Disclaimer: Don't own SPD.
Episode Four: The Hanshin Republic.
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Sky stared into the fiery eyes of the thing that was shielding him and the boys. He remembered what had happened while they were traveling to the new world and gasped.
"You were the one in my dream," he whispered.
I have come to save you. You have something that needs to be done, am I right? The thing spoke in a whisper.
"Yes. Thank you," Sky smiled and the fire shield turned into a wolf-like creature with a large horn jutting out of it's forehead. It was as big as a tiger and made completely of flames, but the flames did not burn Sky. It turned it's pale yellow eyes towards the fight between the teams and the Ranger automatically knew what to do.
Sky reacted quickly as another blast came at him, throwing up a shield which was made even stronger by the Kudan. He then raised his hand and pointed it at the man, flames bursting out of it and hitting him. The man was burnt, but was very much alive.
"He's good! Let's get out of here!" the leader yelled as he and his team retreated.
"Not bad. You're good," Another voice spoke from behind him, but this one had no malice in it.
Sky turned to see the leader of the group with the goggles stand on a broken bus nearby. He was a young man with a bandana and goggles, with long white hair tied back with a few bangs falling on his forehead.
"I'm Shogo, and you are?" he pointed at Sky.
"I'm Sky," the Ranger kept his guard up and the wolf crouched down., ready for any attack.
"You've got some skills," Shogo stretched his arm to the side and Sky saw a water stream gush out and form into a being that resembled a large manta-ray. "My Kudan works water and yours fire. This will be interesting."
Kudan? Sky wondered.
Suddenly, sirens were heard and one of the men called out, "Shogo, the cops!"
The leader sighed and his Kudan disappeared, "We'll meet again."
Sky looked at the boys who were behind him and staring in shock. He crouched down next to them, "Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, thanks," the boy in the formal suit stammered.
Sky smiled and then remembered the feather he was still clutching and ran to where Bridge and the others were, not hearing the boy say something behind him.
Sky ran behind the bus and quickly crouched down next to Bridge. The feather floated out of his hands and was immediately absorbed into Bridge's chest.
Sky felt his forehead and was relieved to note that Bridge felt much warmer than before, "His memory. I was able to get one back to him."
Fai smiled, "It was stuck to your clothes, oddly."
Sky grinned, "When his feathers were scattering, by coincidence, one of them stuck to my clothes!"
"I wouldn't say that," Fai grinned, "remember what the witch said? There is no coincidence. Therefore, I'd say, without thinking, you grabbed the feather on your own," Fai looked at Bridge and Sky immediately hugged him closer.
"In order to save this child."
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"What you saw, the beast of fire, was your Kudan, Sky," Sorata informed him as he led them to his house.
"What is this Kudan?" Sky asked as he looked around while carrying Bridge.
"I'll explain it to you once we get to my home. That's a rather long explanation," Sorata grinned.
"How's Mokona?" Sky asked as he remembered that the little white creature had been unconscious when he had returned with the feather.
"He'll be fine. The winds just knocked him out," Fai grinned as he carried Mokona.
"That blue bird, was that one of your Kudan?" Kurogane grumbled.
"Yes, that was mine," Sorata grinned, "we're home!"
Sky looked up and gasped. The house was two storey high and like a normal Japanese home.
"It's great!' Sky grinned.
"Thank you! Only me and my wife live here, so we have plenty of room! Plus, I owe Yuuko for introducing me to my wife, so this is the least I can do!" Sorata smiled and then walked in with the others.
"This is my wife Arashi," he gestured to a young woman with long straight black hair and dark eyes. She smiled at them and promptly led them to a large empty room.
"I'll give you some more futons for you to sleep," she bowed and went to fetch them.
Sky put Bridge down on the futon which was already there and covered him with a blanket. He smiled and then leaned down, kissing Bridge softly on the forehead.
Arashi brought in some more futons as well as some tea and Sorata got down to explaining.
"First things first, I think I should tell you where you are. This is the world of the Hanshin Republic!" Sorata grinned.
"The Hanshin Republic?" Sky took a sip of the warm tea and it immediately warmed him up.
"Yup! If you're looking for the feathers, the Hanshin Republic is the best place cause everyone is very nice here! Aside from Kudan battles, no one fights against each other."
"What are these Kudan? They sound like a crucial part of this world," Fai smiled.
"They are. No person in this world is without one. Kudan are the Gods of this world. They protect everyone here. My theory is that the Kudan have an everlasting love for the people, they protect them!" Sorata smiled.
"My Kudan was one of fire…" Sky remembered, "I dreamed about it."
"Your Kudan attached itself to you the moment you came here, That's why you had that dream," he nodded.
"What about those who were battling earlier? Who were they?" Sky frowned.
"The ones in the mohawks were a team that wanted to take over the district. They're the bad guys. The good guys were the ones with the goggles, they make sure no bad stuff happens in their district. Their leader, Shogo, is rumored to have a Special-level Kudan."
"Special-level?"
"The Kudan are rated according to their strength, there's a fourth-level, the weakest one, and then it goes you to third, second, first and special."
"How is their strength determined?'
"A Kudan's strength depends upon the strength of character of a person. The stronger your character, the stronger the Kudan."
"Huh?" Sky looked confused at that and Arashi smiled.
"It depends upon your heart. If you are a strong person, strong in here," she pointed to her heart, "your Kudan will be just as strong."
"MEEKO!" Mokona suddenly bounced out of Fai's arms and onto Kurogane's head.
