Kira looked out the viewport on the starboard side of the Colonia. He could see the red-hot plasma trails glowing outside as they exited the Earth's atmosphere. Here we go again, he thought to himself. Another war. He couldn't take it anymore. "Why can't the world just be peaceful…?", he asked himself.
"Because…", came a reply.
Kira wheeled around to see Shinn, looking outside, too. He had a sad look on his face. His blood-red eyes were wet and teary.
"Have you been crying…?", Kira asked.
"O—Of course not!"
"AHA! You HAVE been crying, haven't you?"
"Shut Up! Just SHUT UP!"
Shinn slapped Kira on the face. Kira punched Shinn back. In a few minutes, it had become a full-scale wrestling match.
"YOU TAKE THAT BACK, KIRA YAMATO!"
"NOT A CHANCE, SHINN ASUKA!"
Just then, Lacus, Cagalli and Lunamaria (A former soldier for ZAFT, and colleague of Shinn) stepped into the corridor. They looked at Kira, and then at Shinn. Lunamaria marched up to both of them and slapped them squarely on the face.
"OUCH! What was that for?"
"It's for you being a complete asshole!"
Shinn flared up like a bomb ready to explode. Kira could see his eyes wide with fury. Shinn put his hand up, ready to punch Lunamaria back. But, suddenly…
"You! Stop that at once!"
All three of them looked around. There, standing in front of them, was Captain Ramius. She had an angry look on her face.
"Explain what is happening here!"
They all pointed to Shinn.
"He started it!"
xxxx
A few minutes later, Kira was called into the Captain's office. Capt. Ramius was there, and Shinn was sitting on a chair, his head down.
"Sit down, Kira."
Kira sat down on the uncomfortable felt chair. He felt the uncomfortably cold air conditioning system around him. Even the Captain's face was uncomfortable. Kira was really, really, REALLY uncomfortable.
"Kira…"
"Y—Yes…?"
The Captain looked at Shinn, and then at Kira.
"Be sure not to hit too hard next time."
"O—Okay…"
Later that day, Kira and Athrun were with Dearka, Yzac, Shinn, and Mu in the Launch Bay, looking at the new Gundam that Capt. Ramius assigned them. Dearka read the paper the Captain gave them.
"As of today, the new mecha you will be piloting will be as such:
Athrun Zala: Gundam Deathscythe G (GW-1064)
Kira Yamato: Gundam Wing G (GW-2965)
Dearka Elsman: Gundam GM Ground RX-79(G/HM)
Yzac Joule: Gundam Altron G (AW-3071)
Shinn Asuka: Impulse Gundam Custom (ZR-9473)
Mu La Flaga: Strike Gundam Custom (GW-XG105)
Cagalli Yula Attha: Gundam Aegis Rouge (GW-XR303)
These are relatively old Gundam that we salvaged. We upgraded them with new technology. They run on a power engine called "A Trans". This is a type of energy generator similar to Phase-Shift Armor, only you do not run out of power. This means it has the efficiency of the Neutron-Jammer Canceller, but is not as dangerous because it is not Nuclear-powered."
"Wow… sounds cool!", said Yzac.
"And the whole thought of the efficiency of the NJC engines but with less threat of a Nuclear Explosion is fascinating!", Athrun added.
"So… 'Wanna give them a test run? I heard they perform well both on Earth and in Space!", said Shinn.
"SURE!"
A little while later…
The landing bay alarms sounded off, meaning a mobile suit was about to take off. Mirialia's voice echoed through the whole bay.
"Linear Catapult, ready! Attaching mobile suit to catapult… Finished! You are clear to launch, Impulse!"
Shinn looked at the control panel of the Impulse Custom. It looks the same, yet totally different…, Shinn thought.
"Shinn Asuka, launching!"
In a few seconds, Shinn was flying through space. He was amazed at the responsive handling of the Gundam. Just then, he heard Dearka's voice calling him.
"Shinn!"
"What?"
Shinn saw that all the Gundam were lined up, floating around. "How 'bout a race?", Dearka asked.
"C'mon, Shinn!", Cagalli called.
"Yeah! Let's Race!", Mu added.
"…Unless… You're CHICKEN…"
"Me…? Shinn Asuka…? CHICKEN…?"
"NOBODY CALLS ME CHICKEN! LET'S DO THIS!"
