JC: This is Christmas Special Fanfic made by yours truly. It is about promises and gifts, with some romance in between. I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam SEED.

A Promise and a Wish

It has been 2 months since she last saw her brother. He had to go to PLANT to help his ever-kind fiancée with her work. He had promised her that he will be home before the special day, but it was all a lie. He had not even bothered to call her or even email her. There was no greeting or gift from him either. It was like he did not care for her.

"Idiot…" she muttered under her breath as she looked outside the window from her bedroom. It was cold and damp outside, but the atmosphere was cheery. It was all because it was that time of the year again—the time where everything seemed all right for everyone.

She crossed her arms in front of her, warming herself up from the cold. The music from the caroling filled her eyes as she sat down on the couch, sighing at the fact of the broken promise. "I don't want to spend this day without you."

The door creaked open, catching her attention. She immediately shifted her eyes at the door, hoping it was her loving brother. However, the person was not her brother, but it was her fiancé. "Hey there, Athrun…" she greeted limply.

"Everyone's having a good time downstairs," the blue-haired coordinator told her as he approached her. "Don't you want to join, Cagalli?"

Sadly, the blonde shook her head and averted her golden orbs away from his emerald eyes. "I'm not in the mood to."

"Cagalli, I know Kira broke his promise, but don't let that get to you." He knelt down before her and placed his hand on her lap. "Maybe he wanted to spend time with Lacus in PLANT."

She also thought of that explanation before, but something told her that it was not just that. Besides, if Kira wanted to spend time with Lacus, he could have just told her that. But he did not tell her anything. Not a word!

She lowered her head and sighed deeply. "I want my brother here. This day won't be complete without him here."

Truth to be known, Athrun felt a little jealous of his best friend. Not only did Cagalli have shown great concern for him, but she also stated that he wanted him. He never heard of her speaking that way about him before.

"Come on, Cagalli," he said, standing up and pulling her hand. "You shouldn't be like this. It's Christmas for crying out loud." He was not about to let Cagalli stay in her room and do nothing while everyone in ORB was practically enjoying the Christmas Season.

A small smile crept out of her lips as she looked up at Athrun. "All right…" She stood and held his hand. "I'm glad you're here with me," she smiled.

He could not help but blush at what she said. It was sweet and soothing for him. It made him feel that he was as special as Kira in her heart.

Downstairs of her mansion was full of excitement and laughter. Every close friend she knew and cared were all there. There were some people she did not even know, but she did not care. She was just happy to see all of them having a good time.

But she wondered if she could have fun without her brother.

Only two years ago, she discovered that she had a brother, a twin brother to be exact. She did not know if he was older or not, but she preferred to be the older one anyway. If it was not for her father, she would not know until now. It was after the war at Yakin Due that they got to bond more as brother and sister. They had a lot of questions and most were left unanswered. The important thing was that they were finally together.

Since they were separated for such a long time, they made a promise to one another. Kira was even the one who suggested it and Cagalli agreed to it without a doubt. Their promise was to spend every momentous occasion together. They wanted to make their moments special. So far, their promises were met until now…

Stupid Kira, making promises he can't keep. She gritted her teeth, remembering the Christmas she had last year with him. Of course, it was one of the best Christmas ever. Kira almost spilled the champagne on Lacus, while Athrun tripped over some Christmas lights and wires when he was on his way to the Christmas tree. It was hilarious. She did not think people could go clumsy on such a day. She even saw Dearka trying to propose to Miriallia with the flowers that he got from the centerpiece. Well, Miriallia dumped him anyway, but Dearka was willing to try again. But the most important moment that happened to her last year was the kind act her brother showed her.

She walked through the crowd, holding Athrun's hand. She greeted every friendly face she met with a smile, though she knew she could not hold that smile forever. She glanced at her fiancé, noticing that he was looking at her in a concerned manner. He knew her too well. He knew that she was still bothered at the fact of Kira being a no-show. Her smile was not enough to hide her true feelings from him.

"Sorry…" was all she could say to him. She felt awful about being sad despite of Athrun being there for her. She knew she was being unfair.

Athrun brought her outside to the garden, where they settled down on a bench. "Cagalli, I can't enjoy Christmas if you're sad. It kills me to see you like this."

"I am getting dramatic here, huh?"

"Should I say yes?"

She sighed. Certainly she was getting dramatic and she definitely hated it. "Thought so…"

"You know, it's really not like Kira to break his promise. He was always a man of his word."

Sure, she knew that as well. "Come to think of it, this is the first time he broke a promise. Darn, it had to be on Christmas." She pulled out round silver locket from her pocket. It glittered under the light of the clear moon in the sky.

"You wanted to give him that so badly, right?" he said, putting his arm over her shoulders.

It practically took her two weeks to find the perfect gift for Kira. He thought of giving him shoes, clothes, or maybe a gun (if he could get his aim straight), but she ended up buying a locket. It was an expensive little thing decorated with rubies and exquisite carvings. It was not as big as her palm, but the size was just right. Inside the locket was a valuable memory for her and her brother.

"The picture of our real mom," she said softly, looking at it with care. "Even though we didn't get to meet her, we still love her."

"She is your mother after all," added Athrun.

She leaned her head on his shoulder and held the locket close to her heart. As she closed her eyes, she imagined her mom, Kira, and herself standing near the coast while staring out at sea. She could see herself being hugged by her mother as Kira watched her with a smile. It was a wonderful scene in her mind, a scene she wished to be true.

