Shinken Next: Beginning In Earnest
All right, I'm throwing my hat into the ring with my take on the 20th generation of Shinkengers. I know there have been other stories that have addressed the subject, usually having the kids come back in time and meet their parents, but I wanted to go in a different, yet somewhat familiar, direction. Given my self-diagnosed weakness with creating new Gedoushu and Ayakashi, I've decided to write the 20th generation the best way I know how.
Since the timeline is about 20 years in the future, I decided to speculate on what sorts of future gadgets and goodies would be around during that time, which would explain the PSPNext, Tekken 15, and One Piece DX Mateys. The current versions of the PlayStation Portable, Tekken, and One Piece are the property of Sony Computer Entertainment, Namco Bandai, and Eiichiro Oda, respectively.
Special shout-out to Casey's Cupcakes in Riverside, CA, whose May 2011 Cupcake of the Month, Ravishing Raspberry Lemonade, is so yummy and so cute that I had to write a version of it into this story. If you're near Casey's in either Riverside or Laguna Beach, CA this month, I hope you can stop in and try one. Her Luscious Lemon, Decadent Dark Chocolate, and Grandma's German Chocolate cupcakes are also winners.
Omurice is a Japanese comfort food consisting of fried rice (often with ketchup mixed in) covered with very soft, often half-cooked, scrambled egg. Wagashi is Japanese confectionery, which often has regional variations.
Jun Hanaori's teacher, Hachisuka-sensei, is an homage to the character of the same name, portrayed by Mokomichi Hayami, from the TV Tokyo drama Hammer Session!.
Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, all characters, and references are the property of Toei of Japan and TV Asahi. Original characters, including the 20th generation, are owned by me. Cocoa Otoko.'s "Soldier" is the property of Avex Trax. America's Next Top Model is the property of 10x10 Entertainment and Bankable Productions. No infringement is intended or implied.
Chapter 1: A Day In The Life
"Again! 5, 6, 7, 8!" barked the choreographer. Five young would-be pop stars began to go through the steps of their latest routine. The choreographer watched the young men, observing their individual performances and critiquing accordingly:
"Tsukasa, pick up your feet! Ryuichi, would it kill you to smile? Come on, show those nice white teeth! Shogo, much better transition this time, thank you! Very nice, Tatsuo! Hiroyuki, what the hell are you doing? Everyone stop!"
The five young men stopped dancing, all of them breathing hard. "What's wrong this time?" asked Tatsuo.
The choreographer rolled his eyes. "Same problem it's been the last few times." He pointed a finger at Hiroyuki. "You're like an elephant trying to do the quickstep."
Hiroyuki bowed his head. "Forgive me, Sensei. I just learned this morning that my grandfather passed away. I'm trying not to let it affect me, but I don't think I'm doing a good job of it. I'm sorry." He turned and bowed to his bandmates. "I'm sorry!"
Tatsuo was the first to put his arm around Hiroyuki's shoulders. "Hey, hey, don't worry about it," he said gently. "Look, I'm sorry about your grandfather, all right?" Looking up at the choreographer, he said, "I think we should take five."
"I second that," said Ryuichi, standing on Hiroyuki's other side. Tsukasa and Shogo joined their bandmates in the group hug.
The choreographer sniffed disdainfully. "Oh boo hoo. Grow some balls and get over it."
All five of the young men looked at the choreographer with aghast faces. "Hey!" sputtered Tsukasa. "You want to at least pretend to be human for a second?"
"I know, right?" added Tatsuo. He looked at the other group members. "Come on, guys. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to put up with this." He ushered Hiroyuki out of the practice room. Shogo, Ryuichi, and Tsukasa followed, shooting disgusted looks at the choreographer, who began spouting off about if any one of them knew who he was and why they should care.
Outside of the dance studio, Tatsuo looked at his bandmates. "Someone remind me why we hired that guy?"
