I don't own Kyuranger or the characters, unfortunately! Hope you enjoy!
The group had just returned from a mission and headed back to their quarters for the night.
"Balance, what's wrong?" Naga wondered noticing his friend acting strange.
"What's wrong is, we haven't stolen anything in a while," Balance responded closing the door to their room, "We need to get back to business."
"We've been busy fighting Jark Matter," Naga mentioned as he sat on his bed.
"I have my eye on something, but first we need to steal a few kyutamas," Balance decided, "including the Kogitsune kyutama."
Naga shook his head, "You said in the past that we only steal from Jark Matter, we can't take kyutamas, it's stealing from our friends."
"Naga, remember I'm the brains of the operation, just follow along," Balance responded.
Naga stood up quickly, "Hammy told me to think for myself and I don't want to steal from them. If we get permission to use it, that's different."
"Look where it got you when you listened to Hammy. You got yourself brainwashed and needed us to come rescue you," Balance said cruelly.
Naga was taken aback, knowing his friend wouldn't normally talk to him like that. Naga sat back down and concentrated on the day's events. He remembered the magistrate they destroyed earlier had mentioned wanting the Kogitsune kyutama. He also remembered that Balance had gotten hit by the magistrate. Maybe Balance was infected by something?
"Balance, something is wrong with you," Naga stated in his monotone voice, "Let's get the others and we'll help you," he started to head for the door.
Balance sighed, "Can't let you do that, Naga," he shot mechanical wires out which wrapped around Naga's body.
"Balance, can't you see something is wrong?" Naga questioned as he fought against the wires.
"Nothing feels wrong," Balance responded, "Though you wouldn't know much about feeling would you? You know the others wouldn't believe you if you told them something was wrong anyway; I can act just fine if I have to but I thought you'd like to be in on my plans."
"Don't make me hurt you Balance," Naga was getting angry.
"Ah, anger, the one emotion you do fully understand. You follow me like a weak puppy dog wishing for emotions, but I've not helped you much have I? How about I make you feel pain, betrayal, desperation?" Balance flung Naga out of the wires and into his nightstand.
Before Naga could stand, Balance whipped his mechanical wires at his partner, leaving gashes in Naga's skin.
"Balance, please," Naga begged as he tried to stand up, "You are under control or something."
"Just consider it pay back for you attacking me when you were under control," Balance whipped out at him again.
Naga shook his head as he leaned against the wall, "I'm going to save you, just like you saved me."
"Who said I needed saving?" Balance wondered, "and you can't 'help' me," he used air quotes around the word help, "if you can't move."
Naga went to paralyze Balance but Balance moved too quick and wires from his wrists shot out and ripped at Naga's leg until he screamed out in pain. Naga fell to the ground, pain causing tears to stream down his face.
"See Naga, I can help you feel things," Balanced laughed until Naga caught eye contact with him.
Balance froze in place as Naga kept his eyes on him, trying to use the bed frame to stand.
He knew it wouldn't last long but Naga kept eye contact and tied the frozen Balance to his bed using an extra bed sheet. Naga backed out of the room slowly still trying to keep eye contact, and then limped quickly off toward his voyager. He knew Balance would be free soon, so he didn't bother waking the others, just deciding to run off to the planet they fought the magistrate.
As Naga flew off toward the planet, Hammy had come to Balance and Naga's door.
"Are you guys ok?" she knocked, "I heard a lot of noise coming from over here."
"Naga attacked me," Balance yelled through the door. Hammy came into the room and untied him. She got the others up and they all met on the bridge, where Balance made up a story about why Naga attacked him.
"We need to go after him," Hammy decided.
Balance shook his head, "He'll come back on his own," he said confidently.
Hammy felt like something was off about the story and the fact that Balance didn't want to run off after his partner. She snuck off into her voyager and used her communication system to try to contact Naga.
"Naga? It's Hammy. Naga, where did you go?" she wondered.
After a few minutes she got a response, "Something is wrong with Balance."
"He says you attacked him," she told him as she headed off into space.
"I'm on my way back to the planet from earlier, I think the magistrate did something to Balance," Naga informed before he cut his transmissions off.
Hammy called the ship to tell them she was going after Naga, while the group was now unsure who to believe, Naga and Hammy or Balance.
Naga arrived on the planet and quickly found Jark Matter was still in control. He found the real magistrate, the one destroyed had turned out to be a clone.
"What did you do to Balance?" Naga was already morphed into Hebitsukai Metal.
The Magistrate laughed, "The gold one? Just implanted a little virus into his system that's all. Thought he could help me get what I want."
"He's not a tool that you can use," Naga said angrily, "He's my friend."
"All machines are tools, just like him," The magistrate ran forward to attack.
With the pain radiating in Naga's leg and hip he tried to attack from afar using his seiza blaster, but soon he grabbed his kyu sickle and started slashing at his opponent.
Knowing he was moving too slow, Naga took drastic measures by stealing a move Balance had previously used on him. He shot up into the air and tackled the magistrate. He rolled over so the magistrate was on top, and the shot fell back down in a giant explosion upon the pair.
Hammy arrived just in time to see the explosion. She saw the magistrate was finally destroyed and left in the wake was Naga, unmorphed and covered in burns and lacerations.
"Hammy, Naga, what is going on?" Hammy heard Lucky ask through her helmet.
"I've found Naga, the magistrate wasn't destroyed the first time, Naga just took him out by himself," Hammy was kneeling by her friend.
"Balance just reset or something, but he seems better now," Lucky commented.
"If crying about Naga is better," Garu added.
"Naga needs medical attention, as soon as possible. I'm bringing him back now, get supplies ready," Hammy instructed.
Hammy placed Naga back into his voyager and set it on autopilot, knowing there wasn't enough room for him in her voyager.
They arrived quickly and Naga's wounds were dressed. His leg was set and iced but he was still unconscious.
"I was so mean to him," Balance confessed to Hammy as they sat near his bed.
Hammy put her hand on Balances arm, "He of all people will understand."
"You know he takes things the wrong way sometimes, I'm just afraid I said something he'll take badly," Balance added.
Hammy and the others were in and out of the room but Balance never left Naga's side. After two days Balance noticed Naga's face twitching a bit.
"Naga? Everything is alright now. Please wake up," Balance begged.
It took him a few minutes but Naga finally opened his eyes, "Balance?"
"Yeah, Naga. I'm so sorry. I knew what was happening but the virus was overriding me trying to fight it," Balance confessed, "Thank you for taking the magistrate out, but you didn't have to go alone."
"You would have stopped me before I woke anyone," Naga tried sitting up but grabbed his hip in pain.
"You... I, broke your hip. You'll need to stay off missions for a few weeks at least. I'm so sorry, Naga."
Naga winced as he adjusted slowly.
"Thank you for saving me before I screwed up anything else," Balance continued.
"Just consider it payback for saving me," Naga blinked sleepily.
Balance remembered what he told Naga earlier and winced, "You do know I don't think you need payback right?"
Naga nodded, "I know, but maybe you were right."
"Are you feeling guilty Naga?"
"Guilty?" Naga thought for a moment.
"It's kind of like when you feel bad for something you did but it's more than just feeling bad. I guess it's hard to explain," Balance explained.
"Maybe," Naga yawned.
"Looks like you need to rest some more, why don't you sleep and we can talk about this again later," Balance suggested.
Naga nodded slowly before closing his eyes, "Don't worry Balance, I don't blame you."
Balance nodded unseen by his friend, "Thanks Naga."