JC: Hi! Chapter 2 is here! Thanks so much for the reviews. My OC, own character, Kai Kazuya will be here. He's going to cause some commotion for Cagalli and Athrun. Our favorite couple is going to have their first friendly date in the city. I do hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed.

Love Fulfilled

Phase 02: A Day in the City

It was one fine morning in ORB. The sun was just right and it wasn't too hot. It was a perfect day to hang out. As she glanced at the clear blue sky, Cagalli sighed. She wanted to escape from the mansion like she usually does, but the area was heavily guarded. She was really bored. She stretched out her arms and groaned, "I want to get out of here!"

Suddenly a knock came to her door. "Princess, it's me, Athrun," said Athrun, "Can I come in?"

Cagalli smiled at the sound of the voice of her blue-haired bodyguard. She rushed towards the door and quickly opened it. "Athrun, I'm so glad that you're here!" exclaimed Cagalli, who just pulled Athrun in.

When he saw Cagalli's smiling face, Athrun blushed like hell. Cagalli was just happy to have some company with her, and Athrun could very well see that. But he had a bad feeling that something was going to happen. Cagalli held his hands, which made him gazed upon her golden-brown eyes. His heart pounded so hard. "What is it, princess?" Athrun nervously asked.

Cagalli grinned, which concerned Athrun a lot. "Athrun," started Cagalli. "Will you help me escape from this place? I want to go out to the city."

Athrun briskly shook his head. "No way... I'll be in trouble."

Cagalli put on a puppy dog face to convince him. Athrun couldn't resist her cute face, so he gave in to her demand. "All right," he said in defeat. "I'll help you but I'm not going to like this." Cagalli shook his hands and thanked him.

She changed into her civilian clothes (the clothes she wore in Destiny) in the bathroom. After a few minutes, she came out looking cool and ready in her clothes.

Athrun was amazed that she looked good in any clothes.

"I'm all set!" told Cagalli. She eyed him for a moment. "But wait a second! You can't come with me wearing a military uniform." She pointed out.

Athrun just remembered that. If he was going with her, then he must lose the uniform. "Luckily, I brought my clothes with me," Athrun said.

"Then go change already," demanded Cagalli, who was really anxious.

He nodded his head. He grabbed his bag and went to change in the bathroom. After a minute, he came out wearing black pants and jacket together with a green shirt. He looked really dashing in that outfit that made a great impression on Cagalli.

"Wow, you look cool."

Athrun blushed at the compliment, but he managed to stay composed. "Well, you look good too, you know," he said.

The princess peeped outside to see if anyone's there. "Okay, its all clear," Cagalli told Athrun. They ran through the hallways, hand-in-hand, trying their best to stay out of sight from the guards and maids. The house was so huge to begin with, so it took a while until they've reached the main entrance.

"It seems like there are no guards," Athrun said. "We have to be careful." They've reached the door with ease. Now the big problem was just beginning. The outside were full of guards.

"How are we going to get pass them?" asked Cagalli, who was feeling a little down.

Athrun placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Don't worry we'll get pass them..." He assured her of a plan he came up with a little while ago.

Athrun hacked into the security system. He triggered an alarm from the garden, which led the guards to think that there was an intruder. The guards rushed to the area, leaving the front yard clear.

"This is our chance," Cagalli said, grabbing the coordinator. She ran towards the gate, dragging Athrun along, and quickly opened it by entering a code. As the gates opened, both of them ran off.

The princess and the bodyguard rested on bench in a park. They were exhausted from all that running. In the midst of her heavy breathing, Cagalli suddenly laughed.

"What's the matter?" Athrun asked.

"I'm just relieved to get away from that place," Cagalli replied.

"You're a princess, but you're not allowed to do anything you want," he said with a look of concern.

Cagalli nodded. "I'm like a caged bird that can't flap her wings freely." She sighed as she looked up at the trees.

Athrun always thought that she was the luckiest girl in the whole world. She had everything. She was rich, beautiful, and powerful. She was the most admired figure in ORB aside from Kira. But he realized that having everything wasn't enough to make you happy.

