Part 2: Let the Race Against Christmas Begin

December 18 CE 75-Athha Estate, Cagalli's room: 1230 H

Cagalli quickly changed into something more casual; she figured that her representative outfit would draw some unwanted attention while she was in the city. She decided to wear a pair of dark blue skinny jeans paired with a loose fitting white sweater. She put on her dark brown trench coat and a pair of brown boots that came just below her knees. She loosely wrapped a green scarf around her neck and added a set of ear muffs over her head. Cagalli glanced at the mirror and smiled, satisfied with her outfit choice. She grabbed her bag and was about to head out of her room when she bumped into someone in front of her.

"S-sorry," she said as she looked up and her eyes widened, "A-Athrun?"

"Hey to you too," Athrun said and smiled.

She didn't expect Athrun to be outside her room. And he wasn't in his ORB admiral uniform either. He was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans with black shoes, paired with a green sweater with a black coat to complete the look. Cagalli looked at him and smiled, trying her best not to look suspicious.

"Heading out somewhere?" he asked.

"Y-yeah…" Cagalli replied, "did you need something?"

"Well…I was hoping we were going to have lunch together somewhere," Athrun said, "remember? We agreed earlier this morning that we would spend the rest of the day together since we got the whole afternoon off today."

"Oh crap…I completely forgot about that…" Cagalli thought to herself, "what am I going to do? I was going to go into town and look for some yarn…damn it. I can't say no…"

Athrun's concerned voice interrupted Cagalli's thoughts.

"Cagalli? Is everything alright," Athrun asked, as he looked at her with those concerned eyes of his.

"Yeah, I'm fine, really. Just exhausted from this morning's meeting, you know?" Cagalli said and gave him a reassuring smile, "where did you have in mind?"

Athrun smiled, glad that she hadn't forgot about their plans for today.

"You'll see," Athrun said and smiled, "are you ready? I came back here to see if you were back from your office."

"Yeah, I'm ready," Cagalli said, "shall we then?"

Athrun smiled and held out his hand and Cagalli placed her hand in his. They walked together to the front entrance of the estate and waited for Athrun's car to arrive. His car came in less than a minute and the driver got out, giving the keys to Athrun and bowed. Athrun thanked the man, and told him that he may leave now. Athrun held the front passenger door open.

"After you, my princess," he said as he bowed and gestured her in.

Cagalli laughed and allowed Athrun to help her in.

"Always being a gentleman," she said after she seated herself into the passenger seat, "you know I can do it myself."

Athrun smiled and gave her a quick kiss on her forehead; he closed the passenger door and walked around to the driver's side and settled himself into the driver's seat. He turned on the ignition and began driving into town.

December 18 CE 75-Downtown ORB: 1300 H

After 15 minutes of driving, they arrived in downtown. The street shops and boutiques were full of people shopping or browsing for Christmas gifts. Many of the cafés and restaurants were also full of people. Athrun parked the vehicle in front of a restaurant.

"Here we are," he said and turned to Cagalli, smiling, "hungry?"

"Starving," Cagalli replied and blushed as her stomach rumbled in agreement.

Athrun laughed and they both exited the car. Cagalli glanced up at the sign in front of the restaurant.

"A la Donair?" Cagalli asked and turned to Athrun, "when did ORB have a place like this?"

"It's relatively new," he replied and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling Cagalli closer to him, "I found it today as I was searching for a place to go for lunch. I know how much you love this food."

Cagalli smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek. He sure knew how to make her happy. They walked into the restaurant, grabbed two menus and took a seat in one of the booths near the window. Their server came by and took their orders. Within 15 minutes, their order arrived. Cagalli ordered the beef kebab pita combo and Athrun had the lamb kebab flatbread combo.

"This looks so good," Cagalli said and grabbed the bottle of hot sauce, "hot sauce goes great with this."

"Does it?" Athrun asked, "I've always used yogurt sauce."

