Shin Jyuuken Sentai Gekiranger!
Summary: Before the advent of Kandou Jan, others fought to keep the peace against the RinJyuuDen. Unfortunately, one defected, one went into early retirement, and the last spent much of her time traveling the world in order to become stronger and to forget the betrayal of someone once considered so important... Now, little over a decade after the betrayal, the RinJyuuDen advance once more, and decisions must be made. The Traveler must decide whether to continue avoiding all her problems or to stay, the Retired must re-evaluate her decision and make that choice once more, and a new trinity must be formed. For something even greater, and more sinister, than the RinJyuuDen lurks upon the horizon...
WARNING!: AU!, OCs/Original Characters, and relationships of all kinds (Shounen-Ai/Yaoi, Shoujo-Ai/Yuri, Homosexual/Slash, and Het are all included), Canon and OC pairings, and plot twists...
Episode 01: Enter - Jan the Jungle Boy!
(aka: Training Part 01: NIKINIKI GekiJyuuKen!)
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"Miki-san, are you sure you'll be alright on your own?" asked a young, worried looking brunette.
The elder of the two, the woman named Miki just smiled reassuringly at the younger. "I'll be fine, Yuka-chan. I may be old," she joked, "but I'm still a kenshi. More important than that, are you sure you won't change your mind?" she asked her assistant, "We could really use your help you know," she said gently, placing a hand on the brunette's shoulder.
Yuka just gave a slightly sad smile, "No, I'm truly sorry, Miki-san, but even if I did, there's really no place for me here. After all, it's triangles and trinity, right?" She asked, placing her own hand on top of the one on her shoulder, giving it a decisive squeeze. "The one you need right now is that person, not me..."
Miki sighed but smiled, "Alright. I'll trust you to bring her back then, that incorrigible brat," she joked, a twitch of a laugh in her expression.
The younger brunette did laugh, it fit her to a tee, after all, that person. "I'll find her and bring her back as quickly as I can, Miki-san," she smiled, the sadness in her expression gone for the most part, hidden once again by her kindheartedness.
Miki nodded, "And I'll take care of the Bracelet of Kenma," the onyx-haired woman promised, "Don't worry.
"I can take care of myself after all," she finished, ruffling the chocolate eyed girl -no, clearly a woman in her own right now- 's hair as she used to, smiling with a hint of nostalgia before continuing. "Now go, the sooner you go the sooner you'll be back," she chided the adolescent gently, not really upset at all as she flicked the tip of her nose lightly.
Yuka just smiled, eyes crinkling with equal amusement, "Of course, boss~~" she grinned, jokingly saluting to her superior in both her professional and personal life. "I'll be back with her faster than you'll even notice I'm gone," she teased, knowing very well that certain people would be a bit upset that the assistant wouldn't be around to make tea or prepare snacks that weren't take-out.
Miki grinned, "Of course, now go on you rascal, get!" She shooed the young lady out of the office they had used for the past some years now, "We both have work to do," she said a hint of seriousness returning to what had been a casual air.
Yuka nodded, "Yes ma'am," she agreed, managing a tiny smile and a wave before finally leaving. She had already said her goodbye's to the rest of their group as per usual when she was sent on these hunting missions.
This time though, there was an air of urgency that none of them could ignore anymore -and, to tell the truth, perhaps she was just a little relieved that she'd be leaving the tense atmosphere in as little as a few minutes.
Still, she would miss the people she had come to consider as a sort of surrogate family while she was gone.
Really, just why couldn't she have just stuck around this time, or even left a note? They were all used to her comings and going now, but still! It would have been nice to have been told a goodbye at least...
Oh well, she'd be bringing her back anyways, whether she had to drag her back herself, or threaten her to. This was too important for her to be gone for long anymore. And if she had to clip her wings to keep her there, or even cage her as well, well, she would do it.
People's lives depended on this after all...
