TTGL: So this is the Heavens.
Chapter 22: Peace and Prosperity.
Time moves fast when there is plenty to do. The shinigami had been on high alert after the announcement of the Anti-Spiral but after weeks of peace and no signs of any threats, attention turned to rebuilding and returning order to the shattered lands.
A quarter of all souls had been slain and many more homes had been destroyed, not to mention the livestock and crops. It was a huge blow but it could have been far worse. Greif was fresh and ever present but a will to move forward drove the remaining souls onward towards tomorrow.
Everyone had banded together as construction began on the ruins of the Seireitei. It was a huge and troublesome project yet it progressed with a speed that shocked even the engineers. Spirits united in cause work with a zeal that is rare in commercial building projects. This place was the bastion of the Soul Society. More than that, it was the home to hundreds and a beacon of hope much like the Dai-Gurren had become.
The Dai-Gurren itself stood proudly on the outskirts of the new Seireitei in its own little plaza, a monument to the loss of life but also the triumph and final end of Aizen. It was kept lovingly maintained and was the first thing that visitors saw when approaching the city.
Seven years of tireless work, little sleep and hard labour had passed by since Aizen's death and in that time the Seireitei had been rebuilt better than ever, both building and organisation wise. Sometimes, wiping the slate clean and starting from scratch is what is needed for further advancement.
Kamina strode idly through the crowded streets, his cape forming a crimson trail behind him, Gurren in one hand, rice ball in the other. Building materials still littered the streets and every few structures were still having work done by groups of men so he had to weave his way around the path. He was amazed by the progress. Back home he had lived in Giha for seventeen years and in that time things had barely changed, only the odd extra chambers and a few miserable tunnels. Without Simon, he doubted that it would have changed at all.
He passed a group of builders he greeted him happily as he passed. Moving through a park a group of children were playing happily and upon seeing him, their hero, they followed him in a playful manner until he re-entered the streets. Smiling to himself he thought upon his life. Once again he was adored by all, seen by many as the hero of Soul Society, slayer of the greatest threat ever faced and overall awesome and badass person. He'd also managed to get himself the fourth seat in Squad Eleven. Yup, life was good, or at least death was good he corrected.
The public hadn't been told about the Anti-Spiral threat, nor had the lower ranked shinigami. Even some that did know were beginning to forget. Seven busy years is a long time to worry about an unseen threat.
One big change that was obvious to note was the injection of some actual colour. White was still the main feature but the mood of joy and victory had flared the creativity within the workers, going so far as to give each division its own coloured trims. The Eleventh was a fitting red, the colour of blood. Kamina preferred to think of it more as a homage to him due to his cape and his iconic team Great Crimson Locus, or the Dai-Gurren as it was more commonly referred.
The Academy had been rebuilt and had a new section for training the normal souls so that they could better defend themselves against any remaining bandits. Head Captain Hitsugaya had pledged to improve relations between the Seireitei and the other settlements rather than continuing to leave the shinigami locked away in their fortress. This meant more work but he knew what needed to be done and with Central 46 gone, there was nothing to hinder him in doing so. Now every village had a small shinigami outpost. As before, Hisagi was head of the Academy, overseeing its construction personally.
Nemu Kurotsuchi had been given command of the Twelfth Division despite some opposition and her own lack of confidence. Kamina had convinced her in the end and nobody dared to argue with him and his fiery temper. Opposition quickly died away. The poor girl had taken Mayuri's death hard despite how he had treat her. Without his poisoning influence though, Kamina was slowly able to coax her to be more outgoing and emotional.
Yumichika had drawn a lot of attention since his miraculous survival. Due to absorbing a god like amount of spiritual power, his power levels were technically above those of the Head Captain. His power was a double edged sword for his allies though because of his inability to target his power as of yet. It had proven good for Ikkaku's training though. Despite his power, he still chose not to budge from the Fifth Seat.
