A/N: Kahhhhhhhh! Sorry for the late update peeps. I've been super busy lately. I just got back from Vancouver. x-x I'm going to try to update once every week from now on, until the end of summer. Which is...in two weeks. - But yea... Enjoy! Oh, no LEMON in this chapter. Sorry! I'm moving it up to the next chapter...or maybe the one after that.

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Chapter Five

Confrontation

During the days that he had been away from school, Shinn had gotten another job at a bakery some blocks away from his residence. It wasn't much, but at least it was good pay. He had busied himself from day to night for the past week that he had left Higrashi; taking in extra shifts every now and then. It seemed as though the more he worked, the more he was able to keep his mind off of her.

He had hard from Rei and Lunamaria that Higrashi was back to normal. Ayame Kashino had been off the hook, for now anyways. At least he was grateful for that. But when they asked him what he was going to do with his life, he simply blanked out. What was he to do? Scrubbing away at floors may last him for the time been, but what about later? Tokyo was such a competitive place; surly he won't be able to last. Perhaps he'll worry about that later. He had better things to attend to, like how to make the floors look new again.

The bakery was closing in an hour, and surely people wouldn't come to buy bread at this time of the day. All they would get would be left over crumbs anyways, so why not start the cleaning duty early? Suddenly, he noticed the unusual dress shoes in front of him. Shinn blinked. Hardly anybody who lives around this area has the money to buy shoes this expensive. He slowly looked up, his gaze traveling past black coat and dark blue tuxedo; pausing on white bow tie; then finally resting on yellowish brown eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here Nicol?" He blurted out the first thing that crossed his mind.

Nicol quirked an eyebrow. "I take it that I'm not welcomed?"

"No!" Then, thinking perhaps that wasn't exactly the right word to say, he quickly tried to fix his mistake, only to have it come out lamer than he intended. "I mean yes! I mean! Come in!"

His former classmate smiled before stepping into the small bakery. Shinn looked him from head to toe, then back up again. Any woman with eyes and a sensible brain would choose Nicol over him. Ayame was better off being with Nicol anyways. He couldn't help but snarl at the thought. He never had a chance, and probably never will.

Nicol had caught his little lip action, but decided not to ask. "So this is where you work?" He smiled. "I had to do a fair amount of stalking to find you."

For an instant, Shinn had thought that Nicol was gay. Then, knowing that couldn't possibly be the case, he waved it off. "It's not much, is it?" He glanced around, whipping his hands off on his work clothes.

"Oh no. It's really nice."

Shinn almost snorted at Nicol's politeness. 'Why does he have to be so god damn nice all the time?' If Nicol's personality were a mess, Shinn would have beaten his face into his skull right about now. "You want something to drink?"

"No, it's ok. My driver is still waiting outside." Shinn wanted to ask why he was here then, but held his tongue against it. "I came to drop this off."

From the pocket of his coat, he pulled out a familiar blue box. Shinn's eyes widened at the sight of the present he had chosen so carefully for Ayame. Why does Nicol have it? Hadn't he left it in front of the Kashino mansion when Ayame had dropped it? He gazed into Nicol's eyes, and it had become all too clear. The boy had determined to give up.

"Bring it to her." Nicol held the box out in front of him.

And Shinn almost accepted it, yet he couldn't. They were too different. "You bring it to her." He replied, almost angrily as he shoved Nicol's arm away. The box flew out of Nicol's hand and landed on the floor. "She's more your type."

"Who's to determine what she'll choose?" Nicol asked. "Listen, I've seen the way she looks at you Shinn. The one Ayame love is you. And if I can change her mind about it, I would." He wasn't joking. He was jealous. It pained him to see her with someone else, but it pained him even more to see her unhappy. If handing her happiness meant letting go, then so be it. "Perhaps if you never existed, then I would stand a chance. But your existence is irreversible."

"Aren't you even going to ask if I love her or not?" Shinn spat. He was angry, angry because Nicol knew so much more about her than him, angry because he was unable to face reality. "I don't love her."

