Unbe-friggin-lievable. And yet--not. Of course Kamina would be the one to refuse to kick back and relax in the world-beyond. Of course he'd be the one to break every possible rule, simply because he decided the rules were breakable.
Yoko glares up at him, totally lacking remorse. "Yes I did. I had to make sure you wouldn't get any of those stupid self-sacrificing last-ditch-charge urges again." Of course she knows that without Kamina's sacrifice, they wouldn't have Dai-Gurren--they'd likely not even have their lives--but still. She gives her eyes an industrious rub to chase away those pesky tears before she looks up at him again, at that ridiculous pained expression of his. Yes--it really is him--the same Kamina she knows and loves.
[Kamina grins, clapping a hand to Yoko's shoulder. It isn't the same sort of smack he'd give Simon, it's gentler.]
I did what I had to do to help secure our victory. I'm not gonna lie, it hurt and the whole thing was pretty awful, but it worked, didn't it? Besides, if you seriously think you guys are getting rid of me that easily, you've got another thing coming!
Yoko huffs out her last bit of righteous fury and doesn't move the hand from her shoulder. Her arms, crossed at her front, shift hesitantly before she decides that life is too short--far too short--to be shy or avoidant, and in that moment she takes a small step forward to hug him. (Sans sobbing, thankfully.) "Good. Don't think we'd let you leave again, either."
[He doesn't hesitate either, moving that hand on her shoulder to wrap around her back in a hug. He's grinning still, but the expression is a bit softer.]
Yeah. I know.
[He's sure Simon is torn up about this too, but for the moment he just wants to comfort Yoko. Simon will be okay; he's much stronger than he thinks he is, after all.]
"I know." The whole warm-strong-armed-embrace thing is a cliché far abused, but there's a reason for that, isn't there? Even though she's not anyone who needs protecting, it's nice to have him here.
If his thoughts are on Simon, hers aren't far behind. Still, selfishly--as she has always been, a little, when it comes to Kamina--she hangs on for an extra few moments before releasing the world's favorite blue-haired wonder.
Yoko's smile fades just a little bit. "Everyone took it hard," she shrugs. "But for the most part, we remembered that you were fighting for something--we were fighting for something--and that we couldn't give up until we won. Otherwise, what would be the point, of... of your death--" she almost feels like saying those words aloud are a jinx--"or of others'? So mostly... we've pulled through. The one person really in trouble was Simon."
At this she pauses to look up at him. "You're--you were his whole world--you know that? He needed that clock in the face to get moving, but you weren't there to give it to him. He just sat in his room for days carving creepy little statues of you with his drill. Wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep. Once even when we were fighting Gunmen, Lagann went totally haywire and dove off a cliff. But then he found Nia."
You have to move forward. Everyone had known that this would be Kamina's philosophy on the matter. There was no question. He'd want them to go on. Hearing him say so, in the flesh, plain and clear, makes all the hours of pain and doubt seem just a little more justified.
"Nia is Lordgenome's daughter. The Beastman princess, so to speak." She debates pausing for effect here, but decides to continue before Kamina charges straight into camp to murder this girl. "But she was cast out, apparently, and now she's part of Team Gurren... she has a different way of seeing the world. And I think she helped Simon see it differently, too." Now she does pause, contemplating those two for a moment. "That's part of it, at least, what pulled him out of that slump. I think another part is that he's got someone to protect now. And someone who'll believe in him no matter what--with total blind faith."
[Well it's a good thing she continued there because yes, Kamina would have charged back to camp to interrogate her at the very least.
Hearing that Simon has found someone to pull him out of his depression makes Kamina smile though.]
That's good to hear! It sounds sort of like the relationship we have, actually. Simon always trusts and believes in me, no matter what and in turn, he's someone I can look after and protect and support - it's great that he's found someone like that while I was... away.
"Sure you're not gonna get jealous that he's paying attention to somebody else?" Yoko teases, despite being sure that Simon will be ecstatic to see Kamina and just as awestruck by him as he always has been. "It's not quite a parallel... I'm pretty sure you never had a crush on Simon."
"When Lagann dove off that cliff, Simon went with it... he found her in a strange box in the valley that his little spiral key could open. And, well... she was pretty helpless, we couldn't just leave her. We didn't know she was Lordgenome's daughter until she stood up to one of his Generals."
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Yoko glares up at him, totally lacking remorse. "Yes I did. I had to make sure you wouldn't get any of those stupid self-sacrificing last-ditch-charge urges again." Of course she knows that without Kamina's sacrifice, they wouldn't have Dai-Gurren--they'd likely not even have their lives--but still. She gives her eyes an industrious rub to chase away those pesky tears before she looks up at him again, at that ridiculous pained expression of his. Yes--it really is him--the same Kamina she knows and loves.
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I did what I had to do to help secure our victory. I'm not gonna lie, it hurt and the whole thing was pretty awful, but it worked, didn't it? Besides, if you seriously think you guys are getting rid of me that easily, you've got another thing coming!
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Don't think I'd let you leave again.
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Yeah. I know.
[He's sure Simon is torn up about this too, but for the moment he just wants to comfort Yoko. Simon will be okay; he's much stronger than he thinks he is, after all.]
I'm not gonna leave again. I promise.
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If his thoughts are on Simon, hers aren't far behind. Still, selfishly--as she has always been, a little, when it comes to Kamina--she hangs on for an extra few moments before releasing the world's favorite blue-haired wonder.
"Back to camp?"
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[Kamina lets go, still grinning.]
Have you guys been alright? You guys weren't too sad without me, were you?
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At this she pauses to look up at him. "You're--you were his whole world--you know that? He needed that clock in the face to get moving, but you weren't there to give it to him. He just sat in his room for days carving creepy little statues of you with his drill. Wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep. Once even when we were fighting Gunmen, Lagann went totally haywire and dove off a cliff. But then he found Nia."
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I know he's capable of more. He needs to believe in himself. I know it's hard to lose someone you care about... but you have to move forward.
[He pauses then, something occurring to him.]
Who's Nia?
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"Nia is Lordgenome's daughter. The Beastman princess, so to speak." She debates pausing for effect here, but decides to continue before Kamina charges straight into camp to murder this girl. "But she was cast out, apparently, and now she's part of Team Gurren... she has a different way of seeing the world. And I think she helped Simon see it differently, too." Now she does pause, contemplating those two for a moment. "That's part of it, at least, what pulled him out of that slump. I think another part is that he's got someone to protect now. And someone who'll believe in him no matter what--with total blind faith."
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Hearing that Simon has found someone to pull him out of his depression makes Kamina smile though.]
That's good to hear! It sounds sort of like the relationship we have, actually. Simon always trusts and believes in me, no matter what and in turn, he's someone I can look after and protect and support - it's great that he's found someone like that while I was... away.
[Saying that he was dead is kind of awkward.]
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[Kamina laughs, the sound loud and boisterous as usual.]
I guess I should've suspected that! More power to him, then! I hope this Nia girl is worth his time!
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Apparently Kamina's resurrection is taking place pre-beach filler episode...
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[Though that does raise a question...]
How did a beastmen princess get involved with us?
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