Believe in the me who believes in you!

Kaminamuse: head empty, no thoughts, only

-

Kamina wakes up on the floor of the pigmole pen with his three idiots leaning over him. They comment he took a really hard hit from one of the moles that sent him to the ground, and was he feeling okay?

Kamina's just frozen because what the fuck? What the actual fuck? There's no way he can be here, in Jiha, seven years ago. The idiots start muttering to each other that Kamina's brain finally got scrambled one too many times and one of them is gonna have to take over leadership of team gurren. They're hashing out the rules of a rock paper scissors tournament when Kamina finally accepts that something is happening and he may as well play along. He waves his hands between the three of them (he's still on his back on the ground with them huddled over him) and insists he's fine. He rolls to his feet and takes a quick stock. “Right, pigmole escape, today. I’ll- uh- I’ll go get ...Simon.”

Kamina’s heart clenches at the thought of his little bro. It was only a week ago he’d seen him again, those precious few minutes both the happiest he’s felt in years and a devastating reminder of all he’d lost. The fate of humanity no longer rests on Kamina's shoulders, he doesn't even have Nia anymore to anchor him back to reality. Whatever this is - a dream, a deliberate illusion, dare he hope for true time travel? - he’s free to stay.

Splits off from New Game +

-

Simon hardly hears the Chief berating the other diggers for not keeping up, but he does look up in time to see the girls fetching water.”

“Ew, look, it's Simon the dig-”

“Simon!”

Something slams into Simon from the side with enough force to send them both tumbling over the hard ground. A hand on the back of his skull keeps his head tucked into the crook of a neck as the world spins nauseatingly around them. Simon lands flat on his back, dazed and slightly winded. Above him, supported by hands planted either side of Simon's head, the one person Simon wanted to see most. A drop of water lands on Simon's cheek, then another. Simon reaches up to gently brush the tears from Kamina's eyes.

“Bro? What's wrong?”

Kamina's lips wobble like he's trying to smile, but his tears only flow faster. “Simon,” he breathes out like a prayer, like salvation. He shifts his weight and bends his arms to close the distance and press his forehead to Simon's.

“Bro, you're starting to scare me.”

Simon doesn't remember this from the first time. Kamina had been his normal self, reminding Simon to keep his head up and dragging him into another escape attempt. Simon hasn't been back long enough to change anything this drastically, to cause Kamina to react like this.