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Full Circle (Razgriz x Candira)

Yoko didn't make a sound. If she'd wanted to assassinate someone, this would be the time. She reloaded her rifle, slung it over her shoulder and walked very calmly--eerily so--to the gunman in question. Her movements were almost normal, but there was just a bit of extra stiffness to them, as though she were tensed to hit the nearest person with any part of her body. Once she was in the cockpit, she was off in search of the idiot, unaware of the pain he was in. Well, he was about to be in a lot more. No one said a word until she was gone. Even Simon snapped out of his despair long enough to get out of her way and cower a little.

He watched her leave, still in pain. She was yet another reminder of his failure. He hadn't protected his brother, and Yoko had almost died in the attack as well. If he'd just been faster, launched himself sooner, something! He never did anything right! Not like bro. Bro was invincible, which only made his death that much more horrifying to deal with. Kamina had been larger-than-life. He was a dreamer, an innovator, and very much dedicated to finishing what he'd started. What was Simon? How could he possibly compare? Lagann lie next to him--he'd fallen out after another gunman had hauled the two of them in. Neither of them looked particularly happy today.

Simon closed his eyes, fighting the tears and the rage, and then hurried off to his room to go find something to occupy him--anything to take his mind off of what was real. Maybe there was some dirt around somewhere he could drill through--after all, that was what he did.

While Simon considered this, Yoko started her search for Exodus, following the course she'd set for the blinking dot on the screen. If he was dead, she would have to feel sorry for him, so she was really hoping that he was alive. That's what she told herself, but she was really very worried. If he wasn't dead, she'd give him an earful, a punch, and then probably end up crying because damn it, that was the way things were heading today. Not to mention she'd just seen one of her best friends practically fall apart in battle. Everything was going to hell, and the last thing they all needed was to lose someone else.
 
Over at the abandoned battleground, Exodus and the ghost of the former heavy weapons and explosives expert were still arguing, Exodus having gotten over the shock of seeing his brother once more. He still thought that he was somewhat delirious from the pain and mental agony associated with losing not only Sovereign, but Harbinger as well; however, their conversation was quickly convincing the war veteran that hallucination was not happening here. He was talking to his dead comrade; though what he didn't realize was that he was the only one who could see him.

"Even after all this time, you haven't changed a bit, Exodus. You're persistent, I'll give you that. But you're also completely stupid" Exodus threw his hands up, "Oh, I'm stupid?! Right......Says the man who threw his fucking life away! Do you have any idea how much that affected Harbinger and me!? You were our brother, Sovereign! I was supposed to protect you! To keep us all together! Together till the end!" "Do you have any idea how stupid you sound right now? Noble, yes, but stupid all the same...."

Exodus was shaking, he was so mad; he then growled, "You're lucky I can't hit you, because I would kick your ass right here and now!" Sovereign just snorted, "Yeah, well, you can't. So too bad" Exodus ignored this and swung out at him anyway, his fist passing right through Sovereign's incorporeal form, hitting at air. He did this a few more times before giving up, grunting and snarling as he glared at his brother's ghost.

Sovereign sighed, almost as if disappointed....Which he was to a certain extent. "Nice job with the redhead, by the way. Real smooth with the ladies, arent'cha?" Exodus paused, then asked, "What the hell are you talking about?" "You do realize Yoko's going to kick your ass when she finds you, right? I've been watching, Exodus, and frankly, I'm none too pleased with the crap you're pulling". "I don't matter to her, and she doesn't matter to me. We're both tools to each other, seeking safety in numbers for peace of mind and security. Not to mention combined effective strength for combatting the Beastmen". Sovereign just smirked, "Then tell me, why comfort her? If you're both just means to an end, why bother?" Exodus froze again; he'd forgotten how perceptive Sovereign could be.

"You're hurt, angry, vengeful. I get that, Exodus. Really I do; but you can't let it consume you. Don't risk what you have, for something you can never gain. You said that to me; I did what I did because I wanted you both to live on. Harbinger did too; that's why she threw you out of harm's way. You can't blame yourself for other people's actions, so don't" "But still, I should have done something. You didn't have to..." Exodus was starting to say, but got cut off, "People do things for whatever reason they find justifiable, it's just how we work. So fight, but keep in mind what it is you're fighting for, or risk becoming what you hate" Exodus' eyes flashed dangerously, "I'm nothing like the Beastmen! They took the two people I held dear from me! They abducted us as humans! Transformed us! Turned us into these half-breed freaks of nature to suit their own goals! They DESERVE to die, to suffer as they have made us suffer!"
 
