"What is it, Cagalli?" he inquired as his arms pulled her in closer.

"I'm still bored." She was so spoiled in front of him, and that was something he learned to cherish.

"What do you want to do then?" he asked as he took the liberty to plant a kiss on her forehead.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking you."

The Justice pilot pondered for a second, "You could play some games with Crot or something."

"Stellar took Crot to the doctors so he could get some patches or stitches on his forehead wound, remember?" Athrun smacked himself for forgetting what Crot talked to him about an hour ago. So games were out of the question, what else could they do now? "Do you think Yzak and Shiho are working things out?"

"Doubt it." Cagalli's response was strikingly sharp.

"What makes you say that?"

"After hanging around him for two weeks… you can predict what he is going to do."

Athrun didn't think so just yet. It wasn't like he had much faith in Yzak to comfort Shiho up, but Lacus was quite persistent in making things better between the two Coordinator –where as she should be more concerned about her own love life problems. The pink haired songstress was always such a kind soul. "I don't think Yzak would be able to sit down calmly without consulting Shiho… I mean, Lacus was serious."

"Maybe… do you think we should bring them closer together?"

"What?"

"Yzak and Shiho-san, of course."

"Why would we want to do that?" he eyed her queerly while he questioned her ambitions. In all honesty, Athrun thought it was absurd that he would be considering the choice to enter someone else's business. "This is Yzak's problem here, why should we get our butts involved?"

"Yzak is your friend, right?" Cagalli inquired as she batted her eyes. Her bold, golden orbs were extremely charming, as if a hidden spell was in them somehow. Athrun nodded slowly –more or less dumbly. "Well, it's a good thing to help friends closer because that's what friends do."

"You have been hanging with Stellar and Lacus too much, Cagalli," commented the Justice pilot as he kissed her on the cheek, "You know that?"

"I guess influence is a powerful tool, ne? The people you hang out with represent who you are, I suppose. Most friends do have a common interest despite being different because friends do think alike."

"Since when were you psychological?"

"Family Studies," she answered him bluntly with a slight victorious smirk in the middle of her sentence.

The dark haired coordinator smiled at her unique charm, "What do you plan on doing then, Cagalli?"

To his surprise, the Orb princess was quick with her answer. "I want to try cooking." Athrun's eyes bulged out for a moment there before they miraculously returned to normal. Was she for real? That was at least the third time that she got him off guard today. Cagalli frowned teasingly when Athrun did not display anything other than confusion and uncertainty. More or less, it wasn't the emotional and spiritual support that she first anticipated for she expected much more. "Come on, it would be fun!"

"Would it?" questioned the Justice pilot, using his eye to scan her beautiful visage, "First things first… do you even know how to cook?"

The Strike Rouge pilot decided to answer indirectly, "I can always start learning now." Athrun gave her a look, and Cagalli felt herself flush up more.

"You don't know, do you?"

That was considerably blunt.

"Oh, don't say that, Athrun," she argued, and her body moved itself an inch closer to feel his warmth, "I am a dedicated learner." His response was blinking. Long story short, he didn't believe what he was hearing. It wasn't long until she started pleading using physical actions. "Come on, Athrun, it will be fun! I swear on it."

"I…"

"I am going to cook and that is final! I am going to gather everyone tonight and have a dinner that no one is ever going to forget. Lacus did it, and so can I! Who says Cagalli Yula Attha is all classy and being served by servants all the time? I can cook, and I can do other stuff, too!" Athrun was quite amazed; he was so shocked that words failed to pronounce properly on his tongue.

"I am sure you can…"

Somehow, Athrun believed that encouraging Cagalli to perform experiments was not the brightest thing that he had done in his seventeen to eighteen years of living. Before he could even make any protests Cagalli kissed him again before making her way to the supermarkets. Why did she have to be so brash and spontaneous? How did she make up plans right on the spot like that without preparing anything in advance? In some cases, that might be an advantageous factor, but at the same time, it could be dangerous.

With someone not knowing how to cook, the Justice pilot wondered if she should stop her now before it was too late. However, seeing all that zeal in her eyes made it quite difficult for him to ruin her fun. Then again, he was jeopardizing everyone's chances of living. The theories Utilitarianism kicked in the back of his mind –what was the best way to gain the greatest amount of happiness? Stop Cagalli for the sake of his friends being all well and healthy; or just allow his angel to do whatever and risk having everyone –including himself- to find another powerful reason in life to commit suicide. Laws of utilitarianism did prefer to save friends, but his heart chose to stick with Cagalli.

This was something that was worth regretting.

(At this instant in Shiho's Apartment)

The Duel pilot did not understand why he was doing this –especially when his heart had no desire whatsoever to make things better. He was in front of Shiho's door with nothing in his hand to show any sort of remorse or guilt, yet he was here trying to reconcile. Rather, if Lacus didn't plead him to go he would've never took the initiative to make things better. He was only doing this since Lacus was his childhood friend –their parents were part of PLANT's highest councils after all, and they had met another- for anyone else was not powerful enough to change his judgments.

At long last –after spending 5 minutes considering if he should knock on her door- Yzak finally tapped her door a several times.

The grayed haired Coordinator almost jolted when the door flinged open in an instant. The person behind it was of course Shiho Hahnensfuss –and she did not look pleased.