Suddenly, the whole emptiness of space was filled with the roar of engines blazing as the Gundams raced around(Even though you couldn't hear it, since there's no air in space and therefore sound can't travel, so it was as quiet as midnight).
Yzac was in the lead. He looked back at all of them and mocked them.
"HA! You're all too slow for my Altron! Just give up!"
But Yzac wasn't looking. An asteroid headed straight for him.
"AAGH!"
Yzac got hit and slowed down. Then, Athrun overtook him. Behind him were Shinn, Dearka, Kira, Mu, and Cagalli. Yzac was last place, AGAIN. It's always like this, he thought.
15 minutes into the race, and the positions were like this:
1st-Athrun
2nd-shinn
3rd-Kira
4th-Mu
5th-Dearka
6th-Cagalli
Last: Yzac—AGAIN.
23 minutes later…
1st-Athrun
2nd-Cagalli
3rd-Kira
4th-Dearka
5th-Mu
6th-Shinn
Last: Yzac—AGAIN.
On the last lap of the race…
1st-Cagalli
2nd-Athrun
3rd-Dearka
4th-Kira
5th-Shinn
6th-Mu
Last: Yzac—AGAIN.
Cagalli passed the finish line—she won! Athrun followed closely behind, then Dearka, Kira, Shinn, Mu, and…Yzac. Last again.
xxxx
After the race, they all went back and headed to the lounge. There, they all exchanged stories on what they had been doing during the past three years.
"Well, after that last war, me and Mir went to the base in Gibraltar to work as BDAs (Battle Damage Assessors) for the Orb Union. Nothing else has happened since then.", Said Dearka, tossing his head back.
"…And how exactly did you end up marrying each other and having a son…?", asked Mu, a sneer on his face.
"Well, uh…"
"Actually, while we were on one mission, it took us a long time before we finished everything. It was about sunset when we finally completed the assessment, and Dearka suddenly just, you know, proposed.", Mirialia said.
"Ooh… How romantic!", Lacus chirped. "All Kira did was propose to me on Onogoro Isle…"
"Well, as for me, I became Lieutenant for the ZAFT SF during these past years, and that's all, really.", Yzac said.
"Me and Cagalli moved to New Zealand after the marriage, and nothing's been going on either…", said Athrun.
"What do you mean NOTHING'S BEEN GOING ON?", Cagalli screamed in Athrun's ear. "We lost all our money!"
"We WOULDN'T HAVE if you didn't spend it all on DESIGNER SHOES!", Athrun countered.
As Athrun and Cagalli were bickering, Shinn narrated his story. "After the war, I signed up as an intern in a hospital in Prague.", he said.
"Prague? You mean as in Prague, Czechoslovakia..?", Lunamaria asked, astonished.
"Yah… Why…?"
"I mean, why Czechoslovakia? Aren't the people there, like, Coordinator haters…?"
"Yeah… They are…"
"So… Why there…?"
Shinn shrugged. "I don't really know why. But…"
"But what…?"
"But, I figured, even if I am a Coordinator, I wouldn't have to be afraid because… Well…"
"…"
"Okay, so I WAS scared! It's just that I wanted to try something new! I wanted to go to a place where very little people go so that I could have some alone time, secluded from everyone else! I admit it!"
xxxx
Later, when everyone ha left again, Lunamaria called Cagalli, Mirialia and Lacus to her room.
"So, I called you girls here to ask you something…"
"… Yes…?"
"Umm… H—How do you tell a guy you like him…?"
Cagalli, Mir, and Lacus all looked at each other. Then they huddled up. "… How do we tell her…?", asked Mir. "I don't know! Well… How did YOU show Kira your… Uh… feelings…?", Cagalli said. "I—I don't know! It's 'kinda like a mutual thing!", Lacus countered. "Well, I think it was Dearka who "exposed" his feelings to me… I think…", Mir said.
"… Well…?"
They all stopped and looked at Lunamaria. "C'mon! I think Lunamaria's fed up of waiting!", Cagalli said. "Why don't we just tell her how WE did it… Okay…?", said Lacus.
"Alright…"
"Uh… Sure…"
Over the next hour, the three girls shared to Luna their experiences, and how they got the boys to know their true feelings.
"Well, right before the Onogoro incident, Athrun and I 'kinda crossed paths.", said Cagalli. "He got stranded on an isle I got stranded on too. He held me captive, I got wet, he dried my clothes, I bandaged his wounds, I slept with him…"
"You, you SLEPT WITH HIM…?"
