Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed Destiny.
Note: I own Lycia Colden. I own You Opened My Eyes. I own Broken Doll.
Friendship
By: Hikari Maiden
~ Chapter Two ~
He asked her, "Do you live around here?"
With a smile, she shook her head. "I'm here to apply here to apply for the job of Mobile Suit Gundam Pilot. I realize I place my life in danger when I'm on the battlefield and I realize I place my mental, emotional, and physical health at risk. I'm ready to do this at my own will."
Where in the world does she get such strength? He told her, "You seem strong about the matter."
She blinked, frowned and gave a careless shrug. "I don't know."
What's that supposed to mean? "What do you mean by that?"
She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I stated my business and how I feel towards it. Am I that much of a puzzle?"
He raised his eyebrows at her and asked, "Why do you come off with an attitude?"
She turned away from him and her back faced him. "Okay. You know what? I'll leave." She began to walk away.
It was Shinn's turn to sigh and roll his eyes. "Jeez. You're so hardheaded."
"Reminds me of someone I know."
Shinn turned around to see Athran Zala.
Both boys heard Lycia scream and they turned to see a startled Lycia and Kira Yamato in front of her. He must have jumped out in front of her to stop her and he must have startled her in the process. Shinn and Athran laughed.
An infuriated Lycia stormed towards them and hit them both upside the head with her fists.
Shinn tried to block her blows. "Ow! I'm sorry! I promise I won't laugh again!"
Athran also tried to block her blows. "Ow! You hit awfully hard for such a small person!"
"I agree!"
She turned to Kira and hit him upside his head.
Kira tried to block her blows. "Ow!"
Shinn stared at Kira and Lycia with wide eyes. "I knew that was coming."
Athran stared also stared at Kira and Lycia with wide eyes. "Yeah. Me, too."
Lycia eventually stopped and all she said was, "You infuriated me."
Shinn said, "Jeez. You seem to be so hardheaded. You know that?"
Lycia crossed her arms over her chest and widened her eyes as she shook her head and moved her head forward. She used the accent on purpose. "Sow? Nuttin' wrong wit thet."
"Why do I get the feeling you're speaking that way on purpose?"
"No dip, dumb nut."
Athran glared at her with rage and he spoke in a fiery tone of voice. "You're starting to tick me off, little girl."
Kira gave his friend a concerned look. "Athran. Calm down."
Shinn took Lycia by the hand and gently pulled her along as he walked away from Athran and Kira.
What is he doing? Where is he taking me? She stared at him and blinked, confused. She stumbled and he slowed down.
He smiled and took a huge breath of fresh air. "Why not take a walk? The day is lovely."
Lycia looked at him with a smile and said, "I feel I met a new friend. Shin Asuka. Thank-you." Tears filled her eyes.
"I feel I met a new friend as well. Lycia Colden."
Tears slipped from the bottoms of her eyes and slid along her cheeks.
Shinn noticed the tears and looked at her with confusion and concern. "Why are you crying?"
She quickly wiped away the tears and said, "I'm not. I wear contacts. My eyes water when my allergies act up and when something gets inside them."
He grinned, let go of her hand, and poked her in the sides. "You have a brick head."
She went, "EEEK!" as she half-twitched, half-jumped. She glared at him. "Only my boyfriend is allowed to do that! He'll come to the conclusion that I'm cheating on him when it's not even close to the truth!"
He gave her a calm look. "Calm down."
Abrupt vibrations at the right side of her hip caught her attention and her heart skipped as she answered her cell phone. "Hello?"
"Hello, baby. How is life treating you?"
She felt intense cold chills chase through her and intense heat rise from deep within her and spread along her flesh. "Fine. I'm trying to get a job as a Mobile Suit Gundam Pilot."
"I hope you get it."
"I hope so, too, baby. I miss you. I wish you were here."
"I miss you, too."
"I love you, honey."
"I love you, too, sweetie."
"Bye."
"Bye." She flipped her cell phone shut and placed it back in its case. She sat on the ground, hugged her knees to her chest, and buried her face in her lap. I miss him so much it hurts.
Shinn sat beside her. "Was that your boyfriend?"
She nodded.
"You two didn't stay on the phone long."
She looked up from her lap and at him, a sad expression in her long, thin, oval-shaped face and her pale, blue-green colored eyes. "We used to, but we don't anymore."
He looked at her with concern and curiosity. "Why not?"
"We both understand we're so far apart and so busy."
"Lycia. Besides the fact that you're both so far apart and so busy, is there something else?"
"It feels wrong for me to have such little faith in him and I feel this means our relationship is weak, but I fear he meets someone better than me. I fear we don't get married and have kids. If we broke up, I would shatter into uncountable pieces and I would drown in the flood of my tears. I feel he's the only person who'll ever love me as he has."
Shinn looked at her with a gentle expression, his smile kind, his eyes mild. "He must love you lots."
She nodded. "I love him, too. He asked me to go to a Valentine's dance with him. He asked me to be his girlfriend at the Valentine's dance. We danced fast and slow dances. He sang some of the songs to me. For the first time, I wanted a guy to kiss me and I liked his hand at my lower side. I so badly wanted him to kiss me, but we would get into a lot of trouble if caught. We sat in a special spot and for the first time, I wanted a guy to French kiss me. For the first time, I wanted to all out with a guy and bear the child and get married and get a job and a house and other things. For the first time, I felt the intense need to tell him he needs to not be afraid to tell me, 'No.' when I ask to go all out so early in our life and I told him he's not hurting me, but saving me by doing this and I told him his kiss and his touch makes me want more and that's the power it has and he asked me if I'm saying he could possibly rape me and I'm saying that's not what I'm trying to say."