Though Yoko was quickly gaining on Exodus, she still had a few more minutes. It did nothing to calm her nerves or give her the composure she would have liked to walk in with. She'd end up jumping in and swinging at this point. She was pissed because she couldn't be anything else, and she was fully aware that he was responsible for all the messed up feelings rolling around inside of her. Despite the fact that she was at a level of rage that was rarely seen in front of anyone else, Yoko was well aware that it wasn't entirely Exodus' fault that she was in this state. It was the attack and how ill-prepared they'd been to deal with that kind of enemy, the fact that Simon had fallen apart, risking himself AND Rossiu in battle, not to mention the people trying to protect him. They had to get a hell of a lot stronger before they made it to the Spiral King. And where was the one who supposedly hated beastmen the most through all of this? Out in the middle of fucking nowhere doing god-knows-what.

"Ohhh, I know it's not all your fault, but make no mistake, you're getting exactly what's yours," she muttered, rushing toward the man. She could just make out his gunman on the horizon--it wouldn't be too much longer and she'd be there.
 
There was a few moments that Sovereign and Exodus stared at each other, the larger giant peering at his comrade with something that seemed so alien coming from someone like Sovereign: Pity. He truly pitied Exodus; sure, he was a bloodthirsty savage, but that was what he was fated to be. There was nothing that could change that, and he used it to kill as many of the Beastmen as he could manage before he made his fateful decision. Exodus never persuaded him to do it for the sake of the team; hell, if given the ability, Exodus probably would have pulled him out and let him do it. Exodus saw himself as the leader of the group, but that was only from a responsibility point-of-view more times than not.

"Exodus.....Like I told you, you need to calm yourself. Yes, the Beastmen killed us, but we died for your sake. To make sure you could finish what the three of us had started" Exodus' hands clenched, feeling his sorrow and rage build up within him. After a short while, the remaining Trio soldier simply stated, and actually seemed to relax a little, "I know.....I just I could have done something....Anything to make sure you both were alive.....". "I know, Exodus, but that's in the past now. Let our deaths be your motivation, but don't let your motivation be who you are. You are Exodus, leader of the Trio. You can do this, but you need to let go of the past. It's happened, so remember it, but don't relive it".

"Easy for you to say, you're not living this nightmarish existence" Exodus shot back, feeling a bit peeved at Sovereign. But he did appreciate what the big guy was trying to do. Exodus raised a hand to what was left of his hair and ran the appendage through, feeling the scars from the lacerations on the back of his head. "Sorry....I just....just need a little more time" "You're strong, Exodus, but you're not invincible. Just remember that, and don't be afraid to open yourself up. Then again, maybe I say that because I never exactly had that problem, did I?" Exodus smirked, "Nope, you always said what was on your mind. Out of the three of us, you were the most honest and that's the undeniable truth". "Heh, true. Well, I think you got the point......One more thing.....Nice monument. Thanks" "You deserved it" Exodus said, watching his brother's spirit fade away until he disappeared completely.

Exodus then knelt down, his hand brushing over the stone tablet Harbinger had made and the unused artillery shell where Sovereign's Gunman's name 'Boom-Boom' stood. This was their tribute to Sovereign's memory, to the sacrifice he so fearlessly made. The veteran then bowed his head, brought his hands together and started to chant. He was using the song Harbinger sung in this moment; he could practically hear her voice in his ears as he repeated the words, trying to match the tempo and rhythm his former lover had used. By the time Yoko would arrive, he would just be starting this song.
 
Yoko came to the sight, only to see him standing there out in the open like an idiot. And then she started to take in the surroundings. Her anger ebbed a bit as she realized just exactly what this was. The monument was what caught her attention. He was standing at the grave of someone she'd never met, but knew the importance of. So when she arrived next to his gunman, and opened the cockpit, she heard him singing. She stood there for a long moment, just watching and listening finally gaining back some of her composure. She was still plenty pissed off, but some of that misplaced anger went away as she took in the sight of him grieving and imagined the battle all around them. Sighing, she jumped down, landing quite gracefully. She stood and waited until the song was over before she walked over to stand beside him.

