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Full Circle (Razgriz x Candira)

Simon nodded; this was a dream come true for him. "I'd love to Simon said, taking a seat next to Yoko; the sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, giving it that beautiful twilight glow. "I'm sure deep down he is lonely. He probably went without having a friend for a while, and just needs time to get readjusted. That's all he needs right now, is time. And we'll help give him as much time as we can, right?"

"I'm not leaving, Harbinger! Not without you! I've already lost one friend too many!" He could feel his strength fading, but he wouldn't let Harbinger die. When Adiane delivered two crushing blows to Harbinger's Gunmen, Exodus became enraged. "LEAVE HER ALONE!" he roared as his eyes shifted to their deep-gold hue; his pain forgotten, he gave a great leap on his good leg and drove his gauntlet-covered fist into the left torso area of Adiane's Gunmen.

The knuckle spikes driving forward to barely miss Adiane in the cockpit. The force of the impact then sent the winged Gunmen hurtling back into the side of a small cliff; unfortunately, this drained the last of Exodus' strength. He fell back down to the ground, landing on his bad leg and causing jolts of extreme pain to shoot through him. "Harbinger! I can hold her off! It's me she wants! You're no match for her at close range! Go!"

[OOC: I figure this is the point where Harbinger throws Exodus far enough away that Adiane won't be able to find]
 
Yoko took a spoonful of her stew as she listened to Simon and watched the horizon. "You bet we will. You've got a good heart, Simon. Don't lose it as you get older," she said with a grin. She watched the horizon as she ate and was grateful for him bringing her some dinner. She was starting to get hungry. "Thanks for dinner, by the way."
_____________________

Harbringer felt a pang of guilt for what she was about to do, but it was the only way. Letting Adiane have Exodus was what that fiendish woman wanted. And at all costs, she must not get her filthy hands on Exodus. Harbringer took advantage of the distraction Exodus had so foolishly caused and then scooped him up. She opened her cock pit and held him up. "I'm so sorry, Exodus, but you can't give yourself up. It's what she wants. Run away, Exosus. Don't look back!" She used her gunman to hurl him away to safety and wished him luck before turning back to face her furious enemy. Adiane was pissed, and despite Harbringer's considerable strength, she was defeated. And unfortunately for Harbringer, it was right in front of the eyes of the man she'd wanted so desperately to protect. There was an explosion, and Harbringer was no more.
 
Simon blushed furiously as Yoko told him he had a good heart; thankfully there was a shadow over his face which helped hide. He then nodded, "Any time, Yoko." Giving a yawn and a stretch, he then stood up and said, "Well, I think I'm going to turn in. I'll see you tomorrow, Yoko."
Exodus was about to try and finish Adiane when he felt something grab him; he looked up to see Harbinger's Gunmen. "Harbinger! Let me go! You need to get out of here!" he said as the cockpit opened. He then froze as Harbinger stepped out and embraced him, telling him not to look back. When she stepped back into her Gunmen and cocked its arm back, Exodus knew what she was thinking. "Harbinger! No, don't!" he yelled but it was too late; he felt himself get launched forward toward the distant plains.

As he flew through the air, he tried to turn around to see her Gunmen quickly grow smaller. He then saw a brilliant flash of light as Harbinger's Gunmen exploded. "NOOOOOO! HARBINGER!" Exodus yelled out as his form disappeared from Adiane's view. After what seemed like an eternity of flying through the air, Exodus landed hard in a fairly-deep oasis. The impact on water stung like hell, but it only knocked the wind out of him. Using what strength he could muster, he managed to pull himself out of the water. He crawled out on all fours, his eyes barely making out a smoke column. Exodus sat there, stunned with disbelief, sadness, and rage. "No.....H...Harbinger...." he uttered as sadness surged through his beat-up body, tears of emotional pain falling down his toned cheeks. His large fist pounded into the dirt, each time it connected, he muttered "No". Still in a kneeling position, he threw his chest out and roared, "HARBINGER!!!!!"


His memory having ended; the now-skeletal Exodus laid in the hospital bed; the memory caused a fresh surge of sadness to ravage his fragile body. Tears of anguish poured from his eyes as his bony hand clenched around the torn photograph. "D...amn...it" he choked out at first, then continued, "It should have been me." He then threw his chest and yelled at the top of his lungs, with the little strength he had, "IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!". This reverberated down the empty hallways leading from his room. Excruciating pain shot through his body after that outburst, causing him to fall back on the bed and freeze up. "G...ah!" he choked out again as the pain continued to intensify.