"If there is a real Santa, I would really wish to see my real mother in person." She looked up at Athrun. "I think Kira would wish the same thing."

"Yeah, I'm sure," he replied, caressing her golden locks. "Do you know what I'll wish for if there is a Santa?"

"What?"

"I wish to be together with the girl I love forever." He looked at her deeply with love and care.

Cagalli blushed furiously at what he said. "Um…I-I'm so happy to hear…that…" she stuttered, feeling embarrassed to talk to him. She turned her head away and stared at her lap.

"You become cuter when you blush," he said, giggling.

She hated being called cute. Frankly, she never thought of herself as a cute or a beautiful person. But a lot of people have already complimented her and it would always make her feel embarrassed or conscious about herself.

There was silence between them. Athrun kept staring at her with those luscious emerald-green eyes, making Cagalli more nervous than she already was.

"Would you please stop? It's getting ann—" She was silence in an instant by a passionate kiss from Athrun. Her cheeks burned in red, but she deepened the kiss. She placed her arms around him as she savored the moment she was experiencing.

As they pulled themselves away, their eyes met. They smiled with fingers intertwined with one another. The caroling and the Christmas music roared on, as the people inside danced to their hearts' desire. But outside, it was just two of them.

"Merry Christmas, Cagalli," Athrun said, handing a small box wrapped in a cute wrapper to her. "I hope you'll like it."

She took the gift and opened it. To her surprise, inside was golden-bracelet decorated with sparkling sapphire stones. She felt mesmerized gazing at it. "Athrun, thank you," she said, looking up at him.

"Well, go on… Wear it…"

Cagalli put the bracelet on her right wrist which fitted her perfectly. She held her arm high to view the bracelet more clearly. "It's beautiful."

It was a relief to see Cagalli not thinking about Kira anymore, he thought. Now she could enjoy Christmas with him and her other friends. "Let's go join our friends inside, Cagalli. The night's still young for Christmas."

"Wait, before that… I have something for you too." She pulled out a silver necklace with a Lion pendant and placed it around his neck. "Merry Christmas," she said.

"It's great. Thanks so much…" He leaned forward and kissed her temple as a sign of appreciation. He always had a romantic approach for things, especially with Cagalli.

She blushed once again and muttered a small, "You're welcome" to him.

They went inside to have the time of their lives. The music was loud and clear, and the crowd was still lively. Many couples had already ruled the dance floor and the one leading was Miriallia and Dearka. Who knew they could be such great dance partners? They were almost unstoppable as they swing left and right.

Cagalli and Athrun were not about to let them be the main attraction of the night. They decided to join in and show the crowd their own moves. As they danced with the beat, the crowd was so amazed at their performance. Their moves were enough to rival Miriallia and Dearka.

After the dance, the two hot couples decided to take a breather. Heck, it was pretty tiring to have a showdown if your opponent was tough. Miriallia and Dearka went to get some refreshments, while Athrun and Cagalli went to the terrace for some fresh air.

"I never knew I could dance like that," Cagalli muttered, stretching her arms high. "It was fun."

"We should do it again next year," Athrun suggested, spinning on his heels. "I'll go get us some drinks, okay?"

"Sure!"

When Athrun left her alone, she stared out to the moon and sighed. "I really wish Kira was here." The dance, the party, and the overwhelming cheer were able to make her happy for a little while, but she was still disappointed about Kira. "Kira…"

"You called?"

It was a voice she knew so well. It struck her with great fear that it could only be her imagination. But as she turned around to face the person, she felt so pleased to see him. "Kira!" she uttered.

"Merry Christmas, Cagalli. I'm sorry to keep you waiting." The brunette approached the blonde as he presented a well-toothed smile.

With a burst of laughter, Cagalli lunged forward and hugged Kira tightly. She was so happy that she could just strangle him to death. "You did keep your promise after all!"

"I would never break my promise to you, Cagalli."

She pulled herself away to face him. "But what took you?"

Kira released Cagalli from his arms, rolled up his sleeves, and showed her his bandages. "I ran into an accident in PLANT and got myself injured. Luckily, it was only mild and I healed up pretty quickly."

"An accident?!" she yelled, her eyes widening. "Why didn't you tell me about that?"

"It happened two weeks before Christmas. I didn't want to make you worry about me while Christmas was approaching." He placed his hand on her head and rubbed her like a little kitten.

Normally, she would slap his hand away and scold him for treating her like a pet. But this time she just smiled. "Well, the important thing is you're here. My Christmas is now complete." She held his other hand and placed her gift on his palm. "Merry Christmas, Kira."

He held the locket carefully in his hand and opened it. He saw the picture of his real mother carrying him and his sister. It was a pretty sight to see and Kira had always adored it. "Thank you, Cagalli. I'll treasure this forever."

"You better," she threatened, as Kira laughed out.

"Okay, here's my gift to you." Kira handed her a small Christmas bag. "Open it."

She opened it, looking curiously, and pulled out the content. "Wow! It's so cute!" she said, hugging the cute stuffed teddy bear in her arms. "Thank you, Kira!"

For a moment, they shared a warm hug before the twins went inside and joined up with Athrun and their friends.

They spent the whole night enjoying the party with a Merry Christmas!

The End

JC: This is my Christmas fanfic to all of you. The main pairing here is Athrun and Cagalli. However, it became Kira and Cagalli in the end. Enjoy the holidays, everyone! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!