A/N Remember, this is NOT the climax of the story! So right now I'm just making everything fall into place here...-slyly smiles-

Chapter 5 : Sit-Ups Just Aren't My Thing Part 2

Kira was shocked at first, but he quickly smiled. "Why am I important to you?" He asked as he smiled delightfully. The rain had stopped and the sun started to shine like heaven on earth.

Lacus blinked and answered straight away. She knew the answer from the very beginning. "Because...Because I—"

"Aaaaaaall right! E-D-U-C-A-T-I-O-N!!!! What does that spell?!?"

"EDUCATION!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!! Woohoo!"

Kira and Lacus were startled by the sudden and loud yelling. It was the cheerleading club, and Mai was doing a bunch of kicks and cartwheels. Trailing behind them was the newspaper club taking numerous amounts of pictures that blinded Kira. All he could hear were shouts and clicks coming from the cameras. He covered his ear with one hand to block out the sound, and shielded his eyes with the other hand to stop the lights from flashing in his eyes.

He heard footsteps heading off in the other direction of the large crowd. "Lacus!!! Lacus!!!!!" He yelled. But it was too late, she was nowhere in sight, and the crowd was advancing closer to him. Mai stood and smiled proudly with her hands on her hips at her accomplishment. If I can't have him...nobody can... She maniacally thought and grinned.

Kira got up and pushed his way out of the crowd. He could hear someone yelling at him and a whole other bunch of nonsense that he couldn't and didn't want to understand. His whole heart had dropped when she left. What was she about to say... He thought as he ran to his locker. He spotted Athrun and Dearka by it. Kira grabbed his backpack without saying a word and left campus.

He wanted to find Lacus and ask her what she was going to say, but he had no idea whether she had left school, or was still there. But if he went back there, a crowd would be waiting there and he would have no chance of reaching her. Kira decided to just run home since it took about five minutes if you knew the shortcut.

On the way, he looked back and reflected on the first time he met Lacus to today. Has it really been just three days? Kira thought as he counted how long ago it was that he saw that shy girl with long, flowy pink hair standing next to Mir.

Once he rounded the corner and ran up to his door he slid the key in and rushed to his bed, kicking his shoes off his feet making it ricochet off the wall. He lay flat on his bed, sprawled out. Kira's backpack fell off his arm to the floor. Tears began staining his bedsheets, forming large obscure wet spots. He quietly cried himself to sleep, it had been a while since he last cried.

He thought back to that moment where he first spotted Lacus sitting in the rain.

Heartbreak...

But what was she really going to say?

---

Athrun and Dearka noticed Kira come from around the corner with a large crowd following close behind. "I have a bad feeling about this..." Dearka quietly noted. Kira quickly yanked his backpack out of his locker and ran off campus. Athrun frowned and was about to go after him until Dearka pulled him back, "Don't, we'll miss our last period at homeroom." Dearka said in a somber voice.

Why would we have to go back to homeroom? We don't do anything except listen to announcements and reminders. He would've gladly skipped this last period to do something like this...I wonder..what could he be thinking... Athrun thought as he questioned in his mind Dearka's intentions.

As they walked in and sat down in homeroom, they saw the class rep., Maya Matsuragi, holding a big stack of papers. She had brown hair that showed tints of maroon. She had gentle, hazel eyes much like Lacus'. She had a cute hourglass shape and a kind, inviting smile.

"All right everyone sit down and we can finish early!" She yelled. Everyone became silent, they wanted to leave this treacherous place of learning. "Okay, I have one announcement. And it's...Our school's twenty-fifth annual Masquerade Ball!!! It will take place next week on friday!" She bubbled as she started passing out information packets.

All the girls began freaking out because they forgot that it was coming up and didn't purchase an exquisite gown and mask yet. But the wealthier girls didn't worry because they could just get them custom-made, and most had already had them made because someone else had remembered for them.

All the guys started searching around the class for a pretty date. "Okay! SH! SHUT UP YOU GUYS!!!!!" Maya screamed out so loud that it echoed throughout the whole school. Everyone was silent once more. "Okay, let me explain this briefly to you guys. It starts at 7:00 P.M. and ends at 12:30 A.M. Since it's the twenty-fifth Annual Masquerade Ball, we will be choosing one special couple to have the last dance all to themselves, including a bouquet of roses. Now, you must find a date by next week on monday when we meet here, and turn in your slips with the money attached so you all can go, along with the rest of the school. Sound good?" She asked as she wrote some stuff in her pocket memo.

The whole class agreed. Dearka and Athrun shrugged and went along with the rest of the class agreeing. At the same time, they were both thinking about Lacus and Kira. What could they be doing right now and how will this turn out in the end?

"Dismissed!" Maya gratefully said as she closed her memo and slid it into her pocket. Soon enough, the room was empty. Maya popped her head in the room, "Are you boys going to leave?" She giggled. "Huh? Oh yeah..yeah." Dearka said as he woke from his thought trance. Maya frowned. "What's wrong? And where is Kira? I saw him earlier at the lockers and I figured he was just making a quick stop at the library." She seriously said as she entered the classroom and walked towards the two sitting in the middle of the room.

"If you promise you won't tell anyone, I'll tell you the whole story." Athrun said. For a moment Maya didn't realize he was there. Athrun was sulking in a slump in his chair. "I promise." She nodded. Athrun sighed. "Okay. So earlier Kira saw Lacus cry as she ran away from the locker room because of what Ryouichi, Sei, and Akashi did. They laughed at her as she came out and apologized. So he ran after her and I don't know what happened next. The next thing I knew...Kira was running off solemnly with a huge crowd coming from behind. And I haven't seen Lacus since then either..." Athrun spilled out.

"Oh...I get it. So...you think he's in love with her." She figured out. You see, Maya wasn't that type of girl, the fake one. She always got good grades and wanted to become a philosophy major. She also hung out with Lacus at times so her way of understanding people rubbed off on her.

"Exactly. But we don't think, we know. I mean, if it's not that, then what?" Dearka rhetorically asked. "I see..." She nodded. Maya gasped as a light bulb appeared above her head. "I have an idea..." She joyfully said as she leaned in closer to the two in a huddle.

Inaudible whispers echoed throughout the classroom that no one could hear unless you were actually in the huddle...

"And that's it." She finished as they leaned out of the huddle. Athrun broke out a small smile. "Now we just wait and guide them..." Dearka added.

The three smiled contently at their practical plan.