"Don't you?" Nicol gave a short, hysterical laugh. "Then why did you leave Shinn?

Shinn flinched. "Because I hate it there. This is where I belong." He almost tried to convince himself more than Nicol.

"For this? You gave Higrashi up for this?" The violinist shook his head. "Your act only works on an audience." With that, he turned to leave, stopping halfway between the door and Shinn. "Ayame's never been the strongest of the bunch. If she falls, the chances of her getting back up are slim to none. If you still hold the slightest sympathy for her, then come back. You still have seven days to decide, after that; Dullindal-san will have no choice but to pull your record." With those last parting words, he left.

---

Simple elegance. That was the only thing that went through Cagalli's mind when she watched the chemistry between Athrun and his former partner, Ayame. Somehow, between her busy time schedule with the upcoming concert and the loads of schoolwork that their teachers had assigned, Athrun was able to convince Ayame to do a couple of lessons with Cagalli. No, that wasn't exactly the right way to put it. Ayame didn't do it because she wanted to; she did it to take her mind off of Shinn. It's been exactly a week since the last time they saw each other.

Though Cagalli had been trying her hardest to concentrate on Ayame's movements, she couldn't help but notice how she and Athrun were. They held no regards for personal boundaries, the exact reason why they were able to produce movements that brought fire to the audience. And as much as she hated to admit, she still went all-weird whenever Athrun came to close to her personal space. Sighing, she wondered if she'd ever be able to measure up to the great Ayame Kashino. She was bound to work her way into the media soon, for the news of Athrun's new partner wouldn't stay a secret to the public for long.

Athrun held his position, mentally counting to five before he let go of Ayame's leg. He was finally able to allow himself to calm his breathing. He frowned slightly at the stiffness of Ayame's left hand; she was never one to not pay attention to detail, but then he shook it off, thinking it was probably from the stress she's been under during the last couple of days. It felt good to be able to dance with her again, yet it had felt awkward to him when she agreed to dance for demonstration. They were having coffee three days ago, and she had volunteered when he said that he was having problems with his new partner. Ayame had never been one to get herself loaded up; she didn't coop well under pressure. Now, she was setting biting more than she can eat.

"Care to stay for lunch Ayame-san?" Cagalli asked politely, knowing that upper society people judge on posture and words.

Ayame hesitated for a moment, as if deciding. "Sorry, I can't." She said slowly. "I have a piano recital in an hour."

"Oh." Said Cagalli, sounding a little disappointed.

"Maybe next time?" Athrun chimed in, giving her his familiar smile.

"Yea." Ayame nodded. "Next time."

They said their good byes and parted ways. She hated lying to Athrun. There was no piano recital; Ayame was on her day off. She strolled along the almost deserted hallways of Higrashi, avoiding stares as she walked. Getting back on top? Yea right. She hasn't been able to travel outside of her circle alone. Kira had been doing more than necessary to help. Though the problem had been taken care of, there was no way to insure it wouldn't happen again.

Suddenly, her body collided with another, sending her stumbling backwards for a fraction of a second before she regained her balance. She looked up, quickly apologizing only to find Nicol there, looking as though he had just lost his favorite violin piece.

"Hey." He greeted awkwardly. "What are you doing here?"

"I was doing a few lessons with Athrun and…" She paused. "Stuff."

"Oh." Nicol made a terrible notion to smile yet failed miserable. She, however, did not catch his attempts. He glanced down at his shoes and bit his bottom lip, looking as though he had done something wrong. "You know, I saw Shinn yesterday." He watched carefully for her reactions and saw her flinch.

"Yea?" She replied a moment later, sounding uninterested. "What about it?"

"Did you know he's working at a bakery now?"

"How does that concern me?" She snapped, suddenly angry with him for bringing it up.

"I just thought you might want to know."

"You thought wrong."

"Really?" He advanced towards her, cornering her into a wall.