"Hello…" greeted Yzak dumbly. He really didn't know what to say despite he knew he had to do something.

"Oh," she said, making a cough, "It's you."

"How are you?" That was one sentence that rarely escaped his lips. Yzak was seriously not a very social person even though he was a Captain.

"Why do you care?" she retorted as she was about to slam the door shut on him, "You were having quite a bit of fun while hurting my feelings. You are a cold-blooded bastard, Yzak Jule." Just before the door was about to close, the Duel pilot put his foot in between the gap to prevent it from shutting. He winced a little but Shiho could've cared less. Instead, she gave him a warning. "You better move your foot now, I have no hesitation to break it off so I can shut this door."

Yzak was seriously shocked at her words, yet he didn't reveal his emotions. "Damn, what the hell did I do to deserve this? Why are you calling me cold-blooded?"

"Like you're not?" she immediately countered angrily, "You have sex with random bitch trash, and now you give me money like some kind of hooker because you had enough of it? What am I to you, an object? I am at least your subordinate… I can't believe I am being treated this way by my Captain!"

"If you care to listen to me, you would've known that I didn't waste myself with random bitch trash. I was just kidding about it so I don't need you to pointlessly waste your time hanging around here for my sake. And that money, it's to compensate for the unnecessary things that you have done to come down here, not because I think you are a hooker. I know you are not that kind of person."

"Touching…" Shiho told him, obviously she was not convinced. At the same time, Yzak took this advantage and made his way in before shutting the door behind him. The black haired Coordinator lady gulped when she let her guard down, but Yzak failed to notice it. "I didn't invite you in," she ordered in a hiss, "I want you to get out."

She needed to do a lot more to get him to obey her commands, "Not until I know why you slapped me and cried. I want to know what I did to upset you." Shiho was somewhat bewildered to see that he was actually caring. He certainly wasn't like this when she saw him two to three weeks ago. How did he change within such a short amount of time? Then again, Yzak was still quite the arrogant bastard with a potty mouth.

"You want to know why?"

"Yeah…"

"Is anyone outside?" That question made Yzak look at her confusedly. What kind of inquiry was that?

Seeing that there were no catches or problems with her question, Yzak decided to answer. "No…"

"Good. You want to come in and talk things out over a cup of tea or something?"

"I'm already in… I might as well." Yzak said as he took off his shoes before making way to the already finished living-room. The duo sat down on the couch in dead silence but the Duel pilot saw something different about her at that moment. Her cheeks… was she blushing? What in blazes was going on here? If it was anything that made him nervous, it had to be a woman's blush because that made them completely unpredictable. "Shiho…"

"What?" she asked him as she raised her head, as if she was trying to hide her flushed cheeks.

"Why this privacy?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you make sure that no one else is out there? Is there something that you don't want them to know?" He didn't believe it when she nodded despite he knew she was speaking the truth. "What is it then?"

"Yzak…" she whispered nervously, "Although everyone is going to know eventually… I think I should tell you first." The Duel pilot was beginning to feel edgy –not to mention anxious.

"Well? I'm listening…"

"I'm not here as someone who is sent by Ezaria Jule to see if you are okay on earth…" Yzak was considerably bewildered at this point. "I am more than that, Yzak…"

"More than what? What are you trying to say, Shiho?"

"Yzak… your mother… she… Yzak, I am your fiancée."

At that moment, that precise second, the Duel pilot's heart stopping beating before breaking into thousands of irreparable shards.

(Meanwhile, at PLANT central park district)

"Shani…" moaned Lunamaria as she pushed herself a little closer to him, "Answer me… do you like me?" How was he supposed to answer her? If anyone was around –which they weren't- Shani would have an excuse saying that they should be discussing this in private. However, they were alone –dead alone with no means to escape. Both answers meant death, he knew it.

"Lunamaria…" said Shani, trying to get some strength and authority back. "How can I give you a good response like this?"

"You want to settle this discussion somewhere else? Anywhere more private is fine." The Forbidden pilot swallowed hard at her request, he knew that phrase contained no innocence no matter which corner he searched. He was a rookie with women, but he was no idiot. Regardless of what, he needed to stand his ground. As Lunamaria's hand held his tighter, she miraculously pulled him in with skill. She blushed a little when Shani's face flushed up, she loved to see him more vulnerable than a mature Lieutenant.

"Lunamaria…" said Shani as he shifted himself a little better to create a better impression than cowering in front of her. "Lunamaria, don't be like this, okay?"

"You're warm…" the magenta haired coordinator reasoned sweetly as her hand played with his. "But, can I still hold your hand?" Seeing her so eager and happy to be so affectionate, Shani did not have the heart to simply take it away from her. The Forbidden pilot's heart warmed up when he saw her smile, it really tempted him to take her hand into his, yet he remembered that he had something to tell her.

"Lunamaria, about your question…" he said a little farfetched. In fact, he didn't know where to start this entire thing. Shani needed to know the art of improvising now–although he had never acted once in his life. His confidence level lowered further when he saw that hopeful expression on her face –so happy, so innocent, how could he say the things that were about to be said?

"Yes, Shani?" the coordinator girl inquired lovably. She was so close to kiss him, if she just leaned three centimeters closer, his cheek would belong to her soft lips. Lunamaria would be speaking lies if she told Shani that she didn't want to kiss him. Even if it was on the cheek, she was willing to do it.

