This is a not little oneshot. I like SimonxNia, this story belongs to the fluffy side of the force and has UNGODLY AMOUNT OF SPOILERS (as the title hinted)! My thanks to Chibi Monkey13 for beta'ing this story.

"Simon," Nia asked as Simon lead her up the rocky cliff. "Where are we going?"

"Just a place I wanted to show you," he answered, shooting her a grin. "Before our marriage."

As they reached the top, Nia gasped at the view. Bioluminescent plants were illuminating the place, along with the starry night, as volcanoes painted the horizons with fiery color.

"So, that's how volcanoes work, Simon?" Nia asked, as the two of them sat against a tree, watching the spectacle. She was wearing her favorite pink dress, a long one, that smelled a sweet bubblegum smell. After their return from the Anti-Spiral dimension, Old Coco made another one, almost equal to the original, without much effort.

"Volcanoes are a beautiful natural spectacle, as long you keep your distance," Simon happily answered. He was wearing casual clothes, a white shirt, and blue vest, and black pants.

"I only heard about them, but now I see them." Nia was marveled at the fire-breathing mountains, it was a sight that brought memories back to Simon.

"I know how you feel, Nia," he said. "They're amazing..they also remind me of Bro."

"I remember his grave is not far from here." The former princess knew that because she had visited his burial site with Simon. She knew also that Kamina was a great man, and formed Simon who she viewed to be even greater. He is someone she could never stop loving, even if her death was near.

"Every time I think of Bro," Simon continued, "I know he's with me, but when he died was so worn down... I let hate and despair control me, and I felt empty. Everyone left me alone, even Lagann abandoned me..."

Nia rested her hand on his bicep, rubbing his arm affectionately.

"And, at that time," Simon smiled to her. "You appeared to me, Nia,

"Who are you, good sir?" Nia asked, still a bit drowsy after the nap.

" 'Good sir'?" Simon replied, unsure about what to say, showing both hands, "Um, I'm nobody important enough to be called that."

"Oh! This is the outside, isn't it?" the girl with weird eyes took a look around her, "This must be rain!" she lifted her arms. Simon looked at her, thinking about what kind of person her was, who act like it was the first time she was in the real world. Does she live in a cave (this metaphor wasn't very good at that time)? But then the girl decided to step out the box. Simon couldn't stop blushing.

"It is cold," the princess said, when her feet touched the soil, "What is this?"

"It's dirt," and he tried to change the topic, "Are you okay without shoes?"

"It's cold and wet and squishy... it feels wonderful!"

"Really?" Now this confused the digger even more. "It does?" Dirt was something he was used to, after all his only talent in Jiha Village was digging, and this made other women to despise him. How could a woman like dirt? It didn't make any sense.

Then the girl leaned forward and touched his face. He felt the gentle and soft fingers touching him, it was pretty comfortable (regardless of his blush). The girl continued talking.

"Why are you the same as I am? You have no tail, nor fangs or scales... Your skin is soft, as well."

The more Nia went on, the more confused Simon became. She spoke as if she had never seen another person before, only seeing animals. The thought of Beastmen passed by his mind, but he dismissed it and said unsurely "Well, that's only natural. I'm a human being."

The girl let go and asked, in sincerity never seen before by the boy, "And what exactly is a human?"

"Huh?" Simon's mind was in a fuzz, so he tried to be gentle, "Well, a human is... Well, like you and me. We look like this, we have a head, stuff like that." Simon was on thin ice, how could he explain what a human is to another human? This should be instinctive, right?

"There are others like us?"

"Sure. There are more."

"Really? And all of them are the same as you? They have the same face?"

"No, we're not all identical. It would be creepy if everyone had the same face."

"It would? Oh, the rain has stopped," Simon didn't even realize that the rain had stopped when he was trying to find words to talk with her and agreed with her, after all, it was raining a long ago and he already had become used to.

"I wonder why I am outside..." Nia mused and Simon replied with a simple, but unsure "I don't know" and borrowed his shoes to her.

"My name is Nia," she said, smiling to him, "What is yours?"

"Who, me? My name is Simon."

"Simon... What a fine name!" She smiled and tilted her head. At that moment, a beam of sunlight illuminated her. Simon blushed again; he never had saw such pure beauty, it gave the impression she was sparkling.

