Chapter 5

Stellar was busily cleaning her apartment. She lived on the seventh floor of a newly built apartment located in Orb's shopping district. She thought it was a decent place to live considering how she had spent most of her time in military bases. Truth be told, it was actually a decent apartment with a reasonable monthly rent. The floor space was small as it only contained one bedroom, kitchen, washroom, and living room. But new furniture was included and everything was furnished. Then again, this was no ordinary apartment. In an effort to speed up economic recovery after the war, Orb's government and leader Cagalli Yula Attha had introduced new policies that bridged the gap between the rich and the poor. As a result, an upscale apartment was offered to all of Orb's citizens at a significantly reduced price. Through a lottery system, many citizens had bought tickets to be entered into the draw. This system was a success for both the developers and citizens because it benefitted both parties. With a little help from Cagalli, Stellar was one of the many winners.

A week had passed since the outdoor barbecue was held last week at the orphanage. The hot, humid summer was still going strong in Orb, especially since Orb was located near the Earth's equator. Although the hottest day had just passed last week, the hot weather showed no signs of relenting. Weather stations had predicted that the weather would eventually cool down but that wasn't for until next week. It wasn't all that bad though. The good weather had encouraged many citizens to go outside instead of staying home. This resulted in many crowded shopping centres and cars that busily navigated using Orb's expressways to get from one part of the island to the next.

Sweeping the hardwood floor, rearranging chairs, and wiping tabletops, Stellar was doing her best to keep her living area clean. She wore a simple, light pink t-shirt and short, ragged jeans that were halfway from reaching her knees. Wide-eyed magenta eyes scrutinized the cleaning with much effort. With an exhale of effort, she wiped her forehead with her forearm, and then took a pause when she realized her t-shirt was stained. Giving a sigh, she continued cleaning. She sprayed a small area of the hardwood floor and wiped it with a white cleaning cloth. She had already used the sweeper to sweep the floor beforehand, and was now down to the details. But a sudden playing of music snapped her out of her thoughts. She quickly looked over and found her phone glowing blue every half second. Quickly putting things aside, she got up and ran to reach her phone.

She took a pause before swiping it off the desk and accepting the call. She still wasn't entirely familiar with the concept of holding something against her ear to take a call. That and she didn't want to accidentally drop it so that's why she used two hands. They never had devices like these back when she was a soldier of the Earth Forces. They had used small receivers that fit into the ear that were also capable of transmitting the user's voice. By using vibrations that oscillated from the windpipe, it was able to pick up words without requiring the opening and closing of the mouth. But she didn't mind because she often saw people talking animatedly on those devices which seemed fun. If something was fun, she liked it. She gently picked up the phone and cradled it against her ear with both hands

"H-Hello?" asked an innocent and hesitant Stellar. She wondered who would want to call her at this time of the day. A part of her wondered if it was Shinn, they hadn't talked since and now she felt there was a barrier between them. If it was Shinn, she wasn't sure how she would respond.

"Hello, Stellar? Um… it's Meyrin," said a feminine voice.

Stellar's worry faded once she heard the feminine voice come through the phone's speaker. In an instant, she recognized the voice and could barely contain her excitement. Rarely did she ever have someone call her who wasn't Shinn, but this person was someone she wanted to hear from again.

"Meyrin!" Stellar blurted excitedly, her insecurities swept away. She had forgotten that they had exchanged telephone numbers during the barbecue. Inside, she wondered what her red-haired friend could be calling about. She held her breath, waiting for the next words to come.

This caused Meyrin to giggle at the other end, which was noticed by Stellar who grew more anxious.

"Do you want to go shopping with me later today?" asked Meyrin thoughtfully. She held the phone eagerly as she waited for an answer.

"What are we going to do there?" Stellar asked.

Not expecting a question like that, the young coordinator took a pause. Wasn't it obvious? After all, it was shopping. "We're buying new clothes! Also, we'll give the new food court a try. I heard there's a really popular dessert place there."

Stellar was interested now. "Okay Meyrin. What time do you want to meet?"