"Yes, really." She stumbled upon her own words, unable to find the right tone to speak.

"So you are saying you don't care anymore? That you would accept just about anybody again?" He raised an arm against the wall over her head, trapping her.

"Yes." She replied stubbornly.

"In that case." He leaned into her, closing the space between them.

Ayame watched as her childhood friend made a move. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest. Why was he doing this to her? Then suddenly, out of nowhere, it became all too clear. Why he was always so close to her, why he left for England when Athrun had gotten together with her, and why he was back now. Nicol liked her. She known, she had known from the very beginning, but was trying to suppress any acknowledgement. She knew if she hadn't met Shinn, then she would have probably accepted Nicol. But it was too late now. She turned her head sharply, avoiding him. For a split second, she saw the hurt in his eyes.

"See." Nicol forced a smile. "You do care."

"Nicol, please…" She pleaded.

He turned his back on her, unable to look her in the eyes. "627, Sakura Road."

"Nicol."

"You should see him." He almost choked on his own words, but he knew he had to keep going. "I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about."

"No-"

"Go!" It was the first time he raised his voice at her.

Though it hurt like hell, he kept his calm expression. He wanted her to be happy, and watched as she advanced forward, one step at a time. At first she was unsure of herself, as if hesitating on whether she should go or not, then her steps became rapid. And it was at that very moment, Nicol realized that she had chosen between the two of them. He stood there, half expecting himself to scream out, to take everything back, to beg for her to stay. He was loosing his chance. He didn't want to let go; yet he knew it would be a mistake to ask her to stay. He loved her too much. Slowly, Nicol turned, only to see her back disappear around the corner, and his heart sunk. Ayame was gone.

---

"Athrun?"

She didn't know when she started picking up the habit of having coffee; perhaps Cagalli had gotten it off of Athrun. After Ayame left, she and Athrun had decided to go to their usual place after practice and get some refreshments. And as they sat inside their small cubical, Cagalli couldn't help but let her mind wonder towards the things her brother had told her days ago.

'She went nuts.'

"Yea?" Athrun looked up with a little smile, setting his coffee back on the table.

"Um…" Her eyes shifted uncomfortably, as if not knowing where to start. "Is it true that Ayame…?"

Athrun raised an eyebrow. "Ayame what?"

She gathered up her courage. "Is mentally unstable?" She tried to put it into nicer words, but halfway into it, she, like Kira, realized that there was no nice way to describe it. So she simply spat out whatever came to her mind.

Cagalli watched carefully for Athrun's reaction, and got what she was waiting for. He nearly spilled coffee all over himself as his left hand suddenly twitched. For a while, there was silence. Athrun glanced down, not knowing whether to start or not. Knowing Cagalli, she was bound to ask sooner or later. It was inevitable. If he doesn't tell her, someone else will, and he wasn't so sure that others wouldn't tell her some lame ass made belief fairy tale.

"Yea." He admitted truthfully. "She is actually."

"Oh." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, questioning her motive now. Had it been a good idea to ask Athrun?

More silence. Then, out of nowhere, Athrun began. "She wasn't always that way." He paused, as if not knowing where to start. "Because of various reasons, Ayame's family had always been very close to mine. So naturally, we never parted from each other's sight. She was never the smartest, nor the strongest, but always the happiest and most confidant. But then, one day, all that changed."

Flashback…

"You can't catch me!" She smiled as she charged through the Kashino mansion; her dress was covered in dirt, yet she was happy, truly happy.

Athrun followed closely behind, seemingly chasing, yet in reality, he was letting her win. It was only fair this way. She could never outrun him; she knew that fairly well. He was only letting her win to keep the game going. He loved her then, even at a very young age, before he even knew what the word 'love' meant, he had loved her.

The two rounded a corner, Athrun still at Ayame's heels. He watched as she neared Kashino-san's library. Athrun knew it would be rude to barge in. Gradually, he slowed down, wanting not to take their childish plays into the adults' conversations. Earlier, he had seen Ayame's parents enter, and hadn't seen them come out since.

