Gundam Seed Destiny Fan Fiction / Gundam SEED Fan Fiction ❯ Light of the Heart ❯ dinner ( Chapter 3 )

What stood before Lacus was not what she expected to see when she thought about meeting Midori's father. She'd been told that he was still young but she still found it rather hard to believe.

 

To see him before her right then shocked her. `He really is only about as old as I am,' she thought looking him up and down. He was dressed in a pair of dress pants and a white collared shirt. She presumed that he once had a tie on but probably took it off. The top buttons of the shirt were undone giving her a slight view of his chest.

 

What caught Lacus's attention the most were his violet eyes. They were shining in happiness as he looked at his daughter before turning towards her. It was clear that there was a great deal of love between the father and daughter and it made Lacus think of her own father and her.

 

Their eyes locked with each other and it was silent for several minutes. Lacus tried to talk but found that she couldn't get a word out. `What is wrong with me?' she thought shaking her head. “Good evening, you must be Kira Yamato,” she said giving him and Midori a bright smile.

 

Snapping himself out of his own stupor, Kira smile back. “Yes I am. You must be Lacus Clyne,” he said and she nodded her head. “I've heard a lot about you from Midori but it's a pleasure to meet you,” he said placing Midori down and reached out his hand in a friendly gesture.

 

Looking at his hand, Lacus reached her own hand out and shook his. She felt a tingle in her stomach at the touch. She couldn't help but notice how warm his hand felt and how firm a grip he had.

 

What really caught her attention was how the two of them just kept shaking hands. “It's a pleasure to meet you too but can I please have my hand back?” she asked with a laugh as he blushed and pulled his hand away. She felt a bit of disappointment though, one that she just couldn't place especially since she was the one that asked him to stop.

 

“I'm sorry,” Kira said with a blush on his cheek. He didn't know what the hell was wrong with him. Just earlier today he was arguing with Cagalli about there being no chance of him dating anytime soon and now here he was making a complete fool out of himself in front of a woman he didn't even know.

 

`I can see that she takes after him quite a bit,' Lacus thought trying to suppress her giggles. “Well it was nice meeting you but it is getting late and I think all of us might be tired and hungry,” Lacus said as she turned to head back into the playroom because she wanted to straighten a few things out before she left.

 

He had to be possessed by something. That was what Kira felt when he felt his hand reach out and light grab a hold of the arm of the woman before him. He had no idea what was wrong with him to be acting this way when he never did before then.

 

Feeling his light hold, Lacus blushed a bit and turned around to see him staring at her. “Is there something you need Mr. Yamato?” she asked feeling just as flustered as the man before her looked. She didn't know what it all meant though.

 

His mind was swarming with ideas as to why he grabbed her like that. “Well, you see. I'm planning to take Midori out to eat tonight and I was wondering if you'd like to join us. It is my fault that it's so late and that you haven't eaten because of it,” he said trying to act as casually as possible.

 

As an answer to his question, Lacus's stomach growled loudly much to her embarrassment. “I thank you for the offer but I do not wish to trouble you. I'll just make something when I get home,” she said as politely as she possibly could.

 

“I-it's no problem at all. I'm sure that Midori would love to have you come with us as well. Wouldn't you?” he asked turning to look at his daughter to see her happily nodding her head rapidly. “See?” he asked wondering why he was pushing the subject more than he needed to.

 

Opening her mouth to answer, Lacus saw the pout that was on Midori's face and couldn't help but laugh and rethink her decision. “Ok then. If she wants me to come so badly then I'd happy to,” Lacus said making Midori squeal with happiness.

 

“I know how you feel,” Kira said with a chuckle. “When you see someone like her pout like that, you find yourself easily bending to her will,” he said since it's happened to him far too many times to count.

 

“I bet,” Lacus said chuckling herself. “Just let me go get my purse then,” she said and Kira nodded as she quickly grabbed it and followed the two of them out of the preschool. “So where are we going?” she asked curiously.

 

Thinking it over, Kira found that he had no idea. It was just an idea that popped into his head all of a sudden. “I have no idea,” he said scratching the back of his head nervously with his right hand since his left was holding Midori's hand. “What do you want sweetie?” he asked his daughter.

