Yzak & Shiho Interludes
Author's Note: Hello all! Sorry for such a long delay with the Interludes. I've been really busy with my new baby boy. (smiles) Hugs to all of you! Thanks again for the support everyone!
Interlude Insert: This Interlude is inserted in Chapter 44 of Dearka & Miriallia right after: the last sentence of the chapter "Belle," he whispered as he fell into a comatose-like state.
Disclaimer: It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)
Interlude 4
Told You So
"So it seems our boy got himself into more trouble again," Shiho said as she entered Yzak's office.
Yzak sat still at his desk trying to contemplate the events that had transpired. He couldn't even look at Shiho at that moment.
"Yzak?" she questioned softly.
He remained still not looking up. Shiho began to get a little worried as she made her way around the desk and put her arms around him.
"Baby, talk to me. You're making me worry. It's not like you to not say something about him being so stupid," she said trying to coax him into a common Joule rant.
"I warned him. Why didn't he listen to me?" Yzak said quietly and barely audible to Shiho who was standing right beside him.
"I'll take care of it. I'll go get him and Belle and bring them back here. Don't worry, you just deal with the ship," she replied realizing Yzak was really not in his right frame of mind.
"No, you can't go. It will alert too many people on the ship if I sent you," Yzak said standing up.
He pushed out of her embrace with the motion and started towards the door. Shiho stood there dumbfounded. She was completely confused on the entire situation and Yzak's response to it wasn't making her feel any more comfortable.
She followed him out of the room as he headed toward the shuttle bay. As they continued down the hall, she could see people whispering to each other about Yzak's current state. It was the first time in a long time that he hadn't chewed someone out while walking by.
"Commander, where are you going?" Shiho asked turning from girlfriend to obedient subordinate.
"The only place I can go now," he replied using as few words as possible.
When they reached the bay, he turned to look at Shiho. She looked deep into his clouded blue eyes and began to feel helpless.
"I need you to stay here and keep things stable on the bridge. Normally that's Dearka's job, but as you can see, he's not here right now," he said with a disconsolate tone.
"Yzak?" Shiho questioned with concern in her voice.
"Look, I have to do this my way. Please understand Shiho, we've been friends since we were children. I won't let him down and I won't throw him to the wolves either," he stated before kissing her gently on the cheek.
The mechanics in the shuttle bay looked at them curiously as he showed his affections for her publicly. She began to blush from the contact that was so unexpectedly given to her in front of so many onlookers.
Shiho stood back and watched Yzak head for one of the shuttles to head toward the Rousseau before she turned on her heel to head back to the bridge as he had requested. She walked down the hall as the reality of it all sank in.
"He's really worried about him this time," she thought as she reached the bridge.
Yzak landed on the Rousseau and headed down the halls toward Ian's quarters. Ian was the last person he wanted to call upon, but knew it was his only option. As he approached the door, he hesitated before pressing the button.
"Should I really do this? Maybe I should go down there and get Dearka myself," Yzak thought.
Before his finger could hit the button, the door slid open revealing a shocked Ian. He fell back a few steps, not expecting to see his Commander standing in front of him when he was about to head for duty.
"Yzak! I…I mean Commander," he half yelled.
Yzak looked up with sorrowful eyes before Ian squinted with concern. He stepped all the way back into his room motioning for Yzak to step in. Whatever it was, he knew he had better stay quiet and hear him out.
"This isn't easy for me, but I need to ask you for a favor. I've been debating it in my head for a few hours now and I know you are my only option, so I'm willing to make a deal with you," Yzak said never looking up from the floor.
Ian tilted his head in an attempt to get a better look at Yzak's face.
"So what's the catch?" he asked cautiously but without an attitude.
"The catch is, it goes no further than you, Shiho and I," Yzak responded.
"This must be about Dearka then," Ian answered knowingly.
Yzak finally looked up to stare Ian in the eyes before speaking again to him. He didn't know if he was really going to agree to help him, but he had to try.
"Look, I know I haven't been easy on you since you got here…," Yzak started.
"You think?" Ian asked sarcastically.
