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.

8. Home Again

Believe, Realize, Reason

Chapter 8: Home Again

Disclaimer: I don't own Seed! Hooray! I don't own Seed? Oh, no, I am ruined!

Legend:

"…": Speech

'…': Thoughts

Scenario changes are listed in bolded italic brackets

AN: Today is my first anniversary for being a member of July 6th, gotta remember that! I have been writing for a year now! YAY!

Back on the real issue now… Yes, kill and stone OpForce to death for not posting up this chapter after a month. Yes, I was working my ass off at other stuff and this is one of the longest pieces of crap that I had to write. It's crazy man! Crazy! Also, the next update will definitely take place in at least a month. Some people do know why, and some don't. Allow me to explain.

On July 10th 2005, one month exactly after my 18th birthday (HOORAY, I am 18) I would be at the airport heading for Hong Kong for a several weeks. Knowing Hong Kong and some of my own relatives, I know most of them don't have the Internet, but surprisingly they have cellular phones. Without access to a PC, I don't think that I could be writing, therefore, I can't post. However, fortunately, I hope to get inspired while I am there, and hopefully I get to do some major anime shopping sprees. I am really sorry that this would definitely be my last piece of work until August, but it really can't be helped.

To be real with you all, I really don't want to go back to Hong Kong. Firstly, I would be ditching my writing, which is passion. Secondly… I am losing over 2000 dollars worth of income because I can't get paid due to my absences. Minna-san, please enjoy this latest piece of my work, and leaving me a comment would make me some much happier before I leave.

Thank you all so much for supporting me this long!

(North Kyoto Collegiate Institute, 11:30 AM)

"You going to be okay, Stellar?" asked Crot to his childhood friend during a class interchange. Actually, it was time for lunch. When the Raider pilot stole a peek behind him, he raised a brow curiously as to why Athrun, Kira, Lacus, Dearka, Miriallia, Yzak, Shiho, and especially Cagalli seem to be extremely drained and tired. He wondered what happened to them when they seemed to be quite full of it yesterday.

"I'll be fine," she told him with reassurance about her own state, "Really, I would be."

"Why is everyone so out of it?" he continued to question as he pointed to the rear, "Look, not even Cagalli Yula Attha back there is attacking Zala or Yamato. I thought the Lord has sent His mercy over us, I really thought so. Then again, Zala and Yamato could really use this time to relax." When he took another glance for a second, he nearly wanted to react when Miriallia accidentally tripped. Luckily for her, Dearka managed to catch her by the waist before her face smashed into the ground. However, Crot noticed that even the Buster pilot barely had the strength to get her back up. One small nudge would've been sufficient to make Dearka tumble over.

"We just had some of Cagalli-chan's cooking last night," replied Stellar in a whisper so the Orb princess would not know what she said, "I think everyone else is also sick…"

"Why wasn't I informed that Cagalli is cooking, Stellar?"

The Gaia pilot just chose to smile –which was something she was extremely great at making others grin with her. It was astonishing how marvelous some people could be, and in addition, Stellar did not chose to show this side to certain people –unless they were evident perverts that even blind people could identify without looking at their wretched visages. Nonetheless, Stellar would still smile but not without a forceful nail down the crotch. Even as a kid she was taught to manipulate someone's weakness to her strength. "You were sleeping after the appointment, remember? The doctor said that you needed rest after that collision with the door. And besides, you slept right after you came back."

"So I missed it? The dinner, I mean."

"Fortunately, yes. It was a good thing that you weren't there."

Crot was somewhat curious for it was quite the driving force in his life. Had he ever wondered what could've happened to him without a curious mind? In all honesty, no, yet he could sure use some knowledge to rid himself of all emotions. Crot knew it was an impossibility, since emotions were a distinct trait of a human being. However, not having it during the worst of times would've been great.

For instance, if he had no emotions when he underwent Azarel's torment, that director would've left him alone after tempting to hurt him once. However, it was because Crot showed pain and suffering that made the tortures continue.

"How was Cagalli's cooking?" he asked a few seconds later. "Was it as good as Lacus'?"

If Stellar was in a joking mood –which she was as a matter of fact- she would've laughed out loud. But being a considerate friend, Stellar decided to keep it quiet since it could hurt Cagalli's self-esteem and self-confidence. It was easy to wound, and hard to recover. "Let's just say the rice looked like glue." At that instant, the orange haired Extended wanted to curl up and vomit. If anyone wanted to serve congee, serve congee. If it was rice, then serve rice –but never half congee and half rice because it really would taste like crap. Just imagining it easily made his stomach turn.

"I think I should pass… right?"

"I thought you would," Stellar whispered softly with a gentle grin, "Crot-sempai?"

The Raider pilot didn't turn his head. Rather, he moved his blue right eye to look at her. "What is it?"

"How's your forehead? You had a pretty bad bump… at least I thought it was bad. You were so careless." Crot was surprising relieved and happy to see someone actually cared about his safety and well being. Yzak would've said something as well but both Stellar and Crot were very certain that his demeanor drastically changed when he came back after his visit with Shiho. The Duel pilot looked like a walking wraith possessed by banshees or evil spirits. In other words, he was a mess.

"It stings from time to time," admitted the male Extended as he touched it. As a result, he immediately winced where as the blond dancer quickly attended to it with worries. "Ouch, goddamn it!"

"Watch yourself, sempai!" She didn't mean to scold but she told him plenty of times not to recklessly touch it like that. "Or your bruise would not heal properly. You don't want a permanent scar on your forehead now, do you?"

When he thought about it more thoroughly, having a cool looking scar wouldn't be that bad. He was almost certain some girls in this institute believed that Yzak's scar was something majestic, magnificent, and worthy to be praised. A scar like that not only meant that he had feelings about it, it showed that he had experiences about the war itself. To some people, the Duel pilot was an honourable veteran where as Crot was a mindless killing machine. Reality pretty much sent that message around as an influence. Fortunately, it was nothing close to hysteria.

Her actions really tempted the Raider pilot to laugh, "You sound like my mother, Stellar."

The Gaia pilot was a sharp girl, and it was all thanks to Shani. "You never had one." Stellar stated dryly despite that she had no parents either. Who was she to talk?

"I wish there was a girl who would really care about me…" The Extended girl eyed him carefully for a second. Did Crot just sound like he wanted affection? As far as she knew, affection, love, romance, and lovey-dovey were not in Crot's vocabulary. In addition, these things did not match him at all! Was he going insane on her?

"Hey, I care about you," said Stellar, forgetting her own crazy thoughts for the moment, "Are you neglecting me now? I am insulted, Crot-sempai."

He sighed to no one in particular. There was no need to make a dramatic notice or boast about his own problems and other private things. "I am your big brother, Stellar," Crot explained to her as he took the liberty to ruffle Stellar's gorgeous blond hair like a big brother would, "And I promised Shani to take care of you while he is away. If I don't do my job right, Shani would be angry with me." It wasn't much of a surprise when he saw Stellar blush while hearing Shani's name being mentioned. Also, she was deeply flattered and happy to hear someone other than the Forbidden pilot cared about her like she meant something to this dreaded existence.

Did anyone ever have the courage to tell her how charming she looked with a faint pink shade crawling on her cheeks? Crot thought she was stunning with it.

"Shani-kun still cares about me?" the Gaia pilot asked her sempai hopefully. To express her exuberance and delectation, her eyes were sparkling like a crystal glittering in the light. If Crot was any other perverted male, he would be in a seductive trance despite the girl had no magical powers whatsoever. "Does he really?"

Crot had no intention to speak the untruthful. "I wouldn't lie."

Much to the timid girl's discomfort, she noticed that she was already in the cafeteria and in the gang's usual hang out spot. She didn't even realize that she was already here, things must be becoming like a routine for all of them. Maybe she was just a little out of it due to Cagalli's cooking. Then again, it would be quite wise for Stellar to check up on herself for problems. Firstly, it wouldn't be any sort of harm. Second, the Rodnia Laboratory did not have the best medical treatments –especially when she lived there for fifteen years. Fortunately, the Gaia pilot could be sure that Cagalli –hopefully- was not the source of her drowsiness, since she stuffed herself with a several bananas before the meal begun. Therefore, she would be half full to have a head start to finish the food.

Stellar –like many other women- had a strong sense of intuition and vigilance. As soon as Athrun told her the news last evening, she knew something was dreadfully, awfully wrong.

It was always better to prepare than repair – especially when she needed to repair herself from this she might not be able to see daylights again. In simpler terms, Stellar had a great intuition about death, and quite an admirably strong will to live on.

"Who's going to buy lunch?" inquired Crot to the crowd as he took out a bottle of water, "I wouldn't mind if I buy it for you guys." To his surprise, everyone shook their heads in unison. That was what scared him –the perfect coordination, as if a deadly conspiracy was planning underneath his nose with him lacking all knowledge. "Are you guys not going to eat?" At least he still had concern for his friends.

"No, we are, Crot," said Kira with a weak but sincere smile, "We're going to eat."

"But…"

"We packed our own lunch, Crot-kun," Lacus told him sweetly, as if she knew what he was going to say before it came out of him. "Don't concern yourself with us, we just wanted to eat more cleanly and safely." The orange haired Extended raised a brow at the songstress' answer. Sure, it was kind and polite, but the real question was that was Cagalli's cooking that gruesomely terrible? What made him question further was why the blond twin insisted to fix up a meal when she kind of had a clue that she sucked at it. Too much self-confidence it seemed.

From what he could gather at this moment, everyone was playing it safe –too safe. In some cases, he would even consider it as conservative –or actually, they crossed the line to being insanely careful, paranoid, and being too aware. As soon as the Strike Rouge pilot heard Lacus' very indirect criticism, she was enraged.

"Hey!" she practically roared with a shaking fist regardless that she appeared hostile and rude, "I am just a rookie, you know! I can still learn! I will promise you all that the next attempt would be spectacular!" If there were anything for her friends to admire, it would be her enthusiasm and zeal. Exuberance was a very noble trait for it gave a sense of trustworthiness to all who believed in faith. Perhaps, her ability to give high hopes to her crowd was something that was so unique about her –not like that was any quality that was worthy to be profound of when she failed to produce a confident argument and reason.

Athrun decided to step in before any dramatic action was raised. He even wrapped his arms around Cagalli's narrow waist to restrain her from doing anything idiotic, and she seemed to calm down but not quite yet. Rage was one dangerous tool of destruction after all, and Cagalli was not the most ideal manipulator of emotions. It fascinated Athrun to see someone so zealous as if Energizer Batteries were powered in their blood, but his small fantasies left a small opening for Cagalli to fidget some more to make his life increasingly difficult. "I think you've done enough for one day…" the Justice pilot declared in a not too positive fashion, "It would be best for you to step down, Cagalli."

"You're supposed to support me on these things!" she protested while fidgeting and retaliating. In one small twist, Cagalli instantly broke free and pounced on the poor Justice pilot. Dearka sighed exasperatedly while Miriallia supported him by nodding profoundly. At the same time, once the former Archangel CIC tried to produce more energy her body wondrously faltered on her. The Buster pilot was worried during this time, and he even suggested that she shouldn't be coming to school. However, when she insisted that she was fine, who was he to disagree? It was her body, not his. Also, she told him not to be too concerned about minor things, but at this point Dearka was no longer that convinced. When did someone who needed another person as a support look okay?

