Gundam SEED Fan Fiction ❯ Sojourn ❯ PHASE 10 Uncoordinated Choreography ( Chapter 10 )

Title: Mobile Suit: Gundam SEED Sojourn (10/?)

Author: Paola

Disclaimer: Mobile Suit: Gundam SEED Sojourn is based on characters and situations that belong to Sotsu Agency, Bandai Studios, and TV Asashi (and other production affiliates that have the right of ownership). No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Considerations: Similarities to other stories/events/passages are purely coincidental unless otherwise cited.

 

“The essence of life is statistical

improbability on a colossal scale.”

- Richard Dawkins

 

PHASE 10

Uncoordinated Choreography

 

All of them looked up at the tallest building before them, which stood at five-stories high. Beside it were other scattered edifices, smaller but wider. They were at the gates, with Kisaka giving Cagalli a few last-minute instructions. It was only six-thirty in the morning, but the school grounds were already dotted with teenagers in their uniforms. They had wondered why the students still had to wear uniforms, and they got their answers when Kisaka informed them that the University of Orb had been privatized and had become a learning institution of such prestige.

 

Last night, Cagalli had complained why they had to go to such a school---seeing as how it was highly likely that there would be lots of snotty kids and wannabes---only to be put down by Kisaka's reasoning that the University offered the best diplomatic courses for Cagalli to take. The Orb princess' guardian's contacts had made it easier for them to enter, and Cagalli being the heiress of the late Lord Uzumi Nara Athha hadn't hurt either.

 

“Uniforms,” Dearka deadpanned. “Again.” He gave a melodramatic sigh. “Just as I was starting to get comfortable in civilian clothes…” he trailed off, looking down at his casual denims and polo shirt sadly.

 

“It could be worse,” Athrun piped in, giving an insouciant shrug of the shoulders.

 

The tanned Coordinator raised an eyebrow.

 

“You could be wearing a skirt,” Kira provided in all seriousness.

 

“Or a dress,” Yzak added, inwardly flinching at the thought.

 

Dearka seemed to consider Kira and Yzak's answers for a while before nodding his head in solemn agreement, and the entire display cracked Miriallia up. Lacus was quick to understand and giggled as well.

 

“What's funny?” Cagalli asked after waving at the departing vehicle of Kisaka.

 

The guys gave the laughing duo a strange look, wondering, just like Cagalli, what the humorous thing was.

 

“Yeah, I don't get it,” Kira appended, perplexed.

 

Miriallia bit back her chuckles and stared at the baffled expressions of the guys, not knowing whether they were kidding or not. “You serious? You don't know?”

 

Kira gave an uncertain shake of the head.

 

“This is even funnier,” Lacus commented, not bothering to hide her giggles.

 

“Okay, time to share,” Cagalli slowly uttered, as if talking to a child.

 

“Lacus and I will explain it to you on the way to the headmaster's office.” Miriallia settled herself between Cagalli and Lacus. She pulled the two by their hands and started to walk towards the entrance, leaving the puzzled boys behind. Then she paused for a while and turned around to tell them what she had forgotten to inform them earlier, “Sai will catch up later.”

 

“Really now, were we supposed to get that?” Dearka asked the rest who were still not budging from their positions, not processing Mirialla's last statement.

 

All of them gave helpless shrugs in answer to the tanned Coordinator's inquiry before following the girls. Apparently, they were also too befuddled to hear the last part about Sai.

o-o

“Oh, yes, Mr. Kisaka was just here yesterday,” the headmaster's secretary, a woman in her early forties, smiled at the teenagers in front of her. “Wait a moment, please,” she glanced at the monitor in front of her. “The headmaster is still speaking with another batch of new students; there are quite a number of new pupils who enrolled this semester. I'll call on you in the waiting room.” She pointed at the door across the room.

 

“Thank you, Ms. Caldwell,” Lacus said, giving the placard on the secretary's desk a cursory glance.

 

Cagalli, who was busy perusing her own papers in the white folder Kisaka had handed each of them, gasped upon hearing Lacus. She almost dropped what she was holding, but she tightened her grip just in time.

 

“Cagalli?” Athrun looked at the blonde beside him worriedly, while the others cast uncertain glances at her.

 

The Orb princess moved forward a little shakily. She stopped in front of the desk, her head bowed. “Mrs. Caldwell…” She took a deep breath before raising her head to meet the secretary's gaze. “I'm sorry…I'm sorry about…about Asagi…”

 

Athrun creased his brow, recalling Asagi as the Astray pilot who was cutting the cord that was hindering the Kusanagi from farther advancement---he had helped saved that girl. The three Astray pilots died during the war, and he couldn't even begin to imagine how Cagalli must be feeling facing one of the mothers of the three.