Yzak furrowed his brow at his interruption with a look of warning flashing in his eyes.
"Sorry, go on," Ian said apologetically.
"As I was saying, I'm willing to make it up to you if you will do this favor for me. The only requirements are no questions asked and that it stays between the three of us," he replied.
"Well, what is it you would like me to do?" Ian asked.
"You have to agree to it the conditions before I tell you and then as I said, I'll give you whatever you want and I'll also stop giving you such a hard time. That option also includes transferring you off this ship and out from under my command if that's what you would like," Yzak said sincerely.
"Fine, I agree, but I'm holding on to the repay for a later date. I'm not ready to head out of here just yet," he replied.
Yzak held out his hand to offer a truce and Ian gladly accepted. He was more than happy to get Yzak off his back finally and part of him thought of Dearka as a friend even though he was still jealous and angry at him.
Ian watched as Yzak headed out before getting himself ready to save Dearka from himself again. As Yzak returned to the Voltaire, he used his communicator to summon Shiho from the bridge. Obediently she excused herself and made her way to Yzak's office.
Yzak opened the door and moved back to his seat behind the desk trying to make sense of everything that had happened. He didn't know who sent him the information on where Dearka was, but he was more afraid of why he was left there.
"I hope I did the right thing sending Ian out after you," he thought as the door to the office swished open.
Yzak stood from his desk and walked around to grab Shiho in his embrace. She stood there stunned at his actions once again.
"Yzak, what has gotten into you all of a sudden?" she asked curiously.
"Just promise me that we will never have to endure what Dearka and the woman he loves are going through," he begged clenching her more tightly.
Shiho didn't know what to say. She was touched that Yzak was showing her even more how he really felt about her. She had never admitted it, but she always felt like she had to force his true feelings out, making it more of an endless task than a romantic love. But this time was different. He came straight to her without sarcasm or a snide comment.
"I wish I could promise that Yzak, but I can't. I don't know what the future holds for us. But I can promise that I won't give up on you. The same way Dearka isn't giving up on the woman he loves," Shiho said sincerely.
Yzak pulled away from her slightly to look deep into her violet eyes. She began to blush lightly at the sight of him in front of her. She felt now was the time to ask what had been on her mind since the whole mess with Dearka had started.
"Yzak, I have to ask you something important and I really need you to stay calm and not make any rash comments," Shiho started unsure of what his reaction would be.
His eyes narrowed softly but cautiously at her plea.
"I'm listening," he said gently.
"You know when I said I wasn't the mothering type when Belle first arrived on the Voltaire and we were taking care of her before Dearka got back?" she asked carefully.
"I remember," he said the dread starting to rise in his gut.
"I lied. I want what Dearka has more than anything else," she said honestly and feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted off her chest.
"But you're not…," Yzak started beginning to fear her response.
"Oh, no, no I'm not, I just wanted to make sure that it was something you knew about. I'm definitely not ready yet and besides, maybe when Dearka comes back with Belle you can put us on opposite schedules for a while so I can help him out. But it's something I will want in the future and I need to know that you want that too," she confided in him.
They had never really talked that sincerely about the future and with his recent displays of affection it felt like the opportune moment for her. Yzak stood there quietly the fear he had when she brought up the topic beginning to dissipate.
"Honestly, I don't know, but if it's something you really want in the future, then I guess I'll have to make it something I want too. I guess it can't be that hard, I mean Dearka's doing okay, right?" Yzak said unsure.
"Don't worry; I have no intention of bringing this up again for a very long time. I just didn't want you to be shocked down the road and I also didn't want to be shocked by your response to it as well," Shiho said before placing her head gently on his chest.
"Come on, let's get out of here," Yzak said dragging her with him gently.
"Where are we going?" Shiho asked.
"We're going to our room. I have some other things I have to fill you in on and I'd rather do it in a more comfortable place than this," he replied.
They moved down the halls into the residential deck and Yzak opened the steel door to their room. Shiho slowly floated in and moved over to the bed in order to get comfortable. She watched as Yzak headed over to his communication unit to send out his orders.
"Yes sir," Marie asked as her face flipped on to his screen.