There were mumbles coming from the library, and to Athrun, that seemed rather peculiar. For Ayame's elder brother, Hotoshi Kashino, who was at least nine years older than him in age, had been standing outside, seemingly eavesdropping. He raised an eyebrow at Hotoshi's actions, knowing that it was unlike him to listen in to other people's conversation.

"Onii-san?"

Hotoshi put a finger to his lips, mentioning to the two to keep quiet. Athrun looked around, as if trying to see if anyone was watching. Then slowly made his way towards the siblings. He knew what he was about to do was wrong, yet curiosity got the best of him, and he too, lined up beside the door. Although he could only make out bits and pieces of the conversation, he knew it hadn't been a good one. And he was sure he had heard Kashino-san swear once or twice.

"Are Okaa-san and Otou-san fighting?" Ayame asked, her childish innocent eyes glancing towards her elder brother for answers.

"Yea." Hotoshi turned, half listening to what his sister was saying.

There was a few more shouting, then a clash of something breaking against the marble floor. Ayame flinched at the loudness of their voices, but could say no more. Athrun listen intently from outside, and thought he caught the word 'cheating'. Without warning, Ayame had broken loose of her brother's grip. The pressure was too great. Her parents were supposed to be perfect, like the perfect couple on the newspapers and magazines. They shouldn't fight, they weren't allowed. The doors to her father's library flew open under her push; what was in front of her shook her to the bones. Slowly, Ryuu Kashino turned towards his daughter; gun in hand. His face held an insane smile.

"Sumimasen Ayame."

With those last words, he pulled the trigger. A dark stain smudged the far wall, and with a sudden jot, the body hit the floor. Ayame watched, eyes wide, unable to sustain the scene in front of her. It all seemed like a bad nightmare, but it was far from an illusion. This was reality. For a moment, neither Athrun nor Hotoshi made a motion to move, each too stunned by what had happened in front of them. Footsteps echoed the hallways as maids rushed from their chores to see what the commotion was about. Hotoshi rushed forward, covering Ayame's eyes with his hand, yet the damage has already been done.

End of flashback…

"She was never quite the same after that. She smiled less, played less, and lost human contact." Athrun sighed, brushing back his hair with his left hand. "But of course, how could any of us expect her to be the same after what happened?"

"I had no idea."

"We. The people around her had been protecting her ever since. Shielding, if you want to call it." Athrun went on explaining. "And perhaps, in a way, our protection has done more bad than good. We had cleared any obstacle life may throw at her, and in a way, that has destroyed her." He gave a crocked smile. "Maybe that's why she was afraid of dealing with her feelings for Shinn."

Cagalli studied Athrun's face carefully. A question was on the edge of her tongue, yet she doesn't know whether she should as him or not. Finally, gathering her courage, she spoke. "Do you…love her?" It had been bothering her for the last couple of weeks, and she had no idea why.

He hesitated for a moment. "In a way, it was more responsibility than love."

---

Cagalli gave an inward sigh of relief. Even though she didn't know why. Lately, her heart had been beating out of control whenever Athrun was around. Slowly, she rested a hand in his, reassuring him with her warmth. She felt his pain. Somehow, Athrun felt responsible for Ayame's loss, and Cagalli wanted to heal him. For Ayame wasn't the only one with wounds from past memories.

She took another sip of her coffee, seemingly preoccupied with her textbook, yet really, she was keeping watch on the door. Ayame had been sitting in the café for the last hour, waiting. For the past two days, she had been continually coming back to the same booth, waiting for Shinn to show up. She had been to the bakery a couple of days before and found out he had quit without notice. Now, she was sitting at their last connection, waiting for him to show up. It was her last chance.

Ayame had made her decision after the chat with Nicol; she was done hiding in the shadows. She wanted to be with Shinn, yet his absence was giving her doubts about what's to become of them. Suddenly, a beaker of milk was set on her table, and she looked up excitedly, expecting Shinn to be there in his uniform. Her hopes nearly crashed and burned when she saw Rey there.