"Get a hold of your rage, Athha," commented Yzak arrogantly. His former subordinate quickly nudged him slightly to speak in a friendlier manner -of course the Duel pilot would not simply obey Shiho that easily. Not like he hated her –at least not yet- but the fact was that he had his own share of torment in the bathroom. As much as he hated to admit it, bathrooms and Yzak were not supposed to be friends. That convenient small room was only used when necessary, and he did not want to waste another pointless second of his time ever if he didn't have to. "It was because of you and your, awful, terrible, disgusting, cooking of monstrosity that we are all sick. If anyone is allowed to express their levels of 'being pissed off', it should be me. No, make that everyone who suffered from your meal."

"Yzak, you're not helping," Shiho told him when she pulled onto his blue shirtsleeve. "Cagalli-san was just trying her best." The Duel pilot nearly growled. If she was his so-called fiancee, why wasn't she standing by his side? Despite that Shiho told him to keep quiet about it for now, Yzak sure could've used the support. He clearly believed in the "strength in numbers" logic remarkably when it got him what he wanted.

"Yeah! At least I tried to cook!" justified the Orb princess as she got off Athrun. "At least I am a risk taker!" Once hearing that outburst from Cagalli, Lacus immediately went beside Kira for protection where as Miriallia took a few steps to hide behind Dearka. Crot and Stellar were simply amazed at the speed that it took to start an argument. They just broke a record according to the Raider pilot.

"At getting everybody killed maybe," countered the Duel pilot nearly attacking her. If Shiho didn't hold his arm, Yzak might've dashed at Cagalli. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Why didn't you tell me that last night?" Cagalli shouted back with equal rage. Athrun tried to calm her down with Kira and Lacus but it just didn't cut it at the moment. "Why wait until now when I am regretting that I ever cooked for you people?"

Yzak expected that weak comeback since yesterday –which was a pretty long unnecessary grudge. "Because I was in the bathroom for 3 goddamn hours! And by the time we came out, none of us had the strength to argue!"

"Oh, so you're starting now, is that it? I am no zoologist, but I can tell you're a jackass!"

The gray haired Coordinator was unaffected by that insult to everyone's surprise. If Dearka and Athrun knew Yzak Jule as well as they remembered, Yzak should be fuming by now and soon drastic measures must be used in order to achieve absolute victory. Instead, he had control –amazing control. Was Shiho the cause of this? "I am still pissed regardless of what you call me! You caused everything to happen, and are you saying that I don't have the right to be ticked off? Are you saying that getting everyone (including yourself) fucked up was not enough?" Surprisingly, he turned to Kira for some support. "Yamato, aren't you at least a bit upset that you got sick because of her arrogance?"

Kira winced when he was suddenly put in this conversation. To his dismay, everyone's eyes darted at the Freedom pilot, and what made it worse was that Cagalli clearly expected some good answers from her little brother. "Big" sisters could always have support of their loved ones, and in the Orb princess' case, encouragement was mandatory; a must.

"It's not that bad…" replied the Perfect Coordinator as a weak laugh escaped his lips very forcefully. It didn't take anyone with wits of a genius to know what sort of lie Kira was starting on; especially when he was a terrible liar. He hated the dinner, and even if his little trickery somehow make it past everyone Lacus was there to stop it –not like she would though but she could definitely detect the truth behind everything. Merely picturing the smiling face of his sister serving the food was an awful nightmare on its own. Kira seriously did not know how Cagalli failed to realize what kind of disaster was served on the table that night. If he was the cook, he was quite certain that he had an idea of the quality of his products before showing it in public for the sake of not having a need to humiliate himself.

The next line was what made all of them stared with disbelief. "At least we… at least we got to know how diarrhea feels like… despite having it for hours…"

Athrun, Miriallia, Stellar, Crot, and Lacus immediately slapped themselves at that retarded response. What on earth was he talking about? Did he know he just looked like an idiot consciously? If he wanted to side with someone never support both oppositions. Yzak eyed Yamato queerly as where Cagalli fumed up at his answer.

Dearka immediately jumped in without anyone's expectations. "Cagalli," he began seriously, "Cooking and your ambitions altogether makes you crazy. And for the sake of me, Miriallia, your brother, and practically everyone else, it is best if you don't start fixing things from scratch such as raw meat or curry chicken –aside from toast, microwave dinners, and maybe instant ramen. Better yet, don't enter the kitchen at all."

Kira and Athrun gasped audibly when they heard the Buster pilot's blunt words. If Cagalli was a guy, maybe such direct instructions were more suitable. However, Cagalli was a woman, and women –despite how much of a tomboy they may be- were extremely sensitive. Both Coordinators prepared for the worst when Cagalli started to stare at the Buster pilot dangerously. She was not making a sound… she just chose to be watch and observe.

The blond Coordinator swallowed a little bit while Miriallia became deeply worried. This silence wasn't something that had the potentials to keep anyone from being calm and collected. It felt like the Strike Rouge pilot could smell people's minds, and the more they wanted to conceal it the easier she could discover it. In another era, people would've burned her for being a witch. Having Cagalli as a companion it was nearly impossible not to pick up her personalities, values, and expectations.

Values were caught, not taught. wind

The first sentence that came out of the female twin's mouth shocked all of them. "My ambitious makes me crazy?" At first, they were expecting a major outbreak of rants and screaming. Everyone became dead silent before her emotions turned wild as she pointed to herself. All of them were deadly still as they listened. "I'm crazy? I'm crazy? I'm crazy! Oh, if I am so goddamn crazy, then have all you damn crazy kitchen! Do any bullshit that you want! You don't want me here to do nice things for you because I am so fucking crazy! Guess what, I don't give a damn anymore!" Dead silence filled the air when Cagalli proudly –and angrily- screamed out her inner thoughts. In one sharp turn, Cagalli spun around before marching out the cafeteria in tears. They didn't fall just yet, but anyone who saw her face at the moment would not fail to detect her sadness.

At the same time, Athrun was glaring at the Buster pilot. It had been a long while since Zala did that to Dearka. From Kira and Lacus' perspective, seeing Athrun upset was not a pretty sight –especially if all his disappointment was directed at them.

"What?" asked Dearka nervously. "Stop that, you guys…"

"We were going to have a nice lunch…" said the Justice pilot before he, too, went after the Orb princess. "Great, now I am going nuts!" Kira and Lacus watched their good friend's running form carefully and worriedly. It wasn't too difficult to predict how Athrun was feeling deep within.

Then, Crot moved in, and maybe it really wasn't the most ideal time. "Does anyone else want to eat?"

Yzak could've cared less about the scenario that happened previously. It wasn't like he was Cagalli's lover. Besides, he didn't like having an empty stomach. In fact, he was so weak this morning that he didn't bother to have breakfast, and it was all caused by a certain Gundam pilot that originated from Orb. Just as he was about to sit down and enjoy his homemade sandwich, someone's hand grabbed the back of his shirt before forcefully taking him outside. He wanted to protest but he was being choked. Words turned to gasps, and gasps soon turned into blasphemy.

Stellar and Crot merely observed with precision and awareness. What in the hell just happened? At first, Crot thought that life following the endless chaos was worth living. Now it was another story. Without Shani here, things seemed to be getting out of hand. To begin, Yamato was wimpy in some ways –or a lot of ways. Athrun was becoming a rageaholic –not the kind where he expressed rage but the type that must be abused in order to keep their sanity. Dearka turned all mushy when it came to Miriallia. Yzak's behaviour almost made a drastic change after meeting Shiho. Cagalli had rage problems, and everything was heading down the path of death with no return. The only person that kept the Extended sane was the female Extended miraculously, and even so Stellar frequently mentioned Shani and this new guy named Shinn. In simpler terms, Crot was going crazy.

Noticing how no one was in the mood to eat, Crot took his backpack in one swipe of his hand before making his way to the line up to get food. As someone who looked up to the Raider pilot, Stellar bid a small farewell to the depressed gang right before she caught up with her brotherly friend. At the same time, she wondered what happened to Cagalli. Stellar just hoped that her friend was safe.

However, whenever it came to Cagalli, Stellar had to expect more than the expected.

Somehow, she couldn't help herself but to pity Athrun.

(Meanwhile)

If there was anything that he could wish for right now, Athrun would pray for his princess to return. Okay, Athrun had to admit that Cagalli did not run far enough that he would never see her again, but it wasn't fortunate when she ran off pretty fast. As a ZAFT elite, the Justice pilot was somewhat astonished that he (being a Coordinator) did not have the stamina to keep up with her. He tried yelling out her name but his vocal cords conveniently chose to fail him. His legs moved as fast as they could take him but Cagalli's were faster. Every factor was against him.

Athrun wanted to cry with bloody murder when Cagalli ran out of the school before making a sharp turn to the left. The blue haired Coordinator desired to rest but his heart chose not to. At the same time, he wondered where his princess had run. He actually didn't know this area quite well since there was never a need for him to be here. Nonetheless, he continued his chase while lacking all sorts of knowledge. As soon as he made the same turn that Cagalli made seven seconds ago, he eyes widened when he saw a soccer field down below a small hill. At last, he realized he was at the back of the school.

There were plenty of people here in hordes, waves, or even legions. Maybe he was exaggerating the amount just a little, yet it didn't change the fact that he couldn't find Cagalli amongst this crowd. He obviously knew his Orb-hime was quite easy to recognize –she was a blond haired girl with a masculine body. However, when he thought about it, Cagalli's body figure was a hidden secret to almost everyone –even Kira. She took the liberty to wear baggy clothes, jackets, or large sweaters ever since she arrived here. The only time that Athrun could tell she had distinct feminine curves at the most perfect places was last evening before she began her wretched operation.

The Justice pilot then shook his head to snap himself out of his own images and daydreams. He needed to look for her for crying out loud, not to imagine how gorgeous she would be when her bra fell off! But that would be something desirable, it would be a dream come true to be able to witness Cagalli exposed only for him. Luck certainly was not on his side when he saw the mob ahead of him. His eyes cringed at the results.

He hated what he saw; he wanted to just scream like a moron to catch Cagalli's attention instead of watching this. Athrun just never thought he would ever detest a rainbow when those 7 grand colours represented happiness and hope. The mob symbolized a rainbow in a very messy fashion where the students' hair colours varied. In this case, there was no way that he could recognize Cagalli. Athrun cursed to himself, and although there weren't as many people compared to Athrun's previous exaggeration, it didn't really help when the Justice pilot was not one of the tall people amongst the students. He could barely see the far end with that many people in the way, and he wasn't gutsy enough to bash through the crowd.

Forfeiting was his best option; there was no telling where Cagalli could've went now. The only thing and person that he could blame was himself for being not quick-witted and good enough to find her. When the Justice pilot thought about his failures once more, he decided to loosen his self-bashing. It was just a silly argument, he kept telling himself with false hope, Cagalli would get over it and by tomorrow she should be fine. In truth, it was quite difficult for Athrun to assume such hopeful situations when Cagalli was nowhere to be found. He sure felt useless.

Suddenly, his hand felt warm, as if it had lifted his problems. When he moved his green eyes to the side he was taken aback to see a quiet Cagalli holding it. This calm mask did not suit her. Rather, this depression was not something that his emerald eyes wanted to see. Never would he thought a relaxed Cagalli would be so divine and soothing, she made him want to kiss her. He noted that she seemed so fragile, so frail… and of course Athrun would do anything to make things better. However, he needed to take the initiative to start.

