June 12, 2012
Summary: Sometimes the apology you're waiting for is waiting for you.
Disclaimer: I do not own Super Sentai's GoGo Sentai Boukenger or anything related, not even the idea. This was a request from GoseiGokaiYellow.
A/N: This takes place right after Natsuki is saved by Masumi before the Light of Lemuria could drain her life force away. This is also my first request story, so feedback would really be appreciated.
Apology Accepted
It was disgusting, watching Natsuki nip at the heels of Red. His confident walk was alluring, yes, not that Masumi would ever admit such a thing out loud. Masumi was too much a lone wolf, a rebel, go-it-alone type of guy. Yet, he was the one that essentially saved them all – saved her! So, why in hell was Natsuki following Satoru around like a lovesick teenager?
He was slouched against the couch, chomping on peanuts as a cow does grass. Satoru and Natsuki had been carrying some artifacts that needed to be examined to Makino's office. There must have been a dozen boxes, or more, as this was their fourth trip from the elevator.
Ping. Yellow and Red entered from the elevator, both observing the bustle of a busy day. Satoru moved to place a box on the island when Sakura protested loudly. She and Eiji were sifting through piles of papers, most likely detailing reports and analyzing data all at the same time.
Doesn't that woman ever take a break? Black thought, watching Eiji moan and groan as Sakura explained to their leader they required the space. To Masumi's surprise, Sakura even declined his request for extra hands. Of course, he knew where this was going. They would soon request his help, so Masumi heaved himself up, taking another look around and quietly disappeared.
-SGS-
The rain was depressing, just a heavy, unrelenting battering at his window. He was laying on his bed, listening to the storm howl and scream, all the time tossing a ball against the wall. He had been visited by Makino, who had a rather ugly disposition. Vexed with Black's incessant thumping from his tennis ball, Makino warned him that undesirable consequences would follow if he didn't stop. Mostly likely, the older gentleman would simply delegate some tedious office work or an immaculate cleaning of Search Guard Successor Headquarters (SGS) and the public museum with a child's toothbrush.
When the door hissed open from behind where he lay stretched out, Masumi smirked, expecting a red-faced Makino to be snarling and snorting in the doorway. To his surprise, the bubbly yellow ranger was bouncing on her toes. She scurried in and plopped on the bed. "Masumi, come help Natsuki with grocery shopping?" Her smile was heart-melting. She was dressed in her uniform, which was peculiar, but to each his – er, her – own.
He sat up to make more room for her. They were so close, he was tempted to hug her like he had when she has come to from being in the hold of the powerful Egg of Lemuria. But he was still waiting and waiting for a 'thank you' for saving her and her apology for forgetting him. Because Masumi hadn't forgotten her, ever.
Her pigtails jumped in excitement. "Satoru will be happy to have another set of hands. He wanted Sak . . ." Yellow stopped mid sentence. "Masumi? Where are you going?" her voice was a whimper like she had been kicked.
He was already in the hall when he stopped, "I have things I got to do, you go." His response sounded more an order than a brush off, but he didn't really care if she was upset. He thought he was being invited by her – to be with her, not to join them. Had his heroics, his desire to do anything to save her count? Or was it all about the title?
-SGS-
They were training, as per routine. Their scheduled practices were down to a rhythmic flow. The girls would warm up, usually engaging in some form of gymnastics while the men simply stretched. The Boukengers would move onto some cardio, and then the men and women would spar separately, in which Natsuki would insist they should play teams. After a few rounds, Shouta would feel tired and Eiji would complain of boredom, so they would quit with their shoulders slumped because of exhaustion. This would leave the four of them, where Pink would leave without a word to the shooting range and Satoru would follow for "safety" measures.
And just as the room cleared and the silence settled, Natsuki would pounce and sneak attack him. Though, in secret, Masumi always knew it was coming. He just liked to give her the confidence to take the initiative rather than wait for orders from someone else. They would grapple, and more than that, laugh. He always feigned hating her silliness, but he would count the seconds until they were alone. Except for today.
Natsuki was whining and pouting when Satoru suggested they end practice early, skipping sparring because of the arduous fight they were still recovering from the day prior. Black was more than happy to abandon the practice and the team. He had been counting the seconds that he could soak in a hot tub.
"Please, Chief," she pled, her head titled, her one foot curled behind her as she smiled wide and her eyes glittered. 3 . . .2 . . .1 . . . "Yay, thank you Chief!"
