Believe, Realize, Reason
Chapter 9: Love, envy… Ignite!
Disclaimer: Don't own Seed, or Seed Destiny, or anything related to Bandai as a matter of fact.
AN: Yes, yell at OpForce for not updating sooner. I am not even going to explain why I made "Destiny's 3 Shinns", but I am sure you all noticed my intentions. GSD is a piece of shit. The rumoured GSE (E as in Eternity) will most likely be even crappier. I have no faith whatsoever from Bandai that they would actually make good animes anymore. All they care about is revenue, and good anime goodness will be more than likely that it won't exist as long as these kinds of ambitions survive.
I lost hope in Gundam, but luckily not with my story.
And because of some stupid rule about no review answering (or some shit within those lines) I won't be answering anything, unless you want me to answer in an email or something. However, I will strongly state that I hate Lacus Clyne and Kira Yamato, and I do not dislike them without decent reason. In fact, due to their popularity and constant hatred of Shinn, GSD had to focus on those boring people instead of developing those who desperately needed improvements or further elaboration.
I hate stories such as those, and therefore that is the reason I am writing this story of mine.
And so, let the games begin once more.
(Kira, Athrun, and Dearka's Apartment, 7:30AM)
"What happened, Athrun…" moaned Kira, still half asleep as his tired body leaned on the side of the door for support. The blue haired Coordinator was in the kitchen, taking a sip of water due to incredible lack of liquids first thing in the morning. Finding his throat a little bit dry, Kira found it best to obey his thirst and searched for water. In a tired fashion, the Freedom pilot grimly snatched a cup from the cupboard, took the jug of water, and finally pouring in the right amounts without spilling before raising it to his lips to drink.
He then noticed that he didn't brush his teeth yet. Well, it wasn't much of a big deal for now when he didn't need to go out yet.
Although it had been a several days ever since the drama incident, Kira was feeling kind of farfetched to talk to Lacus. Pride was not much an issue today. In fact, the Freedom pilot was quite a rookie when it came to women despite that he had accompanied Cagalli and Miriallia for so long during the time in Archangel. Cagalli… she couldn't be considered to be in the ladies group when Kira first thought that she was a guy. It was still very tough to adjust that the Orb princess was now his sister, but Kira had a clue that Cagalli managed to adapt to the entire ordeal quickly. He had the war coming to an end to thank for those results, and yet he was confused as to why he wasn't as flexible compared to her. Flexibility was something that did not match Cagalli at all, and even she was doing a better job than he was.
Perfect coordinator didn't mean his social and humane attributes were at top notch.
Speaking of Miriallia, he had not talked to her in an awfully long while. Kira wondered how she had been doing after all this time of peace. The actual real conversation that he had with her was in the supermarket, and that was a week ago. He had to thank Dearka for volunteering his time so frequently for the past two weeks to spend time with the former Archangel CIC, and it was such a shame how Miriallia only familiarized herself best with the Buster pilot. Long story short, Kira knew he wasn't being the greatest friend around. He was disgusted at himself for being so self-centered; all he cared about was his own well being instead of others.
Undoubtedly, Kira saw himself as a selfish egoist where he often stepped over the lines where it was close to intruding other people's private space. Perhaps he was just thinking a little too overboard back there, but that surely did not revive his mood to anything lively.
"Nothing much," replied the Justice pilot, somewhat dozing off during his speech. "Damn that Crot…"
"What did Crot-san do?"
"I don't know…" grunted Athrun, obviously he was pretty tired himself. The watch said 7:23AM, which was much earlier than the time Athrun usually woke up. If his brain was functioning properly, he could've sworn that Stellar had quite the energy when she came in earlier with the Raider pilot. It was rare to see someone producing that amount of zeal first thing in the morning, and Athrun would refuse to be enthusiastic even if he got paid to do it. "Stellar and Crot said that they needed my car…"
Kira raised a brow, obviously somewhat astonished. "Your car, you say?"
"Yeah,"
"What could they possibly do with that?"
"Who cares," Athrun grunted, shaking that subject off with his hand, "Maybe Stellar wants some fresh air or something… or maybe she has her period. You know women could have their urges during those times, and Stellar could have a craving for fresh air, while Cagalli likes to indulge in a sweet tooth. Different people have different likes, Kira. I'm relieved she PMS's in such a calm way… unlike some other people…" The Freedom pilot didn't say that he disagreed with what Athrun said; it was just that craving for fresh air was too rare –insanely unbelievable, rather. If a girl had desires to inhale good oxygen during stress, that lady could make her guy one of the happiest people in the face of the earth.
"Who could that be?"
"Oh, you don't need to know. I have my secrets and you have yours."
"You sure your philosophy back there is legitimate?" questioned Kira doubtfully.
"Hey, the outside does have the best air," Athrun stated, as if his words had no faults. Kira gave him credit for having such a high level of self-confidence so early in the morning. Cagalli's nature must been rubbing off on him, and he was safely to assume that his sister was very powerful to be able to influence a guy like Athrun. The perfect Coordinator couldn't help but sigh quietly.
"Doesn't it feel kinda strange though?" Kira suddenly brought the subject back in a form of a question. The Justice pilot flashed a bored look at his best friend; he was sure being nosy and stubborn. "Let me say it more properly… Did Stellar or Crot-san ever asked for your car?"