"Yeah… I did.", said Cagalli. "After all, I DID have no more place to sleep, and Athrun was all sincere and stuff, and we really got along.", she added.
"Well, anyway, AFTER the Onogoro incident, we found Athrun lying on the beach unconscious, we returned him to ZAFT, blah blah blah… And the rest is history."
"I don't get it. What happened in space?"
"Well," said Cagalli, "If you insist…"
"When Athrun was with us already, after the Orb Victoria Base was destroyed, Athrun went with us to space. Sometime afterwards, I think after he was shot, he returned. I was so worried then, you know, 'coz he was shot… By his own dad…", Cagalli paused for a second. "Anyhow, when he was alone, I got mad at him for endangering his life like that. So, I 'kinda gave away that I had feelings for him; He hugged me, I was surprised…"
"Then, on September 25, right before the Jachin incident, we were about to Deport to engage the enemy. I told Athrun that he shouldn't come because he would have to fight his own people from ZAFT, and that he really shouldn't, but he was all, "Cagalli, I must, if we are to end this war…", so I just told him I'd protect him, and then…"
Another pause.
"Ooh! I know what happened next!", said Lacus. She whispered In Lunamaria's ear.
"They KISSED!"
Luna's eyes widened.
"Get OUT! They actually KISSED?"
"Yeah… We did…", said Cagalli, lowering her head. From her position, Mirialia could see Cagalli was blushing, and her eyes were teary.
"It was… the best kiss… I ever received from him…", Cagalli said, blowing her nose with a hanky.
"Ooh! Cagalli's all EMOTIONAL!", said Lacus, teasing her.
"Stop it! It's not funny!", Cagalli whined.
"So… Uh… What about you, Lacus…?", Lunamaria asked.
"Well…"
"Originally, you know, Athrun and me were engaged. But, ever since I met Kira, I felt that he was a better match for me. Besides, Athrun already had Cagalli… Don't tell him about the "better match" part…"
They all giggled at the thought.
"So, anyway, I first felt, um… attracted to Kira when we met up in space, right before I gave him the Freedom. When I saw how dedicated Kira was to bringing peace to the galaxy, I felt I had a… um… a "crush" on him. But when we met up again… I was certain I was in love.", Lacus said, a smile on her face.
"In fact, right before the last battle, I even gave Athrun's engagement ring to Kira… And I guess that showed him my true feelings."
"Yes… In fact, I think that when I gave the ring to Kira… At the same time, you…", she pointed to Cagalli, "… and Athrun were kissing."
Cagalli blushed.
"Yes… I think so, too… What a coincidence, is it not?", said Cagalli.
"So… You're saying that to get a guy… You just have to be… True to him…?", Luna asked timidly.
"Yeah… That's about it…", Mir said. "Why do you ask…?"
"Ooh… I think…", said Cagalli, "That Lunamaria… is in LOVE!"
"REALY? With who?"
Luna was quiet.
"Aw… C'mon, tell us!"
"Oh, very well… I—I think I'm in love with…"
"………"
"Well…?"
"I'm in love with… With… With Shinn…"
Lacus, Cagalli, and Mir looked at each other.
"OOH! LUNAMARIA'S IN LOVE WITH SHINN!"
"Stop it, you guys!", Lunamaria said. She had a reproachful look on her face.
"Sorry…"
"Well, anyway, I've been trying to look for a way for Shinn to notice me.", said Luna. "But—I... Everytime I try to tell him, I—I become all still and I can't bring myself to—to tell him how I feel…"
"Well… Let me give you a piece of advice, Luna…", said Cagalli, putting her arm over Lunamaria. "Men are easily distracted by girls. But men like Shinn don't make the first move, they WAIT. If you 'wanna get the guy's attention, you 'gotta MAKE the first move, and most importantly, be True to yourself. Don't act like someone you're not, and the guy will respect you, and eventually, FALL FOR YOU. I mean, I was never girly around Athrun, and that's my quality that Athrun liked best."
"So…", said Lunamaria, looking at her feet. "You think I could win Shinn like that…?"
"Of course.", said Lacus. "Trust Me."
Then, the three of them left the room.
"Oh yeah…", Mir said, coming back. "This method is proven effective! If it does not work out for you, come back to us three days afterwards, and you'll get your money back!", she said, winking.
"Yeah, sure…", Lunamaria said. She was worried.
I hope it works, thought Luna as she walked out of the room, tears welling up in her eyes.