After a short while, it subsided, leaving Exodus' chest rising and falling dramatically, ragged breaths entering and exiting his lungs. That outburst had robbed him of what little strength remained, and so he passed into an uneasy slumber, his extremely-pronounced cheeks wet with his tears.
 
Yoko waved cheerfully at Simon and finished off her soup. A few hours later her duty was over, so she checked out, heading back down with her dish. "Hmmm...I suppose I could stop by the infirmary..." She frowned and headed toward the building dedicated to healing. The busty redhead moved toward the room he was in and heard from the nurses that he'd been having some sort of nightmare or flashback before. It had made him weak again. Yoko frowned and quietly entered the room, peeking in to see if he was awake. "Exodus?" she murmured.
 
As hard as Exodus tried, he couldn't fall fully asleep. The wounds in his heart had reopened after that flashback, . And so when he heard someone say his name, he slowly turned his head to see the redhead from before. He didn't remember her name for a moment, but then it came to him. "Y...oko...right?" he croaked, "Wh...at....yo..you...need?" As he spoke, the light above him shone on the wet spots on his pillow and sheets, causing them to gleam a bit.
 
She entered the room and frowned at seeing the tears on his face and pillow. "I just came to check up on you. The nurses told me it seemed like you were in pain earlier, so I thought I'd see if there was something I could do for you." She smiled softly and closed the door, turning on a small lamp near the door. "There. Would you like some water?"
 
Exodus weakly shook his head; he then said in usual croaking tone, "No....I....OK. Y..you...save..from....Beastmen....that....enough. N..need...time.....k...kill....Adiane....." He tried to look away from Yoko, ashamed at how weak he had become, but the way she looked at him, it made his heart wrench in agony. Except for the hair and eye color, she was a dead ringer for Harbinger. He wanted to cry, but he had used up all his tears. "Damn it. Why.....so..similar?" he choked out.
 
"Similar? Are you talking about me and the girl in the picture?" She frowned and brought him some water anyway, setting it at the side of his bed. "Just in case." She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked down at him. "Would you mind telling me who she was? I don't want to cause you any pain...I can leave if you want, but I worry about you here all by yourself."
 
Exodus nodded when asked if it he was referring to the picture. "You...her....look....similar...possess....similar...traits. Y..your..eyes. Deep....compassionate....remind me.....her....so much." He paused, letting a few ragged breaths escape his chest. "N...no talk...painful...memory." He felt strange with Yoko, like he wanted her to leave him alone, but at the same time wanted her to stay. "So...tired...need...rest" he finally said, trying to get the subject off himself.
 
She frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you any pain." It seemed like she wouldn't be able to come and visit him like this until he got a little better... possibly even after he did. She looked down at him and nodded. "All right. It was silly of me to come in so late. I know you need to rest. I promise I won't come back unless you ask for me. I bet I'm the last person you want to see." She reached down to his fragile looking hands and held one of them. "Please. Do your best to get better. It's all I want in return." She smiled and then let go of his hand, standing so that she could take her leave.
 
Exodus felt Yoko grab his hand tenderly; why did everything she do have to remind him of Harbinger? Perhaps Harbinger had taken residence in this girl's body? No, that was the mild delirium talking. "Get a grip, Exodus. Harbinger's dead, and no amount of wishing can bring her back." he tried to tell himself; though a part of him wished this weren't true. He wanted her back, more than anyone could possibly understand.

Still, he felt like he had upset Yoko; he didn't want to hurt the woman who had saved his life. He couldn't forgive himself if he did, and he certainly didn't need any more emotional turmoil than he had now. "Y..Yoko...wait." he croaked. "Let me...explain. Talking...hurts.....so..much. When I'm....better....can...talk...more....Hope....didn't upset....you."
 
"Oh, no. You didn't hurt my feelings. I understand. I'm glad it wasn't just me then. Will you take some water before I leave? It'll help a little with the pain in your throat since it's so cold." She stayed by his side not moving until he wanted her to. It was a relief to know that she hadn't upset him as much as she thought, but she would limit her time with him until he felt a lot better. The last thing she wanted was to remind him of something painful. If he wanted water, she'd help with that. If not, she'd take her leave.
 
Exodus nodded slowly, trying to avoid having his neck hurt because of the movement. "Y..yes...water......would be...nice. T..Thank you...Yoko." Even though looking at her reminded him strongly of Harbinger and the pain he felt when he lost her, somehow her presence soothed the turmoil he experienced in his mind. He felt like he could trust her, even with his most disturbing secret.

A thought came to his head, to reveal that he was part Beastman. "No, you idiot. These people hate Beastmen, if they find out what you're, you're as good as dead." he told himself mentally. He would wait, wait until he had gained enough of her trust before revealing that. He didn't know much about her and she didn't know much about him. Perhaps later, they could reveal their secrets to each other.
 