"You know," started Cagalli, "as I child, the saddest thing that ever happened to me was losing mom." The blonde clenched her fist as she tried to hold back her tears. "Mom would always give me her love and concern. But when I turned 9, she found out that I wasn't really her child. I was switched during birth. She was so shocked that her heart couldn't take it anymore, so she slowly killed herself. Luckily Uzumi Nara Athha adopted me. He was very nice. I was so lucky to have a father like him. Later on, I found my brother, Kira Yamato. He lived in ORB all this time together with the Yamato family. He was once just an ordinary student and now he is the head representative of this county. I'm quite impressed." Cagalli turned to Athrun and smiled.

The blue-haired coordinator stared at the blonde. He knew that Cagalli was feeling down right now. Seeing her so sad, made him so uneasy. He had to cheer her up, but he doesn't even know how. He wasn't the funny type, so he couldn't tell jokes. Athrun scratched his head in frustration. "What should I do? I hate to see Princess Cagalli like this."

Suddenly, he felt somebody grabbing his arm. He noticed a pair of hands wrapped so tightly around his arms. He looked at Cagalli who seemed to have a smile on her face. She seemed to have lightened up a bit. She stood while pulling Athrun from the bench. "Come on, Athrun," said Cagalli, "We have a long day ahead of us."

Athrun briskly nodded his head, "Okay..." he said as he smiled.

Cagalli put on her sunglasses before she exited the park with Athrun. She had to be careful, since she was the princess after all, and somebody might recognize her. That would be a lot of trouble, especially for Athrun's part.

He suddenly pictured Kira in his mind. He shivered at the mere thought of him. He better watch the princess carefully or else he would lose his job, he thought. He chuckled to himself. "So, where are we?" Athrun gasped as he noticed that Cagalli had disappeared from his sight.

"Where's the princess?!" said Athrun who was getting nervous. He could feel his hands turning as cold as ice. He looked around to find the blonde, but he she was no where in sight.

"Athrun!" called Cagalli.

The bodyguard followed the sound of the voice that led him to a hotdog stand. Cagalli was standing right beside it, eating some chilly dogs with a hint of mustard and ketchup. The blonde took one big bite out of it. "Yummy!!" exclaimed Cagalli, and then she glanced at her bodyguard. "Athrun, let's eat!"

Athrun sighed in relief. He thought that he lost Cagalli back there. He approached the blonde and ordered one hotdog as well.

"After this, let's go to the arcade," suggested Cagalli and took another bite.

"Sounds fun," replied Athrun. "It's been a long time since I've been there."

After eating, Cagalli started running away from Athrun. The coordinator really had no choice but to go after her. He had to admit that Cagalli was acting like a small child, but he found it to be a cute trait. As he hurriedly followed Cagalli, he saw the princess bumping into a familiar guy with brown hair and crystal blue eyes. Cagalli almost fell down if it wasn't for Athrun catching her in his arms.

"Huh?" She glanced at Athrun and smiled. "Thanks for the help, Athrun!"

Athrun was speechless. His cheeks were as red as a tomato. He could feel his body freezing up. A sudden chill and tension rose up in his spine because one of his hands was holding Cagalli's breast. Before the princess could notice that, Athrun quickly removed his hands from her. "No... No... Pro... problem..." he replied.

"If it isn't Athrun Zala..."

The brown-haired guy was leaning against the wall with arms folded in front of his chest. He smiled mischievously at Athrun Zala.

"Athrun," said Cagalli, "Who is he?"

"I'm Kai Kazuya, a friend of Zala..." Kai told her.

"Kai…" Athrun said. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Kai Kazuya..." muttered Cagalli. "Wait I heard that name before..."

"Where?" Kai curiously asked her.

"You're part of the ORB military," Cagalli said. "You're Lieutenant Kai Kazuya..."

"Wow!" Kai yelled in surprise. How in the world did the blonde girl know that? Kai was puzzled. He started to be suspicious about her. "How did you know that I was an ORB soldier?"

"Well... I kinda... um..." Cagalli couldn't find the right words to answer him back.

Luckily, Athrun made up an excuse that they had to go, but Cagalli was pulled back by Kai. With a direct movement, he swiped the sunglasses away from the blonde girl. Her golden-brown eyes were revealed to Kai that made him blushed a bit. Her eyes were really beautiful. Kai wanted to ask her out or something until he came to recognized the blonde girl, which turned out to be the Princess of ORB. Kai felt like dying at that moment. He acted so rude in front of her royal highness! He saluted and bowed his head as a sign of regret.

