JC: I'm back with another AsuCaga fic. I'm still addicted to this pairing until now. I can't stop loving them. Athrun and Cagalli are perfect for one another. This little one-shot will only focus the couple. No other characters will be present here. As much as I wanted to add Kira, I don't want to make the story longer.

Disclaimer: I don't own Athrun Zala and Cagalli Yula Athha of Gundam SEED. All rights belong to Sunrise.

His Surprise, Her Answer

"I will be home tonight," he said to her via cellphone. "And I have a surprise for you."

"What's the surprise?" she asked.

"You'll find out later," he replied.

She shrugged, always a warning sign that her patience was running out. She wasn't the patient type of girl. "Fine then…" she muttered under her breath. She heard him chuckle and grew irritated with him. "You better not keep me waiting or else." It was typical of her to use her threatening voice. Well, it was her normal way of talking to others.

Even though she couldn't see his face, she knew he was smiling at the other end of the line. With his smooth and silky voice, he said, "I'll try… I'll see you later, Cagalli…"

--

That night she started to long for his presence. While she was doing her job as representative of ORB, he had to work in the PLANTs for one whole month. She won't admit it to his face, but she really missed him. But longing aside, her eyelids started to stutter. He was late. He told her he will be home before midnight. It was almost one o'clock.

Frustrated and tired, she flopped down on the bed and pulled the sheets over her. She couldn't fight her sleepiness anymore. She swore he will have an earful from her in the morning. Her amber eyes started to close, enjoying the breeze coming from her open windows, working its magic by lulling her to sleep. Just then, she felt something warm brushing against her lips. She jarred her eyes open and saw his face. She blinked several times, wondering if she was dreaming. But he wasn't a dream. He was real. He was there. Forgetting her earlier frustration, she hugged him tight and kissed him.

He deepened the kiss as if he was hungry for her. He started to touch her and trailed butterfly kisses on her neck and whispered, "I'm sorry for being late."

"You better give me a good explanation," she said.

"It wasn't easy getting here," he whispered into her ear. "But I have my surprise." He held out a small package. It was shimmering. She started to reach for it, but he kept it away from her.

She grumbled and he kissed her again. "If you're not giving it to me, then let me sleep," she said, pushing his face away.

He held her hand and rubbed it gently. "I don't want to give it to you now," he told her. "You have to wait."

She turned her head away and said, "I'm through with waiting, idiot."

He turned her face towards him. "Please be patient a little more."

Before she could even protest, he started to nibble her earlobe. Her heart skipped a beat and her cheeks flushed red in an instant. From her earlobe, he began licking the side of her neck. She wrapped her arms around his neck, savoring the pleasure he was making. He pulled back to face her and started to unbutton her night dress slowly.

She breathed deeply, desiring him badly that she hurriedly removed his shirt. He was touching her everywhere, and she loved it. She was happy to have him so close. She wished he would never go away again—even if it means disregarding his duties as an ORB soldier. However, she knew she can't be selfish. Well, he wasn't the only one who was always busy. As head representative of the ORB Nation, she rarely had time for him and for herself.

"Is this one of your surprises too?" she asked, restraining herself from moaning, as he stroked her inner thighs.

He kissed her softly on the lips before he gave her a loving smile. "Not exactly… Let's say I've been craving for this…"

She raised a brow and flicked his temple. "Since when did you become a pervert, Athrun?" she sarcastically said, and Athrun just giggled. "Did the pressure finally get to you?"

He shook his head and leaned his face closer to hers. "It's because I love you so much, Cagalli," he said and then kissed her again. He took her with such passion that she had to grab the covers to keep from rolling off the bed.

She felt unbelievable joy at being so totally possessed by him. She slept contentedly afterward, her mutual need sated. It was a magical night she will never forget for the rest of her life.

--

Waking up to a bright morning, she sat up on the bed and glanced at her side. He was gone. Before she started wondering where he had gone off to, she saw a white envelope on top of her bedside drawer. She picked it up and opened it.

Dear Cagalli,

Thank you for a wonderful night. It was the best. I'm sorry again for being late. Knowing you, I'm sure you'll still scold me for that.

Anyway, please meet me later at our favorite restaurant at eight. Wear your best dress. I will show you my surprise there.

Always yours,

Athrun

She put the letter down and smiled. "What is that idiot thinking?" she muttered, feeling thrilled and a little nervous. And he told her to wear her best dress. In other words, no formal pants were allowed. She hated dresses and skirts. Although she was used to wearing those kinds of things, she couldn't bring herself to like them. "But it's only for tonight. I hope this surprise is worth the trouble."

