Disclaimer: Mm-hmm. Yup. Gundam Seed ain't mine, okay? I am but a lowly person who writes fanfictions in her spare time. I gain no money from this. If I did, I'd be filthy rich by now, which I am so not.

a/n: So sorry for the late update. Writer's block got to me. I don't know if it will come back or not. So I'm not sure if I can update next week. Anyway, on to…

Chapter 8: Will you admit it?

December 7 CE 77 12:40 am

Lacus opened her eyes. She found herself looking at a starry dark blue sky. She sat up straight. She was in someone's car. Then she remembered what had happened earlier, before she fell asleep by the lake.

Shawn, she thought. Strangely, it was him she dreamt of when she was asleep. She could still remember the dream clearly as if it really did happen.

Shawn and Lacus were still sitting on the edge of the wooden port, doing anything but talking.

"Lacus, I have to tell you something," Shawn said to her, breaking the silence.

One of Lacus's eyebrows was raised. "What is it, Shawn?"

"Um… I… I…" he stammered. Lacus never saw him act like that before, being unsure of what to say. But then again, they had only just met. She couldn't say she knew him well.

"Yes?"

A red flush appeared across Shawn's face as he slowly inched himself closer to Lacus. Their lips finally met. The brunette reluctantly broke the kiss a second later.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't…" he trailed off. He ran a hand through his hair nervously.

Lacus just stared at him, shocked at what he just did. Shawn seemed to feel the same.

"Oh God."

And then the dream ended, as Lacus had woken up before it could continue.

She wondered mentally where the familiar brown-haired man was. Then she saw him, asleep at the front seat. It was her turn to watch him, his head leaning on the headrest. Lacus placed two fingers on her lips. She had a strange feeling. In her dream, Shawn kissed her. But it felt so real. Could he really have done it while she was sleeping? Was that why the dream had come out that way?

No, he wouldn't do that, she answered herself. He loves someone else. He wouldn't do something like that if he knew it wasn't right.

But how sure was she, really? That she didn't know.

Lacus saw movement where Shawn was. He was waking up.

"Oh, you're awake," he said when he saw Lacus. "Time to take you home, I guess."

"Yeah. And um, thanks, by the way."

Shawn's eyebrows shot up. "For what?"

"For waiting for me to wake up," the pink princess said, a light smile appearing on her face.

"Don't mention it," the brunette replied, starting the car.

Shawn saw Lacus's blue eyes on the rear view mirror. It seemed as though those eyes were the only thing he was focusing on. He wasn't looking at the road.

And as we all know, not looking at the road when driving could cause serious problems.

"Shawn, look out!"

"Wha-,"

A car that was bigger than Shawn's was heading his way. If he turned, he'd collide with the other cars that were in the same lane. Right then, he didn't know what to do.

Lacus looked scared. She didn't know what to do either.

But then by some miracle, the other car slowed down and blew past them.

Shawn breathed a sigh of relief. Lacus stopped holding the seatbelt.

"I thought…" Shawn trailed off. "I… Sorry, I was being careless."

"That's alright," Lacus replied. "At least we got out alive, right?"

"Right," Shawn replied a little shakily, gripping the steering wheel tighter till his knuckles were white.

He risked her life and he couldn't forgive himself for it. He wanted to punch himself for being so stupid. He was never like this before. Why did he have to be now?

And all he wanted to know was why Lacus was always in his dreams. Yet he didn't get an answer. His emotions got ahead of him, which made him forget everything else. And what's more, he didn't even gain anything from dragging Siegel Clyne's daughter with him to Onogoro Lake. Nothing.

Nothing but the realization that he now loved someone other than Fllay.


12: 41 am

Athrun and Cagalli were quietly sitting on the swings again. Cagalli was staring at the ground, still blushing because of the scenario that had happened earlier.

Meanwhile, the raven-haired man was looking up at the heavens. He noticed that there were more stars visible tonight than usual. He knew. He spent most of his time at night stargazing instead of sleeping.

"Cagalli, look," he said, pointing to a patch of dark blue sky. Cagalli tilted her head upward.

"Hey, that's a constellation, right?"

"Yup. Leo," Athrun said. "Great isn't it?"

Suddenly they both saw a rare sight. A meteor was falling to the earth.

"A shooting star," Cagalli said, awed. She never saw one before, up until tonight.

Athrun immediately closed his eyes and wished. I wish me and Cagalli will be happy with each other forever.

Well, since Athrun and I are okay, I wish… that Lacus would be happy, even if Kira's gone, Cagalli thought.