All the other young men shrugged, except for Shogo, who answered, "Your dad recommended him to us, if I remember correctly.."
"Yeah, well…" Tatsuo winced. "Okay, guys, I think maybe we should call it a day. We'll regroup tomorrow and see what we're going to do." After Ryuichi, Shogo, and Tsukasa bid their goodbyes and dispersed, Tatsuo turned to Hiroyuki. "Hey man, you want to go home, or maybe come with me to sit for a while someplace?"
"I… I think I'll hang with you for a bit. I'm not quite ready to go home yet."
"No problem. I think I know just the place."
Hiroyuki smiled gratefully at Tatsuo. "Thanks, Tat-chan. You're a pal."
"What are friends for?" Tatsuo fished his cell phone from his pocket and poised his finger over the call button for a moment before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Dammit."
"What's wrong?"
"Dad's going to have a shit fit when he finds out we all walked out on Maeshiro-sensei." Tatsuo repocketed his phone. "Bad enough that he's already pissed at me for not taking up kabuki like him…"
Hiroyuki nodded. "Don't worry about it. Normally, your dad is pretty on the ball when it comes to who to go to for performance-related stuff, but I guess this time just wasn't one of those times. You know I've got your back on this, and I'm sure the other guys do, too."
"Yeah. Oh well. Dad's just going to have to accept that we just could not work with this guy." Tatsuo lightly slugged Hiroyuki's shoulder. "What the hell, man? Weren't you the one who was feeling down?"
Hiroyuki had to chuckle. "I'm still pretty bummed, but hey, doesn't mean that I can't cheer you up if you need it."
Tatsuo grinned. "Heh. You're right as always." He clapped his hand down on Hiroyuki's shoulder. "Come on; it's still my treat at the café."
o-o-o-o-o
"Jun, Kei," called Mitsuba, "come in for lunch, both of you."
Kei Hanaori patted his son's shoulder. "Good work with the firewood, son. I think that's been the largest pile we've ever built up."
"Thanks, Dad." Jun wiped his face with a towel. He followed Kei into the cottage that was the Hanaori home. He inhaled deeply and sighed happily. "Mom, is that fried rice I smell?" he called.
"It is, dear." Mitsuba shaped a generous helping of fried rice into an oval shape on a plate. Cooking a scrambled egg until it was just set, she carefully rolled the melting-soft omelet out of the pan and on top of the rice. "I did say that I would be making omurice today," she said, handing the plate to Jun.
"That's right; you did." Jun let out a sheepish chuckle. "How could I forget that you'd be making one of my favorites?"
Once Mitsuba, Kei, Jun, and Reiko, the youngest Hanaori, had their plates and were all seated at the kitchen table, they all gave a hearty "Itadakimasu!" and began eating. "So, Jun, are you excited about getting to go to Tokyo next month?" asked Mitsuba.
"I sure am," answered Jun. "Hopefully, I'll be able to find some time to go visit Uncle Chiaki, Aunt Kotoha, and the twins while I'm there."
"Why can't I go with you?" whined Reiko, as she chased a mushroom from her fried rice around her plate with her spoon. "I want to go see Uncle Chiaki, Auntie Kotoha, and the twins, too."
Mitsuba shook her head sadly, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Remember, your big brother isn't going to Tokyo for fun. He's representing Kyoto Prefecture in the nationwide math tournament."
"I may not even get to see them," admitted Jun to Reiko. "Hachisuka-sensei runs a pretty tight ship, and he may not let us do much outside of the competition." He sighed. "I'll still call them, and I'll still try to bring them some of our local wagashi. I'm sure they'll all appreciate that, especially Aunt Kotoha."
"Maybe in a few weeks," said Kei, "we'll all go to Tokyo to see your aunt, uncle, and cousins. How does that sound?"