"Not even a goodbye, huh?"
 
The memorial chant ended, leaving Exodus seemingly alone. The wind blew for a moment, ruffling the devastation surrounding a little. His moment of desolation was cut short when he heard footsteps behind him; he turned his head to peer out of the corner of his eye, seeing a familiar red approaching him. Well, looks like Sovereign was right in one respect: She found him. And she likely wasn't happy; little did he know just what it was that he missed.

He looked back up to the memorial, the silence persisting after Yoko posed her question to him. He then responded, "This isn't something I wanted others to see. I had to come here alone....." He then heard Ron's and Sovereign's words play in his head, both echoing the same message of trust and camaraderie to him. Still, something like this....It was his past, and he felt it only necessary to deal with this himself.
 
Her hands fisted and shook as she listened to his answer. It took every ounce of will power to not deck him. "Oh, really? You couldn't have told us you wanted to be alone instead of sneaking off?" she said through gritted teeth. "You've got a lot of nerve, Exodus. After all the things we've been through together you, don't suppose you could have trusted us to let you handle this on your own?" She glared up at him and resisted the urge to leave a big bruise on his face. "You're such a jerk! And it might not have been such a huge deal, but we're getting closer to their fortress. Suppose a patrol met you and overcame you? Then what? Thoughtless!" She really did deck him now. It actually hurt her hand--probably more than she hurt him.

"We were attacked by the way. We needed you. And when we found out you weren't coming to help us because you'd gone off on your own, just how the hell do you think we're supposed to react? Did he go off on his own to fight someone? To find the fortress on his own like an idiot? Did he leave for some special reason? Is he hurt?" She yelled at him as tears spilled from her eyes. Yup. Just not a conversation with him anymore if she wasn't crying. "You could have at least told us."
 
Exodus just stood there, his body having turned to face her as she reamed him for sneaking off. Despite her justifiably angry response, he still felt ticked off she spoke to him like she was doing. He had a lot of nerve? For going to grieve and remember his brother? Then again, he didn't really know this was the site where Sovereign fell, he'd felt a strong force pulling him toward it. That's why he went. Before he could even formulate a response to her calling him a jerk, she punched him. And he felt it; granted it wasn't nearly as bad as when Harbinger slugged him, but it was there alright.

Though the news of them being under attack definitely surprised him and it showed on his face when she mentioned it. Well, how in the world was he supposed to react to that? For the longest time, he just stood there, staring at her with empty eyes, yet deep down, Yoko would see flickers of light brightened those darkened hues of his. After a long moment of silence, he then asked what many might consider to be a completely out-of-left-field question, "Yoko.......Just what am I to you? A tool, or a person?"
 
"What kind of a question is that? Of course you're a person! Why do you think I care so much? Even when we didn't know who you were or what you were capable of I worried about you as a person!" If she'd stopped to think about his past, about all the trust issues he had, and the reasons behind them, she would have seen why he would need to ask something like that, but in her hyper-emotional state, all she could feel was hurt. Hurt that he'd accuse her of coldly using him, that he'd see their friendship as an alliance of necessity, that even after all she'd tried to do for him, he still saw her as someone he couldn't trust. More tears spilled down her cheeks as she watched him now.

Shaking her head she threw up her arms. "Just fucking fine. You wanna deal with all this by yourself, go right ahead. But you're not alone anymore, whether you like it or not. You have to start letting us in or some day, when you really need someone to help you through it, none of us will be there because you've pushed us all away." With that she turned away from him, shaking all over, holding in her tears. The stress of everything was getting to her, and having to prove herself over and over again was not helping.

"And you're still a jerk for making me worry," she murmured, standing still. She intended to go back into her gunman and go back to the Dai Gunzen, but she couldn't seem to move her legs, as if some force were keeping her there. Fine with her, she couldn't see very well through the tears anyway.
 