Both opened their eyes at the same time.

"We can't tell each other what we wished for right?" Cagalli said. Athrun nodded.

"But you didn't wish for anything bad, did you?"

Cagalli frowned. "Of course not! I'm not as evil as you are."

Athrun tried his best to act insulted. "Evil? Me?"

Cagalli rolled her eyes in amusement. "Whatever, Zala." She looked at her watch. Her amber eyes widened.

"Athrun! It's one fifty-five in the morning."

"I better walk you back home," Athrun said with an apologetic smile. "I lost track of time. Sorry."

Cagalli couldn't help but laugh at the raven-head. He looked like he was expecting a long telling-off from his mother. Or from Cagalli.

Athrun raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Cagalli said smugly, walking away from him.

"Hey, I'm walking you home, not the other way around," Athrun said, still wondering what she could possibly be laughing about. He fell in step beside Cagalli.

"Athrun?"

"Yeah?"

Are we doing the right thing?" Cagalli asked. There was doubt in her amber eyes.

"About what?" Athrun asked, totally clueless.

Cagalli hesitated for a moment. "About us, Athrun," she finally said. "Face it. You're still married to Lacus. You… you're having an affair with me, technically."

They both stopped walking. Athrun let out a long sigh before he spoke. "I… I know, you're right. But-," he held Cagalli's hand and pressed it on his chest. "-I know who I love, Cagalli, and that's you. Not Lacus, and not anyone else, but you."

The blond-haired woman couldn't stop the blush from appearing on her cheeks. She looked away from Athrun's emerald eyes.

"We have to be careful," Cagalli said quietly. "You know that, don't you? Until you and Lacus are divorced, no one must see us together."

"I know that," Athrun answered her. "Don't worry about it."

Cagalli gave him a hard punch on the shoulder. "That's what you always say."

Athrun half-smiled. He slipped his arm around Cagalli's waist as they continued walking. "Come on. Let's go."


1: 01 am

Kira, or should I say Shawn, stopped the car in front of the Clyne mansion. He jumped right out the car door and proceeded to let Lacus out.

"Thank you," the pink princess said gratefully.

"For what? For almost getting you killed?"

Lacus merely smiled at Shawn's sarcasm. "Ironically, you made me forget about every negative thing I've been feeling lately," she said truthfully. "I guess you are a good person, after all."

Shawn felt the heat on his face. Lacus had just said something good about him. He tried to smile despite the fact that his heartbeat was now faster than usual.

"Uh, thanks," he said, a bit shakily. "I… I guess I should get going then."

He was just about to turn his back when Lacus stopped him. "Wait," she said. She hugged him. Shawn was in total shock. He hesitantly hugged Lacus back, as if he had never embraced someone before.

Lacus pulled away a moment later and said "Bye." Then she ran to the gate and slipped inside. Shawn still wasn't over the shock. He could faintly smell Lacus's scent on him.

He jumped in surprise when his mobile phone rang in his pocket. He picked it up and answered.

"Hello?"

"Shawn?" It was Fllay's voice. Oh no, I forgot to leave a note, he thought.

"Where are you?" she continued.

"I… I'm on my way there, Fllay," he lied. "I just went out to get some air, that's all."

"Come back okay?" Fllay said, sounding childish because of her drowsiness.

"Yeah."

"I love you."

"I love you too," Shawn said, but his mind was taunting him. That's a lie. That's a damned lie, Frost.

He hung up, but not before telling the voice in his head to shut up. He put the phone back in his pocket. He went back inside his convertible. But before he revved the engine to life, he let his eyes wander to the Clyne mansion. He looked at a window and saw that the lights inside the room had just been turned on. A silhouette could be seen through the curtain.

Shawn saw the curtain being parted. And he saw a girl with long pink tresses looking at the sky, which was now a very dark color, illuminated by millions of stars.

But that wasn't the only thing he saw.

Even from the distance the amethyst-eyed boy could see tears streaming down Lacus Clyne's cheeks.

He really wanted to make her stop, but would she? When Shawn was the very image of the person who made her cry?

Shawn started the car, and, with his vision blurred with tears, drove away.


a/n: One word. Lousy. I can never write a chapter even 2000 words long. Whyyyyyyyyy!

I bet you're wondering why it seems as though Athrun and Cagalli have their own world, and Kira/Shawn and Lacus have theirs. I'm gonna fix that. Soon.

Oh well. I might update in the next couple of weeks or so. I have absolutely no clue as to what's gonna happen next chapter. So… uh… sayonara for now? (Dodges flying objects heading towards her and runs for her life)