"Thanks."

"I love this story, Simon," she said leaning her head against his chest, "I still remember... your face, your courage when you faced that enemy, when you tried to save me..."

"More important, Nia," he replied, "It was you who saved me, you said to me to us, to run together, but Yoko and Kittan helped a bit," he ended with a chuckle.

"Don't say they helped a bit, thanks to them we are alive."

"No, Nia," he rubbed the back of his head, "It was a little joke."

"Ah, yes..."

"And that's something I just love about you Nia," he said, caressing her hair, "You always says the true, even if it's harsh."

After telling the story of how Kamina saved Simon and his friends, the eyes of the digger were twitching, as he talked wearily, "That's why I have to become like him, so I can do his share for him." Yoko also looked aside, remembering how much Kamina was valuable to her.

"That's not true." Three words Simon wasn't expecting to hear. Both, he and Yoko, directed their attention to Nia, "You rescued me all by yourself, remember?" she was gesturing to call his attention.

"That wasn't..." he tried to talk about how that was a coincidence, without important, but he was interrupted by the princess.

"You can do just fine on your own. Why are you obsessing so much over this 'Bro' person?"

"Why because... You're just saying that because you didn`t know him."

"I can't get to know a dead person. But you also can't rely on a dead person, Simon."

Simon shrunk under those words, "Nia!"

"Yoko was furious back there," Simon commented.

"But she was also crying," Nia added, "Yoko..."

"She can be quite fiery, perhaps her hair has something to do with her personality."

"What?"

"Well, um, she's a redhead, fire is red, so..." Simon tried to explain, since Nia wasn't good with metaphors. She just giggled, after she became a good friend to Yoko, when she also believed in her (perhaps Nia's talent was to believe in people).

"But, when Guame attacked us for the first time, you said a simple phrase, before those beast-tmen told you, You aren't your Bro, Simon, I think you should just be yourself."

"Do you remember?"

"Clear as crystal, it was you who helped me. When everything seemed lost, you were a light in the end of the tunnel, guiding me out, and I finally could understand that Bro wanted me to be myself."

"Also," Nia added, giggling, "I also remember that was the first day I saw you smiling... you were so cute."

"But I was so dirty and smelly..." Nia just giggled again, she did like to giggle and her giggling was something that soothed Simon's soul.

Simon and Nia faced every enemy together, with the Dai-Gurren Brigade, and they arrived at Teppelin. Nia's faith in Simon helped not only the digger, but every human there, stopping them to attack Dai-Gunten, while Simon, Rossiu and Boota finished Guame. The next fight was against Lordgenome, Nia's father. She was an innocent and pacific girl, the thought of hurting her father, in spite of everything he did against people, was disturbing for her, but she still had to ask the question: why? Her father just laughed at her.

Simon, on the other hand, fought Lordgenome, for all people, for Bro, for Nia, for the future. Fighting against the father of his, at the moment, best friend was something he would want to avoid, if he had the choice, but, no matter what, Lazengann would strike him and kill him if he didn't fight back. Drill versus drill and, when Simon's drill finally prevailed, his enemy did the unthinkable: he beat Lagann with bare hands. Every punch didn't onyl hurt his body but also his soul. Simon watched in despair as Lordgenome prevailed with his own arms against Lagann's mechanical arms.

"Simon," he heard Nia's voice calling him "If our faith is what gives you strength, then I'll believe in you with every fiber of my being! So, please! Win!" At that moment, Lagann yielded to Lordgenome's strength, but Nia's words had reached his heart; when the Spiral King grabbed him, to deliver the final blow of despair, he still had his core drill with him and, with a last wind, he pierced the drill on Lordgenome's chest.

"My name is Simon, Simon the Digger," he said, Lorgenome couldn't believe at what was happening, "Leader of Team Dai-Gurren! If you decided to be a wall that's standing in my way, there's something that will open a hole in you every time! And that something is my drill!" And with a twist of the drill, he finally defeated the once Spiral Warrior and King of the Earth.

"And after that, we headed towards tomorrow," Simon said, "The tomorrow we built together. And it was there, when we were flying back to Dai-Gurren, when I realized that you were the woman of my life, Nia, when I saw that it was you who I loved all along, I... I just need you," he said, caressing the hand of his fiancé. For him, it was amazing how soft they still were, like the first time she touched him.