Exodus felt the heaviness in his heart and gut skyrocket; it was bad enough being guilted over his 'lone wolf' life style by Sovereign, but hearing Yoko's bitterness at his behavior really drove it home for him. He looked away as she turned her back on him, his eyes looking toward the ground in shame. She'd done so much to help him, and this was how he paid her back. Bring her to tears and stress her out more than she needed. They both knew the pain of loss, but that created an unfortunate double-edged sword. They understood each other too well.

Exodus turned his head back towards Yoko, seeing her standing there, shaking like a leaf in the wind. She didn't deserve this, didn't deserve to have him around pulling all this crap he did. As much as he tried to work on being part of a team again, the time he spent alone made him look out for himself and himself alone. But this, this was too much even for someone like him, who'd had his heart hardened from his own turmoil.

He then walked up behind Yoko, his footsteps echoing slightly in the deafening silence as he closed the distance between them. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him. "Yoko, I know this probably doesn't mean anything right now....But I'm sorry.....I really didn't mean to make you so upset. You had your own troubles to worry about; I just didn't want you to have to suffer my own on top of it."
 
She sobbed softly, trying to get her act together but she just couldn't. Today had been trying to say the very least, and it had taken its toll. The most she managed was to stop the tears and take deep breaths, but she was still on the verge. She could have crumpled up and just fallen there, letting the wind of the wastelands that were this area wash over her. Though she was surprised that he'd put his arms around her, she didn't really react much, simply choosing not to fight it. As he apologized, she felt most of her energy drain away. She'd been furious, and now she was just sad and sort of empty.

"It wasn't just you, but you really didn't help," she said softly, leaning into him just a little. "It's not okay, so I won't say that it is. But you should know better by now. You should know that we want to worry about you, if only to know that we're worried for the right reason." She took a few deep breaths and slowly relaxed her body so she could stop shaking. "You should be sorry. But to be fair, it wasn't just you. It was Simon too. He's such a mess. If you'd seen him today like I did...like everyone did..." she shook her head. "Even if he's still alive, we're losing him, and as much as I want to help him, I'm having a hard enough time with myself. And the attack took so long to deal with, and we could have used your support..." She brushed away her tears and turned to look at him. "You have to stop running away from us, okay?"
 
Exodus felt Yoko loosen up in his embrace, her back pressing into his torso slightly; her words didn't surprise him, not in the slightest. If there were aspects where they were frighteningly alike, it was their honesty and the fact that they'd suffered traumatizing losses. They'd both been through so much, and Yoko was trying her damnedest to make sure they could stay together. He'd felt the same pressure before; any lesser person would have already broken, but these two warriors of the wastelands held strong - more or less.

As she explained how Simon was reacting, Exodus couldn't help but empathize with the kid - he'd felt the exact same way when Sovereign died. Did almost the exact same thing, too. Hell, he still did. Maybe that's why Simon was so cold towards Exodus: Exodus had time to deal with his loss, Simon's was more recent and the wounds were still fresh. Maybe he'd come around eventually, but right now, he needed all the help he could get. And this seemed to make Exodus come around; Sovereign's words seemed to make things click into place. Hearing that not only Harbinger had forgiven him, but Sovereign did as well, made a small amount of the weight lift off his chest. He still felt the immense pain of loss, but at least now he had both his comrade's blessing to finish what they started. And that alone took a lot off of his mind.

"Yoko....." he paused as he looked down at her, their eyes meeting as his arms remained draped around her, "I know my apologies don't carry a lot of weight right now, but I really regret leaving you in such a bind. I know too well of Simon's suffering; it's like seeing myself all over again. But what I need is to stop running away from myself; I can't deny what has happened, but I can't let it consume me. Only then will I stop being stupid and running from those who actually give a damn about me". He then tightened his embrace a little, adding in a remorseful tone, "I know it doesn't always seem like it, but I really am grateful, Yoko.....To you and the rest of Team Dai-Gurren. But to you, especially. All I can give is my thanks..."
 
She sighed and forced herself to relax, feeling even more exhausted now. She let him hold her, comforted by his embrace. She let him apologize and thank her, her eyes just watering a tiny bit. After a moment she opened her eyes and looked up at him, leaning back a bit so it was easier to see him. She could see in his eyes that he was genuinely sorry, and really did want to change. And he really was grateful. It was a tall order to convince her after everything that had happened, but Exodus was nothing if not honest. She sighed and leaned into his tightened embrace.