"Hey." Ayame greeted, failing to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"He probably won't be coming today."

Ayame was afraid of what Rey pointed out, but he said it anyways. "Yea." She could only nod in agreement.

"Get some rest, you are starting to look old."

Despite Rey's weird sense of humor, she laughed, probably for the first time in days. Quickly, she gathered her things. As much as she hated to admit, she knew it was already over. Shinn had been trying to avoid her. Maybe he really didn't feel the same way. She had laid it out plain and simple, she liked him. It hit her like a train. He didn't feel the same way. They were different; he had said it. But if it didn't matter to her, why should it matter to him? Then again, love wasn't a one-way thing. And by shadowing him everywhere, maybe he was getting more and more annoyed of her.

"I'll let him know you were here." Rey smiled a little as he walked her to the door.

"Arigato Rey-san. But I don't think it matters to him anymore."

And with that, she walked out the door. Feeling confused by her words, he went back to work. It was only minutes after Ayame left when Shinn came in. Rey didn't see him until moments later when he came out the back, ready to work. This sudden turn of events gave Rey quite a surprise. Only days ago, Shinn had been talking to him about quitting the job at the café; now he was back to work.

"Where have you been?" Rey asked from behind the counter while pouring himself a cup of coffee. It was going to be a long shift.

"Here. There. I've been around." Shinn smiled.

Rey rolled his eyes. "Your girl was just here."

His companion nearly dropped his coffee pot. "What? Here? Ayame was here?"

"Hai." Rey looked up, a smirk forming on the corner of his lip. "She left just a couple of minutes ago."

This time, Shinn did drop his pot. But that was the last thing on his mind. In a mere second, he was out the door again, dashing down the street as he chased after her. Rey shook his head as he stared at the mess Shinn had made on the floor, mentally reminding himself to take his pot first the next time he knew something like this would happen.

"They are both idiots when it comes to love."

---

Shinn dashed down the walkway with the dreaded feeling that he was already to late. A sea of heads clouded his vision. There were tourists, grandmothers, and eighth graders on field trips. He glanced frantically, trying to find Ayame, and finally, his eyes landed on raven black hair up ahead. A smile spread across his lips as he ran forward, all the while calling out her name. She either didn't hear him, or was ignoring him on purpose; he only hoped it was the sooner.

In another second he was right behind her, calling out her name, yet she kept walking. His heart sunk. So she was ignoring him. He rested a hand on her shoulder and nearly tumbled over at the unfamiliar face. Quickly apologizing, he let the stranger off on her way. He held the urge to pull his hair in frustration. He wanted to see her, needed to see her.

"Shinn."

Shinn looked up at the familiar tone of voice, and as he turned, he found, to his amazement, reality standing in a sea of rays. Never had he been so glad to see anyone in his life, and at that moment, he realized the hard truth. He loved her. He had been afraid to admit it, but now, seeing her again; he hadn't felt so certain about anything before. He advanced, stopping only when he was inches away from her.

"I though…"

"That I left?" Ayame finished for him.

"Yes. But then I saw you. I mean, I thought I saw-" He stuttered. "Here." He finally gave up trying to explain, took out a small blue box from his pocket, and handed it to her.

The look on Ayame's face was that of shock and anxiety. And as she slowly opened the box, she saw the most exotic beauty she has ever seen. There, staring back at her was a simple white ribbon. It wasn't decorated with diamonds or gold, nothing that she was accustomed to, but it was the most rare piece of object she had received yet, for with it followed the one thing she was unable to have, happiness.

"Let me take care of you."

And without a second thought, Ayame reached up, and kissed him.

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A/N: Yea...not the best or the longest chapter, but I'm working on it. Omfg...-stares at all the people who can update once every two weeks- - How do you guys do it? I don't even have time to SLEEP! Once again, sorry for the late update! And thanks to all you guys who reviewed! You guys rock!