 

Mrs. Caldwell's smile wavered and her eyes misted over, but when she spoke, there was hardly a trace of acrimony in her voice, “Thank you, Cagalli.” She leant forward and took the teenager's hand in her own, surprising the young Orb heiress. “Don't be bothered by something you can't change anymore, Ms. Athha. It was Asagi's decision to be an Astry pilot and we respected that. It goes beyond sadness, what we feel for her death, but I can't bring myself to blame the Orb Union, most of all you, because it's not your fault.”

 

Just like that, and Cagalli was forgiven. It would never cease to amaze Athrun how some parents could be so forgiving or so understanding. Truth be told, he had half-expected Mrs. Caldwell to be enraged at seeing whom her daughter had served during the war, and he was pleasantly surprised that his expectation wasn't met.

 

Cagalli nodded, and Mrs. Caldwell released her hand. She handed them their temporary room assignments and directed them towards the waiting area, promising to call them as soon as the headmaster was available.

 

As everyone shuffled towards the room, Athrun took Cagalli's hand. “Let's get you something to drink,” he offered as he had descried earlier how the princess was battling with her guilt.

 

The Strike Rouge pilot eyed the rest of the group before nodding her head in consent. Athrun caught Kira's inquiring gaze across the room, and he mouthed drink before he and Cagalli stepped out the door.

 

Before they entered the building, he had noticed the few scattered kiosks in the perimeter, and he led her through two floors down and across the grounds towards one of them. They walked in companionable silence and in an easy pace with Cagalli just beside him.

 

He got both of them tetra-packs of apple juice, and was quite uncertain whether to pick a bendy straw or a regular one from the straw box.

 

Cagalli grinned at him. “Bendy straws are better.”

 

Athrun plucked two straws from the container. “What, exactly, is the difference?” He tilted his head slightly to the side as he handed over a bendy straw.

 

She stuck the straw on her juice carton and took a thoughtful sip. “Mm…well, the regular one doesn't bend and this one does.”

 

They ambled towards the big tree a few meters away from the kiosks, having been beckoned by its cool shade.

 

“Aside from that very obvious fact.” Athrun settled himself on the ground and leant on the tree trunk, eyes following Cagalli's movements as she kicked a loose pebble before settling herself beside him.

 

She let out a wry chuckle before returning to her quasi-pensive demeanor. “If you were never a soldier and just like an ordinary teenager, why would you think that bendy straws were better?”

 

Athrun raised a skeptical eyebrow. He was the first one who had asked for the benefits of bendy straws over regular straws, but he found himself on the other end of the questioning halfway through finishing his drink.

 

He had dragged her out of the building, thinking she might want to vent or just talk about the event that had just transpired---or those kinds of things in general. After the ceasefire had been declared, he hadn't heard her talk of what she might be feeling aside from her anxiety before they landed. He hadn't gotten the chance to ask her how she might have been feeling when they arrived at her house, knowing that her father wasn't there to welcome her, but he just couldn't bring himself to ask. Cagalli was a stubborn girl, so unless he caught her crying her heart out or wallowing in guilt or self-pity, he had always found it hard to ask as he felt it would be prying. And that was why he needed to establish that something with her as soon as possible.

 

Wasn't this what I was thinking just the other night?

 

He might have been engaged before, but that was entirely different. With Lacus, everything was set; everything was arranged. They hadn't felt the need to confess their feelings for each other because they knew that no matter the events, they would still end up marrying each other. But with Cagalli, he didn't even know where to start. Add to that was the fact that Cagalli and Lacus were two completely opposite individuals.

 

Athrun inwardly cringed. If Kira knew he didn't quite know how to approach his sister when it came to these things, Athrun might need to brace himself against the fury of the mighty Freedom pilot. He didn't know if his best friend were the overly protective type of brother, but by what he'd witnessed in the battlefield---how Kira tried to protect everyone dear to him---he had no misgivings that Kira could raise hellfire and brimstone against him if he so much as hinted that he was clueless about his near-existent relationship with Kira's only sibling…and his twin at that. He consoled himself with the reality that he had certain feelings for the blonde Natural sitting beside him.

 

But the war was over and they had the rest of their university lives ahead of them. He gave a mental shrug. There were no scheduled political agendas in the near future---at least none that he was aware of---so he had an ample amount of time to tell Cagalli what he felt for her. For the meantime, he would humor her.

 

Besides, how hard can it be?

 

“If I hadn't been a soldier, I still don't think I'd contemplate which one is the better straw to use.”

 

Cagalli frowned. “You suck all the fun out of simple things, Zala.”

