TTGLX: Brothers to the End.
Chapter 18: Friendship and Failure.
Simon watched the screens with an impressed grin on his face. Two Tengen Hojo faced him down now. It didn't change anything but he was reminded once more just what miracles Kamina could create when pushed. The new mecha had little power compared to the first but it wasn't an attempt to out power Simon, merely to split his attention.
"That is still not enough, Kamina. What do you have left up your sleeve?"
The smooth sound of the door sliding open came from behind Simon. He kept his eyes on the screen.
"Vale, what do you make of this? If we could capture him alive then he would be a great addition to our group."
There was a sharp click. Simon couldn't place it for a moment until a wave of nostalgia hit him. It was the sound of a high-powered rifle being cocked. He made to whip around.
Thunder rippled through the command deck and light flashed in a blinding light. Blood splattered across the monitors and consoles. Simon staggered back. His eyes were locked with those of an elderly woman in plain clothes. Her only distinctive features were her amber eyes and the large gun that was levelled at his chest. Slowly he looked down to stare at the gaping hole in his breast where his heart should have been.
"Yoko…"
The woman stood frozen in place. Her wrinkled face was blank. "I'm sorry, Simon. You deserved better than this."
Simon swayed, looking as though he would fall at any second. "You're r-right," he began. "I do deserve better than this."
Green energy flared around him and the flesh began to writhe as it knitted itself back together. Yoko fired her gun repeatedly but the bullets dissipated on contact with the green flames. She cursed and drew a dagger, leaping at him with an agility that belayed her age.
She came to a sudden stop when Simon reached out a hand and caught her by the throat in a vicelike grip. His wound had now fully vanished.
"You always were so good at breaking my heart," commented Simon dryly.
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The three Grapearls wove through space with all systems on minimum power other than the engines. If the Super Tengen Toppa noticed them then the three would be burned away in an instant. The heat and gravitational pull of the universe-consuming mecha was almost too much for the tiny gunmen. Kamina remembered when 'those tiny gunmen' had been the biggest and coolest things that he had ever seen.
"We need to enter through the head," he said over the comm channel. "That is where the Tengen Toppa is. If we go in from the side we should avoid any unwanted attention." his voice was steady but
A snort came through the speakers. "Stealth isn't my way. You do you, kid. I'm gonna take the more direct route," Kenpachi said. Bloodlust and excitement bristled in his voice.
Before Kamina could say a word, the captain's mecha shot forward, its engines screaming in protest at the sudden speed. Yellow energy burst into existence around it. The Grapearl lunched straight at the Super Tengen Toppa's chest, Kenpachi's blazing energy keeping the craft from being burned up in the maelstrom of Simon's power. There was a thunderous sound then the mecha vanished inside of the wall of blue in a spray of fire.
Kamina couldn't help but grin. "I suppose that means we have a distraction now. If he can draw out some of the meta then that works for me. Nia, are you sure that you are still up for this. If I know Simon this is gonna get real messy."
"Yes," came Nia's resolute voice. "When I was consumed by the Anti-Spiral it was still me doing those dreadful things even if deep down I tried to resist. Simon knew this but never stopped fighting. In the end he released that defeating the Anti-Spirals would kill me yet it was better to die free than live a slave to my own body. He made that sacrifice and I shall do the same."
"Wise words, princess. Simon's a good kid. Strong too. Me and you together will bring him back. Just you wait and see."
The two grapearls were insignificant specks of dust compared to the three celestial giants that dominated the universe around them like gods. Kamina hadn't felt this small in a very long time. Nia seemed ready to do what was necessary but was he?
They fast approached the head of the blazing figure. Things were already looking bad for the rest of Team Dai-Gurren and the captains in the Tengen Hojo. They needed to act quickly or it would be too late.
"Kamina, look," said Nia. Her image popped onto his screen pointing to a section of space nearby.
The blackness of space seemed to be dilating. The dark warped, bleeding strange colours that stretched out towards the Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.
"Damn it! Reality is collapsing in on itself too fast. The Spiral Nemesis is getting' too close. Everything is being drawn to Simon's power. Come on!"
Kamina slammed his engines to full and released a burst of spiral energy to shield the metal around him from the violent force of the Super's mass.
"I'm comin' for ya, Simon. Just hold on a little longer."
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The grapearl was disintegrating around Kenpachi but he paid it no mind. There was a crash, a violent shudder and the screech of metal, then an explosion. The mech came to an abrupt stop.
Kenpachi smashed open the cockpit door and stepped out into a ruined corridor. Looking back at the destroyed frame of the grapearl he had only just made it through. He looked around and dismissed the galaxy sized mech's inners with a contemptuous shrug of his shoulders.
Corridors led off in every direction. He could sense several powerful sources of spiral energy but he had no idea how to get to any. Directions were not his strong point.
He spat. "I don't have time for this crap. Let's see what these meta have to offer."
Yellow flames roared to life around him. He sat down and focussed on his energy. To anybody who even had a passing sense for energies he should appear to them like the sun.
Why waste time hunting them down one by one when he could draw them all to him at once? Now that would be a real fight.
