Kakuranger-New Year's Romance Epilogue
Disclaimer: I do not own Super Sentai. They belong to Saburo Yatsude, Shotaro Ishinomori, TV Asahi, and Toei Company, Ltd. Unless otherwise noted, the characters in this story are actually speaking Japanese. Some characters may appear a bit OOC.
Here is the epilogue. Be sure to stay tuned after the fic for a special announcement.
(Epilogue—Wednesday, February 18, 2004)
The day had finally come. Tsuruhime was giving birth to her first child.
Sasuke and Tsuruhime had moved into a new house shortly after she became pregnant. It was a modest place, located only a kilometer or so from the Hakamenrou mansion. Incidentally, the place was built by Hakamenrou himself. In the master bedroom, Tsuruhime was in the bed, with Sasuke holding her right hand and Hakamenrou holding her left hand. A midwife was assisting in the birthing process.
In the living room, Jiraiya, Saizou, and Seikai were waiting semi-patiently. By this time, Jiraiya was now a fully certified English teacher, Saizou's restaurants were still successful, and Seikai was pretty much a playboy.
"Man, how long does it take for a baby to be born?" Saizou asked impatiently.
"Well, my mother told me that when I was born, she was in labor for 47 hours," Seikai said.
"FORTY-SEVEN HOURS?!" Saizou said. "Now I really feel bad for Tsuruhime."
"Hey, did Tsuruhime ever tell you guys about her mother?" Jiraiya asked them.
"I don't believe she did," Seikai said. Saizou also shook his head. "Why?"
"Because Sasuke told me that her mom died giving birth to her," Jiraiya said.
"Really?" Seikai said.
"Are you serious?" Saizou asked.
"Mm-hmm," Jiraiya said. "He also told me that Tsuruhime was very worried that she wasn't going to make it through the delivery."
"Wow," Saizou said.
"Say, where's your fiancée, Jira?" Seikai asked. Jiraiya had proposed to Tsukiyo during the past Christmas.
"She's substituting my class," Jiraiya said.
"EH?!" Saizou and Seikai said.
"But how?" Saizou asked.
"I thought she didn't care about the English language," Seikai said.
"Well, she's learning for my sake," Jiraiya said. "Actually, I make her listen to 'English Lessons on CD' in her sleep."
"Oh…" Seikai and Saizou said.
After a grueling 16 hours of labor, Tsuruhime finally gave birth to a healthy baby girl. However, there was a big surprise in store for the new parents. Tsuruhime was having twins!
"Isn't this wonderful, Tsuru-chan?" Sasuke asked.
"This is a nightmare," Tsuruhime moaned. Truth of the matter, she was happy, but she also wanted the whole thing to be over, since she was the one giving birth.
"Don't worry, Tsuruhime," Hakamenrou said. "It's almost over." Tsuruhime then glared at her father.
"This is all your fault!" she yelled at him.
"Why is she blaming me for this?" Hakamenrou asked himself. Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Can I come in yet?" Bun asked through the door.
"NO!" Tsuruhime said.
"Tsuruhime, we need someone else to look after the first baby," Sasuke said.
"Oh, fine!" Tsuruhime said.
"Thanks," Bun said as he opened the door and entered the bedroom.
"And besides, your husband was the one that, quote-unquote, 'knocked you up,' Tsuruhime," Hakamenrou said to his daughter. "So, if you should blame anyone, blame him."
"Hey!" Sasuke said.
Back in the living room, the three ninjas were amusing themselves by playing poker…Texas Hold 'Em to be exact.
"Hey, do you guys remember when Tsuruhime played cards with us for the first time?" Jiraiya asked.
"All too well," Saizou said. "For a girl that never played before, she kicked all our asses that day."
"And I especially remember when it was down to the two of us," Seikai said. "Since I lost, I had to make dinner for everyone."
"And if you had won, Kai, Tsuruhime would have jumped into the lake completely naked," Jiraiya said. Seikai blushed profusely upon hearing that.
"Please don't remind me of that," Seikai said.
"You still get easily embarrassed whenever we mention Tsuruhime possibly being in the nude, man," Saizou said. "Be honest…did you have a crush on her back in the day?"
"Of course not!" Seikai said. "Besides, I'm ten years older than her!"
"Hey, Sasuke's twelve years older than Tsuruhime, and they found love with each other," Saizou said. "Now, I'll admit I had a bit of a crush on Tsuruhime back then, but I decided not to act on my feelings because I didn't want to hurt either of them."
"That was a nice thing for you to do, Saizou," Jiraiya said.
"Thanks," Saizou said. "Hey, Jira, did you ever have a crush on Tsuruhime?"
"Just shut up and deal the cards," Jiraiya glared at him.
"I'll take that as a yes," Saizou said.
Back in the bedroom…
"Okay, one more push, Tsuruhime," the midwife said to her.
"AHHHHHHH!"
And with that intense push, the second baby was finally born.
"It's a boy!" the midwife said.
"A boy!" Sasuke said. "We have a girl and a boy, Tsuru-chan!"