 

He chuckled. “I'm kidding. Okay, I think it's better because you won't have to tilt your drink to sip the last of its contents.”

 

Cagalli made to play out his answer by noisily finishing her beverage. “I think so, too! Great minds do think alike, yeah?”

 

They laughed for a while before continuing their very interesting discussion on the advantages of bendy straws. And every second he watched Cagalli's animated face, each expression conveying a different message she didn't seem to mind him knowing. Once, he had to mentally shake himself so he could form a coherent reply to one of her questions, instead of just being mesmerized by the person that was Cagalli.

 

Their light conversation was only halted when Athrun spied Kira waving them over from the window of the waiting area on the second floor. They got up and dusted themselves before Cagalli took the lead of their trek back up as he discarded their empty juice packs in the trash bin by the entrance of the building.

 

As he was following Cagalli up the stairs---which was the better choice at the moment since all four cars of the elevator were still far up in the building---she paused and turned around, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. He stopped mid-climb to look at her questioningly.

 

“I'm all good now, Athrun. Thanks,” and with that, she resumed her ascend.

 

He didn't comfort her from her earlier guilt, and he didn't even try to talk to her about things that might be bothering her. Athrun didn't know whatever it was that he did to make her feel better, but he was glad he did it anyway.

o-o

Murrue watched the waves roll in and out of the shore in unequal intervals, the sounds of crashing waters a soft hum to her ears. She had been in one of the few conference rooms of Morgenroete since seven in the morning, together with Kisaka, Waltfeld, and the usual Orb and EA officials. They had started laying the plans for the peace talks and had even talked to a few PLANT delegates over the satellite communication link, but there was still no solid plan on how to stabilize the shaky ground between Coordinators and Naturals to pave the way for the drafting of an effective peace treaty. They had also broached the topic about the humanitarian aid both sides would alternately provide to help the distressed and the war-ravaged countries that needed help the most. Later, after the recess, they would continue discoursing about the peace treaty and the humanitarian aids, and, of course, since they were in Orb, the plans for the reconstruction of heavily damaged sites. Local aid and dole outs for the citizens would also be discussed and processed.

 

She glanced at her watch: 10:35. They had taken a break, and a much needed one at that. Waltfeld had somehow lost his cool with an EA delegate, and it took Schroeder to break their bantering. She knew the Eternal's co-captain to be a pleasantly agreeable person, but being in-charge of several emotional teenagers had honed her skills in recognizing what people felt, and Murrue had keenly noticed just how much Waltfeld wanted to head back to PLANT but was just so held up on Earth that he didn't have time to plan his return. Of course, there was the issue of treason, but that was going to be discussed in one of the other conferences they would be holding with PLANT representatives. Her shoulders sagged. Even Kisaka had looked worn out, and it wasn't even lunchtime yet.

 

The see breeze blew through her hair. She had needed to get out of the room as it was beginning to get too stuffy, so here she was, frowning her thirty-minute break away. Who would've thought that paperwork and peace talks were as demanding as trying to command a whole mobile assault ship during the Bloody Valentine War? She shook her head, inwardly laughing at the wry humor that accompanied the thought.

 

The captain of the Archangel exhaled a wispy breath, finally hearing her name being called. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Waltfeld waving her over, telling her it was time to return to the meeting. She waved back, signaling she would follow.

 

When Waltfeld was out of sight, Murrue turned around again to glance back at the clear waters of the ocean. Not unlike the many times before, she wished he were there. He could always make things better. Everything in him was comforting---his easy smile, his notorious smirk that could turn her legs into jelly, the never ending care for her welfare that she always saw in his eyes, and the casual attitude with which he approached everything…everything except the times they had kissed. During those times, she felt the passion in him…the burning longing to be together. The touches were never innocent during those few blissful moments, and it killed her to accept that those were gone---that the two of them were robbed of the chance to be together even before they could finally wallow in the knowledge that they had already tiptoed past the line of being captain and subordinate.

 

It's so unfair, Mwu. I didn't think I'd lose another in a war, but I did. It's so unfair.

 

The brunette rubbed her arms as if cold. She suspired. Little by little, she had come to accept that life was never fair. She gave everything she had, only to find out more was needed, and in the end, she only had herself to live with. Sure, she had friends, but Murrue couldn't help but feel the regret of losing someone she held most important. Mwu had been assigned to a new ship, but circumstances led him back to her, and the same circumstances took him away.

 

Again.

 

But this time, they took him away permanently.

 

Murrue Ramius was a perfectly fine individual, always kind to her crew and always considerate of others, but the Fates just had unexpected ways of dealing cards to its players, and Murrue just happened to receive a distressing deck.