Since she couldn't really move, she wrapped her arms around his and smiled softly. "Okay. Well, I guess I can only ask that you try. And I hope you know that you're more to us than just an ally or some kind of tool. You're one of us. To Gimmi and Darri you're practically a father. You're our friend. So don't think otherwise, okay?" she leaned her forehead against his and then sighed.

"Alright. I'm tired. Time to go home and take a shower. And then I'm going to bed." Carefully she got herself out of Exodus' embrace and turned to Sovereign's monument. She came forward and gently placed a hand reverently on the shell. "Don't worry about this one. I'll do my best to take care of him. But I'm sure you know what I'm working with." She smiled softly. "Thank you for what you've done." And with that, she withdrew her hand and bowed her head before turning on her heel and heading back to her gunman.
 
"Yeah......I'll try" Exodus replied to her words of encouragement; of course he was more than just a tool. But he'd spent so much of his life trying to live for others, then his whole world got flipped when he lost his reasons for that cause. And now that he had them back, he was - in a sense - lost. It was like seeing sunlight for the first time after having lived in complete darkness; it was going to take some getting used to. But he'd do it........eventually.

As Yoko pulled herself away from him, he turned and watched her give her parting words to Sovereign; he was touched that she would do this for someone she'd only heard of secondhand. Her words made a small smirk of bemusement tug at his lips. Then again, perhaps she really understood just how deep the bond between him and the crazed giant ran. Tighter than blood itself, their brotherhood was, something that would be impossible to fully replicate, those were Exodus' first thoughts. But now he had a team again, and he'd try to make sure he didn't lose it again.

As Yoko climbed back into her Gunman, Exodus did the same after giving a final good-bye to Sovereign; the two then left the memorial, leaving the bloodthirsty behemoth's spirit to admire his own handiwork. After traveling some more, Exodus and Yoko arrived at the Dai-Gurren; it hadn't moved from its original spot, which surprised Exodus initially. However, that disappeared as scews could be seen on the outside doing maintenance work on the colossal moving fortress. The veteran saw the wrecked Gunman scattered about everywhere; some had been stripped for spare parts, a wise move out here.

As soon as Yoko and Exodus were back aboard the Dai-Gurren and disembarked from their mechs, they were greeted by none other than Ron himself. "So....Seems like your little expedition was a success apparently. But I can't help wondering....Where did you run off to that you had to abandon us?" Exodus was about to tell Ron it was nothing; however, he caught himself and then explained what had happened. "I see. Well, that's certainly a worthy endeavor; but that's not something you have to or should hide, Exodus". Ron then reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder, "You've heard this a hundred times, but next time, tell us. We can make a detour for something like that". Exodus nodded, "I know....Thanks".

Ron seemed satisfied with that, so he let it lie and walked off again, stating that he had some modifications to make to help this thing move more quickly. Exodus heaved a sigh, feeling a tad drained for some weird reason; maybe it was the relief of knowing he'd not let down his former brother and lover. He couldn't really say; regardless, he turned to Yoko and said, "Well, I'm gonna make myself useful somehow; you go get some rest, Yoko".
 
Yoko sighed as she climbed out of the cockpit of the gunman she'd borrowed. She felt exhausted. Time for a little food and a nice long shower. The good news was, she probably wouldn't cry this time around since she'd had enough of that for today. She watched as Ron beat the dead horse that was her speech about letting other people in and smiled, glad to know that she wasn't the only one with that opinion. She watched their friend walk away and then turned her attention back to Exodus.

He said he'd make himself useful and she fought the urge to tease him because he was implying that she wasn't useful, winning without much effort. He'd had enough from her today, hadn't he? "Alright, but don't work yourself ragged. I'll see ya." And with that, the redhead wandered off toward the cafeteria, practically starving.
 
As Yoko walked off, Exodus turned and made his own way to find something to do. It was while doing various jobs to get the Dai-Gunzan back in shape that he'd seen the extent of the battle that took place; a few injuries to humans and Supers alike, but mostly structural damage from the attacker's weapons. Some kind of light artillery, from what it looked like; though he couldn't say for certain. Through the hours he helped refit some armor that had been blown off and aided others in repairing their Gunman with his own knowledge of the machines, though it wasn't nearly as much as Leeron's, who was easily a certifiable genius when it came to the things.

