My Tourniquet

This does have a nice little lemon somewhere in the middle.

|~*~|~*~|~*~|~*~|~*~|~*~|~*~|~*~|CHAPTER 13|~*~|~*~|~*~|~*~|~*~|~*~|~*~|~*~|

West Island, Orb, Summer CE 73:

With the help of a rather characteristic map Kara drew out, Lacus found Nishi Public Academy without getting too lost. Given Kira's apparent surprise at her invitation to practice by Amy, Lacus decided to wear one of the new outfits from their earlier shopping venture that Amy really liked on her.

Kira's school was hardly like her own, she noted as she wandered the empty halls. Public schools held a different atmosphere than a private academy. She found the practice room simply by following the soft melodies of guitar and piano mixed together, echoing. By the time she made her way to the door, Amy's voice joined the notes.

Quiet as a mouse, Lacus slipped into the room and hung close to the wall. The group paid her little mind as they played through the song before abruptly ending. Paul scribbled something down with an intense look on his face. It was probably the first serious expression she'd seen the young man display. It made him seem like a whole other person, one more fitting to the leather and metal he wore.

Kira smiled at her. "You made it."

Amy twirled around on the stool at the upright piano, waving hello.

"Sorry," Lacus smiled sheepishly. She wasn't really late.

"No biggie," Amy replied. "We're mostly running through our recent songs and working on one."

"How many songs have you made, anyway?" Lacus never really asked that one yet.

"This one will be our twelfth," Amy counted in her head.

"Twelve songs?"

Kira answered to her surprise. "We've been playing for, what, almost two years? We've got nothing better to do outside of school."

"I see. Well, don't let me keep you from practicing."

"Find a seat."

She did on an extra stool and quietly watched the group interact. Amy announced they were doing a run through of the last couple of songs. The first song was one she had heard from their performance at Battle of the Bands. Now she wished she had listened to Em as he told her the names then.

"Now I will tell you what I've done for you," she sang. "50,000 tears I've cried. Screaming, deceiving, and bleeding for you. And you still won't hear me. I'm going under. Don't want your hand his time, I'll save myself. Maybe I'll wake up for once. Not tormented daily defeated by you. Just when I thought I'd reached the bottom. I'm…dying…again."

Lacus listened, trying to ponder the lyrics she sang while listening actively. In the end, she just watched with ardent fascination. The singer was so comfortable with her words, her movements. She'd seen many orchestras and individuals playing their instruments but this group felt so different. Their music made them different.

"I'm going under! Drowning with you. I'm falling forever! I've got to break through. I'm going under."

"Blurring and stirring the truth in fact are lies. So I don't know what real and what's not. Always confusing the thoughts in my head. Ohh. So I can't trust myself anymore. I'm…dying…again."

They seemed like they were in their own world as they played with ease. Kira's eyes were downcast, but not really watching the guitar's strings. For a moment, she had to wonder what the song made him think about.

"I'm going under! Drowning with you. I'm falling forever! I've got to break through. I'm…so go on and scream, scream at me. I'm so far gone under. I won't be broken again. I've got to breath, I can't keep going under."

She definitely hadn't seen a guitar better played than between Paul and Kira. Kira said Paul had taught him when they first met. Most she knew weren't self-taught like they were. And despite the concentrated expressions they each made, they were enjoying themselves immensely.

"I'm…dying…again. I'm going under! Drowning with you. I'm falling forever! I've got to break through. I'm going under. Going under, I'm going under."

She wanted to applaud but instead let them move into the next song and the next. Her favorite already was their winning song, Bring Me to Life. Lacus could listen to that one every day. Some point between the songs, Lacus commented on the lyrics only to learn Kira was the writer in the group. It only made her wonder more.

Then she was being snatched up by Amy and hauled to the piano. "Um, what's happening?"

"Personal practice time," Amy replied. "They're messing with their parts for the next song. I thought we could play. Ever play piano?"

"A little," Lacus said. "I took lessons a long time ago with my voice lessons."

For the next half hour or so, she played the piano alongside Amy. The woman showed her the opening to Bring Me to Life. It was easy enough but it amazed her how it made the song that much more amazing. When Amy let her play the whole opening by herself, she heard Amy starting singing and Kira begin the rest. For the rest of the song she listened as they went through it, her lips moving to the words, slowing picking them up. By the last round of the chorus, she was singing along with Amy.

Right after, Paul started up the next song and they went right into it. This time the song was almost sorrowful.

