Chapter One: A day in the life of-

It was amazing how so many things you took for granted in your every day life could change in the blink of an eye. One moment you are just a normal teenager, worrying about what collage you want to go to at the end of your senior year in high school. The next, being transported to some island nation sweltering with heat near the equator. I respect the nations stand on neutrality in these times of strife -but, sharing the same breathing space with these coordinators makes me uneasy. I will have to see what this Island called Orb has in store for me..

Taken from the private Journal of Shinoski Inoue.


The silence was broken by an almost audible click of the clock radio turning on inside the bedroom of a one bed, one bathroom flat that was currently housed in one of the many apartment building blocks in the third largest of Orbs cities. The bedroom consisted of a bed, dresser, desk with computer, and a walk in closet, all contained in a 8 by 8 foot room. Despite everything in this age being digital, an older model was purchased and fixed up for less then half the price then a digital one would of cost. Which was now sitting on the top of his dresser, next to a plastic model of the Aile Strike. The legs were spread apart, with the left straight and the right knee bent to raise that leg up in a dynamic pose, a Gundam caught in mid-maneuver.

"Good Morning Orb! Currently it is partly sunny with the current temperature at 75 degrees. Highs are expected to reach into the mid 90's with high humidity making it feel in the 100's. A heat advisory has been placed in effect for later today for the elderly. Please make sure that the elderly are dressed in light airy clothing with plenty of water to drink."

A soft groan left the young man currently half tangled in and out of the thin lining of bead sheets that served to keep the slight chill of the night air out during the evenings. However with the current temperatures, getting to sleep was a challenge. Least, not without a working AC, which was currently on the floor open; its insides spilt out onto the hard wood floor in the mists of being repaired. The ceiling fan spun lazily overhead as the bed's frame creaked slightly as the form shifted slightly before sitting up, bare feat tapping slightly on the wood floors surface.

"In international news, ZAFT and the Earth Alliance have released a joint statement five months after the end of the 'Bloody Valentine' war. We now go to Lori Martinez who is standing by for a live update-"

Two bleary Emerald green eyes blinked the sleep out of them as his mouth split open in a long silent yawn. The messy brown hair that was currently his trademark seemed to be even messier then normal due to the humidity outside. The radio was currently forgotten; left on with its volume on high as he plodded out through his bedroom, dressed only in a pair of boxers through the small family/living room and into the kitchen to start up a kettle of hot water. As the water heated up, a detour was made to the bathroom.

Soon the sound of a shower was heard through the closed door. Still the radio played on uninterrupted. "February Cosmic Era 72 – One and a half years of grim war between Earth and the Plants has been finally brought to an end fallowing the space battle at Jachin Due. Peace talks after the signing of the treaty are still underway at the ruins Junius Seven, a sight of unparallel tragedy during the conflict."

Being that it was already so hot in the early morning, the cold water felt good on his skin as it ran over his body, cooling him. 'When I got here, the war was still going on. Orb was a complete mess. The city I arrived in was one of the least damaged.' He could remember looking out the airplanes window to see the devastation that the war brought to the island.

The first thing he saw was the wreckage of high tempered steel formed into that of trusses. Some were twisted and lying in giant heaps of twisted metal on land that were pocked marked by craters. Other pieces of jagged metal, some of it still showing signs of burn marks peaked up from the surface of the ocean. They were the remains of the Kaguya mass driver. The further the plane flew in, the more signs of the battle that took place were evident. Blasted out hulks of Earth Alliance and Orb mobile suits lay scattered as clean up crews and technicians worked to clear out the wreckage.

Whole sections of lush green forest were blasted away to reveal long trenches, trees and vegetation charred and uprooted while others were shattered in half and their pieces lay imbedded in other trees or scattered amongst the ground. Perhaps the damage was made by crashing mobile suits or powerful beam blasts. Large circular steel like containers had the tops completely sheered away from an inward force, or even whole sides of it missing, exposing the insides like jagged maws of a beast. Perhaps they were once fuel storage tanks. Some sections of the island looked like mountains had caved in on themselves, while large sinkholes stretched for miles in different places.