He gave her a serious look. "You're in love with him."
"I've been done wrong so many times, though. Cruel pranks. A boy gave me a phone number and said it was his phone number. He told me to dial it. Some other boys smiled and laughed. I dialed the number. It was the number to the police station. The next time I saw the boy on the bus I told him about it in a joke-like manner. He refused it. I regret not keeping the number. The police could have visited the school and given out the number to the police station and I could have said, 'I already have the number to the police station. Some boy gave it to me as a cruel prank.' and I could have showed it as proof."
He rolled his eyes. "You are so full of it."
"I've been told, 'He likes you.' and 'He wants your number.' and I've been asked, 'What's your number?'. I've been told boys want to do something with me with something, too embarrassing to say. I've been told something about my, too embarrassing to say what boys call them. I only feel comfortable when my family, my friends, my boyfriend, and I crack naughty jokes."
"It Sounds like you go through a lot."
"I reached out to someone in acts of kindness. I ended up in an awkward situation. This guy confused me. Then, he invaded some of my innocence. He wanted more, but I wouldn't allow him to have it. This is the core reason I don't trust men, unless they're my family, my friends, my boyfriend, or men I feel won't hurt me."
"I understand how you feel. However, be lucky you're both alive. Stella died in my arms. Our love had only just begun to blossom and it hadn't had a chance to grow."
She smiled and laughed.
He looked at her with confusion. "What?"
She spoke with laughter. "I never thought a boy, and one of your age at that, capable of giving an almost grown girl like me advice like that! It's so scary it's funny!"
His eyes narrowed and his lips turned into a horizontal line. "Ha, ha. Very funny."
"Dude. I'm nineteen years old."
His nose and cheeks went bright red. "I'm not that much younger than you!"
She sang, "Uh-oh. Someone lost his composure."
He quickly wrapped his arms around her shoulders and upper arms, pulled her towards him, and placed his hands over her mouth. "Cut it out! You're embarrassing me!"
She glared up at him and made the muffled speech noise. "Mm-hm, mm-hm!"
"Jeez! Spare me if you have any mercy at all!"
She growled at him. "Hrmmmm…"
"Why don't you sing another one of your songs?"
Your hands are over my mouth, you moron! Ouuuuu!
He removed his hands.
"I didn't mean to embarrass you. I do have mercy, you know." She stood and began to sing the lyrics of a song she created and she began to dance to them.
"On the floor I lie.
Where I've been tossed aside.
Shattered into uncountable shards.
Torn to shreds.
Surrounded by blood from my bleeding heart.
Surrounded by tears from my eyes.
Used and broken.
Oh, it's all the same.
It's all the same."
"Broken doll, broken doll.
I'm a broken doll, broken doll.
Broken, broken doll.
Broken doll, broken doll.
I'm a broken doll, broken doll.
Broken, broken doll.
Broken doll, broken doll."
"Will any man ever love me?
Will I ever escape this despair?
I highly doubt it.
I feel sick.
I've been invaded.
I've been thrown away.
I'm broken."
"I'm a broken doll.
Broken, broken doll.
Broken doll, broken doll.
I'm a broken doll, broken doll.
Broken, broken doll.
Broken doll, broken doll."
She smiled at him and panted.
He smiled back at her. "You're amazing."
She panted the words, "Yeah, but I feel I'm not able to keep it up for long."
"You've got the voice and the moves. You're just out of shape."
Lycia noticed the sky begin to darken and this began to make her feel uneasy. She began to tremble and suck in her breath. I don't like lightning. "Shinn."
He noticed she sounded scared and looked at her with concern and confusion. "You sound scared. Why?"
She let out a shuddery breath. "I wanna go back."
She seems scared. He noticed the sky. Is that why? "Okay."
She quickly grabbed his hand and they walked back.
She's trembling. She is scared. Why is beyond me.
Her legs shook and her knees buckled. She struggled to keep her balance.
I'm seriously tempted to provoke her. "You're a nervous wreck."
"I don't like lightning."
"Why not?"
"A lightning bolt struck too close for comfort while I stood under what seemed a tin roof and got my dad and I a snowball. He told me nothing would happen, but it seemed that lightning bolt got closer until it struck too close for comfort."
"You're full of interesting stories to tell. Interesting stories of your life."
She smiled and laughed. "You're funny!"
They entered a building.
She noticed the sleeves that went halfway down her arms no longer covered what she had them there to cover and quickly reached over with her free hand and tried to adjust.
Shinn gave her a confused look. "What are you doing?"
She quickly placed her hand over her inner left elbow and smiled up at Shinn with a nervous laugh.
He gave her a suspicious look. "You're hiding something. Remove your hand."
She pouted as she reluctantly gave in. "Fine." She pushed up her sleeve. "Happy?"
"I bet that burns."
"It does."
"You should put medicine on that."
"I tried to hide it with the sleeves and my hand. It's not contagious. I have it on my neck and back as well. It's exima."
Hikari Maiden: I consider this hilarious.
Shinn Asuka: Turn off that irritating music.
Hikari Maiden: *sticks out tongue* Bleh! Bite me!
Shinn Asuka: I hate Lunarock!
Hikari Maiden: Fine! Mirror by Gackuto Kamui! I thought I'd marry him before I met my cowboy prince.
Shinn Asuka: *grumbling to himself* Shall I destroy her computer, now, or later?
Hikari Maiden: Nevah! Mwahahahahaha!