Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam SEED. I get no profit for this.

My second "Episode Five Spinoff," as I call them. Partner to Red Metallic Death Grip.

Kira is slightly OOC.

Decisions, Decisions

The cold metallic claws of the Aegis suddenly released Kira in a desperate attempt to avoid the Zero's flurry of gunshots. The Strike floated limply in space, drifting aimlessly. Kira was stunned.

"Hey, kid!" Lieutenant La Flaga's face appeared on the intercom.

"Lieutenant La Flaga!" Kira cried out in surprise.

"Get out of here!" La Flaga ordered. "The Archangel's sending out the Launcher Striker!" Kira's eyes widened at the news. The Zero flew off, Aegis soaring after it.

"We've still got a big one on our tail. Hurry and get ready for it!"

Kira's uncertain eyes turned away from screens showing danger and hatred and Zero's battle with the Aegis, strained by the decision he had to make. Kira remembered earlier that day, a lifetime ago, when Tolle and Miriallia had gone to fetch Kira to the lab on a calm day. When he had walked into the lab and talked with Kuzzey, and when Tolle had put Kira in a choke hold to get him to tell a confused Sai about "the letter". Tolle and Kuzzey had been messing up in the lab. Miriallia had sighed in exasperation but with good nature, like she always did when she found humor in their fanatics.

His thoughts then strayed to the one in the red machine who allied with people who would destroy the ship his friends were on. Their latest confrontation had been in a burning factory of a neutral nation who was secretly taking a side. It had been an age since they had met, and chaos replaced the tranquil days on the moon under the sakura trees, with no gifts of friendship to bear. Only guns.

"'What are you doing with the Earth Forces?! Why are you siding with the Naturals?'" Athrun's accusatory words rang in Kira's ears. "'Tell me!'"

He wasn't siding. Kira wouldn't take a side. He wasn't with the Earth Forces. He was neutral. He was like ORB, or at least, how ORB was supposed to be.

"'You're a Coordinator just like us! Why would you want to fight against your own kind?!'"

He didn't. He didn't want to fight at all. Yet now he was a traitor. Like ORB betrayed Kira.

Yet...

"'We are not enemies. Am I right? Why do we have to fight each other?'"

Yes. They were not enemies. Athrun was right. The only reason Kira had to fight Athrun was to protect the lives of his friends. His ORB friends. Traitors? No; Kira dismissed that thought the moment it came into being; his friends were not traitors; they all bore uniforms of the Earth Alliance only because of the situation ORB had allowed to come into being by betraying its neutrality. Kira's feeble argument that Heliopolis was neutral died on his lips as he tried to convict Athrun for joining ZAFT.

"'I already lost my mom in the Bloody Valentine. So I...'"

Athrun was more than justified for taking a side.

Kira had gone with his parents to the PLANTS for a vacation a couple of years ago. Although they were unable to rendezvous with the Zalas, Kira had very much enjoyed his time on September Two. The PLANTS were peaceful, and Kira had heard no ugly discriminatory remarks against either Naturals or Coordinators. The PLANTS, though they were home to many ZAFT soldiers, were more peaceful and neutral than ORB claimed to be.

And then, a year before, Earth attacked. That hated missile struck an undeserved nuclear blow on 243,721 innocent civilians; who were true neutrality. Kira had felt rage boil in him, akin to what he knew Athrun would feel. He also felt fear for his friend and his family. Earth had no right to shatter the peace and take those lives away! Athrun could have been among them! Little did Kira know at the time that Athrun had lost his mother in the attack, and that the grief would lead him to the military.

"'Just let me take you.'" Again, Athrun's pleading voice rang in Kira's ears. "'Otherwise...otherwise I'll have no choice but to shoot you.'" In that anguished confession, Kira knew that Athrun could not stand to lose another dear person.

Kira slowly opened his eyes and snapped out of his three-second trance. He looked steadily into his screen, resolve written on every line of his face,decision made and ready to be acted upon.

"No."

Lieutenant La Flaga could not believe what he had just heard.

"What? What are you saying, kid? They'll kill us all!"

Kira shut off his communication with the Zero. Without wasting time, he turned on the engines of the powered-down Strike, easing it towards the distant Gamow at a considerable speed but not a threatening one. The Archangel, Zero, and enemy mobile suits regarded this with confusion.

"What's he doing?" Yzak asked, quite abashed. Any serious enemy would have retreated to a better position for a battle, but the Strike was openly flying towards its enemy with little to no power.

The Earth Forces officers could not believe their eyes. Indeed, Natarle felt like she had been slapped in the face.

Athrun, worried for his friend, reopened his communication. "Kira!"

"Athrun."

"What are you doing?!"

"You don't need claws around me to convince me to go, Athrun," Kira said a bit wryly with a halfhearted grin. "But please, ask that the attack be called off. Civilians from Heliopolis on board. Their lifeboat broke down. And several are good friends of mine."

Athrun blinked in confusion, but managed an "Alright" before Kira continued on his way to the Gamow.

"What's he doing?!" the persistent Yzak again asked the air in his cockpit.

"He's surrendering himself," Athrun said. "He's coming of his own will. Somebody escort him!"

"I'll do it," Dearka volunteered, soaring after the gray suit that had almost vanished in the distance. The Buster caught up in no time, and side by side they disappeared.

"Kira..." Athrun muttered as the Aegis and the Blitz resumed their attack on the Zero. Athrun knew that even still he would protect Kira the best he could.

However, Kira was not done yet. He established one last communication with the Archangel.

"Kira Yamato, what do you think you're doing?!" Natarle yelled up at him.

"What does it look like?" Kira asked rather lazily. Then, he straightened himself, and ignoring the crews comments, yelled for the whole control room to hear. "Tolle, Kuzzey, Sai, Miriallia! You're safe now! ZAFT will withdraw now that it has the Strike! I did this for you!"

His friends gasped. Kira was generous, they knew that, but he was really giving himself to save them? Shock, gratitude, and guilt colored Miriallia's voice. "Kira, what about you...?"

"I'll be just fine," Kira said, smiling kindly. "You take care of yourselves and we'll meet again someday." Before regret could shake Kira's resolve or face, he shut the link and descended into the most isolating silence he had ever known, as the five mobile suits flew together back to the Gamow.

Whoo. I couldn't think of a good way to end this. So to me it comes off as cheesy.

Well, what do you think? I haven't seen an episode 5 spinoff quite like this. So I figured why not.

Review if you want. No flames. Flames are a waste of both my time and yours.