"Hold on to me love. You know I can't stay long. All I wanted to say was, I love you and I'm not afraid. Can you hear me? Can you feel me in your arms? Holding my last breath. Safe inside myself. Are all my thoughts of you, sweet raptured light. It ends here tonight."

Lacus noticed they were using more sheet music this time. It must be the new song they were working on.

I'll miss the winter. A world of fragile things. Look for me in the white forest. Hiding in a hollow tree (come find me). I know you hear me. I can taste it in your tears. Holding my last breath. Safe inside myself. Are all my thoughts of you, sweet raptured light. It ends here tonight.

"Closing your eyes to disappear. You pray your dreams will leave you here. But still you wake and know the truth. No one is there... Say goodnight. Don't be afraid. Calling me, calling me as you fade to black.

"Holding my last breath. Safe inside myself. Are all my thoughts of you? Sweet raptured life, it ends here tonight. Holding my last breath. Safe inside myself. Are all my thoughts of you, sweet raptured light. It ends here tonight."

The ending apparently wasn't quite where they wanted it to be if their looks were any indication. They conferenced over it then ended it for the day. Most of the band had part time jobs waiting that afternoon. Amy, Dave, and Kara made a hasty exit after setting their precious equipment away.

"What'd you think?" Kira asked.

Deanna beat on her drums a little more, just messing around.

"I thought it was very good," Lacus answered. "You're really good."

"Hey, hey! Share the credit here," Paul cut in loudly. She giggled.

"He already told me you taught him," she assured the lead guitarist. "So what happens now?"

Paul flopped into a chair. "Nothing really. I was going to mess around with that song and tweak the ending. Don't know about you three."

"Nothing planned," Deanna and Kira replied.

"Me, neither."

Then Paul looked at her curiously. She couldn't tell if it was from an epiphany or from considering saying something. "Voice lessons, huh?"

She blinked, not following him at all. "Yeah…why?"

"Nothing." The look was gone. "You can actually sing pretty well. I just don't recommend hard rock for you."

"I figured that. Thanks." Lacus turned back to Kira, blushing from the complement. It wasn't anything new but it was still embarrassing to hear sometimes.

Kira zipped up his guitar and slung the case over his shoulder. "I'll leave you to it. See ya."

"Sounds cool. Come by again, Lacus," Deanna nodded.

"Bye." Guessing she was going with Kira, the girl quickly left the school with him. As a curious one, she asked questions about his classes and the school. Then most of the trip home was laughing as she listened to him regale her with stories of Paul and Dave's mischief from day one.

"He's nothing like he looks," she remarked.

"How's that?"

"He just seems tougher…or maybe meaner than he really is," Lacus admitted. "He kind of intimidated me when I first saw him."

Kira smirked. "That's always the first impression when someone sees him. Unless you know him, he can be a jerk. Half the time he's just annoying."

"So where are we going?" Lacus asked. They had long left the school property and were now walking down a street. The street lights were beginning to light as the sun sank lower, casting shadows along their path. The crows cawing here and there and the abandoned feel of the area gave it a creepy feeling. Lacus pressed close to Kira once or twice when something silly like a cat knocked over a trashcan. Finally, he just took hold of her hand.

"My place," he replied. "It's about a twenty minute walk from the school."

"Okay."

Kira fell quiet for a moment. "Did you want to go to the docks or hang around for dinner. It'll be just me, Paul and Deanna tonight…maybe Em and the girls."

"I'd like that," she answered, her mind questioning. Just Deanna and Em… "Kira…"

"After I moved?" he guessed. She nodded.

Then he was quiet. She didn't push for an answer at the moment. He didn't know how much to tell her really. Eventually, it would all come out and he didn't look forward to that day. The place they came to was across from an old graveyard surrounded by trees and a rusting iron gate. There were only two cars in the small parking lot and few nearby buildings that looked used. It felt like an old district.

By way of the side stairs, he took her up to the third floor where he lived. Inside was nicer than outside by far, if not a little dim. Once the door opened, he let her inside first like a gentleman before following her in to close the door.

"Make yourself at home," he said softly, tossing his keys on the intable. She set her bag close by and peered around.

"Who lives here?"

"The guys and me," Kira replied. "The girls live in the apartment across from us. Em and the girls live next door."

"Kira?"

"I moved out over a year ago," he stated, leaning against the sofa back. "Things…weren't going well with my parents so I left."