"Cagalli…" he whispered to her as he hand caressed her cheek, "Are you okay?"

"No…" she whimpered back in a pout and whisper, "Why are you here?"

"I was worried about you, silly."

"No, you're not…" Athrun was genuinely surprised at her answer, and he had a good cause.

"Why shouldn't I be, Cagalli? You mean to tell me that I should be leaving you out here?"

"You're angry with me, I know it…"

This made Athrun confused. "About what? Why should I be angry with you?"

Cagalli's glance was stunningly blunt while telling him not to be a fool and smarten up. It was actually sort of hostile to a degree. "Don't play dumb, Athrun. You ate the dinner that I forced you to eat, why wouldn't you hate me?"

"I don't get what you are trying to tell me…" The Justice pilot seriously did not understand what she was getting at but her stare simply increased before she slipped her hand out of his. Needless to say, the Justice pilot did not manage to find a connection between being angry at her and her meal. "Cagalli… should we sit down somewhere?"

The Orb princess still did not look at too delighted but she had a conscious will to talk. "Sure, let's sit on the hill. I was just there before I saw you up here looking around like an idiot." Some remark that was to compliment his hard search. Athrun nearly wanted to scold her for it but he chose to keep it quiet for now.

"Idiot?"

"Yes…" replied the girl slowly and without any life, "You weren't looking that graceful…"

"Thanks for your compliment," said Athrun with sarcasm frozen in his speech as he laid on the grass without Cagalli saying a word. Not even a simple groan "Aren't you going to sit though? You did suggest this, right?" The Orb princess shrugged a little, a bit uncaringly to be exact.

"I don't recall saying anything," she told him as a matter of fact, "You suggested everything, right?" What was wrong with her? If she was pissed off at Yzak or Dearka at being so blunt, why was he getting the blame? Athrun didn't deserve this, and yet he wanted to help his princess out. Also, he would not leave until something was produced –some favorable results rather. No doubt healing was always viewed as a difficult task to Athrun. In some cases, he was considered the expert of recovery for his emotional scars with Kira was one of the toughest dilemmas that he had to encounter. Where Cagalli stood in their relationship anyway? Athrun thought about that from time to time, it seemed like this new life had caught him away from all these dreaded moments and memories temporarily. These days Athrun believed bliss was a great solution to relieve pain.

"Cagalli," the Justice pilot called her before taking her hand and pulled it down. The purpose of course was for her to sit with him to talk it out like two civilized people in a civilized country. "Come on." The girl twisted her body and whined incoherently, she was obviously not too willing to give in or show any sort of weakness. Athrun then rubbed her hand gently while sending soothing signals to show that he cared. It was no easy task but Athrun finally smiled when Cagalli decided to take a seat beside him. He thought he saw a grin on her beautiful lips, but he frowned when it quickly disappeared, as if it never existed to begin with.

Cagalli initiated the first words to their conversation with a voice that matched sadness. "If you're trying to defend for Yzak or that Elsman, I don't need you to…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Isn't it why you're here, Athrun?" she questioned his motives right on the spot. "Aren't you here to tell me to take it easy and believe that they said none of those mean things despite that all of us heard them loud and clear? Aren't you here to tell me that I should reconcile with them so we are all one big happy family again? I will tell you what, I am not going."

"What are you saying? Why are you making such assumptions?"

"I am assuming nothing," she strongly stated, "I know what you are thinking, Athrun. They are your friends, right? You would want them to see you as the Athrun Zala, their good friend in ZAFT, the squad leader and strong person that guided them through numerous battles whether with success or failure. You wouldn't want me to make you lose any face, am I right? That's why you want me to go back."

"Of course I want you to go back," he said in the most appeasing way possible. The Justice pilot didn't mean that she should return and reconcile with the others as if nothing happened but he really wanted this entire conflict to end. At the same time, he realized he said in the wrong way when Cagalli gave him a short, angry stare. "But not with the reasons you helpfully provided. Cagalli, I really…"

Before he could even justify himself, Cagalli refused to provide the time that he needed. Instead, she ignored him by turning her head away –and Athrun was nearly certain that her face did not carry a very delighted expression. What could he possibly do to get her attention? Rather, when would she give him a chance to rephrase what he said? He seriously hoped that it would be soon since he knew he was losing connection with her as each second went by ever so dreadfully.

"I am not going back," she insisted firmly.

"Why not?"

"I am no zoologist, but I can tell Dearka and Yzak are jackasses!"

"They were just angry, Cagalli," persuaded the blue haired Coordinator on behalf of his friends. Also, he didn't know why he felt uncomfortable when his admirer continued to insult his friends. If it was Dearka, he could understand why. It was strange that he wanted to defend Yzak amongst all people. "I know they didn't mean it when they called you… I don't know, bitch, or crazy bitch, or something else. I am sure it was all due to the moment thing. You know, rage took the better of them."

"Why are you helping them? Are you saying that I am wrong?" Cagalli was quite desperate to have an ally. Oblivious to her, Athrun own detection skills were not as terrible as people first thought –he clearly knew what sort of motives she had. Not like they were bad though.

"Are you as correct as you think you are?" he immediately challenged her with a serious look. At this point, Cagalli could tell Athrun was completely into this subject –and getting him to simply drop this conversation became an impossibility at this rate. At the same time, his form of challenge did not please Cagalli.

"Then you think that Dearka and Yzak are right!" Cagalli announced with an accusing finger.

Athrun wisely protected himself without returning a wound, "I didn't say that. On the contrary, I don't believe that Dearka and Yzak did the smartest thing by bringing the subject up and insult you like that. I don't like to see you hurt." The Rouge pilot grinned at his supportive words but frowned when her ears absorbed the next batch, "However, I can't blame them for feeling angry."

Cagalli wanted to scream when she noticed that he was going around in circles. This scenario was no different from the war between Naturals and Coordinators where she was the Natural and the Gundam pilots were Coordinators. Athrun was serving as the neutral person (like Orb) but in Cagalli's opinion he was not doing a great job at being the neutrality. In fact, he was being the neutral ass that was provoking the two sides to destroy another. Imagine if Athrun finding a magical genie and he was only able to have one wish granted since there were some miraculous difficulties. He would look at Cagalli battling Dearka and Yzak –nearly wiping out each other for good. Instead of helping out by using his wish, he would first smile before facing the genie. Cagalli was so positive that Athrun would say "Since both my wishes are granted, I'll just have a bottle of coke", and then popping the tap open and swallow all the sugary liquids within with utmost satisfaction that could make Cagalli's face wrinkle with rage.

If she ever heard him declare such statements of outrage and blasphemy, she would run him over with her Gundam. Better yet, Shani's Gundam –since it was delivered to Orb's Mobile Suit factory and heavier than Strike Rouge.

"What are you even saying?"

"I'm saying that all of us had a good reason to be angry. It's just that some people have more self-control than others." Athrun seemed to be making valid points yet the girl did not appear to be too accepting towards it. In other words, she didn't buy it. "Let's get real here, you know Yzak is grumpy and doesn't make the best solutions when it comes to human interactions. He acts like that sometimes, you know, being an introvert but it doesn't mean that he meant what he said or is he a bad person."

"I think I can be the judge of that," Cagalli said sternly as she turned her head back to him with her eyes slightly narrowing to prove her opinion, "But you have to admit that they were being quite the jackasses –more than usual rather."

Much to her disbelief, Athrun shrugged. "What were you then? Being Crazy Queen Bitch of the cafeteria?"

"Athrun!"

"Cagalli, this is not the first time you've caused a ruckus and made a fool of yourself in the cafeteria. You know that just as much as everyone else, and people are starting to recognize your face by that reputation. Although you're no embarrassment to any of us, but your attitude wasn't all out better. Let's face it, shouting like a complete insane bitch that curses and yells at her friends does not make anyone feel good, so just because they hurt you, you hurt them right back. Very noble of you, Cagalli Yula Athha-sama."

"I won't apologize!" she practically screamed this time when she felt cornered by his wits. "Not until-"

"Not until when?" Athrun questioned despite that she wasn't done yet. The Orb princess was actually stunned to hear his voice this time around. Not only did he never interrupted her with such swiftness, was his voice cold this time or what? She was honestly bewildered to hear him use such a tone on her –he hadn't done that in a very long while if she recalled. "What do you want to do? Do you want this pointless argument to dominate your choices and emotions? Would it be worth it when you are still pissed off and Dearka or Yzak already forgotten about your small, insignificant arrogance? You are still angry at them for something that they are no longer caring, and who's suffering then? I can surely tell you that my friends wouldn't be. Why are you still holding grudges on something that doesn't even exist anymore?"

Cagalli felt like snapping at him, and which she did. "What do you mean it doesn't exist? I am feeling pissed off right now, and you're saying that I should consider it as absurdity and outdated?"

"Just don't cook anymore, okay? For everyone's sake and my sake!" Hearing that angry yell from Athrun –which he rarely did ever since he reunited with Kira in Orb- Cagalli could easily detect the anger building up from within. Unbelievably, it got the Strike Rouge pilot quiet.

"Okay…" she told him with her eyes cast down guiltily.

Athrun raised a brow immediately. He didn't expect her to listen this quickly. "Huh?" There were dozens of better answers and he had to stick with a pathetic one.

"Don't make me repeat it…" To his surprise (for the second time today), Cagalli curled up before she cried in his chest.

"Cagalli?" he was genuinely worried and had a justifiable reason. This was Cagalli, not some random girl. He tried to pry her off but she clung on tightly while refusing to show her face. "What's wrong?" He only tried again yet the outcome was the same.

"Don't look at me…" she told him through weeps and sobs. "I don't want you to see me like this…"

Athrun became sympathetic. "Oh, poor Cagalli…" He knew she didn't want him to witness her crying face, and he obviously knew she hated fragility and weakness. At the same time, Cagalli found that crying out loud did heal her somehow but she just wished there was a more graceful to do it instead of looking so frail. He didn't mind if his princess cried because she would always be Cagalli to him, and there was nothing wrong about being real and honest with yourself. Athrun was always taught that if one couldn't be sincere with themselves they couldn't be honest with another human being.

"I'm so sorry… for hurting you…"

"It's okay, Cagalli… it really is…" She chose to shake her head in refusal but not when Athrun started to coo her like a lover would. "It's okay, it's really okay… don't cry anymore, Cagalli… or you will make me cry, too." Seeing her so vulnerable truly made his heart ache before it sunk a little bit more. He only saw her weep once, and even then she was extremely strong during her sorrow. Now, this was such a new experience for him, since he never would've expected

They held another for the longest time possible, not ever wanting to remove the other from their reach. Athrun loved it when she became real (emotionally, not physically) to him, and although she always had an impression and image to keep the real Cagalli was someone who needed guidance, affection, and someone to love her. She wasn't being healthy while trying to be the goddess of victory because in the end a human being always had their limits. She certainly lacked something, and that was being sober.

Cagalli's admiration grew more in depth that day.