"Well, no, actually…"
"Do you think that they are planning something?"
"Crot, maybe he still carries a grudge on me for breaking his little game system… But I don't think that he would go that far as to destroy my car as payback -especially not if Stellar is with him. You know Stellar, she wouldn't allow anything chaotic to erupt despite the size." Once again, Athrun made his point, and Kira could not do anything but to consider Athrun's words valid like the Laws of Gravity.
"You worried though, Athrun?" the Freedom pilot inquired as he looked over his shoulder to see his friend's drained visage. "About your car, I meant."
"I wouldn't concern myself with it that much," answered the green eyed Coordinator confidently. Once more, Kira had to admit that the Justice pilot was acting very strong, unlike most of the other days of the week. "Like you said before, if Stellar is with him, I doubt that anything drastic would come up."
"That is true if we assume Stellar is a passive, careful girl."
"I am sure she is. Yo, what time is it anyway, Kira?"
For the first time today, Kira snorted before he grin with a negative attitude. "You mean to tell me that you don't know."
"Apparently, I don't. Or I wouldn't be asking you now, would I?" He made a good point, miraculously.
"Well, it's slightly over 7:30, and from what I see you are still dead tired."
"Yeah, I am… really tired. Cagalli kept me up the entire night…" The last words caught the Freedom pilot's attention extremely quick. What did he mean by entire night?
"What did you do, Athrun?" inquired Kira, his seriousness replacing his previous casual demeanor.
"Cagalli was just sad, Kira."
"Sad?" he asked. His eyes began to fill with genuine concern over the matter. "About what?"
"She thinks that she is a failure at things, like, you know, she believes that she could've done better at a lot of different things so the outcome would've been another. She's blaming herself too much."
Kira caught on faster than he first expected. "Is she still remembering the incident at Orb? I don't like to be a jerk but we kept telling her that it isn't her fault. The Earth Alliance forced Representative Attha to take the only option that was remaining, and if Cagalli ever wants to blame someone it should be them and not herself." Athrun grunted lowly, obviously very agitated at the fact that Kira had to remind him of all the things that he didn't want to remember. Now they were stuck in his head once more when he tried so hard to forget about it. He was almost there, and now he was back to square one.
"Oh good god, Kira," Athrun said in frustration, "It's not that!"
"Then what is it?"
Athrun could not believe how ignorant Kira was. Had his life in peace dulled his senses and basic intelligence? Athrun almost regretted staying to talk to him where he could've went back in his room and enjoyed a deep slumber of no troubles. It was too late now, obviously, he was pretty much wide awake, "Cagalli isn't happy because she hasn't been doing well here! Why the hell are you talking about the war now? If you want to talk about it, well, do it on Veteran's Day or your birthday! Don't start on these painful subjects deliberately! It hurts people, you know that! If you actually bothered to spend time with your sister, you would actually get a chance to know what is bothering her."
"I'm sorry then," Kira returned the favour rudely, "Don't you think that I have my life to attend to? I am busy trying to get Lacus to talk to me like before, and I don't like to see her being all cold and silent on me for something that isn't my own doing."
The Justice pilot fought back a laugh, a devilish laugh. "What are you talking about?" he immediately challenged Kira with much intimidation. Although Athrun was not the perfect Coordinator, he knew Kira was not someone best in decision making. In fact, his wrongful acts had caused a lot of pain to others. "Lacus isn't talking to you because it IS your fault. You did all this, Kira. If it were up to me, even I would dislike you until you know what you have done. From what I see now, you still have no idea, aren't you?"
Kira became angry, but he only chose to make stern looks instead of using violence. However, his violet eyes began to leer into the emerald ones before him. "I know that I lied to her and everyone else… but I had no choice… I did it for the better."
"For the better?" mocked the blue haired Coordinator, rolling his eyes at that ridiculous reasoning. "If you actually followed my suggestion and went to a doctor or something, this wouldn't have happened in the first place. I was surprised that your arms didn't break off, why not make it heal properly?"
"If I went to a doctor, Lacus would get worried. You know how concerned she was about me during the war and in Archangel after each battle; it pains me to see that beautiful face frown for one second. It doesn't suit her."
Athrun caught another opening to strike. Kira's words were awfully weak today. He couldn't help himself but to actually lose respect for his best friend. The Justice pilot never thought things could slide downhill this easily, just like how easily someone could destroy their self confidence after one small mistake. "Yes, frowning doesn't suit Lacus one little bit. I agree with you on that. I have known her for so long that I know she loves to smile to brighten someone's day. However, you should be worrying about yourself first. It doesn't matter if Lacus frowns and gets worried because you know she cares about you, and maybe even all of us as a matter of fact. She would find it so… so delightful to see someone hurt emotionally or physically become okay again, and the most important person that she wants to see happy is you, Kira.
"I can understand where Lacus is coming from because even she wanted me to not get involved in this war… but I stubbornly thought that being a Gundam pilot or as a soldier of ZAFT was the best decision for me. Lacus cares for all those who are important to her. Kira, do you even know how much you have hurt her for not telling her that you needed help? You could've at least told her that you could deal with it yourself so she could be less concerned."
