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Full Circle (Razgriz x Candira)

Viral could sense the veritable fury seething within Adiane as she approached him; part of the soldier's mind told him to just let Adiane go, but his pride overruled the clearly logical choice. "General Adiane, I humbly request that you take me along. Thymilph was my general, and I do not wish to be left behind again without a chance to avenge him".
 
"What you wish is of little concern to me," she said, her stinger beating him as though it had a mind of her own. "Tell me why I should bring a useless second-in-command with me when you already failed Thymilph?"
 
"General Adiane, I..."

THWACK! His head swung violently to one side, the tip tracing a red line across his cheek.

"I..."

THROCK! His head now swung the other way, making a bolt of pain sear through his body and his other cheek feel bruised.

"Can be of...."

WHAP! Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth at this hit, splattering a little on the ground

"Use to you..."

WHAM! A particularly powerful strike knocked him down to the ground, and it was there he would stay for the time being; it didn't help that he was already so weakened from battle. Blood pooled slowly under his face; he wasn't dead, but he certainly wouldn't be able to try and pursue Adiane. At least not now...
 
She felt better when she knocked him flat, but it didn't change the fact that he was a failure. If he'd been better, Thymilph might still be alive. She crossed her arms and stared at the beastman. He had been a good lieutenant to Thymilph until recently...perhaps she could use him after all. She almost felt bad for him since he was in about the same position as she was. "Very well, Viral. I'll find something for you. If you fail this time, pray for a swift death."

With that, she left him there, hurrying to prep her men and gunman for their final assaults.
 
As the days ticked by, everyone on the ship had gotten used to Nia's presence. Some were still wary of her, being the Spiral King's daughter and all, but more and more had accepted the young lady as part of the crew. Even some of the Supers had taken a liking to her, despite the fact that she was the offspring of the individual responsible for their monstrous origins; though there certainly were a few that found her exuding innocence to be incredibly grating, they kept the complaints to themselves.

Meanwhile, the unintentional savior of the girl in question stood on the deck of the Dai-Gunzan, looking out to the horizon; pressure marks around his eyes were the result of having worn his digging goggles for so long, giving him the appearance of wearing a stereotypical robber's mask. This was one of the few times he'd spent any appreciable time out of his room, but he had to admit the fresh air was nice to feel, despite his current disposition. He hated feeling this way; he wanted to be useful, to be more like Kamina, but things were getting really complicated, and he didn't know how to go forward. "If only Bro were here...He'd know what to do" Simon thought to himself, feeling a slight breeze blow past and ruffle his messy black hair and blue jacket.

The terrain was so empty, so devoid of life and activity right now...just like his soul. His mind then returned to the girl that had come aboard the ship; just what was the connection between her and the Spiral King? It had been three days since Adiane had come and Nia revealed who exactly she was. He didn't know if he should hate her or not; sure, she was the daughter of a genocidal maniac, but so far she'd been nothing but sweet and kind to everyone. Besides...Bro never fought with hatred; he'd be doing Kamina's memory a disservice by succumbing to hating on principle. But with her now here, what did that mean for the future? There were so many questions the digger had, but so few answers.
 
Nia had been walking around the ship, looking for Simon. He was closest to her age on the ship, and he had a kind soul. He'd been the one to save her, and she felt a great amount of gratitude. The sweet little princess was fitting in well here, but she had noticed that Simon seemed to be at odds with everyone lately. And he seemed so sad. It was best to be with him while he was like this.

Nia saw him standing alone and smiled as she approached. "Good day, Simon."
 
Simon was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear Nia coming up behind him; however, her sweet voice roused him from his guilt-wallowing and brought him back to reality. He turned to see the cloud-haired girl standing right behind him. For a few minutes, he just stared blankly at her, not really sure what to say. "Nia...Hi. Did you...need something?" he then asked.
 
Nia smiled at him, shaking her head. "Nothing in particular. I just wanted to see you again. But you seemed a little sad just now, Simon. Is there something wrong?" Her voice was sweet and she wore a concerned expression. If there was a way to help her new friend ,she wanted to find it. Maybe he just needed to say what was on his mind? Or perhaps after she heard what was on his mind she could offer some sort of encouragement.
 
Simon actually felt his face flush a little when she mentioned she wanted to see him again; what would make her want to do that? He hadn't seen hide nor hair of her since she was in the room with Kittan and the others trying to press her for information. Her asking if anything was wrong caught him off-guard, his eyes blinking in surprise a few times rapidly; was he really that easy to read? Letting out a sigh of defeat, Simon turned back around to lean on the railing again, his forearms resting on the cold metal despite it being relatively sunny and calm outside.

Normally, Simon wouldn't even mention just what it was he was truly feeling; the way this girl acted, however, seemed to loosen his lips just a little. "It's nothing, Nia; there's just a lot I'm trying to deal with". He then added, out loud instead in his head like he wanted, "Bro...What would you do?"
 