Kamina was doubly happy with life after he had once more gazed into the world of the living. Simon had continued his legacy and defeated the Spiral King, freeing humanity from oppression and creating a world were humans and beastmen can live in peace with one another. Kamina's ego was super inflated when he discovered that Simon had named the capitol city 'Kamina city'. His little bro had even found himself a girl.
The others were all doing well too, although Kamina was slightly worried about how Yoko had secluded herself. She seemed to love what she was doing though so Kamina couldn't complain. He did want to give Rossiu a good smack to the face though, his giant forehead must have been clouding his thoughts or something because he was becoming far to strict for a member of Team Dai-Gurren. Oh well, that was all up to Simon now.
He passed a roster explaining the new colour schemes by division. It read:
New colour coordination and captaincy positions.
1st Division - Head Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya - Ice blue
2nd Division - Captain Soifon - Black
3rd Division - Captain Renji Abarai - Brown
4th Division - Captain Retsu Unohana - White
5th Division - Captain Ichigo Kurosaki - Orange
6th Division - Captain Byakuya Kuchiki - Gold
7th Division - Captain Sora Ikai - Sky blue
8th Division - Captain Shunsui Kyoraku - Pink
9th Division - Captain Shuhei Hisagi - Green
10th Division - Captain Chojiro Sasakibe - Silver
11th Division - Captain Kenpachi Zaraki - Crimson
12th Division - Captain Nemu Kurotsuchi - Purple
13th Division - Captain Elie Elric - Yellow
Kamina smiled to himself. One day I'll be on that list, he thought to himself. He was already strong enough to become a captain but he wasn't a man to steal from others. He would wait until a position presented itself to him naturally.
Ichigo walked beside Kamina, equally lost in thought. They'd just returned from a quick sparring match and were now just enjoying the warmth of the summer sun.
"How's your training coming along?" inquired the captain to break the silent contemplation. Kamina had been very secretive about it all.
"Pretty good. I think I'm nearly finished." Kamina replied, his mind elsewhere.
"Finished with what. You have so many abilities its hard to guess what you're working on."
"You'll find out when I'm done."
"You look troubled. Not scared are you?" asked Ichigo when he saw the troubled look on Kamina's face.
"Of course not. Just who the hell do you think I am? I just had another of those dreams again. She talks to me, about how Earth is doing, and about Simon, Yoko and the others. It's all just a bit surreal, you know."
"Someone is obviously praying to you." Ichigo said, then regretted it.
Kamina's face lit up. "Yeah, you're right! She's praying to me which means that I must be a god!"
Ichigo laughed. "I'd save statements like that until after today. Where you're going its going to seriously knock you ego."
It was the Eleventh Division barracks where Kamina was heading now. Nobody had had any free time since the end of the war but now that the reconstruction was nearly completed, Kamina could finally fulfil a promise to his new captain. They would fight to see he was truly stronger. Kenpachi had gone so far as to offer his position to the winner. Kamina grinned like a maniac just thinking about it.
The fight had drawn a lot of attention from all quarters and as they entered the Eleventh's compound he was met by a huge crowed that were eagerly awaiting his arrival, including several captains and lieutenants. Kenpachi was already stood waiting for him. His grizzled features, eye patch and spike hair making him look as intimidating as ever. His reiryoku was suffocating even when he was just stood casually.
"Took your time." grunted the devil of a man. His eyes were already burning with battle lust. "You ready?"
"Ready and waiting."
"Come then. I don't waste take with words. Hit me!"
"That's my line." grinned Kamina as he drew his sword. He popped the last of his rice ball into his mouth then dashed forward, lightning rippling across his body. It served no purpose except to look flashy and it was working. He'd put on a good show for the audience.
Kenpachi knew better than to allow Kamina a free shot but he sure as hell wasn't going to dodge around. He defended the strike with his battered sword while punching out with his over hand. Kamina span around it, throwing his own punch that was blocked by Kenpachi's knee.