"Oh good. Don't be afraid to ask for it. We don't want you to end up dehydrated again." She smiled softly and took the cold glass from the stand. Gently, she lifted his head and brought the glass to his lips, tilting it just a little so the water would roll in. It was enough for a decent drink, but not too much. When it was gone, she set the glass aside and helped him back down. "Rest up, Exodus. I'll see you again." And then she left him be, quietly exiting his room, turning off the lamp on her way out. From there, she took a little shower and then went to bed.
 
Exodus laid down to sleep, feeling more contented more some odd reason. Perhaps it was because of the compassion Yoko showed, or maybe it was because here he felt that he didn't have to worry about waking with up with a small army of hostile Gunmen staring him in the face. Whatever the case, he fell asleep rather easily for the first time in a long while. No dreams, no nightmares, just sound, peaceful sleep.

*two-and-a-half days later*

Exodus was still bed-ridden; however, during his bandage change, the doctor noticed that the stitched lacerations had completely healed. A miracle in fact, considering the number and depth of the cuts and scrapes all over his body. "Well, Exodus, looks like we can remove the stitches.You'll still need bandages for the burn wounds, but even those seemed to have lessened slightly in severity. I must say, for someone in your condition, you're healing remarkably well."

Exodus smiled, "Thank you, doctor, for putting up with me." "Oh, don't be like that, that's what we're here for." Though Exodus was still horrifically skinny, he was beginning to fill out a little bit. His muscles were badly weakened, so much so that he could still barely move. Who knows how long it would take before he was combat capable again. The doctor then got out a pair of small scissors, having his nurse assist him, began cutting off the stitches and slowly pulling them out. A process that would take a little over an hour, given how much stitching that they had to do.
 
Yoko had visited off and on in the past few days, but some business or other called her away each time. Guard duty, hunting, weapon training and maintenance, pretty much anything she could think of to keep the visits short and light--just enough to check up on him and say hello. Today, it just so happened that she was looking for Kamina so they could go hunting again.

"Kamina! Get out here, will ya? I wanna ask you something!"
 
With all the stitches finally removed, Exodus felt a lot better. "Oh, that feels nice" Exodus said; the doctor was pleased with Exodus' patience and rate of recovery. "Well, Exodus, you may have had your injuries healed, but your body is still extremely weak. Tomorrow we'll start trying to get you up and moving again."

Kamina heard Yoko's shouts, and came strolling lazily out. "Jeez, Yoko. Shout any louder and I think you'll burst my eardrums" he said after giving a large yawn and stretching his arm. "So, what'd you wanna ask me? Can't you tell I was sleeping? Jeez, it's always 'go go go' with you." Of course, he was just messing with her, but his tone might indicate to her otherwise.
 
"Yeah well we can't all lay around like a bump on a log all day like you," she said, delivering a punch to his shoulder. "And the only reason I yell so loud is because you're never awake, oh fearless one." She made a face and had second thoughts about asking him to come with her after all. "I was going to ask if you wanted to come hunting with me again, but if you're just gonna complain, maybe I'll go see if someone else'll do it."
 
"Ah, come on, Yoko, I was kidding. What'cha gotta hit me so hard for?" he said as he rubbed his shoulder. "As if I'd pass up a chance to go hunting with one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen." he added, hoping it would ease the tension. "You mind if Simon comes along? It'll be good to teach him something useful."

However, Kamina then thought about it; Simon had people die right in front of him, and these weren't Beastmen they were shooting. Simon might not take that so well. However, as if to potentially provide an answer to his question, aforementioned Simon appeared, "Hey you two. Ron wants me to help him install some mods, says he could use someone of my size to get into the places he can't reach. So if you need me for anything, that's where I'll be. See ya later!" Kamina nodded as Simon waved good-bye and ran off.
 
"Hmm? I didn't know he was into that kind of thing, but if he wants to come..."

And there came the answer for the both of them. She waved at Simon and then shrugged at Kamina. She'd caught the compliment, but it wasn't like that would do much to get him back in her good graces. "Well, if we're gonna go, let's do it," she said, holding her gun.
 
Kamina knew he was still in the doghouse, but didn't push it further. He'd be on his best behavior. "After you, madame" he said casually, letting her lead the way. As he followed behind her, he then asked, "I haven't been able to see Exodus lately, but I understand you've seen him a few times. How's he holding up?" From what I've heard, he's gotten better."