Meyrin picked up the subtle tone of excitement, and inwardly sighed in relief. "I'll meet you there for lunch so let's say about noon?" she asked earnestly.

"Alright, see you there Meyrin. Wait, where is it again?" Stellar questioned.

"We'll meet outside Chocolate Factory."

Disconnecting from the call, Stellar was elated. She had been bored ever since the barbecue at Kira's place. After that, no one had tried to contact her, and she didn't know if they wanted to hang out. She was glad to have exchanged numbers with Meyrin. In high spirits, she skipped back to the living room, at one point almost hitting her fish tank with the nudge of an errant elbow.

It was a bright, sunny afternoon with a slight gentle breeze in the air. Cars and trucks slowly passed by, creating an almost silent gust of wind to every pedestrian. It was an outdoor, pedestrian-friendly shopping mall. With narrow roads for cars and wide sidewalks that lined up the stores on each side of the road, this new style of shopping had been a hit in Orb's shopping district. It was also the largest shopping mall in Orb. Only the food court area was indoors to provide air conditioning in the hot, sweltering weather.

An impatient Stellar waited outside Chocolate Factory, leaning against the light, chocolate-coloured building. It wasn't actually a chocolate factory. It was a small store that sold chocolate delicacies, and you could also see them make the chocolate in real time. She had both hands in her pair of short jeans as she waited in a casual manner. Where is Meyrin? She took out her phone and tapped it. 12:00. Meyrin should be here by now. Stellar glanced left and right but there still wasn't any sign of her.

It was getting hot too, as the sun shone down on her. The building wasn't providing much cover from the sunlight.

Stellar suddenly heard a bell ring and quickly glanced in that direction hoping it was Meyrin. To her dismay, it was just someone who had left the Chocolate Factory. The door had a bell on top that chimed whenever it opened or closed.

She suddenly felt tempted to go inside the store instead of waiting outside as planned. It was getting hot. But she couldn't abandon her friend! Stellar was stuck between two choices. No! Stellar won't! Stellar will stay! But it's really hot here… But Meyrin might come anytime… she repeatedly mumbled to herself. She grumbled some weird sounds which caught the attention of those nearby. Luckily, Stellar was too concentrated on herself to notice the extra attention.

With another chime of the bell, curiosity took over and she pranced two steps to reach the door. Swinging it just wide enough, she stepped into the store and stopped.

The chef warmly smiled at her from behind the counter. "Welcome to Chocolate Factory."

"Thanks," said Stellar innocently which acted as a veil for her uncertainty. She wasn't used to the friendliness. She could tell the chef was an old lady with gray hair and lots of experience in making chocolate delicacies. There were two other assistants behind the counter who also wore a white, chef uniform.

She walked up to one of the counters and admired all that was displayed in there. There were many pieces of chocolate in different sizes and shapes. Some were only chocolate, while others were chocolate-coated delicacies. Shapes included spheres, cubes, rectangular prisms, triangular prisms, and animal forms. Some also had sprinkles on top in different colours.

Next, she eyed all the chocolates in the counter before going back and settling on staring intently and stubbornly at one. It was a cookie in the shape of a rabbit's head about palm size. Except that the ears were elongated to create a cuter look. The rabbit's head was coated in white chocolate and had its features such as eyes, mouth, and nose created in regular chocolate. The ears were outlined in pink chocolate.

At seeing Stellar's interest in one of her creations, the old lady chef who had for now kept her distance, moved over. "Child, that's a rabbit cookie. Would you like to have one?"

"How much is it?" Stellar asked. She hadn't moved her head to glance at the old lady.

The old lady smiled again. "It's free."

Stellar was confused, so she looked up quizzically which only amused the old lady.

The old lady explained slowly, "I haven't seen someone so genuinely interested in my baked cookies for a long time." She smiled warmly at Stellar, hoping that Stellar would accept it.

"Really?" The confused expression was replaced by childish delight in an instant. Stellar had caught the attention of everyone in the store who stared blankly at her, but it didn't faze her at all.

The old lady then promptly took out the cookie from the counter, and wrapped it with tissue paper before putting it in a small paper bag that read Chocolate Factory. "Here you go, please enjoy and come again."