Damn, he cursed to himself. They had been split into sets of two. Masumi had won the coin toss to pick teams. Finally, something goes my way, he breathed inside his mind. Right off the bat, he had made it evident he wanted neither Red or Yellow on his team, by choosing Blue. A pause in reality sustained time for a moment. Everyone was dumbfounded by Masumi's choice not to pick Yellow as per ritual. Satoru argued that he needed Pink to make it equal by gender. However, Blue explained in his whimsically romantic way, that no matter what, one team would not have a female counterpart. Somehow this troubled their leader immensely, and as both Masumi and Satoru locked eyes, it suddenly meant something more.
-SGS-
Distracted by his desire to win against Yellow and Red, he was unprepared for Pink and Silver to seize the opportunity to overpower he and Shouta. Blue's last desperate cry for help right before being thrown from the mat was finally registered by Masumi. However, by then it was too late. Sakura worked low as Eiji worked high and soon Masumi found himself next to Shouta, out of the ring. Pink and Eiji high-fived each other in congratulations. Silver crossed his arms arrogantly, surveying his victory. It had easily slipped into an intense workout, everyone had dribbles of sweat riding down their faces and were huffing and puffing. Masumi pounded the floor with his fist, having lost the game.
When Masumi stood up, he noticed Satoru holding his shoulder, rotating it slowly, his eyes closed shut tightly in pain. Natsuki groaned, seeming to limp slightly to her beaten and injured teammate. As the four met in the center, the winners having already left to celebrate with ice cream, Satoru wore a displeased expression on his face. One of disappointment and confusion.
"Eh, Masumi? What happened? You acted with no control. You could have seriously injured your teammates. This is practice." Red was firm in his words, gesturing to Natsuki who looked as if she was ready to ball her eyes out.
"Natsuki thinks Masumi needs to apologize." Satoru nodded in agreement. There was a moment when all eyes were on him.
Apologize? Me? I should be the last to ask for forgiveness, he seethed within. He had been beyond patient. He was taking his apology by force, if necessary, even if it meant fighting for it. Yet, somewhere deep down, he knew his actions warranted an apology. But, 'an eye for an eye' was all that Masumi could think of at the moment.
Black snorted, "I did you a favor." He turned and while exiting the gym, a little worn and torn himself, he spoke over his shoulder, "If you can't handle one human, I'm not sure that you can lead and handle the other precious hunters, Chief."
-SGS-
Masumi tossed and turned. Finally accepting his insomnia as a fixture that night, he went for a walk around the institute. It was eerie. All the exhibits and halls were dark, casting spooky shadows everywhere. Masumi halted when he heard voices traveling from the prehistoric exhibit. His breathing was coming in and out quick and loud. Tightening his hands into fists, he prepared for whoever was rounding the tyrannosaurus feature.
Shouta and Satoru were walking around the fossils, breezily talking. They, too, stopped when they saw Masumi. Both Black and Red glowered at each other. A heavy silence filled the large space. They stood at the ready, prepared for a call to battle, but it was a different, smoother call that came through.
"You can't sleep, either?" Shouta asked, the words rolling off his tongue in that half-awake state. Masumi arched an eyebrow, not bothering to answer verbally. Each member was dressed down into sweats or flannel pants and t-shirts. It was very early in the morning, and it wouldn't be too long before the staff trickled in to start their mundane work day.
"Ah, what are you doing walking around the institute?" Masumi asked. They had moved closer so they would not have to shout. There was no need to wake Yellow. Because as such, no one else was here.
"Pink and Silver haven't returned and Chief is worried," Shouta supplied. Their commander looked down, almost shameful.
"You think they may be in trouble, Satoru?" Masumi asked, concerned for his fellow teammates. While he may not be enthused with everyone, he truly didn't want any harm to come to them. Suddenly, goose bumps spread up and down his arms, the same tingling feeling that was often followed by trouble.
Red was shifting, swaying uneasily. He moved to pace, stepping forward then quickly step back. In the small time they'd known each other, Masumi had never seen his leader so out of sorts . . . so indecisive.
On cue, Pink and Silver entered through a back door. Both stopped their conversation when they spotted the three rangers decked in their pajamas. As if suddenly realizing how under dressed they were, all three became inexplicably self conscious.
"Chief?" Pink asked incredulously.
Satoru blushed, grasping for the back of his neck with one hand and shoving the other hand in his pocket.
