Hello everyone! I'm bringing this little one-shot back to life like seven years after because we should never forget that Kamina died for our sins, for all of us. He and Yoko were such a perfect pairing, but life happened. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann belongs to Hiroyuki Imaishi and Gainax, not me.

The rain was worsening, the sky was gray. It was nothing like that bright, blue sky they saw the first time they came up to the surface. Then the sun was shining and, despite the danger lying in wait for them, everything was different. Back then, it was like an unplanned game. Now it was terribly real and closer than ever. She looked at her own soaked hands and held the strap of her weapon tighter to not let it hang down. She didn't know for how long she had been there, wet and watchful. The battle was close and their chances were looking as ugly as the sky above their heads.

"Pss… Kamina."

He turned around and before he could properly face her, she suddenly, shyly kissed him. When he looked at her face she was blushing, completely lovely.

"You're really vulnerable from behind, huh. You should watch your back" she said with a soft voice.

"You..." Kamina was about to say something but he seemed not to find the correct words so he kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her.

Despite her previous cheek, she was truly surprised, but she managed to react and slowly hugged him back. She caressed his cold, wet body. She noticed the strap of her weapon slipping down her wet shoulder. Her hair was totally soaked but she didn't mind. The war and the world didn't matter anymore, only they did. But she had to wake up from this dream and take a step back.

"Ten times" she said then.

"What?" Kamina said, a bit confused again.

"I'll been waiting for you after the battle in order to give you this kiss back ten times over" Yoko said.

Kamina slightly smiled but she couldn't see it because he turned over again and was showing her his back. He was never worried about it if Yoko was watching his back.

"Good" he just said as he slid down the wet ground through the battlefield with his red cape wavering behind him.

Yoko stood there, watching him go. When she couldn't see him anymore, she accommodated her weapon on her shoulder and looked at the gray sky with a little smile on her lips. Then, everything faded to black.

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She woke up yelling and sat for a couple of minutes. Luckily there was no one close to hear her. It didn't matter much, anyway. She angrily punched the ground while her eyes got wet with tears. She stood and got away even more from the group. She didn't want to cry, but how not to? Nobody would be surprised, though.

She had dreamt about that damn moment. She stopped suddenly and retraced her steps when it started to rain again. She couldn't stand the rain anymore. She decided to take a shower and try to drown her tears in the warm water. But it didn't work to calm her down. She hit the wall with her fists while the water dripped down her hair and her whole body.

'I'll give you this kiss back ten times over… What did you want to tell me? Kamina, you idiot!'

Yoko cried and couldn't think straight. She dreamt about the moment she kissed him almost every night. She didn't even know why she did it then. Maybe because she was afraid that he… She believed in him, she wanted to believe in him – if they made it to that point it was only due to his determination, which made everyone follow him and believe that winning was possible. But that day was different. She was truly afraid – it was not the kind of fear she felt before every skirmish, it was a much more real, solid terror that made her tremble even if she didn't show it. She told herself that there would be more chances, more moments, but deep inside she didn't believe her own thoughts.

Maybe that was why she kissed Kamina in that rainy dawn. She got swept up in the impulse, she didn't mind if she was rejected. He had known what she felt for him from long ago. Then, he kissed her too. And she promised to return that kiss after their hug under the rain. But Kamina never came back.

Yoko wanted to drown in her own desperation under the water in the shower. The hole in her heart was too big, her suffering was ten times bigger. Why did that happen? Why, after so many victorious battles? He sacrificed himself for them to carry on, to keep believing in his spirit. But that sacrifice wouldn't have been necessary if it hadn't been for that stupid Simon. Yoko thought it had been the only mistake of Kamina – to believe in Simon so strongly, to treat him like a man when he was nothing but a kid, to think he could become the hero when he was already a hero for everyone. Simon was nothing without Kamina. It was silly to think he could play the role of a leader or guide them all – not after losing Kamina. The wound was too deep, he was irreplaceable.

His absence was hard to accept for her, too. Yoko left the shower, got dressed and combed her hair. It didn't stop raining. The dawn was close. She couldn't look at the rain without feeling pain or having faith in something anymore. She wasn't able to look at Simon and she ignored on purpose that he was suffering the most besides her. She didn't believe in him like Kamina did, she didn't accept him as her leader or a hero. Simon himself didn't seem to be strong enough to do it. If they couldn't believe in Kamina, they couldn't believe in anyone. The surface was not a paradise, even if he tried to turn it in something similar. If he wasn't there it was a hell again.

Despite her reluctance, Yoko walked into the rain. She took her weapon, aimed to the sky and shoot. It was an impulse and another promise. She didn't know if he believed in her like he believed in Simon, but she had nothing left to believe in anymore. She swore she would never forget him, no matter what, while she was alive. Even if the price to pay was an unlimited pain. Even if Kamina could only live in her dreams every night. At least there she could kiss him over and over again, pretend he was never gone and keep loving him. Yoko hung the weapon on her shoulder and started to walk under the rain with her empty hands and heart, getting away from everything she had believed in.