At first from the young mans point of view, it seemed like the damage caused to the island was from the stress of the battle being waged around it. Only after word did he realize that these were also the ruins of the Morgenroete factories, and Onogoro's underground military facilities that Representative Attha sacrificed his life to protect from the Earth Alliance.

'I still couldn't believe the size and scale of the devastation. Even the cities were damaged by the battle.' Perhaps his parents wanted to show him the Earth Alliance's true colors. That they weren't what they said they were. It did open his eyes to how the world worked in time of war. But still he had his misgivings. Why did the Earth Alliance attack and then invade a neutral country? Were they really cooperating with the Plants as the official report stated?

The water stopped suddenly as it started and the sound of a shower curtain opening came through the closed bathroom door. "The former enemies have pledged themselves to work toward mutual understanding, and to make every effort possible to maintain peace. As a result, we are confident that the world is once again down the path of stability." The door of the bathroom opened after personal hygiene was taken care of, and once again the young man moved back toward the kitchen to turn off the now loud whistling kettle, signaling that the water was boiling and ready, then heading back into the bedroom to get dressed.

'Peace. Could a period of such an uneasy truce be called that? Even if Orb has laws to keep the Naturals and Coordinators off each others throats, I can still see the looks that are traded when Natural and Coordinator pass each other in the streets. Yet, that doesn't mean all of them dislike or distrust one another.' Indeed there were plenty of examples to be seen just during every day life that showed Coordinator and Natural alike could co exist peacefully. 'Perhaps if the world just fallowed Orbs example..'

The water stopped suddenly as it started and the sound of a shower curtain opening came through the closed bathroom door. "The former enemies have pledged themselves to work toward mutual understanding, and to make every effort possible to maintain peace. As a result, we are confident that the world is once again down the path of stability." The door of the bathroom opened after personal hygiene was taken care of, and headed back into the bedroom to get dressed.

"In other news, unconfirmed reports have come in that Orbs own royalty: Cagalli Yula Athha has been spotted in Switzerland-" Another click came this time as the radio was turned off, silence once again prevailing. A reflection caught caught his eye as Shinoski gave himself a once over in the mirror against the bedroom wall next to the door to check that everything was in place before he left for the day. A black sleeveless shift was tucked into white denim jeans which where comfortably fastened around his waist by a black belt.

Before leaving the room, he reached out and grabbed a green long sleeved jacket before slipping it on. The jacket buttoned at the waist, and then zipped up the rest of the way to the collarbone before fading into the open collar of the jacket, which was left popped upright. Strips of heavy material, perhaps leather or other synthetic materials were colored white and outlined in black. The longer of the two started at the back of the shoulder, and ended just below the collarbone. The second, much shorter strip continued on, before ending at the upper chest.

Though for the sake of practicality, and giving the current weather outside, the jacket was left open. Nodding to himself in approval, Shinoski moved out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Sitting down he took a look at the days headlines in the newspaper and enjoyed drinking a hot cup of Green Tea. After words, he made his way to the door of the apartment, slipped on his shoes before tying them, and then was out the door while shutting the door and locking it behind him.

The hallway outside the apartment was almost just as quiet, as he made his way towards the door that was labeled 'Stairs'. Making finding himself on the stairwell, Shinoski moved downwards while painted on the white cinder block walls the red letters spelt out 'Floor Six' and began to drop as it counted down to the ground floor. Once at the ground floor Shinoski went into the lobby, and soon out of the building.

A gust of fresh sweet warm tropical air greeted him and caused Shinoski to pause a moment to just take in the nice weather around him before continuing on. If anything the city was far from quiet. The different pitched roars and growls of vehicles moving and sitting, idling at traffic lights while waiting for the traffic signals to change. A mile or two off a sharp blare of a horn signified a frustrated and impatient driver that was late to work or an appointment during the morning commute. The sharp rise and fall of Sirens sounded in the distance, as emergency services responded to a call. However they were muted through the din and the constant hustle and bustle of urban life.

Driving was not the only way to get around, as people used public transit – busses and subway systems, bikes, motorcycles and some few, like Shinoski, walked. He preferred walking to get to where he had to go as it gave him the needed exercise to keep in decent shape. Continuing down the street he paused at the edge of the sidewalk with a throng of other commuters as he waited for the traffic signal to change from the stale red 'do not cross' to the white 'walk' that would grant him safe passage across the street without increasing his chances of injury or even death by getting hit by a passing vehicle.