"And you too, Simon," Nia said, remembering from an event that occurred some weeks after the fall of Teppelin, "You were there, always at my side."

Four weeks after the Battle of Teppelin. The defeat of Lordgenome wasn't exactly the end of Team Dai-Gurren's problems. The capital lied down in ruins and most human villages still didn't know of the defeat of beast-men or that there existed the surface. Some provisional settlements were raised in the outskirts of the capital, while the clean up in the center was progressing at full speed, everybody was working; most gunmen were retrofitted for civilian purposes, helping reconstruct the city, clearing the dump, raising buildings, and all; the resources were shared by everyone, Rossiu was doing a good job organizing the distribution of provisions and giving orders to rebuild the city, even if sometimes he seemed to be hiding something, especially when he requested the only remaining beast-men technicians to extra-official duties and to teach human technicians, but Simon and Team Dai-Gurren didn't mind. Most beast-men attacks ceased when they recognize the defeat of their god, and, after surrounding and deposing their guns, they were granted official amnesty, but the humans still were cautious about them, they still didn't trust them and many wanted payback, so the provisional government initiated a reconciliatory program, that helped to cool down the things and avoid unnecessary bloodshed (Nia was in charge of the program, so it had good results).

Simon was busy; he was overseeing the reconstruction of the Dekabutsu, as the main provisional government building and, after he learned to write properly, he had to sign papers everyday, he had little time to work on his most ambitious art piece: a giant statue of Kamina, but he always had Nia to help him, cook something for him and talk. In one of those busy days, Simon was discussing with the members of Dai-Gurren Brigade about the irrigation system on the plantations surrounding Teppelin. Kittan, Jorgin, Balinbou, Iraak, Zorthy, Makken and Kid were there, but they weren't paying much attention. It was more of a routine reunion, but Rossiu treated as serious business, like he always did. Kinon was there, helping Rossiu with the papers, she was the only one that could understand his meticulous method of organization.

After Simon finished what he was talking, Nia entered in the room. She was bringing his lunch, but she herself looked tired.

"Simon, I brought your lunch, as you like," she said smiling. Her hair was long enough to cover the back of her neck.

"Thanks, Nia!" he thanked, but when he looked at her, he saw something wrong, "Are you alright, Nia?" She looked redder than usual and her eyes were half-open.

"I am... fine," she said, with some difficulty and then she fell on his arms.

"NIA!" he shouted, grabbing her, "Nia, what's wrong?" Then he felt Nia's skin burning, "It's fever!"

"Fe...ver? What... is this?" she asked innocently, before passing out.

Simon was now very concerned with her health "Quick, call a medic!" The other members were also concerned and started to discuss what to do, but they were so disorganized and started to ramble and fear for her health. Rossiu ordered to Kinon to call the medical team, which came in no time. After they put Nia in the stretcher, Simon went with them to the medical wing. Rossiu tried to tell Simon he needed to stay, because they still had much to do and the reunion was far from end, but, before he could say anything, Kinon gently touched his shoulder and looked at his eyes, shaking her head. Rossiu understood that was better to finish the reunion another day.

Nia was sleeping for hours, but Simon didn't let her aside. The doctors said him that Nia had a medium case of fever, and she needed all the resting she could afford, but, to Simon, it looked like she was sleeping forever. People came to visit her, but, during the most of the time, Simon's only company was Boota and the medical equipment.

After some 20 hours, Simon finally noticed her twitching her eyelids, she was waking up. For the first time, Simon was relieved, and gave smile of joy, whispering, "Nia..."

"Simon," she said, still with some difficulty, "Where are we?" Boota gave her a friendly lick, to which she enjoyed and giggled.

"We're in the medical wing," Simon said, gently, "You had a pretty bad fever, but now it's out of danger." She tried to get up, but Simon interrupted her, "You need to rest, Nia, you are sick."

"I've never felt this way before," Nia commented, "My head was so heavy and hot, but my feet were so cold... My legs were hurting, my throat was sore. So this is fever?"

Simon nodded and gave her a cup of water, "Here, the medic said drinking water helps to heal."