As Reiko screamed and jumped up in jubilation, nearly upsetting her plate of omurice, Jun chuckled. Though he always looked forward to visiting his relatives in Tokyo and enjoyed taking in the city while he was in town, he was content with life in Kyoto and had no problem with spending the rest of his life there. Reiko, on the other hand, had been mesmerized by the big city ambience and was anxiously waiting until the day that she would be old enough to move out and live on her own. He shoveled a bite of omurice into his mouth. "You know, Reiko, I don't think you're as excited about going to see your relatives as you are about getting to be in Tokyo… am I right?" He jostled Reiko gently with his elbow.
"Shut up," muttered Reiko, shooting Jun a look.
"Now, now, Reiko, it's not nice to tell people to shut up," chided Mitsuba gently. "Please, sit back down and eat your lunch." She looked sharply at Jun.
Understanding the look that his mother gave him, Jun leaned over towards his sister. "Sorry about that. I know that you're not just looking forward to being in Tokyo again. You really do want to see your cousins again." When Reiko looked over at him, a small smile on her face, Jun smiled back and turned back to his food. "And you want to see what neato games Uncle Chiaki has, too," he added. Jun snickered and ducked the balled-up napkin that Reiko pitched at his head.
o-o-o-o-o
Misaki Tani burst into the den, where her twin brother, Daichi, was sitting on the couch and strumming his guitar. "Daichi! Did you take my PSPNext?"
"Why would I have your PSPNext? You know I totally suck at your games," answered Daichi simply. He tested a riff and, finding it to his liking, jotted the notes down on the paper in front of him on the coffee table.
"Mou, you're no help." pouted Misaki. "Mom! Where's my PSPNext?"
"I have no idea, dear. Is it not where you normally have it?" called Kotoha from the kitchen.
Misaki called back, "No, it's not. I put it away like I always do… at least I think I did."
At that moment, Chiaki came out from the study, Misaki's pink, rhinestone-emblazoned PSPNext in hand. "Here you are, Mimi. I borrowed it to test out the PSPNext version of Samurai Quest."
Misaki snatched her PSPNext from Chiaki. "Dad, don't you have people at the company that you pay to do stuff like that?"
"Sure, but why should those guys have all the fun?" Chiaki waggled his eyebrows at his daughter. "Besides, you're also the first of your friends to have what I've got in there. Go ahead, turn it on and see."
Misaki shot her father a look before turning on her PSPNext. Her eyes bugged out as she saw what was on the screen. "Tekken 15!" she shrieked. Misaki threw her arms around Chiaki. "Dad, you're the greatest!"
Daichi smiled at Misaki as he picked another quick riff on his guitar. It always amused him how excitable she got when Chiaki would bring home a yet-to-be-released game or some exclusive bit of company swag every now and again. He knew that Misaki was probably as equally amused at his joy when he was able to put together a new song.
Misaki whipped her head around to look at Daichi in bewilderment, recognizing the riff that he had just played as the opening music to Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion. "I didn't know you knew how to play that!"
Daichi just shrugged. "Dad taught me." Misaki shook her head and started for her room, seemingly ignoring Kotoha's announcement that dinner would be ready shortly.
"Hey, Mimi, get back in here. When your mother tells you dinner will be ready soon, don't you go hiding yourself in your room," Chiaki scolded. As Misaki slunk back into the den and plunked herself down next to Daichi, eyes pinned to her PSPNext screen, Chiaki turned to Daichi and grinned. "And that's my boy," he crowed, patting Daichi on the shoulder. "Chip off the old block." He headed for the kitchen to get a sneak preview of dinner. When Daichi began to play Cocoa Otoko.'s "Soldier," Chiaki turned around and said, "Okay, knock that shit off."
"Chiaki, dear, watch your language," admonished Kotoha, "You're not at work right now." She emerged from the kitchen with two plates of curry rice. "Misaki, Daichi, come and eat."
The twins, having caught the scent of curry, both sprang from the couch and jostled each other on their way to the dining nook. Kotoha shook her head at her kids as she set the plates of curry rice in front of them. Returning to the kitchen, she swatted Chiaki's hand as he was about to stick a finger into the curry pot. "You can't wait until you're served?"
