7 Steps on How to Court Shiho Hahnenfuss

Step Four Part II: The Great Introspection Part I

foureyesfreak27

Summary: Post-GSD. Step #1; Get to know her. Before making any initial moves, you should get to know your woman very well in order for you to court her properly.

In which Yzak Joule has little to no clue on how to court the woman he's been betrothed to for ages.

A/N: I am absolutely sorry this chapter took forever (2 years +) to write. College is dreadful and research paper has been piling up, but thank goodness it's summer vacation now! I hate that I left you all hanging and I'm truly, truly sorry. This chapter isn't the best, though I really felt like I need to publish it just to let you all know that I'm still alive and well. I hope that the next chapter won't take as long as this one. And I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny.

Warning: This chapter has not been fully edited yet. Please excuse any grammatical errors.

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Sonofabitch.

That was the first thought that went through his head when he saw those big words displayed in bright red neon color on his LCD. The large font screening the word 'LOSER' was mockingly glaring at him, ridiculing and bruising his pride for every second it blinked on screen. Yeah, he hadn't seen it wrong, it fucking displayed the one word he hated the most.

At first glance when he saw those letters, he thought he was hallucinating for he had never—and when he claimed never, he really meant it—ever in his whole entire career as a commander had the displeasure of seeing those words labeled on him. For god's sake, no one, except his ace pilot, had ever come close to beating him in stimulation.

But this, this right here took the cake.

He faintly heard a buzzing sound of the radio trying to connect to him, but he was too shaken to even bother to reply. All that Yzak could do right this moment was just staring blankly at the display. For majority of his life, Yzak never really believed in a higher being, let alone attend services and functions for he never was too keen on worshipping something he cannot see. But right this moment, he silently prayed to the big man upstairs to wake him up from his humiliating nightmare that he was experiencing.

"…zak!"

Silence.

"YZAK!"

Startled, the silver-head slightly jolted awake from his trance. Shaking his head to further wake himself, he sat up straight and pressed the communicator. "What?" he barked, not too politely. Too bad, he wasn't feeling too polite after the shitty experience he had just gone through.

"You alright there, buddy?" His blond friend's head popped inside the cockpit. Yzak then realized that he had sat inside the cockpit for far too long and having his friend sort of surreptitiously sneaked inside without him knowing showed just how much he was engrossed in his own thoughts.

The silver head merely glared at him as he slowly stepped out of the cockpit.

"Yzak, you should really stop sulking. Everyone is going to wonder what happened to you," Dearka advised, tentatively.

Yzak glared intensified as his eyes narrowed sharply at his friend. "They could take their unwanted look and go shove it up their—"

"Well that was quite a stimulation, eh?" The bane of the silver-head's existence pitched in.

Silver eyes quickly turned to find the man in his jumpsuit striding his Zala-walk towards him. Yzak bit a sarcastic retort back and could only spat, "Zala."

"Well there's always a next time, eh?" The bluenet chuckled, earning yet another glare from the great commander. Yeah, another time for me to beat the shit out of you, Yzak thought bitterly.

Dearka's smile was filled with grimace and understanding as he watched the silver-head about to combust into an inferno of temperance after Athrun's comment. So to spare his friend from committing murder in the eyes of many citizens, the blond quickly intervened. "Hey, Zala when are you and blondie going to get hitch?"

Both Commander and Admiral looked at the Captain with surprised gleamed in their eyes from the change in gear. Athrun broke the silence and chuckled, "Well, hate to break it to you, but not anytime soon. Cagalli is far too busy to even think about a wedding right now." He paused, thoughtfully. "Well how about you? You and Miriallia have been dating for far too long, too. Any wedding invites any time soon?"

The blond captain seemed to ponder on that thought for a bit before sheepishly shrugging. "Right now is not the time. Both Millie and I are a bit too busy focusing on our careers, but," he paused, giving the silver-head commander a sly look, "someone else's impending nuptial is coming up."

Yzak's eyes widen while Athrun looked as if he was reminded of something of importance. The blue-haired Coordinator snapped his fingers and gave his silver-head friend a bright smile.

"That's right! So, I hear congratulations are in order?" Athrun presumed, smiling felicitously though Yzak was quick to come into the conclusion what the man was referring to the moment he saw the gleam in the other man's eyes. Goddamn it, even Zala knew about his upcoming nuptial.

