Author's Notes:

First Shinkenger and Super Sentai fic ever! But certainly not the first time to write a fanfic. This is, I suppose, a drabble? I'm brainded at the moment and was very bored so I decided to write this. I'm a Kotoha/Chiaki and Mako/Takeru shipper so yeah, there goes the slight Chiaki/Kotoha moment you have down there. There aren't so many Shinkenger (especially Mako/Takeru) fics out there so I'm really working on spreading the pairing. /peace/

Also, don't forget to review this, alright? Because reviews keep writer(s) motivated to write more. I have a multichaptered Shinkenger fic though but who knows... then again, reviews make writer(s) write more. So if you love this, please review :)

EDIT: this happened somewhere along episode 45 onwards, which is why I wrote "the 19th head" instead of 18th.

Warmth of Fire

Mako/Takeru oneshot

"Mako-chan!"

Kotoha gasped as she lowered her shinai and approached her sparring partner. Mako has her left hand clutching the hem of her shirt as she bit her lower lip, trying her best not to scream. Traces of red began to emerge and smeared her training attire, sending Kotoha wide eyed in terror.

"Mako-chan! Are you alright!"

As much as she wanted to reply yes, Mako couldn't answer. The wound was too much and she felt her vision growing blurry throughout seconds. She tried to gather back her strength to stand up, only to stagger a little before finally falling into someone's arm. Mako, however, didn't bother to look up and see whose arms they belong to; surely they don't belong to Kotoha. One thing Mako was able to register though, these arms belong to a man – it's either Ryunnosuke, Chiaki or…. Mako didn't really want to wonder about the last male shinkenger.

Everything seemed to be spinning out of control, Mako suddenly felt like she lost her vision. Damn those gedoushu for this wound, she cursed. She heard a few voices calling her name, repeatedly, but her mind was somewhere else. Mako was too tired that she let her eyes close, bringing complete darkness to her vision.

Kotoha gripped her shinai worriedly, her knuckles turning white. She wanted to scold her own stupidity for asking Mako to be her sparring opponent today. Everything was due to the fact that Kotoha wanted to grow stronger because she wanted to be more like Mako, to be more reliable, stronger and more skilled. It was nerve-wrecking and worrisome at the same time when she saw the samurai of heaven collapsed, her training attire completely stained by blood. Never in her life had she seen a helpless Mako who winced painfully – this was the first time and it panicked her a little.

"Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault." Chiaki placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. The green shinkenger knew that expression on Kotoha's face too well, probably because they were the youngest in the group that he found it easy to understand someone around his age.

"I shouldn't have asked Mako-chan to accompany me training. I should have known better that her wound hasn't healed completely."

"Kotoha," Chiaki's voice was deeply concerned, "it's not your fault. I'm sure it was Neesan's own will to spar with you. Don't worry about it, the kuroko-tachi are taking care of her." Chiaki placed his hand on her head, messing her neat hair despite the young samurai's protest.

"Thank you, Chiaki."

"What for?" he grinned.

"Just..thank you."

"You're silly."

And they both laughed at each other. Kotoha knew that Chiaki understood perfectly what she meant. There has always been a connection, an unexplainable one between the two of them that made her understand him and vice versa without having to actually talk it out. The earth samurai has never been this grateful in presence of another person in her life.

Meanwhile, the condition of a certain sky samurai didn't look so promising. Mako was about to protest when the kuroko applied band-aid around her waist but decided to shut up instead and let them do all the work. When they're all done, Mako had been trying to let herself fall to sleep, only to find her attempt keep on failing. She sighed and stared at the ceiling, suddenly feeling guilty about seeing Kotoha's expression. It was, of course, not Kotoha's fault; it was simply hers, she was the one who agreed on practicing despite being wounded. But Mako wasn't raised by her grandmother only to whine over a wound; she was trained as a samurai and a wound like this will not have her bedridden all day long.

Just when Mako was too absorbed with her own thought, the door slid open, revealing none other than her lord, the group leader and most of all, the 19th head of Shiba clan. He was still holding his shinai and still in his training attire with towel hanging around his neck. The young lord crouched down beside her futon, only to receive a wide eyed and surprised Mako.

"Are you alright?"

A tone, a different tone that he never used to speak to anyone, ever. There was something…quite different from it, something incoherent, something meaningful behind those three words.

"I'm fine. It's not like such wound will keep me bedridden for weeks," Mako giggled and tried to hide the piercing pain agonizing her body, "what brings you here all of a sudden?" she smiled.