Chiaki pulled Kotoha to him and kissed her. "Depends on what I'm being served," he purred mischievously.
"Chiaki…" Though her voice made her seem annoyed, Kotoha's eyes betrayed her amusement at and interest in Chiaki's amorous comment. She bit her lip flirtatiously before leaning in to kiss her husband, wrapping her arms around him.
Misaki, who could see her parents' carrying on from where she was sitting, grimaced. "Ew, Mom, Dad, no one wants to watch you guys make out," she groaned. Daichi sighed ruefully as he held up a hand to shield his eyes.
o-o-o-o-o
Ami Shiraishi was walking home from her job at the Tachikawa Kindergarten when she heard someone calling, "Ami-chan!" She looked across the street and her face brightened when she saw the perky girl who had just emerged from the restaurant known as L'Ebizou and was now walking briskly towards her and she waved vigorously. "Ori-chan!" She hugged her friend in greeting. "What do you have there?" she asked, looking at the small square box in the other girl's hands.
Oriane Umemori, known to her friends as Ori-chan, handed the box to Ami. "Pour toi! I wanted to see what you think of this."
Ami lifted the lid from the box to see a cupcake topped with glittery pink frosting, tiny pink and yellow fondant flowers, and a yellow jelly starburst. The edge of the cupcake top was rimmed with pink and yellow sugar crystals. She smiled broadly. Oriane was quite skilled in making pastries and cakes, and every time she got a new idea for a dessert, she always gave Ami the first sample to try. "Ori-chan, it's beautiful! What flavor is this?"
"I call this 'Raspberry Lemonade Surprise.' There's raspberry puree in the cake batter, and lemon curd in the middle," answered Oriane. "I can't take all the credit, though. The lemon curd was actually Maman's idea."
"In any case, it sounds delicious!" Ami put the lid back on the box. "I'll bring it home to share with everyone. You know, if this turns out just to be as good as everything else you've had me try, you really should consider opening your own cake shop," said Ami. "Surely you could ask your parents for help with that?"
"Heh… I don't know if I could, not yet, anyway. If anything, I'll ask Maman and Papa if they can feature a few of my creations on their dessert menu and see what happens. Before that, though, I'd like to make it to graduation!"
"Same here," groaned Ami. "After graduation, I don't know if I still want to continue working at the kindergarten or start putting together a modeling portfolio. You know, I kind of wish that they had that modeling show here like they do in Korea, China, and America. I'd so do it."
Oriane nodded. "You mean like America's Next Top Model? Yeah, I've wondered why isn't there a Japanese version. I think you could totally rock it if there was one."
"You really think so?"
"Mais bien sûr! I love your fashion sense, and everything you wear looks good on you! I think your mom could have been a model, too. Ditto for your dad."
"Thanks." Ami blushed. "I suppose Mother could have modeled if she wanted to. Father, though…" Her brow furrowed. "I just can't see it. I mean, Father, a model? I mean, yeah, he's good-looking for a guy, but…" Ami shuddered. "Ew! I don't want to think about it! This is my father we're talking about as if he were some sort of sex symbol! What if I said that I thought that your father was hot?"
Oriane laughed. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to squick you out. And I do think that my dad's hot; nothing wrong with that. I mean, I love it when the girls at school get jealous when they find out who my dad is. And believe me, they're kind of envious of you, too, having a dad as hot as yours. Not only that, but Maman had to have thought that Papa was hot in the first place. She probably still thinks he is! But anyway, yeah, I think you could be a fantastic model, TV show or no TV show." Suddenly, her attention was diverted to her front pocket, from which she took out her smartphone. Seeing who was on the caller ID, she answered the call with, "Oui, Papa?" After a short conversation with her father, Oriane ended the call. "Sorry, but I have to run. We've got some VIP's coming to L'Ebizou tonight, and Papa and Maman are pulling out all the stops to make sure everything's right for them."