Stellar took the paper bag with delighted magenta eyes. Suddenly remembering her manners, she abruptly said thanks to the old lady. It warmed the old lady's heart to see someone so innocent as Stellar. "Say, what is your name?" she asked respectfully.

"Stellar." It was a short and to the point reply. But the old lady could tell there was no sense of rudeness behind that short reply.

"Well Stellar, you are welcome here anytime." said the old lady.

"Thanks, I'll visit again!" replied Stellar enthusiastically with a smile of her own as she exited the store.

Stellar could feel that something about her had changed after that encounter. She felt lighter, livelier. More importantly, she felt more free and secure about herself. She wasn't sure what was happening, so she stored her thoughts at the back of her mind.

She walked two steps when suddenly a hand clasped her shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise.

"Stellar!"

It was Meyrin. Meyrin quickly got in front of Stellar and apologized quickly, bowing her head more than a few times. "I'm sorry for being so late! I promise it won't happen again. I-It's just that I got caught up on the way here."

Stellar didn't want her friend to be sad, so she thought of something quickly. "That's alright Meyrin. I went inside the store to wait."

This surprised Meyrin. Not because of what Stellar did, but because she spoke differently. "Stellar? You… you changed." She couldn't remember a time when Stellar didn't use the third-person tense to speak.

Not catching on to her insinuation, Stellar didn't know what was going on. "Stellar what," she asked in a confused expression.

Meyrin sighed. "Never mind, it's nothing." But deep inside, she was excited for Stellar.

"Meyrin are you alright?" Stellar asked sympathetically.

"Yes, I'm fine. Let's go."

"So why was Meyrin late?"

Questions, questions, question. Stellar sure was a curious one, Meyrin thought. She wondered if she should tell her about what had caused her to be late. After a quick thought, she decided against it. Switching the subject, she asked, "Why don't we try the new ice cream shop in the food court? Oh no… I forgot my phone back home, I'll meet you there!" Meyrin ran off and left Stellar who didn't say anything but stared at the space where Meyrin held before.

"How can I help you?" asked the cashier.

Stellar thought for a bit, trying to remember what flavored she had ordered. She had hoped Meyrin would do the ordering for her, but Meyrin had ran off at the last minute. An irritated look grew on her face as she realized she had forgot. She looked at the menu above for a quick second before turning back to order. A smile gracing her features again.

"I'll have one strawberry vanilla ice cream on a single cone," said Stellar, who was feeling a bit happier today. She really couldn't wait until Meryin got back. The cashier nodded and took her order. Taking out the money, she handed it to the cashier and then proceeded to wait at the side. Stellar glanced at the time. She hoped her ice cream would come soon.

It wasn't long though for her ice cream to be scooped up.

"Here you go. Enjoy!" said an employee.

"Thanks," replied Stellar as she took her ice cream cone. She was glad the ice cream was fresh too because she could smell the mix of strawberry and vanilla. She quickly turned around, hoping Meyrin had returned and was somewhere in the crowd at the back. Except that she didn't know there were other people right behind her who had also ordered. Her ice cream was now crushed against someone's shirt on the front.

"Oh I'm so sorry!" she said frantically. She was about to turn around and grab some napkins when the person caught her attention.

"S-Stellar?" the person was just as surprised as her, but not as frantic. This caught her attention, she remembered she had heard that voice before. Looking up, she recognized the brown hair. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"K-Kira?"

Both just stared at each other for a split second without really knowing what to say. Kira, because his shirt was now ruined by ice cream and now the cold feeling he was getting was really distorting his senses. Stellar, because she had just ruined someone's shirt but it wasn't just anyone, it was Kira. Not only that, but more people were starting to stare at them both.

Feeling embarrassed and remembering that she was the one responsible, Stellar got out of her thoughts first. "Kira! Stellar didn't mean it, really!" She quickly turned around and grabbed some napkins. "Here let Stellar help." Before giving a chance for Kira to respond, she hastily started to wipe the ice cream off his shirt. A weird feeling stirred up inside of her as she wiped the ice cream off his shirt. She wondered why. But inside, she felt worse and worse as more people gathered around. It took a lot of concentration to not just break away from the situation.