"I did tell her that."
"Hell no, you didn't," spat the Justice pilot, his eyes showed nothing more but disgust. "You hid it from her until you failed miserably at holding a shopping bag. Okay, what pissed, or made her upset, was how you chose not to tell her when she was willing to be there for you. Secondly, well, I think that she thought you found her to be a bother."
Kira's face was filled with a mixture of confusion, surprise, and guilt. Finally, the expression of guilt surfaced at last and took over his arrogance and stubbornness. Athrun was wondering when Kira would begin to feel sorry; sadly enough, he really did think that it was never. Kira had changed; he could admit that much without doubt. Even so, Athrun noticed that he had changed, too. Hopefully, he had improved instead of being degraded for the worst. To a degree, Athrun was angered at Kira's pitiful reaction "What are you saying?"
"You are indecisive as you are slow," commented the Justice pilot, sneering a little bit. "Lacus thought that you didn't like her anymore, dimwit."
"Why would she think that?"
"You really are a dimwit, aren't you? Men… why are they so dense? How could women fall in love with such creatures of pure ignorance and negligence?"
Kira almost made a sweatdrop. "Athrun, you are a guy, too…"
The blue haired coordinator was all too prepared for this verbal assault, as though he prepared days or even weeks in advance. "In comparison to you, I actually realized what the problem was. Don't you get it? Lacus strongly thinks that you think she is not important enough in your eyes despite her efforts. She wants you to share things with her because she is willing to go through thick and thin. And here you are, hiding things from her when all she wants to do is help you. When she sees this, what is left for her to believe in?"
"You're the smart one, tell me."
Athrun could take a knife and slit his throat right there and end his life regardless of how distasteful it was. "I am only telling you this because you are my best friend," the Justice pilot said sternly, "Lacus thinks that all her efforts up to now are wasted on the… stupid. It's like this… if she can't let you open up to minor things, what can assure her that you will open up to her about bigger things? Women are careful people, they really do use their brains and think about things that men fail to ponder about. I could go discuss about psychological things, but I will save that for another day."
"You are liking your class way too much for your own good," said Kira, and he wasn't being sarcastic.
"War and mobile suit piloting was never my passion," replied Athrun, out of good nature.
"What should I do now?"
"Just talk to her."
"I have been trying to do that, you know,"
"Give it more time," the Justice pilot said, patting his friend on the shoulder before he actually gave a good smile, "Lacus likes you too much to simply discard you. I think she is just reconciling… or whatever. Time, my friend, time is something that could reveal everything. On the time being, just do your part and show her that you care."
Kira literally stared at his friend for a good five seconds as he observed Athrun's visage, which looked utmost mature and intelligent unlike his. He almost felt ashamed knowing the difference between their skills in life. The Freedom pilot was convinced that the time Athrun spent in ZAFT must have shaped up his entire attitude in a way that was more than Kira imagined. At that moment, Kira wished that he worked under some sort of government, and therefore he would see the real taste of life than spending it leisurely like most students did. Outside the mobile suit, Kira was still a child –metaphorically, not literally.
"Thanks for the conversation, Athrun," the Freedom pilot said, feeling somewhat awkward that he got completely told by his best friend, "I really needed it…"
"That's what friends do," Athrun kindly returned Kira's gratitude with a nice touch of gracefulness and humility, "I'm sure you would've done the same for me. Well, only if you have the wits to be persuasive enough that is."
Kira was half-offended, yet half amused. "Hey! Are you accusing me to be stupid?"
"You have to admit, you aren't that bright." That made Kira sulk like a boy who lost his ice cream bar due to some unwanted accident in a local mall. Athrun didn't know whether to find amusement in it or simply frown upon it. Perhaps he was just too kind natured today, and thus, he grinned as if Kira looked adorable when he sulked. In reality, Athrun was somewhat disgusted.
"That hurt, Athrun…"
"I would stay and chat with you, but I really do want to sleep. Waking up at 7:30 because of some idiot isn't fun, I'll tell you that much if you ever want advice from me."
"You know… you used to give better ones,"
Unfortunately, Kira's insults were in vain when he noticed the Justice pilot was no longer in front of him as he shifted sleepily back into his bedroom. Kira just cursed out loud, not believing that he was so sluggish today at everything he did.
Damn you, Athrun… I hope Crot-san destroys your car.
(Meanwhile at Shiho's apartment)
Shiho Hahnenfuss' morning was a happy one… until Yzak came in.
She had no one else but herself to blame being so optimistic and happy towards the Duel pilot. She had an urge to talk, and whenever her heart was set on a task, goal, or whatever, Shiho had an undying passion to see it fit no matter for better or for worse.
It all started when she called Yzak this morning to come over, and she was surprised to hear that the Duel pilot was awake before she called. He told her about Stellar practically barging into his place and got Crot out of bed in the loudest and brashest way he had ever seen her in, and afterwards there was no chance for him to fall back asleep. He clearly didn't want to do anything following that major interruption, but Shiho offered him breakfast if he decided to pay her a visit. Yzak thought about it for a good second before his will and brains declared forfeit on him. He clearly did not want to cook now as his body lacked a force to move, and it was all thanks to that Stellar that his day was half ruined before it even started.