"Sasuke…next time, you're giving birth," Tsuruhime said weakly. Sasuke just chuckled at her.
"I'll go tell the guys the good news," Bun said as he handed the baby girl to Hakamenrou.
"You do that," Tsuruhime said weakly to her adopted brother. As soon as Bun left the room, the midwife handed the baby boy to the mother. She then looked at her newborn child. "So…you were the one causing me all this trouble."
As the three Kakure boys were playing poker in the living room, Bun entered the room.
"So, did she have the kid yet?" Saizou asked.
"Yep," Bun said. "In fact, onee-chan gave birth to twins!"
"Twins?!" Jiraiya, Seikai, and Saizou said.
"A girl and a boy," Bun explained.
"Ha! I knew it!" Seikai said. He then turned to Saizou. "Pay up, man!" Saizou reluctantly took out some money and handed it to Seikai.
"Can we go see them?" Jiraiya said.
"Uh, not right now, guys," Bun said. "Tsuruhime-neechan is totally exhausted."
"I can imagine," Jiraiya said.
"So, how long was she in labor, Bun?" Saizou asked.
"Sixteen hours and eighteen minutes," Bun said, looking at his watch. "Give or take a second."
"Lucky her," Seikai said. "When my mom was giving birth to me, she was in labor for…"
"Forty-seven hours," Saizou and Jiraiya said at the same time.
"We know already," Jiraiya said.
"Really?" Bun asked.
"Yeah, but the difference was my mom was on drugs when she gave birth to me," Seikai said. "Whose idea was it for Tsuruhime to give birth in her bedroom?"
"Hers," Bun said. "She wanted a natural childbirth for her first child, but after what she went through today, I don't know if she wants to have any more kids."
"Yeah," Saizou said. He then checked the clock, which read 8:00 p.m. "Wait a minute…Tsuruhime was in labor since 4 o'clock in the morning?"
"No wonder she's so exhausted," Jiraiya said. "I guess we'll have to come by tomorrow morning. That, and I'll have to ask for another day off."
"Yeah," Saizou said. He then took out his cell phone and dialed a number.
"Hey, Seikai…"
"Yeah, Bun?"
"Don't you have a job?" Bun asked Seikai.
"I don't know," Seikai said.
The next morning, Tsuruhime and the baby boy were sleeping soundly in bed. Just then, Sasuke, holding the baby girl in his arms, entered the room.
"Hey," Sasuke said. "How long as this been going on, Tsuru-chan?"
"Good morning, Sasuke," Tsuruhime said. She had made him sleep in one of the guest rooms for the night. She then slowly managed to pick up the baby boy and hold him in her arms. "Sasuke…you'll forgive me if I say that I don't want to do this again anytime soon, okay?"
"That's fine with me, Princess," Sasuke said. At that moment, Bun peaked his head through the door.
"Morning, everyone," he said.
"Bun, aren't you supposed to be getting ready for school?" Sasuke asked his brother-in-law.
"I'm actually on my way," Bun said. "Hey, is it okay if I let a few people in, Onee-chan?"
"Sure, Bun," Tsuruhime said.
"Okay," Bun said, leaving the room. He then peeked his head through the door again briefly. "Oh, and Saizou and Seikai had a little bet going on whether or not you'd actually have twins, Nee-chan."
"If I had the energy, Sasuke, I'd strangle the both of them," Tsuruhime said.
"Don't worry, Tsuru-chan," Sasuke said. "I'll strangle them for you." At that moment, Saizou and Jiraiya entered the room.
"Morning, guys," Jiraiya said.
"Morning, Jiraiya," Sasuke said.
"Morning," Tsuruhime said.
"So, how's it feel to be parents?" Saizou asked.
"Wonderful," Tsuruhime said. "Except for the part where I actually gave birth."
"I kinda figured that," Saizou said. "Listen, Tsuruhime…"
"Bun already told me about you and Seikai betting on me, but I'm not really in the mood to beat you to a pulp right now," Tsuruhime said. Saizou just chuckled nervously in response.
"Hey, where's Seikai?" Sasuke asked.
"Must have had a wild night last night," Jiraiya said. At that moment, Seikai stumbled into the room.
"Hi, guys," Seikai said.
"Have you been drinking, Seikai?" Tsuruhime asked.
"No," Seikai said. "Well, a bottle of champagne, but that's it." Tsuruhime just glared at him. Saizou was looking at the girl that Sasuke was holding.
"He's so cute," Saizou said. "Can I hold him, please?"
"Uh, that's the girl," Sasuke said.
"Oh…my mistake," Saizou said. "Can I hold her anyway?"
"Sure," Sasuke said, handing the baby to him.
"She's cute anyway," Saizou said. "Aren't you the cutest?" He then started doing baby-talk to the girl. "Yes, you are." The girl just giggled in reponse.
"She likes you, Sai," Sasuke said.
"So, what have you decided to name them?" Jiraiya asked.
"Well, we decided to name the girl Kosuke (こすけ)," Sasuke said.
