I Like Your Type

Ever since Act 6 ("The Abusive King") of Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, I've felt that Chiaki Tani/Shinken Green and Kotoha Hanaori/Shinken Yellow could have made a very cute couple. Later Acts 20 ("Ebi Origami Transforms"), 22 ("Lord Butler"), and especially 27 ("Switched Lives") seemed to hint to me that they might have headed in that direction, but like with Sousuke/Miu in Engine Sentai Go-onger the previous season, Toei decided not to explore the possibility… so I did.

This story takes place after the conclusion of Shinkenger. The title comes from a line spoken by Kotoha to Chiaki in Act 6, as interpreted by fansub group TV-Nihon.

Onnagata, in the world of kabuki, is a female role in that is played by a male. Wagashi is Japanese confectionery.

Disclaimer: all Shinkenger characters and related references belong to Toei of Japan. PlayStation Portable is the property of Sony Computer Entertainment. Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion is the property of Namco Bandai. No infringement is implied or intended.

Chapter 1: Motivation

Chiaki slipped his PlayStation Portable into the pocket on the right leg of his cargo pants. As the train began to slow as it pulled into the station, Chiaki felt his heart beating faster. It seemed like only yesterday that Doukoku had finally been destroyed and the Shinkengers had gone their separate ways. Chiaki, in spite of himself, decided to heed Ryunosuke's advice and, having gotten into the Tokyo University of Arts, was now studying video game design. He thought of each of his former teammates and what their post-war lives were like:

Although Takeru had resisted most of Hikoma's attempts to take up a hobby or two, he did decide to take some lessons in equestrian arts. He had also bought a car; a red Ford Mustang convertible.

Mako was now living with her parents in Hawaii, where she was working as a teacher's assistant. She was also, out of necessity, taking English lessons.

Ryunosuke had returned to performing kabuki, and from the reviews that he was getting, no one would have suspected that he had not formally performed in a very long time. He was winning acclaim not only for his straight male roles, but also his onnagata portrayals.

Genta's foray into France was proving to be more challenging than he had anticipated, but the young sushi chef was facing the challenge with his usual enthusiasm; he had found a mentor, a Japanese expatriate at a fusion restaurant in Paris, and was getting used to the idea of incorporating ingredients unfamiliar to him into his sushi recipes.

Kaoru spent her days practicing her calligraphy and making sumi-e paintings. Despite Tanba's insistence that she consider an arranged marriage, she flatly dismissed the idea, instead acquiring a cat to provide her with companionship.

As for Kotoha, she had simply gone home to Kyoto to live with her sister, whose health was improving by the day. In fact, Mitsuba's health had improved enough to the point that she could go about a normal day without help, and Kotoha could go to school without worrying about whether Mitsuba needed her or not.

Everyone had exchanged addresses and phone numbers, promising to keep in touch as much as they could. Despite the fact that Genta and Mako were overseas, they called and wrote nearly as often as their comrades in Japan did to them and each other. Chiaki treasured every letter, phone call, and text message that he got from his former teammates, but the ones he especially held dear were Kotoha's. As much as he respected and felt a kinship with Takeru and everyone else, he felt something different towards Kotoha. At first, he thought it was just because she was the youngest of the group and he felt the need to protect her, from what besides the Gedoushu, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he found Kotoha to be one of the most amazing people that he had ever met. Sure, he didn't like how she thought herself to be stupid, but that was about the only thing about her he wasn't fond of.

When Kotoha's soul had been stolen by the Ayakashi Utakasane, Chiaki was full of rage at the possibility of losing her for good, but he wasn't sure what had driven him to contemplate becoming a Gedounin just to have a chance at rescuing her. Again, he thought it was his over-protectiveness kicking in, but it wasn't until after the incident with Genta's friend Matsumiya that he finally realized why; when, after everyone had returned to the Shiba house that day, Chiaki overheard Kotoha confide in Mako that it seemed to her that Matsumiya was hoping that she wasn't just pretending to be his fiancée, the flash of jealousy that punched him in the gut right then made him realize that he wasn't so much over-protective of Kotoha as much as he was interested in her himself.

During the war against the Gedoushu, Chiaki decided that it was best for him to keep his feelings hidden. Kotoha, not to mention Takeru, Mako, Ryunosuke, and Genta, would probably not have appreciated the distraction. Perhaps, he thought, that was half the reason why he fought as hard as he did; the sooner they were able to beat back Doukoku and his minions, the sooner he would be free to confess to Kotoha how he felt about her. Yet when the war was concluded in favor of humankind, Chiaki suddenly found himself paralyzed with fear at laying his feelings out. Worse yet, when everyone was preparing to take their leave from the Shiba house, there was only enough time for him to pack his bags before everyone gathered in front of Takeru to say their goodbyes. When Chiaki, after bidding goodbye to Takeru, finally got his courage up to tell Kotoha how he felt, he was crushed to find that she had already left for the train station.

As the days turned into weeks and months, Chiaki's longing to see Kotoha grew. Because she lived in Kyoto, and because both he and she had classes to deal with, Chiaki knew that arranging to go visit her would be difficult, but he was determined. He began spending less time playing Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion at the local game center, especially since he had bought the game for his PSP, and he pared back his random snacking; both of these allowed him to save precious yen for the train fare to Kyoto, not to mention accommodations and other expenses.

Chiaki stepped off the train and onto the loading platform. He shifted his backpack higher onto his shoulder as he looked around the unfamiliar train station. Even though his stomach rumbled with hunger, he was too nervous to eat. After making his way to the street, he waved at an approaching city bus. When he confirmed that the bus was headed in the direction of Kotoha's home, he climbed aboard.

o-o-o-o-o

Mitsuba had just finished washing the dishes when she heard a knock on the door. Who could that be?, she thought. She dried her hands and went to the front door. She slid the door open to see a young man with tousled reddish hair, dressed in khaki cargo pants, tan sneakers, and a green T-shirt with "Gotcha Surf" across the front. A doubled wallet chain hooked to his front left belt loop and circled around to his back pocket. He had a backpack slung over his left shoulder and held a small gift bag in his right hand. From one finger on the same hand dangled a small box tied up with string. "Yes?"

Chiaki gave a quick bow. "Hello. My name is Chiaki Tani. I'm here to see Kotoha," he blurted. He suddenly held the box out towards Mitsuba with both hands. "Oh, um, I brought some wagashi."

"Chiaki Tani…" Mitsuba's brow furrowed slightly before her eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh, yes, I know who you are! Kotoha's told me a lot about you. I'm her sister, Mitsuba." Mitsuba smiled as she accepted the gift from Chiaki. "Please, do come in. Kotoha's not home from school yet, but I can make you some tea while you wait for her."

o-o-o-o-o

Kotoha waved goodbye to her classmates as she turned to ascend the steps to the home she shared with Mitsuba. Just outside the front door, she kicked off her loafers and was surprised to see a pair of tan men's sneakers sitting on the step next to Mitsuba's sandals. Why do I feel like I've seen those shoes before?, she thought. She dismissed any apprehension as she slid the front door open, calling out, "I'm home, Onee-chan."

Mitsuba looked up from pouring tea for Chiaki. "Kotoha, you have someone here to see you."

Next chapter: Chiaki and Kotoha see each other for the first time in months.