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Tsk. Miki cursed, one hand clutching at the wound on her arm in an attempt to slow the bleeding as it dangled, all but useless if not for the fact that she was still holding something very important in it.
Glancing around the woods, she felt her heart sink into her stomach, if only just a little.
She was surrounded. And she was surrounded entirely by rinshi, the undead servants of the vile rinjyuuken martial artists -and, mostly likely,that man...
Shaking her head, she caught herself. Now was not the time to panic! She had done remarkably well, retrieving the bracelet and getting as far as she had now, like hell was she going to let those bastards take it now! She thought, all but snarling as the rinshi began to close in and she could properly count their numbers -if she had wanted to, she was sure.
But even though she was surrounded and outnumbered, there was still no way that she would just let them have the priceless artifact that held the souls of the three most vile beings that followed the jyuuken arts, the creators and masters of rinjyuuken - the three Kenma...
She tsked, mentally shaking herself for getting distracted again, before grinning ferally -looks like she needed something to do to concentrate. And what better way than to take out some rinjyuuken scum? They all seemed to be simply rinshi -rinjyuuken grunts, basically, with no higher rank (which were typically rinrinshi) in sight. Of course, Miki knew better than to let her guard down, as the rinrinshi was probably just hiding and waiting for her to fall -for the right time to strike...
"How troublesome..." She grinned, glaring at the mindless rinshi that were almost in fighting range now. Like hell was she going to go down without a fight though-!
"You really want this thing so much?" She asked, taunting them, even knowing there were no real minds behind the deceased bodies of previous rinjyuuken users. Still, it was a good way to relieve stress and build up a good psyche, so she allowed herself to continue as she knocked a few out of the way.
"Too bad then, I'm not giving it up!" She told them, adjusting her hold on the suitcase that held the dangerous artifact known as the Bracelet of the Kenma, shifting into a preparatory fighting stance, ready to strike at any moment and to defend herself and the bracelet.
"GekiJyuu... Leopard ken-!" She announced, eyes sharpening just a bit as she easily fell into the stance, despite being able to fight with only one arm. "Haa-!"
Thankfully, the fight was short, and the rinshi were easily taken care of. She sighed, "Pitiful Rinshi..." She murmured, "you who are corpses given but a temporary life...
"May you now go to your eternal sleep and rest in peace," she spoke sadly.
Poor things, she had always felt a bit of pity for them -those that had been tricked into the rin side of the rinjyuuken martial arts, who weren't even allowed to rest until they'd served their full use to the cruelty that was the way of the rinjyuuken...
Returning to a more 'relaxed' stance, she stiffened, started by the sudden presence of... a young man? No, a boy? She thought confused as he practically danced around her in excitement.
Miki was careful to keep her front facing the teen though, not quite sure if he was really a threat yet. Tuning back in to his exclamations though, she realized he was probably just hyper, excited by her display of gekijyuuken.
"-that was amazing! What was that-? !" He asked, eyes shining with an honest vibrancy she had only ever really seen in those of children who had yet to learn of the true nature of the world...
Relaxing a bit once she realized he was no threat, she thought of something else, and studied the boy. "Who are you?" She asked, taking in what seemed to be the only piece of clothing he wore -which seemed to simply be an old cloth that was heavens only knew how old... Probably not very sanitary either... Why, though? Unless, perhaps...
He was lost? Better safe than sorry though, she thought, as she decided to just ask.
"What are you doing this far into the mountains?" She questioned the boy -quite tactfully, might she add.
The boy didn't seem too fazed though, either way, in fact, seeming to grow more excited as he puffed his chest out, and pound it with a fist -it took all of her self restraint not to laugh as such an obvious act of 'masculinity'.
It was even easier not to laugh when she realized exactly what he had just said...
"This is my forest! It's my home!" He exclaimed, grinning, arms crossed as he kept his chest puffed in an act of pride, she now realized.