She knew what had happened and moved to stand just in front of him, trying to meet his eyes.

"That bruise…you didn't fall," she reminded them both of it. "You lied."

His eyes remained downcast, refusing to meet hers. He hated lying to her. He should've known she'd guess. "Haruma started hitting me in middle school." Her hand flew to her mouth as she gasped at the admission. "Finally, he lost his job so we moved. Then it just got worse, and worse. After I met Amy and the rest, we decided to get away from the problem."

"Why?" she pleaded, tears in her eyes. "Why didn't you say something? Why, Kira?"

Kira took her in his arms, holding her. "I…didn't want to get you involved. It was just too ugly to deal with."

"I'm sorry," she cried. "We should've helped you."

"It's not your fault, so please, don't worry about it. It's over." He let her go. "Okay, got any ideas for dinners?"

It worked, and she smiled, wiping away her tears. "What do we have?"

The two set to work, talking while cooking. It reminded them of seventh grade economics, minus the burning cookies. He filled her in on how he really met Amy, how they teamed up, and about Lyra's situation. She, in turn, told him about Cagalli and Athrun and the latest dramas, including the newish guy annoying her. Paul appeared with Deanna in tow as dinner was about ready and threw in some background music.

She couldn't think of any other dinner where she laughed so much. Paul was just at his best today. He even brought out the scorpion, Cookie, and tried to get her to hold it. He swore it would happen one day. Em appeared with the two girls halfway through and joined. The young man just finished work and was tired while his daughter was bouncing up the wall. Lyra sat quietly, as Kira described she often did.

Finally late in the evening, Kira put the two in charge of clean up while he took Lacus to the ferry docks.

Just when she thought they'd be walking in the dark, he directed her to the black car parked there from earlier. "Get in."

"You can drive?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Yup. Amy and I both have cars, as does Em," Kira smiled. "Come on."

At start up, the music was blaring, startling both of them. Kira glared in the direction of his apartment. "Paul…"

"His idea of funny, right?"

"That obvious?"

He pulled the car out of the parking lot and starting driving in the direction for the docks.

"Where'd you learn to drive?" she asked.

"Amy and I signed up for a driving course and test earlier this year."

At Orb Prep, there was a driver's education course for students to take. She enrolled for the spring but did horribly. She was just a nervous wreck driving a car. Next fall, Lacus had to retake the course again and told Kira as much. He chuckled.

"It's not hard, really," he assured her. "You have a learner's permit?"

"Yes."

"I'll take you out sometime," he offered.

Lacus smiled. "Thank you! By the way, where was Celeste? I thought she'd be at the rehearsal?"

He shook his head in the negative. "She's packing. We're actually seeing her off tomorrow morning. She said to tell you bye and to keep in touch."

"I see." She watched his face carefully. "Are you going to miss her?"

There was little reaction to that. "A little. She's nice." He pulled up to the docks and parked the car. They got out after he shut the vehicle off. There were a few people making their way to the awaiting ferry. "We're not dating anymore. It wasn't even serious."

Lacus nodded. "She said that earlier. Even said Deanna and Amy liked me more than her."

"She was right." The girl sucked in a breath. "Deanna never really talked to Celeste and Amy didn't arrange shopping dates until weeks later. I was surprised those two were getting friendly. They usually hate prep students."

"Strange." Lacus checked her phone and saw the time left was about ten minutes. "So…what are you going for the rest of the summer?"

"Work, practice," he listed. "Simple stuff. We're thinking about going professional. There were a lot of offers after the Battle. Aside from that, we don't do much. Although, this Friday, we're playing at the Crow's Nest if you're interested. You'd probably have to stay the night since you'd miss the last ferry out."

"That sounds like fun," she agreed. "I did love watching you play today. You seem to really enjoy it. Amy and Paul are really good, too." Then she remembered something. "Why was Paul looking at me funny earlier when he asked about my voice lessons?"

Kira snorted. "Don't look at me. I gave up following his train of thought long ago. Anyhow, you should get going. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. Thanks for today. It was fun."

"Minus the depressing information," he pointed out, his tone was lighthearted.

Looking into his eyes, she knew the memories still hurt, but he was all right now. He would tell her the rest when he was ready.

Kira debated back and forth the wisdom in the action in question. The only reason he was considering it was because of Kara's big mouth. Finally taking a chance, he leaned in and caught her lips in a slow, chaste kiss. For a short moment, the surrounding world vanished.