 

But I'm learning to cope. I can live knowing you've been a part of me and will always be. I'll be fine. In time…I'll be fine. I know you're still there. You'll watch over me.

 

Despite everything, the beautiful captain allowed herself a hopeful smile, her eyes glinting as she let acceptance fill her from the inside.

 

And I'll trust you on that one…Commander.

o-o

Dearka wrinkled his nose in disapproval then stuffed his hands in his pockets. He despised crowds. Congested concerts, wild bar parties, and overwhelming battlefields were one thing; a crowded and noisy cafeteria was another. Because everybody's timetables weren't fixed yet, they all had the same breaks, thus allowing for a staggering crowd in the most common of places. Even if there were food stalls out on the grounds, there were still a great number of people in the cafeteria since the kiosks outside didn't necessarily offer a complete meal.

 

As the blonde Coordinator surveyed the room, he didn't doubt that the other dining halls in the other buildings were packed, too. He looked around, trying to find the rest of the guys; he had to make a little detour to the restroom earlier and had told the rest that he'd just follow.

 

After another sweep, he was only successful in locating one familiar face, and she happened to be struggling to balance her tray amidst the jostling crowd near the food counter. She looked like she could use a little help, so in a few unmeasured strides, he neared her, automatically moving behind her to put himself between her and the rowdy group. He helped her hold the tray with his right hand, while his free hand went flat against the small of her back, getting her to move steadily away.

 

When they got some free space, Dearka looked down at the brunette, eyes widening when he realized his fingers were curled around her hand instead of just the beige tray. He immediately retrieved that certain appendage of his body, massaging the back of his neck. Then he dropped the other hand that was pressed against her back.

 

“Uh…you look like you need some help. Letmegetthat,” he hurriedly spoke, taking the tray away from her even before she could say her thanks. The blonde whipped his head from one side to another, eyeing each table for their friends as he tried to get away from her bewildered gaze. “Where are they?”

 

As if gaining her bearings just that moment, Miriallia giggled. “Thanks…Dearka. Follow me.”

 

Dearka fell into step beside her as they managed to find their way amongst the different groups of people, some of which were inconsiderately taking up too much space. After passing a few more tables, they reached the spot the rest had secured, and Dearka didn't wonder why he hadn't found them earlier since an assembly of giggling girls and flirting jocks was blocking the view from where he had been formerly standing.

 

Miriallia took a seat beside Cagalli as Dearka gingerly deposited her food tray on the table. Yzak scooted over to give Dearka some space. He took his seat, propping his elbow on the table and locking his hands together.

 

“Why didn't you get food?” Cagalli asked, taking a spoonful of mashed potatoes.

 

Dearka leaned to the side, getting a view of the food counter as one of the jocks moved forward to give his buddy a friendly jab. “With that long a line?” Shaking his head, he returned to his prior position and looked at the blonde princess over the fingertips he had pressed into a steeple. “I can hold out for a few more minutes.”

 

Cagalli shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She turned to the side to talk to Lacus.

 

“Here.”

 

Dearka looked to where the voice came from and saw Miriallia offering him some fish fingers. He stared at the offered food, not knowing how exactly to react.

 

“It's good. Promise,” she coaxed, smiling.

 

“…Didn't say it wasn't.” He picked up a piece and took a bite. He chewed on the morsel then wiped his fingers on a napkin. “Thanks.”

 

“So, what do you think of this school so far?”

 

“The Headmaster seems nice, and we've only gone to one class…so, I don't know…yet.”

 

Miriallia nodded, as if to say she felt the same way. Swallowing the food she had just eaten, she licked her lips to get the stray gravy, and some unknown force compelled Dearka to lean forward and wipe the spot she missed, just there, at the corner of her mouth. The brunette blushed, and Dearka, realizing what he just did, blushed with her.

 

She gave him an uncertain smile and Dearka was captivated.

 

“More…fish fingers?”

o-o

Miriallia found out how enjoyable it was to talk to Lacus. Miriallia had once believed that someone like her didn't exist, and if ever one did, the brown-haired Natural wouldn't be too keen on being friends with that person. Not because she'd find that person to be too kind, but because she'd find herself constantly wondering if that person were just a figment of her imagination or not. Upon chatting with Lacus, however, her belief system crashed. Lacus was open and introspective, but aside from those, she was not quite shy to say what she was thinking. That had made all the difference. She might not know just yet what could rattle this new friend of hers, but she knew the Pink Princess wasn't some cheesy personality who was too kind for her own good and was prim and proper to a fault. Of course, unlike their fiery blonde friend, Lacus was obviously more sedate in voicing her opinions.