"Okay, thank you," as Nia drank, she saw Simon tearing up, "You have tears in your eyes, Simon?" Tears were the most interesting aspect of a human, for Nia, she always sought to notice the reactions of people, especially when they, for some reason, cried.

Simon sniveled and said, "Nia, if a fever is strong enough, it can kill a person." Nia gasped, she never became sick before, so she didn't know of the dangers, "But you're here, and you'll be fine. I don't want to lose you."

"Simon, I'm here," she smiled, "And I'll always be with you. Nothing will steal me from you."

"I swear Nia," he said, looking at her eyes, "If someone steals you from me, I'll get you back, even if I have to tear the universe apart." Nia just giggled and rested her head, holding hands with Simon.

"Who would imagine that those words would become reality?" Simon commented, placing a hand on his chin.

"You promised, Simon," Nia said. "You always keep your promises."

"Even if we are far from each other, we are together, connected by our hearts."

Almost one year after the Battle of Teppelin. The reconstruction was continuing smoothly, people started to move to the new capital, Kamina City. The activation of basic services of education, security, health and social service were also working out without problems, the economy was growing up at a steady rhythm and the provisional government had a lot of work, Rossiu was very busy drafting a document he called 'Constitution'. All major problems were resolved, at least in the central region. In other regions, the situation was different; there still many underground villages unaware that the time of oppression had ended, and some beastmen were building their own particular kingdoms in more distant regions, refusing to recognize the provisional government and even challenging the order.

The provisional government opted by the diplomatic way and Nia volunteered herself to be in the combative. Simon was uneasy over it, because he had much work to do in the capital and couldn't go with her, and they talked about it, in a restaurant.

"Nia, are you sure you want to go?" Simon asked, while holding a cup of cranberry juice, he was actually concerned because he would be far from her during a good time. Boota was there too, but he looked more concerned about eating the steaks than pay attention on them.

"Simon, I will know the world," Nia replied, gleeful, "I've always wanted to know the people who lives in this world, I need to send the good news to everyone, that they don't need to live underground anymore."

"But it may be dangerous..."

"Dayakka took care of everything, he'll provide a squadron to be my guards, and he'll take care personally when I go to the Mid-West region, with Kiyoh."

"Yeah, they married last week and bought a ranch in that region, so it'll be fine, but I'm still concerned."

"Don't worry, Simon. Everything is going to be fine."

"Nia, you must follow what your heart desires, but my heart says he wants to stay with you."

"Excuse me?"

"Nia, I don't know how to express in words," Simon kept talking, his blush increasing, "But I have feelings for you..."

"Well, I have feelings too, Simon," she replied innocently.

"But the feelings I have are special," Simon sought to find words that his beloved one could understand, "I want to say I like you, but not like I like Yoko, Kittan, Dayakka, Boota or Bro; I like you in a way that only you could be liked."

"Hmm, you like me but not in the way you like the others, so how do you like me, Simon?" Nia asked, tilting her head in a thoughtful instance.

"What I'm saying is that... is that... I-I-I love you Nia," he held her hand, he was sweating like a marathoner after the competition, it felt like he was losing some pounds in water. Nia stared at him, without saying anything, "And I say that because I love you more than a friend, but as the person I'd like to be my girlfriend, and... and I wanted to tell you this before you go."

Nia looked at him and asked, "What does girlfriend mean?" Simon fell back and explained her, "A girlfriend is someone who... well, where are the words when I need them?" Simon scratched his head, "W-when I say I want to be your boyfriend and you my girlfriend means that someday I want to marry you, it's like a stage before the marriage, and we are a couple until that day."

Nia stared blankly for a few seconds, while processing the information in her head, and finally placed her hand in front of her mouth, giggling.

"Nia?" Simon asked.

"So, let me see, if to be a girlfriend means I love you and you love me, and we are going to marry someday, that means I am your girlfriend since the beginning." Nia was Simon's girlfriend all along, they just didn't realize quite well yet.

"Huh? So, do you love me?" he asked, but the question seemed off-hand.

"Of course, Simon, I love you too, and I think when people are in love with each other, they do this," and with that she leaned to him, closed er eyes and kissed him on the lips. Simon also kissed her back, after feeling the warm touch of her soft lips pressing against theirs. This was their first kiss.