(At PLANT)

"Damn you, Heine…" cursed Shani as he took out a book from the shelf to read his lesson plan for the day. "This transfer is just too sudden… and I still need to prepare for lessons as if I am not free from the shackles of being an instructor? What is this? I am a good damn human being, not a machine…"

Instead of complaining, maybe it was wiser to just keep working. At the same time, Shani just noticed that he was talking to himself. He, within the first 3 Extendeds, was considered the sanest one, and now here he was babbling to no one or to his imaginary friend. Work must've taken over his dominant intelligence. The Forbidden pilot was not a lazy individual, but the fact was getting ready to teach was a major challenge. Actually, it had been for quite a while now. In fact, he never liked teachings, but he was an expert among the Extended due to the fact he loved destruction –it was all he got to learn in the Rodnia Laboratory.

Believe it or not, Shani was running out of ideas. He had been here for 10 days already, and being someone that was not all out excellent at teaching he was always paranoid about his lessons being good or not so effective. Whenever he asked Lunamaria, Shinn, or Meyrin for suggestions, criticism, pointers, and such they would usually offer the same things. In other words, his friends gave quite the supportive comments. At times, a bit of negative words could sharpen his skills.

Shinn was always the blunt, direct, and very honest one amongst the three. Shani already had an idea what he would say. 'Don't worry about it, Lieutenant Shani, you are too worried about things. What you lack in this field is self-confidence, and why do you need to be like this when you can teach Meyrin and I to shoot like pros? Put yourself together!' Those were some of the words that Shani quoted from the vampiric Coordinator directly. The Forbidden pilot grinned when he remembered those sentiments of wisdom, and very soon after Shinn was socked by Meyrin for giving such an idiotic impression.

When Shani recalled those three, he suddenly remembered that he needed to give out the news about his transfer back to earth. Although he did not fully know how Meyrin figured it out last night, he was almost certain that she told Lunamaria about this news. He wondered how the older Hawke sister would take it when she heard this. After last evening's confession and affectionate activities, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Lunamaria extremely upset when their conflicts were only starting to become better. How could he even have the guts to explain this?

His dilemmas slid downhill for the worst when he heard an adorable knock that resembled Lunamaria's endearing behaviour. Somehow, he got a strong feeling that it was going to be her –there was almost no mistake about it.

"Who is it?" asked Shani from his desk as audible as he could since he was trying to write up a small lesson plan after all. With the dates so close to exams, it was no doubt that he rather make simple lessons so his students could do their individual studies. At the same time, he noticed some people even decided to ditch these last days –he just hoped no one would ditch the actual exam.

"Shani," the voice called, and of course the Forbidden pilot recognized it immediately, "It's me." She was already so familiar with him that she could refer herself without telling her name, he had to admire her adaptability around people. "May I come in?"

Taking a small glimpse around the room, Shani sighed a little tiredly and relieved when he found out there was nothing shocking for Lunamaria to see. The most important thing would be his laptop, and damn he was glad that he checked Stellar's mail early. "Yeah…" he called as he made a cough, "You may." In less than a second, the automatic sliding door opened to reveal a timid, frail, delicate looking Lunamaria. What surprised Shani was that not only was she blushing like many other times, it looked like she was going to weep.

The gentle posture she was standing in showed him only fragility and pain, and it was no surprise when his body automatically moved on its own to be by her side. If this was anyone else, Shani wouldn't have cared. Then again, what caused him to become this considerate? Who was this girl to him? How did she maintain this charm that had no means to end?

"Lunamaria," he said as his hands involuntarily pulled her in a small embrace. "Are you okay? Do you want to talk to me about something?" She nodded in his chest without saying a word but Shani could tell that she was actually blushing radiantly due to the fact that his chest became very warm. Not needing any second thoughts, Shani wisely guided her in his office before inviting her to sit down on the couch, and he was sitting on the one adjacent to her.

Once more, he tried to approach her. He tried many times before and it worked like a charm, why should this time be any different? "Lunamaria, can I get you anything? Tea? Bagel? Coffee? You want me to buy you breakfast?"

Her answering was something close to a hiss, a hateful hiss. "I don't want anything…" Shani could not tell the facial expression she was forming since her hair was shading over her eyes and her head was somewhat down, but her mouth surely did not appear to be delightful. Was she angry with him? Shani wondered what he could've done wrong. However, he gasped inwardly when she raised her head to meet his, and finally he found out that her tears were practically going to fall. At last, she completely lost it and wept.

"Lunamaria…"

"I don't want anything… Except for you to stay here…"

Needless to say, Shani quickly realized what she was talking about. It was too soon, he didn't even think of a good way to explain this to her yet, and now he was forced to improvise. Just when he attempted to keep himself together, she stood from her spot before approaching him. He didn't know what to do when Lunamaria wanted affection, and her face nearly told him everything that was needed.

"Lunamaria, listen to me…"

She refused to listen to anything once she practically dashed at him before her arms circled around his body, as if she would never let him go despite any reason.

"Shani!" This time around, he felt his left shoulder was getting too warm. It didn't take long to find out those were tears. "Why, why do you have to leave?" she cried in sobs that forced the Lieutenant to sense nothing but pain. At the same time, it was quite difficult not to have Shani realize what sort of "not-so-innocent" position they were in especially when her smooth, perfect legs –as if Kami-sama molded it Himself- entangled his thighs to pin him down. "Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?"

For each why she said there were two pounds that came with it. Shani was deeply glad that it was only his chest area that was attacked since if it was anywhere else it could've been terribly worse. It was cute to see Lunamaria so caring and emotional but the sadness that she was portraying was something that Shani preferred not to experience.

"Hey, Lunamaria… it hurts…"

"I don't care…" she told him while her voice was at a verge of cracking at any second. In fact, it was trembling.

"Lunamaria, what's wrong?"

She decided to give him a piece of her mind. "What do you mean, 'what's wrong'? Isn't it wrong not to tell me if I may never ever see you again? You think I want that to happen? Am I that unimportant to you, Shani?"

"Lunamaria, please listen… you are very crucial to me… Wait, what do you mean by never going to see me again? You are talking to me right now." Not to mention how charming she appeared right now while most of her body was making contact with his.

"Don't play dumb with me! If I am so crucial to you, why didn't you tell me that you're leaving? Do you know how important that is to me? Oh, Shani… why do you have to go…" She sounded so depressed and desperate, and the Forbidden pilot found it very tough not to be sympathetic. Her endearment had no limits.

"It's not my choice," he admitted to her despite their ungraceful position, "If I had a choice… I would rather familiarize myself here a little bit more…"

"Don't you have a say in this though? Just because they are going to send you to leave… are you just going to leave without giving a fight?"

"What is there to fight about?" he asked her as his eye raised a little bit at her demands, "I am just going back to earth because they need me there."

Involuntarily, her hands broke out of their embrace before she held him by the shoulders firmly. Therefore, he could make full eye contact with her without fail. He almost blushed but he obviously detected all the solemnity that she was showing. Even with such a demanding face, she was still so gorgeous in his eyes. "But…" she said, trying not to falter. "I need you here…" Shani seemed to be stunned when he heard it.

"What?" In most cases, Shani would've said something more appropriate than a flat 'what'. However, her words were shocking to a degree. To the very least, it was enough to make him think. "What do you mean…" Once more, Lunamaria gracefully moved her arms around his body before she pulled him in a hug. Her head rested on his shoulders as she inhaled his unique odour that delighted her. What magnificent grace she had, Shani just couldn't keep up with her, and what truly made him speechless was how Lunamaria then buried her face into his chest. If she was crying, Shani might as well consider himself helpless. When a girl needed comfort, Stellar always told him to be a gentleman and offer his time to make things better. Fortunately for Stellar, she had told him when he was a young innocent boy, since if Shani was fifteen at that time he would've just said 'oh, screw that' while staring at her and then say "who would screw you" right after.

She then moaned with a touch of sadness as her hands moved lovingly to be familiar with his back. She loved his body, just by feathering it made her knew how fit he was. "After all this time… don't you understand my feelings, Shani?"

"I… Lunamaria-san… it's not that…"

He was cut short when she spoke again. "Why do you have to leave me?"

"I am not leaving you, I am still alive, Lunamaria,"

"Without you here… it's no different from leaving me!"

"Lunamaria, who told you this?"

"My sister told me this morning… and I couldn't help but to find you to see if it's really true."

"How did she though? I mean… she looked for me last night… but I didn't ask her how she found out. In fact, you aren't supposed to know either. And neither should she."

"Meyrin overheard you and Heine talk… she wants to apologize…"

So that's how she knew…

Even if Lunamaria chose to be completely attached to him, Shani still needed to look at his watch. It said 9AM, and that meant he was already late for class. During this time, Shani clearly had an idea of how Lunamaria was feeling about this whole ordeal, and she disliked it very vividly. She made it appear as if they were dating. Although exiting the room meant that they would end the entire conversation, Shani worried about regulations than affection/emotion. In simpler terms, despite how much he wanted to deal with this Coordinator girl right now he needed to do his job. The Forbidden pilot tried to move, and his eye widened when she didn't budge.

He tapped her on the shoulder as he spoke to her. "Lunamaria… hey, we have to get to class…" She merely shook her head in his chest as her hands tightened the embrace further, as if it was the most correct thing to do. No doubt she was playing the persistence game, and more importantly, she knew he was trying to escape. But she didn't let him know that she knew, therefore, she needed to be loving to him. "Hey, Lunamaria… what are you…"

"Let me hug you longer…" she silently commanded with gentleness and care. "Please…"

"Lunamaria… we have to get going." He tried to move and struggle yet Lunamaria just turned down to follow his instructions. To prove her point, she shook her head without saying a word, as if she was going to break down the moment he leaves her. She was basically daring him to move.

"Hug me…"

"If someone comes in and sees us like this… we would get into big trouble." What he said was absolutely true since affections were not supposed to build up between student and teacher –especially in the military. Shani always told himself that the closest he could be with his friends was best-friend-level and no higher because it could easily lead to misunderstandings. Not only that, he could get fired as a soldier if anyone found out since he was a teacher.

However, the magenta haired girl was unaffected. "So what?" she questioned him as she raised her head a little to reveal her beautiful blue eyes that glinted majestically. "No one is going to come in." She was right; no one ever came in this room other than Lunamaria, Shinn, Meyrin, Heine, and himself. If Shinn and Meyrin were in class, and Heine was working in his office, that only meant that not another soul was could possibly be in here except him and Lunamaria. If both of them were hugging at this precise moment, Shani knew nobody could possibly find a need to intrude. In fact, Shani was quite curious if anyone was going to come in to save him. When he peeked at the girl, her smile told him she held the upper hand, and she was very much so going to defeat him with everything she had. He wondered if their position was considered revolting or appealing. To answer that question, it would all depend on the crowd.

"But…"

She soon silenced him skillfully with her index finger over his mouth –a smile of charm didn't prove to be a disadvantage to catch his attention. "Where were we the last time before the phone rang?" the girl asked innocently but she obviously could tell she held nothing that contained purity. He was so admiring, as she would prefer to call Shani, she could just kiss him because he deserved it so much. Not only was he a great teacher, he was a very honourable friend that was worthy to be cared for. She never knew a guy who she once thought was a pervert could be so lovely –to the least that was what she believed him as.

"I…" she loved to see him choke when she was trying to win him over. "…don't remember…"

She then pulled him in just a bit nearer so she could sense his comfortable warmth. "I do though…" Lunamaria licked her lips deliciously and deliberately to make Shani realize what sort of healing kindness he was missing if he didn't make the right move. Also, she was smiling peacefully to calm all senses. "You were about to kiss me, remember?"