Cagalli shook her head and put some hot sauce on her pita. "This is definitely way better than yogurt sauce."

Athrun looked at the bottle of red sauce and decided to stick to his usual yogurt sauce. That hot sauce looked too spicy for him to handle. He put some yogurt sauce on his flatbread and was about to roll it up, but Cagalli added some hot sauce to his meal.

"There," Cagalli said, "that looks much better. Try it."

Athrun looked at Cagalli uncertainly and took a bite of his flatbread.

"Hmm…not bad," he said after swallowing, "the sweetness of the yogurt and the spiciness of the hot sauce complement each other perfectly. This hot sauce makes the lamb meat taste much better too."

Cagalli smirked triumphantly. "See? Didn't I tell you hot sauce is great with this dish?"

Athrun nodded in agreement and continued eating his meal. Cagalli began eating her meal, while at the same time, trying to figure out a plan to obtain some yarn.

"How is this going to work…" Cagalli thought as she slowly ate her pita, "how can I distract Athrun long enough for me to get what I need, without him suspecting anything?"

"Cagalli?" Athrun asked, snapping Cagalli out of her thoughts, "do you not like the food here?"

Cagalli looked at Athrun and shook her head. "Are you kidding? I love it!"

"But you don't look like you're enjoying it…" Athrun said, sadness evident in his voice.

"D-don't be silly Athrun!" Cagalli said and happily took a huge bite out of her pita, "I'm just savouring it. It's been a long time since I've had this."

"I see," Athrun said and smiled, "I'm glad."

They continued eating their meals and talked about this morning's topics at their respective meetings. Cagalli also told Athrun that Lacus had called her earlier to tell her that she and Kira were going to be in ORB for the holidays. Athrun was happy to hear that news; he was looking forward to seeing Kira and Lacus again. They both finished eating and Athrun paid for their bill. They decided to remain in the restaurant for a little bit and relax, before heading back out into the cold.

December 18 CE 75-Downtown ORB: 1430 H

Athrun and Cagalli wandered the streets of downtown ORB, walking in and out of random shops and boutiques; Cagalli had suggested that they should take a look at some shops and get some ideas for Christmas presents for Kira and Lacus. As they left another shop, they bumped into two familiar friends.

"Miriallia!" Cagalli exclaimed and gave her friend a hug, "and…Dearka? What are you doing here?"

"Hey," Dearka said, "Christmas shopping?"

"Yeah," Athrun said and looked at the two of them, "what are you doing here Dearka? Are you and Miriallia…back together?"

Miriallia and Dearka blushed. They didn't expect to be caught so soon.

Cagalli looked at her friend. "No way…really?"

"Y-yeah…" Miriallia replied and looked at Dearka, "we both talked about it and decided to give it another go."

Dearka nodded. Athrun and Cagalli smiled. They both knew how much Dearka and Miriallia missed each other. Cagalli suddenly got an idea and she grabbed Miriallia and pulled her away.

"H-hey! Wait a minute-" Miriallia started saying, but Cagalli cut her off.

"Shh.." Cagalli whispered, "help me out here? I'll explain later."

"Hey Cagalli!" Athrun shouted after her, "where are you two going?"

"Girl stuff!" Miriallia shouted back and winked at Cagalli.

Athrun started to follow, but Dearka pulled him back.

"Let them go," he said, "whenever girls say that, it means that we are not to intervene."

"B-but-" Athrun said, but Dearka cut him off.

"It'll be fine," Dearka reassured him, "she's with Milly. Come on, you can help me pick out a present for her. I could use your opinion."

Athrun sighed, "Alright…"

"We'll meet you two girls back here alright?" Dearka shouted.

Cagalli gave Dearka a wave, signalling that she heard him.

"Come on man," Dearka said and began walking in the opposite direction, "we'll be back."

Athrun glanced at Cagalli's distant figure down the street and followed Dearka. He couldn't help but feel suspicious about this.