Wait... "You live in these trees?" She asked, surprised -and somewhat appalled, though he seemed happy enough here... "All alone? !" She asked, unable to truly imagine such a life or lifestyle, especially seeing as she herself was a mother...
The boy -he certainly acted like one- grinned, turning back to her. "Yup!" He smiled widely, "oh, that's right, I'm Jan! Kandou, Jan!" He told her, giving her a name to stick to the face at last, but of course, that wasn't without giving her more of a surprise as he finished introducing himself.
"I was raised by tigers!" He grinned, sniffing and rubbing his nose slightly. "So? What was that thing just now? ! Will you show it to me? That thing you did? One more time! Please? !" He exclaimed, all hyperactivity and excitement again -and with no sense of personal space, it seemed- she thought as she unconsciously backed away from the jungle-boy.
Even backing away though, he followed. Still, she had barely backed a few steps when she sensed a malevolent ki, sensing it condense into what could only be an attempted attack since she seemed to be open, she quickly shoved the boy away, and just in time too, as she barely managed to avoid the explosive attack herself.
Looking up, she was just in time to see the 'boss' of the minor rinjyuuken delegation laugh, looking down on them from the trees above.
"Too bad, huh! But of course, woulda been boring if it all ended in a one-hit KO~~" Miki twitched, sure that if the damned rinshi had his own face he'd be either grinning or sneering down at them -maybe even both. "Isn't that right, kenshi Masaki, Miki~~?" He jibed, sunlight glinting off the silver emblem on his head - a metallic triangle with a single point facing down, this one with the figure of a praying mantis sticking out of it.
Miki tsked, forcing herself to get up, even though her wound was practically killing her already.
"Well that's too bad then," she managed to keep a straight face, her cool tone unaffected by the pain as it receded to more manageable levels. "I don't want to deal with you -so leave me alone," she managed, sending a glare to the goddamned nuisance.
Almost instantly, the air seemed to crackle with tension, as the rinrinshi leapt down from the branch he'd been perched on, probably glaring at her if tone was anything to go by.
"I'll let you pass after I've eaten you and taken that-!" He snapped, nearly snarling, as if imagining the very idea. "Or perhaps I should take it first then eat you~?" He taunted, sneering under the mask that all rinshi were "born" with when they returned from death as grunts. "Which would you prefer?" He asked, clearly taunting and looking down on her now.
Miki's eyes narrowed. "How's about no to both?" She glared, falling into a defensive stance, careful to protect the case.
Nearby, Jan turned to see exactly what was happening, head tilted slightly in confusion as he wasn't really sure what was going on.
The Mantis-forehead-man cackled, "Good, good~~!" he practically purred, "I love seeing strong women crushed as they falling into a pained despair-! I love seeing them cry!" he exclaimed, cackling as he pulled almost immediately into his own rinjyuuken stance right after, giving off more malevolent ki that was nearly thick enough to see the embodiment of his rinjyuu mantis.
Jan gasped, having found his way back near Miki again, staring in awe at what -to him- seemed to be a giant insect. "Whoa~~! It's a praying mantis!" he stared, amazed at the ability to not only call forth that glowy stuff but to be able to summon a giant mantis-!
The rinrinshi would have grinned ferally if he could have. "My name is Rin Jyuu Mantis-ken, Makirika-! ! !" he announced, preparing for another attack. "This is your last chance to pray~~!" he laughed before closing in. "Hohwa-! !"
Almost immediately, Miki positioned herself for a counter attack, though she was given not time as the rinrinshi did a flying kick, forcing her to defend instead with her good arm and then dodge.
Unfortunately, she couldn't do so very well with only one usable arm as Makirika let loose a barrage of attacks, giving her no time to evade or counter attack.
The best she could do was to defend, and even that, not too well, considering the fact that her movements were forcing the wound open again, and it was taking all her strength just to hold onto the titanium steel suitcase.