 

Looking towards the sky, Midori looked like she was in a look of intense thinking. Lacus thought that the pose she was in was adorable. “Cheeseburgers!” she said smiling brightly at the thought.

 

“What do you think?” Kira asked turning to look at Lacus who just nodded her head. “Are you sure? I'm sure we can find something else you both like,” Kira said giving her a look as if trying to figure out what she was thinking.

 

“No, that's fine with me!” Lacus said giving him her brightest smile. “I'm hungry enough to eat just about anything right now,” she said heading towards her car. “I'll follow behind and you can just lead the way,” she said and he nodded as he helped his little girl in and got in himself.

 

Getting into her own car, Lacus couldn't help but wonder why she accepted an invitation from a complete stranger. `There's something about him that could make a person trust him easily,' she thought as she pulled out of her parking space and followed after the car in front of her.

 

They drove for only like five minutes before they pulled in front of a small fast-food restaurant. The two cars parked next to each other and they got out and walked into the fast-food restaurant without even saying a word.

 

Once they did get inside, they did get into a small conversation as they waited to order their food. It was a bit crowded right then but none of the three really minded having to wait a little longer for their food.

 

“I must say that your daughter is a very well behaved and sweet girl Mr. Yamato,” Lacus said since she was tired of the silence. “I was a bit worried with how she wasn't very social with the other kids the first day,” Lacus said voicing her worries for Midori.

 

“I have to admit that it was kind of my fault. Since she was born it has been only me, my sister, and her husband that have looked after her. She hasn't really liked being around strangers all that much even though we've tried,” Kira explained hoping to ease her worried a little bit. “I must admit that I was impressed what you made her do though. I have to thank you for that,” Kira said gratefully.

 

“I don't see how it is your fault if you at least tried,” Lacus said giving him a sympathetic look. “And there's no need to thank me. While it is part of my job, I was more than happy to give her that little push that she needed. She's a really sweet girl who just needs to make friends with children her own age,” Lacus said as they finally got to the front of the line and made their orders.

 

“Well either way you got her to open up a bit more and I really can't thank you enough,” he said as they waited a little while before getting their food. Kira grabbed the food and the three of them walked to one of the tables. “I must say that I find it amazing how you're so good with children. What surprises me most is that I heard that you don't have any children of your own,” he said unwrapping his cheeseburger and took a big bite out of it while Midori bit into some french-fries.

 

Lacus became a bit flustered at his words and blushed a bit. “How do you know I don't have any children? I don't like to make my private life public so I doubt anyone would actually know. What if I do happen to have children of my own?” she asked eyeing him just wondering how he came to his assumption. She didn't mind talking about it though with him for some reason.

 

“I'm sorry for getting into this. I realize it must have been very rude of me to get into your personal life,” Kira said wishing that he'd just kept his mouth shut. He wouldn't blame her if she found him annoying. For some reason he couldn't help but wonder about the pink haired beauty sitting across from him.

 

“That's alright,” Lacus said with a smile as she shook her head. “You're right about the fact that I don't have any children. That's the reason why I love my job so much,” Lacus said looking fondly at the many children around the room. “I'm not angry about it, I was just wondering how you happened to know about it,” she said looking at him rather curiously.

 

“A friend of mine happened to mention it when he heard your name. He does know you best since he is your ex-fiancé Athrun Zala,” Kira said and he saw Lacus's eyes widen at the mention of her old friend's name.

 

“You know Athrun Zala?” Lacus asked looking a bit excited. When she saw Kira nod it just grew. “How is he? How do you know him?” she couldn't help but ask since she hadn't seen Athrun in months. `Not since my father's funeral.'

 

Nodding his head, Kira took a sip of his drink. “Yeah, I've known him since we were children. We're the best of friends. Not to mention that he's married to my twin sister Cagalli,” he replied setting his cup down on the wooden table.

 

“I didn't know he got married,” Lacus said with a frown since she wished she could've been there to see it. “When was it?” she asked trying to remember if she'd gotten any notice about it. `Maybe I just forgot,' she thought but knew that she didn't forget. She felt that something like that she would never forget.

 

“Two months ago. I'm sure that he sent you an invitation. Maybe it was just lost or something. He spoke quite fondly of you so I know he would've at least invited you,” Kira said looking at her and wondering what happened.