 

Lacus adjusted the clip that held her bangs from her eyes. “I've liked to sing since I was really small, so I think that helped in my career,” she explained. “I guess enthusiasm goes a long way, huh?”

 

Miriallia giggled. “Yeah. I like music and all, but…singing as a career? Can't see myself in that! Don't get me wrong. I used to dream of being a singer…but then it hit me that I don't really have the talent for it. You'd be surprised to know how a kid can envision being a singer just because of the occasional bursts of lyrics from her mouth and the unavoidable singing in the shower,” she rolled her eyes and Lacus laughed at her.

 

Lacus' eyes wandered, and they landed on the three boys by the window. Miriallia followed her line of sight, and although they couldn't really make out what the boys were talking about, the sporadic outbursts from Dearka gave both of them an idea as to the path the boys' conversation was taking.

 

“I think they really enjoy giving Dearka a hard time,” Lacus observed, smiling, and the brunette groaned. “No doubt, they're teasing him again, and by the way he was getting red, I'd wager it's something concerning you.”

 

“I'm gonna kill those guys!” Miriallia whispered in a low tone, but loud enough to be heard by her pink-haired companion. “Can't they get it that nothing's going on?”

 

Just then, the door to the classroom opened, and in walked Yzak. The two glanced at him, but when they saw his expression, they immediately went back to their conversation, ignoring the string of curses they heard him mutter as he passed them.

 

“So…you're really just friends?”

 

The memory of the cafeteria incident came barreling to the front of her mind, and she desperately wanted to violently shake her head in an attempt to rid her mind of such thoughts. The thing was, Lacus would undoubtedly wonder what was wrong, and then, how would she answer her? “Yeah…”

 

“Oh.”

 

Miriallia looked at Lacus weirdly upon recognizing the songstress' tone of voice. “And what was that supposed to mean?”

 

“…Nothing. It's just that…” Lacus trailed off, unsure of how to proceed.

 

Miriallia waved a dismissive hand. “It's…complicated. I prefer not to talk about this right now…really.” Lacus gave a sympathetic smile, and the brunette knew the songstress understood. She didn't doubt Lacus knew of her late boyfriend…heck, she didn't even doubt they all knew of him.

 

She sighed. Why was it that when she was almost forgetting those painful memories, they would resurface at the most unlikely of times? She really needed to move on. She was aware of that…she even told herself that. The thing was, she didn't know what was holding her back: the memory of Tolle…or was it something else?

 

She forced a smile to her lips, which was morphing into an authentic one when she realized none of her new friends were pushing her into forgetting the person that once was the love of her life. She smoothened out her skirt. Of course, the constant teasing might actually be compared to that “pushing.”

o-o

Cagalli had complained about going back to the classroom so early. They'd taken to the open grounds right after they had eaten their lunch---actually, right after Dearka finished his food since he was the last to order---but it was a little humid outside and the rest wanted to cool off within the confines of their air-conditioned classroom. So here she was, bored as hell.

 

“Hm…we pick up our permanent timetables right after class,” she said in a bored tone, resting her cheek on the heel of her hand. She was in her seat, which was a chair with a desk stuck to it by the armrest on one side, but her body was turned towards the open side of the chair, facing Athrun. The elbow of the hand propping up her head was on Athrun's desk, while her free hand was fiddling with the edge of the paper she was supposedly reading from---the Justice pilot had moved his seat closer a little earlier since it was still a few minutes before the bell signaling the end of lunch would ring.

 

After they had spoken with the headmaster---who was too kind and looked suspicious from Cagalli's point of view---they had learnt of the number of new students applying for this semester. All the new students, including the eight war veterans, were enough to make a whole new block, so they were roomed together for the meantime; next week, they'd be assigned to their specific subjects and the different sections that went with each subject.

 

The eight of them would be classmates for World History and Philosophy 1; on the other hand, the girls had a different gym schedule from the boys. The rest of their schedules were still a little sketchy since their papers were still being processed.

 

“No, that's for next week. Our ID's will be given out next week, too, but I'm not too sure when exactly. We pick up our uniforms after class,” Athrun corrected, watching as Kira and Sai ganged up on Dearka, seemingly never getting tired of the same joke. He looked around the room, seeing Miriallia and Lacus talking in the seats a few feet from them, while Yzak was marching up towards the laughing guys with a crumpled paper in his hand. There were also five other students minding their own business in another corner of the room.

 

It had been a relief for all of them to know that Coordinators and Naturals were not separated from each other in class. There were cases wherein Coordinators would be taking advanced exams, but advanced in a sense that the problems were harder and more complicated, not necessarily faster in pace. That was understandable since some Coordinators were really performing better than some Naturals---of course, not all were in the same level since not every genetically enhanced individual had the same adeptness in a subject. And it also didn't come as a surprise that most Naturals could easily cope with the Coordinators. Take Sai and Miriallia for example. Both had been in the same class as Kira back in Heliopolis.