"Um, no?" he told her as he swallowed a bit too hard.

"You…" she blushed as she was speaking, and Lunamaria cursed herself in her mind since she didn't desire to appear weak. Then again, it was difficult not to flush up in front of the person she liked so much. Shani didn't know how delighted she was when he never pushed her away –unlike someone who preferred to purge their virginity with a teddy bear. "You like being kissed?"

He would have come up with something more promising, but all he could do was stare in fear. Was she saying what he thought she was referring to? Did she want him to kiss her?

"Do you want an honest answer?"

"I would love a sincere response, of course," she chirped cutely.

"I don't know… I suppose it feels nice?"

"How nice?" she inquired cutely to have a hopeful answer. "Care to tell me?"

The Forbidden pilot raised a brow at her graceful approaches. If he didn't know better, Lunamaria was actually commanding him to tell her. Not like he minded though, she was so charming like that. She was unique, and the Coordinator girl was just very delightful. Although she was good, Shani was better at keeping his self-consciousness instead of losing it to her. "What's the matter, Lunamaria-san?"

"What do you mean?" she questioned him, that good smile of hers still refused to fade. Another faint blush naturally scribbled on her adorable cheeks at the same time, Shani was so tempted to kiss her.

"Why do you sound like as if you would never see me again?"

"Our time is short," she reasoned before pulling him closer once more by the arms and body. Her sensitive touches were similar to something of an unknown but he was sure that it could bring forth comfort. He liked it, yet admitting it was a thing that he couldn't do. "If we don't kiss now…" she held a heavy shade of red at that instant before continuing with timidity. "We might never have the chance…" What touching words she had, thought the Forbidden pilot, but it was still not good enough to make him completely give up to his libido. He liked her, really liked her in fact, but he had to remind himself constantly that she was his student and he was a respected Lieutenant.

"Lunamaria-san,"

She shook her head when he called her that. She hated him being so formal with her when she desperately wanted Shani to refer her as Lunamaria-chan, or better yet, Luna-chan. If he referred to her with a chan, that would be a sign that their friendship had light at the end of the tunnel. "Why can't you call me Luna-chan? Why Lunamaria-san? You don't need to be so polite! We are friends… I wish we are more…" That struck his system a bit hard. A bit more… those words… those words were the clearest opening that he had seen. No, that was all he needed to see. It explained all sorts of confusion and mysteries –not like Shani didn't know already but it surely displayed all the desperations she contained.

"Lunamaria… I… can't do that…"

"Why not?" she pleaded as he sat back up to regain more ground in this situation. However, she still didn't let go of him. In fact, someone might need to pry her off later on. Affection and desire dripped from her intentions. "Am I no good?" He shook his head slightly to prove her wrong judgment, but then again it didn't clear up a several things. Lunamaria was still extremely eager to know why Shani always chose to remain neutral where as she wanted him so badly. The reasons of her desires were frankly obvious but yet her Lieutenant still failed to provide a justifiable reason to decline tenderness and passion. She was starting to lose self-confidence, and her jealousy towards Stellar (although the Gaia pilot did not do a single thing) simply grew.

Indeed, it was very unfortunate that Shani still did not fully realize what was going in her mind.

"You're a great friend, Lunamaria," he told her with pure intentions of honesty, "You really are."

"I don't want to hear those things!" Her outbursts startled the Forbidden pilot for a second before his right eye returned to normal tension. "I don't want to hear that I am just a good friend… I don't want to hear it!"

"Then what do you want to hear?"

"I want you… I want you…" She then halted under all the pressure. It was too much. Lunamaria was too upset and angry to continue, and if she did choose to proceed she may even unleash some very regrettable words. Needless to say, she needed to control her emotions well but she cursed her female origin.

As far as society was concerned about the stereotypical women (like how people make fun of blondes) they are emotional beings where they were extremely sensitive. Sadly enough, when it came to romance Lunamaria was very fragile –especially after her previous failure in her own relationship. In addition to her weaknesses, Lunamaria could be quite emotional when she was under stress, pressure, and more so, anger.

Shanil noticed her discomfort at this point evidently. It wasn't all out challenging to see someone breathing too hard, having tears in her eyes that were about to fall, and moreover her grip on him was getting a tad bit too strong. Did she know her own strength? Even if he was a man, pain was pain.

He began to struggle by fidgeting, hoping that it would be enough to send a message. In a mere few seconds, the Forbidden pilot knew he was overpowered in power. Of course, he could simply jam his knee into her to free himself, but extreme measures weren't needed yet. However, his current strength wasn't doing the job well. "Lunamaria… you're… hurting me…" Indeed, he was feeling very uncomfortable, yet he didn't have the heart to simply shove her off. That would be inhumane and cruel to her. Despite that, maybe he should be considering his own safety, and more so when Lunamaria opened her mouth a little involuntarily to reveal her perfectly divine, white teeth. He didn't like that sign, since that was what she always did to tease him and saying that she would bite him. Nowadays, it was her way to flirt with Shani.

"You're such an idiot!" she then screamed without warning while she raised her hand and literally slapped him across the face. Although Lunamaria did hit him hard, it wasn't to the extent where the person would faint. The blow was too significant for him; it was like as if all his hopes were shattered and broken by an uncontrollable siege. Shani fell back and Lunamaria got off him as tears flooded her eyesight. She was crying –crying pretty bad actually. "You don't know anything! Do you know how much I like you? How many times do you need me to tell you?"

Without another word (other than weeping sounds) Shani heard his door open before closing once more. He no longer sensed Lunamaria nor did he have the strength to care. Her slap still amazed him. Amongst everyone that he knew, she was really the last person that he expected that would actually hit him. Then again, his indecisiveness clearly made him deserve such a crushing blow to his confidence, pride, and most importantly conscience. Shani realized that he must have done some major idiotic thing to make her this angry. After all her affectionate touches; her initiative to spend time with him; weren't all these things a sign that she wanted him to feel the same way?

She hugged him plenty of times, and he hugged her back, too, but it wasn't the same compared to hers. Why didn't he just embrace her like she wanted him to? It wasn't like he didn't appreciate her. In fact, out of everyone that he got to know in ZAFT, he trusted Lunamaria the most. In other words, he felt like a total idiot.

He sure wasn't in much of a state to get up from his spot -not when he faced such huge defeat. Yes, Shani Andras believed that declaring forfeit was the best idea possible, and nothing else would do.

Then again, he didn't want Heine or any of his superiors to suddenly come in and make any sort of judgmental comments about him slacking off. Reality told him that any faults or errors on his behalf could result in his job position being terminated. Logic soon took over his conscience, and it didn't take too long to take Shani to pull himself back together.

Despite that he was ready to meet another day of work, Lunamaria's previous actions and expressions surely made a significant impact to his heart. Guilt was indeed an effective and very powerful tool to influence and manipulate.

To an extent, it was frightening.

(At the classroom)

"What the hell is taking Lunamaria so long?" questioned Shinn, crossing his arms while his eyes took a glance at the closed door, as if he was expecting someone to enter from it. "Damn… we shouldn't have let her talk with the Lieutenant…"

Meyrin turned around from her spot before stifling a small scowl and pout. She wanted to be nice first thing in the morning –like a lady. "You do know that onee-chan really likes him… It's only natural that she wants to talk it out as soon as possible." Shinn was not easily convinced.

"Amongst every second, every minute, every hour, why now?" he argued in a scoff. "I surely don't feel like wasting my time just sitting here waiting for our instructor. Lunamaria must be all over him now…"

Meyrin became defensive. "Don't talk about onee-chan like that! You know that her actions are pure! Pure!"

"She likes him too much," the Impulse pilot suggested as he leaned back slightly, a sneer never left him. "And for what though?"

"Oh, I like Shani, too… I wish there was someone like him for me…"

"You should've went for it then," Shinn said to encourage his friend. Meyrin shook her head to refuse his offer. "And why not?"

"Because onee-chan liked him first… and I am too young for him…" the girl even said it with a small blush in the end. That caused Shinn to sigh a bit exasperatedly, like many times in the past.

"I don't understand why so many girls like him… Is Lieutenant Andras that popular? I mean, he is a Natural for crying out loud."

"It doesn't matter if he's a Natural. I like him because he is like a brother to me, a good one as a matter of fact. Because Shani is a nice guy, Shinn," the younger Hawke sister told him dryly, "And you, Shinn Asuka, are an insensitive jerk!"

Shinn was shocked –or half shocked. He even held his heart tightly to elaborate his fake surprised look. Meyrin frowned at his insincere sincerity. "Insensitive jerk?" he said with bewilderment. "I am hurt."

"No, you're not."

"Okay, fine, I'm not hurt. How did you know?"

"You sounded too happy."

"Oh, really? I am not happy then… let's just say I am surprised."

Meyrin was indeed taking aback. "You are?" It almost sounded doubtful, in which she was.

"Yeah, and after all that we've been through, how dare you say that I am an insensitive jerk to you?" He almost made it sound like they have been dating for a while. As a matter of fact, they have been very close friends. Meyrin was tempted to laugh but her mind stayed on task instead. "Come on, how am I insensitive?"

"If you actually knew how to make a move on onee-chan when you first met her, she would've fell for you," said the red-haired Coordinator lady. "But you didn't make a one and so she thought you were a stiff man. You made a deep impact to onee-chan that you were only suitable to be a friend and no more. Onee-chan was only trying to help you from your family loss, and you totally brushed her off. Well, it's too late now."

"I don't care about that. I am not interested in Lunamaria because she is like a big sister to me and that's all. You… well, you are like my little sister who needs guidance and reassurance all the time." It was the perfect way to earn a glare, and the vampuric Coordinator jerked back hoping to avoid it. Unfortunately, nothing escaped Meyrin much to Shinn's disbelief.

At least he learned that women weren't quitters the hard way. Wasn't there a less harmful approach? Stupid women with their methods that resembled pure insanity! Then again, most men were a clueless bunch where extremely direct approaches and methods must be used in order to achieve the desire results.

"Fine," Meyrin declared as a grin softly built up on her lip. "If I am your little sister, would you care to listen to what your little sister has to say?"

"Depends on what," the Impulse pilot told her with a small hand gesture for her to continue. "Call the shot." Meyrin was more than glad to speak.

"I had a weird dream last night, Shinn…" The said Coordinator's eyes opened up a little bit more when her tone turned so soft all of a sudden. At first he really thought she was just kidding, but now it was another story. Not only were women demanding at times, they were sure unpredictable. Maybe it was why Lunamaria adored Shani so much compared to anyone else in this entire military. "It really was."

"Spill it." Those weren't the most polite words to hear, since Lunamaria would've preferred a more appropriate, kind response. From Meyrin's point of view, she thought that Shinn was in a hurry to get to another topic –in which he wasn't. "Well, aren't you going to continue with your story?"

Now, that was a clear sign of impatience. She sighed to herself knowing that was how people in this era reacted. People's attention spans have seriously decreased for the worst, and if Meyrin ever wanted to present something crucial to know the appeal ability, she was almost certain that the judges would have a clock to time her so they would make sure that not one second of their time was wasted. Each second must be filled with excitement and energy for some people, that was why so many new guns, toys, games, and even Mobile Suits were being invented and created each single day. Although no one said it out loud before, the message of "You have 1 minute to entertain me, and you would be lucky if you have my attention for 10 seconds of that minute before I want you to get lost" was clearly there.