He entered Shiho's place passively, almost too vigilant about everything. He didn't look at her, moved near her, nor did he have the initiative sense to start a conversation. In fact, the only thing he said was, "Where is my breakfast?" and when he found out it was not ready yet, he sat on the couch before doing some channel flipping, which was great exercise for the thumb.
Needless to say, Shiho was not impressed, and with a good cause.
As if that wasn't enough, Yzak appeared to love the shows that Shino most hated, and she wished that television was not Yzak's primary interest. She felt her face flinch up when the television emitted profanity as her fiance, or rather fiance under the rule of Ezaria, turned on the device that was sitting pleasantly on top of a fashionable wooden shelf that she picked herself.
"I'm one of the baddest mother-fucker of all time," she heard from inside the kitchen before she found Yzak actually chuckling, "The best singing, the best looking mother-fucker you all have ever seen. Hold my drink, bitch." She concurred that Yzak loved the word 'bitch', and it really did have a way to crack him up.
"You never laugh like that when I talk to you," Shiho said, coming out with two breakfast meals that consisted of eggs, bacon, and toast with a thin line of butter, and a little extra. A very typical Western breakfast it was, but she knew he would enjoy it, or hoped that he would. At first, Yzak wasn't planning to answer her, but as his nose picked up a salty and attractive aroma, he slowly turned his head to face her. He grinned slightly seeing she had food on her.
"You don't swear often," he replied, shifting his gaze at the surprisingly appealing food, "I don't find it amusing."
"Using profanity destroys your image, Yzak. Did the war change you that much… that thoroughly?"
"I'm always like that,"
"Not when you were six, you weren't,"
"You've met me when you were six? Are you serious, Shiho? How come I don't remember you at all?"
Shiho laughed softly, like any sophisticated lady would. "You were very different back then. Cute… adorable… arrogant nonetheless, but kind hearted in your own way. You were fun to be with, Nicol and Dearka told me that you were a good friend to be around, and I believed them."
"I don't deserve that much praising," said the Duel pilot, rolling his eyes after endless compliments although it was only a few, "There's got to be something that I made you angry. I made all girls angry at me somehow… somewhere… someway… There is just too many to list. But it was fun though."
"You were really immature back then, Yzak," she said, "you kept saying that girls are yucky and disgusting and wouldn't play with them even if you need to go through interrogation, or, in a more extreme sense, death."
Yzak, like most human beings who had a mind, was somewhat taken aback. "I was such a brat? Don't remember saying like that…"
"It's not like you're not a brat now, Yzak-chan,"
He gave a flat stare. "Do I still get breakfast if I make a comment to that statement of yours?"
Shiho thought about it for a minute before she smiled. "It's a free country, go ahead."
"Okay then… Shut up, Shiho,"
"You're not getting any breakfast now for sure," she replied, grinning a victorious smile that made the Duel pilot jump to his feet in outrage.
"Oi, oi, oi!" he screamed, pointing an accusing finger at his fiancé under family laws, "What happened to the justification of free country?"
"You're in my house, remember?" she kindly reminded out of vengeance, or mock-vengeance, "and as long as you are here, I make the rules. Now, I say you are not eating my breakfast." Shino then stuck out her tongue playfully to increase Yzak's rage, and she had the exact results that she was hoping for when his anger doubled amusingly.
"You tricking witch!" he exclaimed out of fury, "You lied to me! That's it. I got kicked out of better places than this. I'm going!"
He was really planning to leave, but Shiho (with her arcane gracefulness) managed to actually make him stop. "I didn't say anything about kicking you out, Yzak. Do you really want to go?"
"Yes, I am very happy with that choice, if I am allowed to make it, Shiho-sama,"
"But you won't get breakfast if you leave."
"You said you won't give-"
By that time, Shiho already placed her food onto the table before approaching Yzak to give him a hug. The gray haired Coordinator stopped in his tracks when he experienced something that he had rarely, or perhaps never, faced. Sure, he had been kissed (not on the lips though) and hugged by women –mainly by his mother- but this was totally different. Unlike the others… this one actually felt nice for a change. His breath became dry; his voice could not be heard despite how hard he tried, and he knew this hug was too overwhelming for him.
In short, although it was comfortable, he didn't like it, but had no willpower to reject.
"I was only kidding," she said, holding him warmer to feel his natural emitted heat, "as if I have the heart to starve you when you had a bad morning. You can be so dense sometimes." This time she had a lively laugh, a chuckle that matched her age than the unnecessary formality that was used in the military. Yzak had to admit, she had a charming way to enjoy herself.
Yzak suddenly cocked a brow at her comment, "Is that supposed to be an insult?"
"Maybe,"
"I'm… hungry… now that you've mentioned it."
"Come on then, let's eat. This is my first time cooking."
"What?" he shouted, totally bewildered, "This is your first? Wait… wait, wait! I'm not sure if I am hungry anymore. I can take you out somewhere and-and… and we… can have something outside-" He wasn't even done with his speech yet and he already found himself sitting in front of the meal that Shiho made for him. He swallowed hard, not knowing what he should be expecting out of this. Okay, perhaps it didn't look half bad. The scrambled eggs were in a saffron kind of yellow, which looked safe enough. The toast were golden brown and not black, and that too was a good sign. Next he moved on to the bacon, and he didn't need to look at it to know it was exceptional. His nose picked up a very nice aroma after all.