 

Even if Orb's neutrality had dissipated and the savagery of prejudice against races had run rampant during the late stages of war, the University of Orb managed to secure its renowned partial treatment to all students. There might be some cases of hostility, but it was close to negligible.

 

Cagalli glanced down at the paper she was holding. It had the letters UO printed in red on the upper-left corner. “Oh yeah. Then locker assignment---er---receipts from the Treasurer's Office.” She heaved another bored sigh; she'd been doing that for the past five minutes. “You know what, I wonder how the professors are gonna teach us.”

 

The both of them looked up upon hearing Yzak's irritated outcry, and they saw him waving the crumpled piece of paper in front of Kira, Sai, and Dearka. He was complaining about something that vaguely sounded like “stupid bastards.”

 

“What do you mean?” Athrun asked, getting over the distraction that was Yzak's temper.

 

“We have different schedules and courses. It's just that it's not done yet that's why we're stuck in the same block.” She shrugged once. “But what the hell, I hope we only do those silly introductions since it's only after another day before the weekend. I doubt they can hammer a lot of things inside our heads provided that time constraint.”

 

Athrun chuckled, removing the paper from her hands then examining it, although he didn't appear to have plans on taking all the information in. “Say, have you seen anyone familiar?”

 

“Familiar?” Cagalli's bored tone was still very much evident as she took to twirling Athrun's pen with her fingers.

 

“Yeah. Anyone you knew from before. An old classmate probably.”

 

She paused in her movements as she momentarily recalled the previous hours. “No. Besides, I don't think I'd remember them anyway.”

 

“What, you forget your friends easily?” he teased.

 

She snorted. “I wasn't in any school for the past year…or two. I've been home schooled until now. Father thought he was wasting his money since I always got into fights, then I took to finding my own adventures. Kisaka never bothered to enroll me in Tassil since he said it's gonna mess my educational field…or something like that. There was a time when we were in Banadiya, but that city served as the base of operations of the Desert Tiger, and we didn't exactly stay there for long. Besides, Kisaka never forgets to drag my tutor along anyway.” She moved her head to look at the Justice pilot. “Now you know my educational history. Well, part of it.” She rolled her eyes. “Wanna know about my earlier years? Say, pre-school?” she asked sarcastically.

 

Athrun, again, was amused. He laughed at her explanation and at her expressions. “You had a tutor tagging along your `adventures'?”

 

“Unfortunately. Poor guy's trembling to death during open-fire encounters. Did you really think my father would dismiss the issue about education just because there's a war? And Kisaka's too loyal to him to disagree. I mean, he did follow me to the ends of the Earth on my father's orders.”

 

“You're a bundle of surprises, Cagalli,” he grinned.

 

Cagalli grinned back. She failed to catch the pen and it dropped on the floor. “I never thought something as mundane as my academic history is entertaining.” She picked up the pen and resumed twirling it.

 

“Not everyone experiences that. I myself had to graduate from military academy before being a soldier,” he favored her a reply.

 

Cagalli missed her rhythm again, and the pen fell on the floor once more. “That's different, Athrun.” Picking it up, she returned to her earlier position and performed the same thing.

“Not really, but I don't know how to convince you to believe that.”

 

She laughed. Cagalli found she enjoyed talking to Athrun even about the most trivial of things. Usually, she'd get bored prattling about things that were in no way connected to the word “entertaining”---which, of course, had a unique definition in Cagalli's vocabulary, too---but somehow, she didn't care right now. And she wasn't as bored as before.

 

The blonde princess turned her head again to find Athrun smiling at her. She probably would never admit it in the near future, but she liked seeing him laugh or smile. Especially when it was for her or because of her.

 

It should be illegal to look that good!

 

She dropped the pen again and was eternally glad for the distraction because she could already feel the blood rushing to her cheeks as soon as that thought entered her head. In all honesty, she would hurriedly swear, she didn't know where that impression came from.

 

His chuckles made its way to her ears. “The ink's gonna skip from all that falling.”

 

“No, it won't,” she disagreed, just for the sake of doing so. She placed the maltreated pen back on his deck, her gaze snapping towards the classroom door as she was distracted by the entrance of students and the ringing of the bell.

 

Athrun brushed a soft, chaste kiss on her cheek.

 

Feeling the fleeting pressure, Cagalli turned her head towards him so fast she almost felt dizzy. She expected him to give her a grin to indicate that he was teasing her, but she didn't expect to discover him acting and talking like he had never shifted from his position and hadn't just kissed her.