The ringing alarm echoing through the docks dragged them back to reality and Kira shooed Lacus off to make the ferry. The long ride passed her by without notice and before long she was home, eager to be back on the island.

After a long, agonizing week of nothing but summer school work to do, Lacus was finally on the ferry Friday afternoon for West Island. Kira was there to pick her up in his car, which was nice given the awful weather that day. With her pack in the back seat and seat belts on, they headed for the apartments.

"So what's this surprise Amy has planned?" Lacus asked. Earlier, Kira warned her Amy was plotting something.

Kira rolled his eyes, turning the corner onto his street. "Don't ask me. Obviously something devious or out there if she's not telling me. I'd be obligated to warn you."

"That's okay," Lacus smiled. "What's the worse she can do?"

Kira shuddered. "You have no idea." A second later, he asked, "Did you talk to Cagalli or Athrun yet?"

"No." He glanced at her, then back to the road. "I thought you'd want to talk to them when you were ready."

"Thanks. I just don't know what to say to them," he sighed. "I haven't seen Cagalli since we were kids, and I did vanish during summer without telling anyone."

"We thought you were avoiding Flay the first day of school," Lacus admitted, "since we hadn't seen you. But then we realized you wouldn't avoid us to avoid her. We met Cagalli when we went to the office to see if you were enrolled. We tried looking around, but we didn't know where you went. I hoped you would call someday."

"We were unlisted," Kira explained. "They just wanted away from Uzumi and the Capital after everything. I thought about it, but I had no way to explain anything."

Lacus was quiet for the rest of the short ride and finally said something when he parked. "We're getting together Monday afternoon at my house. You could come."

"I'll think about it."

Then he leaned over and kissed her, something she'd been dreaming about all week. Actually, she'd admit to dreaming about kissing him since middle school. She was going to take every minute of her weekend on the island and make the most of each one. Amy invited her to stay the weekend, in the girls' apartment, and hang out. She had asked Kira to take her out driving so that was tomorrow's plan. Tonight was the club and mini-concert.

The usual chaos was in progress when they arrived at the third floor. Both doors were wide open, letting Amy and Paul yell perfectly at each other without hindrance. Kira shut the guys' door, muting Paul's latest retort.

Amy walked to the doorway. "Hey."

"Do we want to know?"

"Paul's an ass, but we knew that already," Amy replied loudly. There was an incoherent noise from behind the closed door but nothing more.

Lacus went with the girls while Kira attempted to reign in the other side. "You remember Olivia, right?" She turned and saw the almost mute seamstress on their couch in all her home-done elegance. The last time she'd had seen Olivia was at the Battle of the Bands.

"Hello."

She mouthed a hello back with a smile.

"Sometimes she comes over to do us up for a show," Amy explained. "So we're playing Barbie for the next couple of hours."

"We?" Lacus saw the couple duffle bags of clothes and other accessories.

"We're going to a club," Kara exclaimed, coming up behind them. "Of course we have to get all dolled up and shit. It's a time to be a woman and let loose. Have some serious fun. Olivia has a couple awesome dresses for you to try on."

No one took no for an answer so Lacus found herself trying on the new clothes. Many were hand made by Olivia. It was trade-off in many ways. She created some of their best clothes for a show and she gets recognition. She'd been busy since the festival.

Between outfits, Lacus picked through the few pairs of shoes her size while Amy changed into a different skirt.

"Those are fuck-me heels," Kara stated at the strappy pair of heels Lacus was looking at.

Lacus blushed bright red at the choice of words and suddenly decided they weren't that cute.

"You would know," Amy snorted.

"It's not a bad thing," the younger girl protested. "You know, sexy heels. Guys love it."

Amy folded an unused skirt up and threw it into the nearest duffle bag. "Speaking of guys, you and Kei an item yet?" She said that casually as she began messing with her hair, staring in the mirror.

"Huh?"

Kara grinned and began in a singsong voice, "You and Kira, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G…" The rest of the song was cut off when Deanna tossed a corset on her head, sparing Lacus the rest of the childish song of life.

"Wh…what makes you say that?" Lacus tried deflecting, looking back at the shoes again.

Amy gave her a rather sarcastic look. "Pul-lease, I know Kei better than you think." She turned back to the mirror, picking up a hair clip. "Plus he might have mentioned kissing you last weekend."

She dropped the pair of shoes she was going to try on. "What?"

