A/N! Soooo, my mind may be a little… weird today. Heheh. Sorry 'bout that. I came up with a few ideas that may be difficult to execute, but I'm gonna try my best. The chapter rotation for the good and bad guys will have to come to an end, too, if that didn't already happen, since it would just be to boring to only write for Cytomander and Guame. I wanna see Adaine and Simon, dang it! What an unlikely couple... Even as friends. What's she, two hundred and twenty three years old? XD Maybe like Yoko didn't age during the timeskip, she won't, either, bahahh. I also wanna see Viral and Kamina. Those two make me so happy.

*Schadenfreude means taking pleasure in other people's pain in german, fyi. I didn't know how else to put it. :D

+Picky+

Again in the depths of Lordgenome's lair, Cytomander stood poised and ready for any direction he would be given. Unlike the hypocritical Adiane and the challenging Guame, he was the general that would carry out any order given to him, for that was his definition of honor. Beside him was his wise ally, not so graceful in his stance, and puffing his long-drag into little rings for his own amusement. Adiane's temper and Guame's 'I-don't-care' attitude in the presence of their king often bothered the avian, for he was the only one with the utmost respect that was meant to be due, and still the other two seemed to be favored over him. Crossing his arms and blocking a bit of the cold from seeping into his jumpsuit, he looked towards Lordgenome with both interested and disgruntled eyes.

"Adiane has been captured?" He questioned, masking his inward schadenfreude* with a serious tone.

"Yes." Lordgenome responded, also very unhappy, but for more obvious reasons. His chin hung low, a shadow cast over his spiral eyes, though they lit up much like the floor when they were open. Adiane being caught was like a slap to the face, as he had allowed her to go because of her whining about Thymilph. Their friendship was what had likely brought them down to the humans, despite how Viral had gotten involved both times. For some reason, that man's wayward interest in the humans, especially Kamina, their 'demon' leader as they called him, made the tyrant feel for him a bit. His generals were despicable in the sense that they just listened to everything he said despite their happiness; they were not fit to be human replacements. Somehow, Viral showed an interesting hint of Spiral Power, despite how it was impossible for that to be true. Even with Guame by his side as he defeated the Anti-Spirals for the first time and sent the humans underground for their own protection, essentially becoming the king of the surface alongside his partner, he'd lost any bond with the perverted monster and saw him as only another rogue that at least had the audacity to stand up for his fraudulent wants. "She and Viral are both in the humans' base." He explained briefly, then dropped the subject, as it was irrelevant to what he intended to do next. Really, the humans deserved the surface more than his own children, but the man pushed that evident fact aside and allowed his slowly developed malevolence take control of his judgment.

"So, the woman didn't have it in her." Guame's scratchy voice stated lowly between puffs. Inhaling a bit more smoke, he cackled like a scoundrel, strings of smoke departing between his teeth and clouding his face for a moment before it dissipated, collecting in the highest point in the ceiling, and giving the illusion of clouds. "Maybe they were too strong for her, and Viral saved her life, hm?" It was like him to present new ideas, but rarely did he ever honestly believe them.

"Not even a fatality." Cytomander sighed in response, lifting his nose in a self-indulgent manner. "I expected her to at least take somebody down with her, but even that treacherous Viral is still alive."

Lordgenome's eyes tightened. What exactly was treachery at this point, anyway? He felt himself growing a bit against Cytomander and wondered how well he would fare against the humans. If he was going to have an ego and talk that way about the others, he had better prove that he's worth it.

"Cytomander," he started in his booming, solemn voice, and catching the beastman's attention. Guame simply narrowed his gaze. He knew his lord all too well to know why he was going to send Cytomander instead of him, his once right-hand man. "If you have what it takes to get rid of that vermin once and for all, I want you to do it."

Blinking a moment as he processed the older man's words, the man nodded lightly. "Of course." He stated in his melodic voice, bowing slightly much to Lordgenome's ire. "I will not let you down like Adiane and Thymilph."

"Then go." Lordgenome didn't want to hear anymore of that yellow-bellied man. He watched Cytomander depart with a scheming look in his eye and wondered exactly what would become of his third general that was sent for that band of rebels. As he left, he turned his attention to Guame, who had given him a very knowing look.