"After that I was much more confident letting you go," Simon said, "And you did a great job, many battles were avoided thanks to your mediation."

"Sure, but the thing I liked most when I was out was seeing the face of the people who came to the surface," Nia remembered. "They stared at the horizon with a hopeful look that meant all the job I did far from you was worth."

"I know, but that didn't mean I have to wait too long to see you again."

Nia was out from the capital for four years, traveling the world, but Simon didn't let to see her during this time. With the advance of the Grapearl program, Rossiu demanded the scrapple of most gunmen and asked Simon to restrict the flights with Gurren Lagann. But Simon had his ways to trick Rossiu's watch; whenever he had a chance, with the help of his friends, he sneaked out from Kamina City and flew to where Nia was, in Gurren Lagann.

One night, Gurren Lagann arrived at the group site. The guards were surprised with the unexpected visit of their Supreme Commander, he smiled to them and made a sign to be quiet; the guards nodded and let him go to Nia's tent.

She was staring the starry full moon night, at the entrance of her tent, admiring the stars and sighed, "If only Simon were here with me..."

"But I am," her beloved one called her from the side.

"Simon!" she leapt for joy, hugged and kissed him on the cheek, "It's been a long time."

"Sure it is, Nia," he replied, "I brought you a gift," and he handed her a bouquet of light-pink lilies. Nia sniffed at them and thanked, "They're simply beautiful."

"Just like you." When she looked at him, she blinked and noticed something different at him. Simon felt a surge of preoccupation that came from nowhere, and asked, "Nia, is something wrong with me?"

"Wait a minute," she replied and walked inside the tent, looking at her stuff. When she came back, she was bringing a ruler.

"Simon, stand still," he did as said, and Nia measured the difference between their heigths. "Simon," she said, looking at the mark she made with her fingers at the ruler, "I think you're having growth spurt. You're finally taller than me," she ended with a giggle, her head now was at the height of his nose [1]. Simon crimsoned and scratch the back of his head, "Yeah, I guess you're right," and she hugged her, snuggling her head against him, "How are the things in Kamina City?"

"Better impossible," he replied, hugging her back, "Rossiu is getting bossy, but nobody can organize things like him, and I suspect that Kinon may have a thing for him, crazy girl. Makken and Leite married and he quit the government. Yoko also left, but she left a video-message for you, I brought in Gurren Lagann. Kittan tried to be a teacher in Kiyoh's school, which didn't work so well, funny story, hehe..."

"Things are going fast, huh?"

"But others don't change," Simon took Nia's hand. "Let's take a walk in Gurren Lagann, together."

Even knowing that Rossiu would tell him off when he return to Kamina City, Simon flew with Nia in Gurren Lagann during all that night, seeing the wonders of the region, waterfalls, grassy plains, canyons, animals sleeping. It was nice for them to feel the night breeze.

"I just loved your surprise visits, Simon," Nia said, tickling his neck.

"Stop Nia, it tickles," Simon chuckled and Nia giggled. After she stopped, he just said, "You're perfect."

"I'm not; nobody is."

Five years after the Battle of Teppelin. To say that Simon was having a bad day was an understatement; when he woke up, he realized that he forgot to buy food for his breakfast, so he just ate, or tried to eat an apple, which was with fungi; with a belly snoring, he headed to his office, since he was living in the Parliament building, where he tripped in the wet floor; when he arrived at his room, Rossiu immediately presented him papers to be signed, lots of them; all the papers were not urgent, with exception of one, a paper from the aeronautical institute, and Simon spent one hour to discover the paper was, and then he discovered that Jorgin had accidentaly used to clean his mouth, after his breakfast, so, in a stubborn attitude, he tried to look in the trash, only to be scratched by a rusty can.

After taking a vaccine against tetanum, he returned to his desk, with the rasured paper, he returned to sign more papers, feeling the side effects of the vaccine, which was experimental, like itching feelings around his body and dried throat, he finally finished to sign the papers; at that moment, when he thought he could have some rest, the telephone rang; it was someone urging the presence of the Supreme Commander to see over a situation in the outskirst of the city. He tried to go with Gurren Lagann, but Rossiu was next to him and didn't allow, so he picked a gunman-car, since the gunmen-spinners weren't available.