"Don't worry, Princess. I asked and he said he liked you. Unlike some males I know, Kei's not a pig."

Lacus say nothing but honesty in the other girl's severe blue eyes. That was something she could count on from Amy. "I see."

She reiterated. "I mean, really likes you. And so do you with the way you look at him all the time. You can't get any more obvious than that."

"What look?"

Kara crouched down and picked up the first pair of heels. "Go with the fuck-me heels."

The rarely used voice of Deanna cut in. "Sex is not exactly a sacred thing around here."

"Given your bright, red-as-a-tomato face," Kara remarked, "not such a blatant topic back home. Girl, the after-marriage concept is overrated. Don't be afraid to have some fun if you want."

Lacus finally found her voice. "Why are you bringing this up?"

"Just saying, if you wanna get it on with Kira, it's not a crime," Kara shrugged, standing up.

Olivia nodded and held out another lovely blue dress to try on. The girl then signed something which Deanna translated. "It's not that they're saying to sleep with him. They're just saying don't be shy about being his girlfriend." On her own, she added, "Somewhere in that sex-talk."

"Did he…was Kira close with Celeste?" Lacus asked.

Amy, having moved on to her make-up now, shrugged. "Maybe once, twice. Kira doesn't sleep around like two others I won't name. Take things as they come and enjoy. It's how we roll around here. Now get dressed already. We got a concert to play."

Finally dressed, hair and make-up done, and ready to go, the girls piled into Amy's car while the guys had taken Kira's a few minutes earlier. The drive to their preferred venue was about twenty minutes which they spent laughing and enjoying themselves. Kara was determined to teach Lacus a few dance moves later that night.

The club was its usual blustering state with the music cranked up and the dance floor crowded. The music was a wide range of mixed genres. The current one played as they entered was very Spanish in origin and upbeat. It made her want to dance.

Olivia and Em took her to their usual corner and waited for the show. Em translated Olivia's hand gestures but Lacus was starting to pick up a few reoccurring words. So some of the waiting was used teaching her a few handy sign language phrases. It was actually very fun.

The DJ silenced his music as Evanescence took the stage, drawing loud cheers from their fans. For the next half hour, she just watched them play live once again for the hyper crowd. It would never cease to amaze her just how worked up the band could get the crowd going. They didn't play her personal favorite but they played the new one with astounding success.

The six band members rejoined them after the show. They ordered drinks and food and spent the evening in blissful contentment. Dave was kicked away from the table to the smoking corner once or twice while Kara was flitting back and forth. Kira just laughed, not rescuing her, when Kara dragged Lacus to the dance floor. After the awkwardness has passed, Lacus couldn't have enough fun. On and off, Amy and Olivia joined them, half the time with the guys. Eventually Paul and Dave didn't return to their table. That was about the time Lacus was nodding off against Kira. It was close to eleven.

Olivia and Em also called it a night and the four left together in Em's car. Kira left his keys for Paul to drive back with later. Once Olivia was dropped home, the three headed back to the apartments. The graveyard looked rather daunting in the moonlight. The two guys picked up the two sleeping girls from their landlady's care and carried them to their shared room in Em's apartment. The tired young man bid them goodnight and they left.

Arriving at their doors they found Amy had, of course, locked their door. "I should have a spare key inside," Kira murmured, entering the guys' apartment. She hovered in the door way as he searched through a drawer close by. Then he handed her the spare key.

"Thanks," she said.

He brushed a light kiss over her lips. "I'm going to take a quick shower. You'll be fine?"

"Yeah."

The apartment was quiet without the girls there. It took a little fumbling to find the light switch. Her night pack was still where it landed when Amy tossed it into her room earlier. From it she pulled out her toiletries and nightgown. Just her luck, the zipper was snagged so she couldn't undo the dress without help. She checked and Kira was in the shower still. Instead, Lacus undid her hair and brushed it, also removing the make-up, while she waited. About fifteen minutes later, she checked back to see if he was done.

"Hey, Kira," she called softly, getting his attention.

He pulled on his t-shirt and turned. "Yeah?"

Trying not to blush, she pointed behind her. "My zipper's caught…could you undo it?"

He moved to where she stood. "Turn around."

She did, sweeping her hair to one side so he could unzip her dress. There was a little bit of tugging before he finally got it. Halfway down, he stopped.

"Thanks." Her heart skipped when he pressed a warm kiss to her bare shoulder, wrapping his arms around her.

"I don't think I told you how beautiful you were tonight," he whispered.