"Deja Vu, milord?" he offered, then grinned widely for the malicious man. He and Lordgenome had a slight understanding after having done so much together in the past. Honestly, it was more than just experience that bound those two together, no matter how frail their bond was at this point. Though the man seated on his spiral throne wanted to agree, he simply let his eyes sink and hinted towards a nod.

"Make sure the humans don't make it to Teppelin. I don't have as much faith as I normally would in Cytomander."

+Kamina and Viral+

With a wide grin, Kamina furrowed his brow and smirked at his rival. His arms were crossed in a manly way, as his stance seemed as though he were posing for a statue carving. Viral simply sat in his hospital bed, wrapped nearly head to toe in bandages and gauze with red blotches all throughout them. His face was not as amused as Kamina's, and he let his monster hands rest by his sides on the stiff mattress. After a brief moment of reminiscing, he couldn't help but crack a small smile. It was worth the wounds and betrayal to be able to face him man-to-man and end it once and for all one of these days.

"I couldn't let you take a blow like that for me and not let you live to say thanks, could I?" Kamina smiled again, relieving all tension between the two. He bent over to face Viral more nose-to-nose and looked a bit more playful than Viral had imagined. Accordingly, the beastman looked at him with puzzlement. Why was he treating him as if they'd been friends forever? Again, Kamina chuckled. "I didn't think that stinger would go through Gurren, so I would've been scorpion food. Besides, you've got the skills and the honor!"

Vitral's eyes tightened a bit as he turned his face a bit away from Kamina, though his eyes were still locked in his. This was so surreal. Here he was, sitting vulnerable and under the care of the people he'd been trying so hard to destroy, and now their leader was trying to joke with him. It couldn't really be, could it? He had to be dreaming or dead. Had he gone to hell? No, hell would be having to sit in a room with an angry Adiane for all of eternity… did that make this heaven? It just didn't make any sense at all.

"For what?" he replied, a bit intrigued and his low voice catching Kamina a bit off-guard. He was not used to Viral's monster-like traits so up-close and personal like this, but instead of scaring him, it fired him up. The man stood upright once more, pointing a thumb to himself and resting his other fist on his hip in a manly pose.

"To join the Dai-Gurren Brigade!"

Viral blinked, surprised. Why did he want him to join them? Did one time saving him dismiss all of their previous skirmishes, along with the fact that he was not a human? Just how daft could this human be??

"I'm not joining you, Kamina," he started again with a sneer and narrow eyes. Though his voice was intimidating, he was thinking as he spoke. "I didn't save you because I was on your side. I did it because I wanted to be the one to defeat you, man-to-man." He turned away again, this time forcing his eyes to be pulled off of the man beside him. Looking down at himself in a hospital bed, he sighed. "But now I've lost my place in Teppelin. I'm a traitor."

All during Viral's speech, Kamina raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms once more. Who in their right mind would pass up such a chance? He was sure that Viral was not evil per se, as he would've taken the offer and stabbed him in the back, and he knew he had the utmost honor, so why wouldn't he be with the good guys? Why didn't he want to do what was righteous and kill those beastmen bastards? Then, something clicked, and Kamina's eyes widened in enlightenment. Viral was a beastman. He was one of those dirty bastards who caused earthquakes and killed the innocent. He was one of those that were always fighting for what's wrong… but why? He'd proven himself to be not only civil by talking to his enemy peacefully, realistic by blushing when he found out that Leeron had bandaged him up, and definitely principled from risking his life for the sake of nobility, but he was no longer characterized as one of those monsters in Kamina's head. Were other beastmen like him? Were the rest all scum of the Earth? What would cause somebody as with as much integrity as Viral to annihilate all humans without so much as a second thought?

"You call yourself a traitor?" Kamina started, his face serious for the first time. Viral looked back at him, a bit surprised to hear him somber for the first time instead of whining about his choice. "A traitor to what, that fucker who kills humans for fun, abandons his sweet little daughter, and doesn't even bother to rescue a captive?" Viral opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. Before he could, Kamina again cut him off. "You're saying that you're gonna miss doing nothing with your life but killing the innocent and caging them up underground? You'd rather live as a disgusting slave than a pioneer for the rights of, not only humans, but all the virtuous beings in this universe? You don't see anything wrong with blind motives?! GOOD, you're a traitor! Remain a traitor and do something decent with your life! Save a life rather than take one, be someone's friend instead of an enemy, or would you rather just be another Gurren-dan statistic?!"

