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It was dark. Terrifyingly and suffocatingly dark when he woke up. He struggled to control his panic, his mind focusing on the fact that he was buried underground and he needed to escape! He forced his arms to move, knowing that if he didn’t get out, he would die. He held his breath, trying and focusing on digging his way out rather than his rising panic of being buried alive. His hand popped through the earth and he gasped, scrambling his way out from under the dirt pile. He gasped deeply, taking in huge breaths of air before closing his eyes.
“That was… awful.” he muttered as he rolled over.
Staring up at the sky, he immediately felt better. He was out. He was safe. He wasn’t going to die, crushed under rocks and dirt. He breathed deeply and stood up. Turning back to the hole from whence he came, he paused, confused. His sword and cape stood before the hole, acting almost like a gravestone before he understood that’s exactly what they were. The hole he had crawled out of was his grave.
Kamina stood there, staring for a moment longer before speaking.
“How long have I been dead for?” he muttered.
Kamina ended up taking his sword and cape with him when he left. He traveled for a few days, living off the land before he made it to a town. Kamina had never seen a town like this before. It was huge, with actual humans living and working there. He was amazed by all he saw.
“Sure come a long way.” he thought with some confusion.
When he died, humans had just barely started to come to the surface. So when had all this happened? Stopping by some strange shop selling papers, he took note that one had the date on it. Now, Yoko had only just started teaching Simon and Kamina about dates and times when he had died, so it took him a while to even figure out what he was seeing. When he did...
“EIGHT YEARS!” he screamed, shocked and horrified.
The shop owner, some ratty old lady, quickly shooed him away, not wanting to have some weirdo in her shop, but Kamina was too concerned with what he had just learned to be mad at her. Eight years, he had been dead for eight years.
“Simon.” he whispered in terror.
Where was his brother? Where was his little brother? And Yoko? Hell, where was his team? He had to find them! But first, he realized, he had to figure out how this new world worked. Eight years was a long time, enough for things to change and he had to be able to survive if he was going to find them.
It took several weeks for him to learn about the world he had woken up in. He learned about money and how to trade goods for services. He learned about surviving in a big town and how to move between towns. He learned how to look for people and what channels he needed to go through to get an ID. These things took time, but Kamina wasn’t that concerned. Simon was safe, he had to be and Kamina would find him, so help him god.
“So you heading to Kamina City?” Kamina paused, overhearing two men talking.
“Yeah, I heard the city is huge and has a lot of opportunity there. Heading out in the morning.” the other man replied.
Kamina rubbed his chin. Kamina City huh? It had a nice ring to it. Like the stars had aligned, he knew where he had to go.
“Kamina City, here I come!” Kamina grinned.
The next morning, he stopped by the local bus station and hopped on the first one heading for Kamina City. It was a long trip, but Kamina had a feeling he was heading in the right direction. That once he got there, he would be one step closer to Simon. He had to believe that or he might just go mad. He kept to himself, focusing on getting to the city and and figuring out what his next move was from there.
They stopped in a few other cities before hitting Kamina City and that’s when Kamina started hearing rumors about the Supreme Commander. It was mostly in bars and back alleys, but from what he was hearing, this guy was bad news. Of course, no one he talked to knew this guy’s real name, but he did find out the guy took down the Spiral King and that made Kamina concerned.
They had been going after the Spiral King when he died. He hoped whoever this guy was, he had taken Simon and all the others under his wing and kept them safe. If not, his foot was going up the guy’s ass, Supreme Commander or no.
“Simon, don’t worry. I’m on my way!” Kamina said as he got closer to the city.
Landing in the city was a trip. He had to go through some sort of customs to even get in the city and that just made his temper flare. Long lines with slow moving attendants was enough to make him pull his hair out. By the time he got to the front, he was about to start throwing fists. As he sat in the chair, the lady doing his paperwork paused.
“Oh, your name.” she said, peeking at him for the first time.
“Yeah? What of it?” he demanded.
She smiled.
“It’s nothing, just interesting to me that you have the same name as the statue.” she stated.
“Statue?” Kamina parroted.
“Oh yes. Once you leave here, if you keep going straight, there is a park with a statue in it. I’m sure you’ll understand what I mean when you get there.” she said sweetly.
She handed his papers back with a map of the city and he left as she called the next person over. He walked out of the building and gasped in awe. All the other cities had been small compared to this one and not nearly as advanced.
“Hell.” he muttered.
He started walking, her directions echoing in his head. He pulled his cape around him tighter, shivering a bit. It was cold and he should be looking for a place to stay for the night, but his curiosity burned and he needed to know what she had been talking about. As he walked into the park, a woman and child walked by him. The child stopped, making his mother stop too.