She giggled, her cheeked flushing pink. "I guess I wasn't around long enough for you to tell me."

He joined her laughing. "You were definitely having too much fun out there. I suppose you'll have to come and hang out more."

She turned in his arms to look into his eyes. "I think that's what Olivia said, according to Em, and I plan to."

"Good."

Neither knew when between the kissing that he finally laid his weight against her body, pressing her into the soft mattress. His hand ran along her thigh to rest on her hip. She'd never felt such desire for another man.

"We should stop," he groaned, breaking their passionate make-out session.

"Why?" Yes, she knew she sounded a little whiney there but what's a girl to do? "I…want you, Kira. I always have."

He didn't look at her. "I'm not the same person I was back then, Lacus."

"Of course not," she whispered. "You're stronger now, more independent with different interests. Yet, you're still my best friend. Someone I've loved for a long time."

He wanted to scare her away, keep her from getting tainted, but he couldn't help but love her all over again. He finally met her gaze, as if trying to see a lie in her eyes. All he found was what she confessed. He kissed her slowly, tenderly.

"You've never done this before," he stated, rather than asked.

She nodded shyly. "Show me?"

His reply was another kiss. Then he sat up with her to slip off her dress and his t-shirt. His movements were slow, hesitant, giving her the chance to stop. To her, Kira's unhurried pace was teasing and almost cruel. His fingers ghosted along her skin, pushing her senses into overdrive. Every little thing he did, she felt. With very little to go on, she could only guess what he'd do next, what he'd make her feel.

Then his hands brushed over her moist panties and she moaned. Lost in the churning desire she hardly noticed when he slid her panties off her hips and put it with her dress. It occurred to Lacus ever so briefly that she should have felt shy or vulnerable, laid exposed to his eyes. The husky words he whispered in her ear, the deep kisses to her bruised lips, and his fingers rubbing against her damp sex made her body tingle unbearably. Her body suddenly jolted when she felt his push a finger, then another into her body.

"Kira!" she whimpered, wriggling against his hand.

When he was satisfied with his teasing, Kira paused to strip out of his pants. Her eyes watched him as he rolled the condom over his hard erection. Anticipation filled her as he finally settled himself between her legs. His warm body pressed against hers when he kissed her once more, his length resting against her womanhood.

"Last chance," he whispered. "No regrets?"

She met his eyes. "Never."

She never felt anything so strange, so good, as him pushing into her. It felt like he was completely seated inside her when he stopped. It stung, his filling her. She blinked back the tears, trying not to feel uncertain, confused even. Her hands grasped his shoulders, waiting.

"Just relax," he coaxed her gently, running a hand along her stomach. "It'll pass."

"Okay." She trusted him.

A few affectionate kisses later she rolled her hips, feeling him inside her. Only now it felt wonderful, addictively wonderful. Kira eased out of her slowly, then pushed back in just as easy. Instead of pain, only rapture could be felt. His kisses were encouraging as they started slowly. Feeling braver, she lifted her hips to meet half of his thrusts.

It seemed unimaginable to her, but the leisurely pace wasn't enough. It only created a deeper ache, a desperation. "Kira."

Her plea was enough and he began pushing into her faster, deeper. The tip of his erection suddenly hit so deep inside her, she screamed, her back arching sharply. The feelings were overwhelming all she could do was cling to him, writhing under his body. Kira ground against her, making her cry out each time. When she felt about to shatter, his hand grasped hers, their fingers interlacing.

"Don't stop," she moaned.

"Never," he groaned, feeling his own climax coming.

Wanting to see every emotion on her face, Kira held her gaze as he pushed them both pass the limit. Her eyes fluttered like the muscles surrounding his throbbing erection and she came undone with a loud cry. With one more thrust in her clenched body, he came hard and nearly collapsing atop of her a moment later.

In a contented silence, the couple cuddled under the blankets, her back flush against his chest. Her body was pleasantly numb and she couldn't remember ever being so relaxed before.

"You okay?" He was the first to say something, albeit very quietly, as if afraid to shatter the moment.

"Perfect," she replied, snuggling closer. Her fingers ran along his arms, feeling a slight unevenness in the skin. In just the lamp light, she wasn't sure if she could see anything there.

"What?" he asked, pressing a kiss to her neck.

"Nothing." She stopped her little actions.

A moment later, "Scars."

"Scars?"

"My wrists…it's scarring," he explained for her curiosity.

