A/N: I'd been interested in writing a Gokaiger story about these two for a while now, but had difficulty coming up with any ideas. I am glad to say I now have a few.
If you're wondering about the title of this collection, I discovered that the tag for the Luka and Ahim pair on pixiv is "Mille-feuille Combi." I thought it was an amusing choice, because the pastry mille-feuille sounds like a combination of Luka and Ahim's surnames – Millfy and Famille.
Disclaimer: "Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger" is property of Toei, Bandai, TV Asahi, etc.
Story 1: By Your Side
It had been a few months since Ahim joined the Gokaigers, and by now she was able to wield her weapons instead of letting them wield her. She even had her share of battle experience. Transforming into GokaiPink had been one of the most exhilarating events of her life. Taking down Zangyack forces with her own power and the power of her comrades made her feel stronger – and she hoped everyone could see it.
If the Gokaigers continued to defy Zangyack, soon they would be facing higher ranking opponents. With that in mind, Ahim continued to polish her skills until she was confident she could hold her own alongside the others. Perhaps one day, she would even come face to face with…
"Why are you out here by yourself?"
Ahim turned at the sound of the voice. Standing in the moonlight with her hands on her hips was the only other female member of the Gokaigers.
"I thought I should practice more," responded Ahim.
"In the middle of the night?"
She pointed out, "Joe-san often practices by himself at night."
"Joe isn't a princess who's still getting used to combat."
Ahim couldn't tell whether it was apprehension or reproach she detected in her voice. In either case, she replied, "You do not have to concern yourself with me, Luka-san. Please go back to sleep."
"I wasn't sleeping. I saw you from the crow's nest and thought –," grinning, Luka pulled out her own weapons, "– that you'd like a sparing partner."
The initial surprise Ahim felt at the offer was shortly replaced with appreciation. Soon they were engaged in a dance of strikes, shots, and parries; the sounds of their voices and weapons carrying into the night.
Then Luka swung hard, knocking the sabre out of her opponent's hand. Ahim glanced down at her fallen sabre, stunned by the force that had thrown it down. When she looked back up, Luka's blade was at her throat and her gun aimed at her torso, freezing her in place.
The look in Luka's eyes was serious. "Ahim, don't hesitate because you dropped your weapon. Every moment is crucial in battle."
Ahim pursed her lips and nodded, disappointed that she had made the mistake in the first place. Luka's expression relaxed and she began to draw away – but the moment Luka's gun was aimed away from her, Ahim struck the base of her grip her free hand, sending Luka's gun skyward. In the second Luka's eyes followed her airborne gun, Ahim kicked at her front, causing Luka to skid back. Ahim caught Luka's gun in its descent. With a spin, GokaiPink promptly aimed both guns at an astounded GokaiYellow.
"Every moment is crucial in battle. That is what you said, correct?" Ahim innocently smiled.
Luka couldn't help cracking a grin at this turn of events. "Ohh? Who knew our princess could be so sneaky?"
"I learn from the best." Ahim gave Luka a modest curtsy, to which she laughed.
"We should head back to the Galleon. It's getting late." Luka picked up Ahim's sabre and gave it a twirl before tossing it into the air.
"Yes, let us be going." Following her lead, Ahim threw Luka's gun up. The weapons crossed paths in mid-air and were each received by their respective owners.
The Galleon was as dark as it had been when the girls left during the night. Navi was fast asleep by Marvelous' chair and didn't wake as the girls walked in.
Since having sparred, they decided it would be a good idea to take a bath before bed. Ahim took hers first, followed by Luka.
When Luka returned to the Gokaigers' shared living space, she found Ahim sitting asleep on sofa. Sighing, she muttered to herself, "What you still doing here?" and walked around the coffee table.
On Ahim's lap was the latest edition of the news. It was open to the page listing the Gokaigers' bounties. Luka slipped the paper from Ahim's listless hands and read it over. She grinned, noting once again how high Ahim's bounty was – even higher than her own. That was to be expected however. Ahim was the escaped princess of planet Famille after all. As long as Don's bounty never outweighed Luka's, she didn't care how much she was worth in the eyes of Zangyack. She placed the paper on the table and turned to Ahim – when she noticed something strange. What she noticed was that Ahim's eyelashes were glittering.
Luka leant toward her and realised why – they were dappled with tears. "Ahim?" She placed a hand on the princess' shoulder. To her astonishment, fresh tears seemed to form and escape from Ahim's lidded eyes. "Ahim…!" Luka whispered, unsure whether she should wake her or not.
The princess stirred, and her eyes fluttered open. "A-Ara?" She blinked, bringing the tips of her fingers to her eyes.
Luka sat beside her, hand still on her shoulder. "Ahim… were you having a bad dream?"
"Um… Yes. I believe I was." Prior to falling asleep Ahim had been contemplating why she had joined the Gokaigers in the first place. As she looked at the newspaper in her hands, she hoped as many people from her home planet were able to see it, and knew that she was still alive – fighting against the empire that had destroyed their home. It brought back the memory of that awful day…
"Come on, let's get you to bed," Luka suggested, but as soon as she did, Ahim's hand flew out and grabbed Luka's arm.
"No!" Her cry of protest wasn't loud, yet it was firm. Suddenly thinking better of it, Ahim stole a glance at Luka before sheepishly releasing her grip. "I… I am sorry." She felt Luka regarding her, probably having been surprised by her reaction.
"Wait here."
Ahim saw Luka cross the room and disappear into the corridor. When she returned, in her arms was a white fluffy blanket which she proceeded to throw over Ahim. She slipped in close to her under the blanket, pulling it over her shoulders.
"Luka-san, what…?"
"I'll stay with you tonight. So don't be afraid of falling asleep, okay?" Her smile for Ahim was considerate and soft – a rare display which usually only occurred when she was around Ahim.
The princess nodded and tugged the blanket up to her face. For a moment she sat still. Then, gradually, Ahim leant into Luka's arm, resting her head on her shoulder. "Is this alright?" she murmured, and heard the smile in Luka's reply.
"Yep. Goodnight, Ahim."
Her presence really was a comfort to the princess. She settled in against her and whispered, "Goodnight, Luka-san."
