Gundam SEED Phase 24: War for Two

The Archangel loses the signal from Cagalli’s Sky Grasper, and Natarle asks Murrue if they should declare Cagalli MIA. Miriallia wonders what that means, and Tonomura explains that it’s the classification used when a soldier is presumed dead. Murrue says it’s too early for that, and she intends to send Kira out once the Strike Gundam has been repaired. Natarle objects because they are in ZAFT territory, and Murrue says she won’t leave Cagalli out there alone. On the island, Cagalli approaches the gun on the ground, and Athrun pulls out a knife. While she kicks the gun away, he jumps out of the ditch and vanishes. When she goes over to pick up his gun, he jumps out from above and kicks the gun out of her hand. He then flips her onto the ground and jumps on top of her. As he is about to kill her, she screams loudly and he stops when he realizes she’s a girl. He ties her up and then throws her gun into the ocean. He questions her while he tends to his wound, and she tells him she’s not a soldier. She crawls over to him and asks him if he was one of the men who raided Heliopolis. He stops, and she tells him she was there when ZAFT destroyed the colony. On the Archangel, Murrue and Natarle tell Kira that he has two hours to search the many small islands for Cagalli. Kira takes off in the Strike Gundam and heads underwater to begin his search. At the Carpentaria base, Yzak sarcastically tells Dearka and Nicol that their first mission is to search for Athrun. Dearka laughs at that, and Nicol is worried about Athrun. Yzak says that it’s too late now, so their search will have to wait until the morning. Athrun sits in the Aegis Gundam‘s cockpit and tries to send out a distress call, but there is too much radio interference. Cagalli tries to crawl up to him, but lightning scares her and causes her to fall into a pond. The rain and waves then begin to pour over her. Athrun fires a radar buoy into the ocean and places his shield over Cagalli to keep the rain out. He cuts her ropes and sets her free because she has no weapons. He laughs when a crab comes out of her hair, and she panics when she feels crabs under her shirt. Elsewhere, Kira continues his search into the night and wonders where Cagalli is.

Cagalli sits by the fire wrapped in a blanket while waiting for her clothes to dry. Athrun gives her some of his rations and tells her they’ll have to camp out because of the radio interference. She says it’s ZAFT’s fault that there’s radio interference, and he reminds her that the Alliance started the war with their nuclear attack. He tells her that food is still the same for people from ZAFT, so she opens up the rations and begins to eat. Cagalli asks Athrun if he will tie her up, because she could steal his gun and make him look like a fool. He laughs at that and says that she never gives up. He says that if she tries to take the gun, he’ll have to kill her, so he doesn’t want her to try anything. He says that no one expected the Heliopolis situation to turn out as it did because they only wanted the Gundams and nothing more. She says ZAFT destroyed the colony, and he reminds her that Orb built mobile suits for the Alliance despite their supposed neutrality. Athrun answers that ZAFT is fighting to protect the PLANTs and can’t allow those things to get away. She says she is fighting because ZAFT invaded Earth, and he tells her his mother was on Junius Seven. He notes it was an innocent farming colony that was destroyed in the blink of an eye. Athrun starts to fall asleep, and Cagalli asks him what he’s doing. He says he mobilized immediately after re-entry and falls asleep. On the Archangel, Mu keeps Kira away from the Strike Gundam and tells him to wait until morning so they can search together. Cagalli stands over Athrun and thinks about taking his gun, and he wakes up. She tosses her blanket over him and steals his gun. She tells him she doesn’t want to shoot him, but she doesn’t want him to use his mobile suit to kill innocent people on Earth. He tells her to either shoot or be killed herself because he can’t let her touch his suit. Cagalli remembers what Andy told her and Kira, and she raises the gun. Athrun rushes in with his knife, and Cagalli tosses the gun aside and accidentally fires it. Athrun is grazed in the arm again, and Cagalli insists on treating him because she doesn’t want to be in his debt. The next morning, Nicol takes off in an Agile to search for Athrun. On the Archangel, Mu launches in the Sky Grasper, followed by Kira in the Strike Gundam. Both approach the island, and Athrun asks Cagalli’s name and says goodbye. Cagalli returns to her downed Sky Grasper and watches as the Strike Gundam surfaces from the water.