"From what?"

"Knife, or razor," Kira admitted. "I used to cut myself a lot when I was living with my parents. Haven't done it in a long time, since moving out, I guess."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, feeling the sting of tears. He kissed her.

"Don't worry about. Ancient history," he assured her. "I'm not such a mess these days. You'll have a stable boyfriend."

She frowned. "That's not funny."

Kira wrapped his arms tightly around her. "I know, but it helps."

Then she thought of something. "Did Paul and Dave…"

She felt his laugh quietly. "Nope. They won't be home until late and they know better than to invade my space this late."

"Okay…"

"Don't worry," Kira said. "Sleep."

Probably a half hour later with her softly singing, they both fell asleep.

In the morning light, the slumbering couple finally woke up. The clock read eight in the morning, Saturday. Lacus was more of a sleep-in type on the weekend. She loved just snuggling in the covers and daydreaming, usually about Kira. This time, she was delighted to wake up in Kira's arms. Actually, it was him kissing up her collar bone, neck, and to her lips that awoke her.

"Morning," he said, kissing her fully on the lips.

"Morning."

"Hate to spoil the moment, but if you want to get up and showered before the guys roll out, now would be a great time," he smiled.

"Want to join me?"

He took her up on the invitation and they took a hot shower together and dressed before the guys even stirred. Amy had left Lacus's pack in front of his door with a winky sticker on the front. After packing a few things, they opted to get breakfast out and begin their day from there.

They wandered a couple stores before heading for the inner island where Kira said was a nice lake. Along the way, they played Car Q&A. When he hit the official city limits, he pulled over and turned off the car.

"Okay, your turn," Kira said, getting out of the driver's seat. Lacus stared at him.

"Here? Now?"

He walked around and opened her door, dangling the keys in front of her in answer. Nervously, she took the keys and left her seat for the driver's side.

"Shouldn't we be in an empty parking lot or something?" she asked.

"No practice in real life," he shrugged. "You might as well learn in action."

"Great." His hand took hers.

"You can start by relaxing. It's a straight road and doesn't have much traffic," he promised. "Start slowly."

Having little desire to get both of them killed, Lacus acted on Kira's instructions and finally pulled the car onto the empty road. She started way under the speed limit, just getting used to the vehicle. At the end of the forty-five minute drive, she slowed way down to follow Kira's instructions for backing into a parking spot. To her relief, she didn't hit anything like she did all the time in driving class. As soon as the she pulled the key from the ignition, she was out of the car.

Kira just laughed. "You worry too much."

She couldn't be mad at his teasing and instead focused on having fun that day. No serious talk, no bad memories, just lots of fun and kissing. The day was warm so they played in the water plenty before the sun began setting. To her chagrin, Kira tossed her the car keys and took the passenger's seat. As he put it so kindly, she wanted him to teach her.

This time he directed her to an empty lot to practice parking before heading home. She liked to attribute her better driving that day to being around Kira rather than a strict driver's ed teacher. The gentle instructions were less nerve wracking than curt ones.

The rest of the band was lounging around…or bickering. It depended on who they looked at. Paul was digging his grave as usual, only this time with Deanna. It was rare to see the goth girl so riled up. Lacus didn't know she was capable of yelling like that.

After much teasing and embarrassing moments, Lacus followed Kira to his room and they curled up together for the night.

Her last day with the band passed rather quickly. The morning was a late start, with an emphasis on 'start'. A loud scream resonated though the hall and into the apartment, making Lacus bolt up in bed. Kira only groaned and told her it's the usual mayhem.

Through the wall, she could hear a heavy thud as probably Paul fell out of bed, laughing horrendously. Then a loud half growl, half yell of Paul's name echoed through the apartment. It sounded like Amy. Kira shouted back to kick his ass silently.

Silently didn't happen as there was a lot of noise taking place as Paul made a scramble for his life. Lacus was curious and peeked out the door.

"You don't want to go out there," Kira warned, getting out of bed.

She giggled and watched as Amy, in her black tank top and shorts, chased a half naked Paul around the apartment with the classic frying pan, probably the first thing she laid her hands on along the way to his room to inflict bodily harm.

Deanna wandered in the doorway with a small snake in hand, cooing at the poor creature. True to Kira's word, as soon as she stepped out of his room, Paul ducked behind her. "Help!"

"Gyah!" Lacus shouted as he held her by the arms, trying to hide his large form behind her.