Ami nodded. "I understand. I won't keep you any longer. Tell your parents 'hi' from all of us and that we'll try to come to L'Ebizou this weekend. Oh, and thanks again," she said, holding up the cupcake box. After exchanging hugs, Oriane crossed back to the other side of the street and Ami continued on her way home.
o-o-o-o-o
A young man, his longish hair lightened to reddish-brown, walked through the gates of the Shiba House. Slipping his sneakers off at the front door, he called out, "I'm home." Getting no response, he headed for the kitchen, gently waving off the kuroko who offered to take the bags that he had in his hand. Inside the kitchen, he saw a woman standing at the counter, her back to him, studying a cookbook. "Mother?" he asked, before opening the refrigerator to take out a bottle of green tea.
Mako Shiba started slightly and whipped around. "Masaru! Welcome back! I didn't hear you come in." She gave her son a quick hug.
Masaru hugged Mako back. "Sorry if I scared you." He chugged down half of the bottle of tea.
"What do you have there?" asked Mako, motioning to the bags in Masaru's hand. Masaru opened one of them to show Mako a new lens for his digital camera. Mako nodded in understanding. "That's for your field trip to Hokkaido, isn't it?"
"That, and you know that, one of these days, Ami's going to ask me to take some pictures so she can build up a modeling portfolio."
Mako smirked. "So she's still thinking about that modeling career, is she? That sister of yours needs to make up her mind." She tipped her head towards the other bag in Masaru's hand. "What else do you have?" His face reddening slightly, Masaru sheepishly revealed a copy of the latest One Piece DX Mateys manga. Mako chuckled. "Oh, you're just like your father. You know, he wouldn't admit to it when he was courting me, but I found out that he had a huge stash of One Piece manga in his study."
"Where do you think I started reading One Piece?" asked Masaru. He went to his room to put his new camera lens onto his desk, then went to the back steps of the Shiba House with his One Piece DX Mateys manga in hand. The Shishi Origami unfolded itself as it leapt from the pocket of Masaru's jacket and began to frolic around him as he began to read.
Takeru was headed for the kitchen when he spotted Masaru with his manga and the Shishi Origami on the back steps. He paused just before he reached the porch and watched his son from a distance, smiling. Even though he still has a great responsibility to bear, thank goodness he doesn't have to deal with what I went through, he thought. I'm glad that Mako and I decided to let him and Ami have some semblance of a normal life. He felt someone come up next to him, and he looked over to see Sakutaro. The older man had a grim look on his face. "Sakutaro, what's the matter?"
Sakutaro bowed. "Tono, it's been confirmed. It's not what we wanted to hear, but what can we do?"
Takeru sighed. He looked back out at Masaru. I hoped that we wouldn't have to come to this. "Wait for my go to summon the others. I'll have Masaru go get Ami." After Sakutaro bowed and hurried back the way he had come, Takeru took a deep breath and called out, "Masaru."
Masaru turned to face Takeru. "Father?" He got up and walked over to Takeru, the Shishi Origami scampering behind him. Seeing the frown on Takeru's face, Masaru asked, "Something wrong?"
Takeru pulled out a set of car keys. "Go pick up your sister. It's time."
Oriane, having a French-raised mom, does tend to sprinkle some French phrases into her everyday speech. Pour toi=For you, Maman=Mom, Mais bien sûr=But of course, Oui, Papa=Yes, Dad
I know that it's difficult for some people to envision their parents as young, attractive, and frisky, so I decided to have a little fun with the Tani twins getting squicked out by their parents' getting a bit saucy and Ami getting weirded out at the idea that her dad could have been a model when he was younger. Of course, the irony of Ami's unease is that Takeru's actor, Tori Matsuzaka, got his start as a model.
So what's the verdict? I appreciate your feedback!