--

The fancy restaurant was full to capacity, a fact that amazed Cagalli considering the prices. But she supposed anybody who was loaded had a different concept of what was expensive. She was pretty rich herself, but she never had any high regard with money. Plus, all the luxuries weren't appealing to her at all.

However, she was oblivious to the fact that several people were staring at her in awe. Who could blame them? She was a highly regarded figure in ORB. In addition to that, she looked like a goddess in her gown. The attention grabbing gown was sexy and ultra stylish in bright blue Italian satin. It was trimmed with sparkling sequins, setting off the ruche bodice, the crisscrossed straps, and the low cut back. The straight cut gown was super slink and fabulous, and the matching shawl added the finishing touch of pure sophistication and elegance. Her naturally straight blonde tresses had soft, wavy tips, and the side of her hair was clipped with a diamond-decorated clip.

Athrun, who was mesmerized by such beauty, saw to it that she was conducted to their table immediately, where a bottle of high class wine waited for her. The waiter opened it and poured a bubbling measure into their crystal glasses with a flourish. Menus were brought with the same efficiency. While they studied them, caviar appeared in a small cut-crystal bowl with fresh lemon wedges, ground hard-boiled egg, and delicate squares of toast.

Cagalli shifted her amber eyes from the menu to the man across her. No doubt about it, she was impressed. A lot of things impressed her about Athrun Zala. From his beautiful pair of emerald eyes to his soft midnight-blue hair, he was an elegant man. The white suit fit him perfectly and his silk red tie completed his sophisticated look. Several women shot him admiring glances, sparking some jealousy in her.

He ordered for them, speaking flawlessly and smoothly, and the waitress couldn't help but admire him. The waitress was totally into him, which annoyed the hell out of Cagalli. And when the waitress went away, she shot him a glare.

He was almost afraid to ask her. "What's with that scary look, Cagalli?"

She can't blame him for being popular with the ladies. He can attract girls like bees to a flower. But Athrun wasn't defined by his looks only. She fell in love with him not because he was oh-so-handsome and polite. There was more to him than that. "It's nothing…" she belatedly replied. "I guess I'm a bit anxious about the surprise."

"I see… Well, I'm sure you're going to love it."

Rolling her eyes away, she said, "Whatever…"

Athrun took her hand, gently caressing the back of it with a circular movement of his thumb. "Don't give me this attitude, Cagalli," he said. "We're on a date, remember?"

"You don't have to remind me." There was an undercurrent of irritation in her tone. Her amber eyes narrowed slightly. "You're really up to something, aren't you?"

He tried to look innocent. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"Athrun, you're really—" She stopped when she felt him squeezing her hand a little firmer. She glanced back at him and noticed he was staring at something behind her. Peering over her shoulders, she saw a lot of men looking at her, admiring her, and showing off some smiles. That was when it hit her. Athrun was jealous. "Hmm… I guess a gentleman like you can turn green as well, huh?" She showed him a mischievous grin.

He slightly blushed and turned his head away. "It's not what you think…"

There was no mistaking what made his eyes furious a little. "Okay, if you say so…" she said, feeling pleased to tease him.

"Anyway…" He regained his composure and smiled at her. "I must say that you look more beautiful tonight. I'm always amazed to see you in a dress."

Cagalli shrugged. "What's so amazing about a dress?" she muttered. "I don't like dresses. They're so uncomfortable."

"But you look good in them. You're really fit to be the Princess of ORB." He continued on smiling as she blushed furiously. "I like it when you blush. You look so cute, Cagalli."

"You better shut up, Zala, if you don't want your tongue cut," she threatened him fiercely, although her heart was pounding fast. Deep down, she was quite happy to hear so many compliments from Athrun. He sure knew how to make a girl feel important.

"All right…" he said, giggling. "Let's just enjoy our dinner."

The food was undoubtedly marvelous, but neither of them really concentrated on it. When they were through they went dancing, heedless of the knowing smiles around them as they moved against one another.

--

Driving back to her mansion with the moon high up in the sky, Cagalli recalled the passionate night she had with Athrun. Her love for him was overwhelming. Perhaps because she was always busy with work, she had never thought of making a family with him. Another thing that came up was the surprise mystery package. Athrun didn't even mention it to her during their time at the restaurant. She figured it wasn't an engagement ring because he already gave her one. She was rather eager to find out.

