History Recap / GundamSeedEp24WarForTwo

* RunningGag: Once again, a guy seems surprised to discover that Cagalli's a girl. Lampshaded by Cagalli herself!

The episode opens up with a recap of what happened previously -- the undersea battle of the last episode, Athrun and his Gundam being ejected from their transport after it was shot down, and Cagalli likewise crashing her Skygrasper. The two end up on the same island; upon spotting Athrun exiting the Aegis, Cagalli seizes her chance and draws her pistol. Athrun avoids the first few shots, but is forced to discard his supply bag (including his own pistol) while taking cover. Now he's hiding among the rocks on the beach as Cagalli approaches, intent on capturing him...

Back on the Archangel, Murrue and the crew are taking stock of where and when they lost contact with Cagalli. An excess of radar interference and a lack of radio contact from the Skygrasper has Natarle suggesting that they list Cagalli as MIA -- which means, as Sai is explained to, Missing in Action. More specifically, that they've lost contact with the person in question, and that said person is more likely than not dead. Murrue, however, points out that it's too early to assume anything, and declares that they'll send Kira out in the Strike Gundam to go look for her once its maintenance is complete. Natarle objects, citing the fact that they're in enemy territory, but Murrue puts her foot down, making it clear in no uncertain terms that she will ''not'' give up on Cagalli.

Speaking of whom, she's approaching the rocks where Athrun's taken cover, and already noticed that he's lost his supply pack and pistol. However, her hesitant approach has given the Aegis' pilot time to pull out his combat knife, and the second she takes to kick his pistol further away gives him the chance to lunge into action! Nimbly springing up a nearby embankment to avoid Cagalli's gunfire, Athrun pulls himself over the ledge and out of sight! With her enemy no longer in sight, Cagalli takes the opportunity to collect the other pistol...and in so doing, leaves her back open as Athrun emerges back into view atop the embankment. With a swift leap, Athrun closes in on his target and kicks the second pistol away, then performs a deft bit of CQC that sends the enemy tumbling to the sand! Acting quickly, Athrun pounces atop his foe, knife raised for a killing blow. Cagalli sees death coming, and can't help but let out a shriek of terror...

...Which is how Athrun realizes, for the first time, he's fighting a girl. His dumbfounded reaction doesn't go over well with Cagalli, who can only wonder why that surprises every man she meets.

As the waves lap the shore, and the adrenaline rush of battle wears off, Athrun decides on a more merciful approach -- namely, binding Cagalli hand and foot before seeing to the retrieval of his gear, and the disposal of Cagalli's handgun. During this, he reflects aloud that Cagalli doesn't seem to be a trained soldier, but quickly figures out she's the one who was piloting the Skygrasper who tried to shoot down his transport. Cagalli vehemently insists that ZAFT was trying to shoot ''her'' down, and insists that she's ''not'' a career soldier. Rolling over in the sand to try and face Athrun, she recognizes his Gundam from Heliopolis, and reveals that she was there when ZAFT attacked and destroyed the colony. This gets Athrun's attention, and gives him pause as he looks back at her.

Back on the Archangel, Kira's preparing to launch in the Strike Gundam. Murrue talks to him via the comms channel, explaining that any distress signal Cagalli might have sent wouldn't have gotten through the radio jamming. With so many small islands around, Murrue notes it's likely she landed on one of them; given that Kira just returned from a battle, she gives him a two-hour window to search for Cagalli, and to return whether or not he finds her so they can determine their next course of action. Kira agrees and prepares to sortie, while across the Archangel, the rest of the crew copes in their own ways -- Mu La Flaga waiting for his own Skygrasper to be repaired, Flay picking up spilled medical bottles, and the rest of the Heliopolis classmates gathering in the mess hall...

Meanwhile, at a ZAFT naval base, the Le Creusset team is likewise coping with the absence of Athrun in their own ways -- Nicol is staring pensively out the window, and Dearka lounges in a couch and reads a book. And Yzak, who just walked in...is smirking with barely-hidden amusement as he announces that their first official mission is to rescue their leader from the mess he got himself into, since the rest of the ZAFT forces are too busy. Nicol's not happy with his colleagues' flippant attitude, especially when Yzak declares they'll have to begin their search tomorrow due to the sun going down. Dearka, however, points out that Athrun has his Gundam with him, so he should be fine...

On the island, Athrun's trying to send an SOS via the Aegis' cockpit radio, but to no avail thanks to the radio inteference...and, of course, the storm that's rolling in doesn't help, either. As thunder rumbles, Cagalli (still tied up) is inch-worming her way up the hill, but ends up rolling down it...and into a puddle of water. Embarrassing, but mostly inconvenient...until it starts to rain. Before long, Cagalli's struggling to keep her head above water, but finds herself saved when the Aegis thrusts its shield out to serve as a large umbrella. With his prisoner out of danger from drowning, Athrun leaves the cockpit to walk over to Cagalli, engaging in some light-hearted teasing despite himself. As he helps her out of the puddle, the sight of a small crab scuttling along her shoulder leaves him bemused, leading Cagalli to wonder if they don't have crabs out on the colonies. Despite still being bound by the wrists and ankles, she bunny-hops out into the rain to let it wash away the sand on her body...and the sight of her basking in the downpour leaves Athrun feeling a little more out of his depth.