After facing three hours of traffic, he arrived at the location: there was nothing, just an abandoned shed. Simon tried to call Rossiu to explain what had happened and, after waiting impatiently for half an hour, since the Forehead Boy was a busy person, he finally contacted him; he also didn't know what happened and so he waited for almost one hour to receive a return: actually, he was told that someone actually acquired his personal number and used to make a prank call. Simon jumped in his gunman-car and got out the place, fuming, and facing more two hours of traffic, and a bombardment of bird poo on his car, after a flock of birds passed over him, "Seriously, who the hell would make a prank call to the man who saves their lives?" Later they discovered that a kid, a serial prankster, called the number randomly, and was rightfully punished by his parents.

Back at the capital, Simon tried to get the faster possible to his home and, when he arrived in front of his door, he was so angry that he was missing the keyhole. When he finally hit the keyhole, Nia appeared at his side. She had returned two weeks ago, after the mission ended, and it was a success.

"Simon," she said, happily, "It's nice to see you!"

"Likewise," he replied, in a annoyed tone.

"Simon, why don't we see the 'The Lake of Acerola' tonight?" 'The Lake of Acerola' was a play performed at the Kamina City Hall of Arts, it told the story of a young man, living next to a lake named 'Acerola', and how he fell in love with a beastwoman, whose boss wanted to possess the lake. A drama, which hit the box-office, people from all the continent would go to see the play.

"But Nia, it's like the fifth time you want to see," Simon replied, with a grumpy tone, "You're obssessing over it," actually it wasn't the fifth time she was seeing, but the eighth, she was in almost all sessions, and Simon always went with her. He liked the first, enjoyed the second, but at the third it started to get boring, and at the seventh he didn't want to hear about it, his ears could vomit if he heard all the dialogue again.

"C'mon, it's going to be fun!" Nia gleefully picked his hand.

Simon shoved his hand from her and said, in a harsh tone, "I don't want to go!"

"Simon," she gulped.

"I'm not having a good day and I don't have time to go watch a thing that doesn't make sense!" he raised the tone of his voice, releasing the contained anger of the entire day, "You're egoist, just think about yourself, what about me, huh? LEAVE ME ALONE!" and he slammed the door at her face. Nia started to tear up and ran away, sobbing.

The next day things started to get better for Simon. He had a nice breakfast, and went to the work without any annoyance. Rossiu brought fewer papers that day and he finished quickly. Then Kinon entered at his room, bringing a call for a reunion.

"Nice day, Kinon!" he waved, in good mood.

"I hope you have a nice day, you jerk! Hmph!" she replied sarcastically, slamming the paper at the table, and turned around, prancing.

"Geez, what's her problem?"

It was a rather light day of work, Simon didn't notice anything different, in spite of Kinon's attitude to him, actually most women, and Leeron, he met that day weren't sharing his good mood, or Iraak trying to give him romantic advice. In the end of the day, Rossiu came with Kinon, to make the final task. Kinon was still upset at him and Simon decided to ask, "Kinon, what's wrong with you today?"

"What's wrong with me?" she uttered, indignant, "Are you sure it's with me whom you should be talking with? You jerkface!"

"Kinon, calm down," Rossiu said, with his characteristic impassible expression, while Simon stared dumbfounded, "Are you okay?"

Kinon sighed and counted until ten. Then, she said, "Simon, don't you think I didn't see how badly you treated Nia yesterday? How rude were you? You should be ashamed!"

"Nia?" he stared at them blankly for three seconds and finally reality hit him. In the morning of that day, he had forgotten from everything that upset him yesterday, he just needed a good night of sleep. He didn't remember anymore from the bad breakfast, the vaccine, the prank call, the traffic, the 'bombardment'... and Nia.

Now with his head cooled-down, he finally stopped to think about what had happened. The image of him, yelling at her for a frivolous reason hit his heart like a spear, "Oh, no, Rossiu why didn't you tell me about her?"

"You were working so well today that I assumed you two had already made up."

"Ugh! How could I pass the entire day without even thinking about her?" Simon facepalmed at himself, "Rossiu, please, I beg you, let me pilot Gurren Lagann, I need to go to her house urgently," the Supreme Commander kneeled and clasped his hands in front of the Forehead Boy.

