A/N: Bleh... After rewatching Gurren Lagann for the first time in almost five years, I decided to write a little something. I'm not being critical or anything, but I'm amazed this place isn't overflowing with Kamina fics, given the fact that he's the definition of awesome. So here we go, a pointless Kamina/Yoko story. Hope y'all enjoy.
This takes place before team Dai-Gurren is formed.
"Hey, Simon... Psst... Simon, you awake?"
Kamina looked in the direction of his brother. The young digger was out cold under his blankets, silently snoring away. He looked like a bundle of sheets under the night sky, and Kamina couldn't help but smile. He knew Simon was capable of doing anything, but he also knew the past few days hadn't been easy for the boy.
He stood up from his messy sleeping spot and looked around their makeshift camp. They had decided to rest in a nearby forest for the night, just in case any rogue beastmen went out for a hunt. Gurren and Lagann were watching over them just a few feet away, and Leeron seemed to have fallen asleep mid-repair.
Kamina frowned, noting something was off, though he couldn't put a finger on it. It was too dark to see much, so he let it go. Yawning mid-stretch, he lifted his tired body off the ground and looked up at the stars through the countless tree tops. He had made it, but he knew it was only the beginning of their journey.
The blue haired man decided to go for a walk through the trees, careful not to step on Simon or Yoko...
"Wait a minute... Where's... GYAAAH!" Kamina half shouted, half whispered as he caught himself from falling to the ground. His foot had caught on a cold stick next to Yoko's blankets, causing him to stumble over. Luckily, no one woke up from his yell.
"What the hell?" Kamina muttered to himself, looking down at his feet. It wasn't a stick he tripped over, rather it was Yoko's signature rifle. The only problem was that Yoko wasn't there. She never went anywhere without her rifle, so it was more than enough for Kamina to be confused, if not nervous.
He looked around again, just to make sure he wasn't going crazy, but the girl was no where to be seen.
"Where the heck did she go?" The gunman pilot grabbed the rifle and hoisted it over his shoulder before disappearing into the the trees.
"Damn pit chick better not've gotten in any trouble," he mumbled to himself. After shuffling through the trees for a good ten minutes, he came to an opening at the forest's edge, only to find a certain red-head sitting over a small, grassy cliff. It seemed she wanted time alone, but Kamina didn't shy away.
"So this is where you've been, eh? What's goin' on?" She seemed surprised to hear him.
"K-Kamina! What are you doing here?" The sniper flung her head around in surprise. Kamina grinned and walked over next to her, admiring the sky she had been looking at.
"That's my line. I didn't see you around our little camp, and I noticed you forgot this," he spoke, setting her rifle down as he sat next to her. "Something on your mind, thunder thighs?"
"Hmph... Like you'd care," Yoko said in between a yawn. "If you're just here to rot my brain, then leave."
"Hey, hey, hey..." he said, putting his hands up in defense, "Relax, red. I'm only tryin' to help."
Yoko pouted some more, "Well you're not doing a very good job. And don't call me 'red'."
"Alright then, Yoko. Something wrong?" Kamina genuinely asked. He could tell she was a little shaken, most likely from the past events.
Yoko glanced at him with a sigh, "No, don't worry about it."
"Well I gotta make sure all my teammates are in top shape, both mentally and physically, and that includes you," Kamina explained with a smile. "You and I haven't had much time to talk, ya know?"
Yoko considered his caring motives before lowering her guard, "It's nothing, really. I was just thinking of our journey so far."
"And?"
"...And?"
"What have ya thought about it so far? It's been pretty awesome, hasn't it?"
"Uhh...yeah..."
Yoko noticed Kamina's gaze shift from her to the stars, "But we've got a long way to go. This is just the beginning. We have to keep fighting and winning, and when that's done, we have to fight and win some more."
"Kamina..."
"I know we can do it. It'll happen, just as long as we keep believing. Then everyone will be free to live on the surface; to live their lives the way they want to."
Yoko couldn't take her eyes off him. Every time he spoke like this, his words would enrapture her in a hug of confidence. "Where do you get it? I don't understand..."
Her question broke Kamina's stare with the night sky, "Huh?"
"Where do you get your determination from? How can you be so driven to accomplish these things? It's not normal!" Yoko was having a hard time keeping her emotions intact.
"I don't really know. I never thought about it much," he looked back at her, "I just think this is what I'm supposed to do, you know? A man has to have a purpose in life, and this is mine. I just want kids like Simon and the rest to be able to live however they want."
Yoko couldn't take it. All her life she had lived through hardships with fear and destruction, but hearing him say these things was making her heart pound more and more in her chest.
