Chapter 10
Several glasses-and a couple cups of Enetron-clinked together, the Rangers, Shizuka, Amy, as well as several other staff having joined in a large room, tables and seats with food and drink everywhere, confetti and decor covering the place.
"And when Andah just came in from the sky in the ground battle, it was, well, kind of amusing with the comedic timing," Ziga started, "But also incredibly awesome." Andah puffed out her chest, grinning happily at the praise.
"Oh, and Nazu was pretty sweet," Azu pointed out. "Incredible shot."
Nazu smiled, raising his glass in thanks.
"Our resident snekgirl was also pretty badass herself." Andah said, grinning at the Pythonian.
"Awww thankyouuu~" Slavi grins "But of courssse we couldn't have done thisss without Azuuu~"
Azu blushed, brushing her hair behind her ears. "I-it was nothing big…"
"Uhhh beg to differ." Andah says. "You were the one who came up with the strategy to beat him on the ground while the rest of us were clueless, plus you were the one who noticed he was getting tired and exploited that in the megazord battle."
We're just gonna keep on using American terminology, aren't we… Azu thought, sweat dropping. "I-I mean, uh…it's uh…I was just…"
Slavi made a d'aww face as Azu turned as red as her suit.
"You're gonna have to get used to compliments if you keep that stuff up, boss." Nazu chimes in, chuckling."
Azu's face turned redder.
"You also showed great talent on the field, drawing attention and taking command like that." Ziga told her with a smile.
Azu's face was as red as a tomato at this point.
"Agreed." Amy spoke up. "That's why she's team leader."
…
"...Eh?"
"You're team leader." Amy repeated.
…
"EH!?"
"I don't think she sssstuttered, Bossss~" Slavi chimes chuckling.
"You're amazing at taking charge and formulating plans." Ziga chimed in.
"Plus, you're red, so it was bound to happen." Slavi added.
"EH!? EH!?"
"But of course, I mean, what else did we expect?" Nazu added, chuckling.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!?"
Everyone looked to Azu.
The red clad gynoid stared blankly…
…
…
Before fainting.
Slavi caught her, trying not to laugh too loudly.
"Uh…is she ok?" Nazu asked, a look of concern on his face.
"I think she's overheated, that's not supposed to be possible." Andah notes.
"She's kinda cute like this." Slavi giggled.
"Someone get her to her room to cool off. Not you, Slavi." Amy said, chuckling.
Slavi pouted as Andah picked Azu up bridal style and carried her to her room, sneakily flashing a smug grin to Slavi as she left with her fellow gynoid.
As Slavi puffed her cheeks in jealousy, Amy, Shizuka, and Ziga looked to each other, Amy shrugging.
"Not the weirdest people I've ever worked with, if I'm honest." Amy commented, an amused smile on her face.
"Oh yeah, last group was weeeeeiiiirrrddd." Ziga nods, smiling.
Owlio sat at a party table in the meeting room, a party hat on everyone's heads, including him and Scorpia, the owl-like man confused at the decorated room, foods, drinks, and general celebration. "I'm afraid I do not understand, what is the point of this?"
"Vinepier did a good job, and even though he's not here, a good job deserves a good celebration!" Spydey explained, smiling as more food was set on the table. "We can't spend all day plotting the next attack or pouting about losing."
Owlio had to reluctantly agree there.
"Plus, we've gotten some info on this world's heroes and how the portal works now." Scorpia added. "It seems we can only send one powerful being, plus several weaker ones, at a time, and only once a week."
"Yes, well…. We should still invest effort into fixing that. As it stands one of us can't even go through and I don't intend to only send Weava's monsters, though Vinepier was quite good."
"True," Spydey said. "But…"
"But…?" Owlio questioned.
"From the information we've gathered, it seems a monster of the week formula is how Earth tends to deal with invasions. I think we should follow suit!"
"...why?"
"Because as a queen, I should be nice and honorable, even to my enemies." Spydey responded with a smile, Weava and Scorpia smiling longingly at her.
"...but, Spyde-" Owlio began before Spydey pulled out her greatest weapon.
The weapon that has toppled armies (of strong wills).
The weapon that could take down any powerful ruler or beast.
The puppy eyes.
Owlio's eyes widened as she stared up at him cutely with the-
Oh lords, not the pout as well!
After a few moments, Owlio groaned. "Fine."
"Yay!" Spydey cheered, jumping up.
Later that night, Nazu sat in his room in his pajamas, phone up to his ear.