As he waited, Shinoski let his eyes wander. In the distance skyscrapers shined and shimmered in the new day sun, causing them to seemingly glow as the light of the sun bounced off their reflective surfaces. Around them stood ones of similar size, and smaller buildings for smaller businesses. Amongst them were shells of buildings in different states of repair or in the process of being torn down. Their steel frames black and unreflective, reaching towards the sky like the fingers of a skeletal hand. Reminders of the cruelty of the war that had just ended months before.

A frown creased Shinoski's features as a pang of guilt washed over him. Although he was not in the army, he was still currently living in the Atlantic Federation before his move to Orb. He was sure that the people that lived here in orb, if they knew where he was from would frown down upon him. 'Guilty by association..' Shinoski mused to himself.

Back then the city was more quiet and subdued as people dug themselves out from the wreckage and debris. Places that used to be shopping centers, places of business, factories, and even homes. He felt out of place, already weary of the Orb government. They knew of his nationality and let him enter the country as his parents made arrangements before hand. Feeling partially responsible for the destruction caused, Shinoski helped with the cleanup. He gave by clearing away debris, joining up with local volunteers to rebuild damaged houses, and build entirely new ones that were destroyed by stray shots or by the battle itself.

It could of ended there for him. He could have easily just gone back to the apartment that he was living in, become reclusive and live off his parents money that he had access to. Yet he chose not to. Instead he applied for jobs around the area once businesses began hiring again, and soon found himself an employee of an electronics repair shop. He made a name for himself, and made friends, as his know how in electronics and software was a great help fixing computers, to cell phones. With the amount of money he was making from the store, Shinoski was able to earn the money he used to pay the rent on his apartment, as well as to support his hobbies, and eventually school, instead of using the money that he was born into.

His thoughts were broken as the crowd that he was standing in began to move as the signals switched giving them the okay to walk across the street is safety.

As the group moved in masse there were people within the throng of people that were impatient. Therefore rude as they began to push they're way through the group to get quicker to the front as some were moving slower then others. Shinoski felt himself pushed from behind in mid step, causing him to trip over himself and into something soft yet with some firmness as a feminine tone of voice let out a equal 'oomph' as the two of them collided and found themselves on the hard cement of the sidewalk. The crowd just continued moving, parting around them like a stiff current moving around a large rock in a river. Others stopped for a moment to check on the two before also moving on after seeing that they were both okay.

Shinoski looked down for a moment in surprised silence from the rather jarring impact to see whom he had exactly ran into. A pair of sky blue eyes gazed back at him with equal surprise and shock. She looked to be of medium height and very curvy. Purple hair was tied back into a high ponytail with a black ribbon that fell incredibly, over one shoulder and down the side of her body before stopping at her stomach. (Which once corrected back to its rightful place after being in that position after the jarring collision with Shinoski, would be to around mid back.)

Despite how hot the temperatures were going to get today, the girl he had run into was wearing nothing but mostly black. She was wearing a black leather halter-top that barely held a rather well endowed chest. From the shoulders down, black long fingerless gloves gently hugged the forms of her arms. Mid-drift was left bare; exposing a flat yet toned stomach.

Black bellbottoms hugged her hips snugly and parts of her legs as well before slowly flaring out from the knee outwards. Neon blue laces crisscrossed the outward facing sides of the legs, starting from the cuff of her pants, going up over the thigh, before stopping nicely as a little bow shortly before the material that made up the waistband met her hips. To round off the look, slim open toe sandals wrapped around her feet, covering everything but her toes and stopping just short above the ankle, while a black choker lined with neon blue rested snuggly against her neck.

All and all, the beauty that Shinoski had run into had stunned him silent. Yet after a moment he felt that his hand was still resting against something squishy. Taking another look, Shinoski found that his hand was resting against the young woman's chest to his dismay!

After untangling himself from the girl, and standing up, he offered his hand to her, which she gladly accepted. After standing to her full height 5'6 she hauled off and smacked him, her hand landing with a crisp resounding crack. Flesh met flesh as her hand landed across the Shinoski's right cheek, leaving a large imprint of her hand upon his face. "P-Pervert! -Jerk!" She sputtered off before walking down the sidewalk to her destination with a visibly faster edge to her walk, her shoulders squared. Shinoski swore that he could see smoke spooling off her head. "A thank you would be nice!" he muttered under his breath, referring to himself helping her up moments before.