 

“Even if I did I probably wouldn't have been able to go. I was so busy around that time trying to get things straightened out in my life since my father died shortly before then,” she said in such a sad tone that Kira couldn't help but feel bad.

 

Shaking her head, Lacus tried to get rid of those thoughts because she didn't want Midori to see her so sad. “Well when you see him, will you please tell him that I said hello?” she asked and was grateful when Kira nodded his head. “Thank you. By the way, how exactly did you get into that conversation with Athrun anyways?”

 

A dark blush crossed Kira's face at the memory. `How exactly do I say it without making it sound weird?' he asked himself frantically looking for an answer in his head. In the end he just settled for telling her the truth. He never was good at lying anyways.

 

Even though he planned to tell her the truth, he still felt weird about mentioning it. “Well… since her mother passed away…” Kira said looking at Midori who didn't seem to be paying attention as she tried to eat her food. “My sister has been pestering me about getting into dating again. She became a nuisance about it when she heard how infatuated Midori had become with you and Athrun ended up being dragged into it,” Kira finished and Lacus nodded her head seeming to understand.

 

Lacus couldn't help but feel flustered when Kira was talking about it but she just pushed it down and kept smiling. “How come you never did? I'm sure Midori would've liked a mother while growing up and I'm sure your wife would've wanted that,” she said looking at Midori with pity in her eyes.

 

Kira was rather silent after that. In his mind he was debating whether to say what he was thinking or not but then decided not to. “I have tried but I ended up giving up. None of the women were liked by Midori very much. After a while I just gave up because it seemed to be too much trouble finding a woman both she and I liked,” Kira said completely forgetting that Midori already adored Lacus.

 

Giggling a bit, Lacus said the first thing that came to her mind. “So tell me Mr. Yamato is that why you asked me to come with you?” she asked and couldn't suppress the laughter at how red his face turned.

 

Kira became very embarrassed at her words. He hadn't meant to but now that he thought about it, it would seem that way to someone else. “N-no! I just felt rather bad for making you wait like that,” he said though he felt like he was lying. To tell the truth, he had no idea the real reason he asked her that.

 

“I know,” Lacus said in a soft voice as she looked down at the food in front of her. “You don't seem like the kind of person who would just ask someone he doesn't even know to go on a date,” she said lifting her head to see his violet eyes staring back at her.

 

“That's one of the reasons that I never went on any of the blind dates that my sister always tried to set me up with. I want to know the person. Not be in a relationship where there are too many secrets,” he said and Lacus just nodded before taking a bite of her food.

 

When Kira was with Fllay, everything about her seemed to remain secret. When Kira thought about it, he barely knew much about her while he was constantly telling her everything about himself. It always frustrated him so much and when she made her ultimatum, he let that frustration loose with a stream of curses her way.

 

“So how is Athrun doing? He seems to be the only one having luck with relationships. Especially since he's married. Your sister must be a good person if he picked her. He's usually a good judge of character,” Lacus said interested with how her ex-fiancé was doing. Having not heard a word from him in months, it just made her even more curious.

 

“He's doing well but he just won't take a break from work. My sister is annoyed about it but I know she won't do anything drastic. Maybe just kidnap him one day and hold him hostage in their house,” he said getting a good laugh from himself and Lacus.

 

Taking his words in, Lacus couldn't help but smile. It sounded like the Athrun she used to know. “Sounds to me like she's got a very outgoing personality. I think that's just the type of person he needed.”

 

“She's definitely outgoing. So much so that it's to the point that it's annoying. I have never met two people who were more different. But he at least keeps her in line and she does her best to do the same,” he said but couldn't help but think about all the times their personalities have clashed with one another.

 

“Well they do say that opposites attract,” Lacus replied with an amused look. She tried to but she couldn't get a good picture of what the two of them might be like when they are together. Each scenario in her head kept becoming more amusing than the previous one.

 

“Yeah, Athrun's cool demeanor to my sister's hotheadedness. If you think about it, it can be a rather scary combination,” he said chuckling. He couldn't remember the last time that he'd really been able to laugh so much like this.

 

Kira also couldn't help but think how natural it felt to talk to this woman. He could say things and not have to worry too much about her criticizing him about it. He could just tell that doing something like that just wasn't part of her personality.