Rossiu thought, but when he glanced at Kinon, she was smiling, and accepted Simon's demand "Sighs... Okay, but just this time."

"Thank you, my friend," and he gave him a strong hug, and darted off the room to Gurren Lagann.

When he arrived at Nia's house, next to the city's lake, he jumped off his robot and pressed the doorbell many times. When the door opened, it was Old Coco. He had a severe expression on his face and said, "Mistress Nia is not available at the moment."

"Gramps," Nia's voice called from inside, "It's okay, let Simon in." The butler did as said, but he didn't soften his expression. Simon was uneasy about seeing Nia again, after he treated her that way. He saw Nia at the living room, sitting in a chair, with a straight face, she wasn't neither smiling nor frowning. "Gramps, please leave us alone." The butler did as said and withdrew from there.

"Please, Simon, pick a chair." He picked a nearby chair and sat in front of her.

They exchange looks, in silence, for almost a minute, then Simon decided to talk, "Nia, well, today, I mean, yesterday-"

"I'm sorry, Simon," Nia interrupted him.

"What did you say?"

"I was recalling my behavior yesterday, Simon," Nia said, with a slightly hindered voice, "I reflected on my own words and actions and I came to the conclusion I was being egoist and self-centered."

"What?"

"I just thought about my own feelings yesterday," she said, with her voice becoming more hindered, "I didn't care about your feelings, Simon, I just had that play in my mind and let it distract me from what it's really important for me... please," she started to sob, "Please, forgive me," and she cried loudly, taking her hands to her face.

Simon got up from, placing his hands in her shoulders, "Nia, you don't need to apologize, it was my fault!" his voice was also hindered, "I was a total cretin with you, yelled at you without any reason, treated you like thrash, it was me who should be asking for forgiveness, Nia," and he also started to cry.

They shed tears together, tears of repentance, reflecting over their mistakes. Simon stroked her chin and looked at her watered eyes, "Nia, we all commit mistakes, but they are past now. We won't fight anymore."

"Simon..." a smile slowly formed in her face, "That's why I love you. Next time you decide what we're going to do."

"What about watching 'The Lake of Acerola'"

"I think that play is already old now," she finished with a giggle, to which Simon followed, and they hugged and locked their lips on a passionate kiss.

"That day was vey distressing," Simon said, "But I'm glad everything ended fine."

"Afterward, those were so happy days," Nia added, remembering fondly, "Until the day you proposed me."

"That should have been one of the most happiest day of our lives, but then you became the Anti-Spiral messenger." Flashes of the moon descending, Nia transforming into her messenger form, Simon don't understanding anything, the Mugann appearing and destroying the city they had built with so much concern.

"I never saw that coming, but also there was nothing you or me could do against it, but," she smiled at him, "You never gave up me."

"How could I? You're the best thing that ever happened to me. Even if I seemed to lose everything, I didn't give up. The same way you believed in me, I believed in you."

After fighting an entire fleet of Muganns and dispatching the capital ships to beyond time and space, after Lordgenome hacked Cathedral Terra's system and allowed Gurren Lagann enter into it. Simon guided his gunman, along with his new co-pilot,Viral. After Simon summoned a Core Drill, it was a simple task put in the center and control the ship. But then, something stopped them. The Anti-Spiral Nia was there standing in the way.

"Nia?" Simon said, surprised. The edge of Gurren Lagann's drill was a few inches from her neck, "Get out of the way, Nia!"

"No, I cannot do that," she replied, in a cold and metallic voice, "I am the messenger of the Anti-Spiral race. Causing the erradication of you Spiral lifeforms is my only mission."

Inserting the Core Drill wasn't an option, since she would simply blow up and let the planet to be destroyed by the falling moon.

"Terror and despair are the most powerful deterrents of the magnifying nature of the Spiral power," Nia stated flatly, no hint of concern in her voice.

"Are you sure about that?" Simon asked defiantly.

"Huh?"

"Look Nia, the way I see it, I think you've been trying to toughen up humanity."

"Huh?"

"No matter how dire the situation we've always risen to meet the challenge. The more dangerous the circumstances you've put us in, the stronger we've become. That's what brought me to this place. And that's what you hoped too! Tell me I'm wrong."