The Duel pilot was about to stop Shiho from putting the eggs on her fork to her mouth but realized he was too late. He gasped in a very anime-like fashion, and also a deep concern for her safety miraculous grew in his mind. However, that feeling vanished the instant a wide smile spread all over her face as the taste sank into her taste buds. "Delicious!" Shiho exclaimed in a way that resembled a little girl eating the most smooth, sweet ice-cream. Was this really the same Shiho Hahnenfuss he met in the military? She was his right hand man… no, woman. "Why do you taste so yummy?"
Yzak really wanted to destroy all remnants of his enthusiasm. "Are you doing that just to have me eat it?" To his surprise, she only nodded as she sliced her bacon before putting it into her mouth. It was worth a shot, right? Come on, if Shiho's cooking was so disgusting, then how could she be so chewing it down so happily? Perhaps he could have some faith in her, she was his fiancée without any consent, in which he still needed to discuss to his mother about it whenever he had the chance. And so, he decided to give it a shot.
Instead of the food, he tried the milk tea first. But what he didn't notice was how Shiho made a disgusted look when she took a sip out of her tea first. "Yuck… don't drink the tea yet… I accidentally put in salt instead of sugar…"
Salt!
The contents in his mouth began its horrific flavour infestation on his tongue. Salt and tea were one of the most terrible fusions ever. In fact, it almost tasted like Chinese Herbal medicine, and he hated those with the most passion. Unable to control it any longer, Yzak, in a very ungraceful fashion, spat all the salted tea from his mouth like a water gun to an area across from him, and which was exactly where Shiho was sitting. The former female red coat gasped as tea splashed all over her, but she knew that tea also contained some of Yzak's saliva, which made it even more sickening.
Her face and hair, but mostly face, were soaked effectively. There was a very awkward silence for a good minute, yet Yzak wished it were longer this time. In fact, make that a lot longer. For once, he was deeply afraid of what was going to happen to him, and he didn't feel that way when he was at war. She saw Shiho, who was all wet, finally made a small fidget, and every action from here on end would be frightening, and especially when her eyes were still cast down.
"Yzak?" she asked, voice strikingly passive.
"Yes…"
"I know I don't usually say this… but… Get out now!"
He immediately obeyed and ran.
(North Kyoto Spaceport, waiting area)
Crot would never believe there were seven wonders in this world now because he found it invalid as of this day. The 8th one on his list was 'How could Marge ever marry Homer Simpson', and his 9th was 'How could Stellar Loussier keep smiling when doing boring things such as waiting'. The Raider pilot was tired enough already, since he played until 4 AM this morning, and now he figured out that they didn't need to be here when Shani's shuttle wasn't expected to show up at least 3 hours later. In his opinion, Stellar must've mixed up the role of the plane rider and the people who were waiting for the rider to arrive. Usually, the rider came two hours before the flight initially started, but if you were waiting, you would not come so early because that was considered wasting time. Unfortunately, that was exactly what they were doing right now.
It was a fascinating new spaceport, yes, but other than shopping there was really nothing else to do. Crot was starting to wonder if commercials were losing their subtlety. A spaceport was not all out different from an airport after all. Instead of using jets and planes, they used passenger space shuttles or space carriers. When he had nothing decent to do, Crot usually looked around, and he certainly did not like what he observed. This place looked no different from a shopping centre. He expected food courts and banks, yes, but bookstores, Gundam model shops, auctions for C.E 72 model of Toyota Corolla and such were a little too much. It was just not needed, but yet human ambitions to make money dominated all logic and rules in the realm of business.
"I've been waiting to ask you, Stellar…" said Crot, finally.
"What?" she questioned, completely happy and innocent.
"You realize that we are way too early for our own good, right? If you knew Shani was going to arrive at noon… why did we come here at eight-fifteen?"
"I didn't know what time he would arrive," Stellar replied, giggling for no apparent reason in Crot's perspective, "I just received his mail that he was coming back and I couldn't help myself but to come here. You know how happy Stellar is?"
Indeed, Crot was happy that his friend was returning, but waiting senselessly was just ridiculous. "I know that you're happy," he stated, although any random stranger with a normal intelligence could see what sort of aura the Gaia pilot was constantly glowing, "But shouldn't you have done some background research first before acting? If you did, we wouldn't be waiting like this."
"Background research?" Judging from her face, it appeared that Stellar never would have thought these words could be placed together to form a phrase. Crot's face felt like cracking from major, exceeding exasperation.
"Forget I said that… but still, what are you planning to do when he comes back though?"
She immediately blushed, and Crot knew it was not a good sign. Not for Shani anyway. "Stellar… Stellar… Stellar wants to hug Shani…" There was more to it, and the Raider pilot knew more than anyone. "And then… kiss him…"
"Kiss him, eh," questioned the orange haired Extended, wondering if Stellar was good at giving kisses, "You think he'll like it though?"