Recovering the ZAFT pilot takes the opportunity to cut Cagalli's ropes, concluding that she's no match for him without any weapons...and promptly slips and falls on a patch of wet sand, while another crab falls out of the bemused Cagalli's top. Meanwhile, Kira's search for the latter is fruitless, leaving him to wonder if she's okay as his time limit runs low...

A little while later, Athrun and Cagalli have taken shelter in a nearby cave, with the latter draped in a blanket while her clothes dry by the fire. Athrun offers her a thermos and ZAFT rations, pointing out that they'll have to spend the night due to the radio jamming. Despite herself, Cagalli ''is'' hungry, and accepts the offered food...though she can't help but point out that she ''ought'' to be tied up again, seeing as she could wait for an opening and then steal Athrun's gun. Her defiance and stubborn persistence get a wry chuckle out of Athrun, but he warns her that he ''will'' kill her if she tries anything. The conversation veers towards the subject of Heliopolis, and Athrun apologizes for the way things turned out there. Cagalli isn't mollified, pointing out that the colony ''still'' ended up destroyed; Athrun counters that Orb went back on its word of neutrality by letting the new Mobile Suits be developed there, and that ZAFT couldn't be expected to ignore it. Both captor and captive argue that their sides were acting in self-defense due to the other's aggression. This includes the inciting incidents for both Athrun and Cagalli -- the former having lost his mother in the Bloody Valentine incident, and Cagalli's allies among the desert rebels being gunned down by ZAFT.

In the end, Athrun concludes that nothing either he or Cagalli can say will break the stalemate between them, and that he'd rather lie down and get some rest. With the blanket wrapped around herself to protect her modesty, Cagalli walks to the cave entrance and looks up at the Aegis, flashing back to her heartbroken reaction back on Heliopolis when she realized her father had broken his oath of neutrality. Looking back to Athrun, she realizes that he's nodding off to sleep...and from there, her gaze flits down to the gun in his holster...

Back on the Archangel, Kira's trying to get back into the Strike Gundam, insisting that he's rested and ready for another searching run. Mu La Flaga isn't having it, though, pointing out that ''one hour'' of lying down doesn't qualify as rest; they'll have to wait till the sun comes up to resume their search. However, he softens the rebuke by admitting that ''he's'' not happy with the situation either, and reassuring Kira that, Coordinator or not, he shouldn't have to do everything by himself. And anyway, he points out, Cagalli's a tough cookie, and she can take care of herself.

At that moment, Cagalli's sitting in the cave next to Athrun, still amazed that he can sleep so soundly with his prisoner unguarded. Fidgeting to herself, she recalls the attack on Heliopolis again, and decides to make her move. Moving over to the slumbering Athrun, she reaches out for the gun on his holster. Remembering his promise to kill her if she tries anything, however, gives Cagalli a moment's pause...

...Which is when Athrun stirs, and wakes up to see her looming over him. Panicking, Cagalli throws her blanket over Athrun to disorient him, then grabs at his holster in the ensuing scuffle. By the time Athrun's gotten the blanket off, Cagalli's backpedaled to the cave wall...with his gun in her hand. Watching him draw his knife, she admits in a shaky voice that she doesn't ''want'' to shoot him, but she can't let him walk away with the Aegis so he can continue attacking Earth with it. Grimly, Athrun acknowledges that Cagalli's right about the Earth people who'd be casualties, and that she'll do what she has to do...just as ''he'' will. He prepares himself to lunge, and a tearful Cagalli readies the gun...even as she flashes back to when she and Kira were dining with Andrew Watfeld, who likewise reflected on how their clash was inevitable, no matter how much neither of them wanted it. Frustration rising, Cagalli brings her arm down, and Athrun lunges...

Outside the cave, a gunshot rings out.

Back inside the cave, Athrun's pinned Cagalli to the ground, but his knife hasn't found its mark. Nor has the bullet from Cagalli's gun, the weapon having discharged when she threw it to the ground. Staring down at Cagalli, Athrun demands to know what the hell she was ''thinking'' by throwing a loaded gun. Stunned and shaken by the fact that he hasn't killed her, she can only apologize sheepishly...and then notices that Athrun ''did'' get a glancing wound from the wild shot. When Athrun moves for his supply pack to get some bandages, she grabs for it as well, expressing remorse and wanting to repay him for his kindness so far.

Back on the Archangel, Kira's trying to get back into the Strike Gundam, insisting that he's rested and ready for another searching run. Mu La Flaga isn't having it, though, pointing out that ''one hour'' of lying down doesn't qualify as rest; they'll have to wait till the sun comes up to resume their search. However, he softens the rebuke by admitting that ''he's'' not happy with the situation either, and reassuring Kira that, Coordinator or not, he shouldn't have to do everything by himself.

A little while later, Athrun and Cagalli have taken shelter in a nearby cave, with the latter draped in a blanket while her clothes dry by the fire. Athrun offers her a thermos, pointing out that they'll have to spend the night due to the radio jamming.

As the waves lap the shore, and the adrenaline rush of battle wears off, Athrun decides on a more merciful approach -- namely, binding Cagalli hand and foot before seeing to the retrieval of his gear.