DEARKA: UNDERSTANDING
------------
He had always thought that he hated Naturals. They were weak, stupid, and inferior. Perhaps that was why he was so eager to fight them.
But he hadn't really known a Natural. He had always thought that Naturals were stupid and slow because he was taught that way.
That changed, however, when he had met her.
He had been indignant when he was brought onto the legged ship, but it was either surrender, or be killed. And he'd rather live than die.
He had been surprised to see a girl on the famed battleship, especially a Natural girl. He had faintly wondered what she could possibly be doing there, and had joked that there was at least a pretty girl on board.
But the next time he saw the "pretty girl", she was crying. Being the joker that he was, he teased her about being in the military, and made a rude comment about her boyfriend, after all, she was just another stupid Natural.
What he didn't know at the time was that he had hit bulls-eye, and his words had sent her overboard as she came towards him, knife in hand.
And for reasons beyond his understanding, when her friend pointed a gun at him, threatening to kill him because he was a Coordinator, Miriallia had stopped her.
I'm not like that!
He was surprised when she came peeking into his cell, bringing him food. But was even more surprising was the fact that he had apologized, well, sort of.
She was the only person to come and visit him, and he found that he looked forward to her visits. Perhaps it was because she was entertaining, and he was bored inside the cell alone.
Either way, she was one who came and told him that he was free to go. But as he stood outside, staring at the giant white ship battling missiles, and remembering her determined face and words that she wanted to protect her home, he found that he could not leave.
She never talked about him, the Natural boyfriend who had apparently died. But when they had learned that it was Athrun who killed him, she was neither angry nor vengeful.
What does it matter? Would killing him bring Tolle back to me? Of course it wouldn't...
He could see that it still hurt. And he admired her strength to go on.
Through her, he saw that Naturals weren't as bad as he'd once thought. He had understood that they were just like humans like him, with feelings of pain, joy, anger, and sadness. And he found that he could no longer follow ZAFT's wishes to exterminate them anymore.