Summary: "I guess it's always a way to say thank you. But it's something else too." — Gifts of chocolate were always a tradition between certain teams of Super Sentai. But something darker is behind the recent deliveries of cellophane-wrapped, sugar-coated treats. — [Goseiger, Shinkenger, ToQger]
Disclaimer: I'm…pretty sure I don't own Super Sentai. I'm also pretty sure that Toei does. {In all seriousness, no copyright infringement intended, at all.}
Raw, unbeta'd, and (perhaps unfortunately) influenced by a dark love for sweets.
Super Sentai crossover requested by retro mania. I tried my best. Hope you enjoy.
CHOCOLATE
Salt
When they found Alata unconscious, wounded and sprawled across the floor with jellybeans spilling from his hands and a chocolate strawberry candy shoved in his mouth – not quite melted – their first reaction was to question why Eri would have gone so overboard forcing her fellow Skick angel to eat her favorite sweets. Except there was one problem with their theory. Eri wouldn't do that. She just wouldn't. And her candy supply, which had been freshly restocked the day before, was absolutely untouched.
—{~}—
"Oniichan, it's cold."
"You're acting like I don't know that." Agri turned the page of his book, not even glancing up to greet his sister. The lamp beside the door of the observatory allowed enough light to make out enough words to read, but he was grateful for the beam of golden light that the open door offered. The night was especially black tonight; the contrast between light and dark in the light of the full moon complemented a beautiful view of the stars.
Moune rolled her eyes at him, hopping down to sit on the step beside him. The sound of salt on the sidewalk gritted beneath her shoes as they hit the pavement, and as she sat down she stretched, as if the cold didn't bother her. "We're all worried about him, you know. The least you could do is help." She paused. "Even Hyde came back from investigating to help."
Agri bit his lip and quickly turned the next page in an effort to pretend he didn't care. "I just get in the way. I'm a fighter; I'm not a strategist; I'm not a healer. I'm a Landick. And when it comes to healing, I. Don't. Interfere. With. Eri."
Moune's elbow hit him in the ribs and he jumped, leaning away from her. "And I'm not a Landick?" she shot back at him, next attempting to take away his book (he subsequently shifted uncomfortably to the other side of the step and turned away from her). "Look, Alata isn't going to get any better if you don't help. We don't care if you get in the way."
When he still gave no reaction, she stood, offering him her hand. "It's not normal for one of us to turn up almost dead from candy. It's not normal for Alata to be like this. You of all people should want to help him recover."
He finally took her hand, pulling himself to his feet and tucking his book under his arm. "So who do you think did it?" he asked, in an effort to keep up the talking.
Moune shrugged as she slid back into the building, her brother following close behind. "Datas didn't have a clue. It's not a Yuuma Beast… Can't possibly be Warstar… Though he was sure it wasn't the Matorintis, apparently…" The yellow angel's lips curled into a small pout as she closed the door, and Agri took the chance to give his sister a quick hug as she finished. "No one knows."
—{~}—
"He's so pale…" Nozomu couldn't seem to tear his eyes off the red Skick angel, who looked small and pale buried in a nest of blankets on the sofa in the main room. Agri couldn't blame him; he too was keeping a close eye on Alata, and Eri sitting by him.
Hyde, focusing very intently on examining his thumbnail, replied from the other side of the room. "Non-lethal poison to put him out of the fight. If it was a monster, it wouldn't surprise me. And a lack of oxygen. He's a Skick, so he needs more of it than some of us. It really affects him when he doesn't get enough."
Eri nodded in agreement as she stood up to look for her hairband. "He's sensitive to it, but he's just sleeping. He'll be fine soon enough." Finding the pink loop, she reached up to tie her hair back once again. "I'll watch over him for a little while, though. Can't be too sure right now." Hesitating again, she glanced fleetingly around the room. "Towel...Band-Aids…" she muttered to herself as she got back to work.
Agri could see the others nodding in agreement, and he bit back a yawn as he straightened. "All we needed right now is this, though."
Datas' communicator beeped at that moment, and everyone sans Alata turned to stare. Finally, slowly, Hyde voiced what they were probably all thinking. "At this hour? Is it Master Head?"
Datas didn't say anything (which answered Hyde's last question quite easily: No), and simply tapped the button that would allow them to hear the message.
There was static for a moment, and then a brief silence when it had cleared. "The Gosei Angels, am I right?" The voice was sudden, clear and soft. Slightly nervous. Familiar.
"Mako-san?" Eri was the one to answer her fellow Pink, though she had to call from where she was still standing near Alata. The young angel stirred when Eri raised her voice, and she quickly moved away from him and closer to Datas. "Something's wrong, then," she guessed, when there was another awkward silence and a moment of shuffling, like people moving quickly around.
"Ah…" Mako's hesitation confirmed it before she even continued. "Yes. Could you just…get here quickly, please. Eri."
"Eri can't go, though," Moune hissed, hopefully too quiet for Mako to hear. "What about Alata?"
"I'll go," Hyde volunteered immediately, causing Agri to (not very subtly) bite back a clear want to go as well. "Eri, you're getting rest. Agri, you too. You both look exhausted. Moune can watch Alata. Mako-san," he addressed the pink samurai again, "What exactly is going on?"
Mako's voice sounded strained after Hyde had finished speaking, putting an end to any bickering that may have arisen from the Seaick angel's orders. "I can send Chiaki over to your place. As an extra hand. Just get here quickly." There was a brief pause, and then static as she cut the call, not giving them an extra chance to point out that she had never answered the question.
—{~}—
The blankets surrounding him were cold for some reason, and yet he was so warm. Even the metal wing pendant on his necklace, usually cold no matter what temperature his body was, was stuck to his chest and the same temperature as himself. He wished his jacket wasn't so uncomfortable, and he wanted to squirm and adjust himself into a more comfortable position.
He kept his movements to a minimum though, and kept his eyes shut tight. Wake up, Alata. Was that his own voice? It must be.
Even with his brain moving at the speed of molasses - melted chocolate was more like it, he realised as he could sense the sickeningly sweet smell somewhere in the room - he was aware someone was watching, and he was careful to make any movements look like a fitful dream. Oh yes, he had heard his teammates talking after Mako, ShinkenPink, had ended the call; he'd heard most of the conversation, in fact, even if it had taken him a very long time to process it. So why hadn't he opened his eyes, said something to let them know he was going to be alright?
Because he didn't want the shadows to know that he had caught on.
He knew there was someone behind this, because the hand that had forced a half-melted candy into his throat - slightly tinted with salt, and smeared with a streak of chocolate - was not that of a monster's. Too smooth, too familiar, too… human. And a human was much smarter than a monster; Alata knew the moment they knew he'd caught on, things would escalate.
Wake up, Alata. Please?
He just wanted to keep his team safe, he thought as the taste of chocolate in his mouth faded, and suddenly he could feel salt stinging his lips. He'd pretend to wake up after he thought about his attacker a little more.
I love you as much as people love salt.
— "Salt in Dishes," Romanian Fairy Tale —