Dearka was the one who answered in his stead. "If you're referring to Yzak's wedding, then yes, you assumed correctly, my dear friend."

The silver-head glared daggers at his blond friend. Clearly the bastard was here to gloat, no doubt about it.

"And will you be attending?" The blond continued on, clearly enjoying his little inquisitions much to his silver-head superior's displeasure.

Before Athrun had the chance to reply, Yzak promptly interjected. "I believe it's time for us to leave now, Zala, Elsman." The last word was said with so much spite as the commander narrowed his looks to his blond best friend, well, soon to be ex-best friend if he keeps it up.

To no one's surprise, Dearka did not bother batting an eye to Yzak, he simply continued his inquisition to the blue haired Admiral. "So? Will you and Cagalli be attending Yzak's engagement party?"

Athrun chuckled. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. Cagalli and I would be honored to attend yours and Major Hahnenfuss's engagement party."

A figure from afar caught the blond's attention. Smirking, the Elsman heir waved a dramatic hand gesture in the air hoping to catch their attention. "Speak of the devil, yoo-hoo, Shiho!" Dearka shouted, earning many curious spectators in the area. Yzak stiffened at the name. For the love of god, of all the places they have to run into, she just had to be here when Zala's with them? Fate was one cruel bitch after all.

The Orb's Admiral, not noticing the current turmoil that Yzak was experiencing, decidedly chuckled at the blond's dramatic gesture. "You know, Dearka, it amazed me how you address your superior so casually. You do realize that she ranks as a Major, do you not?" Athrun bemusedly reminded his exuberant blond friend.

Dearka waved a dismissive hand gesture as if he was swatting a pesky fly. "I do, but I get away with most of my insubordination actions from time to time. Besides, Shiho herself never reprimands me about it so the name sticks." The blond produced his infamous lopsided grin that can charmed any man and woman cohere to his will, nevertheless, his close friends were among the very few that are immune to his charismatic smirk.

Athrun could only shake his head half-amusedly.

"Captain Elsman, how many times do I have to tell you to address me formally in the presence of—Athrun?" The last statement was said in a tone that Yzak had never heard from the brunette as her gaze shifted from the blond captain to the blue haired Admiral.

Athrun in return softly smiled at the brunette Major. "Hey, Shiho! It's been awhile."

What the in the blazing hell?

Yzak's eyes were wildly flickering back and forth from Hahnenfuss to his nemesis for a good long second, trying to solve the puzzlement that was presented before him.

"Where have you been, Shiho? I didn't see you at the conference earlier," Athrun queried, curiously.

She smiled, good god, the woman knows how to genuinely smile! "Forgive me, but I had the pleasure of escorting many of the ambassadors' madams to their designated suites."

That brought a slight smirk on Yzak's face. He knew for a fact that Shiho absolutely hated escorting duties but was never one to voice her objections when given orders from their superiors. And judging by the sour look she was making, she definitely encountered some snobbish madams.

"Ah, you must've met with Madam Huang didn't you? A pleasant woman is she not?"

"If by Madam Huang, you mean the rumored deplorable mannered woman who brought her ten poodles with her and whose husband is none other than Ambassador Richard Huang of Equatorial Union, then yes, yes I did."

"Oh god, that heinous woman, I don't know how you can stand being in her presence. Like seriously, I'm surprised your ears aren't bleeding to death by now," Dearka pitched in, shuddering. A few years ago, the blond captain had the displeasure of escorting some madam ambassadors to their designated suites and amongst them was Madam Cynthia Huang who was notorious for having a mouth that can run for miles and miles without bothering to take any pauses or breaths in between.

"Since when have you and Zala addressed each other on such friendly bases?" Yzak bluntly asked without a second thought. He almost cursed himself for his slip of tongue and would do whatever it took to take back what he just said.

Luckily for him, no one found his question odd.

"For a while now, Commander. Athrun was one of our guest speakers during my time at the Academy. He was honored as the valedictorian of the previous class before us, don't you remember Commander?"

Yzak could only grunt in response, not desiring to recall any sordid memories of his past.

"Plus, he occasionally helps and demonstrates marksmanship for our class whenever he has the time, too," the brunette added, with a hint of a smile. Yzak narrowed his eyes at the little action of hers. Since when have Hahnenfuss ever smile genuinely?