As Kamina rose his voice and started a just speech, he pointed a finger in Viral's face, nearly touching his nose. Viral first grew a bit startled, flinching a bit when he was pointed towards, but as he looked up, he could see what literally looked like a bright red flame in Kamina's eyes. What was his life's purpose, anyway? What was he trying to achieve with all of the fighting? No matter what, there was no life outside battle going back to Teppelin. Was it destiny that brought him to the Gurren-dan? Was this a trick? Swallowing hard, he clenched his jaw and bit his lower lip in indecision. Maybe there was something to this other than being able to have an honorable fight. What about an honorable life?

At the fact that Viral had to think about it, Kamina's face turned sour. He huffed one more time before opening the door to leave. One last time, he looked towards Viral, who was now looking at him with a pathetic sort of face, mouth in the shape of an 'o' and eyes low from having his heart touched a bit. In a way, he resembled Simon, somebody he'd guided as a 'big bro'. Maybe, just maybe, he would have another adopted sibling.

"Tell me when you're gonna join the Brigade, but until you do, I don't wanna see your beastman face!"

The door slammed. The new silence in the hospital room unnerved Viral, and taking a hold of his sheets, his hands formed fists. Kamina… he was a hell of a man.

Upon his leave, Kamina was in a most foul mood. He stormed through the halls, ignoring the locker-room talk that Kittan and Attenborough offered as they passed by, and searching for his best friend. If there was anybody who could rationalize a situation for him, it would be Simon. He turned a corner, heading for Simon's room, and bursting the door open in a most intrusive way.

"Simon!" he called, but was cut short when he realized that his little brother wasn't there. Blinking, he was ready to become more enraged when a familiar hand touched his shoulder and made him jump.

"Calm down, Kamina!" Yoko gasped, a bit taken back from his jump. She looked at him with a face that made it obvious just how silly he looked, and he blinked a moment before again frowning. He was so juvenile she couldn't help but giggle.

"What's wrong with you? You've been storming around like you've lost something."

Kamina crossed his arms, looking from side to side as he spoke. "Ahh, I can't find Simon anywhere." He grumbled, then turned his head to the side, looking at Yoko expectantly. "D'you know where he is?"

Yoko thought a moment. She placed a finger under her lip, her eyebrows looking as if they were worried as she thought. Apparently, he wasn't in his room, but where else would he be? Oh, of course!

"I think I may have an idea," Yoko started, catching Kamina's full attention. "He's probably with Nia down in the cells. Those two are almost inseparable, you—"

"The cells?" Kamina questioned, squinting as he looked at Yoko menacingly. In response, she lifted two hands in a 'don't come any closer' motion and leaned back.

"Yeah, she said herself that she was the Teppelin princess. Leeron and I talked it over, and she's right next to the other beastman we captured."

Kamina's eyes widened before he let out a heavy growl. "You locked up an innocent little girl right after she was told that she was abandoned?!"

"Kamina!" Yoko fussed back. "You're being irrational, we can't trust everybody we—" Again, she was cut off.

"You've gotta be kidding me! You guys are making a mockery of the Dai-Ganzan! I'm lettin' her out myself!"

+Jail Cells+

"Simon," Nia started, her tiny hands reaching through the walls of her cell and wrapping around to hug the bars. "Why am I being punished? Did I do something wrong?" the girl sounded like a ten year old asking where babies came from she was so cute, but Simon could not smile. He looked towards the ground for a brief moment, catching sight of Nia's bright red shoes before he scanned her upwards to see that baby-like face. Her colors were so bright and her voice was so light, it was so strange that she was really the daughter of a monster, and in turn, supposed to be a monster herself. The boy's arms rested by his sides and he tried to force a smile to reassure his new best friend.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong," Simon started in a slightly shaky voice from fake laughter. "You're only in here because you're from Teppelin."

Nia blinked, a bit confused. "So," she started, looking down with slight worry and taking her hands off of the bars to smooth out her skirt. "I'm an enemy?"

Simon blinked for a moment. Was she? He didn't think so; it couldn't be possible, he'd already concluded. Forcing another smile, he shook his head.

"No, but somebody else thinks so. Don't worry about it, you'll be out of there in no time."

The two were silent for a moment, each trying to force a smile for the other, and each with some level of distress. Simon sighed lightly, and Nia's eyes fell to her feet. Neither of them really believed that she was entirely innocent.

