This is a work of fan fiction using characters and situations from the anime series Gurren Lagann, which is trademarked by Gainax Corporation.
For the most part, characters depicted in this work are characters created and owned by Kazuki Nakashima and Hiroyuki Imaishi. I do not claim any ownership over them or the world of Gurren Lagann. There are a couple minor original characters appearing of my own design, however.
The story I tell about the former members of Team Dai Gurren is my own invention, and it is not purported or believed to be part of Gurren Lagann's story canon. This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official story line.
I am not profiting financially from the creation and publication of this story. And I am very grateful to Messrs. Nakashima and Imaishi for sharing their wonderful story with the rest of us. Without their anime creation, my story would be sans raison d'être.
A nagging pain in her neck rousted her awake. She could hear the rhythmic sounds of the monitoring devices keeping watch over their charge, as well as the soft snoring of her friends nearby. Must've dozed off, she thought, remembering why she was sitting on this hospital room couch in the first place. Obviously there had been no change in his condition.
She blinked a moment at the fuzzy dark colors all around her before remembering she had placed her glasses on the end table next to her. Placing them on her nose, she turned to glance up at the clock but gasped as she found out just how stiff her neck was. Rubbing her neck and cocking her head gingerly from one side to the other gave her enough range of motion to venture a glance toward the clock again.
Wow, it was the middle of the night already. She smiled down at the little boy still sleeping there, stroking his reddish-brown hair as his head lay in her lap. He was a strong little man, just like his daddy. He'd come through this okay. Both of them would.
This time, that is.
"Miss Yomako!"
She looked up at the mention of her name. "Hey, you two," she replied softly, holding a finger on one hand to her lips and pointing with a finger on the other toward the sleeping boy in her lap.
But the little boy was beginning to wake up anyway. With a tired sigh, he smiled at her as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Mommy! Unca Sitan!" he cried as he saw them coming into the room.
"Yes, Hokuto, Mommy's here," the young woman with the long brown hair replied as she knelt down and took him into her arms. "Uncle Sitan and I had to go help Granmama for awhile before we came back here."
"Thank you, Miss Yomako, for looking after him while Sitan and I had to attend to our mother. She's really broken up over everything that has happened."
"Sure, Yue," she replied as she straightened the ponytail she kept her long red hair in. "But I would prefer if you would call me 'Yoko'. Both of you. Team Dai Gurren has always been my family, and now so are the two of you."
Before Hokuto's mother could answer, they heard a small yawn coming from the other side of the hospital room near the bed. Darry turned in her wheelchair to look at them, blinking her eyes groggily.
Sitan removed his garrison cap and tucked it under one of the shoulder straps of his uniform's tunic as he knelt beside her. "I thought your attending physician told you to get your rest so those bones in your leg could knit," he said, kissing her forehead. "Don't get me into trouble with my new boss, now."
"I couldn't sleep in that room all by myself, silly. Gimmy needs me too, you know."
Sitan said nothing, smiling warmly as stroked his wife's long lavender hair. Yoko figured Yue and Sitan being twins-just like the two of them-he would certainly understand.
"Simon? Is that you?"
All eyes in the room followed Darry's gaze toward the entryway. He was indeed there, looking in silently at the young man lying unconscious in the hospital bed. Dayakka stood behind, nodding a silent greeting toward them.
"Hey there, Tigress. Heard you had quite a rough go of it. Glad to see you're awake and talking."
"Although she should be sleeping," Sitan chided her as he and Simon clasped shoulders.
"There will be plenty of time for that later," Darry replied. She shifted her weight in the wheelchair to sit up straighter and readjusted her left leg held straight out in front of her by a soft splint. "I'm so glad to see you, Simon, and I know Gimmy is too."
"Darry, I'm sorry this happened to you and Gimmy. I-"
"No, Simon. It's only because of you that we made it back at all."
"Huh? I don't understand."
"I'm sure Dayakka has briefed you already," she said, nodding the older man's direction. "We were coming under fire and nearly out of energy. It was only because Gimmy was able to drill through the heavens and tap into your Spiral Power that we came back at all. Without it, we would have either been destroyed or cast adrift on the other side of the galaxy until our life support systems gave out.