"We have to go now, Major," Yzak brusquely reminded his ace pilot. He switched his gaze to the blond who, by far, was someone he wanted to pummel due to the fact that the latter was poorly attempting to keep his laughter at bay. "Captain Elsman, please escort our guest to his hotel."

The Elsman heir's eyes went wide, "Me?" He parroted, pointing an index finger to himself. "Why do I have to do it? Shouldn't it be—"

"I don't like my command being second guessed in front of a guest, Captain," Yzak gritted, interrupting the blond-haired Captain.

Dearka sighed dramatically. "Sir, yes, Sir," he mockingly saluted before turning his gaze to his blunet friend. "Now let's get going shall we, Zala? Our…presences seem to be not wanted as of right now." The blond threw a smug look at his silver-head Commander before trudging away with a confused Admiral right behind him.

Yzak glared at the silhouette of his friends. Damn Elsman, need he not remind him that he's being way too conspicuous in company.

"Commander?"

"What?" He barked, momentarily shaken by the voice from his female companion beside him.

Shiho blinked rapidly, quite startled by her commanding officer's intonation. Well, she shouldn't be surprise at the least. The man has a one-sided rivalry with the former Elite Red Coat after all, she thought wryly.

"Are you all right, Commander?" She cautiously asked.

Yzak momentarily closed his eyes, counting to ten in English, Portuguese, German, Spanish, Farsi, Arabic, French, and all the languages he has mastered during his life before exhaling a long dragged out breath.

Her jaw shifted in askew as she looked up to him, startled by his question. By the looks of it, she was clearly disgruntled by the slip of her tongue. She paused, staring into his eyes as if she was assessing his worth. Uneasiness flickered in Yzak's eyes as the woman before him averted her gaze from top to bottom. He couldn't take any more of the woman's perceptive gaze simply because, hell, she made him feel unease. And feeling unease means that he was letting his guards down, and letting his guards down means that he was prone to vulnerability. No, he needed to get away. NOW.

"Fantastic," he managed to spat before promptly stomping ahead—but not before the brunette had a glimpse of his beet red face—which left the utterly befuddled brunette behind wondering what the hell was up her Commander's ass.

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"Your session will be taking place in the studio down the hall to your right. It's the first door you'll see. Should you have any questions, feel free to come back to ask. Enjoy your trial session and have a wonderful day, Sir."

The only response that the bubbly woman behind the concierge desk receive from the silver-head was a begrudging grunt before trudging away without a backward glance.

Whatever possessed him to actually go through this stupid thing was beyond him.

Dearka, the bastard that he was, had informed his girlfriend about his slight dilemma regarding his health and wholeheartedly without any reserve the chestnut-haired woman signed his name up for a trial session for that weekend. So it was a given when the next day the dandy blond came strolling into the shooting arena looking for him, where he was practicing his aims and imagining the target yards away was Zala's gloating face, whistling some godawful tune only to interrupt his session just to present him a confirmation slip of paper stating that he would be joining a yoga session at some studio, Yzak switched his target and took a shot at him.

Well, attempt would be the key word, for Yzak had purposely missed shooting at the blond by just a mere centimeter, to the relief of Dearka. Good thing the blond was a Coordinator for he easily evaded the bullet from point blank, or else, well, let's just say if it weren't for his genetic enhancement, the blond would be limping with one leg for quite some times.

The Black Coat insisted that this was by far the best method for him to do to help reduce his blood pressure and perhaps relax him from 'walking as if you had a stick up your ass.' Damn Elsman.

The Elsman heir somehow managed to coax him into agreeing to come, and the final straw was that he had actually tried to blackmail him to go by threatening to call his doctor so that she can order the HR department to put him on indefinite leave of absence until further notice. Yeah, well that wasn't going to happen again. He cannot sit back and twiddle his thumbs and do absolutely nothing whilst he was the commander. Ergo his rather foul mood at this very moment.

So the moment Yzak entered the designated room that he was assigned, he was dumbstruck.

No, it wasn't because the whole room was swarmed with the female species like what he had anticipated or rather assumed, but it was because he noticed that this specific yoga room was filled with couples.

Not couples that were in a pragmatic relationship, but rather in romantic ones.

For a split second, the silver-head thought that he had entered the wrong room, or perhaps was directed to the wrong session. But no matter how many times he ran the instructions that were given to him by the woman at the front desk in his head, he cannot think of any reasons why she would led him into the wrong studio room.