 

Just like before…in the shuttle.

 

“Look alive. The professor's coming,” was all he said before moving his chair back to its original place.

 

Cagalli opened her mouth to respond, but she closed it again, finding nothing to say. She bit her lip and just watched the rest return to their seats: Kira sat in front of Athrun with Lacus to his right; Miriallia settled herself on Cagalli's right with Sai beside her; and Yzak placed himself in front of Sai with Dearka to his left.

 

She glanced at the blue-head again, more distracted than ever, but he was already talking to Kira in hushed tones. She swallowed. She wasn't one to think about these kinds of things because she had always refused to acknowledge such morass of concerns. That had always made things simpler for her, especially after her father died. But Athrun was bent on making her think she needed to change that…and the awfully good-looking Coordinator---she blushed again---wasn't even aware of it.

 

Cagalli took a deep breath then tried to pay attention to what the professor was saying, all the while attempting to manage her wayward thoughts. They really needed to talk…for her sake.

o-o

Their dismissal came around three in the afternoon. The University had anticipated the changes that might happen to the postwar situation of the country, and it had already re-arranged its entire schedule so, while the war was heating up in space, the University was adjusting its timetables for a delayed beginning of the next semester to accommodate the late enrollment of those directly affected by the war. It had been a very wise move because it minimized the adjustment period of the late enrollees.

 

The eight teenagers sauntered towards the building at the farthest east, preferring to walk along the covered pathways since the sun was mercilessly beating down on whoever dared to promenade under it. Despite the heat, there were still a lot of students at the fields engaged in different sports activities. Even the enclosed gymnasium, which they had just passed by, was issuing somewhat muffled practice noises; the open gym was occupied by peripatetic students.

 

“Is anybody planning on joining any varsity?” Sai asked, eyes glued on the soccer players who had just executed an amazing play and scored a goal.

 

“I'm not,” Miriallia answered, following Sai's line of sight. “I'm taking photography for my extracurricular activity.”

 

Lacus cocked her head to the side. “They're offering?”

 

“It's part of my curriculum actually. But I've heard there's this club for candid camera photography. I'm not so sure, but I'm checking. I hope they do.”

 

Kira shrugged. “I don't know yet what I'll sign up on.”

 

Sai chuckled. “Well, I'm not really into sports.”

 

“I'm still debating whether it's a waste of time or not,” Dearka answered, clasping his fingers behind his head. “Don't you think it is? Why add more to your already existing curriculum?”

 

Yzak smirked. “So you're saying photography is a waste of time?”

 

“What?” Dearka sharply turned towards his best friend. And when he dared a glance at Miriallia, he saw her looking at him questioningly and innocently cutely. “Ah…no… What I meant was…ah…well, no, photography is…definitely…not a waste of time.”

 

Cagalli placed her arm around Miriallia's shoulder and heaved an extravagantly emotional sigh as she looked disappointedly at the Buster pilot. “Shucks, Dearka, you hurt Mir's feelings.”

 

Miriallia instantly reddened, her eyes widening. “No! Cagalli! It's okay, really…” She shook her hands in front of her to tell Dearka, who was still guiltily looking at her, to flag off his slip.

 

The Orb princess, however, was not deterred. She pulled Miriallia's hand down and said slowly, “Mir, we know you're offended, so just let the guy apologize.”

 

“Um, really, sor---”

 

The brown-haired Natural cut Dearka off in mid-apology, “Really, it doesn't matter!”

 

“Now, no---” on the other hand, Cagalli's further teasing was cut off when Athrun gently pulled her to his side.

 

“Okay, you've had too much fun already,” Athrun smiled down at the blonde princess.

 

The Goddess of Victory frowned and fought real hard to keep from pouting. “That was uncalled-for. Okay, I'm sticking with what I said earlier.”

 

“And that would be?” Athrun looked at her, his eyes dancing merrily.

 

“That you suck all the fun out of simple things,” she iterated, and the boy just laughed at that.

 

Dearka clapped Athrun on the back. “Thanks, man. That little she-devil is poison!” he directed the last part at the Strike Rouge pilot. He received a glare in return.

 

Returning to their previous topic, Kira asked Lacus what she planned on getting for her extracurricular activity, and he wasn't surprised when she told him she wanted to try out for the Chorale Club. After encouraging her that she'd do well---not that she really needed a lot of encouragement since she already was a pop star---Kira, in a cruel turn of fate, asked Yzak if he had intentions of joining the Chess Club, which, the Ultimate Coordinator had heard, was a newly formed organization.

 

“Put a sock in it, Yamato,” Yzak shot back.