“Mommy, Mommy, look! That man looks like the statue!” the child said in delight.
The woman looked at him and blinked, seemingly startled before tugging him along, whispering harshly. Kamina watched this all with a frown before he kept going. Now, he was even more curious. He got to the center of the park and stopped, staring at the carving before him. His bag dropped from his hand and he slowly walked closer. All around him, people were walking by, talking and laughing, but Kamina didn’t see or hear any of them.
Staring at his own face, his own form, immortalized in stone made his eyes water. His breath caught in his throat as he stared. There had been a part of him, a small scared part of him, that wondered if after his death, he would be forgotten. His father certainly had been, but this? This showed someone had remembered him. He placed a hand on the plaque below his statue, his fingers tracing the letters though he couldn’t read them due to his tears.
“Look! It’s the Supreme Commander!” someone yelled.
Kamina looked up, startled, remembering he was still in a public park after all. He took a step back, scrubbing his eyes with his arm before he turned to follow the voice. Nearby, he saw a small group, all crowded around one man. He spoke to them quietly, smiling a small, soft smile before he turned his head.
“Simon?” Kamina whispered, eyes wide.
He was so much older than Kamina remembered. Gone was the short little boy who looked up to him and idolized him. He was pretty sure Simon and he were the same height now. He saw puzzlement in Simon’s eyes for a second, as if he wasn’t sure what he was seeing. He pulled away from the group, idly waving goodbye to them as he moved closer to Kamina. He was cautious, as if he couldn’t trust what he was seeing.
“Kamina?” Simon whispered.
He stopped a few feet away, just staring as he stood there. Kamina’s heart was pounding, he felt both overjoyed and terrified. Simon had grown so much, he was so much older now. What if he didn’t need his older brother anymore? The idea that Simon would have changed had never crossed his mind. It was Simon, Simon who always looked up to Kamina, followed in his footsteps, Simon didn’t change. He was Kamina’s only constant in this world. Now, it seemed like Simon had grown in leaps and bounds and he didn’t just mean physically.
“Yo, Simon.” Kamina stated.
He really had nothing else he could say. No idea what to say to Simon after eight years of being dead.
“Are you… really him?” Simon demanded.
He saw Simon’s fist clench, as if he wanted to believe, but was holding himself back. Kamina let out a barking laugh, arms crossed.
“Simon! As if anyone could copy the sheer magnitude of me, the Great Kamina! You know in your manly heart and soul that there can only be one and that is me! Anyone else would be a lame copy!” Kamina declared.
A few people looked at them funny, trying to figure out what the hell was going on and why he was yelling when Simon let out a choked little sound. Kamina’s eyes softened and he held out his arms as Simon rushed him, The feeling of Simon’s arms wrapping around his chest made Kamina sigh. He felt Simon shiver and shake with tears and felt his own start to gather. He wrapped Simon in his arms tightly, as if he never wanted to let go.
“Aniki! Aniki!” Simon sob harshly and Kamina pet his hair, closing his eyes in bliss.
This, this is what he had been looking for. This is what he had travelled across the world for. This simple feeling of joy. Simon was alive. Safe, alive and prospering and that’s all he had ever wanted for Simon. They stood there for a while, just enjoying the reunion when they were interrupted.
“Ahem.” a cough made Kamina peek one eye open and stared.
Two men in uniforms stood there, staring in stern confusion.
“I apologize, gentlemen, but please move it along, you are making a scene.” one man said.
Kamina almost growled at them. Did they not realize they were breaking up a touching reunion between two brothers? Brothers who had been separated by death and were only now returning to each other? Kamina wanted to bite their heads off. But just then, Simon pulled back wiping his eyes and the two men froze.
“S-S-Supreme Commander!” they squeaked in horror and Kamina blinked.
Wait...
“W-We are so sorry, Sir!” the two of them saluted, shaking in their boots as Simon straightened up.
“We had no idea!” the other said.
Wait a minute.
“Please forgive us for intruding!” they cried.
“It’s ok. I do apologize, but you are right. We are making a scene. My brother and I will move it to someplace more private.” Simon said gently smiling.
Wait a goddamn minute.
“Thank you, Sir! We do apologize again!” they replied.
Simon placed a hand on both their shoulders and nodded.
“You are doing your jobs. I thank you for your dedicated service. Please carry on.” Simon pulled back and the two quickly ran off.
Kamina snorted and laughed loudly as Simon glanced at him.
“That was classic! They almost pissed themselves!” Kamina howled.
Simon chuckled a bit before nodding. Kamina calmed down and glanced at Simon.
“So… Supreme Commander, huh?” Kamina asked as he grabbed his bag.
Simon flushed and scratched his cheek.
“Ah, yes. Rossiu insisted on it. I never quite understood why.” Simon said.