"Uh, what are you doing in the museum?" Eiji asked. He slurped up the last of his drink, making a loud noise as the straw scavenged for more beverage. Sakura still look dumbfounded by finding her commanding officer in his flannels and red undershirt. She was also holding a drink, but seemed entirely oblivious to the fact, almost dropping it.
"Chief had some things most important to discuss with you, Sakura. And when you were not here, we met to devise a plan to locate you as you were not answering you communicator."
"I did not know you had called. We were just walking," she answered, rather flustered. She quickly handed her drink to Eiji who look suspiciously at the other men. "No, my communicator registers no attempt of contact. I will have to fix this immediately. I'm sorry, Chief."
Shouta looked at Satoru, smiling devilishly. "Your turn he whispered."
"I can help," Eiji interrupted, escorting the pink ranger to the elevators.
Like an anvil dropped on his head, Satoru sank just a little. Then perked up, a determined look on his face. "I will supervise. I know Eiji is versed in technology, but those are delicate pieces of SGS equipment, so another person may be helpful."
Shouta nodded, pressing his lips tight to hold in his laughter.
-SGS-
They had waited a minute or two, suspecting another member to appear, but given the time, it was safe to assume Natsuki was sound asleep. Masumi smiled, he couldn't help it when thinking about the youngest team member curled up sleeping in her yellow onesies.
"I'm glad Chief went after them, eh? I thought it best if we talked alone. I've noticed that you and Chief are not getting along, which isn't surprising; however, why are you angry with Natsuki?" They were standing outside the elevator waiting for it to return.
"H-how? I-I'm not upset with Natsuki?" he sputtered. Their transport chimed it's arrival, but neither man moved to enter.
"I'm not the only one to notice your unusual dynamic, you and Yellow. Whatever you've done, just apologize," he suggested with a huff. "It's difficult to work when you two are not on good terms."
"Me? I'm not apologizing! She's the one that needs to apologize," he whispered harshly.
Shouta shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes. "You're just as stubborn as he is. I'm just saying that it's throwing us off." Blue stepped inside, his eyes near closing completely. Masumi was still standing, and purposely waiting for the next elevator. He didn't like where the conversation was leading. As if Shouta could also read minds, he added before the doors closed, "Well, knowing Natsuki, she probably figures that as close as you two are, you don't need to have an apology. You already know."
-SGS-
It was about two days later, when Masumi decided to forgo holding out. He had been knocked down a peg earlier that morning when he lowered his pride and admitted his fault in practice to Satoru. His admission to being wrong felt trivial compared to what he was about to do next. He finally knocked on her door, hearing a meek reply from the other side.
He waited for the door to slid open, seemingly taking forever; finally, to reveal Natsuki. She was hugging a yellow, anime animal he had won for her two summers ago. She was still in her night wear and a cereal bowl was sitting on her side table. Her Saturday morning cartoon had been muted, but he could tell she was eagerly waiting to go back to watching the program. They stood there in silence for a little. It was weird for her not to jump up and drag him to watch the silly children's show. Sighing, he broke the silence.
"Can I come in?"
"Masumi has been acting weird." She is standing now, playing the animal's large, floppy ears.
"Well, I just thought . . . Why are you so worried about Chief?"
Natsuki suddenly found a new interest in the carpet, choosing not to answer right away. This, of course, infuriated Masumi, but he held his tongue nonetheless. "Natsuki just wants to know that Natsuki is wanted and okay to work with SGS. Chief is the leader, no?"
Now it made sense, and if it was possible to be any bigger of an asshole, Masumi was sure he reached it. He inched closer to the young woman. He put his hands on her shoulders, his forehead touching hers, their eyes meeting thought the translucent curtain of her bangs, "Of course the team wants you, idiot." He breathed, getting to the more important thing on his mind. "I'm sorry, I was a jerk."
"I forgive you, Masumi. Are you mad anymore at Natsuki?"
He shook his head. Shouta had been right. He should know better than anyone, that approval from Chief and the others meant something – because they were friends. She was looking for acceptance, and why look at him. When he hugged her, he had accepted her again. And she had forgiven him, and accepted him for his failure to protect her. How was it someone so naïve was so much smarter than him.
They sat on her bed and watched the rest of the cartoon line-up. Masumi sighed, hemmed and hawed, but inside he was secretly reveling in the fact their friendship – or whatever – was back to how it had been. Apologies were hard to ask for, but even harder to accept.
~ End Apology Accepted
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