The Forbidden pilot had to pull himself together, it was all or nothing. "I want to tell you that I don't hate you, Lunamaria-san," he said seriously. The coordinator lady only blinked a several times somewhat confusedly and innocently. Seconds later, her mouth formed a frown –a small frown.

"Shani… I know you don't hate me. However, what I really want to know is… do you like me?" She was sure persistent on this topic; it was his heart that she was trying to win here. Endurance and skill meant everything on these grounds. At the same time, she truly wanted to understand what his feelings about her were like.

"Do you want me to give you an honest answer?" the Forbidden pilot inquired with a demeanor that was identical to his teaching. Lunamaria blushed evidently when she saw his serious look because he was watching her very closely, as if he was admiring her looks. Shani's heart nearly stopped beating when he witnessed her beautiful timidity –in fact, nearly all things about her made him smile. Of course, he kept his emotions in tact for the time being. "Lunamaria-san, I…"

Surprisingly, the magenta haired coordinator interrupted, "You don't like me, do you?" she questioned hastily before Shani finished his sentence. From what he could gather at this instant, she looked rejected and dejected. At this point, what could he say?

Shani was just confused. "What are you saying?" After he announced that question, Shani wanted to punch himself for speaking such a retarded response. Luckily, Lunamaria didn't seem to mind –to the least, not yet.

"You like Stellar more than me, don't you, Shani Andras?" When she called him by his full name, the Forbidden pilot knew she was dead serious on this subject. The ZAFT Lieutenant needed to clear things up before this situation became something beyond repair.

"Lunamaria Hawke, listen for a second…" Much to his discomfort, she kept on going despite his reasoning.

"I know you like Stellar more than me… she is beautiful, very sexy, kind, gentle, supportive, loyal, she can dance, all guys would like her, she smiles a lot, she is your friend for like ever and ever… I can't compete with her!" Shani didn't know if he should be grimacing or grinning. However, he was quite bewildered to hear so many qualities of Stellar Louissier from Lunamaria –where she never met the Extended ever in her life except from pictures.

At last, Shani figured out how to approach his good friend. He first smiled understandingly to catch Lunamaria's attention. Once again, her cheeks flushed up. "Most of what you said are only physical attributes of Stellar, Lunamaria," Shani told her softly, "Do you know that?" Lunamaria obediently nodded adorably –in an involuntary fashion.

"But… I don't really know how to dance… I'm clumsy at times… I don't have big bright, pink, magenta eyes…"

"But you have a beautiful pair of blue ones," complimented Shani kindly, "What's wrong with them?"

Once more, Lunamaria felt her cheeks burn by his praising. "Oh, stop, Shani,"

"And let you put yourself down?" he questioned her knowingly before he purposely placed his right hand above her breasts so he would touch her heart. The girl thought she could faint when Shani's hand was so close to her forbidden areas. "I can't do that. Lunamaria Hawke, the most important thing is not what is based on the outside, you don't need to worry about these small things. The most important thing is what your heart believes in, and whether your intentions and ambitions are genuine. I think you're great as a friend, I think your eyes are perfect, your magenta hair is so unique, and you yourself as a person is perfect the way you are. It doesn't matter at all if you can't dance; I am not that great at some things either. It is not an issue with me if you are clumsy… even though that made me grope your breasts… your skirt… so short and pink…"

He was getting aroused just watching her sitting form. Damn those hormones, why were they reacting when he needed to keep a supportive yet relaxed face?

Lunamaria raised her eyebrows when Shani was stuttering all of a sudden. In all honesty, Shani rarely choked on words. She was actually somewhat amused. "Shani, you're drooling…" When the ZAFT Lieutenant heard it, Lunamaria saw him shake for a second in a very embarrassed way. She then laughed to make him feel more awkward.

"Gomen, gomen!" apologized Shani hurriedly, "I… I… I was…"

"Fantasizing about me?" she told in a form of a question. Also, she did it in such a flattered way to make Shani blush slightly. "Oh, I am so honoured." She sounded ever so sincere –Shani would not believe that she was lying at that moment.

He desperately needed to justify himself or he would really be a pervert in her eyes forever. With his past history of touching her fully, any –present or future- mess-ups were definitely not advantageous. To express his desperation further, he even had his hands moving defensively. "Lunamaria… it's not what you think! Honest!" He experienced all sort of dread when the Coordinator lady moved in a several inches closer with a very knowing smile on her face. To a degree, it was considered seductive. "Hey… stop… Lunamaria…"

For obvious reasons, she wasn't stopping, "Oh, Shani, why stop?" she began with a very sweet voice, "I don't think I am misunderstanding anything." Without him knowing, her arms already caught him in a light embrace. To increase the warmth, all she needed to do was lean in. "I know you like me." Those words penetrated all sorts of emotional barricades and defences that he was trying to support himself with. The girl was so close to him right now that Shani could take her lips and kiss it passionately. Lunamaria's scent smelled so pleasant, she was so sweet, and her breathing tickled his nose as well. How could anyone remain sane while being this close to her? In addition, that charming smile she carried was definitely something that was making his logic crack.