"Don't worry its okay..." Cagalli said.

"Kai, you're making a scene," told Athrun. "The people are going to notice Princess Cagalli here."

"Sorry about that..." Kai said.

"Let's start again," he suggested as he bowed like a true gentleman. "I'm Kai Kazuya, part of the ORB military and a friend of Athrun Zala."

"Okay, I'm Cagalli Yula Athha," replied Cagalli with a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's an honor to finally meet you, Princess. I have always admired you!" Kai said out loud, which made the people passing by to look at him. "Uh... oh..." He smiled awkwardly. He turned to Cagalli and Athrun who were glaring furiously at him. "I'm sorry..."

"Why don't you just keep your mouth shut?!" yelled Athrun.

"Did you say the princess?" an old woman came out from the crowd and questioned Kai. "I heard you right—you said princess."

Kai started sweating like a pig. He scratched his head as he tried to think of an excuse. The people were staring at him, which just made him more nervous than he already was.

"I don't like the looks of this," whispered Athrun. "Put on your sunglasses right away."

"Okay," replied Cagalli. She swiped the sunglasses away from Kai's hand. Before she could put them on, somebody from the crowd suddenly shouted her name.

"It's Princess Cagalli! It's really her! I can recognize that face anywhere."

BUSTED! The crowd surrounded them like a pack of wolves. They all turned to fan mode and screamed Cagalli's name in admiration. In ORB, Cagalli was like a celebrity—she was the most popular person in ORB. Cagalli just smiled at her adoring fans that seemed to be begging for an autograph and a picture. This was beginning to annoy her. She moved towards Athrun and Kai. The both of them were arguing, more like blaming each other. Cagalli wanted to knock their heads off, but she could do that later. Right now, she just wanted to get away from the crowd.

"Athrun, you better think of a way to get me out of here," Cagalli whispered in a deep tone.

"Well okay then..." he replied. Athrun suddenly pointed up and yelled, "Look, its Strike Freedom!"

The crowd, including Kai, looked up. Athrun was a bit surprised that they fell for an old trick like that. "They actually believed that..." he chuckled. He immediately grabbed the chance and dragged Cagalli away.

While they were running, Cagalli kept staring at Athrun's face. She noticed how handsome he was. She suddenly gave out a small laugh.

They both stopped in front of a café. Athrun looked around if anybody followed them. "Good, we lost them..." He remembered that he left Kai back there. "Oh well... He can take care of himself," Athrun silently thought. He glanced at the blonde to see her laughing. "Princess, what's the matter?"

Cagalli shook her head. "It's nothing... I'm just happy that's all."

To see her laugh and smile makes Athrun's heart feel contented. He doesn't know her completely, but he could tell that Cagalli was really cheerful and kind. She always has been since the day he first saw her. As he glanced at the blonde, he could feel his heart pounding so hard. The time he shared with her will forever be engraved in his mind. He wished that he could always be with her. He loved Cagalli so much. He wanted to tell her his feelings, but he was afraid of her answer. What if she rejects him? That'll be too painful for Athrun to bear. Yet, he had to take the risk. He had to express his love for her. But now was not the right time to do it, because Cagalli was enjoying her time. He doesn't want to ruin it, so he decided to tell her some other day.

ORB Parliament House

Kira arrived home early from work. He was exhausted from all the meetings that he was ready to hit the hay. He then remembered about his sister, so he decided to pay her a visit in her room. He knocked on the door, but strangely there was no answer. He tried again and still nobody came to open it. Kira thought that she might be asleep, but he knew that his twin wouldn't sleep early. He opened the door, looked around the room and found no one. Kira clenched his fist hard, and then he gritted his teeth as his eyes narrowed.

There was only one possible explanation why Cagalli wasn't there. Cagalli had gone out again, despite the guards he set up around the mansion.

"Wait till I get my hands on you, Cagalli!" Kira thought furiously. He rushed down the stairs while calling his driver.

A man with a black tuxedo came out right away. "What can I do for you, Representative?" he promptly asked.

"Get the car. We're going to find Cagalli" Kira said in a controlled voice. The driver nodded his head and went out.

After a minute, the car was ready to go. Kira immediately hopped on. "I'm sure Cagalli is at that place again," Kira told the driver.

The driver stepped on the pedal and the car took off instantly.

