Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed. But I do own Lt. Edwin, only in this chapter.

P.R. no 5: Hey all! It's so good to be back! Finally pulled myself out of writer's block, but most likely this chapter will suck like hell. Please humor me, and thank you all ever so much for the reviews! They played a big part in helping me get back on track! Enjoy chapter 5, hopefully.

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After the metal door slid shut. Frey touched a hand almost timidly to her lips.

He had actually kissed her. Yzak Joule had actually kissed her.

It wasn't the first time she'd been kissed. Sai had kissed her once or twice. And even Tolle had accidentally kissed her once. And of course, Kira had kissed her, or rather, she'd kissed Kira, but it was almost the same thing.

But this…this was Yzak that was the problem here. This damnable, caustic, satanic…

Frey Allster, to put it quite bluntly, hated Yzak Joule, this haughty, uptight Coordinator assigned to be her guard. She had thought, at least to this day, that he'd returned her feelings likewise.

But no. They were alone then. He could have done anything else. He could have choked her, raped her, evenkilled her, and yet…he chose…of all things…to kiss her.

Just when you thought you had everything figured out. Frey raked a hand savagely through her hair, taking a closer look at the dark crimson tresses caught between her fingers, she was appalled by the number of split ends she saw.

Glad for a change in focus, she rummaged through the enormous leathersuitcase her captors had left her and found a comb. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Frey untangled her hair with exaggerated fervor. But after she got tired, she imagined hands untangling them. They were too calloused to be Kira's hands and Kira's hands were gentler than that.

Oh. God. What the hell was she thinking? Frey threw the comb down and flopped down on the bed. What the hell was she thinking? It was just Yzak. Yzak was a Coordinator, and an asshole on top of all that. He was supposed to hate her. She was supposed to hate him. And she did. And she thought he did.

But it was just a kiss. Frey brushed a hand by her lips again. It was hardly important. Back in the old days, when school and rivals and crushes were part of life. A kiss was just a kiss. This wasn't the old days though. And something told her that Yzak wasn't the type to kiss someone just for the sake of kissing her. No matter how cruel he acted…

That aside, why the hell did she imagine his hands? Instead of Kira's, or Sai's? When Frey didn't even have the slightest clue what Yzak Joule's hands were like?

"I hate this." she spoke, for the first time after his departure. "I hate this, Kira. Why did you let them take me? Where were you?"

Silence answered her. Which was supremely strange, usually, the Kira within her conscience spoke to her. This time, Frey heard nothing. Only her own ragged breathing, and the dull tick-tock of Yzak's alarm clock.

An urgent series of knocks interrupted her thoughts. "Who is it?" Frey asked, looking frantically around the room for some sort of sharp object to defend herself with, it was quickly becoming a habit.

"Lt. Edwin, Miss Allster." Came the reply, "Captain Kleuze requests your company for the upcoming meal. I'm to escort you."

Frey let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. "…Oh. A minute, please."

"Certainly, miss."

She rummaged through the suitcase and dug out a fresh ZAFT uniform. She looked at it with disdain. But to make it through all this, she had no choice. Frey put it on and opened the door.

Lt. Edwin was about a head taller than she was with sea-gray eyes and shoulder-length white-blonde hair. Frey looked down at her feet and tried to hide her blush. "Err…hi."

He laughed easily and offered his arm. "Hi, yourself. If you don't mind me saying, Miss Allster, Joule-san is one lucky bastard. Should we go?"

Her response was to blush harder and slid her arm shyly through his. "I suppose."

Unfortunately, they had not too far to go. Edwin guided her down the corridor and stopped at the last door on the right. He rapped on the metal smartly with his knuckles. "Captain Kleuze, sir, I have brought Miss Allster."

"Send her in, please, Lieutenant." Came the smooth answer. "If you would be ever so kind, please collect Yzak Joule as well and bring him here. He should be somewhere in the shooting range."

"Yes, sir." Edwin snapped a salute, though the metal wasn't see-through. Frey stifled a giggle. He turned to her, "Well, that's that." Edwin said firmly, "In you go, miss, and good luck to you."

And Frey was once again left alone. The door slipped open at her touch, and uttering a silent prayer (her first in who knew how long), Frey went in.