"Marie, Lieutenant Hahnenfuss and I are going to take some time off. Can you strike her name from the schedule please and inform the Captain to notify me if there are any urgent communications about the EAF," he ordered kindly.
"Yes sir is there anything else?" she asked politely.
"Yes, I almost forgot, Lieutenant Ian Randall from the Rousseau has been sent to the PLANTs for a top secret mission; please make sure he has everything he needs. I don't want any other officers involved. Is that understood?" he asked with more authority.
"Yes sir, understood," she replied before signing off to put his orders into effect.
"So are you going to tell me what that was about?" Shiho asked.
Yzak moved out from behind the console and slipped on to the bed next to Shiho. He leaned back on his hands and let out a huge sigh.
"I sent Ian to retrieve Dearka and Belle. I told him if he kept it between the three of us and didn't ask me any questions about it that I would give him whatever he wanted, including a transfer from under my command," he replied.
Shiho let out a sigh of her own before placing her head on his shoulder.
"What else is on your mind Yzak?" she asked.
Yzak looked over to her with an astonished look on his face. Her vibrant violet eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him.
"I know you better than you think Commander Joule. I know when there is something else on your mind and I know whatever it is, you've been keeping it to yourself since the ceremony," she stated matter-of-factly.
Yzak shook his head with a small grin on his face.
"I guess I can't hide anything from you, can I? What I didn't tell you that has been bothering me for a while has something to do with Dearka. You know when you offered to help him with Belle when she returns?" he asked baiting her.
"Yes," she replied.
"Well, when we get that girl of his back, he's going to need more help than just with Belle," he answered.
Shiho's eyes widened in shock as she lifted her head from Yzak's shoulder, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. As she stood from her place on the bed, Yzak watched intently at her reaction.
"You mean he's going to be a father…again?" she asked confused.
"Yeah, it's what we read in that note that fell out of his pocket at the ceremony and what Justin meant when he said 'children.' Apparently Dearka slipped up in the tower that day when we found out that his girl was the one in the mobile suit codenamed the Valor. I hadn't told you because I didn't think Dearka needed anyone else pushing on him for answers. Especially not when Cadey was still around," Yzak replied.
Shiho sat back down feeling weak. She was at a loss for words.
"Do you think he told his parents about the new baby then?" she asked sincerely.
"I don't know. All I know is where he is and that I sent Ian to get him to not draw any suspicion from the rest of the crew. They already know about Belle and have been pressing him for details since he arrived back with us, this is the last thing he needs to deal with when he returns from this fiasco," Yzak stated.
"What do you think happened to him then? Do you think he's alright? I mean, wouldn't he contact us himself unless something happened to him," Shiho said starting to get worried.
"That's what's been bothering me too. Someone wouldn't have contacted us about his whereabouts if he was okay. Which makes me wonder if Belle is really with him at all," he replied.
"You don't think they took her from him, do you?" she asked with terror in her voice.
"I don't know what to think, but there's no way he wouldn't contact us if he was conscious. And if he's not conscious, then Belle is probably not with him making it stand to reason that his parents took her before kicking him to the curb," Yzak said sadly.
"I don't want this type of thing to happen to us," Shiho said jumping back to their previous conversation in his office.
Yzak looked over to see the fear in her eyes. The only thing he could think to do was pull her close to him.
"It won't happen to us. I'll make sure not to make the same mistakes Dearka has made, as long as you promise to do the same," he said.
She held tight to him as tears slipped down her delicate skin. The pain she was feeling for Dearka was beginning to seep into her worry of a future with Yzak. Ezalia may have been lenient on her in the end at the ceremony, but she really didn't know if it would always be like that. The last person she wanted to lose in her life was Yzak.
"We have to help him when he gets back. He's going to be lost again if anything happened to Belle," Shiho said through her tears.
Yzak pulled her down on the bed with him and held her tight as they drifted to sleep waiting for Ian's return with the friend they were so worried about.
End
Author's Preview: Well, there really isn't a preview because the main story is in Book II and these are just snippets. Please read and review for me so I can continue on my happy way.
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