 

Nodding her head, Lacus finished up her meal and stood up. “Listen, it's been wonderful meeting you Mr. Yamato, but I should really start heading home now,” she said holding out her hand to shake his again. She felt that tingle in her stomach again when he placed his hand in her and shook it. This time though, he did let go.

 

“Please, just call me Kira. It makes me feel old to be called Mr. Yamato. Especially when I hear it every day,” Kira said making Lacus giggle. He couldn't help but think about how pleasant the sound of her laughter was to his ears.

 

“Ok then… Kira,” Lacus said as she picked up her purse. “I guess I will see you around then. Be good Midori,” Lacus said and Midori nodded her head vigorously. Lacus then turned and walked out the door but not before taking another look at the small family.

 

From the side of his eyes, Kira watched as Lacus walked out and got into her car before driving away. Shaking his head to rid himself of any thoughts he turned and looked at the remainder of the food before him. He'd been so interested in talking to Lacus that he'd only taken a few smile bites out of it.

 

`What the hell was wrong with me?' he asked himself as he quickly finished his food. `I've never acted this way around anyone before,' he thought with a growl of frustration. “Come on Midori, we should get going as well,” he said and she nodded and got up having finished her food a while ago.

 

*****

 

Unlocking her front door, Lacus walked into the luxurious mansion that she'd lived in since she was a baby. She always thought that it was rather big for one person but she just didn't have the heart to separate with it at the moment. She knew that eventually she would probably leave but she wanted a little more time in the place that held a lot of the memories she had of her father.

 

Throwing her keys and purse on a table that was next to the door, Lacus slipped out of her shoes and headed towards the living room. Once there, she fell upon the couch and just stared up at the ceiling.

 

At the moment her mind wasn't on anything but one person. “Why is my heart still beating so quickly?” she asked her as she brought her hand up and rested it over her heart. It was beating faster than she ever felt it before. “It's been like this since I saw him,” she continued to say to herself.

 

Sitting up straight, Lacus took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair. She then stood up and started to head towards the kitchen finding that she really needed a glass of water.

 

Along the way, she couldn't help but notice the blinking on her answering machine indicating that she had messages. Pushing the button, the voice on the answering machine came on. “You have three new messages,” the voice said before all went silent for a second.

 

“Miss. Clyne? My name is Brandon. I don't know if you remember me but we met a few weeks ago. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. I was wondering…” he said before Lacus immediately deleted the message. She remembered him and his arrogance and knew what he was planning to ask. So she didn't need to listen to the rest to know her answer.

 

“Excuse me Miss. Clyne. My name is Edward…” was all she listened to before she deleted the message. It was another person she remembered but more along the lines of his persistence. He was a man that just didn't seem to understand the meaning of the word no. He'd called several times asking the same thing over and over even though Lacus gave him the same answer each time.

 

There was something particularly annoying about the date proposals that day over the rest of them. Lacus figured it was probably the same reason for why her heart had been beating so rapidly in her chest.

 

It was a woman's voice that came over the answering machine next. “Miss. Clyne? My name is Miranda Harris. I'm calling on behalf of Fllay Allster. We were just calling to see if you might've changed your mind about the offer we gave you for your father's company. If you have, then we would appreciate it if you would give us a call as soon as you can,” the voice said before the answering machine went dead.

 

Lacus deleted the last message since she had no intention of selling the company that her father had worked so hard to build. “She has got to understand that I will never sell it,” she said with annoyance laced into her voice.

 

As far as Lacus was concerned, Fllay had to be the most heartless woman around. She couldn't even be bothered to wait a week after Siegel Clyne's death to start to try and take over the company. In fact, she went right after it the very next day.

 

With a sigh, Lacus continued to walk to the kitchen. She poured a glass of water before taking a seat. She felt a headache coming on from the persistent messages she kept getting. “Maybe I should think of changing my number,” she said with a small chuckle as she rubbing her forehead where a headache was forming.

 

Despite the thoughts she'd been having, her dinner with Kira and Midori kept popped into her head. “Why do I keep thinking about them?” she asked growing a bit more frustrated as she stood up and walked to her room hoping that a good nights sleep would get rid of the thoughts she was having.

 

*****

 

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Cagalli turned her head just in time to see her twin and his daughter come walking through the door. “Where the hell were you two? You should've gotten back three hours ago,” she said looking at a clock that was hanging on the wall.