“Eh? Forehead Kid is still around?” Kamina asked, a bit shocked.
“Yes, all of Dai Gurren is actually. Yoko, Kittan and his sisters, the people from Littner. Actually, our team has grown incredibly since… well, after everything.” Simon said calmly.
Kamina gasped in awe, eyes wide as they started to walk.
“Really? Wow.” Kamina muttered.
They walked for a while, Kamina following Simon for once instead of the other way around. As they walked, Simon waved and smiled to everyone who greeted him and Kamina found himself smiling.
“I’m glad.” Kamina stated and Simon looked at him, confused.
“Glad?” Simon asked.
Kamina nodded.
“I always knew you could do it. You just needed to believe. Maybe not in yourself, but in others.” Kamina said with a grin.
Simon smiled slowly and nodded.
“It was hard.” Simon said simply, hands in his pockets.
Kamina raised an eyebrow.
“When you… passed away.” Simon finally settled and Kamina nodded for him to continue.
“I was… a wreck. I didn’t eat, didn’t sleep, all I did was fight. The Beastmen, they were trying to take the base back, they came in waves and all I could do was fight.” Simon explained.
He looked ashamed, as if this information made Kamina’s opinion of him change somehow.
“You did what you had to.” Kamina replied.
“But not what I needed to. I focused on my own grief, I ignored the team when they needed me, I was useless.” Simon muttered.
Kamina sighed and threw an arm around Simon’s shoulders, pulling him close.
“A good leader knows when they are no good for the team. I bet Kittan took over right? That miserable idiot wishes he was as great as me.” Kamina said mockingly.
Simon laughed and Kamina grinned, pleased to bring a smile to his brother’s face.
“You’re right. He did. Yoko and he worked together and really kept spirits high.” Simon said and Kamina hummed.
“But they are not the Supreme Commander, so something changed.” Kamina pointed out.
Simon paused and a small smile graced his lips.
“Yeah, something did change.” Simon trailed off.
They walked for a while, getting closer and closer to some huge building in the middle of the city.
“I want you to meet someone.” Simon said suddenly and Kamina raised an eyebrow.
“Oh?” Kamina asked.
“Yes, someone very special to me.” Simon said with a flush.
Kamina’s face broke out into a huge grin.
“Ohhhh, Simon, little brother~ A special someone, huh?” Kamina teased and Simon looked away.
“Yes, very special.” Simon admitted with a cough.
They entered the strange building and Kamina looked around in awe. It was definitely grander than anything else he had seen before. He whistled in appreciation.
“Supreme Commander! There you are!” a familiar voice made Kamina turn and his mouth dropped.
A taller man was coming towards them, looking pissed to holy hell, eyes on Simon alone.
“Rossiu.” Simon nodded in greeting.
“Where have you been? The meeting started ten minutes ago! Normally, you are not so…” Rossiu was cut off.
“Ehhhh! Forehead Kid? Is that you!” Kamina said in shock.
Rossiu blinked and opened his mouth to say something, only to look at Kamina and stop. He paled so fast that Simon actually put a hand on his arm, just in case.
“K-K-Kamina?” Rossiu whispered.
He looked between Simon and Kamina, almost as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Yo!” Kamina said with a wave.
Rossiu reached out and Kamina let him touch his face before pulling Rossiu into a hug. He held the other man, rubbing his back.
“It’s good to see you, Rossiu.” he muttered into Rossiu’s ear.
There was a hiccup and then Rossiu’s arms wrapped tightly around Kamina’s chest as he buried his face into Kamina’s shoulder. His choked cries made Kamina smile.
“Supreme Commander? Sir Rossiu? The team would like to know if they should keep waiting or…” something hitting the floor made them look up.
One of the Black Siblings, Kinon, stood there, her clipboard now on the floor as she stared. Rossiu pulled away completely, wiping his eyes with his sleeve before he swallowed hard.
“I suppose we will have to reschedule it for right now. Something important has popped up.” Rossiu said quickly.
Kinon’s eyes were wide and she looked about ready to start crying when Kamina slapped Rossiu on the back.
“Hey now, don’t let me hold you up! You got some big, important meeting to go to. Now, shoo.” Kamina said grinning.
Rossiu looked at Simon and nodded.
“I’ll let them know you were unavailable.” he said quickly.
He moved down the hall and coughed, making Kinon jump. She looked at Kamina one more time before grabbing her clipboard and racing after Rossiu. Kamina chuckled.
“I’m happy to see them.” he admitted and Simon smiled.
“Rossiu has been a godsend. I keep telling him he should be the one in charge, but he insisted that I was a better pick. He’s my second-in-command.” Simon explained.
“Huh? What about Yoko?” Kamina asked.