"He smiled the last time I kissed him," she reminded, as she adorably poked her chin with her finger as if she was pondering, "and Stellar bets that Shani would love it if Stellar kisses him better than last time."
"And how are you supposed to do that?"
"Be more intimate, of course!"
The Raider pilot sighed again for the millionth time today. There was no sense in talking to Stellar sometimes when she was so innocent towards most things. Sure, the Gaia pilot was great to talk to in most cases, since she was just as understanding and approachable as Lacus, and anyone could practically engage on any topic. The key difference was one thing… and that would be intelligence.
Stellar Loussier was no idiot by any means, but she was so delightful and optimistic towards everything, as if she was fresh out of the protective kindergarten called Rodnia Laboratory. Stellar sympathized for those with dilemmas, but she really did not realize how harsh this reality was sometimes because she was barely exposed to the world. Even so, Stellar knew interrogation and torture better than anyone else around other than Shani and Crot.
Perhaps that was why the Gaia pilot was so eager and willing to kiss Shani. She didn't know how the world reacts upon such affection, and she merely assumed it was safe. If Shani were any other man, he would either push her away due to awkwardness, or take complete advantage of it and take her virginity away. Luckily, the Forbidden pilot was neither, and in Stellar's case she was very fortunate to have such a 'responsible' friend.
Giving out another sigh, Crot drove off to a temporary deep sleep than to observe this vicinity. Stellar, unlike him, was still on exuberant alert for her lover.
Really now… how could anyone get this excited…
(Lunamaria's Shuttle)
"Are we there yet?" asked Meyrin to her seating partner who was in the middle.
"No," replied the only male in the group, which was, of course, Shinn Asuka in an irritated voice.
"Are we there yet?"
"No…"
"Are we there yet, Shinn?" This time it was the older Hawke sister.
"I just said no!" the vampiric coordinator exasperated declared, almost wanting to rip his hair out hearing this question over and over. Another thing… why was he sitting in the middle? "Why don't you guys look out the window or something than to annoy me with your stupid questions? We are not there yet, and I want to sleep. Why don't you sleep then?"
"I am not tired," chirped Meyrin, crossing her arms under her breasts before she pouted.
"Sleep for my sake!" Shinn then turned to Lunamaria, who was on his right, "And what excuse do you have?"
"I'm too excited to go to sleep," Lunamaria answered, smiling as though she was expecting something grand, "Soon enough… I can see Shani again!"
"He's a busy person, Lunamaria… And what makes you so sure that he would be that happy to see you?"
To his extreme discomfort, the older Hawke sister began her own secondary 'seduction', and which was being cute to the maximum. "Are you saying that he might not like me?" she squeaked, using the most endearing voice she could summon, and that was beyond what Shinn could handle. "But how could that be? I mean… there was a connection between us… we were about to kiss, too…"
Shinn could not take it anymore! That was it, Lunamaria was beautiful, and that was why she was so hard to resist! There were plenty of things she could be doing, but she just had to talk to him about Shani. There was no reason why Shinn could hate Shani, since he was his friend who earned his respect than destroying it like the pilot of Freedom Gundam, who which he still did not know who it was. Up to this date, he detested whoever killed his family, but he hid it well from the others, and neither Lunamaria nor Meyrin had much knowledge of despite they had been his friend for quite some time.
"So what if you were about to kiss," he asked, looking over towards the magenta haired girl without making eye contact deliberately, "maybe he was just losing to his emotions, you know, since you were going to smother him with your affection. Men are weak when it comes to women, remember that."
"You sound like as if Shani does not truly like me, Shinn…"
"I'm not trying to say that, Luna-"
"What is wrong about asking some supportive advice from you, Shinn?" Lunamaria spoke before Shinn was even done. "You want Shani not to like me? You said that you would be happy for me! How could you not be happy for me after finding someone that I love? It took me so long to find a man like him, Shinn Asuka, and now you are jinxing it before our relationship even starts! How could you do this to me?"
The crimson eyed coordinator was amazed and speechless, and not without reason however. Women… so emotional, Shinn thought most strongly, he wasn't even done explaining himself and Lunamaria already blew up on him as if he did something outrageously wrong. What did he do to deserve this? "I didn't say anything though…"
"You were about to, I know you were," Lunamaria insisted, not allowing any time for him to recoil in his statements.
"Onee-chan, don't be too hard on Shinn," said Meyrin, knowing that the male in the center was having problems, "Remember, it was Shinn's idea to come back to earth so you can meet Shani. You wouldn't have thought of it if it wasn't for Shinn." Meyrin tried, and now it was up to Lunamaria to take it like a civilized soldier, or an understanding individual. As the younger sister looked over at her older sibling, her eyes turned into slits when her supposedly mature sister was still pouting. Lunamaria had a cute pout, yes, but now it was at the edge of being annoying than appealing.
"I think I would want to enjoy this trip in silence, thank you," Shinn stated, not even wanting an apology from Lunamaria. He had an idea why she was so edgy and sensitive. Two factors, actually. The first would be her desperation to meet the Forbidden pilot. The other reason could be this was the time of her monthly PMSing period, which Shinn could deal with miraculously and not her bitching.