Nia tilted her innocent cloudy head to the side, troubled that Simon would be so sad. She had heard about the many things that her father had done, but was having a hard time reconciling that information to the man she had known. She could not imagine him doing something so extreme without reason. It made her wonder if others didn't like her because of who her father was. Really, all she wanted was for people to be happy. Most of all, she wanted Simon to be happy.

She heard him say something about a "bro" and wondered what that meant. Who was he talking to. "Simon? Who is this 'bro'?"
 
(Sorry for making you wait so long; business had come up that made my muse just disappear into a deep hibernation)
Simon paused as Nia asked about who 'Bro' was; what wasn't Kamina? He was everything a man should aspire to be: Fearless, brave, loyal, and most of all...Strong. Not just physically, but mentally. Strong enough to admit his faults, to overcome them, to help others do the same. And what was he...Just a lone, lost boy who didn't know anything about being like Kamina. "His name's Kamina...He's my Bro, someone who looked out for me, helped me become stronger. Helped me fight, do what I could because he trusted in me. He was always there for me when I needed him, he was always there for everyone".
 
(Aww, that's okay. I totally understand.)

Nia frowned in concentration, listening to Simon's description. "This bro person sounds like someone you love. What has happened to them for you to be so sad?" Nia was honestly concerned and she wanted to understand what her friend was going through. Even if she couldn't relate, she wanted to be of some help. Maybe she could try and cheer him up a little. Simon had always been there for her when she needed him. She wanted to return the favor if she could.
 
When Nia asked what had happened to make him so sad, Simon felt the agony of loss well up in his heart again; sometimes he really hated being human. A few times he caught himself wishing he could just tear the heart from his body and throw it aside so that it wouldn't hurt anymore. And to make it worse, it seemed his body was simply incapable of producing any tears; it was probably a good thing, though. He'd cried too much and he hated it, so his body just couldn't do it anymore. Turning back to look out to the horizon, he leaned his arms against the cold metal rail as he replied, "He's dead...He died fighting General Thymilph, of your father's Human Eradication Army".
 
Nia felt shock paralyze her systematically. First her body wouldn't move, and then she couldn't control her voice. All thoughts but one left her head and echoed through it. "He died fighting Thymilph, of your father's Human Eradication Army." She wasn't sure about a lot of things, having lead such a sheltered life, but she knew what it meant to be eradicated, and she knew what it meant to die. Army was a term she could guess. Her father was trying to kill these people? They were humans, after all. At least that's what Simon told her. And this bro person, he died because of her father? No wonder they all thought she was an enemy. But that didn't make sense. Surely her father wouldn't have done such a thing without a reason?

"I am sorry that you lost your important person. I do not know what reason my father has for all of this, but I intend to find out. But I'm sure this bro person would not want you to be sad--"

"SHUT UP!"

Yoko's voice rang out from the doorway. She'd come in just as Simon was explaining what had happened to Kamina. She had wanted to stay out of it, and was going to leave when Nia started to talk about what Kamina would have wanted.

"How dare you talk about him!? Don't even say his name! You can't possibly understand what it was like to lose him because you didn't know him!" Such anger, and such sadness came through in her voice. It would have shocked her if she'd been calmer. She had thought she'd been getting better, but it turned out that she hadn't completely let him go yet. The redhead glared at Nia, who looked surprised at the harshness and shook her head.

"You are right. I did not know and cannot understand. But I want to. Please tell me about this Kamina person. I want to be able to understand."
 
Even if Nia felt like she knew that everyone hated her, she was wrong; it was more they were uncertain of where her allegiance truly lay. So far, she had done absolutely nothing to invoke their hatred; that wasn't to say there weren't those that despised her simply because she was the Spiral King's daughter, but mostly it was uncertainty in their minds that did not let them fully accept her as an ally. But, even though they'd only just met, he knew deep down she was a good person and that for him was reason enough not to hate her or think her an enemy.

Simon was only going to explain that Kamina was essentially everything he ever saw in what it meant to be a symbol of hope and perserverance, but he nearly jumped out of his skin when Yoko suddenly appeared - or rather suddenly made herself known, as Simon was unaware she'd been watching the two of them for a short while. "Bro...He was the reason I was able to go on fighting. He never fought with hatred; even when things were looking down, he always had a smile on his face".

Simon then slid down against the rail, letting his back rest against the cool metal as he looked up to the clear blue sky, continuing "There was a time, when I was still living in Giha Village...Bro and I got stuck after an earthquake caused a tunnel to collapse. I thought I was going to die, die the same way my parents did. But Bro...He believed in me. Told me to keep going forward, to never give up. It was because of him that I was saved...It's always been that way. Kamina's always given me the courage and strength to push on; that's why I want to be more like him".
 