"Lunamaria…"

"Shani…" The Forbidden pilot was panicking inside when he noticed that she was moving in again. He could obviously detect her motives –she was trying to kiss him. Not on the cheek though, but on his lips. What should he do? What could he do? What other options were there? By the time he had his mind back on track, his right violet eye could see Lunamaria's face right in front of his. Her eyes were closed; she was expecting him to make the next move. Matters became worse for him when he could hear her heartbeat, and not to mention his own was pounding in coordination. "Take me…"

Here goes nothing…

It was a total miracle when his cellular phone started to ring. Therefore, the moment was ruined. At the same time, Shani did not fully know if he should feel disappointed for missing out such an opportunity or sigh in utter relief. Nonetheless, he had to deal with his phone first. After giving a small apology to Lunamaria, the green haired Extended squirmed out of their embrace before flipping the phone open to know who it was that interrupted their perfect moment.

Needless to say, Lunamaria did not seem to be quite delighted about this.

"Hello?" asked Shani a little impatiently, "Lieutenant-" He wasn't even done and the person on the other line already began his sentence. A lot of people liked to be interrupting these days around him, he wondered why.

"Shani, man, where are you right now?" The Forbidden pilot recognized that this was Heine.

"Outside… somewhere in town."

"Well, you better get your ass back here, Shani," Heine sounded like as if he was agitated. Shani only wanted to assume what was up with him, "Did you know that Captain Gladys and I need to talk to you about your tasks after the military academy graduation? It is very important."

Shani was not one bit pleased. "If it's that urgent, why didn't you find me on my phone earlier, baka? I am now in the middle of nowhere and you expect me to get my sorry ass back to base now? Get real, Heine, give me time on these things, okay?"

"I didn't think that we would need to call you since I sent Miss Hawke to look for you."

This was indeed unexpected. "Lunamaria?"

"Yeah, did she find you yet? She told me that she knew where you would go and show up, that's why I sent her out only. Aren't you fortunate to have such a beautiful, attractive, talented, and loyal girl on your side, Shani? Hey, you should be."

Heine's words weren't making him feel any better, "Don't get any ideas, Heine-bastard," Shani told him in a half-friendly half-serious tone of voice. "I'll head back to base immediately, okay?" Heine only allowed the nicknames of profanity to slide around his highest ranked comrades –namely Shiho and Shani.

"Just hurry, it is urgent." With that said, Heine hung up on him. That left the Lieutenant grimacing and cursing a several times. When Lunamaria saw him closing his phone, she got off the bench and took the liberty to wrap her arms around his right one naturally, as if she was supposed to. What made her move even more shocking to Shani was that she was doing it without any shame or feeling wrong, and at the same time, her breasts were in full contact with the back of his entire arm.

The coordinator girl watched her admirer for a several seconds and blinked innocently, "What's wrong, Shani?" Lunamaria's voice was so gentle and loving to his ears that he couldn't muster up an explainable reason to remain stoic and passive. She was too skilled at being genuinely affectionate.

"Lunamaria-san…" she hated him being so formal with her, "Was there a reason why you were out here tonight?" When that question was brought up, Lunamaria knew what Shani was referring to. Based on the subject that he was talking about earlier, she safely assumed that the caller was Heine.

"Yeah…" she admitted sheepishly.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Are you angry with me?"

"No, not really… I am just wondering why you didn't tell me before. It's not like you forgot."

She blushed before turning away so she could avoid eye contact for a short period of time. "Well, you know why…" Lunamaria soon played with his arm in every possible way to give him signs that she liked him, but it wasn't as if Shani didn't have an idea of her affection and feelings. For the first time, he made a move by poking her stomach area. She laughed right on the bat when his finger merely tapped her, and at that point Shani figured that she was extremely ticklish. "Stop it, Shani!" she protested helplessly as she continued to laugh uncontrollably. That amused the Forbidden pilot greatly, it was about time he found out some weaknesses about her.

Then again, Shani knew she would threaten to bite him if he didn't stop soon. Besides, he needed to return to base as soon as possible. "Shani… I will bite…" Once those several words escaped her lips, Shani quickly moved back before sprinting off towards the opposition direction. Lunamaria stared in disbelief when she found out that he was ditching her! "Shani Andras! You stop this instant!"

Although he did stop and turned around, she could clearly tell that he was going to run off in a matter of seconds, "Lunamaria Hawke!" he called back, "Race you back to base! Ha!" As if it was legitimate enough, Shani turned around before dashing away at top speed. Lunamaria was obviously not prepared.

It wasn't long before she started to chase him, "You come back here, Shani! Come back!" Despite that she sounded angry, her heart was rejoicing to the fullest.

(At Headquarters)

It was half an hour after the phone call that Shani came stumbling into Heine's office. The Faith member found it most entertaining when he got to see Shani's awful entrancing skills. Of course, since he was a leader and superior to the Forbidden pilot, he merely kept it to himself for the sake of solemnity. He didn't mind this time that Shani didn't knock or wait for his permission -since Heine could tell Shani ran all the way back here from who-knows-where.

After taking a several deep breaths to regain his energy, Heine decided to break the awkward silence, "How ungraceful of you to enter so ungracefully," said the Gouf Ignited pilot repeating the words ungracefully twice deliberately. "Maybe you should enter a kids show and make yourself into a slapstick humour specialist for the kids to laugh at."

"Spare me your suggestions," said Shani in a spat as he snatched a bottle of water that was conveniently on the coffee table before twisting it open, "What is this thing that is so important?"