"Coward!" Amy sneered, brandishing her weapon.

"Cowards live longer," Paul defended, pulling a laughing Lacus along with him towards the door to freedom and survival.

"People who don't piss off others also live longer," Kira remarked dryly. "Now would you kindly not use my girlfriend as a shield?"

"Sure," and he released her, making a dive past Deanna and out the door. Amy barged through after him. Then the noise faded as she probably chased him out the building and down the stairs.

"This has been an episode of the exciting drama of the O'Dreary Apartments. Thank you," Em popped in with a silly announcer's voice, his fist over his mouth for the effect. Then seriously, he said, "I'm very impressed they haven't scared you away yet."

"I like their enthusiasm."

"That's what you're calling it?" Em smirked. "Whatever works for you, I guess. I'd call it madness. What was the cause this time?"

Deanna held up the little snake. "Paul let this little guy in her coffee supply."

"She doesn't like snakes?"

Em shook his head. "Tarantulas and scorpions and ravens, she loves. Snakes and rats, not so much."

Then everyone went back to their respective rooms. Kira was already pulling things out for breakfast. "This is normal, right?"

"Very."

As they started to cook breakfast, Amy stormed in to return the pan. Then she snatched up the spare key from the intable and thrust it into Kira's face. "Either you keep a hold of this or it stays with me. Pick one."

"It's here so anyone can get into your side when they need to," Kira rolled his eyes.

Her blue eyes flared. "There will never be a reason for those two to be in our side without us there! Never!"

"Got it," he said, just to satisfy her. It was a never-ending cycle. He didn't ask if she caught Paul or not. As he put it, if he wasn't back in an hour, she whomped him a good one.

The chaos was followed by a late breakfast then scattering. Amy and Deanna had a part-time job to be at. By then, Paul had returned, nursing a new bruise on his shoulder. Em left the girls with the group remaining to run his errands. Dave and Paul were messing with some sheet music in the living room while the girls watched cartoons. As Kira listened to their talk, he nodded. The music they were messing with wasn't their usual upbeat rock songs.

Paul pulled out their acoustic guitar and picked a few chords, adjusting where he needed it. After messing with the notes, he looked at Lacus. "Hey, can you sing something?"

She stared at him with a blank look. "What?"

"Sing something," he stated, picking the strings playfully. "I like putting music to a voice but as you can see, Amy's not here."

"Our voices are completely different," she argued.

"Not that much different," the guitarist scoffed. "Just sing some lyrics to this."

He played the beginning of the song he was working on and she thought. Then once again, she started slowly singing some lyrics she wrote a while back for her song she aimed to make when she finished high school. She thought it didn't go at all with their music but he only needed a voice to play to.

"Not bad, Princess," Paul nodded, using Amy's nickname for her. "You might actually get somewhere, one day."

"I hope so," Lacus nodded.

"What kind of music? Pop?" he guessed.

She thought about it. "Most likely. I like easy beats."

Dave pitched in on the interrogation. "What did you have in mind? Indulge us. What do you imagine as a first song?"

"Um…" She borrowed Kira's computer and found a few music files online that had the sounds she liked best. Bit by bit she thought aloud what she'd make for a first song if she could. Paul, Dave, and Kira easily understood what she meant and supplied the necessary music terms for it. It was impressive, considering she had taken music courses whereas the three hadn't. However, they were move active in producing songs. She took notes on a little pad of paper to file away for later.

Finally, Kira was reminding her they had a ferry to catch soon, breaking up the music chatter. As expected by now, Kira put her back in the driver's seat and she slowly drove them to the docks. With her focusing on not crashing the car, there was little conversation. Her relief was immediate upon parking.

"One day, that'll be easier," she murmured.

"Definitely," Kira replied, taking the keys from her. He retrieved her pack from the back seat and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she said, "for the weekend. It was the best."

"I'm glad." He walked with her hand-in-hand to the ferry entrance. "What time is this thing tomorrow?"

"It's just a couple of hours, starting at two," Lacus replied. "It should be just Cagalli and Athrun…maybe Dearka and Miriallia if they aren't too busy. You're coming?"

"I'm thinking I should," he sighed. "Get it over with."

"You could bring Amy," she suggested and he laughed.

"I'm not sure if that's a bad idea or a good one. I'll ask her and let you know what we decide tomorrow morning."

"Okay."

When he kissed her, she seriously debated not going home that evening, but she had to. With any luck, she'd see him tomorrow.