Even though Yoko told him not to work himself ragged, he would work himself fairly hard, and not just in the physical. Over the course of about five-and-a-half hours, Exodus worked and dealt with inquiries from what felt like everyone, some of genuine concern and others practically seething with rage over his abandonment of them. However, the day was soon over and the Dai-Gunzan - after closing up the hangar doors and doing a thorough check to make sure everything was OK - was back on the move, its colossal feet crashing into the ground as it resumed its journey toward the Capital.

Exodus retreated back to his room; he'd talk to Simon tomorrow, hopefully try and talk some sense into the poor kid. Given the similarity of their situations and behavior, Exodus felt it would be best to have his experience do the talking for him. He just hoped it would be alright; though knowing Simon, there was the possibility of him going off the deep-end.
 
Yoko had eaten her fill before she went back to her room and showered. She took a long, hot shower and made sure every inch of her was clean before she dried off. When she was all through with everything, she was so tired that she simply removed the towel and slipped under her sheets, sleeping in her nicely darkened room. She slept quickly and easily, for once not dreaming about losing Kamina again. It was just deep, dreamless sleep.



Simon was locked in his room, ignoring his need for food--it seemed like he couldn't taste it anymore anyway. It was much easier to keep to himself for now, not dealing with the others. He simply made sculptures out of dirt of his bro, using his drill. Slowly he fell deeper and deeper into despair and came further and further away from himself.
 
The fortress continued to move, the pilot and defense crews changing shifts every so often so that others could rest. One advantage they had over the Beastmen was that they could move even at night, whereas the Beastmen had to stop for the night. It was a generally mutual agreement that Yoko and Simon be spared from duty for now; they both had enough to deal with. Exodus, however, was not so lucky; he'd proven that he could handle sleepless periods fairly easily, not to mention it was a little payback for his disappearing act. Exodus took it in stride, knowing that he screwed up and would do what he had to show he was sorry.

The next morning soon rolled around, the brilliant sunlight revealing the barren expanse that human resistance movement traveled through. Animals scattered on the ground, running away as the titanic machine trampled over their land. Exodus soon was relieved of his post; he decided to use this time to try and talk to Simon. He prepared himself for the worst, knocking on the kid's door and saying quite plainly, "Simon....It's Exodus. You awake?"
 
Yoko slept hard and long, not even moving during her sleep. When she woke, she felt like she'd been dead. Slowly, she made herself get out of bed and then moved to the bathroom, getting ready. After she combed her hair and pulled it up into her trademark pony-tail, she got dressed in her usual outfit and headed toward the kitchen, smiling at a few of Kittan's crew as they passed. As she wandered over to the cafeteria for breakfast, Simon continued on his sleepless quest to be more like his bro.

He worked feverishly on a pile of dirt and rock, using his drill to make even more sculptures. It was soothing to him, but it was also a reflection of the hurt, the obsession, and the damage he was suffering. The pressure and expectations were just too much. No one would understand his pain--not even Yoko. So when Exodus knocked on the door, Simon ignored it, not bothering to answer. His drill could be heard, but it was faint. Much like poor Simon himself.
 
Exodus could hear the hum of the drill; faint as it was, his Beastman senses let him take it in clear as day. Frankly, he wasn't surprised at Simon's reaction; truthfully, he'd be surprised if Simon hadn't reacted in this way. Breathing a sigh, Exodus leaned a little closer to the door and said, this time a bit more firmly, "Simon......Listen to me. I know you hurt.....Trust me, I know all too well. You feel like others won't understand, like you're alone in all this. But this isn't the way to handle it...."

How interesting the situation was, for someone like Exodus - the same one who exhibited the 'lone wolf' behavior more than anyone - to be lecturing Simon on this sort of thing. Of course, he didn't really expect Simon to respond to him; he knew better than to push the kid, given his situation. Ultimately, his recovery would be up to him; there was only so much Exodus could do for him.
 