A very horrible knowledge to have, but it was pretty much unavoidable –especially when they were in the military.

"I had a dream…"

"You said that already," remarked Shinn a tad too quickly while a small twitch appeared in his eye.

"Let me finish, yeesh…" complained Meyrin to gain back some ground. She didn't want to sound like a bitch but Shinn was too fabulous at being a bastard. "It was a beautiful dream…"

"How beautiful?"

Meyrin continued with her voice shifting from ranting to praising. Her eyes glittered with hope and joy when she recalled the desirable scenario. It had been a while since Shinn saw that innocent expression of hers, it kind of reminded him of Mayu when she was still alive. "It was a peaceful morning… I dreamt that there was a five pound marshmallow on the breakfast table, and it was all for me. It was big, it was soft, it was as white as snow… I could taste the sweetness by looking at it… it was that wonderful…" She had her hands together like a prayer, and her head was looking upward, as if she needed to thank Kami-sama for such an opportunity even though it was a dream.

"You call that beautiful?" Shinn asked her queerly. If he ever dreamed of something of that sort, what kind of shit was he on the night before? The Hawke sister merely bobbed her head up and down to justify her means of greatness, and a five pound marshmallow fitted in that category perfectly.

"I love marshmallows!" she exclaimed loudly as her body leaned forward to increase the mood of this conversation. More interaction between people always kept the spirit alive. "Didn't you know they were my favorite food?"

"I do now…" replied the Impulse pilot a little farfetched. "I don't see what was so strange about it though… was it because your fantasy finally came to life?" She shook her head to respond, and that made Shinn confused.

"I ate the marshmallow as quickly as possible because I didn't want anyone to take it. It was so yummy…" Yummy… she used the word yummy in a military facility. Shinn suggested Meyrin should use a more advanced vocabulary to match her age and her role as a soldier. As far as he was concerned, there were plenty of jackass Commanders around that would want to show off their maturity and authority to the rookies –and Academy students were rookies amongst rookies. "But…"

"But what?"

"When I woke up… my sleeping cushion was gone…" Shinn didn't take long to figure out the cruel fate of the cute cushion. His face was priceless, but more importantly he was quite shocked –his heart nearly stopped beating.

"Meyrin, you pig!" he shouted with his hand pointing at her dramatically. "You ate your-"

"Not so loud, Shinn!" she hushed him as she jammed her hand to cover his mouth. If he bothered to use his head instead of acting on his emotions, Shinn should've known that Meyrin had a reputation to keep. Just because Shinn never really gave a damn didn't mean she didn't care about her own image. To the very least he could've been considerate about it. Men, they were sure morons at a lot of times.

"Luna…" Shinn choked as Meyrin's hand pressured his lips more. "Your sister is…"

"Don't try to change the subject, Asuka!" exclaimed Meyrin as she increased her strength on him. "You are going to attack me when I let you go!"

"No…" Shinn guaranteed as he attempted to lift Meyrin's hand away. Due to gravity and his awkward position, he didn't have much luck. "Your sister is really here… Meyrin…" His outburst turned into muffles and gasps since she didn't let go. Meyrin's grin changed into a victorious one when she finally had him where she wanted, and she was more than willing to give Shinn the persistence award for lasting this long with her –only if Shinn was a good loser and delighted to accept such a reward. To her complete advantage, Shinn's resistance started to wear down, but not to an extent where Meyrin could declare herself the victor.

"Give up!" she announced profoundly at the vampiric Coordinator. "Stop changing the subject!"

"Meyrin!" a voice roared from behind. The younger Hawke sister halted immediately, as if her skin froze after the Ice Age. Stiffly, Meyrin released her pressure on him before she slowly removed her hand from Shinn's mouth. She rarely heard this tone in her life but she clearly recognized who it belonged to. She heard it just once, but once was more than enough for it to glue into her memory.

"Onee-chan…" Meyrin spoke as she frighteningly turned around knowing Lunamaria was extremely upset over something that she had no idea about. "Hello…" Shinn took this opportunity to slip himself away and gagged on the precious fresh air that he lacked for the past half a minute. To the least, he could've done it in a more passive way.

"What the hell were you doing to Shinn?" questioned Lunamaria rudely and cold. If Meyrin's memory was in check, Lunamaria was quite happy just 15 minutes ago. Now she was like the queen bitch of the universe. "How old do you think you are, 10? Kindergarten? Grow up for crying out loud!"

"What is wrong with you?" questioned Shinn to the older Hawke sister. The Impulse pilot halted and dropped a terror sweat when he noticed her icy glare of death; and Shinn was never scared of anything until this. Even Meyrin's skin stiffened at the freezing aura that was being emitted from her sister, nothing felt safe. It became worse when Lunamaria sat down on the seat with crossed arms and closed eyes. It was nearly unbearable.

"Nee-chan…" the younger girl spoke with utmost caution, and Shinn wanted to gape at her for trying to approach Lunamaria at this stage of the game. She was gambling with his life!

"What?" Her blue eyes rivaled Shani's stoic ones completely like a precedent. She showed no interest whatsoever to start a conversation but Meyrin wouldn't let that stop her from getting to the truth. Something obviously happened within that short amount of time, and although she should be minding her business, Meyrin couldn't leave this unattended.

"What did Shani say?"

"Forget him… that inconsiderate jerk… bastard…" the last words were close to a dead hiss. Her lips formed a dark sneer and a silent hurting cackle followed afterwards. Shinn and Meyrin looked at another with worry and they had no idea what to do. Her voice of laughter continued was like a chime that rung terror and pain, and it wasn't too long before Lunamaria literally broke down and cried. The other two Coordinators immediately rushed to her side without second thoughts.

"Luna!"

"Onee-chan!"

"He doesn't like me…" Lunamaria cried in her hands, "He doesn't like me at all…"

"What happened, onee-chan?" Meyrin asked worriedly as she embraced her older sister. "Did Shani say something to you? What did he say though?" Shinn looked for every opportunity to look at Lunamaria's face but he had no luck when she closed herself completely not ever wanting to open up. Although Shinn understood to an extent why his friend was in such emotional hurt, but lacking oxygen by covering her face did not do the girl much good.

"Lunamaria," said Shinn, getting a bit impatient at this crying and moping, "Snap out of it already. Nothing is going to get solved if all you're doing is sitting here and cry until God-knows-when. You're a soldier, so act like one." The product of his ingenious idea was having the magenta haired Coordinator girl wail even louder than she did a second ago. Meyrin clearly did not slow down herself to deliver a deadly scowl. Shinn just wisely shifted his eyes to temporarily avoid the gaze of death. "I was just trying to do something to make her feel better, you know."

Meyrin was not impressed with his reasoning for one second. "Well, you aren't doing anything!" The Impulse pilot wanted to look away once more but Lunamaria's cries sent him all the guilt beyond imaginable. Giving a small sigh that was almost ranting, Shinn decided to approach again with smarter ideas instead of coming up with things at random. Besides, he wasn't much of an improviser.

"Okay…" he said with a groan emitting passively, "What happened with you and Shani-san just now? And please give me a thorough answer."

"I don't want to talk about it," came Lunamaria's reply. Shinn felt his head explode with a mixture of rage, exasperation, and most importantly aggravation. There he was trying to Mister-Nice-Guy and now he was being brushed off in the most polite way possible. Damn women, why couldn't they be easier to understand instead of being complicated intentionally and deliberately?

"Then how the hell do you expect me to help you if you ain't spilling anything?" questioned Shinn, clearly annoyed. Meyrin wanted hush him up for her sister's sake but his arrogance and self-confidence forbade him to shift his behaviour. Lunamaria now turned away from the vampiric Coordinator in tears, and yet Shinn took one step in front of her before kneeling down to her level. What shocked Lunamaria was that his demonic crimson eyes leered straight into her soft blue ones, and it was considerably intimidating. Obviously, the girls did not appreciate this.

"Leave me alone, Shinn," protested the older Hawke sister, shaking Shinn off by motioning her hand repeatedly by pushing. However, he was not someone good at giving up.

"And let you sulk? Come on, get real. You know you can tell me anything."

At last, the Coordinator girl raised her head a bit more, since she found out there were some reassurances that she could fall back on. "Really, Shinn?"

"Really, Luna-chan," It was fortunate to see her grin again. At the same time, Meyrin and Shinn noticed the sadness within. Who was she trying to fool?

"I wish he would call me that… instead of Lunamaria-san all the time…"

"What did he say though? I mean… what did he do to make you cry? What, he kept calling you Lunamaria-san? Or did he do something else?"

"Shani… he… he didn't return my… love…" Lunamaria wanted to give a weird look at her sister and friend when they gasped a tad bit too louder than expected. Her eyes cringed slightly at the fact that Shinn was coughing and choking as Meyrin continued to slap the poor boy's back to make things all better. In Lunamaria's –and possibly anyone else who could be involved in this conversation- perspective, Shinn was exaggerating to a degree where it was considered unnecessary, and very irritating. Then again, seeing the vampiric Coordinator having such a level of energy was rare. Cherishing due to witnessing was the best solution. "What?"

"Did you tell him that you love him? Do you really feel that way towards him, onee-chan?"

"Yeah," agreed Shinn, and his cough magically disappeared. "You can't be wrong about these things, Luna. You sure this isn't one of your girlish infatuations?"

"I don't know what else to believe… he makes my heart beat like no other man could… he makes me feel so special and loved… I really do think that it's love… you know it's really unexplainable, ne?" Meyrin looked at her sister understandingly where as Shinn had doubts about what his friend just told him. Stealing a glimpse around the room, the Impulse pilot was glad to find that everyone was minding their own business –that was what he hopefully thought all his fellow classmates were doing. More importantly, they could not afford to allow anyone to know what sort of personal affections Lunamaria had for their Lieutenant. These facts alone were sufficient to start not only misunderstandings but more crucial and non-beneficial rumours that could be used against her. Putting his hand on the older Hawke sister's shoulder, Shinn figured that being more sympathetic would be best.

"You love him?" the vampiric Coordinator inquired genuinely. He gave a small sigh when Lunamaria's answer was a simple nod. "But did you tell him?" He blinked with honest surprise when she responded by shaking her head sideways in a slow fashion. Shinn took a close observation of her fragile form for a second, and his own male intuition continued to believe that she wasn't lying. "Okay… if you didn't tell him how you felt… what did you do?" To his surprise, Lunamaria moved her head before she looked away from him fully. What Meyrin and Shinn caught from her was nothing but guilt and shame.

"Onee-chan… can you please answer Shinn?" suggested Meyrin, holding her older sister's hand before squeezing it to give some guarantees of security. "It will be okay."

"I… I got angry when he still decided to leave for earth…" began Lunamaria as slow as possible but not to an extent where it was considered annoying. However, Shinn's patience was starting to drain quickly due to this and fortunately Meyrin's small scowl straightened him up well. To his dismay, Shinn was forced to be a good listener for a several long minutes, and this was a deliberate action to destroy his character.

"And?" Shinn gestured her to go on and stop the irritating stalling. He even motioned his hands in agitation to prove his point, as if he had a thesis that was desperately needed to be shown off to the professors of typical universities.

"I… I got angry…"

He rolled his eyes along with a sigh. "You said that already."