"I mean, admittedly, that part about Vinepier tearing his arms off was…" Nazu shuddered. "Not fun, but we managed to pull through."
"I'm glad." His wife answered.
Nazu smiled, looking to his transformation bracelet. "..."
"You seem a bit more chipper."
"...I…feel a sense of…purpose I didn't know I was missing." Nazu answered. "...all that time in prison, I…I wanted to do something to make up for everything…and even back before then, I…felt I could do more and…" He smiled. "I finally get to do more. Does that make sense?"
"Perfect sense." His wife giggled.
The blue ranger leaned his head back. "The kids asleep?"
"Yeah. But we can get a family call going tomorrow. Assuming they don't have a lot of work going on."
Nazu nodded. "Right."
"...is something wrong?"
"...do you feel I accepted this too soon?" Nazu asked. "I know we talked about this already, but…I can't help but feel like…you just got me back, and already I'm leaving. I know I'll actually be able to see you guys, but…"
"We want you to be happy and we want to be able to see you. This evidently makes you happy, and we'll all be able to see each other. I think it's perfect."
…
Nazu nodded. "Thank you."
Shiroga smiled on the other end. "Love you, hun."
"I love you too. See you soon."
The two hung up. He sat his phone in its charger, laying down in bed, staring up at the ceiling.
"..." He smiled to himself, remembering the battle…when he was flying. "...I flew…" He chuckled to himself.
"And then I was SHOOOOOOOM!" Andah described as she walked around her room, Risephone up to her ear, gesturing with her body -despite the fact the one she was calling couldn't see it- and making noises. "Then I heard our leader -Who, I must stress again, is just one of quite a few lovely ladies here- come up with a plan and I followed it and got Vinepier stuck in the ground, and we ended up beating him up. Sadly, only Red and Blue got to use their personal weapons, but they were awesome doing it!"
"Haha! And then what happened?"
"Well then some metallic seeds went into the cube we trapped him in and grew him up to building size, and then we got told to summon the Draginsects -our zords- and …" She paused…
She remembered that…feeling, again, when she saw the grasshopper dragon. She looked to her Ryumucard, picking it up with her free hand, a flash of the beast going through her mind…and that warm feeling in her chest…
"...Andah?"
"...Oh! Sorry, babe." She told him. "I…I dunno what came over me…"
"Is everything alright?"
"It's, it's alright." Andah assured him. "It's just…" She looked at the card again, holding it to her chest. "...Nevermind. It's probably nothing…"
"In my experience, that's usually not the case. If there's something off, maybe we could work on it together?"
Andah nodded. "I'd like that…"
"Good. So, what happened next?"
Andah beamed again. "Oh, we formed the megazord -Ryumushi-Ohi, as Red put it, like the badass genius she is- and had our first giant robot fight! It was amazing! It was a little close, but Red managed to spot that he was getting tired and exploited that! Zea, she was so hot!"
"More than me? I'm offended! Quite so!"
Andah laughed. "Hardy harr harr." She paused.
"...you don't really-"
"It was a joke, Andah, relax." Her caller chuckled. "We talked about this. I'm fine with it."
"..." Andah nodded. "...Thank you, babe."
"Anytime."
Andah smiled, sitting on her bed. "So after that, we went out and saw a small crowd gathered, made of Sentai fans. It was amazing. Then we did some celebrations at the base a few hours ago. Red was such a blushing mess, you should've seen her. She and Yellow are so bashful, though. They need a bit more self esteem and confidence. I mean, they're both adorable, but it's not that healthy of an attitude that they have, I've noticed."
"Good thing they have you, then. You tend to know how to brighten up a room."
"I'm surprised I didn't get the firefly dragon." Andah giggled.
"Oh Fruit Jesus, please tell me you haven't been hanging out with Aruto Hiden."
"Relax! Besides, my jokes are way better."
"Sure they are."
Andah pouted. "You can't see it, but I'm pouting and I hope you're feeling real bad."
Her caller chuckled. "I sure do."
Andah giggled.
"You happy?"
"Yeah….yeah I think I am…" Andah grinned. "Amy's as smart as she is adorable. I think this is the perfect place for me."
"I'm glad."
Andah smiled. "I'm gonna go to sleep for the night. Take care."
"You too."
Andah hung up, setting her risephone on its charger.
She grinned, hugging her pillow, snuggling into her bed, closing her eyes as she went to sleep mode.