"Aren't you in a hurry to get out of here?" commented Heine half sarcastically, but Shani caught all the teasing. It wasn't a difficult task to read this superior's eyes. "Is it about someone?"

"Don't start getting any ideas," the Forbidden pilot quickly budded in before his superior said any more.

"Fine."

"So tell me, what is this new assignment you got for me?"

"You do know about the graduation thing that is coming next week or so, right? Let me ask you this, how are the students?"

Shani was proud to say that his progress at ZAFT was quite smooth, "My students are great, I am sure that all of them will pass. Didn't you read my progress report, Heine?"

"That report goes to the Chairman and Captain Gladys, and it's not my concern to know how the academy students are doing in their training. Well, I would start my own lessons with them after they become rookies."

Shani had a question though. "Why does the Chairman need to look at my report? I mean, he is a political leader in PLANT, not a military executive." Heine was impressed with Shani's sharpness level. He really wasn't a Lieutenant for nothing.

"Its not like you don't know who you are, Shani," said Heine, a little sadly, "You are GATX-252 Gundam's pilot, you are a Natural, and we have to know if you are doing your job right. Although the Chairman does trust you, he needs to be very careful with you here. Sadly to say, your position is the easiest to be eliminate amongst any other soldiers within your rank or higher. As long as you do your best, you will be fine."

"Thanks for saying so."

"You still want to know what your new mission is, right?"

"Yeah, that's why I am here."

"Be prepared for it, okay?" When Heine got a recognition from Shani –which was a small nod- he continued. "Shani, your next task will take place after the graduation, I am sure your students wouldn't want their new instructor to simply go AWOL on them after being here for over a week. Besides, I am sure you are getting familiar with a several of them. Know what I mean?"

"Get out of here!" scolded the Forbidden pilot wanting to sock him in the arm. Unfortunately, he was out of range since he was sitting down on the couch. However, throwing things would be quite satisfying though. "Enough of your jokes about Lunamaria-san!"

"Fine, fine. Anyway, you would be curious to know that you would be leaving PLANT by around next week or so." That caught Shani's attention. In fact, it caught so much it that he stood up from his spot.

"What, am I fired all of a sudden?"

"Oh no, it's just that we need to transfer you to another place. I know it's quite soon, but you are the only person that I could think of… no, we could think of that would do it safely without anyone detecting." Heine was still not making any sense to Shani. In all honesty, Shani hoped that Heine would just get to the point like how Lunamaria and Meyrin always were in their conversations. "What I am trying to say is that we need you to return to earth."

This nearly got Shani to say "What the fuck".

Instead, the Lieutenant of ZAFT picked his words wisely, "Heine, what the hell are you talking about? I came up here for 7 or 9 days, and suddenly you are telling me that I need to return to Mother Earth? Dude, I got my own tolerance levels, don't provoke it to erupt in a volcanic fashion –in which you can't handle."

"Are you upset by this?"

"Not necessarily that delighted –unless you give me a very legitimate justification." Shani told him with utmost seriousness. He was not in a good mood to joke because this entire announcement sounded like one big sick joke. As far as Shani was concerned, travelling back and forth like that was extremely troublesome. "Why do you need me to go back to earth? Is it because I am a Natural?"

"That's part of it…" confessed Heine apologetically, "But at the same time, you do know earth more than any one of us since you have been living on it."

"That doesn't mean anything," the Forbidden pilot stated, almost making ridicule his words, "It is very difficult for me not to believe that you are sending me because I am a Natural. Also, I can say you guys are discriminating and differentiating me due to the fact that my genes aren't altered and played around."

Heine wanted to defend himself against these words of his Lieutenant. Actually, the Faith member was not someone who hated Naturals, "Shani, you know ZAFTs intentions aren't like that. You know that Captain Glady's motives are never differentiating and discriminating. In fact, we thought that we might be doing you a favour by sending you back to earth to continue your work with us."

"Favour?" the green haired Extended inquired, compressing his eyes carefully, "What are you saying?"

It was a good thing that he got Shani to listen. At the same time, it was a blessing that Shani was not an irrational individual –he didn't know how reckless Shani really was when he was piloting a mobile suit. "I am sure you have left your roots when you came up to PLANT. I mean, earth was your home, and when you wanted to be a soldier we practically needed to drag you from your homeland and country. Just because you are a ZAFT soldier, it doesn't mean that you have to be up here –especially when there are no wars going on. Why not serve ZAFT when you're home, I am sure that you have a place to go despite you're back on earth."

Shani did believe Heine made a good point, but it was not suffice. "It's not like the fact I don't have my roots… but it sounds really weird to go back after they shed their tears for me when I left and not ever planning to go back anytime soon. How can I explain it to them like this? This is just so farfetched…" Heine had his own share to blame. "Whatever, I suppose that isn't really a big deal now, yet I do want to know what sort of tasks I would be dealing with."

The Gouf Ignited pilot raised a cup of coffee to his lips before answering his Lieutenant. "It should be easy for you, Shani. All you have to be is a student." If the Forbidden pilot was drinking something, he could spit it all out to form a perfect rainbow. This news was indeed unexpected.

"Student?" Heine could read all of the confusion that was displayed from him. If this news was brought up to him like this, Heine was certain that he himself might act the same way.

