The Scent of Roses in December
by Estirose
c 2011

Sure, there's probably one big gap in his memory - probably two to four years. But it doesn't bother him because he has his team around him, a Sentai team, and they'll be there for him even if they don't know what's going on. He himself needs to figure it out, because he's almost sure he was fourteen when he went to bed last night, and yet something in his brain didn't see fit to remind him of that until now, let him blindly assume he was an adult. He tries to recall how the others got their memories back and utterly fails.

He returns to the table only to find his breakfast gone - or at least Marvelous is scraping it onto his own plate. Gai could point out that it may not be the healthiest thing, but he's too busy pouting. "Why?" he moans.

Nobody answers, but at least two of them look at him like he's the stupidest person in the world. After a moment, he realizes it has to be some team custom. Everyone on this team knows better than to leave the table during meals, apparently. Except for him, and at least he's the team cook. There are worse places to make awkward mistakes. He returns to the table, even though his food is gone. This is his team, and he'll stick by them, even if it means going hungry for a few minutes until he has an excuse to raid his own kitchen.

Given a little work, he can convince them that everything's all right, because the morale guy's job is to keep morale up, not get people worried, and Gai is sure they would be. Sentai teams might argue occasionally, but they're loyal to each other, most of the time.

As soon as breakfast is over, Gai hurries up the stairs for his own henshin device, because where would he be without it? Probably dead. He stares at the faces on the keys, runs his fingers over them, spotting five or six he doesn't know, and wishes he could remember. He bets that they were wonderful heroes too, he just wished he knew their names, what to call them.

Which makes him think. Most of the ones he recognizes are sixth Rangers - is he one too, a late addition to the team? It would make sense. He wonders how he got his device, what powers it has, how he even henshins with it, and whatever kept him from going into more of a panic when he first woke up isn't telling him anything on any of that.

He puts the device down, sitting down on his bed. He needs time to think. Hopefully nothing will attack while he's like this. On the other hand, maybe battle would get his memory back - isn't that what happened with somebody, somewhere?

There's a knock on his door, because of course he closed it when he went into his room. He wonders if he's adapted to leaving his door open in this place, because that's what everybody does. "Gai?" Ahim calls, and he hurries to open the door to let her in.

She's standing there, hands folded in front of her. "Are you all right, Gai?" she asks politely.

"Um. Yeah!" He's determined not to cause any problems. Ahim is still looking at him, still worried, but he'll find some way to make it up to her. It's very nice of her, anyway.

"Marvelous has decided to Treasure Navigate," Ahim says, and Gai wonders what that means, but he doesn't dare say anything to Ahim.

"Oh."

Ahim is still looking at him. Obviously there's something having to do with this Treasure Navigation business that requires him being there, even just as a member of the crew.

"I'm going downstairs," Ahim says. Gai swears he sees a tightening of her folded hands. "I'll see you there."

Then she's out of there, leaving Gai still holding his device. He looks around his room, trying to make sure he leaves with everything obvious this time, and then heads in the direction of the living room area. He hopes that's where they're doing the "Treasure Navigate" thing, because he'll be lost otherwise and it's going to be obvious that something's wrong with him. However he - this future him, as far as he knows - normally acts, at least Ahim's picked up on something wrong.

Maybe it's best to confess after all, he thinks. His amnesia probably wasn't his fault, whatever happened, and he doesn't want them to think that something worse has happened to him. He reassures himself that they won't think less of him and that he can considering keeping people cheery even if they know he's been knocked on the head or something like that.

The others are all gathered in the living room, obviously waiting for him. He gives them his best smile and apologizes for his lateness. He swears that Marvelous is looking at him measuringly for a moment before he turns to some kind of robot bird and commands it to Treasure Navigate.

After a protest it does, knocking itself around the room before colliding with a ceiling. "An empty armory is in your path," it says, fluttering its wings helplessly on the floor.

The rest of the team is now looking at him. Staring at him expectantly, really. Apparently that's why Ahim summoned him, because he's apparently the one that deciphers the riddles the robot bird gives them.

"Um. I don't know," he answers. Luka groans, and Joe turns away, and he feels embarrassed. Don and Ahim are more charitable, or at least bland, and Marvelous is still watching him as if he'll come up with an answer any minute. "In fact, I don't know who any of you are or how I got here."

He feels some relief as the truth comes out. There's still a niggling doubt that these are the bad guys, but he hopes not.

Marvelous looks at Ahim, and then back at Gai. "Can you fight?"

"Yes." That's important on a Sentai team, he knows. "I don't know how to henshin, but..." They can probably tell him that part.

"Check him over," Marvelous says in Joe's general direction. "Ahim, Doc, get him up to date. If he's fit, we'll take him with us."

He wants to protest that he can really fight, but there are things that he realizes that he might not know. He still pouts a little, because it would be so neat to fight with his team, if the'd let him.

"What about Gold Mode?" Don asks. It sounds like some kind of super mode, and he guesses from the man's expression that it's probably his super mode. Don is running a hand through his curls, as if in distress, but Marvelous doesn't seem to care. "If he doesn't remember all the teams..."

Apparently he has a very businesslike captain, he notices, as Marvelous seems unconcerned about the missing mode. He can live with that. Probably his super mode isn't that super.

"Gai," Ahim says, "What do you remember last?"

"Um," he responds, trying to be intelligent. "I went to bed. I don't know today's date, but it was November 28th, 2004, at least that's what I remember." He didn't know if his teammates would think to ask, so it was a good idea to tell them.

Don looks at Ahim, then the others. "Isn't it 2011 on Earth?" he asks, and Gai feels something drop in his stomach. Seven years? He'd figured two our four, but seven? He'd be twenty-one, an adult, but still!

"I believe so," Ahim answers.

Luka has crossed over to him, examining him with her eyes. There's concern in them, and it gives him hope that these are the good guys. "Well, we'll have to do the best we can."