"I'M COMIN' TO GET YOU, NIAAA!"

"Hm?" Nia looked up in surprise, trying to see down the hallway.

"Bro?" Simon gasped, watching his older brother charging down the aisle, being followed by the enraged Yoko and a smiling Ron.

"We can't trust her!" Yoko roared.

"Oh, Yoko," Leeron chuckled. "You know resistance is futile!"

The woman sighed heavily. Was this really the guy that she 'loved'? He was more like a troublemaking child!

Finally, Kamina came to a skidded stop by the cell and crossed his arms. "RON, OPEN THAT DOOR!" He cursed, the green-haired man laughing in amusement.

"Sorry, boss, but we've already agreed to keep her there for one night before we give her a proper interrogation. Then, she's free!" Kamina was not amused.

"WE NEVER LOCK ANYBODY UP WHO HASN'T BEEN PROVEN GUILTY! THAT'S NOT OUR WAY!!"

"Give it a rest, will'ya?" Yoko shouted, her arms crossed and scarf partially covering her mouth. "You know as well as I do that she's a beastman, too!" Kamina frowned deeply. Was he really hearing this from Yoko, of all people? He turned around, bumping his forehead onto hers angrily.

"So is Viral, and if it wasn't for him, you wouldn't be yellin' at me right now!"

Simon looked up towards Kamina, his eyes wide and mouth low. So, he noticed, too; not all beastmen were as evil as they'd initially thought. Still, knowing Kamina, he would only sympathize for those that first proved their worth rather than giving the benefit of the doubt. The boy looked towards Nia, who was watching Kamina with hope in her eyes.

"Just give it one day, sweetie." Leeron started, waving a hand towards Kamina, who then darted around and bumped heads with him, too.

"No way!! We'll do the interrogation now then!"

Yoko sighed. "But everyone's at their posts, this is the time of day where there's a damn beastman frenzy!" She was really getting tired of this madness. Didn't he have a reasoning bone in his body? "We can't let her out until tomorrow."

Kamina looked towards Nia, sympathy in his eyes, as well as shock. She wasn't wearing her Dai-Gurren jacket. Was that a sign that she took it off, or just coincidence?

"Oi!" He called towards Nia, who looked up at him with widened, cutesy eyes. "Where's your pink jacket?!"

Nia smiled at his antics, holding her hands to her chest and lowering her chin. "Miss Reite has it." She responded sweetly. The niceness in her voice made Kamina furious that she would be locked up.

"DAMN IT, REITE!" He roared, and stormed out of the jail cells.

"Kamina, she didn't do anything wrong!" Yoko roared, following close behind.

"Either did Nia, Yoko, watch what you tell him!" Leeron was the last to follow. Simon was left sighing at his brother's ridiculous nature.

"He has so much energy." He sighed, then looked up at the genuinely smiling Nia. Now that she was sure that somebody did care for her to fight for her, she was content with staying in the jail cell. A rumbling noise made her smile turn to a giggle, and Simon took a hold of his belly, making a worried face. He was absolutely starving.

"You should eat, Simon." Nia stated sweetly, and Simon frowned.

"I don't want to leave you here alone." His conscience would not allow him to leave her unattended behind bars. Still, she shook her head and would not take no as an answer. When Nia got that way, Simon couldn't bring himself to fight her.

"No, you need your strength to battle the ganmen! Go, eat; I'll be here when you get back." Nia smiled widely, turning around and walking to the back of the dark, gloomy cell to take a seat neatly on the barrack. She waved politely to her friend, and as he smiled back, he slowly started away. She would be there when he got back, wouldn't she? What a silly thought.

"How sweet." A familiar, yet uninvited voice chimed in from Simon's left. He looked up lightly to spy Adiane lying on her barrack as well, legs crossed and bobbing lightly in the air. She looked like the stereotypical convict, except she was in an elegant dress and bore a lot of skin. She's been listening the whole time, hadn't she? A frown crossed the boy's face as he recalled speaking to her before. She was one of those beastmen that he had little remorse for, though somehow, he could still see a light in her. "Of course, little Nia is the daughter of the man that created all of your problems and killed your parents, but when she bats her eyes at you, you can't help but melt."