 

“Why are you here Cagalli?” Kira asked taking a seat as Midori rushed to her room to start getting ready for bed. “You have your own place to stay with a husband but instead you are always here,” he said looking at her with a suspicious look.

 

“Yeah, well I don't work all day long like you and Athrun. So I have a bit more free time. Maybe I should get Athrun to take some time off. Got any idea?” she asked looking honestly interested in a way to spend more time with her husband.

 

The words Kira said earlier that day to Lacus came to mind. “You can always kidnap him and hold him hostage in your house,” he said although he was only joking then and he was still joking now.

 

Much to Kira's surprise, Cagalli actually looked a bit interested in the idea. “That could work. Now I just gotta think of a way to do it,” she said happily thinking that she might actually get to spend some time with her husband. They did spend time together but she just wanted more than that.

 

“I was just kidding,” Kira said but she ignored him. From Kira's point of view, she looked like she was really planning on going through with it. “So, what are you doing here tonight? Athrun left before I did,” Kira said looking at Cagalli with a curious look.

 

Rolling her eyes was all that Cagalli could think of doing. “He was so tired when he got home that he immediately fell asleep. He definitely needs more sleep. Maybe I should think about turning off his alarm clock,” she said pondering a few other ideas in her head.

 

“Go ahead, and when he wakes up, tell him that we are ahead of schedule anyways. A few days off won't hurt. He can do most of his work from home,” Kira said liking this idea a bit more than the kidnapping plan.

 

“Yeah, I guess. Anyways, I came to see if I could get some dinner since I didn't feel like cooking. I didn't realize that the two of you were going to be so late. So why were you late?” she asked and she saw him fidget a bit and that just struck her curiosity and struck it hard. “Let me guess, you met Lacus and just couldn't bear to be apart from her,” she said in a really dramatic way.

 

“What?! No!” Kira said blushing a deep red. He tried to control it but found that he was unable to. “We just went out to get something to eat on the way home since it seemed a lot easier than making something,” he said leaving out the part that he actually did meet Lacus.

 

Studying Kira's face closely, Cagalli grinned. “Judging by how your face is bright red, I'm guessing you did meet her though,” she said and grinned even more when she saw him nod his head slightly. “So tell me, what did you think of her?” she asked really wanting to know what who husband's ex-fiancé was like.

 

Groaning was the only thing Kira could think of doing. He just knew that his sister wasn't going to get off of the topic until she got all of the information that she could out of him. He also knew that she would stoop to any measure in order to get what she wanted.

 

“Well…” Kira said while noticing how Cagalli's eyes widened in anticipation. “She was really nice, I'll admit that,” he said hoping to stop there but Cagalli's glare was enough to get him going once again. “She was kind, funny, and… beautiful,” he said before realizing just what came out of his mouth. He hadn't meant to let something like that slip in front of his sister. He knew that it would only get her on his case even more about dating Lacus.

 

A grin like that of the Cheshire cat appeared upon Cagalli's face. “So you think she's beautiful?” she asked with a chuckle as Kira turned bright red. “Let's see, she's kind, funny, and beautiful, has the complete attention of Midori, and is great with kids,” Cagalli said knowing that she really was the perfect person for Kira.

 

“Forget it!” Kira said standing up and started to pace the room. “Neither of us are interested in dating anyone we don't know!” he said and once again instantly regretted his words as the grin kept growing on Cagalli's face. “Please stop grinning like that, it's really scary.”

 

“So you got to talking with her. So I guess you can't really say that you don't know her,” she said using Kira's own words against her. “Kira, when was the last time that a woman got your attention long enough to get into a decent conversation?” Cagalli asked looking at him with an accusing look.

 

“So we got to talking while we ate dinner,” he said and started to really grow annoyed with the grin. “Yes we did. I felt really bad for making her wait so long since I was running really late tonight. Since I was just going to get some fast-food, I figured that I'd just invite her along,” he said before remembering one other thing. “And you can't say it was a date since Midori was there with us.”

 

Cagalli grumbled at his last few words since she knew that it was true. She could tell that Kira was interested even if he refused to admit it to himself. She just needed to find the right thing to give him the little push he needed.

