Disclaimer: I don't own Gurren Lagann, it belongs to Gainax. No money has or will exchange hands over this piece of work as I wrote it for entertainment and to try and deal with how the series ended. All original characters and storylines do belong to me.
Authors Note: Set one year after the anti-spirals defeat. Pairings Kamina/Yoko, Simon/Nia, Yoko/Kittan. With thanks to Fyria, Tom-kun and sharp-kun for betaing this for me.
After the Battle is Over
The children had long since left the class room and if she really concentrated she could hear them laughing as they played in the last remaining sunlight of the day. Life on the island was quiet, as it always had been and as the sky turned from blue to shining orange through red Yoko turned to cast her gaze across the vast ocean.
The gentle breeze that accompanied evening whispered through the trees as it replaced the last of the day's warmth with a cold chill, but that had never bothered the teacher and she stepped outside - heading for the small home the principle had been kind enough to provide for her.
Her life there was peaceful, subdued and everything she had tried to avoid when she was younger. But that girl had long since ceased to exist; his death on the day they secured their base had taken away a part of her she had never truly gotten back. There had been moments a year ago when she thought her heart would finally be able to heal and she could love again…but he had been taken from her by the call of his own fate. She couldn't blame him, either of them and in their place would have done the same, but it never stopped the pain.
Kamina had been their symbol of hope, the first leader in their fight against the Helix King and for a while her foolish self had thought him immortal… so much life, so much strength. He and Simon had always been able to win any battle set out before them, in fairness they had even won the fight that cost him his life.
Running her hands through her long red hair she fastened it back as she entered the house in search of something more comfortable to wear… something less Yomako Sensei and more Yoko. She smiled as she slipped on her jacket, feeling slightly more rested with the familiar symbol emblazoned across her back than she had in the restrictive clothing expected of a teacher.
Scanning the room in search of anything she might need Yoko's glance focussed on the set of pictures on her desk… one of herself, Kamina and Simon as well as the group picture taken of the entire Gurren Brigade the day before Kamina's last battle. Her eyes strayed between him and Kittan she could feel the familiar welling in here chest and turned away. It had been a year… why was it she still couldn't put it behind her?
His lips were warm and soft yet despite the sweetness there was something desperate about the way he held her.
"Sorry for my selfishness." Kittan told her, his eyes never leaving hers.
She looked at him open mouthed for a few second until her lips formed a small smile. Putting her arms around him Yoko held him close to her, knowing this was only the second and last time she would ever do so.
"Thank you." And he wrapped his arms more firmly around her.
"You're doing this because you want to right? I can't stop you."
Forcing the memory from her mind Yoko headed towards the beach, taking the stone path down to where the soft sand met the grassy hills. The sky was clear and perfect and after finding a slightly more secluded spot she laid herself down, eyes focussed on the sky above her, vast and beautiful. The very thing they had all strived to save.
Kamina had always loved the sky; she remembered nights on their travels when he would lie awake just watching. She joined him sometimes, Simon sleeping on undisturbed and it had been then that she had gotten to know him, not as the 'Demon leader of the Gurren Brigade' but as Kamina. Just the young man he was. He had told her of his life in Jiiha village, of Simon and their friends… his father and his regrets and in turn she had told him her life story. Things she hadn't told anyone else she had told to him, stories she had allowed herself to imagine telling Kittan but she knew that would never be.
She had known all along she had two choices, to let her anger take over her at the unfairness of it all but that path only lead to more pain and suffering for herself and those she still cared about. Or she could live on in their memory, in the memory of everyone they lost. Kamina, Kittan, Nia…
Her heart went out to Simon and she wondered what he was doing with his life now, he had left Kamina City with Gimmy in charge of Gurren Lagann to try, she suspected to find a way to live after the loss of his wife.
She had done the same thing after the loss of Kamina and their victory over the Helix King, travelling the world had helped her to grow and find herself… it had ultimately lead her to the small island she now taught on. She found she could live on, cope with the pain, if her life had meaning.