"Shinn!" scolded Meyrin while the said Coordinator shook it off casually, and pretending that he saw nothing of that sort. No doubt he got the younger Hawke sister infuriated for the Nth time today. Meyrin quickly reevaluated her male friend: Insensitive and a jerk.

"And I slapped him." There, she said it. The results Lunamaria achieved were two Coordinators gawking in stun. She was scared. Well, scared was such an extreme word, maybe it was more of… surprised. "Guys… don't look at me like that… I know I was stupid… but just thinking about him going to earth really made me angry…"

"But you slapped him," repeated Shinn bluntly. "Like… what the hell did you think you were doing?"

"I told you I was an idiot just now, Shinn!"

"No, you are missing the principle here, Lunamaria," corrected Shinn as he took the liberty to be take on an expert role. "You don't slap a guy under most circumstances unless you are his girlfriend, his wife, or he really did something that deserved to be hit. And if I remember, you aren't any of those. You just like him-"

Lunamaria intervened quickly. "I love him, Shinn, I am in love with him."

"You're just infatuating. I'll just get to the point. I think that Lieutenant Shani is quite pissed off…"

"That's only an understatement…" the female magenta haired Coordinator stated hopelessly. Her hands cupped her saddened face next to her cheeks, and a regretful moan escaped her lips as she recalled how deadly stunned Shani was when she struck him in her emotional outrage. Why was she so stupid as to do such a thing? Sometimes she really cursed herself for being a woman to be so emotional –and her monthlies weren't the most idealistic process to go through either.

"I think you should apologize to him, onee-chan," Meyrin implied quietly to avoid attention. Shinn and Lunamaria immediately turned their heads towards her, therefore, causing the poor girl to flush up in extortion. Lunamaria seemed to be bewildered.

"Are you crazy?" shouted the older sister before she chose to lower her voice just a bit. "I can't do that!"

"And why not?"

"Because he's mad at me…"

"Shani wouldn't be that mad," said Meyrin, trying to be optimistic. "Besides… Shani doesn't seem like a person who holds grudges."

"We don't know that… I mean, I slapped him," explained Lunamaria, recapping what she did before. "Even if he is easy going, it would be hard not for him to have personal negativity towards me…"

"Then we will come with you," Shinn offered his services and kindness for the best interest of his friend. "I am sure Shani would be mature enough to understand your… previous pathetic, disgraceful acts of immaturity that did not go unnoticed." Lunamaria just gave off a glare to shut him up. "Fine, I think Shani would be considerate enough to understand your views. This time, admit it to him before you… well, if you are ever going to hit him that is." He then stood up from his spot and stretched out his hand to aid her where as the girls watched him confusedly. "Come, let's go now."

"Now?" asked the two Hawke sisters in unison, and very astounded to hear his sudden idea. Shinn nodded at their question with a raised brow. He clearly expected immediate agreement instead of questioning looks. The Impulse pilot scanned their faces as his own visage hardened to reinforce his exterior a little bit.

"But don't we have class though?" reminded Meyrin as she looked at the door and the room but Shani was still not here yet.

"Screw that, Meyrin," said the Impulse pilot in a hurry, "Besides, Shani isn't here and we would be just doing review stuff for the exam. It doesn't really matter now if we ditch, you know, I mean… we should be studying but we don't need to do it here. I say we look for that guy instead of you moping around here in your pathetic display of guilt." Once more, a scowling stare was flashed his way, in which Shinn "dodged" it by turning away at the correct time with the most calm, casual expression plastered grimly on his face. Lunamaria felt her fist twitch, literally.

In less than a split second, the three Coordinators managed to slip out of the room without anyone noticing –to the least they didn't think they were seen.

Oblivious to them, Heine was merely ten feet behind them when those three teens turned left after exiting. The Faith Member watched their retreating forms with a raised brow as his lips stretched a natural smirk. From what he could gather, Heine safely assumed they were looking for Shani. It was going to be most unfortunate when they would not find the designated Extended when they reach the office, since Shani already took the time to talk about his dilemma with Heine just now.

And I was going to tell the class that their class was going to be cancelled… Teens… they always act on impulse…

(Later)

"Yo!" Shinn yelled as he banged on the door that gave way to the Lieutenant's office ever so repeatedly. To make matters worse, the Coordinator was striking the coated metal door harder after each strike. "Open up! I know you are in there! Shani Andras! Open up!"

"Shinn!" scolded Lunamaria as her right arm caught his right wrist to prevent any more ruckus that was being created. The Impulse pilot winced slightly at the grip that she used on him. "This is a military facility if you actually bother use your head. People will start to come here thinking that we are under attack."

"Come on, this office is in one of the quietest parts of this place, and no one is ever going to come here."

Meyrin chose to step in. "And it's because it's so quiet that people will get freaked out when it gets loud. What, you want us to suffer from military punishment before we are fully enlisted?"

"Well, he ain't opening up despite my efforts," Shinn protested quickly.

"Maybe he isn't in there, genius?" suggested Lunamaria dryly and to the point. Shinn felt humiliated right on the spot as the colour red crawled over all over his cheeks and face like a wild spread disease. "I'm going in." Her fingertips were going to press the button that opened the door, and no one stopped her until it was too late. Although the door took less than that of a second to completely open, it was too long for Lunamaria to take. The moment the door was fully done shifting from left to right, Lunamaria instantly stepped in with the other following her shortly behind. "Shani…"

Meyrin and Shinn didn't take long to scan the entire office just once, and once was more than enough to know that Shani was not in this room. The Impulse pilot sure thought he was an idiot for banging on the door so long and no one was even in here. He could've taken care of his hand instead of totally wasting it on something so unnecessary –not like he would admit that to Lunamaria or Meyrin, since he needed his pride savoured. "Well, well, well, look what we got here," commented Shinn as his right hand was brought upon his right hip fashionably, "He isn't here… what joy…" Meyrin looked somewhat down, but Lunamaria appeared worse.

"Do you think he got so mad that he decided not to see us?" questioned the magenta haired lady. Shinn merely shook that suggestion away to her surprise.

"He doesn't even know that we are coming, you know," replied Shinn, sounding a bit agitated that his target was missing in action where he strongly thought that he was present. "Damn it… should we look around the room?" That sudden plan caused the two girls to eye him suspiciously.

"This is not our office, Shinn," reminded Meyrin, clearly knowing where her limits were. She was definitely sober, and Shinn was obviously someone that couldn't mind his own business at times. "Let's get out of here." However, the Impulse pilot was not too convinced or even a bit persuaded by her limited amount of reasoning.

"Maybe we can find out where he went,"

"Shani doesn't put spy cameras around this place," Lunamaria told him directly, as if Shinn was a mentally retarded patient that required much more elaboration to understand simple matters. "You won't be able to find anything." By this time, Shinn was already in front of Shani's desk while looking at something that captured his attention rather quickly. Seconds later, Lunamaria and Meyrin also became curious as to why Shinn was being quiet and his features and body language told them that he was reading something on the spot. What could be that fascinating to completely drag Shinn's mind away from reality this effectively?

"Shinn…" called the younger Hawke sister worriedly. Her voice almost cracked but luckily she managed to keep it as firm as possible.

"I think I've found a solution so you could see Shani after we graduate, Luna," the vampiric Coordinator suddenly said as he turned around with a genuinely hopeful smile. Lunamaria was half shocked and half delighted when she heard it but she did not understand what he meant at all. Before she managed to think of a question, Shinn snatched the several pieces of paper from the desk before handing it safely to her hands. Meyrin also chose to get more involved as she read with her sister. Although they did not say anything, Shinn's confident smirk grew more when the girls' brows raised up detectably after reading a several paragraphs. By the time they finished the last page, the Impulse pilot knew there was still hope for Lunamaria.

Needless to say, Lunamaria would not give up Shani to anybody, and his official transfer information gave the three Coordinators the knowledge to plan out the perfect pursuit.

(4 days later at PLANT's Central Spaceport)

He didn't really know how to feel at the moment. After weeks of being a Lieutenant, Shani grew fond of his position and his students. At first, he had no intention whatsoever to enjoy his work, since he believed that taken on the role as a soldier was more of an obligation instead of wholeheartedness. He was a soldier to set things right, but in the end he found out how much he had learned being an instructor. His students learned much more from outside the bun, and he was proud of what he had done.

Most importantly, he had the privilege to meet Shinn Asuka, Meyrin Hawke, and especially Lunamaria Hawke. Sadly enough, he was going to leave them for a lengthy period of time. Shani would miss Shinn's minor arrogant attitude and friendly talks; he would no longer be able to understand women better with the help of Meyrin; and Lunamaria… Lunamaria was his saviour in a way. Not only was she the most affectionate and honest girl he met, she had made his darkest hours into the brightest minutes. Stellar was no exception either. Her grace, her majestic smiles, her sincerity were more than enough for him. When he needed someone to talk to, Lunamaria was always there. Even when he didn't need a hug, a simple embrace that she gave him occasionally made him feel special, as if he was worth being alive than a mere Extended that only served the purpose to pilot a mobile suit.

He had hurt her, he knew that much, and he still didn't say that he was sorry. It wasn't due to pride, no, Shani was much more compassionate and understanding than that, but the awkwardness of being initiative under these circumstances got in his way. The Forbidden pilot needed to be honest with himself here, did he prefer to see Lunamaria Hawke (his great, admirable friend) smile again or did he rather save himself from any means of getting farfetched with her? What was the right thing to do? He just wished that he committed something that did not lead to affection because he didn't even know if he should be taking such chances.

In a battle, Shani was a natural risk-taker; Stellar and Crot could back up that statement. In this case, it was not the same.

He didn't want to hurt her ever, but by not doing anything productive to solve the conflict only created more gaps in their friendship. The Forbidden pilot was disgusted at himself for avoiding undeniable problems that needed to be dealt with ASAP.

Guilt seared through his conscience when he stole a glimpse at that special Coordinator this time around. Here he was, at the spaceport, and in a several minutes he would be in the shuttle to return to North Kyoto to see all his new friends that he made after the war. And despite that he was still hurting Lunamaria for not returning her genuine affection, she was here to see him off along with Meyrin and Shinn. If he wanted a good definition of a real friend, Lunamaria showed him what it took to be one.

That sweetness she contained in her grin bugged him to no end for it seemed so forced and unreal. Actually, it wasn't because it looked forced that confused him, it was due to the fact that it looked all too sincere, and it almost appeared like she was truly happy with no worries at all. Was she trying to hide it or was she for real? Women were potential manipulators, he learned that to the very least during his short stay.

"So, you are really going, aren't you?" asked Lunamaria, a little sadly but kept a grin nonetheless. Shani was so caught in his philosophy and thinking that he didn't notice her question until he suddenly noticed the charming girl a foot in front of him with a pink blush started to paint on her cute cheeks. She emitted an innocent giggle when the Forbidden pilot literally took a step back at the unexpected action. Shinn and Meyrin controlled their own chuckles well from behind their Lieutenant.

"Lunamaria, don't scare me like that," said Shani, wiping his forehead as he put down his luggage on the ground.

"Don't be so mean, Shani," teased the magenta haired girl teasingly while sticking out her tongue cutely. "You know how much I like to see you being surprised. It tells me that I am doing a good job."