"You and I exist in different dimensions," Nia tried to divert the attention, so she tried to appeal to the inherent difference between the Spiral and the Anti-Spiral, "My past was a fictional creation. Your words are completely meaningless to me."

"You're wrong, Nia!"

"It's a simple fact!"

"If that's true..." Simon said, trying to emphasize his point, "If that is really true, why are you wearing that ring?"

"Huh?" Nia stared at the ring, a simple green ring passed by the entire Anti-Spiral race attention, and, when she finally paid attention to what the simple ring was, her past started to flow in her mind, "I-I don't..."

"It's your desire," the digger-pilot said, almost reading her mind, "Your desire to not let go of the past." Simon stopped, "Oh, that's it! I finally get it now. I finally understand why you appeared to me at crucial times."

"To inflict absolute despair upon you, I thought I have told you that," she felt he was giving a break and she took advantage to reorganize her mind, her arguments, but she was missing his point.

"You're wrong. Maybe you don't realize yourself, but when you appeared to me that time, you wanted me to help you."

"No, you're wrong," she denied, the flower-shaped pupil of her eyes started to glow, her Anti-Spiral side was losing control, "I was-"

"When we defeated Lordgenome, you said you would head towards tomorrow. You and I built that future with the people that came to the surface," Nia was paralyzed, her human mind was overflowing with memories of the seven years she was with Simon, how they helped to build Kamina City, the people, their hopeful faces, and her Anti-Spiral mind simply stopped to work, "Would you destroy that yourself? I`m gonna grab hold of your future with my own two hands! So just get out of the way! Please, Nia!" And Simon got together his strength and pulled the Core Drill at the Cathedral Terra, and so, they retook the ship, the day was saved!

"I still don't understand how did you do that," Nia said. "How you found my old self. Even if the reality was that I was and would always be the Anti-Spiral messenger, you changed the reality itself."

"The true reality is the reality that we build, Nia," Simon replied, "I would not let a dictator control my future. To hear your sweet voice again was my objective."

"And you came to me, Simon. Just as you promised."

Simon and the reformed Dai-Gurren Brigade crossed the Anti-Spiral dimension, thanks to Nia, and they were going to do everything to defeat the Anti-Spiral and get the princess back. The Anti-Spiral traps slowed them down, but, with Kittan's heroic sacrifice, they emerged from the Matter Ocean in Chouginga Gurren Lagann. But the Anti-Spiral again had another challenge: the Labyrinth of Dimensions, where nobody had escaped, since it gave what people wanted most. Simon's desire was to see Bro again, but something seemed wrong, and, thanks to the real Kamina, who broke through the barriers of death only to help Simon go back to reality, they finally arrived at the center of the Anti-Spiral dimension and Nia. When Simon broke the chains, Nia fell to her arms; Simon covered her with his own cape.

"Well, Nia, I'm here, just like I promised," he said with her in his arms. They fought side by side, like in the Battle of Teppelin, and, after a harsh battle, Lagann finally destroyed the Anti-Spiral. Now home was the only place they went.

"We fought for everything, Nia," Simon said. "But, you're going to die, there's no way to deny this."

"I know Simon, but I don't regret anything."

"Neither do I, to tell the truth, I'd do everything over and over, one million times," he hugged her tightly, tearing up, "I don't see how much I lose, but how much I won and let it be eternal while it lasts. [2]"

"Simon," she said, also tearing up, "You do everything again, even if it ended the same way?" A flash of pixels glowed at leg, indicating the time was approaching.

"Nia," he looked deeply at her eyes, and smiled "Just who the hell do you think I am?"

"You're my Simon..."

"And you're my Nia..."

They kissed, even though they knew what would be their end, it didn't matter. They were happy, a feeling that not even the end of the universe could break.

[1] This was based on the picture "TTGL- Growth Spurt", made by TobuIshi, on deviantArt, link on my profile.

[2] This was borrowed from a Portuguese poem named "Soneto de Fidelidade" (Fidelity Sonnet), by Vinícius de Moraes.

Well, I slacked a bit in the end, while remembering from the last battle, sorry. Thank you for reading, if you'd like, please review. I'd say that no profit is being made of this fanfic, but that wouldn't be quite the truth, because you took your time to read my fanfic, that's enough profit for me, :)