Luckily, she was able to find a chance to dodge and pull back, mirroring the rinjyuuken user's backflip, and stuck her landing.
Unfortunately, at that point her wound flared with a new wave of pain, causing her to drop her guard, even if only for a second.
That second was all it took for the mantis rinrinshi to notice her wound. All she could do now was at least try to staunch to flow of blood and defend herself the best she could now.
Makirika just laughed, "A wound from your crash into Fuji, huh~~?" he asked, pulling back into an offensive position before rushing towards her again, "In that case, maybe that's where I should aim-!" he exclaimed, pulling his fist back for a frontal assault.
He swung, once again channeling the rinjyuu ki of the mantis ken.
She barely had time to react -and, unfortunately, even as much as she'd prepared herself psychologically, it didn't seem to have helped physically, as she was thrown back, the suitcase flying out of her hands to skid to a landing near...
The boy! She gasped mentally, she had completely forgotten about the jungle-boy! she realized, as the case was knocked open and the bracelet flew out, landing by his feet.
"...?" Jan looked at it curiously, picking up the three interconnected bracelets near the fur-covering he had over his feet.
"Hmn...? What is this?" he asked, holding up the bracelet in the light, "Bracelet...?" he wondered, turning the artifact this way and that to get a better look as he held it under the light.
"Oooh~~" Makirika straightened, possibly impressed if his tone was anything to go by. "That must be the Kenma's Bracelet!" he exclaimed, returning to a striking stance as he towards him. "Hand it over, brat-!"
No! Miki gasped, forcing herself to get up, "Run! !" she called, hoping the boy would be able to avoid being hurt or worse, killed.
"Eh?" Jan turned in time to see the Mantis rinshi about to strike, and gasped, backing a bit in surprise, though he was still hit, the force of the impact causing him to fly into one of the trees, even as he dropped the bracelet in shock.
Miki gasped, the poor bo-...y? Wait, what? she thought, watching as he got up almost immediately, almost as if he hadn't just been flung into a tree with what had to be at least the force of a car, if not worse.
She was even more surprised when the boy roared in defense, not unlike the tigers he'd supposedly been raised by, sending an pulse of sound towards the rinshi in retaliation. Miki stared, wide eyed as even the rinshi was sent back a few paces.
No way... How could this be? she wondered, as she lowered the arm she'd used to defend herself from the sound wave.
She didn't have much time to think, though, as the rinrinshi immediately fell back into stance, clearly prepping for another attack.
"Take this-!" the Mantis ken user growled, "Gyakudan Ken-!" he called, sending sharp bursts of air towards the boy, who barely had time to move, as the surrounding trees fell on top of him.
Horrified, Miki could do nothing but watch, as he was knocked out. And, as she was distracted, Makirika picked up the bracelet, a smirk in his tone.
"Heh, Kenma's Bracelet now belongs to the RinJyuuDen!" he exclaimed, pulled her attention back to him.
Noticing that he had the Bracelet now, she forced herself to hurriedly get up, hoping to stop him before he escaped -but she was too late. By the time she got where he had been, he had already gotten away, bracelet and all...
Resigned, Miki stopped looking for any traces, and, remembering the unconscious boy, turned towards him. Even if she hadn't been able to save the Bracelet from the hands of the RinJyuuDen, she could at least try to save the life of a boy who had done no wrong so far as she knew...
He seemed like an honest boy, after all.
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Lightning flashed. It was a dark night, storming heavily, as the rain fell onto the single conscious child of a group that had fallen in the storm. The child stared, emotionless, down at the bodies of his loved ones, as something large growled from the shadows.
He looked up, despair replaced by a dark void, as he stared deep into the shadows, hands fisted tightly as he swore to survive, to become stronger, to be powerful enough that this sort of thing would never happen again...
Never, ever again.
