Disclaimer: As much as I wish I did, I do not own Gundam Seed. Its really too bad. Athrun is so hot, after all. But not mine!!! sob
Athrun stared blankly at the bright blue oceans, the waves rolling to crash on the white sand beaches below. The weather was perfect, sunny and warm, the perfect day for a day at the beach. Yet there was no one to be seen, here on Orb. No one.
He turned to a very different site. In contrast to the bright, cheerful beach below, here was a bleak, gray scene. An image of the concentration camps of long ago, back before the Cosmic Era hundreds of years ago, flashed through his mind, of the cruelty of the Nazis. He shook his head. No, they were not the Nazis come again. His father was right. Naturals were inferior, just an obstacle in the path of Coordinators, and needed to be exterminated.
Orb had been the last country to fall to the ZAFT forces. After he had killed Kira in the battle just after Nicol had been killed, there had not been anyone to stand in his way or the way of ZAFT. Earth had fallen, and Naturals now existed only in Orb. But not for long. Not for long.
"Captain Zala!" a ZAFT soldier said as he saluted Athrun, who nodded in return. "We've found them."
Athrun was surprised, but he didn't let it show on his face. Already they found the ruling family of Orb? The Athhas had gone into hiding when their defenses had been breached, but he had not expected to find them quite this soon. "Then show me, if you will."
"Yes sir!" The soldier saluted again and led Athrun to a small tent that was heavily guarded. "One of them has been asking after you, sir. Says she knows you." Athrun just nodded. "What should we say in return, Captain?"
"I will deal with it."
"Yes sir!" the soldier replied with another salute, pulling open the tent flap. Athrun stooped to get through, blinking to adjust his eyes to see in the dim light. There were two figures at the back of the tent, both with their hands bound and guards watching their every move.
"ATHRUN!" came the cry from the smaller of the two figures, who started to run towards Athrun, but was caught by the guards. "Athrun! You have to stop this madness! I don't know who's in charge, but—"
"Shut up you Natural scum! Don't talk that way to the Captain!" one of the guards roared, shoving the figure to the ground.
Athrun stepped forward, signaling for him to stop, and approached the figure, gazing down at it. "Cagalli."
Cagalli raised her head, glaring up at him through tear-filled eyes. "Captain? Are you really the Captain around here?"
Athrun didn't say anything, but his silence was answer enough.
"You IDIOT!" Cagalli screamed. "What do you think you're doing, you murderer!"
Murderer…the word echoed through time to another encounter he'd had with the princess of Orb, just after he'd killed Kira. It had been the last time he'd seen her.
"He's gone. Hmm…" Athrun said with a smile. "Because I took his life. It's true. I did it. I trapped the Strike with my Aegis and blew up. I don't see how he could have escaped. That was the only option I had left ... to finish him." He started to cry, tears trailing down his cheeks.
"Murderer!" Cagalli yelled as she slammed her fist into the wall. "It's not fair!"
"Naturals are the enemy. I have no choice but to destroy you all," Athrun replied calmly, not betraying any trace of his inner thoughts.
Cagalli stared at him for a moment. "What happened to the Athrun that I knew when I saw him after he killed Kira?" she finally asked softly. "He was remorseful about killing his best friend. Yet here you are, you idiot, wiping out human beings no different than yourself without a second thought! How could you have ever come up with something so stupid?"
"Ugh! You idiot! How could you have ever come up with something so stupid? How could you end up doing something so terrible?" Cagalli yelled at him, the gun in her hand gleaming in the faint light of the room.
"He took Nicol's life, right before my eyes! Nicol was fifteen. He loved the piano. He only fought to protect the Plants and Kira just cut him down," Athrun replied painfully.
"The reason Kira fought was to protect other people too, but it doesn't explain why he had to pay with his life, and at the hands of his best friend, of all people! One guy takes the life for vengeance and then someone gets revenge by taking his life. How is that kind of twisted thinking every gonna bring us peace? Well?" Cagalli replied as she started to sob.
Athrun didn't say anything for a long time. But finally, he turned his back on her. "Things are different now. My father is right. Naturals aren't good for anything. Peace will only come if one race is eliminated, and that is the Naturals." He nodded to the guards standing at the tent opening. "Get rid of them." With that, he strode out of the tent, ignoring the heart wringing "AATTTHHHRRUUNNNNNNNN!!!" from Cagalli that followed him out. The world was better off without Naturals, even if it meant sacrificing a former friend to reach that goal. The world would be a Coordinator world, and Athrun would see to it, no matter what it takes. No matter what it takes.
Quotes are from Episode 31, where Cagalli gets all mad at Athrun. Thank you to veraicons at Livejournal for the quotes!