She wondered if Simon had found his yet. But she honestly doubted it; Nia had been the one to bring him back after he lost his brother and had supported him through out the seven years the earth's surface had been repopulated. They had grown to be inseparable and despite her own experiences she couldn't imagine how he was coping.
A small squeak greeted her ears as she lay there, loud enough to be heard over the waves lapping gently against the cooling sand and before she was really aware a small brown ball of fur sat between her breasts.
She quelled the instinct to reach for the handgun tucked into the top of her right boot as she registered the small pig-mole properly.
"Boota?" Yoko asked as the small creature made himself comfortable.
He nodded, or did something she guessed resembled a nod before jumping again and landing in her lap as she sat herself up.
"How did you get here?" she asked, she wasn't used to seeing him by himself and that thought lead to two conclusions…. One she didn't want to contemplate. Boota did his best to indicate further down the beach and before long Yoko could see a familiar silhouette appear.
"Simon."
His hair was slightly longer and dishevelled around his face as he pulled back the hood to the brown cloak covering him. But it was Simon all the same, as he approached Yoko noticed how much older he looked, his eyes betrayed his smile and his whole appearance was that of a man made so much older than his years.
"It's good to see you again Yoko." He came to sit besides her on the sand, Boota returning to burrow inside his cloak.
"It's been a year Simon, I was starting to worry." Her tone was light, masking the pain of her reverie. She wondered if he could see the truth in her eyes as she had with him.
"You disappeared for six Yoko." He countered laughing at her comment.
"I wrote!" she countered, putting her hands on her hips in mock anger.
"To Nia." Then, realising what he had said Simon fell into silence.
Yoko didn't know what to say either, she and Kamina hadn't the luxury of the seven years Simon and Nia had…. She wasn't sure, after seeing the pain in Simon's eyes whether is was better or worse. Considering the answer only brought her more pain; seven years with Kamina… he wouldn't have chosen to stay in the city either and she imagined, as she had so many times before exploring the world with him…. Kittan would have been happy to settle down with her in the school… forcefully stopping that line of thought before her happy façade fell she tried to smile.
But turning her head she realised that Simon had already seen past it and he reached out to her, shifting over on the sand and putting his arm around her shoulders.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, letting her head come to rest on her friend's shoulder.
"It's okay, I know you were busy all those years and finding reliable mail services must have been hard." It was hard to tell by his tone if he meant his words to be humorous or simply truthful.
"Simon…."
"I know…. it's just… it's still hard to talk about her." He stopped as the familiar lump rose in his throat. She had filled his life with so much light. Her smiling face, gentle caring nature and her determination… he had loved her more than he thought possible. In that final week with her he had smiled for her and laughed with her, determined to enjoy their final days together without dwelling on the lonely future without the one person he had promised to spend his life with. He'd kidded himself into thinking he would be able to handle it.
He had never been more wrong. Life had robbed him of two of the most important things to him, first his brother and then his wife. Yoko was his closest friend and the only real link left to his past that would understand what he had been though, it had been why he'd come to her in the first place
"You'll get there, it doesn't get any easier…. You just find a way to deal with it." Yoko told him, letting the silence drift between them comfortably.
"Is that why you were gone for so long?" Simon asked; he had never felt as though he could before. Even now he felt as though he was forcing a sensitive subject.
Yoko was silent for a long time, not moving from where her head rested against Simon, he wasn't sure if he'd said too much and simply waited for a reply he wasn't sure would come.
"I think I needed to find away to live on my own… for myself, I needed to prove to myself that life could have meaning without Kamina..." Her voice was quiet and she sounded like the girl she had once been when he had met her for the first time. "I was the best marksman in my village and everyone depended on me... whether they admitted it or not and it scared me. Living for other people, always worrying about their expectations and knowing if I failed them it would be the end for us."
"Then when I met you and Kamina I didn't feel so alone anymore, I could share the burden and I think you both understood that without having to say anything. I lived for him then; I loved him more than I have ever loved anyone, I would have given anything for him…. I think I would still do anything to have him back." She swallowed thickly, trying to suppress the final moments of his life from her mind.