And so, for the rest of the trip the trio managed to ride in silence where Lunamaria watched the vast outer space, Shinn falling asleep, and Meyrin abusing the shuttle service by constantly having drinks and free food that was not worth charging the customers with. Unknown to these three coordinators, they were the most troublesome people the crew needed to deal with; which was mostly done on Meyrin's part.
(3 hours later, North Kyoto Spaceport)
"Crot-sempai, Crot-sempai," whined Stellar, taking his left shoulder with her velvety ones as she gave in effort to shake up, "I just heard a civilian shuttle arrived at the port just now." She grunted when she found her sempai not even budging after all her constant whining. "Wake up, would you?"
"I'll get that son of a bitch…" moaned the Raider pilot in his deep sleep, moving his fists as if he were engaging someone in combat. Stellar gasped lightly as his language, and at the same time wondering what he could possibly be dreaming about. He had no sweat perspiring on his head, his lips weren't necessarily showing fear neither, and lastly there were no signs of him angry. In fact, he sounded as if he was excited during a battle. "No one can just going around harassing us like a goddamn son of a-"
"Sempai!" she screeched, not wanting to hear another rude word from him, "Get up!"
"I'm awake, I'm awake!" the Raider pilot jolted back up instantly when the loud screech reached his ears, "Don't hurt me, don't hurt me!"
"It's okay, Crot-sempai. It's me, Stellar,"
"Sorry… I got carried away…" He sounded very (a emotion that he hadn't feel for quite a while) embarrassed. That alone got Stellar to giggle.
"Come on, now, I just heard shuttle 63 arrived."
"Shuttle 63… what?"
"That's the shuttle Shani is on," she chirped, "We should go and meet him."
Crot had another idea though. "Why not just sit here and watch him come over to us, and-" He immediately silenced himself when he saw Stellar's deadly glare, which could kill if looks were able to take lives out of people. "Sure, let's go!"
Without another word, the two, possibly one of the last living Extendeds, made way to the designated area for their friend, who had been absent in their lives for too long although it was only for two weeks.
The Raider and Gaia pilot quickly found a good spot to wait for Shani, which was ten feet away from the gates behind a 4 feet high titanium barrier. They had been here for ten minutes, and not one person walked through yet. For Crot, it wasn't such a big deal, but Stellar's patience was wearing thin a little too fast. She began to pout when the first batch of people weren't the one she was seeking.
Stellar started to play some games to shift her mind away from waiting, "This guy's a lawyer… this woman is a cook… that's a teacher…" Crot, of course, did not understand what she was doing.
"What's happening…" he asked, somewhat groaning out of boredom.
"Guessing people's profession by their looks,"
"They are all wearing suits, ties, or skirts if they are women," said the male Extended, "How are you supposed to differentiate them when they look the same?"
"It's a woman's intuition, and I always have been good at guessing games, remember?"
"Look, these people won't be giving you shit if you want to guess what they work as. See for yourself, they carry briefcases, wearing variety of suits, solemn faces from utmost experience out of this world, it's obvious that they are government officials, or businessmen, perhaps they are managers from big companies. It's not likely that they are teachers, Stellar,"
"Their briefcases could be a disguise!"
"Disguise? For what?"
"It must be some kind of big government conspiracy… Or have they gotten to you, too?" Her friendliness vanquished in less than a second, which was too fast for Crot's liking. She lowered his shoulders, bent her back as if she was in pain, but in reality it made her look completely ferocious. "You know something that I don't! Tell me!" Without warning, she literally jumped on him –in public.
"Stellar, what are you doing?" he almost screamed as he got tackled hard in the gut, "You lost your mind or something? We are in a spaceport here! People are going to look at us!" And he was right, many people were watching him, as though they didn't have any common sense whatsoever in their brains. Some accused them to be maniacs, but they were kind enough not to say it out loud.
"Not until you tell Stellar what you know!"
"I was just joking, Stellar! Kidding! I was just trying to have some humour in our conversation! Itai, itai, itai…!" The Raider pilot was trying too hard to pry off the girl on top away from his body, but to his major discomfort the Gaia pilot was refusing to give in. Her legs entangled around his hips, he was lying on the floor, and Stellar was sitting upright as though she was rocking him. In other words, these Extendeds seemed to be having sex on the spaceport's designated waiting area.
"I haven't seen you two for such a short time and you are already making love in public?" A familiar voice said from behind the blond Extended, which caused her to freeze in her spot immediately. The Raider pilot did not think of this as a blessing or an additional dread. Even so, both of them recognized the voice. It was naturally creepy, very rare for a male, and it also carried a distinct sense of power. "I am stunned… really am…"
"Shut up…" grunted Crot, clearly not enjoying this whatsoever. It was somewhat fortunate to have the stares decrease with this new presence, and Crot cherished it nonetheless.
"Shani…" Stellar gasped, "Is that really you?"
"Sure it is me," said the Forbidden pilot, smiling weakly but very friendly, "You thought it was someone else? What, is my left eye showing?"
"No… but…" Shani swallowed lightly when he saw Stellar's eyes dwelling up with tears. Her lips stretched into a threatening frown as though she was about to cry. Whether it was out of joy or sadness, Shani could not tell anymore. Although living up there in the colonies with Lunamaria, Shinn, and Meyrin, the ZAFT Lieutenant still could not handle women well. In an unbelievable turn of events, Stellar was not able to control her emotions any longer and tackled Shani just like how she took down Crot. "Shani!"