Simon's eyes widened. That, in itself, was crossing the line. Taking a hold of her jail cell's bars, he looked at her angrily as he had before. "How dare you," he started, voice more tranquil than his face. "Nia didn't hurt anybody, even if she is his daughter. It doesn't matter how two people are related, it matters who those people are inside, and you're more than deserving of being locked up in here."

Adiane was unamused. She lifted her eyebrows, looking at her nails and pressing her lips together as she lied back. The boy's words meant nothing to her, really, and she couldn't help but smirk at his perception of people. He was so… optimistic.

"Pshaw, little boy," she grumbled. "You guys aren't so amazing, either."

Simon blinked. What did she mean by that? Her snake eye moved to look at him, interested in what she had to say. At once, she slid herself into a sitting position, looking at the boy with shrugged shoulders and a sluggish face. "I'm not going to sit here and say that I don't have personal beef with you guys, either."

"Personal beef?" Simon questioned. What could they have possibly done to her personally? Now, she stood up, walking towards the bars, and sat down cross-legged before him to match his height a bit better. Her outright nature was a bit startling for the sheepish boy.

"You killed Thymilph." She stated angrily. Simon thought for a moment, recalling the image of Thymilph in his head. That guy… meant something to somebody? As he stared at Adiane with eyes of enlightenment, he began to realize that, not only did the beastmen kill beloved humans, but the humans killed beloved beastmen. It was not their nature to kill, but their vengeance. Who started this war? Was it truly the beastmen, or was it human nature to destroy? No… It couldn't have been the humans. They wouldn't have fought if it wasn't for being forced underground. Simon's eyes sank a bit, looking down at Adiane with a pitiful gaze.

"…Oh." He said at first, her nose scrunching up as she gave him her worst glare. He could see her pain welling up in her eyes, her face flushing a bit, and all of her bottled emotions dying to pour out in a bloodbath. There was no wonder that she'd attacked them, but Thymilph attacked them. They had to protect themselves, right? No, he'd warped that story in his head. They attacked Thymilph to take control of the Dai-Ganzan. They were the bad guys. All of Simon's pity finally found itself feeling for Adaine, and he sighed heavily. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry…?" Adaine started in a hushed tone. The woman couldn't believe whjat she was hearing. She loses her one friend, the one person who meant the world to her, the only person who believed in her, and he says 'sorry'?! Standing up, she reached through the bars and took a hold of imon's jacket, pulling him against them and causing him to wince in pain as his cheek struck the metal.

"Sorry isn't going to bring him back!"

"I know," Simon started, his teeth clenched and one eye closed as it was pulled hard against the pole, and was still in terrible pain. Though he was being battered, he did not resist her wrath. "We had no idea that we were taking the life of someone who mattered. We didn't think it through, we were just defending ourselves."

Adiane blinked, narrowing her eyes in anger towards Simon. "Defending yourselves?" she repeated, a bit taken back. It seemed that each of them were at fault to some degree. She loosened her grip on Simon a bit, as he no longer was pulled up against the bars, but did not let go entirely. Simon let out a sigh of relief as he was no longer being pushed against metal, and looking up at Adiane with true pity, he took a deep breath.

"His ganmen was sending out more ganmen every day, causing earthquakes and killing all of the humans on the surface." Simon explained, assuming that she was unaware. Though Adiane already knew this, it was as if she hadn't known, hearing him explain his place. "We thought that the only way to stop the wreckage would be to cause some in return, so that no more ganmen would come after us and we could live in peace. We didn't think that it would turn into a full-blown war."

Finally, Adaine let go entirely, her arms limp by her sides as she stared down at Simon, hurt evident in her face, though she was beginning to respect his place a bit more. She found herself almost befriending this human.

"A war with no purpose." Simon sighed, rubbing his cheek as it throbbed terribly and smoothing out his jacket. "Both of us are wrong to kill each other. Both of us are the same, essentially, except one of us is mixed with animals. We think alike, have the same wants, needs, and are filled with both love and hate. Why are we fighting?"

Adiane's hurt face softened greatly as she listened to him. He was anything but evil now, and she found herself accepting his apology silently. As a matter of fact, she felt as though she owed him one right back, but could not choke out those two painful words. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she rubbed an eye as if threatened to produce tears, and looked down at him like a normal person for the first time. She hadn't done that for anybody except for Thymilph before in her life that she could recall; life in Teppelin was day after day a hate-fest and contest to see who could kill more humans. It was as if life had just started, but she was too late to take part in it.