And if he recalled correctly, this was the only yoga session that was taking place at the current hour. Unless, he went here on the wrong date.

"Excuse me," he called out to the nearest patron which happened to be a young woman.

"Yes?" she replied, testily as she gave Yzak one good look from head to toe before smiling a smile that was too friendly. "Can I help you?"

Yzak blatantly ignored the invitation and continued as if her coy actions weren't there to begin with. "This is the yoga session for the ten o'clock time slot, right?"

"Yes, it is."

"Well, is there something going on that I have no clue about?" He gave the room one lingering survey before returning his questionable gaze to the said woman.

"Oh, today's a special day," the woman said excitedly.

Yzak fought the urge to roll his eyes at the obvious statement she made. "Yes, I can see that," he wryly supplied.

She continued her explanation as if she hadn't heard his sarcastic remark. "For today's class we were asked to bring a partner because today's activities are going to be involving two people."

A flicker of aggravation hummed its way to life in him.

That bastard's knavery had gone too far this time.

"Repeat that once more," he said, far too deadly.

"Er, today's class will involve two people who are in a romantic relationship. It's a way to bring them closer you know. Strengthening bonds and stuff?" She added, giving the silver-head a mixture of skeptical and worried look since the man was about to combust into a roaring flame dragon.

"Yes," Yzak said darkly, "I can see that." His eyes scanned the room once more and without a doubt, couples were filling the room trying to find a spot where they can place their mats.

"Do you have a partner?" The woman asked, almost as if she was suggesting that he should be partnered up with her. "Because my boyfriend bailed out on me today so if you want, we can—"

"No, I'm leaving," Yzak abruptly interrupted and quickly turned his footing towards the door. Screw Elsman to hell and back. He wasn't going to be participating in some stupid couples' yoga shenanigan. As he came closer to the exit, he was just about to hold on to the door knob before the door swung open before him.

"Sorry I'm late," a velvety, yet very recognizable, voice piped in. "The train was jammed pack this morning." The figure quickly made her way inside the room, ignoring his presence by the door.

Yzak abruptly stopped himself and frowned. That haunting voice sounds awfully familiar to him. Better yet, for a flash of second, he could've sworn it was a woman he knew.

"Don't worry, darling, we just started the class anyways," the instructor said to the owner of the feminine voice behind him.

"Good, I hate being late," the voice paused, presumably surveying the room for the very first time since she'd arrived. "Is this a couples' yoga?"

The instructor laughed, "Yes, today we are having a special session that requires couples only activities. Judging by the fact that you came alone, I'm assuming you don't have a partner?"

"No, sorry, I was misinformed about that part," the familiar voice said apologetically, yet at the same time sounded utterly miffed at her unfortunate situation.

Oh god. That voice. That godawful familiar voice. It couldn't be. No. no. No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No goddamn it no! "Hahnenfuss," he called out, blue eyes widen as they clashed into an equally startled purple one.

The brunette blinked owlishly, as if trying to discern whether or not the man who had just called out her name was a mere figment of her imagination. "Commander?"

The instructor, not noticing the tension in the air, clapped his hands together with glee. "Now isn't this wonderful! Looks like you've found yourself a suitable partner for today's lesson."

Screw Elsman to the pits of hell and back.

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TheRedSin- Hahaha YES! Our great commander is indeed capable of jealously. And Ezalia? Hehe, nice guess there but you'll find out soon enough :)

Yennefer- Aw thanks hon! Yes, Athrun and Yzak have one hell of a love-hate relationship. Their bromance is awesome!

Pandora154085- Thank you for reading! Dearka is indeed one cunning bastard! Imagine what they'll do during their yoga session ;) I'll leave it up to your imagination until next time!

Hal1990- Thanks for reading! Hope you like it!

NaoeKazuko- Hi! Thank you for reading my story! I'm glad it made you laugh! Yes, I often imagine what Shiho's character would be if she were to be one of the main lead in the anime. I picture her as someone who has a deadpanned sarcasm voice all the time XD And I'm truly sorry it took SO LONG for me to update!

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A/N: Yeahh, this chapter wasn't my best :/ sorry! But I'm currently writing the next chapter! I promise you all that it will DEFINITELY be worth the wait! Until next time!