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"Captain Kleuze wants you, Joule-san."

Yzak turned, with the training rifle still in one hand. The guy Kleuze had sent was also a lieutenant like himself, but judging by the uniform the other wore; Yzak could see that the guy didn't pilot mobile suits. "What for?" He snapped.

"Much apologies, Joule-san, Captain didn't say."

Yzak turned back to the screen and fired off his last round. Throwing the gun and earphones aside. "He didn't?"

"Uh, no…" Yzak could see the other starting to get nervous, nervous enough to add, "…sir. I didn't think it necessary to ask. I was ordered by Captain to escort Miss Allster to his quarters before I was to come and bring you." His voice was slightly shaky.

Yzak wasn't surprised. With the exception of Dearka and Kleuze, he was actually one of the more unpopular pilots aboard the ship, his abilities aside, most likely because of his temper. "…I see." He nodded curtly, "I will be there shortly. You may go."

He didn't miss the look of relief that spread all at once through the poor Lieutenant's features as he ran off.

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"Please, have a seat, Miss Allster." The blonde, masked man sitting in one of the plush armchairs said. "Or may I call you Frey?"

Having little choice, Frey sat down. "Whichever you prefer…sir, I mean…"

"Come now, Frey, no need to be so frightened." He was smirking at her, unlike Yzak's smirk, which infuriated her to no end, Captain Kleuze's smirk chilled her to the bone, "I will not hurt you. But before I discuss some things with you, why don't we eat?"

Now that he mentioned it, Frey became mesmerized by the variety of foods on the table. The Archangel's mealtimes were nowhere near this exquisite. But she could not help asking, "This…this food isn't poisoned, is it, sir?"

He laughed, it was not that much better than his smirk. "You are quite the character, aren't you, Frey? I assure you the food placed here on this table are of the utmost quality and certainly not poisoned." So saying, he reached for one of sandwich squares and bit delicately.

Frey relaxed at that, but only a little, she was still on enemy ground here, and even though this Captain was friendly enough, he still freaked her out, she couldn't explain why.

"Are you ill, perhaps?" He asked her, with a touch of concern. "Shall I call the physician?"

"No, sir, I'm all right." To convince him, she speared a piece of ham and stuffed half of it in her mouth.

He seemed satisfied, after taking a swig from a mug, Kleuze leaned forward on his elbows and lowered his voice, "I wanted to talk to you about Yzak."

Yzak? Frey stiffened but she forced herself to smile. "If you don't mind my saying, err, Captain, Yzak-san is a bit of an asshole at times." The words slipped out on their own, she immediately cringed and cursed herself.

Instead of glaring at her or ordering her to be whipped or something of the sort, Kleuze merely chuckled, obviously amused, "Well, he's been called worse, but that's really not my point, I just wanted to ask how he is treating you. He is under orders. But I wondered if he needed a reminder."

Rather than risk another slip, Frey pursed her lips and ate another piece of ham, "He is…good to me."

"Really?" he raised a somewhat skeptical eyebrow. But he was still smirking, as if he knew something she did not.

"Oh, yes sir." Frey nodded eagerly, warming up to her story. "Yzak-san is very kind."

"That is good to hear." Kleuze said, after a decent interval of silence had passed between them. "I wasn't sure Yzak could handle this assignment at first, but from what you have told me thus far, you two seem to be getting along fairly well."

Frey suddenly had an insane urge to tell Captain Kleuze that Yzak had kissed her, but she bit her tongue so hard it bled. All that came out of her mouth was, "Yes, sir."

"But if he's out of line, you will let me know, Frey?"

Frey shuddered, Kleuze sounded almost too fatherly for her tastes, and his voice sounded just like her father's…

"Yes, sir." She said again.

That was when she heard Yzak's voice, "Captain Kleuze, sir? You sent for me."

"Keep this between us, Frey. I will protect you." Kleuze said to her. To Yzak, who was assumingly stationed outside the door, "I would like you to escort Miss Allster back to the room, please."

She would deny for a long time that it had never happened, but when she saw Yzak standing there, her heart skipped a beat. He did not look at her.

And of course he did not offer his arm like Edwin did.

But this time he waited for her, instead of marching ahead. They walked together.