 

Dearka laughed. “I bet you're really thinking of joining, and it will be real swell if Athrun's joining, too!”

 

“That might not be too good an idea because Yzak will always lose,” Kira carefully articulated, seemingly innocently, too.

 

All of them laughed at the once again incensed Duel pilot.

 

“As much fun as it is to always beat Yzak, chess isn't something I'd gladly take after class hours,” Athrun informed them, still chuckling.

 

“I think it suits you, Zala, you big loser.” Yzak grumbled.

 

“Look who's talking,” Athrun countered, embarrassing Yzak to another level.

 

They reached the building before the former Duel pilot could perform bodily harm to his comrades, and he looked every bit thankful when the rest left him be. Since they had landed on Earth, they always had something to tease Yzak about every time all of them were together, and Yzak wondered, for the umpteenth time, what he did to deserve such a thing. And, for the umpteenth time once more, he asked himself why he still hadn't hopped on a shuttle to transport him back to the PLANTs---of course, aside from the fact that his mother practically ordered him to stay where he was.

 

They marched up to the receptionist booth with the words SCHOOL UNIFORMS stenciled above the glass window and showed their receipts. The woman behind the glass smiled at them before handing them their respective bundles, each wrapped in brown paper. After thanking the woman and fighting over whether to ask for directions to the Treasurer's Office or just try their luck at finding the right room, the group left to ride an elevator to the third floor, having finally convinced Cagalli that it was better to ask for directions.

 

They knocked on the door with the proper sign and presented their slips to the man behind the wooden desk. After which they were handed three different stubs that were properly labeled.

 

“One's for your campus locker. You have to renew that every semester since you might be transferring to another building for the course subjects you will be taking up. The other is for your gym locker. That one is permanent until you graduate. The third one has your locker combination codes. Don't lose that one so you won't have problems if you ever forget your combination code,” the man explained.

 

Lacus uttered a soft “thank you” before they exited the office.

 

Yzak looked at the stub that was labeled “Combination Codes” and inwardly smirked at the code for his campus locker. Will you look at that…666102. The devil and Duel Gundam Assault Shroud.

o-o

“Why don't we go to a coffee shop for a while? Or to an ice cream shop?” Miriallia suggested when they stepped out of the school grounds.

 

Lacus enthusiastically agreed. “Yes! It's still early and we don't have any homework yet.”

 

Yzak gave the excuse of having to see the landlady of the apartment he was vying for to get away, but a kind request---and the reason she gave that it was still early anyway---from the songstress convinced him to stay. Why anyone couldn't say “no” to Lacus was beyond him, and him not having that much luck in declining would attest to that. The rest just shrugged their consent, and they decided to stop by the first ice cream parlor they would pass on the way home.

 

“By the way, Athrun, you didn't tell me what you wanted to join,” Cagalli looked at the boy beside her as they followed the rest of the gang to the establishment down the street.

 

“Mm…I've never really thought about it. I haven't played soccer in a while, though.”

 

Cagalli's interest was piqued. “You play soccer?”

 

“Used to, but, well, there was the war… Kira and I used to be members of the Junior Prep Division then Senior Prep Division in the soccer league back in Copernicus, but I don't know if he still plays.”

 

The two of them were way behind the rest of the group, but Cagalli didn't really care, and judging by Athrun's relaxed pace, he didn't appear to mind either. “Really? Kira?” she giggled. “That crybaby actually plays soccer?” she didn't mean that as an insult.

 

“Hey, he was a formidable player back then! Well, as formidable as kids could get.” He looked at her and smiled at her humor. “How about you?”

 

“I was thinking of joining the Volleyball Varsity, but…I don't really know yet…” She looked up to read the name of the establishment: Ice Delights.

 

The group was already inside and had seized a booth by the window. Cagalli and Athrun were last to enter, but before Cagalli could push the glass door open, she turned around and faced the Justice pilot, looking a little distraught. “Athrun?”

 

“Yeah?” he asked, a tad worried at her sudden change of tone.

 

“Uh…can we…uh…”

 

“Can we…?” he prompted patiently, wondering why the blonde was fidgeting.

 

Cagalli shook her head as she suddenly decided she couldn't go through with whatever it was she planned to do. “…Never mind.”

 

“…Are you sure?”

 

She nodded, giving him a small smile. “Yeah… It's nothing…”

 

Athrun hesitantly shrugged. “…All right then. Let's go?” When Cagalli nodded again, he took her hand, gave it a little squeeze, and led her in.

 

Cagalli inwardly sighed, squeezing his hand back. I didn't think it's gonna be this hard… This is just impossible…

 

-To Be Continued…