Disclaimer: Gundam Seed or Destiny or Eternity… they don't belong to me.

a/n: Well, I decided to write something for Christmas, seeing as a lot of people have, too. This'll still be in the universe of "I Never Knew You," of course. Might stray a little, but hey, it's Christmas!

December 20 CE 77 7: 03 am

She tried to peer through the window, but it was way too foggy to see. With a determined look, she went back to her room. And when she went out, moments later, she was wearing her winter clothes.

"Shiho, are you really sure you want to go outside today?" her cousin Dearka questioned. He was sitting on the couch, his elbow propped on the armrest and his knuckle on his chin.

"I have to," Shiho replied. "Besides, school's just a building away, no biggie."

The tan twenty-two year old raised an eyebrow. "You're going to walk across, what, six feet of snow?"

"You're exaggerating," Shiho said, rolling her eyes. "There's only two feet of snow outside."

"But it's cold."

"That's why I'm wearing these, aren't I?" the brown-haired teen said, referring to her clothes.

"I'm your cousin, you know. And I'm older than you," Dearka said. "So I know what's best for you. Hey, you might catch a cold, and-,"

"That's your phone, Dearka," Shiho said, recognizing the "Jingle Bells" ringing tone almost immediately.

"Yeah?" Dearka said when he picked up.

"It's me," Yzak said on the other line. "Listen, I'm sorry about what happened at the mall yesterday."

Dearka could not believe what he was hearing. Yzak, actually apologizing?

"But I'm not gonna say it's not all my fault, because it most certainly isn't," he continued, seemingly back to his old self again. "It was partly your cousin's fault I got angry."

"And partly whose fault?" Dearka asked.

"Mine," Yzak replied. "Oh, by the way, I decided I'm staying here in Orb for a while. I'm going to law school."

"Law school?"

"Law school?" Shiho echoed. "Dearka, who's that on the phone?"

"Yzak," he mouthed.

Shiho rolled her eyes again. "Oh, him. The guy with the anger management problem?"

Dearka nodded. "Yzak, didn't we just graduate from college together?"

Shiho slipped out the door when Dearka turned his back to her. Whew, she thought.

"I know, all right?" Yzak answered. "It's just that, well, I have nothing better to do."

Suddenly, an idea struck the blond. He knew how he was gonna win the bet that he and Shiho agreed on yesterday.

Flashback…

"Who does he think he is?" Shiho said, facing Dearka. "Just 'cause I spilled his coffee on his shirt doesn't give him the right to… to…" she trailed off, not knowing what words to use to describe what Yzak did, exactly.

"Don't mind him, he's just a hothead," Dearka assured her. "But he's really a nice guy."

Shiho gave him a skeptic look. "Nice? If it was opposite day, then maybe I would believe you."

Dearka half-smiled and said, "If you get to know him, you'll see that I'm right."

"Wanna bet?" Shiho challenged. Dearka's smile turned into a smirk.

"How much?"

"Well-," Shiho began.

"Wait, I know," Dearka said. "If you and Yzak get along well, or if you become his girlfriend, by Christmas, you pay me a hundred bucks."

A pink flush was evident on Shiho's cheeks when she heard the word "girlfriend."

"You're never gonna win, Dearka," Shiho said. "There is no way I'm gonna get along with him or become his girlfriend."

"Then if I lose, I'll give you a hundred bucks, and my IPod shuffle."

"You're on, cousin."

"Hey, are you still there?" Yzak demanded. "Dearka!"

"Hey, no need to shout, I just spaced out a little. By the way," Dearka said before Yzak could say another word, "I know how you can make up for what happened yesterday."

"Hey, I never said-,"

"Well, I said it for you," Dearka said hastily. "You're going to law school right?"

"Yeah, so what's your point?" Yzak said bluntly.

"I know where you should enroll," Dearka began.

7: 16 am

Shiho had hurriedly walked to the school building, which was just across her apartment, where Dearka was staying temporarily. Her first class was still at eight, but she wanted to come early because of one reason: the coffee shop.

She wouldn't admit it, but she had a little crush on the guy at the counter in the said coffee house.

So she thought it impossible that she would actually fall in love with, as she had said earlier, "the guy with the anger management problem."

Shiho took a sip of her coffee, which one again, reminded her of the mall scene that had happened yesterday.

The brown-eyed teenager was just about to steal a glance at the oh-so-cute coffee boy when she saw someone familiar head to her table.

"What are you doing here?"

Yzak Joule took a seat across Shiho. "It's nice to see you too. And just so you know, I study here. I just enrolled."

Shiho narrowed her eyes at him. "Of all the colleges of law in Orb, you just had to choose this one. Why?"

"Look, I'm sorry I overreacted yesterday," Yzak said, being uncharacteristically nice. "And I'm sorry I got you late for your job and got you fired from Seven-Eleven."

Shiho gave him a good long look. "Okay, okay, I forgive you," she finally said.

"And to answer your question," Yzak added, "Dearka told me this was the only way I could make it up to you. So I'm here, at Sheffield College of Law."