"Aaugh," cursed the green haired Extended as he fell onto his back. Luckily his laptop was in tact because he placed it at the side, but even so it was on a verge of being destroyed if Stellar moved her knee above it. "That hurt…"
"I missed you so much!" she exclaimed, hugging him close so he wouldn't be able to move. In fact, Shani was now beginning to have a hard time breathing due to her forceful grip. "I was afraid that you would never come back to me! It's been so long!"
"There's no way that we won't be able to see another again, Stellar… cough…" said Shani, grinning a little seeing his long time friend so delighted for once. Stellar frequently smiled, but she didn't smile from her heart other than to Crot or Shani. "Remember, I told you that I'll come and visit you during my vacation and holidays, right? Come on, I won't just abandon you because I got a new job that has not only good pay but also great friends. Stellar, you and Crot are like… my family, in a way."
"Honto-desuka (Really)?"
"I wouldn't lie,"
"Tsh… I haven't seen you in around two weeks and it sounds like you've gone insane…" commented Crot, "You almost sound human for once… with these new sparks flaring that never seemed to glitter before."
"You are human, too, you know. As for that new emotion thing… I suppose your lifestyle changes who you are by the slightest. Even then, despite its significance, it does something to you. Rodnia laboratory sheltered us too much; it almost made us believe life was plain and easy, or perhaps simple where there was only one goal in our lives. Kind of makes everything empty and meaningless doesn't it?"
"… You've gotten too serious, Shani…"
"You're so cool, Shani!" complimented Stellar, giving an extra squeeze in her embrace with the green haired Extended, in which sucked the life out of him. In a natural reaction, the Forbidden pilot gasped and choked when he could no longer breathe. He had to admit that Stellar was strong, but at the same time, he realized that living as a ZAFT Lieutenant surely was much easier than to live as an Extended.
In short, he was beginning to be accustomed to smooth, easy life. Was that considered weakness? Perhaps it was as soon as he felt that his bones were broken. Maybe he exaggerated a little, but that didn't mean that they didn't hurt.
"Thanks, Stellar," coughed Shani, slowly getting back up to prevent his friends and himself to suffer any more humiliation than necessary. Even so, Stellar still had her arms around him, not ever wanting to let go until she wanted to. "Thank you for picking me up. I really appreciate it."
Crot merely snickered before he turned away. "I didn't do it for you, Shani," the orange haired Extended said, "I had to come because I am the only one who knows how to drive and shit. Besides, Stellar really wanted to come… and so I came with her, and… yeah…"
Something made Shani a bit curious, but of course Crot failed to find out what it was until Shani spoke up. "You drive? Really, Crot? You?"
That got the Raider pilot enraged. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? You doubt my driving skills?"
"Yes, but that's not the point," the Forbidden pilot stated, "Whose car is it? Was it Zala's? Did you do anything to it?"
"You accuse me to be some kind of punk that cannot be satisfied until tasting the sweet nectar of vengeance?"
Shani and Stellar were, undoubtedly, impressed with the amount of vocabulary that Crot showed a second ago. None of them expected such words could be produced from those lips. Needless to say, they didn't have high hopes whatsoever. As soon as the Raider pilot noticed their blank stares of pure astonishment, which got him fairly mad, Crot began to stare back with annoyance dripping from his emotions.
"Fine, fine," said Shani, a little exasperated to continue this discussion, "I'll just take my luggage and we'll leave for home, okay?" He smiled when his friends reached a consensus. At last, he could leave this blasted spaceport and sleep. Somehow, Shani just could not sleep on a public transportation vehicle despite how tired he was. The only exception would be when he fainted, or perhaps when he suffered from extreme fatigue –which was abnormally common when he was still a pilot of a mobile suit.
However, just when he was about to move he was stopped by the only girl in their group of three. "Shani…" whispered Stellar, "Can you wait for a second?"
Seeing no harm in stopping for a minute, Shani agreed happily. "Sure, Stellar. What is it?"
Without warning, Stellar stole Shani's first kiss, penetrating his 'oral virginity'. No way in hell did Shani expect something this bold from the Gaia pilot.
From another location nearby –clearly hidden, of course, and actually, they were concealing themselves behind a wall- Lunamaria, Shinn, and Meyrin saw just about everything. Obviously, they did not blow their cover, but at the same time all three Coordinators gasped with pure stun. Just as Shinn was about to say something, he noticed that Lunamaria fainted from an untold amount of raw jealousy.
"Luna!" Shinn exclaimed, voice blooming with worry, "Lunamaria, you okay? Oh, dear God! Get up, lady! Wake up, Luna!
"She really lost it… Meyrin…"
This was more serious than anticipated; that was for sure.
AN: Another chapter done. One step closer for the love triangle to explode wildly. Thank you so much for waiting… three months for this chapter? I am so sorry. I have been a busy person, and writing three fics hasn't been the smartest thing that I've done in my life.
I am somewhat anxious myself to see how the love is going to grow now… maybe a bit more reading would do me some good than harm.
I am grateful for your support. I hope to write again soon.