"You're right." She mumbled, voice still low and threatening, though she respected Simon greatly. Still, she tried forcing herself to apologize. As the fluster within her gathered some more, she finally found the courage to spit it out. "I'm sorry for your losses, as well."

Slowly, Simon found his lips curving upwards into a slight smile. She'd seen the light long ago, but would not admit it until now. Adiane was now a part of the Dai-Gurren Brigade as far as he was concerned, but he knew that she would be living her life in the jail cell for a long time. Still, it was better than an empty life, right? Judging by the soft smile on her face, he could see that she would never attack them again.

Their smiles turned to heavy shock, however, as the Dai-Ganzan rattled. Simon gasped, but Nia and Adiane remained silent, Nia because she didn't want to remind Adiane of her presence, as she remembered the woman's temper, and Adaine because she was very used to it. A loud boom coursed through the entire crew's ears, and as the humans questioned what in the hell that noise was, Adiane, Nia, and Viral only frowned. That was a bomb.

"Simon!" Kamina roared as he passed the entrance of the prison corridor. "Get to Lagann! We've got work to do!" he bellowed, then left. Simon, staring at his bro, found himself in a dilemma. He had just made a pact with Adiane, how could he abuse it now? Looking towards the scorpion woman for guidance, he noticed the personal glare on her face as she stared upwards. She, too, was aware of her treaty with the human, but did not care at this time.

"Go ahead," Adiane hissed, picturing Cytomander's devilish grin in her mind. He was undoubtedly the one to ruin a time like this. "This one really is your enemy."

Simon, glancing at Adiane, wondered whether or not to trust her words. He took a deep breath and thought a moment before Boota hopped onto his shoulder and gave him a serious look.

"Boota?" Simon started, catching Adaine's attention. She raised an eyebrow at how he was communicating with a mole pig.

"Boo!" Boota exclaimed, looking angry as Simon gave him a confident look.

"Alright, let's go!"

+Cytomander+

With a high-pitched, piercing cackle, Cytomander placed one hand on his cheek, relaxing in his self-proclaimed throne. The booming that arose from below was music to his ears, and he imagined some lucky human being blown to bits. There was nothing more exhilarating than attacking an enemy that had already defeated two other colleagues, and knowing that they were still alive in the vessel he attacked was even sweeter. For somebody who was allowed to be called a Teppelin general to be locked up so easily is ridiculous and brought his name down in the dirt.

"Adiane," Cytomander started, addressing the woman who wasn't there. "How dare you disgrace the name Cytomander by falling captive to this vermin? Now I have to clean up your mess."

"Enemy ganmen in sight!" one bird squawked from the control panel. "None of them are arial!"

"They won't even be able to reach Dai-Gunten, then." Cytomander exclaimed happily. In battle, his calm exterior often turned to hilarity as his ego was finally let loose. Though he was the one that listened to everything Lordgenome said like a dog, he was the one that thought the highest of himself, and in turn, was the blindest. "It's almost too easy! How in the hell did Adiane manage to lose if she tried? It's a good thing I don't have Viral, that poor mongrel, on board!"

With a raised finger, the man made a suave pose and dropped another bomb atop Dai-Gurren. This was, as he'd said, much too easy.

+Guame+

Gember was a hell of a useful ganmen at this state. As Cytomander attacked from above, believing that he was the only one plotting an attack and had been trusted with his Shuzack, Guame traveled safely underground in his roach-like mecha. Slowly, he made his way closer and closer to the bottom of Dai-Ganzan. He'd neglected to take his flagship, as had Adiane, but didn't think it too important. There was only one thing Guame had come for, and it was not to break any bones.

Finally, he stopped, unaccompanied by any other beastmen, as he was sure he could do this on his own. Kamina, Simon, Kittan, Yoko, and Leeron, the humans he was wary of, were all busy doing something or another. Simon and Kamina were trying to find a way to reach Dai-Gunten, Yoko was shooting at the bombs to make them explode before contact, as was Attenborough, Kittan was leading the rest of the troops in a full-scale bulk attack, and Leeron was letting them know from outside what was going on. Now, with a smirk on his face, he was able to pierce a hole through the bottom of Dai-Gurren, just where he wanted to. Nia and Adiane had heard a suspicious noise before them, and right before the smaller girl's cell, they glared at the monster in horror.