Takeru found himself gripping the shinai tighter than before. He was, for a moment there, lost at words. Seeing one of his vassals bedridden, with thick bandage around her waist, looking so weak and vulnerable… it was just nerve-wrecking. Sure, he had seen his other vassals getting injured after a battle – Ryunnosuke with bandage around his forehead, or Chiaki and Kotoha with bruises on their arms and legs. Nonetheless, there was something quite different when he saw the sky samurai bedridden like this.

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" Mako questioned rather confusedly.

"Practicing when you should be resting, focusing on healing your injury. What kind of foolish thought were you thinking?"

Mako was taken aback by his change of tone. It was stern, hard and cold as ice.

"I just wanted to practice, that's all. Besides, Kotoha needs a sparring partner." She sighed.

"She could have asked for Chiaki or Ryunnosuke. It didn't have to be you."

"Takeru, what is it? Why are you being like this?" Mako replied.

Takeru lowered his head and stared down at the tatami floor, suddenly finding them to be even more interesting than where this conversation is leading to. He clenched his fists rather nervously and sighed, before finally gathering up all his courage and looked at his vassal in the eye.

"I was worried, Mako."

For a brief moment there, time seemed to stop for the two of them. In a blink of an eye, there existed no more the invisible boundary that separated them as vassal and lord. There were only Shiraishi Mako and Shiba Takeru, just a girl and a boy, looking at each other directly straight in the eye; no positions, no rules, no nothing, just as individuals.

Mako couldn't believe if she heard that right. She sure she wasn't deaf and she wasn't blind either; she could read the movements of his lips perfectly. The arrogant lord just said that he was worried, and about her, even.

Then again, as a lord, he would be worried about his vassals, right? It was just a logical thing to do.

"You worry too much. I'm fine, really. Look, we can still talk to each other right?"

"You don't look like you're fine. I'm going to tell Jii that I shall be looking after you tonight. I will sleep in front of your room if it's necessary."

"What—hey! There's no need to. Takeru, I'm just fine. All I need is enough rest. Kuroko-tachi have done their jobs excellently."

"As a vassal, you cannot argue with what I said. Like it or not, I'm going to look after you tonight." He flashed a smile; the same smile he gave her when she confronted him about accepting Genta into the team.

"Suit yourself, tono-sama. Just don't complain when it gets complicated."

"All you need is a peaceful sleep, right? And all I need to do is just to keep you company. There's nothing difficult with that." He chuckled before finally stretching out his hands and when they found her hand from under the blanket, he held it securely.

Mako didn't move at his action. Sure she was surprise with the sudden gesture but she would be in denial to say that his hands did not feel warm around hers. The moment was just… perfect. Mako doubted about whether it's really fine for them to stay like this longer than possible. And he too, could have wished nothing but the same; if only he can stop time then he will probably do it.

"Thank you." She muttered to which he only nodded and gave her another genuine smile.

"Sleep, Mako. You need it." He took one of his hands and brushed her bangs aside, revealing a clearer view on a pair of beautiful eyes that has been holding him captivated for the last few weeks.

Mako nodded and closed her eyes before finally drowning herself into the dream world, with her right hand being kept warm around his comforting grip.

Outside, the other three shinkengers and Hikoma were standing with their arms folded across their chests. Ryunnosuke was smiling knowingly while Kotoha whispered something to Chiaki, earning an eagerly nodded head and thumbs up. Hikoma shook his head and smiled knowingly at his lord. He remembered the panic that went across Takeru's face when he told him that Mako had collapsed and bleed a lot. Without hesitation, Takeru left his shodo brush and rushed towards the training field, only to find it empty and with trails of blood running along the grass.

"Jii! Where is she?"

Hikoma stopped his track and turned towards his lord. Takeru panted and tried to regain back his normal breathing rate. Hikoma placed a comforting hand on his lord's shoulder, giving him a reply that the kuroko were taking care of everything. Never once he saw Takeru's face went so pale that it made him look like a walking dead.

"Tono-sama...he cares a lot about Mako, doesn't he?" Ryunnosuke muttered.

"Neesan is important, after all." Chiaki added.

"Mako-chan is important to every one of us." Kotoha nodded.

"But we all know how much she affected Tono-sama's life, don't we?" Ryunnosuke smiled as he remembered how it affected him quite the same when he caught her figure before even touching the ground completely.

Hikoma stared at the lord's three vassals and nodded approvingly. There has always been an invisible boundary, a limitation between a vassal and a lord but for this time, just once, he will let his lord to spend all the time he wanted to have with someone he really cherished.

R E V I E W

REVIEW

R-E-V-I-E-W

8D