"But then he died and I fought in his memory…. But afterwards, there was no purpose, nothing else for me to fight for. I needed to find away to live, I needed to find my own purpose, it lead me here." The wind blew against the tears on her cheeks and she shivered, no longer wishing to hide her feelings. Simon was the only person who would understand her.
"Are you happy here?" He asked her, wondering if Kittans death was still affecting her as well.
"Most of the time. I have no memories of either of them in this place. This is my home and it was never theirs…. If I were to go anywhere else the reminders would be with me constantly. Here I only have my memories and pictures I've collected over time."
"I can't seem to leave her behind. Everywhere I go I see her, flowers, birds, clouds… all of it brings me back to Nia and I ca…." his words died in his throat and his scrunched his eyes closed.
Yoko sat up then, shifting in the sand to kneel next to him. "Simon, it's okay." She told him softly, putting her arms around him and allowing him to pull her as close as he needed.
"It's just so…. We tried to hard that I…" he shook slightly in her arms and his grip on her tightened. It occurred to Yoko that he was holding on for dear life, she wondered if that had been why he had come to her.
"I know, but because of us – because of what they did for us Earth is safe now. As long as you hold onto that Simon I promise it will get better." She knew the words were meant as much for her sake as for his – hearing her say it out loud was her way of reaffirming her reason for living. The children had no ceiling restricting their lives, mankind was free.
Long after their tears had dried the two friends were still sat on the beach watching the stars in their journey across the night sky. The moon was only half full letting the stars shine out brighter against the violet blanket of the sky.
"Some times it's hard to believe we've been up there." Yoko commented zipping up her jacket as the cold finally started to get to her.
"It's hard to believe any of this happened, I was just a digger - then suddenly leader of the people above the surface and now a nobody wandering the Earth looking for a way to move on."
"Life's like that, you never know what to expect…. I've asked myself so many times what I would have done if I knew we were going to loose them."
"You make the most of it." Simon told her, looking to his side to face her. "Me and Nia knew, you just try as hard as you can to make the most of it."
"Make it ten times better." Yoko murmured looking to the stars again. She wondered if now was the time to let her secret known, the one thing she'd kept to herself for 8 years.
"Yoko?" Simon fixed her with a puzzled gaze but his friend just smiled.
"Kamina always made the most of everything, he never held back unless he absolutely had to." She told him simply, wondering if Simon would be able to figure it out. She had learned afterwards that he had been watching that night when she had kissed Kamina in front of the volcano, but she didn't know how much – if anything he had heard.
Simon considered her words for a while; Yoko didn't say anything more she just looked towards the heavens with a content smile on her face as is reliving a pleasant memory. Then a memory returned to him, one the events of the day afterwards had made him forget until now…
"I'll make it ten times better"
"Eh?"
"When I come back, I'll make it ten times better. Remember that" Yoko laughed as Kamina's words and he looked confused by the action.
"What?"
"Can't you put it a little better than that?" she had asked smiling at him. Kamina only smiled back in response.
"Now then, I should get going." He suddenly told her, stepping away from her and throwing his cloak into the air before draping it over his shoulders.
"Kamina, I'll be looking forwards to it. Ten times…" and Yoko smiled, watching him leave until she heard the noise in the bushes behind her.
"Yoko… after I spoke to Kamina, the night before the battle with the Dai-Ganzen, he disappeared for a while and I didn't see him again until we all set out… I don't remember seeing you either."
"And?" but he could see the smile on her face and the nervous way he bit her lip.
"Yoko…"
"Simon?" and once again he noticed how much she reminded him of the girl she had been, he was relieved to see her happy – it gave him hope that he would one day be able to smile about Nia without the crushing heartache that normally followed any mention of her name.
"Nothing." He finally replied, deciding he was probably best not knowing. Let it be another secret for another time. He thought and Yoko seemed to agree, happy for the moment to reminisce about the past in the company of her friend.
There might one day be more to this, if I can I might add a series of one shots following the relationships between Yoko and Kamina(However short), Simon and Nia. But I'll have to see how much time I have in the real world to get it done.
Reviews and constructive criticism welcome, although I doubt anyone will read this if people do it will be nice to see what they think.