A/N There'll be a couple OC appearing in this chapter! Just a heads up so you don't get confused. Kira and Lacus don't actually speak too much in this chapter, it's more about them than it is with them actually in it.

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Chapter 3 : Rumors and Gossip

Dearka dropped all of them off at the curb in front of the school so he could park.

When they all got out to the curb with Dearka catching up from behind, a crowd of girls who were supposedly Lacus' fangirls came rushing around the three girls screaming "LACUS!!!!". Kira noticed and walked on ahead, his eyes softly glued to Lacus through the massive crowd. Athrun and Dearka noticed, and finally confirmed their suspicions.

The two waited for Kira to be out of sight. Athrun whispered to Dearka, "I think Kira is in love with Lacus…" He seriously said. Just then, one of their classmates named Chihiro Saga was passing by with her friend, Ai. They overheard Athrun whispering and were shocked and widened their eyes. "So...Kira Yamato from Class 2-C is in love with Lacus Clyne..." Chihiro slyly said as she raised her eyebrows at Ai.

The cheerleading club was passing by just as Chihiro was saying it. The head cheerleader and also a big fangirl of Kira, Mai Saitou, suddenly got fuming mad. The rest of the cheerleading club backed away and bumped into the newspaper club in the midst of an interesting article story. The whole cheerleading club started bawling in depression with lots of "Wah! Why is Kira in love with Lacus?!?" and "I look better than Lacus don't I?".

"HEY! BREAK IT UP! WE'RE DOING A STORY HE-

...What did she say? ...

Kira Yamato is in love with Lacus Clyne?!?" The president of the newspaper club whispered to one of the clubmembers as he looked up at the sky in praise for this amazing story. He jumped up and raised his fist in the air. "THIS IS OUR NEW STORY!!!!!!" He maniacally yelled. By now...practically everyone in their section of the school knew.

Kira gathered his books and started walking to class. He felt...awkard. He held his books tighter. Why are they all...staring at me? He quickened his pace, which soon turned into a hurried canter down the hallway. Incomprehensible whispers echoed in his ear, the feeling of being stared down by dozens of people he didn't know, yet...he felt a space of safety...Lacus. His hurried canter had turned into a brisk stroll into the classroom.

As he sat down he heard people whispering, those whispers...included his name in it. Kira leaned closer and tried to listen in. Okay...all I can understand are...Lacus...Kira...and some other stuff that I can't quite understand...

Athrun and Dearka were walking to class when suddenly a classmate of Ai from class 1-A passed by, repeating Athrun's whisper. "So did you hear? Rumor has it that Kira Yamato is supposedly in love with Lacus Clyne! How's that for a lovely couple?" The girl squealed to another classmate. Their mouths dropped to the ground. "Shit." Dearka muttered under his breath. They walked uneasily into classroom 2-C, wincing at each whisper of Kira's name. They slowly sat down in the seats farthest from Kira, who seemed oblivious to who were the likely suspects for starting this gossip chain.

Kira looked up and smiled. He saw an angel, Lacus, walk in. Her long, flowing pink hair gently bouncing off the small of her back with each passing step. She looked beautiful...but, she wasn't his to claim.

"Hey Kira!" Lacus bubbled joyfully as she bent down to hug Kira. Kira's cheeks turned a bright red, and Lacus' cheeks were already rosy, but hints of crimson were stained onto it. "Um, Dearka...they're both so oblivious to the fact that they're the biggest piece of gossip ever mentioned around here. Oh god why did I start that rumor?!? I didn't mean to!" Athrun silently cried out to Dearka, who just patted his back and sighed.

...After School...

Cagalli grabbed her backpack loaded with homework and books and started walking to the curb to meet Lacus and Miriallia. She stopped and turned around to face an open door in the building across from the lockers. It was the cheerleading club's meeting room, which was usually the loudest and noisiest room ever. Cagalli walked towards the door and stepped to the side so she wouldn't be seen. All she could see was a bunch of girls dressed in black cheerleading outfits. She spotted a bawling Mai Saitou in the front, "Oh why, why?!? Why did Kira fall in love with Lacus?!? I'm head cheerleader...I'M PERFECT FOR HIM, RIGHT?!??!?!!" She bawled and screamed out. Obviously she wasn't really crying, more like upset.

Cagalli halfway fainted, but soon recovered before she fell and rubbed her temples. I can't believe this... She thought as she ran back to the curb. It hadn't hit her yet of the real situation here.

Dearka and Athrun grabbed their backpacks and met a merry Kira at his locker. They all started walking to the curb. It was dead silent, yet...Kira still kept that overjoyed expression on his face.

Cagalli laid her hand on Miriallia's shoulder and looked at Lacus when she got to the curb. "Okay Lacus, brace yourself, what you are about to hear is strictly confidential. There's a rumor going around...and it's about you." Cagalli whispered as she sharply turned her head frequently to check for any closeby eavesdroppers. Lacus cupped her hand over her mouth. "How awful. I hate gossips and rumors."

"No, see, you don't understand. Kira is in love with y––" Cagalli whispered, but was cut off by the three approaching guys, Athrun, Dearka, and...Kira. Lacus had turned away before she finished completing her sentence. "Hey!" Dearka grinned, while Athrun kept a somewhat relaxed face and Kira smiled. Lacus' anxious expression from the rumor Cagalli was about to spill turned into a delighted smile as she looked at Kira, who noticed her and ran away from Athrun and Dearka to stand next to her. "All right, let's go home then!" Dearka shrugged as he walked ahead to the car. Athrun put his sunglasses on, and they all walked to get into the car.

During the ride, Lacus was sitting next to Kira, leaving Cagalli and Miriallia to sit in the back next to Athrun. "Hey Mir, you'll never guess what I heard today!" Cagalli whispered as she leaned towards Miriallia. Athrun looked up from his resting position and tried to see if the rumor spread all the way to Lacus' friends themselves as he scooted over towards Cagalli. "Okay, so right after school I passed by the cheerleading club's meeting room and they kept bawling and saying that Kira is in love with Lacus." Cagalli whispered again as she raised her eyebrows twice. Mir popped up and down on her seat and clapped her hands in excitement. "Oh yay! So it is love after all...Just look at them, they're inseperable!" She silently squealed as she gestured towards the lovely pair, but they weren't an item yet. None of the two were quite certain or maybe even aware of their feelings for one another.

Why am I so happy when I'm around her? I know that I like her as a friend...but...what about...more than a friend? Kira thought as he used his peripheral vision to keep an eye on that lovely girl, Lacus. Just then he overheard a little of what Cagalli was saying, he heard it better than the girls in the classroom because Cagalli was a loud, stern girl and their raucous classroom environment was loud.

He actually for some reason didn't mind what she said...

Maybe I...do love her...