Sensing her uncomfortable aura, Kira suddenly grabbed Stellar's wrist with his hand, who paused at his cool touch. She looked up to him to him with wide eyes and a small tint of red, not expecting his hand on hers.

"Stellar," said Kira hoping to get her to understand. She nodded and gave him the rest of the napkins. Kira already felt bad for her, not to mention that more people were starting to gather.

"Let's go someplace else for now," said Kira as he led her past the gathered crowd. Stellar didn't say anything as she accepted and went with him. She couldn't help but feel strange at his unfamiliar but now warm touch.

They finally made it all the way to the other side of the food court, and then Kira turned around, about to ask her if she was alright. When he saw Stellar looking down at his hand holding hers, he realized his mistake and quickly let go, blushing a bit. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to take your hand," said Kira sheepishly.

"Stellar is sorry for what happened," said Stellar who was now back to herself now that that they weren't the centre of attention. "There's a mark on your shirt too now that it dried," she pointed out.

"Oh right my shirt, I'll be right back," Kira had forgotten about his shirt and quickly ran to the washroom to try and clean it off. Stellar couldn't help but slightly giggle as she watched him go. Her eyes followed him until he was out of sight. Looking around briefly, she sat down at a nearby empty table to wait for him.

A few minutes later, Kira got out. Stellar waved at him, so he walked over and sat down across from her.

"I'm sorry Kira," she said, apologizing to him once more.

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I've cleaned it off." Seeing her unease, he decided to change the subject of the conversation.

"So, what brings you here today?" It worked because Stellar seemed more at ease again.

"I'm going shopping with Meyrin." She thought she saw Kira's eyes widen for a second there. "Do you want to come along with us?" Having a third person would be more fun, she reasoned.

"Is that so?" he paused for a bit, "No thanks, shopping isn't really my type." He glanced away from her, as if something behind her had caught his attention.

Stellar looked at Kira suspiciously. She was almost certain he would agree because she saw his reaction when she mentioned shopping. "Well okay, if you say so…" she lingered off for a moment. She felt saddened that Kira wasn't coming along with her. She really wanted Kira to accompany her. But didn't she already have Meyrin going along? No, it wasn't the same as with Kira. She didn't know what happened next, but it seemed as if it came out of nowhere.

"Please, can Kira please come with Stellar?" she pleaded.

Although oblivious to her, her pleading had a large effect. Kira caught himself unexpectedly looking at her newfound expression. It was a side of her that he had never seen before. Her eyes had a pleading look that radiated sorrow and cuteness at the same time. Her lips were quivered closely as she held in her breath, awaiting his answer.

"Well…if it's not too long, I guess I can come along," the brunet said hesitantly. He knew far too well that any shopping activity always went over time.

"Thanks Kira!" Unexpectedly, an elated Stellar reached over the table, and before he knew, it, grabbed the brunet in a tight hug. It almost made him get up from his seat. Almost. A shy tint formed on his face, as he didn't know how to respond.

"What is going on here!" shouted Meyrin loudly. She had finally found Stellar after searching the at the ice cream store in the food court. Now that she had, Stellar had glomped onto Kira. "Is there something going on between you two?" she asked.

"Umm.. Stellar?" Kira tapped Stellar's shoulder a few times, hoping she would let go. But instead, she just turned her head to face him, and now they were staring right at each other just centimetres apart. Stellar smiled happily at Kira, which caused the brunet to blush even more.

Meyrin was feeling irked now. She felt that the other two weren't paying any attention to her. But she quickly thought of a good idea. "Hey Kira, I wonder what Lacus would do if I told her I saw you two like this," she said with a smile.

But Kira could feel Meyrin's inner-demon. Using his co-ordinator enhanced strength, he got Stellar off of him. "Sorry Meyrin, I didn't mean for that to happen," he said with embarrassment.

Meyrin gave a friendly smile, letting him know that she didn't mind at all. "I know, now can we please move on?"