"Surprised to see me?" Guame teased, crawling onto the metal flooring and grinning widely at the cute girl before him, a jigsaw at hand. As the most perverse of the generals, he took a moment to look at her, inspecting the moe a kidnap would cause, and cackled. His entire body shook with every laugh.

"Guame!" Nia gasped, trying to get away, but stuck where she was. "What are you doing here?"

"Really." Adiane growled, taking a hold of the bars and staring down at her ex-colleague. "You and Cytomander planned a joint attack?"

Guame's eyes narrowed as he looked at Adiane expectantly. Again, he smirked, feeling superior to her officially. "No," he started, stepping over towards Adiane a bit. "The Spiral King didn't have much faith in him after you and Thymilph failed. He needed some insurance that he wouldn't have to be let down again." As he bared his yellow crocodile teeth to the women, one eye more open than the other, Adiane gritted her teeth. He was going to leave her there to die by Cytomander's hand! Their conspiracy was just as bad as becoming a traitor, she thought, though she had already befriended a human. She was so confused by this point, she gave up on rationalizing and tried breaking through the bars with her tail.

Guame snickered as lifted his jigsaw to Nia's bars and began tearing through them. He ignored Nia's screams, Adiane's curses, and the fact that Leeron would be getting a signal from his control room.

The deed was finished, a good opening that Guame could squeeze Nia through now embedded in the bars. He walked through the hole, easy with his tiny frame, and took a hold of Nia's skirt with one of his claws, giving her that same trashy grin.

"Come on, princess. We're going home." He stated, telling the truth but lying at the same time. "Your daddy's worried about you."

"Dad?" Nia questioned, thinking of the only life she'd known before meeting the humans. Adiane sneered, as she was fully aware of Guame's game. If only Nia wasn't so gullible. Still, Nia pulled away from the crocodile armadillo man.

"He left me behind, and he's killing the humans who have done nothing wrong. I won't go!"

Guame smiled wider, as her fighting only made the situation more fun. There, he lifted the jigsaw again and gave her an evil look.

"You're going in the ground either way, Nia. You might want to do it alive."

Nia's eyes widened, and she found herself speechless. There was nothing that she could do. Gulping, she began following the cackling Guame out the small hole in the bars before she saw a familiar face.

"Ron!" Nia gasped, as Ron looked at Guame with terrible shock. Surprised, Guame's smile faded, and he growled at the taller man.

"I've been found out!" He spat, stomping towards the other man and lunging his jigsaw towards him. Leeron had evaded the attack, tossing his keys to Nia. He'd intended for her to lock Guame into another cell after Leeron took away his jigsaw, but she had a better idea. She looked down at them, then at Ron again as he attempted to fight back. The two locked eyes for a moment before she unlocked Adiane's cell.

"Nia?" Adiane blinked, surprised, though she was still not completely at terms with being on the same side as that little girl. She frowned deeply at the serious cloudy-haired one below her.

"Don't open it yet, and Guame won't know." Nia whispered before turning around again and tucking the keys away into her blouse. The reason she'd done it, she barely knew. After hearing Adiane and Simon together, she was sure that Simon had fixed her, as well.

"You humans are quite nimble," Guame giggled, again nearly taking off Leeron's leg.

"I work at my shape." He responded with slight amusement before reaching into his jacket and extracting a gun. Guame nearly struck again before the device was pointed towards his forehead, and the two froze. After a moment, the little cretin again began laughing.

"Very well played." He offered before knocking the gun from Leeron's hand as it fired just over the monster's head with his jigsaw, taking a hold of Nia, and pulling her down the hole. As fast as he could, Leeron again picked up his gun and tried firing down the hole, but Guame had already shut the top and started off. He'd gotten away with Nia by pretending to be afraid of a gun. Leeron, disappointed in himself, looked towards Adiane with his teeth showing, receiving a glare in return, and leaving back up to the control room. There, Adiane had finally opened her cell. The room was almost quiet, except for the occasional booming, and looking down into the hole, she wondered what exactly to do after re-obtaining her Sayrune.

+Gurren Lagann+

Yoko and Attenborough had easily shot off a few of the bombs, but soon they began falling a bit too quickly. As Yoko no longer had Leeron's eyes to help her, she had missed a bomb close behind and was knocked from her place atop Ailak's ganmen, falling to the deck of Dai-Ganzan.