"I may not know where I got my determination from, but I do know why I still have it," he continued, catching her by surprise. "I know I may act out of control or even stupid sometimes. I know how everyone still looks at me like I'm a leader. But the truth is, I'm no hero."
He paused and looked Yoko straight in the eyes, something he had never done before.
"If anyone's a hero, it's you and Simon."
"No, you're wrong! We're nothing like you!"
Kamina seemed to ignore her.
"You've both followed me out of your own free will and given me the strength to move on. I may be a focal point, but I do nothing anyone else doesn't do. I just hope you and Simon realize what you're capable of."
Yoko quickly blinked away a few tears before looking back at his grinning face.
"Kamina... Why are you like this?"
He didn't quite get it, "Like what?"
"Why do you have such faith in us? I...I just don't get it..."
"I thought I just explained that! Weren't you listening, pit chick?" His classic insult didn't even phase Yoko in her current state.
"K-Kamina..." she started, but was interrupted when a tear ran down her cheek, reflecting the stars' glistening light. Kamina's smile immediately turned into a worried expression.
Shit! Since when has she been so sensitive!?
"H-Hey, Yoko... I didn't mean it, really... I'm sorry..." He apologized, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. She couldn't help but let a giggle escape her lips.
"It's not that...idiot..." Yoko continued wiping her eyes with her arm and quickly became relaxed under his warm touch. "Kamina... I wanted to thank you..."
"Thank me? For insulting you and making you cry? You know, sometimes I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not..."
"That's not why I was crying!" She yelled at him with her usual force. "I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done so far. I don't think I ever have, so thank you."
Kamina didn't like where this was going, "Whoa, whoa, whoa... Just what the hell did I do to earn your thanks?"
Yoko turned to face him with a smile, "You know, everything you've done since we met. You helped beat that Beastman I was after..."
"That was mostly you."
"You helped my village fight the other Beastmen on the surface..."
"That was mostly you too."
"Would you just shut up and take my gratitude like a man?!"
That seemed to do the trick. Kamina closed his eyes and grinned proudly.
"Well if you insist, since I am the manliest man ever. You're welcome."
"I'm not done yet..." Yoko pouted.
"Not done yet? Just how long is this apology? Why don't you just send me an apology letter while you're at it."
After receiving a bruising punch from Yoko, he waited patiently for her to continue. She looked up at the man across from her. Somehow during their conversation they had moved closer together, as they were now sitting directly across from each other.
"I also wanted to thank you for helping me..."
Yoko watched as Kamina went into deep thought regarding the last time he helped her. After what seemed like ages, he looked at her and shrugged. "I'm not getting anything."
She felt like punching him again, but instead sighed and explained, "I just mean how you've taught me to believe and chase my dreams. I've been thinking a lot since we met, like how I'd probably be dead if we hadn't."
"Tch..."
"And now I have a future to strive for like you do. I just wish I met you earlier..." Yoko averted his gaze, shifting her eyes to the ground and fiddling a piece of grass between her fingers.
Kamina frowned at the girl in front of her, "But Yoko, I didn't change you at all. You changed yourself. It's just like I've always told Simon, you have to believe in yourself."
Once again, Yoko found herself trapped within his gaze.
"I believe in you. I'm sure everyone else does. If you believe in the Yoko that believes in you, you can accomplish anything. You don't need me to follow your dreams."
Yoko was tired, her emotions had been going crazy all night, and Kamina of all people was sitting a foot in front of her.
"But..." she began quietly as heat rose up into her cheeks, "what if I want you?"
"Huh?"
Yoko's instincts took over and she leaned in towards the gunman pilot, "I may not need you...but what if I want you?"
...
Kamina smiled.
"That's fine with me..."
That was all Yoko needed to lean into his lap and open arms. She hugged him tightly and closed her eyes, cherishing the moment and enjoying his embrace. They stayed like that for a few minutes as Kamina looked back up at the stars.
"Hey, Yoko?" He asked, but got no response.
"Yoko?" The blue haired man looked down at the young woman in his arms, only to find her pleasantly sleeping against his shoulder. He smiled.
"Guess we should get back to sleep. Got a lot of ass kicking to do tomorrow..." Kamina stood up with Yoko in his arms and her gun strapped around his shoulder before heading back to their camp.
Either he was in a good mood, or his shaggy blankets never looked more inviting.
A/N: There we go. Hope you liked it. Amazingly, that's the first GL fic I've ever written, so hopefully they're not too OOC. I'm not sure whether I'm gonna add other one-shots to this in the future, but I have another multi-chapter fic planned out (among my other million things to do). Hopefully it'll interest future and current GL fans alike.
Thanks for reading!