((OMG, I'm so sorry this is so late. Lots of stuff has been happening lately.))

The princess listened to Simon's description of Kamina, she felt the deep admiration the young man felt for him. It was something she could understand. It gave his memory and personality more weight. "It sounds like he was a great person. I'm sure you're right to look up to him. But if your bro believed in you so much, I would think that he would want you to stay as you are. I think he would want you to move on." With that, Nia decided that she should leave Simon to think about that.

Yoko tensed and glared at the girl. Another tirade was on the tip of her tongue, but through the anger and frustration she felt--behind all the outrage, she knew that the girl had a point. Simon needed to move on. And so did she, damnit. It was startling how much stability could falter when someone called that stability into question. She took a deep breath and looked over at the little digger. What could she say that wouldn't turn her into a hypocrite? What could she do to offer him solidarity?
 
Simon could only sit stunned as Nia revealed her thoughts; he didn't know whether to cry or what, and as much as her words were intended to help, they didn't really seem to bolster the digger's spirit at all. If he stayed how he was, how could he protect anyone? What if more people died because he couldn't do what needed to be done? What would he be then? He couldn't even pilot the Lagann, that tiny little mech that now sat useless in a garbage heap behind the main control tower of the Dai-Gunzan. "Compared to Kamina...What am I?" Simon mused mentally, his eyes drifting towards the ground between his feet.

Eventually, Simon himself would speak up, and it probably wasn't a question that she was willing to hear, "Yoko......What do I do?"
 
Yoko knew the question was coming, but it did nothing to prepare her for Simon's dependence on him. She frowned as he looked up at her with those eyes. Oh man. Who could handle that kind of pressure? She knelt down a little so that she was closer to his level, some of her long hair falling over her shoulder.

"Listen, Simon, I can't tell you how to heal. I barely know what to do myself. But as much as I hate to admit it...the princess has a point. You can't be Kamina, Simon. You need to be yourself." She smiled softly, a trace of sadness still in her eyes and then she stood up and sighed. "I don't know what to say to you, Simon. I wish I did. But Kamina believed in you. That's worth something, right?"
 
Simon could only lower his gaze, disappointed that even someone as intelligent and caring as Yoko left no real answer as to how to deal with his pain. Even if she was right...It wasn't as simple as simply letting go. Without Kamina, Simon knew only bleakness; he could wish and wish all he liked, but it wouldn't bring back the dead.

"Yoko...I can't be myself; I have to be better than it. I let people down; when Kamina was injured, I nearly killed our friends. But Kamina managed to rein me in...That's why I have to be like him, so I can better protect those I care about". And with that, the Giha boy rose to his feet and shuffled away from Yoko, likely back to his room and clearly not having taken to heart anything she said.
 
So that was it. She'd suspected that his depression had had something to do with his own feelings of inferiority, but she'd never thought that idea would have taken such deep roots in his heart. He had to come to his own realization. All she could do was forgive the poor little guy and let him work though it. Still, she was finding it pretty difficult to believe that after having known Kamina his whole life, Simon still didn't understand him. The redhead watched him and sighed, letting him go. There was no sense in sticking around if Simon wasn't going to listen to her.

She frowned, wishing that she could do something. It wasn't just the two of them--everyone had been affected by Kamina's death at some level. The gunman's atmosphere was tense at best and just plain gloomy at worst. She wasn't quite sure what to do herself. She wondered about Simon, and then she found her thoughts drifting to Exodus.
 
As Simon would walk off to sulk some more, a familiar face would make itself: The familiarly dressed Ron Littner could only watch as the digger wallowed in his self-pity and sorrow; like Yoko and everyone else, he was trying to move past Kamina's unfortunate death and continue on with his own path. And right now, Team Dai-Gurren needed every available hand to help get this bucket of bolts moving again.

"I feel so bad for the boy...To have that kind of weight on his shoulders; seems him and our friend Exodus have more in common than they like to admit" Ron stated solemnly; he then looked over at the sharp-eyed redhead and saw she wasn't all that happy either. He wondered if now was the best time to bring this up; even still, she deserved to know.

"Forgive me, Yoko...I just wanted to see how you were holding up" he then added, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving her a friendly smile to try and lift her spirits.
 
Yoko wasn't all that happy, but she knew better than to let herself break down again. Everyone needed to get it together, especially her. If for no other reason than to be strong for Simon. But the poor guy could barely keep himself together now either. She sighed and watched him walk away, only turning to Ron after he was finished commenting on the digger's state and Exodus'.

"You're probably right about that. I feel badly for him too, but I have no idea what to say to him." When Ron apologized, she raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you don't have to apologize for anything, Ron. We should be able to about this kind of thing."
 