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Error messages filled his screen as red lights flashed around him. The grapearl was failing, even with the protection offered by his energy. Nia must have been faring even worse but she made no complaints.
"Think, Kamina. Use that thick head of yours and think!" he growled to himself. Sweat ran down his body with the effort of trying to keep control of the mech. His snarl wavered then slid into a smirk.
"Reality is collapsing in on itself and we are surrounded by unimaginable levels of ambient Spiral Energy. Doing the impossible might be easier than I think. Hey, Nia. Grab on. We're going in!"
Nia's grapearl latched its arms onto him. "Okay! Kamina, I… I want to deal with Simon alone. Please. I know I am only weak but I-"
"Of course. You are his wife after all," He smiled softly at her. He had never known the woman in life but he saw her as a younger sister. She had picked up Simon when he couldn't and had a resolve that impressed even him. "He's all yours. Don't worry, I've got your back."
She nodded to him, tears in her eyes. "Thank you."
"Okay. Hold tight. It's time to be reckless. I've wanted to do this for a long time. GIGA. DRILL. BREAAAAK!"
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Simon looked deeply into the amber eyes that stared fiery defiance back at him. There was anger or triumph on his face, just a slight sadness that permeated his features.
"Time has not treat us well, has it? We pull humanity from the dirt, united the planet, built a utopia and defeated an ancient, all powerful enemy against all odds. We had power and influence yet both gave it all away. Maybe we had more in common in the end then we thought."
"What now?" Yoko managed to wheeze. Her breathing was limited by Simon's hand around her throat. "You just going to let the Meta use you as their pawn? Stand back and let the Spiral Nemesis destroy the universe?"
Simon shook his head slowly. "This is just like everything else. Don't you see? The hardest lesson that I learned was that everything dies. Sometimes you just have to let it go. It will happen eventually. That is inevitable. As life evolves Spiral Energy grows in a cycle that will doom us. This way, at least we have some control over it."
Yoko sneered at him. "They must've really done a number in your head. The Simon that I knew would never spout such crap."
"The Simon that you knew was an old man who had lost everything he had ever loved in his life and was forced to live in solitude through fear of his own existence."
"Quit your moaning and kill me then. Prove that the real Simon isn't in there!"
"As you wish."
Simon's hand jerked. A sharp snap cut through the distant thud of explosions. He watched impassively as the fire died in those amber eyes and a grey sheen descended upon them. He help her body still for several seconds and then dropped it as though he had been burned.
Before anything else could register in his head, a new sound filled the air. It was familiar and tugged at memories locked away. It was the sound of a drill tearing through metal…
The wall behind him exploded. Metal and glass from the screens tore across the room, ripping through Simon's flesh. He spun to see a giga drill emerge from the blaze of blue energy that was currently space. The drill retracted to reveal a battered grapearl that was extending a clenched fist rapidly in his direction. Crouched on the fist with one arm grasping a giant finger like a swimmer ready to launch themselves off of the side was a pale woman with flowing white hair. Her other arm was pulled back, ready to punch.
"Nia…"
"LET US SEE YOU GRIT THOSE TEETH, SIMON!"
She launched herself, propelled further by the momentum of the grapearl. Her fist slammed into Simon's check with the sound of crunching bone. Spiral energy crackled around her dainty fist as it connected. Simon flew back and smashed into the wall to the sound of yet more bones breaking. He blinked, dazed from the impact, then fell forward to the ground with a thud.
Nia staggered to a halt clutching her arm. The force of the blow had shattered her own fingers. None of this showed on her face though. Her eyes were fixed upon Simon's twitching figure.
"Simon. Very bad people are in your head. If I have learned anything it is that to get them out I must hit them as hard as I can. You taught me never to hold back so I shall not sully your memory by going easy on you."
Running feet sounded behind her. Kamina ran past and skidded to his knees beside Yoko's body. He cradled her in his arms, tears brimming in his eyes.
Green energy crackled around Simon now. He pulled himself up slowly, cracking several bones back into place roughly. His spiral eyes seemed to blaze.
"Enough," he said in a low, dangerous voice. She had never heard him sound so cold. "I have been betrayed for the last time. We are ready. It is time for the Spiral Nemesis to usher in a new universe free of corruption and evil. A clean slate."
"I will not let you."
"Stop me then. Even thinking that you could is an insult to me."
He took a deep breath then stretched out his arms. Power unlike anything that she had ever felt burst into life around him like a blazing inferno of green hellfire. His hair stood up in great spikes and his spiral eyes began to spin.
Nia leapt at him with her zanpakuto flashing out from her side. Simon grabbed it with one hand and snapped the blade in half effortlessly. His other hand lashed out like a viper only to be intercepted by Kamina's shade shaped shikai. Anger contorted his features.
Kamina usually had a speech at the ready or a witty quip but now no words came to him, only a seething anger. He could feel Simon's overwhelming power, a power that made his own look worthless, but he did not care.
"She deserved better than this!" he roared.
"So did we all," Simon answered emotionlessly.