-Meanwhile…up the street in the opposite direction…-

"Okay, Cagalli," Miriallia said and freed her arm from Cagalli's grasp, "tell me, what's going on?"

"Sorry about that…" Cagalli said, "I didn't mean to drag you away from Dearka like that, but I needed your help. It was the only way I can get away from Athrun for a few minutes…"

Miriallia looked at Cagalli suspiciously, "Continue…"

"Look…to make this simple…" Cagalli said slowly.

Miriallia looked at Cagalli, urging her to continue. Cagalli hesitated, but she knew Miriallia would have to know about her plan for Athrun's Christmas present if this was going to work.

"…I need to get yarn today so I can start on Athrun's scarf tomorrow," Cagalli quickly blurted.

Miriallia looked at Cagalli, shocked.

"Y-you mean…you're going to knit?" Miriallia asked incredulously.

Cagalli blushed in embarrassment and nodded.

"Wow…I didn't think you would do something like that…" Miriallia said in awe.

Cagalli glared at her friend. "Look. Are you going to help me or not?"

"You're so cute, Cagalli," Miriallia said and took her hands, "of course I'll help you. I know the perfect place to get what you need; it's just two shops up from here. Come on, we should hurry before the boys worry and follow us."

Cagalli nodded and followed her friend to the shop she was talking about. It was a short distance from where they were. They stepped into the shop and headed towards the knitting section. Cagalli looked at all the yarn that was available.

"That's…a lot to choose from…" Cagalli said as she picked up some green yarn, "I don't know which to get…"

"You know what Athrun looks best in," Miriallia said, "it's up to you."

"Yeah…" Cagalli said as she walked to another set of colors, "I think something neutral would be best; he can wear it with anything. And maybe something soft…"

"Can't go wrong with neutral colors," Miriallia said, while browsing a knitting book, "and soft would be a good idea. I wouldn't be happy with a rough, scratchy scarf around my neck."

Cagalli nodded in agreement and continued looking at the neutral colors that were available.

"Would black be okay? But Athrun does have a lot of dark clothing…and white would easily get dirty. Grey is too plain and brown wouldn't look good with his current wardrobe…" Cagalli thought to herself as she looked at each of her options.

Her eyes then came across some yarn that was a mix of grey, black and white. She picked it up and examined it.

"This doesn't look too bad. The scarf won't be too plain if I used this. And it's pretty soft…and it'll definitely keep him warm. Hopefully, it'll look okay if I used this…alright. I'm getting this one. Maybe I should get 2 rolls? One doesn't look like it's enough. And there isn't much of this yarn left anyways…maybe I'll get 3 rolls, just in case. Maybe I'll make use of the remainder someday in the future."

"Okay Miriallia," Cagalli said, "I'm done. I'm going for this yarn."

Miriallia looked up from the book she was reading. "Good choice. I think that will work perfectly. But 3 rolls?"

Cagalli shrugged. "Just in case I screw up or something…there isn't much left after all."

"I guess you're right about that," Miriallia said and walked towards the knitting needles wall, "okay. Let's get some knitting needles."

Cagalli nodded and looked at the packaging around the yarn. "It says I'll need 9mm needles for this yarn. What does that mean?"

"It means you'll be needing these," Miriallia said and handed Cagalli the set of needles she needed.

"Wow…these are pretty…wide. Is this even right?" Cagalli asked.

Miriallia nodded. "This yarn is pretty thick. So it makes sense that you'll be needing thicker needles."

"Okay," Cagalli said.

"And here," Miriallia said and handed a knitting book to Cagalli, "this may come in handy for you. It's a beginner's guide to knitting."

"Thanks Miriallia," Cagalli said and smiled, "I'm glad my bag is big enough for all this."

Miriallia laughed. "Come on, let's pay for these and head back. The guys should be back by now."

Cagalli nodded and went to the cashier to pay for her items. They left the store and Cagalli put the things she bought into her bag. They went back down the street to meet the guys.