Café

"This place cooks the best meals!" Cagalli screamed. She took another bite of her hamburger, and then she picked up some fries and placed it all in her mouth. Cagalli looked like a girl who hasn't eaten in days.

"Princess, you shouldn't eat so fast," Athrun told her.

"I'm used to it," replied Cagalli, "Oh by the way don't call me princess or I'll cut you off." Cagalli never really liked being called that. Yes, she was one, but she doesn't even act like one. She admitted that she was a tomboy who hates dresses and never does anything girly. Although she acted that way, many boys still find her attractive.

Kira once told her that boys like her so much because she was adorable, cute, and kind-hearted. Well, Kira was never wrong about judging people, so she had no problem with that. Most of her suitors before kept saying that she was cute, but she would always turn them down. All of her suitors were rich, handsome and popular, but that didn't appeal to her. The type of guy she wanted was different. She can't explain it, yet but she realized that she found Athrun Zala striking. Whenever she gazed upon him, she would feel so light-headed.

Athrun noticed the princess staring blankly at him. Athrun blushed again. Darn, I'm sure my face is red again. I hope she doesn't notice.

"You look so cute when you blush," Cagalli said.

"Huh?!" His faced flushed more in an instant. "I'm not blushing..." He turned his head away from her.

"Yes you are... Maybe you're not used to going out with girls like me."

"Well, it's my first time," replied Athrun. "I usually go out with my sister."

"You have a sister?!" exclaimed Cagalli. "Is she younger or older?" Cagalli sounded interested.

"She's a year younger than me and she's also in the military," Athrun added.

"I want to meet her."

"I could introduce you to her tomorrow if you like."

"Does she look like you?"

"No, she has red hair, but we have the same eye color."

"I see. Then you better tell her about this."

"Okay."

Athrun and Cagalli finished their meals and paid up at the counter. As they exited the café, the blonde spotted a familiar black limo approaching them.

"Oh no!" yelled Cagalli, starting to panic. "That's Kira's limo and he's heading this way!" She quickly hid behind the post. "I hope Kira didn't see me." Cagalli had her fingers crossed. She glanced back at Athrun, who was also hiding behind a tall plant. "Athrun, we should get out of here."

He nodded his head in agreement. He was also afraid of what Kira might do to him. He helped his sister escape from the mansion, brought her around town, and treated her to lunch—he knew that he was so dead. As a soldier, he shouldn't have gone against his superior's orders, but Cagalli was quite convincing. He peeked to see if the limo was still there. Yup, still there and what's more Kira got out of it.

Kira looked so angry. Cagalli could feel his raging aura overwhelming around him. He was intimidating enough to make Cagalli and Athrun want to run for their lives. She didn't expect this to happen.

Kira paused for a while. He deeply breathed in to calm himself down. He eyed on the post.

Cagalli sensed a sudden chill in her body. She felt like Kira was staring straight at her.

"I saw you, Cagalli, so come out. It's no use hiding from me," Kira said, a voice so firm.

Cagalli revealed herself to her twin. She let out a small laugh. She noticed that her brother was staring intensely at her. "Kira, you're scaring me."

"You better be scared!" Kira scolded. "I told you how many times that you can't leave the mansion without me! You're just too darn stubborn." Kira crossed his arms in front of him. He turned his attention to the plant beside him. He suddenly kicked it away, showing Athrun in his nervous state. "As for you, Lt. Zala..." Kira glared at him. "You're going to be in big trouble."

Athrun could feel a big lump in his throat. He expected for this to happen, so he has no regrets for taking Cagalli out. He was prepared for any punishment that Kira was going to give him.

Before Kira could lecture him, Cagalli butted in, saying that it wasn't Athrun's fault. Cagalli was defending him again. "It's all right, Princess..." told Athrun, but Cagalli persisted that he wasn't to blame.

"I'm the one who persuaded him so punish me," she said.

Kira sighed, "All right..." He looked at Athrun and said, "You're off the hook again."

Athrun sighed in relief. He leaned towards Cagalli and whispered, "Thank you," into her ear.

To be continued...

JC: End of chapter 2. Kira's really protective huh? That goes to show that he's really a caring brother. I know Kira is normally a sweet and nice guy, but when it comes to his sister he can be different. I like protective brothers for some reason. Oh, yeah, don't forget that I want reviews, not flames!