Kamina had learned a lot in seven years. He could fire ceros from his sword, fight on par with lieutenants using only his fists and perform numerous kido. None of that mattered though here. This was a test of strength and endurance, two blades clashing until one broke.
The crowd was forced to move back, the power of the two men's swings enough to slice up the ground around them. Red and yellow auras blazed like a crazy alchemical reaction. Both looked like demons, their souls consumed by the will to fight.
Kamina ducked, lunging up but was kicked away. He flipped back onto his feet and swung high only to be parried by Kenpachi. The captain disregarded his defence going on a full offensive and it took all of Kamina's skill not to be shredded. Blood streamed into his eyes from minor cuts but his regenerative abilities kicked in, sealing the wounds again. He decided to fight fire with fire, taking the offensive as well.
The swords clashed like there was no tomorrow. Their fury was so great that chips of metal flew with every strike. Even Ichigo struggled to see their movements rather than a blur of limbs and steel. Truly, it was a dance with the devil, although Ichigo couldn't tell which one was Satan.
Kenpachi grabbed Kamina's sword in his massive hands then slashed, tearing a line through Kamina's chest. The young man staggered back, the wound already knitting itself back together. Kenpachi had a few cuts, taking less damage than Kamina, but his dead not heal.
"I'm warmed up now." laughed Kamina, not the least bit out of breath. "You ready for the real fight to begin?"
Kenpachi grunted, not dignifying him with an answer. Kamina released his shikai, the shimmering shades reflecting the image of their surroundings. He took in the audience, loving the attention nearly as much as the fight itself.
He charged, throwing a copied pair of shades to the right while darting to the left. Kenpachi knocked the spinning shade away with his bare arm and parried Kamina with his blade. Both sets of shades exploded, firing the captain backwards in a ball of flame and smoke.
Heavy footsteps sounded in the smoke. A burst of yellow reitsu dispersed the smoke showing Kenpachi to be uninjured. There was a key difference though. He no longer had the eye patch. Two predatory eyes stared savagely at Kamina. Kamina stared back and the same thought rushed through their heads. With a grin, both charged.
Kamina jumped at the last second, sailing over Kenpachi's blade. His flight was cut short though as Kenpachi grabbed his leg and smashed him into the ground repeatedly. Kamina managed to kick himself free, casting a hail of exploding shades at the man. Kenpachi burst through the fire and resumed his assault.
Kenpachi changed tactics, taking Kamina by surprise. He stopped with his single handed swordplay, grasping his zanpakuto with both hands. Kamina had heard stories of this but had never witnessed it. He slashed and Kamina blocked but it made no difference. Even with Kamina's super human strength his blade may as well have not been there. The attack cleaved straight through the centre of the shades and down his torso. He didn't get time to recover though before Kenpachi splashed horizontally then kicked him away.
"Son of a-" Kamina grimaced. He stood up, laughing to himself. "This is how life should be. Leave the peace to those who want it. The rush of a fight is my peace!" He summoned his hollow mask, the fleshless skull permanently grinning at his foe.
"Finally. I was starting to thing that you'd hold out on me forever. Fight me with all of your strength!" roared Kenpachi.
Kamina obliged. The two halves of his broken glasses grew into two separate shades. Kenpachi grunted when he blocked one but was struck in the side by the other. Kenpachi was fast, fast enough to defend against dozens of blades at once, but Kamina was faster. The captain could only grit his teeth against the onslaught.
"You give up yet?" asked Kamina between strikes.
Kenpachi spat. A truly monstrous grin formed on his face. "Are you kidding? Seven years without a good fight. I'm not loosing, I'm savouring it! I'm going to get all I can from this battle! Bankai!"
There was an explosion but surprisingly it was not caused by Kenpachi's zanpakuto. The earth shook, throwing both men and most of the crowed onto the floor. Smoke billowed up from behind a building and screams filled the air.