“Yoko, ah she decided to leave. Last I heard, she’s living on a small island as a school teacher.” Simon stated.
“Oh, makes sense.” Kamina muttered, rubbing his chin.
They started walking and as they did, Kamina really got to see what Simon had done since he had died. There was a sad ping in his chest as he considered how much he had missed out on.
“Are all the Black Siblings here?” he asked curiously.
“Yes, Kittan and all his sisters live here. Kittan is actually in the meeting right now. He’s the Chief of Legal Affairs.” Simon said.
“Whoa, that seems important.” Kamina replied.
He didn’t actually know what that meant.
“It is, or so I am told.” Simon smiled and Kamina snickered.
“Just trying to keep him out of your hair, huh?” Kamina said and Simon shrugged.
“After the Spiral King’s death, we didn’t really know what to do with ourselves. What we were fighting for was over, but humans were finally starting to walk on the surface and they needed a place to go.” Simon paused at a window and looked out.
The lights reflected in his eyes and Kamina stared.
“This city started out as the Spiral King’s fortress. We turned it into a human city and helped it thrive. I’m proud of what we accomplished in just a few short years.” Simon stated.
A hand on his shoulder made him turn to Kamina, who smiled.
“You should be proud. This is everything I wanted for you.” Kamina explained.
Simon smiled and placed his hand on top of Kamina’s.
“It was always a dream of mine for you to see it. I’m glad you finally did.” Simon said in reply.
They continued walking and Simon opened the door to a huge room. Kamina gasped in awe.
“Damn, they gave you the nice one, huh?” Kamina asked walking around.
“Another thing Rossiu insisted on. He said it needed to be big enough to convey power and authority. I would have preferred something… smaller.” Simon admitted.
“Hey, when you get a fancy title like that, you get the big office. Screw the rest of them.” Kamina threw himself down on the couch and settled in.
Simon slid into a chair across from him and still seemed to be taking in that Kamina was here, sitting in front of him.
“You really did it, huh little brother? You really saved the world.” Kamina smiled and Simon sighed.
“I’m not quite sure about the world, but I saved humanity. That’s enough for me.” Simon admitted.
Kamina nodded as a knock came to the door.
“Simon? Simon, are you there?” a soft female voice called.
It was a voice he didn’t recognize and he frowned.
“Yes, come in, Nia.” Simon replied.
Nia? He didn’t recognize that name either. The door opened and Kamina whistled. The girl standing there was beautiful and he looked at Simon with a raised eyebrow. Simon flushed in turn.
“Oh, you have a guest.” Nia said as he walked inside, a box in her hands.
“Yes, actually. He is someone I’ve always wanted you to meet.” Simon said getting up.
She tilted her head to the side, looking confused. He took the box from her and Kamina nodded it looked like some sort of lunch box.
“A new friend?” she asked.
Simon shook his head.
“An old one, actually. Nia, this is Kamina. Kamina, this is Nia.” Simon introduced.
Nia gasped and clapped her hands together.
“Oh! You’re Aniki!” she said with delight.
Kamina got up and gave her a smile.
“That’s right! I am the legendary, the one and only Kamina!” Kamina posed and she laughed, a bell like sound as she clapped her hands in delight.
“Simon was right, you are as funny as you look!” she said and Kamina almost fell over.
“Hey! What the hell, Simon!” Kamina demanded.
Simon rubbed the back of his head, laughing nervously. Nia didn’t seem to get why he was upset.
“It is nice to meet you, Aniki. I am Nia, as Simon said.” Nia said simply.
“We met Nia after you… well.” Simon said and Kamina nodded.
“Nice to meet you, I hope you’ve been keeping my brother here in check.” Kamina stated.
“I’m not quite sure what that means, but I have been keeping him company since the death of my father.” Nia said politely.
“Huh? Your father?” Kamina asked.
“Yes, the Spiral King.” she replied.
Kamina blinked and then blinked again before letting out a yell.
“WHAT!”
Kamina sat on the couch, rubbing his forehead.
“Jeez, I die for a few years and everything goes to hell in a handbasket, huh?” Kamina asked.
Kamina looked at Simon and Nia, sitting on the couch, so close their legs were touching and he smiled.
“I know it’s a lot, but we did it. We stopped the Spiral King.” Simon said as he placed a hand on Nia’s.
She smiled at him, soft and loving and Kamina was happy. Happy Simon had found his match, happy Nia was there for him when Kamina couldn’t be. Happy that, at the end of the day, Simon had found his place in this big, wide world of their’s. Underground, life had been dark and depressing. Kamina had always known their destiny was to walk in the sun and Simon wasn’t just walking in the sun, he was the sun. Just as Kamina always thought he was.