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Deep within RinJyuuDen territory, in a single, dimly lit room sat a young man, seemingly unconscious to the world around him. He wore the mantle of the Master of the RinJyuuDen, a cape of shaggy, ebony black fur, clashing only with the dark brown of his hair, trimmed neatly to the nape.
He sat meditatively on the round floor-level cushion-seat of the RinJyuuDen lord, facing what could have been an alter or just a decorative wall with a triangular emblem depicted with three dragons with a single round orb that nearly glowed in the light. On either side of this emblem, stood what seemed to be two suits of armor, each brandishing a different weapon as it stood at attention.
This was the current master of RinJyuuDen, this was Rio, lord of the rinshi and RinJyuu Lion-Ken user.
And this, was the enemy of JyuuKen users, like Masaki, Miki and her comrades, those who followed the path of GekiJyuuKen.
As he sat there, an unseen figure stepped quietly closer, observing from behind one of two main pillars that stood in the room, each with a golden decal of an eastern dragon.
Rio opened his eyes slowly, lifting his head marginally to study triangular emblem before him once more.
Behind him, the unseen figure stepped forth, the movement causing a slight ripple in the coat of invisibility it hid under, and finally, it dissipated in the same ripple, the figure showing itself from the feet up, revealing one of Rio's own, a green-armoured rinshi that had studied the rinjyuu Chameleon ken.
Once revealed, she immediately attacked, opening her mouth to reveal a long, reptilian tongue that seemed almost as if it were made from steel as it embedded itself into the wall, just inches away from Rio's head.
It would have hit, too, if not for the fact that the young RinJyuuDen lord had titled his head about forty-five degrees to the left.
The first move made, Rio grabbed the previously steel-hard tongue and yanked it, causing the rinshi to jerk forward a bit, as he twisted, throwing her onto her back with a cry.
She quickly pulled herself up as he stood, "You are lacking," he informed her as he straightened, "in both efficiency and force..."
"Mele!" He continued, causing her to stiffen a bit as he turned. "Such an attack as that will not slake my thirst!" He told her, as she covered her face in shame of her failure.
"Ah~~! Rio-sama~~~!" She exclaimed, the inhuman form melting away to reveal a young lady with brown hair that was styled into two braided swirls tipped in green on either side of her head, wearing a sleeveless green dress of sturdy cloth and leather padding. She also wore fighter's gloves and lacy black thigh-high stocking underneath the calf-length Chinese (female) martial artist's dress and two-inch high heeled black boots.
The tension of the earlier attack melting away just as her form had in the face of the object of her affections, Rio.
"Your thirst..." She almost pouted, upset that she hadn't seemed to have been able to slake her love and master's thirst for blood. Mentally shaking herself, though, she quickly got back to the reason why she had appeared before him for that moment. "But more importantly...Makirika!" She called, turning towards the large double doors that led into the room, as behind her, Rio stood on the higher-leveled Dias.
Far below, on the lower grounds where lowest level rinshi trained, near the entrance of the RinJyuuDen territory (which resided, for the most part, on a high, flat-surfaced pillar of mountain surrounded on all sides by cliffs and then forest, further below), Makirika approached, holding the precious bracelet that he had been sent to retrieve, walking in a dignified manner worthy of the item he held as well as the man he was to present it to.
Entering the building and then the room itself, he knelt, bowing even as he offered the tray to his lord and master, to Rio.
Rio gave a sharp intake of breath, turning to regard the artifact that shone even in the dim light of the room.
"The Bracelet of Kenma..." He murmured, eyes glued to the bracelet as it flashed in the light.
"Yes!" Mele smiled, quite excited by current events. "At last... At very last, Rio-sama! It's finally going to be Rio-sama's time, the Era of Rio-sama-!
"...The beginning of Rio-sama's World, right? !" She grinned, eyes sparkling as she watched him pass, hands clasped before her as if in prayer, watching, as he walked past her and stopped, standing before the rinrinshi a moment before he finally picked up the Bracelet of the Three Kenma.