"Thank you for saving us, Simon," she said in a husky voice, "just like you always have. And you likely didn't even know it at the time." Tears started streaming down the side of Darry's face as Sitan knelt down beside to shush her, stroking her long hair away from her eyes.
"And you have my thanks too, Simon, for helping bring Darry back to me," Sitan added, running a hand nervously through his short brown hair as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. "Although I hope after this you'll take that promotion and leave the grandstanding to others, silly girl," he finished as he turned back to his wife and took her in his arms.
"Mommy, how's Daddy?" Hokuto sniffed as he padded over to the foot of Gimmy's bed. "If Mista See Moan help Daddy, why he not wake up?" The little boy began sobbing as his mother came up behind and picked her up in her arms.
"Now, now, Daddy's going to be just fine. He just has to rest here awhile so the doctors can take care of him. This is the first time I think you've met Mister Simon. Now tell him what you told me you wanted to say," Yue instructed him as she turned.
Yoko had walked over near Simon and saw Hokuto look up at him. "Tank ooo, Mista See Moan, you took care of Daddy real good."
She could see the tears welling up in Simon's eyes as he placed his hand on the boy's face lovingly. "You're welcome, little one. Your daddy and your Auntie Darry are very special to me, just like the rest of you."
"And I feel the same way, Simon," Yue said. "Gimmy and Hokuto and I and the rest of us will get through this together, thanks to you."
Yoko looked around. Not a dry eye in the house, she thought, noticing that Darry had given Gimmy's hand a loving squeeze. She heard the steady rhythmic tone from the instrument monitoring his vital signs increase its rate for a moment, then return to its normal cadence.
In a moment, the realization hit her. Yoko knew what she had to do.
"What is it, Yoko? I've known you long enough to know that you didn't drag me all the way down here just to help you get a cup of coffee."
Simon had sat down at a table in the cafeteria of Central's infirmary. They had come down here by themselves, leaving Dayakka with Gimmy and Darry's families up in the room. Yoko walked over to one of the vending machines as she pawed through the loose change in her purse. A moment later, she returned with two cans of hot coffee, sitting one down in front of him.
"No, I really do need some coffee," she replied, tearing the lid off of hers and gingerly taking a sip. "But I need to talk to you too." She glanced around, grateful to see they had the large room to themselves for the moment. "I heard about that stunt you pulled with Leeron and Guinble this afternoon."
Simon stood, addressing her angrily. "Now see here, Yoko, this is none of your-"
Yoko sprang to her feet and slapped him as hard as she could.
"You listen to me and you listen well, you selfish idiot. I became a teacher because I realized something that apparently has yet to permeate your thick digger's skull. That surprises me because I learned it from Kamina's example," she spat angrily. "I understood I wouldn't be happy unless I lived for others, Simon. There will always be little boys and girls who will need to be taught. So long as I'm willing to teach them, my life has purpose and meaning. But you've been just living for yourself ever since Nia died."
She sat down and took another sip of her coffee. Simon stared at her a moment as he held his cheek. Then he sat down across from her, regarding her crossly.
"That's not true and you know it, Yoko. After all, I help those people drill for water. They and their families can farm and grow and prosper because of what I help them do!"
"Point taken, Simon," Yoko said as she closed her eyes and crossed her arms defensively. "But you're doing the same as what other people can do. You're not doing what only *you* can do, Simon. 'Others are better suited to go down the tunnels I've dug'-that is what you keep telling us, right? So you gave your Drill to Gimmy so he can pilot Gurren Lagann. It made sense at the time and it makes sense now. The fact him and Darry are alive at all is proof of that. But have you ever thought now you'll just have to dig new tunnels instead? Who the hell gave you license to stop digging?!"
"Oh, don't give me that look," Yoko snorted disgustedly as she opened her eyes to see Simon staring at her dumbfounded. "Think about it, Simon-you're the only one in the entire Universe who commands the Spiral Power like you do. No one before even comes close. On sabbatical last year I studied an ancient text which said to the effect 'with great power comes great responsibility.' Sure, you might not have asked for that power, but it came to you nevertheless. It will certainly destroy you from the inside out if you don't channel it somehow.