Shinoski raised his hand to the right side of his face to gently rub the forming red handprint gingerly while wincing. 'She has some strength to her.'

"Shino?! That you?" Called a light voice from behind with a slight southern drawl to it. He stiffened slightly as he recognized the voice that called out the shortened version of his name. 'Did she see that? I rather not have her think less of me if she did.' Shinoski thought to himself in worry. Gathering up his courage he slowly turned around and gave her a soft smile. "Good Morning." Shinoski greeted in response. Aleera was the first friend that he had made in Orb shortly after his arrival. Aleera was about 5'5 and had long almost platinum blonde hair that fell down to her shoulders. Long bangs stopped just short of hazel eyes that gazed up with him full of amusement.

A pair of rounded glasses was balanced gently on a small button like nose. Whither or not they were used for prescription or cosmetic uses, they were not known to him. When asked, Aleera just gave him a raspberry and said that it was a secret. Her form was intermediate at best. Her attire was kept simple with a red shirt with the sleeves barely extending past her shoulders, a blue skirt that reached the back of her knees, and a pair of leg warmers that lay bunched up atop of white sneakers.

"Good Morning!" She replied with a bit too much enthusiasm. Aleera seemed to be a constant ball of energy, always trying to make people laugh and smile. Though at the same time despite her age being just a year shy as his, she seemed to be a bit immature at times. "Where are you headed off to this morning?" She asked as the two of them began walking down the sidewalk side by side. "Well, I am on my way to my job. Don't know when I will be out though." He explained. Aleera nodded, though pouted slightly in response. Though as quickly as it came it vanished, and Aleera was once again smiling at him.

Shinoski had met Aleera by chance. She was one of the customers that came into the electronics shop to ask about her cell phone being fixed. She had dropped her phone and was worried that she had to get a new one. Shinoski, after simply reseating the battery and SIM card had the phone working like new in minutes flat. Minus a few dents and nicks of course. In return, Aleera had helped Shino find his way around the city they lived in, pointing out where the best places to buy food, eat out, shop, and entertainment were. From that point on Aleera came in almost every day to talk to him when he wasn't busy, and eventually the two hit it off rather well and became friends.

Aleera clicked her tongue against her teeth in annoyance as the current newspaper of the day caught her eye as they walked by a 25-cent dispenser. The main head line of the paper read 'Earth – Plants peace negotiations continue.' While underneath and in smaller yet equally bold letters read ' Orb's political structure reaches braking point!' Upon noticing Aleera's reaction Shinoski turned his head to regard her for a moment or two. Instead of the usual bubbly expression that her face always seemed to wear, it was now one of neutrality. "Hmn? What's the matter Aleera?" He asked.

Aleera looked up from her contemplations and gave him a weak smile. "I don't usually pay attention to this political stuff. I think its all a bunch of nonsense as grown people squabble back and forth like they are in kindergarten" She explained. "But- Since Lord Uzumi Attha died protecting Orb, everyone and their dad seems to be wanting his position."

Shino listened as Aleera spoke and had to agree with her. A slight nod was given in agreement. "Yes, the whole situation around here is rather tense. Like a storm about to brake." Aleera continued on. "From what I gather, there are people who want Cagalli as the next representative of Orb. But others disagree and say that she's too young and inexperienced."

"Who would you rather side with?" Shino asked. "Me? I-I don't know." Aleera began with rather wide eyes, as she clearly did not expect to be asked that question. "Probably Miss Cagalli. Her young status might very well unite the old with the new younger generation." Shino smiled back at Aleera. "That's rather wise call you made there. You do have a rather good point. I haven't been here long, and you may know more about this place then I do, since you were born here." Shinoski said while gently ruffling her hair.

Alerra closed her eyes, canted her head to the side almost like a cat and smiled up at him. "Thanks Shino! Now I have a question to ask you."