"Ah—!" Yoko gasped, wincing as she hit the ground rather hard. She'd readied herself to continue shooting from there before she realized that it wasn't the Dai-Ganzan she'd hit, but instead an already combined Gurren Lagann.

"Yoko, are you okay?" Simon's voice rang from the head of the monster. With a confident smile, Yoko flashed a quick thumbs-up.

"I'm fine, no biggie." She responded with pep in her voice, and shooting away a bomb that had headed straight for their ganmen. "Speaking of which, pay attention, Kamina!"

Kamina laughed from inside the body. "How can I when I'm distracted by you falling outta the sky? You need to pay attention too, missy!"

Yoko, instead of frowning, laughed a bit and nodded. "Sure thing." At once, she was placed back atop the flagship, warding off ballistics with her own, and Gurren Lagann propelled itself as far as it could into the sky, only to be bombarded with more bullets and bombs.

"Bro," Simon winced from within Lagann, trying his hardest not to bang his head against the sides. "This isn't working! We need a new tactic!"

"Like what?" Kamina responded, frowning as he, too, had a hard time keeping still as they were flung around. "We can't fly, can we?"

Simon sighed heavily, and the two began descending back to Dai-Ganzan by gravity's force. Standing ready, they stared up at Cytomander's fleet, unsure of what to do.

"Kamina!"

"Huh?" Simon and Kamina looked back to see a still-battered, but slightly patched Enkidou. Viral's voice was easily distinguishable.

"Try combining with one of their flying ganmen. You were able to steal my helmet, after all."

Kamina smiled widely. He knew that Viral would come around! With a happy-go-lucky look, he nodded towards Viral.

"Sure thing, comrade!"

"Viral," Simon started, a look of worry on his face as he looked at Viral's projection on his screen. "You still look really bad. Are you sure that you can fight?"

Viral smiled solemnly, then nodded. "I owe more than a few wounds to you for saving me, anyway."

Now, with Kamina, Simon grinned widely. It seemed that in the same day, two beastmen had converted towards the bright side. Gurren Lagann jumped once more before hopping atop Enkidou, much to Viral's surprise.

"Thanks for the lift!" Kamina laughed as they jumped again, nearly causing Viral to topple over. He frowned at the abuse of friendship Kamina had just used, but found himself nodding and smiling afterwards. Their zany antics were always saving the day, anyway.

Simon and Kamina's eyes widened as they each mirrored each others expressions, growing more and more excited as they reached for one of the flying enemy ganmen to steal the wings and attach to their back. A blue substance blocked their view, however, as they came crashing back down and into the sand.

"It's too bad," the low female voice muttered, and Simon looked towards his screen in disbelief. There, Adiane sneered with a passive look in her eyes. "That probably would've worked, too."

Sayrune had created a wave underneath Gurren Lagann to envelop them and sweep them back to shore. Yoko gasped—Sayrune? How did Adiane escape? Leeron, more at fault, bit his lip. This was not good.

"Adiane…?" Simon started in a hushed tone.

"Surprised?" She responded, looking towards Simon's projection with a fake evil grin. "You shouldn't be. Why would I live my life in a jail cell when I can avenge Thymilph instead?"

"How did you escape?" Viral questioned, his tone hushed, as he was still a bit afraid of her.

Adiane's eye sank low as she frowned once more. "Your little Princess Nia let me out."

"Nia…?" Simon again repeated in incredulity. Was it actually true that all beastmen were evil? Was Viral going to betray them next? Was this all just a hoax to sway Cytomander's trust, or would she not be able to get it anyway? What in the hell was going on?

Just who in the hell did she think he was?

A/N! Tee Hee! So, I ended up writing some of it yesterday and finishing it today… but now won't let me login, so it'll be even later. I LOVE Guame in this chapter. It's a long one, too! I almost split it up into two, but… nehh. Lawl. I have ideas for where this story is gonna go after this, but I'm not tellin' nobody nothin'! I love how terrible my English gets when I'm not actually writing…………… Yeah. Anwyay… Stay tuned? Tee Hee! Also, Triumvirate, I'll be starting your two stories in about a week. I'm out of town at the moment and can't actually save a file for too long on this compooper. Capich? :D