"GET OFF ME!" the ninja roared and tried to grab the white, fluffy thing, Mokona jumped onto sky's head and then into his lap.
"Mokona sensed a feather earlier!' he squeaked,
"You did?! Where is it?" Sky asked.
"Don't know. Mokona felt it before Mokona got knocked out. Sorry…" the thing's ears drooped.
"It's okay… please inform me when you sense it again, okay?" Sky smiled.
"Mokona will do Mokona's best!" Mokona twirled around on it's toes.
"Sorata-san, can you tell us more about this country?" Fai said politely and Sky remembered what Bridge had taught him about honorifics.
"Fai-san?" he said hesitantly.
"Yes, Sky-kun?" Fai smiled.
"Um, do you use honorifics in your world?"
"Yes, do you use them in yours?"
"In some parts of the world, yes, but not in mine," Sky stammered.
"Well, if you want to use the honorifics, you can," Fai reassured him.
"Thank you. Can I call you 'Fai-san'?"
"Of course!"
Sky glanced over at Kurogane who looked away with a scowl.
"What about in your world, Mr. Black?" Fai smiled teasingly.
"I AM NOT MR. BLACK! I'm Kurogane!" Kurogane roared.
"Do they?" Fai ignored the outburst.
"Yes," Kurogane growled.
"Fine," Sky nodded and turned is attention to Sorata.
"The Hanshin Republic is a very friendly place. Except for when our baseball team loses. They are slightly…odd. They hate losing, they never get to the point they'll attack if you're not paying attention and they throw themselves in the river!" Sorata laughed.
"Despite all that, they are really good people," Arashi smiled and looked first at Bridge and then at Sky, "May I call him Bridge?"
"Yes," Sky nodded.
"Bridge's feathers are a source of great power and if they fall into the wrong hands, they will be a cause of a fight," she said sadly.
"It's better if you are looking for the feather here, rather than a hostile country," Sorata nodded and the yawned. "That's all for today. It's best if you sleep for now. You have a long day ahead of you."
"Thanks, Sorata-san," Sly smiled as Sorata and Arashi left the room. He turned to see Fai annoying Kurogane and sat down next to Bridge, holding onto his hand gently.
After a few minutes of silence, Fai raised his hand, "We should search the town. Mokona already said he senses a feather here."
Sky nodded and then Kurogane spoke up, "Search or don't search, that's up to you." Sky and Fai looked over at him and he continued, "It has nothing to do with me. Don't expect me to risk my neck for you or help you. I won't do it."
Sky nodded, a determined look on his face, "Right. That's my job here."
Kurogane looked shocked at his response but hid it quickly but was inwardly smiling slightly, I could get to like this guy, he thought.
"Kuro, you are so serious!" Fai giggled.
"Are you going to help him?" Kurogane ignored the tease with some difficulty.
"Sure, as long as it doesn't endanger my life, I'll help! What about you?" Fai looked at Kurogane, who in turn, looked at Mokona.
"If I wanted to leave, white pork bun, would you-" he started, but Mokona shook his head.
"No. Mokona will not leave… until Mokona finds the feather!" Mokona hopped over to Sky.
"Thank you," Sky smiled.
"Sky-kun, when you were saving those boys, something blue came out of your hands, and not because of the Kudan," Fai remembered.
"That was my special ability. I can create shields and force-fields by using my mind and hands. Bridge has a power due to which he can read auras and minds if he's in contact with the person. Occasionally, he's been able to see into the future as well," Sky explained.
"He's a Psychic?'
"Yes. He used to wear gloves to control them earlier, but his control has increased, so he doesn't use them anymore."
"I think we should all go to bed now. We have a long day ahead of us," Fai suggested and promptly laid down on one of the futons. Mokona hopped across the room and snuggled into Bridge's blankets next to him
Sky opted to stay besides Bridge's bedside and stayed awake up till the middle of the night, holding his hand.
He continued to stay aware of his surroundings and glanced around at his new companions. Sky couldn't believe how much his world had changed in one day.
At first, he was just going to guard the ruins with Bridge and now all of a sudden, he was on a race with people from a world he had never even heard off. What was first going to be a day with two friends catching up, now had turned into a chase through worlds for feathers which Bridge needed if he was going to live.
Sky smiled as he remembered what the first feather. It had been a bright white, symbolizing the pureness in Bridge's soul. But that smile faded quickly as he thought about what would have happened if they hadn't found that feather.
What hurt worst was the fact that Bridge had been about to tell him about his feelings in the ruins, but that was never going to happen now. Now, Bridge wouldn't even remember having been friends with Sky, let alone remember his feelings for the Ranger.
"Go to sleep," Sky started when Kurogane's voice came from behind him. He had assumed the ninja had been asleep but he had apparently not been, "Get some sleep. If you stay up, you'll be too tired to give your full effort in the search tomorrow."
Sky nodded at him and then settled down, wrapping his arms around his knees and falling asleep almost instantly.
If he had stayed awake for a few minutes longer, he would have seen Bridge open his eyes with a soft moan and sit up. He would have seen him look around his surroundings, his eyes widening when it landed on Sky's sleeping figure and then to his hand which felt very warm and comforting. He would have seen Bridge fall asleep again with a smile, his psychic powers telling him that these people were safe and were his friends.
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Sorry that this chapter is so short, but it was mainly to explain the world to the readers. Next chapter will have tons more action, I promise! Well, I'm off for the weekend, so reviews will be replied to on Monday!
Next chapter: Kudan!