Simon made his way to Ron's place, to help Ron install the new mods. "Oh, good, Simon you're here!" Ron shouted in his usual flamboyant tone. "So, you said you needed my help installing mods, Ron?" Simon asked him innocently. Ron just chuckled, "Oh, dear boy, I won't have you working on something so dreary! They are mods, but not for Gunmen. At least not yet, anyway." Simon cocked his head in curiosity, and Ron explained, "Those gauntlets the stranger wore? I found a way to make them efficient, but I need to install more conductive materials into the wrist and knuckles. I'll have to ask dear Exodus who made these, the engineering behind them is ingenious!"

Simon then asked, "So, what exactly do you need my help for?" Ron gave a small cough, "Right. I need your help installing some plates in the knuckle joints. You have the smallest hands, and are the perfect candidate to help me!" Simon nodded, and Ron just replied, "Well, then follow me to my personal workshop!"
 
Yoko raised an eyebrow at the use of "madame" but she let it go. It looked like he was trying anyway. "Hm? Yeah, I try to go see him at least once a day. It seems like he gets lonely, and anyway, I gotta check up on the guy we saved. It wouldn't be right to ignore him. He seems to be getting a lot better. I heard the stitches are coming out of his wounds today. I'm just glad he can talk again. It was painful to watch him struggle like that." She shrugged and looked over at him. "What have you been up to that's kept you so busy? Training?"
 
"The stitches are coming out already? Talk about being a fast healer. But yeah, training and patrols. That and Ron needed my help lifting some of the heavier objects. From I could tell, he was putting some serious effort into the Gurren. That thing is looking sleeker than ever, I tell ya." He then switched topics, "So, what are we hunting for today? Deer? Rabbits? Beastmen?" He added that last one as a joke, since they were already planning on exterminating every Beastman they came across.

He then said in a much more serious tone, "Yoko, I also want to tell you, that some of the scouts have reported seeing Beastmen about fifty kilometers from Littner. They've been few and far between, but they're close. Scouts say they look like they've been searching for something. I think they might be looking for Exodus."

Simon arrived at Ron's workshop; his jaw dropped as he saw the gauntlets. They gleamed a shade of bronze under the worklight; it was obvious Ron had put some time into these. Unlike the dented, ripped trash gloves the stranger wore, they were fairly bulky, and looked powerful. Ron then leaned over Simon's shoulder and said, "Impressed? Thought you'd be, and I think Exodus will like them, too. I reconstructed them using lighter materials. But, I increased the carbon content of the steel, so they should have some increased durability." Ron then picked up one; it kind of looked like he was straining to hold it. "Here, feel how light it is." Simon nearly dropped it as he received it, the thing was so heavy. "I thought..you said...you made....them lighter!" Ron chuckled, "Dear boy, if I had rebuilt them using the original metal, not even Kamina could pick them up! Honestly, I don't know why he used such heavy things!"

Simon put the gauntlet back on the table, Ron then said, "Alright, let's get to work!" He brought out a tray of small metallic plates, "We need to insert these into the knuckle joints and wrist. They'll increase the amount of force the spikes can deliver without additional Spiral Energy." Simon nodded as he took one the small plates; Ron then guided Simon's hand with his own to aid precision. After a few minutes, the small plate clicked into place. "One down, nine to go!" Ron said excitedly, happy that the repairs were almost complete.
 
Yoko blinked. Come to think of it he had been healing really quickly. "Oh yeah? I'll have to stop in and take a look at Gurren." She paused and chuckled at his joke. "Well, it's whatever we can get today. But I'm hoping for a little variety, ya know?"

When the topic finally landed back on beastmen and Exodus she was surprised, though she probably shouldn't have been. "Huh? They've come that close?" Frowning, the redhead crossed her arms. "It's possible they're looking for Exodus. I think it's about time we had a talk with him about his origins. We'll have to do that when we return. I'll have to start coming with on more patrols. I want to be there when you guys need me..."
 
Kamina nodded, "We''ll definitely have some variety alright. I'm hankerin' for some rabbit, personally." Hearing the surprise in Yoko's voice, he stated confidently, "Don't worry about the Beastmen it's nothing we can't handle. I mean, Gurren's a Beastman-destroying machine. As long as we have that, we can't lose. And as long as you're watching our back, Yoko, we'll drive those Beastmen back to whatever hole they crawled out of."


Simon, meanwhile, had just finished helping Ron install the plates, the last one clicking into place. "Whew, there! All done! When our friend is capable again, I'll have him try them out." Ron said, excited at the prospect. Simon just looked at the gauntlets in thought; how strong was Exodus before he was like that? Where did he come from, and why did he have such a strange name? These were all questions Simon wanted to ask him, but couldn't work up the nerve to.
 
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