"Oh I know, Yoko...It's always good to have people to talk to, especially in such a trying time like this" Ron replied, his smile starting to fade as he thought about how to bring this up. Truthfully, he didn't even understand a tenth of what he found in the Dai-Gunzan's databanks or in a well-sealed portion of its hull; that area of science was beyond him. He certainly seemed like the man capable of deciphering anything, but truth be told...He had almost no idea what was going on, only able to work off what he'd been previously told.

He quickly realized there was going to be no easy way to do this; and having known Yoko and the other Littner villagers for the longest, she was one of the few people he could trust. And until he figured more out about what exactly it was he was looking at, Exodus needed to stay as far away as possible, since it potentially involved him. So, he finally said after a rather awkward pause, "Yoko...There's something you need to see up in the bridge tower. If you would follow me". He then walked back towards the door and made his way to the control room. Once there, Ron made his way over to one of the panels; after some fuddling with some of the switches and buttons, several holographic displays popped up, laying in front of them against the glass that let the crew look out upon the rocky wasteland where the ship sat.

One held what looked like a double-helical structure next to a pure-black figure, while another listed what appeared to be temperatures and a clock that was still running and another yet displayed "Risk of Failure" with a numerical percentage; there were others too, but it was hard to make out what they were exactly saying. Ron then sighed and said, "I still have to sort through a lot of this, but it seems like Exodus certainly wasn't kidding about the experiments performed on him. Not that I thought he was...Just seeing the potential physical proof here is rather unnerving. And if what I am seeing is right...I think I know a little more about why Exodus has those moments of extreme rage". He didn't know if he should tell Yoko his theory about why it was so damaging when Exodus underwent that feral shift; as emotionally mature as she was, even that could be too much for her to bear with everything else that was going on.
 
Yoko nodded, glad to know that he was someone who understood what she was going through. He was neither too soft with her, nor too rough. Ron was oddly the perfect balance of compassion and business. The redhead found herself wishing that she could be more like the eccentric engineer. His announcement that she needed to see something startled her just a little, though. Without hesitation, she agreed, following him to the control room. What was so important, she wondered.

The sniper stretched a bit, resting her hands on her hips when she was finished. She wasn't entirely sure of what she was seeing, but Ron would undoubtedly explain it to her. She frowned when she realized that the black figure on the screen looked rather familiar. "Risk of Failure" caught her attention as well. Just what was all of this?

Ron began speaking and Yoko's frown only increased as she tried to understand what was being said. And this time it wasn't because of a difficult concept or technical jargon. "You mean to tell me that this is data collected from those awful experiments?" She felt suddenly sick, and as though she were betraying some sort of trust between her and the gentle giant she called a friend. Well, gentle most of the time. Those episodes of extreme rage he was prone to were frightening at best and life-threatening at worst.

"I don't feel right about this, Ron. He should be here. He should know...It just doesn't feel right, you know? Besides, don't you think he should know too?" And then she got the feeling that Ron expected her to relay the news in a way that Exodus would understand, or that would somehow soften the blow. "Or is that the point?"
 
Ron had a sneaking suspicion that his redheaded marksman friend had an inkling of what he was trying to get at; from everything he could tell, this was in fact a summary of certain test results that pertained to the inhumane experiments that Exodus described to them. What they all meant he had no idea and it would certainly take some time to sift through this; not an easy task considering he still needed to get the ship itself back into full operational capability.

And of course Ron agreed Exodus deserved to know; still, there was one more thing that Ron needed to show Yoko. It was something that made Ron very hesitant to even mention anywhere near him what he'd found; hell, he didn't even tell most of the other members of Team Dai-Gurren what he'd found. "Well...Yes, at some point I certainly intend to reveal it to him; however, I fear he might destroy it before I had a chance to get anything useful out of it. Not that I blame him, but perhaps this could be of use to us, you know? There's quite a bit of data here and it's going to need some sorting through". Ron then pushed a few more buttons, causing a holographic screen of an empty room to appear on the window glass. Afterwards, he turned and walked towards an elevator; as the grated door slid open, Ron simply stated, "Just watch that screen, Yoko...There's one more thing I need to show you". He hoped he wasn't being all foreboding and such; then again, this wasn't exactly a normal issue.

On the screen a few minutes later, Ron could be seen exiting the elevator door and strolling a few feet in front of it. He then pushed an intercom button, his voice playing back in the control room, "This is something else I found...Seems Adiane and Thymilph certainly weren't hesitant to share their knowledge". Pressing his hand against a wall, a keypad was revealed and after punching in some sort of code, a panel retracted to reveal what appeared to be bodies floating in giant glass tubes filled with liquid; screens surrounded the side of each tube, displaying biometric data. And aside from a few cosmetic differences, they all seemed to resemble someone Ron and Yoko knew all too well.
 
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