Kenpachi cursed angrily at being interrupted yet again. Maybe it was destiny that he would never get to use his zanpakuto.
"What the hell was that?" exclaimed Kamina, picking himself up off the ground. His mask had gone and his zanpakuto was back in its sealed state.
"Whatever it is, it can't be anything good." frowned Ichigo. "Come on, we need to check it out."
He began to run toward the disruption but was stopped when a series of explosions shook the city. Pillars of smoke started to tower amongst the white buildings.
Kamina looked up, spotting a strange neon red disc floating through the sky. Appendages were attached to the disk giving it a faintly jellyfish like appearance. To Kamina's eyes they looked strikingly like a gunmen. Looking around he saw others, witnessing one fire a laser that reduced a hospital to rubble in an instant.
Ichigo had noticed them too. "What are they? I can't see a face or anything."
"Whatever they are, it's time we kill them." growled Kenpachi. He was still pissed at them for interrupting his fight.
"Hell yeah!" yelled Kamina. He was back in his masked form in an instant, his flaming cape becoming powerful wings. Boosting off into the sky he moved to attack the faceless constructs only to be shot down by three super lasers hitting him simultaneously.
As he lay on his back, staring up at the sky in a daze, a shadow eclipsed the sun. It was in the shape of a head and had white vortex eyes and an expressionless white mouth. It looked down upon them like a god might look upon some ants.
"You have rebuilt. So much in so little time." stated the interplanetary face. Its voice seemed to echo through every nook and cranny in existence. "This is a fitting example of the danger that you spiral beings pose. It is for this reason that you must be annihilated."
"Eh." muttered Kamina, his brain trying to catch up with his ears. You want to wipe us out…because we built some houses quick?"
"Your spiral energy makes you strive for constant growth and evolution. This leads to overpopulation and friction. War and growth, hand in hand until you evolve to such a state that galaxies will be formed within your bodies. This is the Spiral Nemesis, the end of the universe."
"Sounds like a load of bull to me. Galaxies are big while humans are small. It just doesn't work." snorted Kamina sceptically.
"Coming from the man who says to kick logic to the curb and do the impossible?" answered the Anti-Spiral.
"How the hell do you know that!"
"We know all about you, Kamina of Giha. We know more about you and your companions than you yourselves do." continued the blank face. Its voice felt like a slight blow to the head with every syllable.
"Screw you ya damn giant face! You think you can wipe us out? I say try your look and see where it gets you. As self proclaimed ambassador of the universe, I say you can shove your annihilation up your ass!" challenged Kamina angrily. The other shinigami cheered their assent.
The Anti-Spiral looked disapprovingly down at them. "Brag all you want. You and your potential to become the Spiral Nemesis will be destroyed. Goodbye, Spiral Warriors."
The giant face disappeared, replaced with dozens of black dots that stood out upon the amber sun. It only took moments before those small dots became a fleet of the faceless disc gunmen.
Kamina turned to Kenpachi. "Looks like we'll have to postpone our little brawl while we see off these unwanted guests."
"The one that kills the least is buying the next round of sake."
"Deal."
The streets were filled with screams and cries, but many more were defiant shouts and angry threats towards the invaders. As lasers rained down upon them, destroying all that had been rebuilt, the shinigami dropped their seven years of peace and leapt into action once again. They'd worked to hard for some nut job shadow to come and take it all away.
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A/N: So my friends, we enter into the last arc of this story. These last few chapters will be packed with a lot of information that will fill in many aspects of earlier chapters and offer my interpretation of certain events in the Gurren Lagann canon.
This chapter was short and pretty uneventful but from here on out it'll pick up. I added the Kenpachi fight to spice things up a bit so tell me what you thought.
Winner of this weeks omake is 'Haru Takami' so if you have any ideas or preferences on content, let me know.
Thanks for reading. Please leave me your feedback. Until next week
-FWF