Simon continued his work silently, his drill always moving as he created statue after statue of his beloved bro. If he were here, he'd know what to do. If he were here the attack from yesterday wouldn't have been so tough to take down. "I'm nothing without him," Simon muttered, still working. Without Kamina to believe in him, Simon was just a digger again. A digger who couldn't measure up, even though he desperately wanted to. He couldn't figure out why Lagann was so unresponsive. He couldn't understand that it was the heaviness, confusion, and conflict within his own heart that was holding him back. And much like Exodus, no matter what anyone said, it didn't seem as though he would be coming out of it soon. He was lost, and he knew it.
 
Exodus could tell Simon wasn't in the talking mood, so he let the kid be; Simon was a lost soul, and he needed to find his own way back. He simply said, "Kamina will always be with you, Simon. Remember him, but don't relive him". And with that, he left to go help with repairs. He had to make himself useful somehow; if there was one thing he hated, it was sitting uselessly by.

In the cafeteria, Kittan saw Yoko sitting alone and decided to try and give her the pleasure of his company. He grabbed a tray of his own and sat down across from the redheaded sniper; truth be told, he most certainly considered her to be a fine piece of work, in both body and mind. Even if he didn't verbally express it, it was fairly obvious he was interested in her. It wasn't long before Kittan spoke, "So, Yoko......How're things? You look like you could use some company".
 
Simon didn't answer. There was no reason for him to. He did, however, pause in his drilling long enough to hear what Exodus said. He clenched his drill in his hands, whimpering softly in his dark room. "Bro..."



Lately, Yoko hadn't been her usual, energetic self. For the first few days people had just left her alone, not sure of what she needed--space or companionship. They wisely chose to give her space. As Kittan sat across from her, though, she realized how lonely she'd felt recently. Besides Exodus, he was the first person to make contact with her outside of combat or training since Kamina had died. Actually it was sort of a shock to her system. But there he was, talking to her as they ate breakfast. And wouldn't you know it? She had no idea whether she ought to be offended by his comment or not.

"Hi Kittan. I'm alright," she said, deciding not to be offended. After all, he had a good heart. "How are things with you?"
 
"Oh, you know.....Kicking Beastman ass, trying to live day to day, that whole thing" he replied; he wanted her, this much was true. But, he also realized that she was still getting over Kamina; plus, there was no threat from Simon or Exodus, the former being too upset over Kamina's death. He didn't really know what Exodus' deal was, but if it kept him away from Yoko, then that was alright. So he felt that he was in the clear, and could take his time trying to get her interested in him. No need to rush a good thing, right?

The eldest of the Black Siblings smiled inwardly; time to show how nice of a guy he could be. She'd be his before long, he'd make sure of that. He then laid a hand gently on hers and squeezed reassuringly, saying, "But I'm glad to hear you're OK; I know things have been a bit rough. But you're a tough girl, and you've got us to watch your back. Everything's going to work out. Just watch, we'll give those bastards a run for their money"
 
She had to admit, the guy had a verve for life. He shared that trait with Kamina, which was probably why the two of them fought so much when they got together. Then again, it was hard to judge relationships between men. Still, though, she knew Kittan had respected Kamina, and it had be mutual. And he'd always been nice to her, so there was nothing wrong with that. He was trying to be a good friend, and she ought to give him credit for that. Still, it hadn't been more than a few days since everything had happened. Though the pain had lessened a bit, it was still there. He was trying to cheer her up, and she should at least give it a shot. After all, she was still alive and there was no point in staying so sad forever. There came a time when she needed to move on.

So she smiled at him as he told her he was just living life, kicking ass. That time, he'd almost gotten her to laugh again. His more sensitive side made an appearance though, and she wasn't sure she wanted to dwell on the rough times. "I appreciate that, Kittan. It's good to know I have your support. Everyone's been pretty great about understanding...and we've all managed to go on." She took a deep breath and sighed softly. "Let's give 'em hell, okay?" And then there as a little more of a fire in her eyes than she'd had since Kamina had passed away. Slowly, but surely, she was coming back to them all.

"I saw when you saved Simon out there yesterday. I hear he's starting to lose his grip..." she frowned softly. "I want to help, but it's hard enough dealing with my own troubles. Besides, he has to work it out on his own...still, if you could keep watching out for him, I'd appreciate it." She smiled and then finished off her breakfast, standing again. "Well, I'll see ya around."
 
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