A/N: … well. This is my first attempt at translating something I had already written in Italian °A° (Not to mention the first Yzak x Shiho ff I publish here. I'm a bit nervous ^^''). I think that next time I'll write in English first, that's just soooooo much easier… Or maybe I just need a good beta-reader. Anyways! Enjoy and go easy on me if – sometimes – grammar sucks!

Sadly, I don't own Gundam SEED, Yzak, Shiho and Sunrise. That'd be too good to be true~

She was getting annoyed at the noise of the cutlery on the plates. They had sat down at the cafeteria table something like ten minutes ago and they hadn't spoken yet. Even the other soldiers had stood up and left, feeling that something awful was going to happen.

She looked up, ignoring the vegetables she hadn't still touched, and watched her Captain. He was deadly serious, as usual, and the way he was torturing his meal was exhausting. If only he had not been that cold, she could have fancied on an hypothetical date between the two of them. Even though they were all fighting that bloody war.

She was madly in love with him, it was no secret for the crew. Of course he didn't know, and he kept on treating her like a simple subordinate. It was true that they had a much more relaxed and close relationship, but nothing else. It was a strict, professional relationship; they were colleagues. He didn't touch her, he didn't tell her any kind, unrequited compliment... She had really put herself in a tough situation when she had understood she was in love with Yzak Joule.

"Captain," she murmured, her voice rough after the long silence. She would have gladly yelled anything at him, but that would have been rude of her. She respected him deeply, after all. "You should eat something, and also stop playing with your food," she suggested, fearing a tantrum from him. She saw him looking briefly at her and then he nodded. Most likely, he had not even listened to her. "We don't know when we will be required outside again, we have to be perfectly fine."

Yzak's fork stabbed a piece of meat and he took it to his mouth. "Hahnenfuss?" he called her, once he had finished munching. "How come you're able to do that?"

Shiho rose an eyebrow and looked at him. "Do what, sir?"

"You are so confident and strong," he answered, rolling his eyes because of that stupid question. "Because I can't do that, really."

"I don't mean to be rude, but you do know how to look like a volcano, from time to time," she told him, smiling. "You are quite famous because of your constant shouting at people, and you're anything but quiet."

Yzak stayed silent, but he did not give up. He wasn't satisfied to be querreling with a woman who seemed so capable of making him shut up istantly; even though she was the best in his team. "Okay," he mumbled, "but I'm not optimist either about the future," he declared, crossing his arms on his chest. "On the other hand, you are."

Shiho started laughing. It was the kind of noise one doesn't usually hear on spaceships like Vesalius. She noticed the confused and annoyed look his Captain was shooting at her and, slowly, she took hold of herself. However, she kept on smirking slyly. "You are so wrong, sir." He did not know anything about her, and this thing was kind of depressing, but she was on the same boat as him. "I usually see everything in a really bad light."

"Oh please!" Yzak snapped, already losing his patience. "Do you think I don't hear what your team members say about you? They keep on blabbering about how you are some kind of blessing for the Vesalius!"

"Maybe it's because I'm one of the few women around here," she said, without pointing at her feminine breasts. They were barely hidden by the uniform she was wearing. She saw her Captain open his mouth to answer, but no sound came out. "See? I'm such a pessimist!"

"You did it on purpose," he mumbled, mad at her and with a childish pout on his handsome face. "But, even if I admitted you're not as optimist as people believe, why do you float around the ship smiling at everybody? And why are you so confident about this war? ZAFT isn't in great shape, lately." He stopped abruptly, biting his lips, hesitating. "And why have you told me about your true self, out of all the people on board?"

Shiho shrugged, playing with the edge of her tray. "I just think this is the best thing I can do. I graduated a phase after you and the others, and when I arrived here I found everyone so depressed and little confident, like we had already lost it all. I thought it wouldn't have been nice of me, if I started behaving like you people, especially because I'm an elite soldier." She stopped and smirked. "It's not a big deal smiling, really. I enjoy myself."

Yzak looked at her for a couple of seconds and then he grunted. "You didn't answer my last question, though."

She was amused with his stubborness and his childish behaviour. She cocked her head a little. "I thought that being dishonest with my Captain would have been inappropriate and rude."

"I see..." Yzak stood up and took the tray in his hands. "Don't expect me to wipe away your tears, anyway. Because you know you need that really badly. No one can help you, if you behave like someone different from you. I'm not that kind of gentleman." He turned and headed for the bin trash. "However, I like that optimistic side of you. Go and try to be strong for both of us. Especially for me." He paused and shot a look at her. "Wait for it, I'm coming to you when I'm feeling down: there's nothing better than dealing with someone who's much more hopeless than you."

Shiho nodded and stared at him floating away. She smiled, totally amused with her Captain's cynical and humoristic side. She didn't even know he was capable of behaving like that.

She touched her reddening cheeks and wondered how people could even think that Yzak Joule was a mean person.