He held for barely a moment, studying it under the no longer dimly lit room, before putting it on his left wrist. He raised it into the light, watching it before intoning the words he would need to hear the voice of the spirits trapped within.
" 'Ancient Kenma, bestow upon me your words' ," he commanded, causing the Bracelets to glow a pale golden color that nearly blinded them all.
Rio didn't falter, though, only narrowing his eyes against the light, even as the other two in the room gasped and tried to block it out entirely.
"Youth who attempts to awaken us... what is it that you seek?" a single voice rang out, two of the three bracelets dimming in the face of the one that had spoken, still glowing brightly unlike the others.
Rio responded almost immediately. "Power. That is all I seek!" His voice was strong, sure as the wish he had made, and befitting of his position as the current master of the RinJyuuDen.
The voice changed, switching to a more feminine pitch and tone, Rio could feel the shifting of the bracelets so that the one whose voice was speaking would be first. "In that case, make the humans scream!" she -for it could only be a she- spoke, the glow dulling as the other bracelet picked up.
"The Despair of the weak becomes the strength of our RinJyuuKen..." the last finished.
"The Weak's...Despair..." Rio repeated, holding his arm up higher as if to grab something, tightening his fist as if it were in his grasp as the three bracelets glowed hot once more before disappearing altogether as lightning struck the air above.
Rio turned, returning to his Dias before turning to address his followers. "We have been shown the path..." he told them, a golden ki surrounding him, condensing into the form of a black lion with a golden mane, becoming clearer and sharper with his resolve...
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Far away from either group, a single figure stood at the entrance to a large forest. The wavy-haired brunette took a good look at her surroundings, shifting the bag she had packed with enough necessities for a week at most over her shoulder more comfortably before stepping farther in.
"I finally found you... Chika..." she murmured, having finally found her after searching and asking around, she had finally found her.
Yuka took a deep breath, "Everyone... wait for me!" she murmured, steeling herself as she spoke before trekking deeper into the woods.
She couldn't fail now...
Deep in the forest, her quarry continued to move, trekking through the thick forest undergrowth in dirt and mud-stained and tattered tank top and shorts, her hands and feet caked with smudges of drying mud as well, as she carried her prize -fish she had caught from the nearby river- and dinner for the day.
She continued on, oblivious to the woman that had just entered the forest, intent on her capture-mission...
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Author's Notes: And cut-! That's it for the "First Episode" -well, as far as this chapter goes anyways. I've decided that shorter chapters will be easier to post and whatnot, so instead of full Gekiranger Episodes, you get them split into two chapters (or "Episodes" for this Fic). It just works better this way.
Not overloading with information, and easier for me to edit later if needed. Besides, long chapters tend to run together after a while, and this way, I can probably (note probably not will) be able to update sooner.
So as far as this story goes, it'll probably be about two chapters per actual Series Episode. So, instead of 48 plus some Chapters, you'll probably get...oh... ninety-some chapters... possibly one hundred, if I can hit that mark.
Anyways, standard disclaimers apply, yadda yadda, and I and another own whatever OCs and subplots and whatnot appear here, =P so there!
Also, why not use standard page breaks? because this is prettier, that's why. so meh xP And it works for me... that and if the page-break things don't work like they sometimes don't, then at least I'll still have this! otl. I like these a lot better...
Anyways! Hopefully this won't be the only Super Sentai Fic I do, and I hope I can do my dear partner's and the series' characters justice.
Any and all constructive reviews/criticism is welcome~~
Bye for now!
~~ Shi
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Preview*:
Jan gasped, waking suddenly and sitting up with a gasp. He was sitting in a bed with plain white sheets, and equally white walls, a large window to his left.
And it was the very same building that Miki and her assistant had parted in just days ago -not that he knew that. His last memory had been that of the RinJyuu attack, after all...
*note: previews will not necessarily be shown exactly as it will appear in the next chapter.