"You will be transferred to our private headquarters in North Kyoto."

"There is a headquarters down in that area? Hey, I came from North Kyoto!"

"That's why it may be best for you to be back there with your friends and family. As for your future task, all you need to do is observe in schools whether the students promote any sort of hate towards Coordinators and Naturals." Shani's facial expression served as a powerful sign for Heine to continue his elaboration. In other words, the Lieutenant did not see any sense in Heine's logic. "With the war only ending within such a short amount of time, it is obvious that many people have not expressed their hatred towards each race. Like, just because PLANT or the EAF declared their so-called ceasefire, it doesn't mean that the rage is gone. They are still holding rifles that are meant to kill anyone that they wish, and because this declaration took place, they can no longer shoot.

"Seriously, their minds could be like 'Why can't you fools declare peace earlier so my wife or family did not have to die' or maybe even 'Why didn't you faggots declare the ceasefire after I blow that son-of-a-bitch's head off'. It's funny now to say it, but to some of those people out there… this is really how they feel. They believe that the opposition hadn't suffered enough; they think that they had not contributed enough to save their loved ones; they wish to have more power… Who knows what people believe these days, but ZAFT does not want their beliefs to affect others. What I am trying to say is that we want you to be down at earth to prevent any tragedies from happening. We want you to see if any groups or individuals are having a will to provoke any violence from recurring. Once you see it around you or anywhere in the city, report it to headquarters and let them deal with it."

Shani was not exactly impressed with what Heine ordered him to do even though his reasons were quite firm. "So… I am an undercover… and I am still a Lieutenant?"

"Yes."

"But… why don't I get to do anything other than to report stuff?"

"We don't want to make it too obvious yet. Remember that you are a spy amongst your friends as well, you shouldn't tell them your real reasons for going back to earth. However, you will go to headquarters now and then for duties. Don't worry, it wouldn't be a big deal." Shani was not easily convinced.

"Easier said than done, you know," said the Forbidden pilot with a grimace across his visage, "Am I supposed to say that I am a soldier and student? Who is going to believe that? What, you got some proper excuses that I could use to explain to my friends why I am both of these things? I don't want any 'I was at the Flower Shop', 'The doctor says that I was too high on drugs that are grown on PLANT so I was better going back to earth', 'My education was not good enough but my Commander did not have the heart to fire me', 'I had a hidden craving to nuke my Commanders', 'Clowns are funny', 'My students were indecisive, so I shot them', 'A pedestrian hit me, and hid under my car', 'Better luck next time, but I never recalled saying good luck'… Just no shit, okay?"

Heine was tempted to laugh when he heard all those reasons from Shani –it wasn't everyday that a solemn, creepy, unpredictable adolescent acted like a comedian involuntarily. To Heine's amusement, he caught that over half the things that Shani said had no relevance of him being send back to earth. It was quite understandable to Heine what Shani needed to go through later on for he did require a strong enough reasoning to explain to his friends at this rate.

"Do you think that your friends are people that can keep secrets?" That question surely took the one eyed Natural off guard for a moment.

"I think so…" Shani replied dumbly while scratching his head. All he knew was that Crot and Stellar would be able to keep things quiet, but he didn't know if Kira, Lacus, and the others would be as helpful. More or less, Lacus could keep her word, but then there were the rest. With so many uncertainties, it was quite hard for Shani to give a proper answer -especially if it was all based on assumptions.

"If it's okay with you, then you can tell your friends. However, make sure that they don't tell anyone else though."

"Roger. Heine, when do I have to leave for earth?"

"The day after the academy graduation, Shani. The headquarters at North Kyoto are expecting you on the 4th day after you leave PLANT. I don't have an outline or those other official documents for your transfer, but I am sure Captain Gladys would have it by tomorrow. I'm sorry that you have to leave us after only being here for over a week… it must be quite hard for you to adjust. I am really sorry, Shani."

To Heine's surprise, Shani was grinning, "It is fine, Heine, really. If I do go back to earth, I think someone would be delighted. Maybe going home isn't a bad idea…" At least the Faith member finally had the courage to loosen up a little. At first, he really thought Shani was ticked off by this sudden order. In reality, Shani was quite agitated about this entire ordeal –but of course he didn't want to express it much more of it.

"One more thing,"

"What is it?"

"Don't let anyone else in the lower ranks to know about it for now, okay?"

"Roger."

Oblivious to the two of them, their conversation was not left unheard by one girl. Needless to say, she was devastated by this news.

(Later on, in Shani's office)

Stellar sent a mail earlier, and she did not realize how much Shani needed it. In fact, the Forbidden pilot was always glad to see messages from his childhood friend, she always knew what to do to cheer him up despite she might not even know what was going on. Stellar was a bright, considerate, and passionate girl –that was something that Shani would believe until the day he would perish. He wondered what Stellar sent him, and he did feel sort of guilty for not calling back although Shinn told him before that she called him. Despite the Forbidden pilot did sent a mail to compensate for his wrong; mailing wasn't the same as phoning. Stellar wanted to hear his voice, and he wanted to hear hers.

After a few clicks on the mouse, he finally accessed to the designated mail. His right eye opened quite a bit when he found out how formal-looking the message was.