Kamina bellowed a guttural scream and slashed at Simon. The attack did nothing to the other man. He launched a flurry blows that drew upon all of his strength but Simon blocked them all with his bare hand. The blade didn't even scratch him.
What could have been a laugh passed through Simon's lips. "To think that once upon a time I thought that you was the strongest guy alive. You were the symbol of strength and confidence. Look at you now. You are a weak and emotional wreck. I expected better from you."
Simon's knee shot up into Kamina's gut, lifting him up off the ground. Blood sprayed from his mouth and he hit the floor hard. Kamina tried to raise himself up, choking with the effort to breath, but Simon kicked him in the same spot sending him rolling into a console. Nia tried to jump to his aid but was batted away with contemptuous ease.
Kamina closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. His senses were almost overwhelmed by Simon's power. It took all of his effort just to think straight. Brute strength was not an option here and it wasn't just his or Nia's life that was on in the balance but the entire universe.
His body screamed in protest as he stood up. Doubt was an unfamiliar emotion to Kamina but he was feeling it now. A faint fragment of his mind was amused that of all the foes and challenges that he had faced it was Simon who was the first to elicit fear from him.
"You've come a long way, Simon. I spent my life making sure that you believed in yourself and have watched over you even after I died. You never did learn how to use your head though. I've still got some things to teach ya."
He hurled his zanpakuto at Simon then summoned a spiral rasengan in both his hands. Simon swayed away from the shades only to receive twin blows to the chest. Like a boomerang the shades turned trough the air and slammed into his back. Simon didn't even stagger.
"Now!"
Nia released her own shikai and threw it down so that it impaled Simon's foot and pinned him to the ground. Simultaneously Kamina drew back his fist and slammed it into Simon's cheek as hard as he could. Simon was knocked back and, unable to adjust his feet, he collapsed to the floor. Kamina was atop him in an instant and laid into him with a barrage of fists.
There was a flash then Simon's hand became encased by a drill. Kamina dived to the side just in time to avoid being stabbed in the ribs. With his other hand Simon removed the blade from his foot and burned it to ash with a handful of emerald flames.
The drill over Simon's hand morphed suddenly into a dozen snake like drills like those once used by Lordgenome's Lazengan. They struck out faster than Kamina could reacts, stabbing through him and into the wall beyond, pinning him in place. He screamed out as blood poured from the multiple wounds. Simon approached him slowly. His free hand also formed a drill.
"It is over, Kamina. You have failed."
He thrust the drill into the centre of Kamina's chest without hesitation. His lifeblood sprayed out, drenching Simon.
"Rest now, brother."
"Not…yet," Kamina managed, the words barely forming. "I am… already a…ghost. Boo."
With a final surge of energy, Kamina smashed his head into Simon's. He hoped that his hastily thought up plan would work. Everyone had a mental inner world like that used by Shinigami to communicate with their Zanpakuto. Ghosts could posses people. All he needed to do was get inside Simon's head. That was where the true battle needed to be fought.
White light outshone green for a second. Simon fell to the floor, unmoving. Kamina was nowhere to be seen. His body anyway. Kamina's blood was pooled all around Simon. Far too much of it.
Nia faltered. She reached out a hand to Simon. He looked like he was sleeping, his face contorted by nightmares. She wanted to care for him, comfort him, but she knew that she could not yet. It took all of her effort to leave his side and check the remaining consoles. She quickly found what she sought.
A screen crackled then showed an image of the Hojo's deck. "Rossiu, the Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is under our control for the moment. Everything rests on Kamina's shoulders now but I know he can do it. I believe in him!"
"Rodger that, Nia," came a garbled reply. "Our equipment shows no slowing of the Spiral Nemis though. I fear we are too late."
"No," Nia responded with a concrete certainty. "Think of everything that Simon and Kamina achieved independently. Put them back together and they can do anything. Kamina will bring him back and they will save the universe. Team Dai-Gurren never loses. They will do the impossible."
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A/N - From the ashes I have returned! I can only apologise for my absence over the last few years. I can say that I thought that I would never come back. This story got out of hand with trying to have a bigger climax than the actual show to ridiculous levels and my own original writing became my biggest concern.
That said though, I still kept getting reviews from people who loved the story and wanted me to finish it. I fell into depression and have lost motivation to write, have been struggling to get a job and overall have just failed to find my place in the world but getting those reviews made me remember how much I loved Fanfiction and how it was an early stepping stone in my writing career. What better way to get back on the writing horse than to start back at the beginning and re-find that passion.
I intend to finish this story soon. Certainly this year. There is probably only three chapters left. While I can't offer a schedule I can say that at least one a month seems doable, especially if I can re-find my rhythm.
So thank you all for your support over the years. What is a writer without readers? If any of you want to check out the things I have been doing during my absence then feel free to Google my personal website. Search Matthew Roys to find it. Site ending in .ninja. I have a teen fantasy story of 120,000 words that you can buy both digital and paperback called The Sword Summoner: History Repeats, and the first chapter of an adult fantasy story I recently finished is viewable on my site called Death's Shadow. Check them out and feel free to offer feedback on them.
So until next time, I bid thee farewell and offer you a cheers: to old friends and new passions. Peace.