 

As if someone was listening to her thoughts, Midori came walking into the room and towards the kitchen. “Wait a second Mi,” she said using her affectionate nickname for her niece. “Come here for a second,” she said ignoring the glare that Kira was sending her way. It was obvious that he knew what she was planning.

 

Looking a bit confused, Midori followed her aunt's orders and walked towards them. “What is it auntie Cagalli?” she asked coming to a stop in front of her aunt dressed in her usual pajamas.

 

Kneeling down to the little girl's level, Cagalli didn't even try to make what she said next a secret. “Answer a question for me? What do you think of Lacus? Would you mind your father dating her? You'd get to spend more time with her,” she said taking a quick look in her brother's direction.

 

Midori's eyes lit up like she'd just been given a candy store. “Yes! Miss Lacus is really nice! I really like her!” she said jumping around in her excitement. “Um… what's dating?” she asked with the usual innocence of a child.

 

“It's what parents do before they get married and have children,” Cagalli replied not liking that she was giving the little girl a hope that might not come true. She just hoped that it would work in the end.

 

Kira knew he couldn't let this go on any longer. He saw the hope in his daughter's eyes about the idea and he didn't want to hurt her but he knew Cagalli couldn't keep doing this. “I'm sorry sweetie but I don't think that will be happening,” he said preferring to be honest even if the look of hurt that crossed his daughter's face hurt him greatly.

 

After taking several minutes to cheer up his daughter, Kira sent her on her way to bed before Cagalli could try to pull another stunt like this. When she was gone, Kira sent his sister a glare that even she was a bit afraid of. “That was really cruel, even for you, to do that to her!” he said finding himself growing really angry.

 

Much to Kira's surprise, Cagalli just laughed. “Cruel, yes. Necessary, definitely!” she said but couldn't help but shiver at the glare he was sending her. “Did you see the hope in her eyes Kira? She wants this. So you should at least try,” Cagalli said before turning towards the door.

 

Growling deeply, Kira turned away and just ignored his sister. He really couldn't believe that she would go so far for her stupid cause. `Why can't she see that I'm not interested?' he thought before heading to his daughter's room.

 

Looking in, he saw his daughter already lying underneath the covers. “Sweetie?” he called out making her turn her head. She had a look of disappointment on her face because of what she heard earlier. “Please don't be like that,” he said sitting on the edge of the bed.

 

Midori didn't respond. She just crossed her arms over her chest and kept the pout on her face. This just caused Kira to sigh. “Do you really like her that much?” Kira couldn't help but ask. She never acted like this before whenever he told her she couldn't have something.

 

This caused Midori's face to brighten up. “Yes! Miss. Lacus is really nice, and fun to play with!” Midori said looking happier than she usually was when she spoke such words about the woman Kira just met.

 

Sighing, Kira ran a hand through his hair wondering how he was going to get out of this mess Cagalli put him in. `Damn you Cagalli!' Kira mentally cursed. “Listen sweetie. About what your aunt said, I don't think that it can happen,” he said and saw the pout appear on her face again.

 

“But why?” she asked staring up at him with those adorable blue puppy dog eyes. “I really like her. I want to play with her more,” she said crossing her arms over her chest with a bigger pout than ever.

 

Kira found that he couldn't help his chuckling. It was obvious to anyone that she still didn't understand what dating was. He actually preferred it that way. “Listen, like I said, I don't think what Cagalli said will happen. Will it at least make you happy if I got to know her a little better?” he asked since it was the only thing he could think of doing to compromise.

 

Midori seemed to be thinking it over carefully for a few minutes. “Will I be able to play with her more?” she asked with hopeful eyes. She saw her father hesitantly nod his head but she didn't think much of the hesitant part. “Yay!”

 

`What the hell have I gotten myself into? I'm not even sure I can keep this promise,' he thought while trying to keep a smile on his face. “Now it is time to go to sleep,” he said kissing her forehead after she laid down again. “Sleep tight,” he said turning off the light but left the door to the room open and the hall light on.

 

Walking into his room, Kira leaned against the wall and slowly fell to the floor. “I swear I am going to kill Cagalli next time I see her,” he said hitting his head against the walls. “Maybe it won't be so bad getting to know her though. She is a nice person. I just don't want it to go farther than that. Midori has hope and I don't want to crush it if things don't work out,” he muttered to himself as he stood up and fell onto his bed falling asleep almost instantly.