"Hmn?" Shinoski continued walking down the sidewalk, pausing to only look down at her next to him. "Why did that woman slap you?" Aleera asked. Shinoski balked for a second or two, before rubbing the palm of his hand against the back of his head. A habit he developed for whenever he was embarrassed or nervous. "Well, I tripped and fell into her the wrong way. When falling I must of reached out to catch myself and ended up grabbing her breast instead." Shinoski explained.

Aleera was silent for a moment or two before bursting out in high-pitched laughter, causing some of the passersby to turn their heads with inquisitive looks. Shinoski felt a blush rise to his cheeks. "Aleera, Stop it. People are staring." Aleera giggled some more before calming herself down. " I bet that went over well." Shinoski regarded Aleera with a dry expression. "Yea, like a lead balloon."


Bern Switzerland

"Kira- Kira, its time to wake up." Kira was gently roused from his sleep by the slight give on the edge of the bed as it caused one side to sink in slightly by the weight of another person. Kira's body moved back and forth from the slight shaking that two hands caused by pushing every now and again on his shoulder and side. Eyes fluttered and slowly opened as purple eyes blinked the new day morning sun that was shining through his window. The vision of Lacus swam over him before coming back into focus. Lacus was currently wearing a very long shirt that gave her some modesty by falling down among her knees. The neck of the shirt was loose, just barely revealing both shoulders as the sleeves fell and obscured her hands.

It seemed that Lacus had also just awoken, and made her way from the girl's only side of the house that they all shared to the guy's only side. Her hair was let down and flowing, while her iconic golden two crescent moon hair clip was missing. "Good Morning, Good Morning!" Chimed in the hyper active pink robotic ball that seemed to fallow Lacus around everywhere she went.

Kira gave Lacus a smile before sitting up and took her into his arms for a long embrace. Lacus blushed slightly before she gave him a slight hug in return and then pulled away from him. Kira threw off the covers and got up out of bed. Kira was wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of light blue pajama bottoms. Out the window, birds could be heard chirping, as clear skies were overhead. It was one of the last warm days in the fall season before the colder weather started to set in and the snow once again arrived in Switzerland.

Situating herself so she was now sitting at the edge of the bed she watched as Kira sit next to her. "Do you have anything planned today Kira?" Lacus asked, holding out her hands to catch Pink-Chan as it bounced along the floor before launching itself up into her lap before spinning around while making random mechanical and electronical random noises from its speakers built within its body.

Being the last weekend before school started for their group, it gave Kira, Athurn and the rest time to relax. Some wanted to go and explore the town, while others just wanted to stay at home and prepare for what would probably be a rough week readjusting to normal civilian life. Sai on the other hand, started to become more and more reclusive, much to Kira's worry.

"No, I don't have any plans as of yet Lacus. Why? What do you have in mind?" He asked, slight curiosity forming in his eyes. "Well, perhaps just you and I could go on a little walk and have picnic lunch. There was a very nice park I noticed while Mr. Kisaka drove us from the airport to the house." Kira's eyebrows raised only slightly, though the gentle smile on his face widened. "That sounds like a great idea Lacus."

Lacus's eyes light up as he agreed. "Then I'll get ready and we'll leave shortly after. I'll see you soon." Lacus got up off the bed and walked out of Kira's room, Haro bounding after her. "I understand, you understand, have a nice day!" It chirped. After Lacus left, Kira had the strangest feeling that she had planned this in advance. After all, he would have seen her preparing the lunch that they were going to eat.

After showering and getting dressed, Kira met Athurn, Derka, Yazak, and Sai down stairs in the kitchen reserved for the males for breakfast and a discussion of the day's events. It seemed that he was late as everyone, minus himself were already sitting down at the table eating and talking about preparing for school. Their state of dress was causal. However Kira was dressed nicely in a black tight turtleneck style muscle shirt, which was tucked into black pants. A zip down yellow hooded lighter sweatshirt was worn over that, the hood resting over the shoulders of an orange dress jacket.

"Thought that I was done with school. It's going to be -so- boring since I already know everything!" Derka grumbled as he leaned against the back of the chair, slumping back as he used his fork to pick at the half eaten plate of scrambled eggs.

"You know everything? Ha! Sometimes I wonder how you fit all that information in that small head of yours." Ysak teased back with a smirk. "Hey!" Derka faked a hurt look by putting a hand up to his chest. "I resent that!" Derka continued on.