"Isn't that a boy's name?" Saizou asked.
"Kosuke can be a girl's name as well," Sasuke said.
"Oh…okay," Saizou said. He then handed baby Kosuke to Jiraiya. "Here, you hold her." Baby Kosuke then giggled in Jiraiya's arms.
"It seems that Kosuke likes you as well, Jira," Sasuke said.
"I noticed," Jiraiya said.
"And we're going to name this little late bloomer Isa (イサ)," Tsuruhime said.
"Isa…that sounds like a nice name," Seikai said. "Mind if I hold him?"
"Did you brush your teeth, Seikai?" Tsuruhime asked him.
"Yes," Seikai said.
"Then you can hold him," Tsuruhime said, handing baby Isa to him.
"Thanks, Tsuruhime," Seikai said. Isa then giggled in Seikai's arms.
"Looks like Isa's taken a liking to you, Seikai," Tsuruhime said.
"Yeah," Seikai said. "I must admit, I've never really held a baby before."
"Well, you're doing a great job, Seikai," Tsuruhime said. Seikai then shed a little tear.
Some time later, Sasuke and Tsuruhime were laying down in bed, holding their children in their arms.
"Look at our little miracles, Tsuru-chan," Sasuke said.
"They are miracles, aren't they," Tsuruhime said. "Sasuke…I have to admit I was scared for a minute."
"Oh?"
"I honestly didn't think I was going to get through this," she admitted to him.
"Because of your mother?" Sasuke asked. Tsuruhime nodded. "Tsuru-chan…you're a very strong woman, perhaps the strongest woman I know."
"You really believe so?" Tsuruhime asked.
"I know so," Sasuke said. "And I also know that your mom's proud of you right now."
"Thanks, Sasuke," Tsuruhime said. At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Sasuke asked.
"It's Bun," the person on the other side of the door said.
"Come right on in, Bun," Sasuke said. Bun, still in his school uniform, entered the bedroom.
"Nice to see everyone's doing well," Bun said.
"Thanks, Bun," Tsuruhime said. "Hey, would you mind taking Isa from me, please?"
"Certainly, nee-chan," Bun said. He then took Isa from his sister and carried him to the crib. Sasuke then placed Kosuke right next to her twin brother.
"Thanks again for helping out, Bun," Sasuke said.
"Anytime, Sasuke-niichan," Bun said. "Just to let you know, I'm available on any day I don't have school or ninja class."
"Will you get out of here?" Sasuke asked in mock anger.
"Okay, okay! I'm gone!" Bun said. He then quickly rushed out of the room, making sure not to wake the babies up. Sasuke then checked on his two newborn children.
"Good night, Kosuke. Good night, Isa," he said to his kids before heading back to his bed to lay down next to his wife.
"My poor tummy," Tsuruhime moaned. "I'll never wear a bikini again."
"You're still beautiful, Tsuru-chan," Sasuke said. He then put his hand on his wife's stomach.
"Thanks, Sasuke," Tsuruhime said. She then noticed Sasuke's hand slip into her pajama bottoms. "Sasuke, the babies are in here!"
"What?!" Sasuke said. "Oh, yeah." He then removed his hand from the offending position.
"That's one thing we'll have to get used to until we get them into their own room, Sasuke-kun," Tsuruhime said.
"Yeah," Sasuke said. He then glanced at the babies briefly. "Can I at least kiss you?"
"That'll work," Tsuruhime said. The two then shared a brief kiss on the lips.
"I love you, Princess," Sasuke said to his wife.
"I love you, Monkey Man," Tsuruhime said to her husband.
(Flash Forward; Twenty Years Later)
On a rooftop overlooking the city, a man dressed in a black ninja suit with a red scarf was holding a sword in his hands. Next to him was a woman, dressed in a white ninja suit with white scarf. She, too, was holding a sword in her hands.
"These swords were used by our parents thirty years ago," the man said.
"And now it's our turn to carry on the legacy that they started," the woman added.
"Ready, Kosuke?" the man said to his twin sister, Kosuke.
"Ready, Isa," Kosuke said to her twin brother, Isa. They both sheathed their Kakuremaru swords and brought out a gold and black device.
"SUPER HENGE…DORON CHANGER!"
And that's the end of the story…but not the end of the adventure.
KAKURE RYU!
Kosuke and Isa speak together. "We may not know what the future holds for us. Innocent lives will be endangered."
"We will fight on."
"In place of the Kakurangers before us, we will fight."
"We will cut a path towards our future!"
"I am the Shinobi of Fire…NinjaRed, Isa!"
"I am the Shinobi of Wind…NinjaWhite, Kosuke!"
"I am the Shinobi of Water…NinjaBlue, Juzou!"
"I am the Shinobi of Thunder…NinjaYellow, Jinpachi!"
"I am the Shinobi of Earth…NinjaBlack, Kamanosuke!"
Ninja Sentai Kakuranger! Mirai No Jutsu!
Coming to a redryuranger11 near you soon.
And thanks to redryuranger11 himself for helping me out with this.