The Forbidden pilot sighed at her carefree nature before he rubbed his forehead like an itch erupted from that spot. "If I knew you were so mean, then I wouldn't have spent so many nights chatting with you until dawn." Lunamaria, to his surprise, was unaffected. He knew that when her smile became more appealing.

"If we didn't talk so much," she began as she took the liberty to take his hand in hers before she played with it by massaging soothingly. Her voice matched that of a lover and true admirer. "I wouldn't have known so much about you, and you wouldn't have known that much about me. I thought those times were a gift that was worth sharing to me, and I know you like me too much not to be there for me…"

Shani became more vigilant, therefore, it was mandatory to choose his words carefully. "Luna…"

"And I like you too much not to care about you, too, Shani." Okay, he knew he had to change the topic instead of sticking on this one. His perfect reason would be that Shinn and Meyrin were here, and their personal relationship/friendship did not need to spread to anyone else. Once again, her simple actions and openings tempted Shani to take her soft, delicate, loving lips to a blissful kiss. If it was him who kissed her, Lunamaria would not mind for one second. For being someone 18, he cursed his hormones for reacting at such a wrong time when his self-control and consciousness needed to dominate. This girl deserved to be kissed, he made that order clear to himself, and he surely wanted to tell her how much he admired her. Merely imagining himself taking her right then and there in a lovely blissful kiss would meet his satisfaction superbly.

"Ano… Lunamaria…" he said, attempting to shift the subject to something else. However, he was out of ideas. "Um… Ano…"

"What?" she inquired lovingly as she found a spot in his sentence for her to take the right to step a bit closer, therefore, her body was completely in contact with his. If she snaked her arms around him at this point Lunamaria could give a good, long embrace with her breasts feeling his chest to seduce him. Her gracefulness (alongside with her intentional charm and beauty) was something strikingly mysterious, yet it was one attribute that was worth admiring to Shani. "You know you can tell me anything." He meant too much to her; that was undeniable.

"Are you guys going back to the military after this?" asked Shani as his hands comfortably rested on her hips. Lunamaria's expression brightened immediately when he touched her in the right place, and Shani knew exactly what to do and say to make her smile like none other. When she slowly gave a silent look of delight, Shani wanted to conceal the blush that was coming up on his cheekbones. However, his efforts were in vain when Lunamaria laughed divinely before a charming look grazed her features.

"We are going back to school," said Meyrin in behalf of everyone while Shani was honestly surprised at her answer. "I think it's better for us to be more beneficial to society than military."

"But wasn't that the reason why you joined ZAFT to begin with?"

Shinn decided to move in, knowing that Meyrin was going to break their little act if she was too sincere about this conversation. Shinn wasn't trying to be a liar, and on the contrary, he was going to share another issue that was valued enough to debate about. "We agree with you said, Shani, we did initially joined ZAFT due to the war. In order to save ourselves, the military provided us with all the security we could ever wanted. With the war over, I would want to return to whatever I prefer to do in life. I think the three of us would go to an academy in PLANT."

"Quite reasonable," commented Shani as he felt his neck gradually became warmer by something soft. He realized that the affectionate Coordinator encircled her arms around his neck without knowing; and that smile of hers practically demanded permission. Meyrin giggled lowly when Shani needed her assistance most, she obviously wasn't going to spoil her sister's fun at this last moment of bonding. "Lunamaria…"

"Please, let me hold you just a bit longer," protested the girl whining a little while her hand tightened further and pulling him in to experience the warmth coming from her body. There was a bit of hesitation at first but her appreciating look softened his heart before persuading him to follow her lead. He temporarily moved his hands away from her hips as he carefully moved his arms around her soft back before embracing her passionately. Lunamaria's face reddened instantly and her body heated up coordinately in a chain. His cheek was in contact with right one, and by moving her eyes a little bit to her right her blush deepened when she witnessed a handsome Shani Andras with his eyes closed while enjoy her presence.

Lunamaria thought she melted.

"Lunamaria," called the Forbidden pilot as he disrupted her pleasant daydream.

"Hmmm?" she murmured with involuntary endearment, and which Shani almost felt guilty for having to release her. She frowned knowing what he was going to say, but she was considerate and did let him free. The moment they broke apart, Shani couldn't help but to detect how cold this facility really was while lacking Lunamaria's sweet scented warmth. He was sure that she felt the same way. The Forbidden pilot really hated seeing Lunamaria face without a smile; he could admit that much out loud not having to believe it was a hindrance of any sort. Shani thought he there was no need to resort to this at first but his philosophy regrettably decided to fail on him.

Lunamaria's cheeks warmed up again but not due to blushing. She felt delighted when a pair of hands feathered her cheeks a little before the person pulled her head forward into someone's firm lips. She was too overwhelmed to do anything when she recognized it was Shani, why didn't he indicate that he was trying to kiss her earlier? At least he could've given her a sign to prepare herself for this when she anticipated for so long. Then again, it was his unpredictable nature that she adored. Relaxing, Lunamaria readied herself to accept his love.

Unfortunately, when she tried to kiss him back by opening her mouth to take control of his own Shani retracted. She wondered why Shani didn't say anything although it was only a long peck on the lips, her cheeks (to her annoyance) was still radiant brightly as she touched it with her own hand. Despite that Lunamaria caught the high amount of heat being emitted, her eyes only focused on Shani –who had his left side of his face visible to her. In other words, Lunamaria could not see how he was feeling. However, she was no fool at reading emotions, since she safely assumed her lover was too shy to explain what he did.

Shinn and Meyrin kept a compassionate smile before looking at another happily –happy for the fact that Lunamaria was finally happy. Shani approached Meyrin and Shinn soon after his little event with Lunamaria before he took Shinn's hand and shook it where as he gave Meyrin a small kiss on the cheek and a hug. In all honesty, Shani wanted to cry knowing that he would leave these good friends of his.

"Take care… Lieutenant…" said the younger Hawke sister and she broke the embrace slowly, as if she wa cherishing the moment, and which she was. Her smile widened slightly when Shani nodded back.

"You better not do anything stupid while you're down there," commented Shinn, slapping his leader's back to catch his attention.

"I am not that much of an idiot," replied Shani, smirking as a "friendly" glint appeared in his eye. "I heard from Lunamaria that you banged on my door so hard that you hurt your hand a little. And I wasn't even in there." Lunamaria and Meyrin fought a snort immediately as Shinn's pride was shot down hard. "Got anything to justify yourself, my friend?"

"I hate you…" the Impulse pilot stated before he broke out into chuckles.

"Yeah, I do, too,"

"Get out of here!"

"Hai, hai…"

"Shani…" he heard the Coordinator girl call him quietly. Timidity dripped in every corner of her voice.

Shani turned around to see Lunamaria's cute face one more time, "What?"

"I will miss you…" she admitted sincerely.

"I'll miss you, too, Lunamaria…" Shani told her with equal amount of genuineness, and she flushed up shyly at the sight of his loveliness. "And Shinn… and Meyrin, of course…"

"I…" she continued as her hands were making knots behind her back. "I'm sorry…"

"For what?"

"For slapping you before…"

"It's okay, Lunamaria," he said as she protested it about how foolish she was. "I think I would be pretty angry if the person I like was acting like an idiot…"

"You're not an idiot, Shani," she assured him as she brought her hand to hold his cheek before caressing caringly. "You're never an idiot…"

"It's people like you that make me want to stay…"

"I don't want you to go…" she whispered, desperately wanting her way with him.

"But I have to… We will always be friends, Lunamaria, and I won't forget you. Thank you for everything, I would not have know what to do without you." Much to his dismay, his watch started to beep. Meyrin, Shinn, and Lunamaria took one small step back as the alarm rung. "I'm already later than I thought… I really have to get going…"

"Shani…"

He turned towards the gates with wretchedness and regret. "Sorry, Lunamaria… I have to get going. Take care of yourselves…" Not saying another word, Lunamaria pretty much wanted to weep when she continued to see him walk further and further away from her. She knew that it would hurt her greatly to see her lover go, but her mind refused to listen. She watched him until he flashed his ticket to the guard, and finally disappearing from her sight range.

Tears threatened to fall when he left at last, and it was followed by Lunamaria falling on her knees in despair. Shinn, despite that he saw that Lunamaria was about to cry, grabbed the back of her collar before yanking her back up on her feet. "Teme…" he said with an exasperated look, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Can't you see that I want to cry?" questioned the magenta haired girl harshly and her stare was quite venomous. Shinn was not that skilled to dodge this one, therefore, he jolted.

"For what? It's not like we aren't going to see him again. Remember, you shouldn't be crying because we are heading to earth, too. That is why we packed our stuff."

"Should we get going to our hangar now?" Meyrin inquired. Lunamaria and Shinn smiled as they nodded to agree. In a matter of moments, the three Coordinators went back to Shinn's temporary van and took out their own belongings, in which they lied to Shani earlier saying that it was for a camping trip, before they reached their own designated gate. The workers demanded the shuttle ticket in order to pass, and the three teens casually showed it.

Everything was going according to plan. Lunamaria anticipated the next moment to see Shani with high hopes, wondering how he would react when he saw her again. Her nimble fingers felt her lips once more, wanting to remember the short kiss he gave her less than 15 minutes ago. His lips were what she desired, she thirsted for it, and she immediately made a pact to herself promising that she would kiss him back thoroughly and lovingly during their next encounter. Just thinking about him made her cheeks burn, and her heart felt better every minute. Lunamaria truly believed that she was in love, in love with an Extended by the name of Shani Andras.

Meanwhile on earth, a female Extended pulled another Extended out of his deep sleep, and yelling at him for sleeping in late when she waited so long for this day for someone special to her to return despite it was only 2 to 3 short weeks. When the male groggily stood back up, the girl literally pushed him into the bathroom as she commanded him to be quick about it while she made the final preparations to leave their home. With all the chaos of getting ready and begging to get permission to use Athrun's car, the duo miraculously managed rushed out of their home and drove to the spaceport while speeding during the entire trip.

She waited too long for this, and she would not miss this for anything in the world. Nothing could ever compare to the importance to meet Shani Andras again.

Final AN: Yes, Shani, Lunamaria, Shinn, and Meyrin are going back to earth to North Kyoto. Obviously, Shani doesn't know. You can expect a lot of chaos when all of them are in the same town, and with Stellar in the picture, it would be absolutely outrageous. Expect a lot of ShinnStellar later on, especially when Shinn develops feelings for her but the girl likes someone else when he tries to tell her how much he admires her. Hope you can wait for it.

As for the other pairings, they will be there, too. Did I tell you how much I hate Kira and Lacus? Their relationship in Destiny is unreal. It's like, we see no development between them, and they are suddenly perfect, as if they are telling society that is how relationships bloom. Each person don't do any shit and it can be perfect. In life, does real love grow by not doing anything? I think not. What the hell is that? What sort of message is Gundam Seed Destiny sending us? Crap, that's what! I hate writing about them because everything is always fine in the anime and in the manga. It's ridiculous. I truly hate Kira, because he makes everything so boring and unrealistic. Lacus, too.

Next update will obviously take place after a month or so. If some miracle happens, I hope to be in front of a PC and type a several thousand words of my next chapter. If not, then we all have to wait unfortunately. Please don't stone me to death for not being able to update, I don't want this to happen either.

If you are comfortable with leaving me a review, it would be so great despite if it's criticism or sincere comments. I look forward to write better in the future! See you all again soon.