Gundam SEED ep.27-33

After Orb shelters AA, Kira is asked to assist in writing the OS of M1 Astray for Naturals and busies himself with work to escape thinking. The students are given the chance to meet with their parents, but Kira never went. On one hand, he might be feeling sorry for Flay, but equally important, he is trying to restrain himself from asking the question. "Why did you turn me into a Coordinator?" Like Flaga says, all parents want happiness for their children. Kira might not be able to understand it now amidst all the war and conflicts, but when this is all over, wouldn't he be glad that he has the power to do something?

Seeing the others reunite with their parents plunges Flay into a deeper stage of dejection, but it only reaches bottom when she finds out that Kira also declines the meeting. Despite losing everything she holds dear in an instant, her ojou character demands her to keep her chin high and refuses to let herself be pitied. Especially if that pity comes from Kira. She is the one taking advantage of Kira's weaknesses and using him to her purpose. He is the one giving all he has out there so he can protect her, kill the enemies, and die. Who is he to be considerate of her?

It's absolutely heart wrenching to watch the scene. Flay clenches onto Kira's shirt and hits his chest looking much in pain, while Kira holds her and tells her in an equally painful expression that they were both wrong. By now, Kira has grown up enough to stop relying on Flay, and his eyes have been opened to see what Flay is trying to do. Flay isn't just seeking revenge because she's lost everything. She is trying to destroy everything, including herself, so she can no longer feel the loneliness and desolation. He's realised, but he keeps being there for her and supports her quietly, hoping that one day he could turn that broken and frozen heart of hers back. That gentle embrace and look tell her everything. Kira is not hers to manipulate any more. What's more, he is turning the table and choosing to do this for her, if she would accept it. Hit with the sudden realisation, Flay yells and storms out the room away from Kira in a mixed state of shock, defiance, fury, bashfulness, and a sting of ruefulness. By the time the rush of emotion calms down and she's had the chance to clear her mind and sort things through, however, it's too late. She turns down Kira when she had the chance of healing together with him. Later her attempt to talk things over with Kira before the fateful sortie would be her last time seeing him...

The secret of the twins is revealed (though all evidence already pointed to this outcome...) but still concealed to the two themselves.

The Zala squad sneak into Orb to search for AA, in vain. Drawn by the sound of Torii, Athrun watches with wide eyes as the mechanical bird lands on his hand in a familiar manner. And there, coming out from the factory in a mechanics' suit calling for the bird, is Kira. Under the watchful eyes of the others, the two can only convey their feelings with casual talk and subtle implication. They are glad to see each other again and grateful for the confirmation of their friendship. But they are on different sides of the fence now, and they are destined to face each other on the battlefield as soon as they leave this place. With a dreadful determination, Athrun walks away from Kira and Cagalli and returns to his teammates. Cagalli recognises him from afar, but there is nothing she can say or do, for this is their fight.

The fateful battle which takes place right afterward marks the end of the climb and starts the rapid descend down the roller-coaster ride. With a strike of the sword, the 15-year-old piano-loving Nicol dies in the hands of Kira. With a throw of the sabre, the 16-year-old friend-loyal Tolle dies in the hands of Athrun. The death of their friends adds to the already desperate situation between the two and kills their last rational thoughts. Both throw away all that they shared and, their minds now plagued by regrets and despair and clouded by rage and agony, fight the ugliest battle of their memory as the best of friends since little exchange blows and slashes. And finally, Athrun punches in the code to self-destruct Aegis at point zero. The battlefield is engulfed in a blanket of light, accompanied by earth-shaking explosions.

Aegis is no more, and Strike suffers damage as well as a melted but empty cockpit. There is no sight of Kira, but Athrun survives the self-destruction physically and is rescued by Orb. In a room on the rescue boat, Cagalli and Athrun confronts each other in an emotional outburst, both shedding tears and trembling for what they lost. Cagalli, a kind and gentle friend; Athrun, a close childhood friend that he has no choice but to kill.「あいつは…俺が殺した…」Athrun cries with resignation,「敵なんだ、今のアイツは、もう！なら倒すしかないじゃないか！」Cagalli fists the front of his shirt and cries with agitation,「殺されたから殺して、殺したから殺されて、それでホントに最後は平和になるのかよ！」Having enough with people dying, Cagalli gives the stone charm to Athrun when Yzak comes to bring him back.

Even though he still bad-mouths him, with Nicol killed and Dearka MIA, having Athrun back alive no doubt puts Yzak's mind to rest a little bit. He is probably happiest than anyone else to see his last teammate. With the order of Athrun returning to PLANT as the pilot of the latest MS, the squad is essentially disbanded. Being rivals, Yzak surely notices the recent change in Athrun after his battle with Strike. With the parting threat from Yzak of having him as a subordinate next time, Athrun smiles a little and leaves the sorrowful Earth.

Unbeknownst to all the people mourning on Earth, Kira opens his eyes in the glass garden with Lacus by his side. He is still overwhelmed by the shock of his death battle with Athrun, among many other things. Lacus watches over him quietly and smiles kindly to support him. This is an important period for Kira as he thinks over all that have happened and come up with a resolution for all that is to come; to end the mental tortures and to end the meaningless war.

Onboard ArchAngel, the battleship is in an uproar as a result from the recent battle against the Zala squad. Tolle dies on the battlefield and possibly Kira as well, and the surrender of Dearka with Buster. Without Kira there, Flay is at a lost and seeks comfort from Sai. She tries to reconcile with Sai and denies her feelings for Kira, but Sai yells and renounces her denial. Perhaps all this time when she thinks she's using Kira as a tool of revenge, she has unknowingly and slowly fallen for him. With her mind set, she doesn't consider that as a possibility, but from the eyes of the others, it is as clear as daylight.

As a POW, Dearka remains his careless self which evokes the crew greatly. Having lost Tolle and constantly mocked, Milliaria loses her temper and allows herself be driven by hatred to seek revenge against Dearka. Sai finds out in time and withholds Milliaria from trying to stab the ZAFT prisoner. Flay witnesses everything with cold eyes and steps in, grabbing the gun without hesitation and points it at the Coordinator, ready to get rid of another of her sworn enemy race and do the dirty work herself. In her mind, if even Kira is dead, then all Coordinators should just die. By now Milliaria awakes from what she's doing and jumps in to stop Flay, because nothing would change from her pulling the trigger and killing Dearka. Seeing the girls' violent outbursts and struggles, Dearka finally realises the seriousness of the situation. Flay is blaming the Coordinators for everything especially now that Kira is gone, and Milliaria is bitter and sad from losing Tolle. They are all suffering from the war. They are just ordinary girls looking for happiness, but they have been turned victims with a blink of an eye.

These sure are some of the most emotion-filled and moving episodes of the series, and each one of these heart-wrenching scenes plays a crucial role of shaping the characters and preparing them for the final showdown. The real actions are about to start, and the war is going to turn even more twisting.