"I'm living for others by investing my time and talents in our future, Simon. I do it now with our children here. You'll need to do the same by keeping those races who would abuse their Spiral Power in check, showing them a better way so the rest of us can live peacefully. And you'll need to do so in time to come, making room in your very soul to embrace the souls of our future descendants. Lead them down the path leading away from the Spiral Nemesis and ultimate destruction."
"And why me, Yoko? Why does everyone always have to depend upon me?"
Rage flashed in her eyes as she slammed both palms down on the table hard enough to make the coffee cans jump. "BECAUSE YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE THEY CAN, IDIOT!"
Yoko wagged a finger under Simon's nose as her nostrils flared. "Didn't you tell me Nia begged you when you went away together to keep saving the Universe even after she was only with you in your heart? Are you seriously going to squander the rest of your life and your talent waiting to die just so you can see her again? Do you think for one minute that would make Nia proud? I'm sure you are breaking her tender heart even now with such foolishness, Simon!"
"But I miss her terribly, Yoko!" Simon spat back. "And I still love her so. What's so wrong with that?"
"Not a thing, Simon. Nia loved you before, loves you now and will love you ever after. She would want for you to cherish the memories of the time you two shared, memories like I never got to share with-with Kamina," she stammered, trying to contain her own emotions. "She would want for you to let her go, Simon, not so you would forget her, but so that you can go on being Simon. Doing the things that only Simon can do. Being the Simon that only you can be. Loving us all the way only our Simon can. You remember-just watching you doing those things made her the happiest. Believe in the Simon that *she* believes in. That's the Simon I love and that Gimmy and Darry love, and that Dayakka and Kiyoh and Kiyal and Kinon and Rossiu-well, you get the idea."
Yoko sniffed and took off her glasses to dab at her eye with the end of one sleeve. "You had said Kamina lived forever in your heart, Simon. Let Nia live there too, Simon, and you'll never be alone again. I promise. I know it's true because that's how I feel about Kamina. And I didn't know him nearly as long or as intimately as you did Nia. Don't ever forget, Nia lived and laughed and loved and died with a smile on her face and a song in her heart. She lived more in seven and a half years than most people do in a lifetime, all because of you, Simon."
Simon sat for a moment, taking in all she had said. He cracked the top open on his can of coffee and took a long sip. He stood up with a look of determination Yoko hadn't seen since they day of their final battle with the Anti-Spirals. "Thank you for helping me see clearly, Yoko."
"Oh, here's where you two got yourselves to."
Dayakka walked in to the cafeteria alone up to their table. "The doctors said that Gimmy's prognosis looks much better. He's had a sizeable increase of brain activity. So Yue took Hokuto home to bed and Sitan wheeled Darry back to her room before he went on shift. Maybe all that Spiral Power you're toting around helped again, Simon."
Simon laughed to spite himself as he stood to face his friend. "Thanks for letting us know, Dayakka. And I'm ready now to begin."
Dayakka's eyes went wide as he looked alternately between the two of them. "Are you sure, Simon? I mean, I knew how you felt about Nia and all, but-"
"You know me, Dayakka," Simon laughed as he pumped his fist, "kicking common sense to the curb and making the impossible possible. We'll find a way, right? JUST WHO THE HELL...do...you..."
His voice trailed off as Yoko rose and gently kissed his cheek. "You're nobody, Simon. Or, well, you will be given time. Your Commission shall ensure your extraordinary spirit becomes, well, ordinary. Inspire our entire race now and for all time, Simon-to bleed red, work hard, use the powers given them as best they can, and love passionately," she said looking up at him fondly.
A few people began coming and going through the cafeteria as Dayakka placed his arm around his Simon's shoulder. "This way, my friend, so we can make ready." Together they walked shoulder to shoulder down the corridor and out of sight. Yoko turned and looked out the picture windows constituting the cafeteria's east wall. The stars in the clear night sky twinkled brightly as she walked to the window and placed her hand on the glass.
Do this thing, Yoko thought as she stared back at her reflection, do this for me. Do it for my children and their children and their children. Honor Nia by leading us to make this world a place we can live and love and grow and die knowing we reached our full potential. Show us how to dig our way there, Simon.