-Meanwhile…in a jewellery store three stores down from where they left the girls…-

"What do you think of this, Athrun?" Dearka asked his friend, "will Milly like it?"

Athrun looked at the object Dearka was holding. It was a silver bracelet with a few pink charms attached to it.

"I think she'll like it," Athrun replied.

"Yeah?" Dearka asked and he looked at the other bracelet he was holding, "maybe…or maybe she'll like this one…"

While Dearka was deciding on which bracelet he was going to buy, Athrun went and looked at some necklaces. He figured he may as well get some ideas for Cagalli's present while he was here. He browsed at the collections the store currently had. He found a few necklaces Cagalli might like, but his eyes were suddenly drawn to a golden heart-shaped locket in a nearby display.

"Miss," Athrun called out to the lady behind the counter, "I would like to take a look at this locket, please."

The saleswoman came and looked at Athrun; she was blushing lightly, obviously stunned by the good looking blue-haired young man in front of her. She took out the locket from the display and gave it to Athrun to examine it.

"That's an excellent choice, sir," she said, "this is a 24-carat gold locket; this chain is also 24-carat gold. This necklace makes an excellent accessory for those that wish to carry an important photo or item with them everywhere they go. Is it a gift for your girlfriend?"

Athrun blushed lightly and nodded. "Yes. Yes it is. Do you think it would be possible to engrave a message into the locket?"

"As long as it isn't too long, it's possible," the saleswoman replied, "what did you have in mind?"

Athrun thought for a minute and he came up with a perfect message that was short and sweet.

"I'd like it to say: 'Love you, always and forever. Athrun Z. & Cagalli Y. A.' Is that okay?" Athrun asked.

The saleslady's eyes widened, but then she smiled. She was talking to the man that's to be married to ORB's head representative. She should have recognized the blue-haired man.

"Yes, that is fine, Mr. Zala," the woman replied, "I'm sure Lady Cagalli will love it."

Athrun smiled. "Thank you. When will I be able to pick it up?"

"Tomorrow afternoon," she replied, "it will be ready then. Would you like to pay for it today or tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow will be fine," Athrun said.

The woman nodded and went to help Dearka, who was ready to make his purchase. Once Dearka paid for his purchase, they both went back to meet the girls.

December 18 CE 75-Athha Estate, Cagalli's room: 2100 H

"Christmas shopping for Kira and Lacus is done!" Cagalli said as she lay down onto her bed, "I'm beat."

Athrun laughed and sat down beside her on her bed. She was right, Christmas shopping was done. He had already found the perfect gift for Cagalli and he knew exactly what to put in her locket. As for Kira and Lacus, they decided to get a baking set for Lacus and a year's worth of logic puzzle books for Kira. Cagalli figured that it'll take Kira a month to complete each book, given how tough the puzzles were. Athrun couldn't even figure out the puzzles.

"Want to head to bed early tonight? It's been a long day and Kira and Lacus will be here tomorrow," Cagalli said.

Athrun agreed. "Yeah, I'm beat as well."

"Alright, then I'll go get ready first and then you can after," Cagalli said, "that okay?"

Athrun nodded and Cagalli disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Athrun alone to his thoughts.

"I wonder what those two were up to today…"

Back in the bathroom, Cagalli was looking at her reflection in the mirror. She was proud of her accomplishments for today, but she was uncertain of the events to follow.

"Alright, phase one is done. It was a close call, but I did it and got what I needed. Now the real work begins tomorrow…hopefully it'll go smoother than it did today…I've only got 6 days to complete this!"

Author's note: Okay! The next part is finally done. It's kinda longer than I intended for this part…but who doesn't love more AsuCaga moments? Anyways, I hope everyone had a good Christmas and got lots of gifts. Stay tuned for Part 3! Hope you enjoyed reading this. Once again, I apologize for not getting this whole story done in time for Christmas…but it was my fault for starting this story so late…lol. Oh well, I'll still finish this. It's going to be interesting lol.