"Want me to give you a tour?" Shiho offered.

Yzak raised an eyebrow. "I can find my way around, thanks," he said coolly, standing up and walking away.

And I was hoping he was going to be nice forever, Shiho thought.

"Okay, on second thought, I really need that tour," Yzak said, coming back.

"What made you change your mind so quickly?"

"I don't know which building to go to."

"Well, let me see your schedule," Shiho said. Yzak gave her a folded sheet of paper out of his pocket.

Shiho looked from the paper to Yzak and to the paper again.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

"You're in third year already?" she said, incredulous.

"I took the entrance exam and they said I should get accelerated," Yzak revealed. "So, yeah, I'm in third year."

"And you know what else sucks?"

"You're in the same year as I am, and we have the same classes?" Yzak guessed.

"Yeah," she said. "God this is so unfair!"

"I cannot believe this," Yzak muttered. "It was bad enough that I had to study here, but it's even worse now."

Shiho didn't want to say it, but boy did she ever agree with him right then.

10: 05 am

"Well, we both have free period now, don't we?" Yzak said. "How about that tour you promised? Or did you forget it already?"

"No, I haven't forgotten, Yzak," Shiho replied. "Come on."

She started to walk down the hallway, which was now adorned with Christmas decorations. When she noticed that Yzak wasn't following her, she stopped and turned around.

"Yzak, what are you-," she began.

"Shiho, look," he said, staring up at the decoration hanging above the doorway to the outside of the building, where Yzak was standing right now.

"Mistletoe," Shiho said. "Let's hope we both don't get under one of those. Now let's go."

"Actually," the grey-haired man said, "We were under it just a moment ago."

"So you're saying…" Shiho trailed off. Yzak nodded grimly, like it was a death sentence or something.

"No way!" she blurted out. "There is no way I'm kissing you, ice boy."

"And since when did I become 'ice boy'?" Yzak demanded. He rolled his eyes. "No one's gonna see us anyway."

"I don't have to do this," she said. "There's no rule saying you have to kiss under a mistletoe."

"Mistletoe or no mistletoe, I'm kissing you anyway," Yzak said gruffly.

"What?" Shiho almost shouted. Her cheeks were turning red. "A-And why would you do that?"

"Because…" Yzak began, seemingly at a loss for words. "Because when I… when I first saw you I thought I was angry. And I was. But I guess it wasn't anger at all."

He walked towards Shiho, and for the first time since they met, she saw Yzak's cool blue eyes become warm. "Yzak…?"

"Believe it or not, I like you, Shiho."

No, she thought. This has got to be some kind of joke. I just met him yesterday, and he likes me already? Yeah right.

"Okay, Yzak, you can stop kidding around now."

Yzak narrowed his eyes at her, trying to conceal the fact that he was hurt by what she said. "What do you take me for, Shiho? A comedian? I wasn't joking."

So he wasn't just trying to fool me? She thought.

"I should never have come here," Yzak muttered. He started to turn and walk out. Shiho grabbed his arm.

"I'm sorry I didn't take you seriously," Shiho said. "I just couldn't believe that-,"

"That the 'ice boy' actually has feelings?" Yzak interrupted, turning to look at her.

"That you could actually like someone like me," Shiho finished, looking down on the ground. Her hand slipped out of Yzak's arm, but the boy caught it before it dropped to her side.

"I went through all this trouble to tell you this and you think I'm not telling the truth?" he said angrily. He took a deep breath.

"Believe me, it's true," he said, his voice becoming softer. And as Shiho looked into his eyes, she did believe him. But just then, she remembered the bet.

"…if you become his girlfriend by Christmas, you pay me a hundred bucks," Dearka's voice rang in her ears.

"Listen, Yzak, I don't know what I feel yet," Shiho said. "We just met yesterday, after all. You didn't exactly make a good first impression on me and-,"

"Just… just say it, okay?" Yzak cut in. "Get to the point and tell me you hate me."

Shiho smiled. "Okay."

"Okay?" Yzak repeated.

"Okay, I do hate you," Shiho replied, twirling her brown hair.

"Gee, thanks," Yzak said derisively. "What a way to dump-,"

Shiho tiptoed and kissed the unsuspecting twenty-two year old. For a few seconds, Yzak stood there in shock, but he eventually relaxed and kissed her back.

Later, they both broke away for air. "I hate you too, Shiho," Yzak said.

"When you say hate…"

"I mean it," he said. Shiho smiled again. The bet, it seemed, could be thought about later. And her little crush on the boy at the coffee shop? Well, he'd been replaced.

"Come on, Shiho," Yzak said, still holding her hand. "We're gonna be late for class."

They both went out the door, above which the mistletoe was still hanging.

a/n: Oookaaay. Did that just suck or what? Not to mention rushed. Hard to believe Yzak could be so… mushy. Sorry for the apparent OOC-ness. Well, that was my Christmas one-shot for y'all. And the story of "I Never Knew You" continues.