Taking on Responsibility

Azrael was trapped. The battle against the Archangel didn't go well for both warships. He tried to get off the crippled Dominion after shooting Captain Natarle but she locked up the bridge and only she knew the password.

"Open the door!"

He demanded while pointing his gun at him. She had been shot twice but she gave him a mocking look. His ego shattered.

*bang!*

"Ahhh!"

Natarle screamed with pain as she was shot the third time, in her leg and her bone got shattered.

Azrael in his crazed mind moved towards the control s and started giving commands.

"What are you doing Azrael?"

Natarle felt dread as she realized that it was the control panel for the ship's weapon systems.

"I'm going to destroy it!"

He said maniacally as he armed the Main Positron Gun and locked aim at the Archangel.

"Don't do it!"

I made my way towards the entry to the Bridge.

I had joined Earth Forces not long after the war stared when my home city of Chiba came under attack by ZAFT and it was a miracle that me and my family were not in our house which got destroyed. I became an technician on board the Dominion,wearing an orange jumpsuit and right now I was furious.

I had not signed up for wiping out of the Coordinators and the Blue Angel bastards sent us to destroy PLANTS. They were insane.

Almost everyone at the Mobile Suit Hanger area had been killed within few hours of combat and now I had been told by fleeing officers from the bridge that the Captain had ordered an evacuation and move to the Archangel, the same vessel they had been fighting against.

Then for what reason had my comrades died for?

Blood streaking from my face,I paid no mind to it and asked why the Captain wasn't with them.

The red-head teenage girl who had come aboard via emergency pod and had been prisoner of ZAFT, Flay something looked shaken and yelled.

"He wants to kill us!"

An older officer explained that Azrael had a gun and tried to take over the ship and the Captain was stalling him.

I ignored their calls to evacuate with them as I continued on towards the bridge.

Its true that large parts of the world had been destroyed by ZAFT who were in control of large and important territories. At least Japan remained outside their control so I joined the Earth Forces to defend my homeland, including Coordinators who wished to stay with us.

Now I had heard of this Azrael guy and according to rumours among the crew he was a big industrialist providing weapons for our military and an important man in Blue Cosmos, an organization with goal to wipe out Coordinators for a 'pure world'.

I might have been susceptible to this propaganda as a kid,having seen destruction first hand and wanted revenge but was talked out of it by his father who scolded me and reminded me there are Coordinators are people too and they must not judge for who they are and had no right to harm them.

Also the fact I met Totsuka in High school and he was a Coordinator. Maybe being pretty was his special ability,Tee hee!

He brought out a Glock pistol from his jumpsuit pocket,taken from a deceased soldier(May his soul rest in peace).

I was only a private but had enough training in using firearms.

I reached my destination only to find the entrance sealed by a shutter.

Luckily I was aware of the all the electrical circuit system on board the ship and opened the panel in the doorway and tinkered with the connections to reopen the bridge's entry.

Azrael locked on the target,the Archangel and prepared to fire.

"Don't do it!"

Natarle yelled and to move in order stop him.

"It's over, Archangel!"

Azrael said maniacally as the control panel displayed ready to fire.

He lowered his hand to push the command.

"Azrael! Raise your hands Now!"

This got Azrael temporarily confused as he looked towards the source of this.

In his rage, Azrael hadn't notice the opening of the shutter and saw a young man in orange jumpsuit pointing a gun at him.

Captain Natarle was also stunned. She didn't expect anyone to come and was willing to die here with that Blue Cosmos monster.

She recognized the dead fish eyed crew member.

"Hikigaya-kun"

Azrael snarled as he moved his hand from the control panel which was one press away from firing the Positron Gun and tried to shoot him too.

*bang!*

"Ahh!"

Azrael screamed in pain as his opponent fired first and the bullet lodged into his hand.

He wringed with pain as his index finger got detached,still stuck in the trigger as the gun floated away.

He held his injured hand and squirmed. It had been a long time since he had been physically harmed due to his powerful status and that really messed with his ego.

After recovering a bit from shock he venomously looked at the person again who had shot him.

He tried to reach for his gun again but the newcomer had closed the distance by propelling himself in zero gravity.

He raised his fist and smacked Azrael right at his face.

"Geh!"

He grunted as he moved backward by the force of impact.

The youngster didn't let up as grabbed Azrael by the tie and looked into his eyes. He could see fear.

The prideful man had finally lost his nerve.

"D-don't!"

He tried to say but Hachiman simply grabbed his gun which was floating next to him.

Azrael found himself staring down the barrel.

"P-please! No!"

Azrael begged and looked terrified,almost beginning to cry.

"This is for my comrades,Blue Cosmos!"

Azrael was in full panic mode as he opened his mouth with fear.

"Aah!"

A moment of complete silence,even the Captain looked on without saying a word.

But rather than opening fire, he hit him swiftly on his head with the butt of the pistol.

"Oh!"

He grunted and was knocked unconscious.

Hachiman watched him for a few moments as his unconscious body floated backward,making sure he was incapacitated and not a threat.

"Main Positron Gun. Disarming"

The Dominion's A.I. voice blared over the speakers because of the safety mechanism to automatically disarm it's major weapons if they are not used for some time.

Captain Natarle began to seethe with pain and Hachiman turned to her after hearing noise.

"Captain. Please don't move"

His expression softened as he held his wounded Captain and got her to lay on the floor.

"Ah!" she hissed as extreme pain began to return and she began to feel light headed because of bleeding.

He carefully looked for bullet wounds on her and it looked terrible.

"I thought...everyone had left. I had... to stop him."

Hachiman stopped her from saying anything further.

"Captain,I confess that had stolen the gun and intended to confront this Azrael. I had heard he was Blue Cosmos. Was he really going to murder all Coordinators on the PLANTS?"

Natarle was surprised by the man's conviction and open disdain to what Azrael had openly admitted to carry out genocide.

She knew this was wrong but she kept obeying orders,convincing herself that this would end the war.

Now with Earth Forces using nuclear weapons and ZAFT firing GENESIS, they were now annihilating each other and there was no excuse.

She deserved as much blame for going along with it.

They could nothing to stop it now. Unless...

"I want you to make an open broadcast" she told him after steeling herself.

A/N : Set during Gundam Seed Episode and AU from there. Hachiman is around 18 years of age.