This was their last chance. Failure now would see the world fall. That was why they couldn't rush in without a plan. It was torturous to hear the screaming in the distance but more would be lost if they charged in blindly. So they waited, in a clearing amongst the concrete rubble and debris, silently debating what they could do to see Doukoku fall.
Takeru clutched the two discs in his hand, feeling the weight of their duty on his back. From his position a few yards away from the group he observed his vassals: Chiaki and Kotoha sat close, subtly drawing comfort from each other. Occasionally, the yellow ranger turned towards the screams, obviously torn and Chiaki offered a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Mako stood leaning against what was left of a tower block wall, her expression dark and focussed. Genta matched her posture a few feet away, occasionally kicking a stone across the clearing. Ryuunosuke sat on a lump of concrete, dragging his fingers along the flat side of his sword. Takeru's eyes lingered on the blue shinkenger. They had become particularly close over the last few months. Takeru had confessed the pressure he felt as leader and the loneliness of having no family. Ryuunosuke had in turn told of the pressure he felt to fulfil the Ikenami family duty, to be a good vassal to Takeru but also not let down the friends he left behind in kabuki. Takeru had long considered Genta as an adopted brother and Hikoma as an adopted father but his feelings for Ryuunosuke were different from them. So, when his role as a shadow was revealed, it was Ryuunosuke's eyes that Takeru feared the most to meet, only to be blessed with the man's loyalty once again. Despite sometimes making him cringe, it was the blue shinkenger's constant professions of faith and devotion that made Takeru believe he could do anything.
"Ryuunosuke," he called and the loyal vassal was at his side in an instant.
"Yes, my lord?" Takeru placed the red disc in his hands and Ryuunosuke stared at it in confusion, "…my lord?"
"This is our last stand," the samurai lord explained, "we have to strike in a way Doukoku will not expect, I will use the double mojikara, that should be enough for you to finish him off with this," he added, looking down at the Shiba house disc. Ryuunosuke's eyes widened in shock.
"But…I'm not worthy! What if I can't-"
"You can, Ryuunosuke," Takeru calmly interrupted, "you're more worthy than anyone and you are as strong as me, you're the only one who doesn't realise it," the red shinkenger told him with a softness Ryuunosuke did not often hear. Takeru turned to the other samurai and they all nodded in agreement before he turned back to Ryuunosuke.
"I trust you," he added and motioned for Ryuunosuke to follow him away from the group until they were out of sight of the other shinkengers.
"I am a true Shiba now, the head of the Shiba family…so Doukoku will be after me especially, if I die in battle you need to lead the others to victory-"
"I won't let that happen!" Ryuunosuke snapped before slowly continuing, "I know it's naïve of me to say this…but I will not let Doukoku destroy you, as long as there is breath in me I will protect you, not because you're a Shiba…because you're Takeru." The words weren't unlike the excited declarations of the past but Ryuunosuke spoke them with such quiet passion that Takeru could not find the words to respond. Acting on instinct, he stepped closer and softly rested his forehead against Ryuunosuke's, hoping it was enough to convey everything he felt and how much the water samurai meant to him. When he saw tenderness replace surprise in Ryuunosuke's eyes he knew he had been understood.
"Then we'll survive," he quietly agreed, "both of us." Back in the clearing they weren't aware that the four others had heard them and now felt a greater hope for the battle ahead.
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Hope you liked it, please review. It's a one-shot but I could add a couple more chapters if people liked this one.