"But honestly, I agree with you, for once Derka." Ysak dropped the teasing tone in his voice to a more even one that hinted at just a tad of boredom. "High School is just a waist of my time. I rather be back home at the Plants and helping my mother." Replied Ysak, sapphire blue eyes shifting to regard his friend as he took a sip of orange juice.

"Right now I do not think it would be the best of decisions at the moment to return to the Plants." Athurn replied. "Over all there is a general cense of confusion, even more so now since there isn't a active Chairman to help control the plants. The high council must be in total chaos."

At that thought Athurn frowned afterwards as his thoughts lead him to thinking about his father. He could still picture him lying there bleeding in his arms after being shot. In his dying breath he did not apologize for loosing his way, or telling Athurn that he still loved him and that he still was his son. Instead he cursed the naturals and ordered Athurn to fire the genesis laser before passing on.

"All the more reason to return to the plants." Ysak countered. Athurn's opened palm slammed against the table as he rose up from his chair in an uncharacteristic outburst of anger being more commonplace coming from Ysak. The sudden outburst startled those sitting at the table, even Sai whom had been quietly eating his breakfast while listening to the conversation around him.

"You don't get it do you? All three of us are branded traitors. Myself for taking off with the Justice and siding with Kira and the Freedom, Derka siding with the Archangel at Orb, and Ysak for helping protect the Eternal." Athurn seethed. "The Eternal is technically a ZAFT Ship!" Countered Ysak, standing up sharply from his chair, eyes narrowing, as his fists clenched at his sides. Ysak did not take well to being called a traitor.

"Whoa! Everyone just calm the hell down! We are friends here!" Derka exclaimed as he made the motion to stop with both hands, palms out in front of him. "Athurn does have a point, Ysak. If we go back to the plants now, the public would chant for our execution and form a lynch mob. I don't know about you, but I don't feel like being strung up by my balls."

Athurn paused a moment as he digested Derka's words before sitting back down at the table, head bowed as the blue hair shifted slightly to fall down to cover his eyes. "I'm sorry. I- I don't know what came over me."

Ysak on the other hand just stormed off from the breakfast table, not even pausing to regard Kira on his way past. Heavy footsteps stomped going up to the second floor before a moment later the door to Ysak's room slammed shut, nearly shaking the whole house! Sai looked uncomfortable at the table after the two outbursts from Athurn and Ysak. A moment later he stood up, bringing his finished plate to the sink and placing it gently within. "Excuse me.." Sai said, moving out of the kitchen as he excused himself and into one of the other rooms.

"What was all that noise about?" Asked Kira as he turned his head to look toward the direction that Ysak had stormed off in.

Derka winced as the door slammed. It was almost like he was back on the Nazca class battleship that He, Ysak, Athurn, and Nichole shared as the Le Creuset team during the later parts of the war. "Just Athurn and Ysak blowing off some steam." Derka replied rather glumly.

Though that all changed as Derka spied Kira approaching the table. Derka straightened up in his chair with a newfound interest as a sly smirk spread across his lips. "So lover boy, why are you all dressed up today hmm?" Kira blinked and then felt a heat across his cheeks at Derka's words. Noticing the blush that crossed Kira's cheeks, Derka's smirk turned into a full fledged grin. "I knew it! So your taking Lacus out for a date?"

Athurn looked up to regard Kira and noticed that Kira looked a bit unsure as to what to answer, so he replied for him. "You don't need to answer that Kira." Kira shook his head slightly. "No, its okay. Thanks Athurn. Actually Lacus and me are just going out to lunch. I don't think it much of a date."

"Kira? Are you ready?" Lacus called out as she entered the kitchen where Athurn and Derka were sitting with a large basket of assorted sandwiches, fruits, and some bottles of water, her hands grasping the handle of the wicker basket in front of her while a red and white checkered blanket covered the items inside for some protection, and offered something for them to sit on later on.

Kira turned to regard Lacus and stared for a moment. Lacus was wearing a simple white dress that dipped down to stop shortly just before her breasts before moving up to cover her shoulders. Long sleeves moved down her arms before the cuffs of the shirt were rolled back. A large black choker made of cloth rested snuggly against her neck, covering it from where it met her shoulders up to where it met her chin. Her dainty feet were slipped into a pair of black shoe like slippers while a simple black purse hung off one shoulder.