Dear Shani,

How are you these days? I think a ZAFT Lieutenant would be really, really busy all the time. You don't even have time to mail or call your baby sister anymore! I really want to hear your voice sometime soon. How are your friends doing, Shani? How is Shinn? The last time I called, you know he picked the phone, and he was telling me what kind of good job you have been doing as his instructor. Shinn said that his old instructor was old and boring, and he hopes that you don't get old and boring because you are the best military officer anyone had seen. Well, of course I am only saying things in Shinn's perspective, but then again I know that you are going to be even more amazing since this isn't the EAF, and you're not there merely as a pilot.

I really want to be there with you and see how it is truly like to be a soldier. Rather, I want to know what life is supposed to be all about. Of course, I know I can do anything with you because I know that you will catch me when I fall.

I miss you, I truly do. Things have not been necessarily getting more hectic, but I can safely tell you it isn't the same without you around. Don't worry about Athrun and Kira and the others, they are doing just fine despite the exhibition incident. As for me, I wait upon your return whether it's your vacation or you quit ZAFT. If you come back as a Lieutenant, I want to celebrate it with you. If you return as a normal civilian, I want to be there to heal your heart. Sadly enough, we don't get vacation until later, and that means I can't visit you anytime soon. However, if you are going to come back soon, please-please-please tell me!

Anyway, Cagalli prepared dinner tonight… and she is demanding that everyone must be there to enjoy it with her, and that means the guys are there, too. She's calling me now… and somehow I got the feeling that all of us would consider the bathroom our dearest friend.

I got to go now!

Come back to me soon, Shani!

Love

Dearest Stellar

Shani was deeply touched by her comforting words. At the same time, he couldn't help but to notice that there was some sort of hidden message that the Gaia pilot wanted him to know. She was surprisingly affectionate –which was something she didn't do in the past. There was just something missing, but yet the Forbidden pilot didn't fully grasp what it might be. Nevertheless, it was a great letter that soothed his heart. Just as he was about to respond her mail, someone knocked on his door.

"Who is it?" Shani called out in a passive voice to the person outside his door. He first thought that it was Lunamaria, but he certainly wasn't expecting another girl's voice.

"Lieutenant, may I come in?" This voice was familiar to Shani.

"Meyrin?"

"Yes, it's me. May I come in?" Seeing that the visitor was the younger Hawke sister, Shani was somewhat relieved knowing how sensitive Lunamaria was when the topic of Stellar was brought up. In addition, the Forbidden pilot wondered why Meyrin would be here at this hour. As far as his mind could recall, Meyrin never visited him -even if it was about her shooting and training.

He wanted to curse himself when he realized that he had been pondering too much, "Yeah, you may." As soon as Meyrin heard Shani's permission, she pressed the button to open the slide door before she gracefully stepped in. The red-head had her hand in front of her lap politely when she stood right in front of his desk without saying a word. Her head was looking at the ground, and if the floor was actually alive, it would tell her to stop staring. "Meyrin?"

"Yes?" she asked back with an audible eep. Shani could tell that she was deathly nervous about something. Was it him?

"You don't look too okay… do you need something to drink? And perhaps you should sit down?"

"Sure…" She took his advice and sat on the couch stiffly.

"What do you want to drink?" Shani asked as he opened his mini-fridge that only high ranked officers had in their office, "Want some iced tea?" Again, Meyrin nodded. In less than five seconds, Shani handed it to her before she pulled off the tab and swallowed part the contents. The Forbidden pilot was watching her drinking form, and his eye displayed nothing but confusion when he could not find out what sort of problems she was having. From what he could gather at the spot, Meyrin had no physical problems.

"Thank you…" the little Hawke sister said softly.

"No problem. Feeling better?"

"I am fine, Lieutenant."

"That's good. Meyrin, is there something that you want to talk to me about?" She didn't answer him. Meyrin was deadly still, as if she was in a deep meditation but with her eyes opened and blinking once in a while. He had never seen her like this, did he actually do something to her that made her so upset –provided if she was saddened. In spite of that, Shani tried to start a conversation because this was not going anywhere. Moreover, he did not want to bore his visitor to death. "I want to apologize, Meyrin."

At last, that caught her attention.

"For what, Lieutenant?" she inquired in a puzzled voice.

"For not being there to help you and Shinn practice, and also when I promised that I would be there to help. I'm sorry that my work got in my way, I hope you can forgive me."

However, her next question was something out of the blue. "Lieutenant, are you happy here?" What sort of question was that? Talk about being random!

"Huh?" Shani wanted to punch himself for being so retarded in front of her. The least that he could've done was say "I don't know what you're saying".

"Are you happy being our superior? Do you like your job right now?" This lady was very unpredictable, and no doubt the wasabi green haired Extended was having a hard time understanding what she was getting at.

"What do you expect me to say? I mean, I like it of course. I really thought I wouldn't have any friends here, but look, I have you, Shinn, Lunamaria-"

"I know I have been really happy," continued Meyrin despite that Shani wasn't done yet. Fortunately, Shani noticed her talking or he would look extremely rude or perhaps demented, "I've been really happy because onee-chan has been finally smiling… it had been a while since she had smiled… like this, I mean."

"What are you saying?" Shani always thought that Lunamaria was a delightful spirit. However, Meyrin did not appear to be lying.

"Did onee-chan tell you about the teddy bear story before?"