Only a few more blocks and then she will be home. All of a sudden, Athrun took the wrong turn and drove farther away from her mansion. Before she could even scold him, Athrun shushed her by placing a finger on her lips.

"I'm going to show you my surprise," he said.

Cagalli widened her eyes. She thought he would never say that but he did. A new form of excitement filled her heart.

He brought her to the park and led her inside on foot. There was a secluded place in the park that only a few knew. The place had a pond in the middle and it was surrounded by trees and breath-taking flowers. The moon's reflection was illuminated beautifully on the surface of the water. It was an amazing place.

Truth to be known, it wasn't her first time there but it was her first time there at night. She had no idea the place looked so different at night. "Athrun, how did you find out about this place?" she asked.

Entwining his hand with hers, he pulled out the small package from his pocket and showed it to her. "Let's just say I have my ways…" he said.

"Wait… That thing… You showed it to me before. Just what the hell is it?"

"Open it…"

Cagalli took the box and opened it. Inside was a finely heart-shaped white gold pendant with a silver chain. Her name and his name were engraved on one side. The other side had the Lion ORB symbol. "Athrun… It's beautiful…"

"I already gave you a ring, so I decided to propose you with that," he said, taking her in his arms. His touch was tender and gentle, his eyes full of the love he felt for her. "Cagalli Yula Athha, will you marry me?"

Cagalli couldn't believe it. The man was asking her to marry him. Was she dreaming? Was this all true? "Athrun… I…" She didn't know what to say. "You really surprised me and I didn't expect this…"

Athrun sighed and patted her head. "A simple yes or no, Cagalli," he told her. "I'm sure it's not that hard to say it."

"For someone who just proposed to a girl, you sure sound like you're confident," she said, lowering her gaze from him. She knew she was blushing hard.

He took her head in his hands and leaned down to kiss her. "I guess I have to kiss you senselessly until you give me an answer, princess."

"Don't you dare, Athrun Zala!" she scowled, pinching his nose tight. "And don't call me princess! You know I hate that name. Since you want an answer, I'll gladly give it to you. My answer is yes." She spoke so fast that she didn't realize what she said last.

Athrun's lips curved into a big smile. "Yes? Are you serious, Cagalli?"

Cagalli paused for a moment, mentally scolding herself for saying things carelessly. She saw the look in his eyes—the look of excitement, which she found rather disturbing. She had no plans on answering him right away. She wanted to think about it first. But she had to open her big mouth. "Fine! Yeah, I'm serious! I want to marry you! There, I said it!"

"Proposing to you was one of my surprises too," he admitted, caressing her cheek tenderly. "And I'm glad you accepted it." He hugged her tight and kissed her on the tip of her nose.

"Athrun, you're just full of surprises," she said, and he chuckled. "I hope this is the last."

"I wouldn't be saying that." He leaned his temple against hers. "I'm not letting you sleep tonight, Cagalli." He seemed to be serious and joking at the same time, and Cagalli got a bit worried about that.

She shook her head, pushing his face away from her. "It's official. You've become a pervert."

Athrun stroked her hair. "I'm not a pervert. I'm just in love with you, that's all." He chuckled heartily. "This may sound corny to you, but I want to say this. Cagalli, you were destined to become my wife. With your distinctiveness, you'll fit right in."

She clamped his mouth with one hand and sighed in frustration. "Yeah, it's definitely corny," she said and then showed him a stunning smile, which was enough to make him blush. "But it made me happy. I also want to thank you for everything tonight. I had a wonderful time with you."

"Me too," he replied. He kissed her again. His tongue darted into her mouth, to be met by her own. He ran his hands along the smooth skin of her arms, treasuring every inch of her. Cagalli treasured him as well, with her eyes and mouth and tongue. He brushed her blonde hair with the tips of his fingers as he trailed butterfly kisses on her neck and shoulders.

Her time with him had begun with a surprise and ended up with extreme passion and love.

End of Story

JC: It's been a long time since I wrote an AsuCaga fic. I heard about the Gundam SEED movie coming up and I can't wait for it. I hope there will be AsuCaga scenes in it. An avid fan like me needs it. Okay, my motivation for this story just came out of nowhere. I can always imagine Athrun as the perfect boyfriend. He's such a gentleman and he's so handsome. He's well-suited for Cagalli-sama. And I love writing about Cagalli in fabulous gowns. She is just beautiful. Well, I hope you enjoyed the story. Tell me what you think. Please review. No flaming!