The three went shopping for the rest of the day. It was an understatement. Mostly, it was Meyrin and Stellar who were together while Kira just trailed behind. He wasn't really interested in what they were discussing. He also wasn't interested in any of the stores that they went into. But what kept him there the whole time was Stellar. Although he wasn't closely walking with them, he would catch her glance every now and then which he usually responded with a casual wave or a nod. He knew that she wanted him to be there, and he would never forgive himself if he ever walked out.

A few hours later, an exhausted ultimate-coordinator sat down for a break. Why? It was because he had been carrying the stuffed shopping bags for many hours. Meanwhile, Meyrin and Stellar were doing some last minute shopping before the mall closed for the day. To save electricity, malls now had to close at 6:30 pm every day. There was a public outcry at first, but in time everyone had grown accustomed to it. Seeing that they weren't going to be back any time soon, he rested his head for a quick, shallow rest. That meant his Newtype senses were still active, allowing him to sense any hostile behaviour that included anyone attempting to steal the shopping bags.

He soon snapped out of his sleep when he felt someone tap his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Stellar and Meyrin. Both Stellar and Meyrin were sipping on their drinks, but Stellar had also bought one for Kira and now smiling, offered it to him with her free hand. Noting her generosity, he accepted and took the drink from her hands. "Thanks Stellar." Stellar nodded and took it as a sign that he liked the drink.

"I think we should head back now," said Kira, noticing the time on his watch. The girls agreed and they began to head for the exits. After fifteen minutes of walking and chatter, they finally reached the mall entrance.

"So does anyone have any plans for tonight?" Meyrin asked enthusiastically. She didn't want to part with her friends so early. Alright, it was 6:30 pm, but that was still too early for her.

"Well, I'm heading home," said Kira tiredly. Even Stellar was tired too, because she had trouble keeping her eyes open. "W-what did you say, Meyrin?" Stellar asked tiredly.

"Wow, you two get tired quite easily. I expected more from both of you, considering you both are extremely skilled as mobile suit pilots," Meyrin added. She was really surprised.

"Meyrin, you have so much energy maybe you're an even better pilot than either of us," said Kira sarcastically. Meyrin wondered where that came from. She had never known Kira to use sarcasm, or at least never see him use it. But she decided to respond positively, "Oh, don't be silly. I would never be able to pilot those heavy suits and their heavy weaponry." Meyrin wasn't a pilot, but she was knowledgeable and was experienced in the battlefield herself to know that piloting a mobile suit was an entirely different situation. She had learned that much from her sister and also during her time with the Minerva.

"Kira… do you think you could drive me home? There's no way I can bring home all that I bought today," Meyrin reasoned.

Kira gave a yawn. "Yeah sure, Meyrin."

Turning to the blonde, he asked, "Stellar do you need a ride too?" Stellar didn't say anything but nodded, too tired to even voice her thoughts.

In a matter of minutes, the three were together as Kira drove down the streets. Meyrin and Stellar were sitting at the back seats. Looking up at the rear-view mirror, he noticed that they were silently staring into the night sky with tired expressions. So now Meyrin is tired, he figured. "Meyrin, where do you live again?" he asked. Meyrin gave him the directions and soon Kira was on his way to Meyrin's home.

A short while later, they arrived in front of Meyrin's home. Her family had moved to Orb after the war. It was an ordinary home that was just large enough for a family of four. Kira noticed that the lights were still on, meaning that there were people inside. "Thanks for the drive, Kira."

"Not at all, don't forget your bags."

"Thanks, goodnight Kira, Stellar," said Meyrin. With that the door closed with a thud and Kira watched as Meyrin made her way up to her home. He could see the door open and what looked like Lunamaria poked her head out.

Kira sighed. It had been a long day. He just about to continue driving Stellar back home when he saw Meyrin's ring in her seat. It must have slipped from her hand as she exited the car.

"Stell, can you give Meyrin back her ring?" he asked tiredly. Not getting a reply back, he looked back and saw Stellar sleeping. Sighing again, he turned off the car and got off, rushing to the front door of Meyrin's home.

Kira rang the doorbell and was surprised when a man, who must have been Meyrin's father, answered the door.

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait but I hope you enjoyed this chapter!