"Teddy bear? You don't mean when her ex made love with the teddy bear…"

"Yeah. What did onee-chan tell you?" Meyrin further inquired

"We were joking about it the other day… and I was pretty much laughing when I heard it. Not trying to be mean or anything, but getting serious with a teddy bear is just unbearable." Meyrin wanted to laugh along, but all she managed to do was give a weak smirk. In all honesty, this story was not supposed to be amusing in any possible way. Therefore, the little Hawke sister was actually surprised to know that Lunamaria made the story funny for Shani to hear.

"Is it actually that entertaining?" Meyrin suddenly questioned her Lieutenant, "I will tell you, onee-chan was crying so much when she found out that her ex had a sex life with a teddy bear." That was not something Shani expected to hear. When the Forbidden pilot gestured her to continue while giving all his attention, Meyrin eagerly continued. "Onee-chan felt defeated. We all lose sometime in our lives, hey, I thought I was going to fail the exam that is coming up next week. We win some, and we lose a lot, I know. It's a fact that goes on in our lives. However, in a relationship… you may also lose –that is when you break up. If you break up, you lose to your partner because you weren't good enough to keep the spark from glowing. If someone else steals your beloved away from you that means you didn't do a good enough job to maintain your bond with that special someone. Then again… in both cases, you realize that you are losing to someone. But why she felt so defeated and believed that she was such a loser was that she lost in relationship to an inanimate object."

Shani wished to kick something when he failed to notice this crucial fact.

"As far as I am concerned, no one loses to an object in a romantic relationship, and onee-chan practically made history with the Big Time Loser award. Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to be defeated by a teddy bear? A teddy bear for crying to the heavens! Onee-chan was so afraid of being a laughing stock, and she fell into a deep depression. She was so scared to fall in love again because she didn't know if she would need to face rejection once more. Not only that… onee-chan changed."

"Changed… because she is afraid of men… like becoming someone who is attracted to women?"

Meyrin immediately gaped at him. "My sister is not a lesbian, Shani Andras!" scolded Meyrin right on the mark. He raised a brow when she called him by his full name and not Lieutenant. The Forbidden pilot rolled his visible eye a several times with a groan escaping midway, and Meyrin also flushed up a little bit when she realized how loud she was a second ago. "Anyway…" she continued, attempting to be graceful about it, "It's just that onee-chan… well, she just hadn't been too happy ever since then. I always tried to make her happy but I was never successful. Our parents were dead a month or two before the Bloody Valentine tragedy, and it has been very tough for us to survive without them. All onee-chan wanted was someone to care for her, to love her…"

"I can relate…" said Shani sincerely. He genuinely understood how that felt like.

"Your parents have been killed before the war, Lieutenant?" Meyrin inquired as she took another sip from her can.

"I am not as fortunate as you," said the Forbidden pilot as he stretched his right arm due to lack of usage for a while, "Or maybe I am… I don't know. But I can tell you something… I never had any parents… I only friends that are as close as brothers and sisters. Without them, I would be as good as insane."

Meyrin became sympathetic, "I'm sure you had a family… maybe they passed away when you were very young, Lieutenant… I'm sorry to hear that, Shani."

Shani knew he had nobody. As much as he hated to admit it, someone who was born out of a test tube did not have any parents. Also, he could not reveal the secrets of the Rodnia Laboratory just yet. In the end, he decided to go on with the flow, "Yeah, maybe you're right, Meyrin… Maybe they just weren't as fortunate as I was…" The younger Hawke sister smiled when Shani finally had a grin on his face again.

Suddenly, Meyrin stood from her spot. Judging from her motives, it appeared that she was going to leave, "Thanks for having a talk with me, Lieutenant, I really enjoyed it."

However, Shani still had some questions that were left unanswered. He wouldn't allow her to leave like that without having at least some of the mystery solved. "Meyrin," he called as she paused in her walking.

"What?"

"What was the reason of this conversation? Why did you tell me about your sister's past?"

To his discomfort, Meyrin did not turn around. He had never seen this sort of solemnity from her. "Lieutenant, I am sure you know that you are one of the people who onee-chan fully trusts and gets along with. It's not that onee-chan does not like other people, but she really does look up to you. Please don't make a woman explain anymore than she should be… it's really embarrassing. I thank you for your time."

"Meyrin…"

She took a few steps before stopping one last time, "One more thing…"

"What?"

"If you are ever going to leave this place… can you think about everyone else that you know and onee-chan before you make your decision? I like you a lot, Shani… you have been like a big brother that I never had. Also, if you want onee-chan to be happy, I strongly advise you to do what is right. She really does admire you… and probably more… Please, don't leave her behind." With that said, Meyrin finally left the room before giving a small bow of gratitude. When Shani could no longer feel her presence, he sunk into his couch absolutely confused and troubled.

She knows… she knows my mission… but how? Kuso…

Stuck in two dilemmas once again, Shani was really running out of options and time. On earth there was Stellar Louissier, and on PLANT, Lunamaria Hawke… Why must life be so difficult to compromise?

AN: Next update would be in around two to three weeks –provided if I don't have that much work deal with. I am sure why this chapter took place, I can safely tell you that the triangle is becoming more intense as time goes along. Guys, please be patient with me, I am really trying to get these updates on time, and your support is one of the only things that actually keep me going. Thanks so much for you support you guys! Time for me to sign off.