Kira nodded and let out a little "mnnh" in agreement. Noticing that Kira seemed to be at a loss for words, Derka spoke up. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" All the while giving Lacus a quick once over and letting out a silent whistle in approval. The dress although simple made her features stand out more then usual. Kira noticing how Lacus looked seemed to get him all the more flustered in return. Poor Kira was tripping all over himself. Lacus smiled kindly at Derka. "Mr. Elsman, while I am flattered that you approve of my dress, I do believe that Miriallia would disapprove of you looking at other woman."

Derka froze, his Cheshire cat like grin disappearing from his face as he paled slightly. "No, that's okay…" Athurn just sighed and shook his head slightly in mirth as he watched Derka get put back in his place by Lacus. "In all honesty you look very beautiful Lacus." Kira said, once again finding his voice. Lacus beamed at Kira. "Really!? Thank you!"


It had took them an access of almost an hour to make their way to the park that Lacus had mentioned to Kira earlier in the morning. By that time it was late morning, almost noon as the temperatures reached more comfortable levels for outside activities. Indeed it was a very nice place to sit down, chat, and have something to eat. Trees were in abundance, and in peak color season of the fall. The trees offering more then enough shade here and there over gently rolling hills, and giving the viewer something beautiful to look at too. If the young man wasn't captivated by the young woman in front of him.

Kira and Lacus sat on the red and white checkered blanket, their shoes off on the grass next to the blanket as there finished meal sat out around them. A slight gust of wind came through, and although cold felt refreshing. The wind picked up Lacus's hair and whipped it around slightly as she laughed and raised her left hand to the side of her head to get her unruly hair under control. Kira felt himself smile as he looked at Lacus. 'I can't believe I have someone as nice as her.' He thought to himself as he watched. Yet as he watched her Kira felt the weight of guilt settle upon his heart.

He mentally kicked himself. How could he be thinking about Lacus like that, in a romantic sense when he still felt and had feelings for Flay? Feeling Kira's gaze upon her, Lacus turned her head to regard him. "Kira, what are you thinking about?" Taken off guard by the question, Kira paused for a moment. "I-Uh.." Noticing Kira's hesitation Lacus frowned slightly. "Is it because of that girl Flay?" Kira's eyes widened in shock as he sucked in a sharp breath. "How did you-?" Kira began, rather at a loss of words.

"You've been acting distant lately. I could of asked your sister Cagalli about it, and get the story from her, but I rather hear it from you, Kira." Lacus turned her head down and off to the side, adverting eye contact with him. Kira could only gaze at her in shock. Did she set up this outing between the two of them to get his guard down so she could ask him outright? "Perhaps the relaxed atmosphere around us did make talking about things easier." Kira mused to himself.

However Kira felt angry, not at Lacus for her bringing him here, or the question that she had asked him, as he was sure that she had been meaning to ask him that for awhile now. No, he was mad at himself for not being able to tell her exactly the way he felt. Lacus could come up and tell him anything that bothered her, open and freely. Except for that one question that they were now both dealing with. Kira realized that Flay, or the memory of her was preventing the relationship with Lacus from moving further.

Noting that Kira didn't respond to her, Lacus felt a lump rise in her throat as tears threatened to build up in her eyes. Did she once again pick the wrong time to talk to Kira about it? Did bringing him here and asking him about her damage the relationship that the two of them had started building together? Lacus silently got up and made to slip on her shoes and walk back home by herself. She could cry about it later in her own room. She couldn't bear to cry. Not in front of Kira.

However Lacus stopped short as Kira's hand fastened tightly around her wrist, keeping her from going any further. "Kira?" She asked in question. Looking down, Lacus's soft blue eyes met Kira's purple. They had the saddest, most fragile look to them. After a moment of silence Kira spoke up again, although his voice was a lot softer, just above a whisper. "What…do you want to know?" Kira asked.

Kneeling down on the blanket so she was level with him, Lacus gently took his hand in both of hers while continuing to gaze into his eyes. "Tell me…everything. From the beginning."