Slavi swiped her hand over her nightstand, a keyboard and other holographic buttons appearing. Typing a number in, she waited, and soon enough, a screen popped up, showing a purple Pythonia a bit older than her in a sorceress outfit in what appeared to be a backstage room. "Hey Aunt Abro." The pink snake woman said.
"Slavi!" The sorceress, Abrokobra, grinned. "Oh my Ouroboros, I'm so sorry, me and Pythozia were supposed to pick you up, but we've been so busy on this trip, I'm so sorry."
"It's ok." Slavi told her.
"No, it's not." Abrokobra told her, frowning. "You've had it rough."
"..." Slavi rubbed at her neck, a faded scar there. "...that's putting it one way…"
"You want me to pop over? It might take a few hours on my Jet Broom, but I can probably make it!"
"No no, it's fine. I'll see you when you're back." Slavi told her. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't even be able to reach here."
"Slavi, there is nowhere in the multiverse we couldn't find you when you need us." Abrokobra told her with a gentle smile.
Slavi smiled, taking a shuddering breath. "I missed you so much…"
"We miss you too, our Pink Python." Abrokobra told her.
"Is…Aunt Pythoz there?"
"She's currently doing a lecture with Sento Kiryuu at a university nearby, but if you're gonna be up for a few more hours I can get her here."
Slavi nodded. "I'd like that."
Abrokobra nodded. "Sooo…."
"What?"
"You got that look in your eyes!" Abrokobra grinned.
"The what look?"
"You zinged, didn't you?"
Slavi blushed, giggling. "I think I did."
"Tell me, who is she!"
"She's uh…she's our red. Adorable gynoid named-wait, is anybody listening?"
"I've been a sorceress for my whole life, my Pink Python, I know what I'm doing here."
"Oh good. Well, that and I've been told the company I'm working for has secure phone lines. Sorry, I just…wanted to make sure." Slavi grinned. "She's an adorable gynoid named Azu."
"And there it is!" Abrokobra giggled.
"What?"
"That far off sparkling look in your eyes as you said her name."
Slavi giggled. "Oh I'll get her eyes sparkling soon enough."
Abrokobra laughed. "That's my girl!"
"She's so badass, and so adorable! I just wanna hug her all night, but unfortunately…"
"Lemme guess, self deprecator?"
"Bingo."
Abrokobra groaned. "It's always the best ones that have the least self respect."
Slavi nodded. "I…I wanna help her, though. She seems…troubled. I just…I don't want her to end up like…like her…"
Abrokobra nodded. "Then you make damn sure that doesn't happen, and if you need any help, call us up and we'll do what we can."
Slavi nodded, grinning. "You're the best, Aunt Abro."
"Well I do have one of the best nieces, so that's gotta count for something!"
Slavi smiled.
"So, tell me about your first battle as a Sentai!"
"Ok, well," Slavi began.
Shizuka groaned, leaning back in her chair and stretching, sitting in her room, the only light coming from the hallway, her door not entirely closed, her desk white and cool to the touch, bed made of white sheets, pillows, and blankets with ladybug silhouettes, a pendant of a peach around her neck. "Oh great Malika alive…" She whispered, feeling the satisfaction of her bones popping back into place.
"You should probably rearrange your computer so you can avoid doing this if you have to stay up all night." Amy told her from behind her.
Shizuka rolled her eyes, spinning her chair around. "Evil never sleeps, and neither do I."
"Maybe you should. BeQueya and Misthia would probably attempt a coup if they found out I wasn't making sure you were healthy."
"..." Shizuka slammed her desk. "Dammit, that was what I was forgetting!"
"What?"
"I was…" Shizuka groaned, rubbing her forehead. "I was gonna finally talk to them, about well…everything."
"Neither of them has directly asked you out? And you haven't done that either?"
"Really, you're lecturing me about MY love life, Ms. Storms-off-blushing?"
Amy's face turned pink. "Th-that's-"
"Hey guys!" Ziga greeted from the hallway, wearing a grey and yellow t-shirt a size too large, some baggy pajama pants, and socks.
Amy turned around, face turning pinker, the two women staring at each other, unable to think of anything to say.
"...and here I am without any popcorn." Shizuka joked, smirking in amusement.
"Shut it!" Ziga and Amy snapped.
Shizuka rolled her eyes. "So," She said, clapping her hands together. "Project: Ryumushi's a success so far."
"R-right!" Amy said, glad they could all move onto another topic. "The team's molding together nicely already."
"Well, I had my doubts, but the first battle was not too bad." Shizuka commended.
Amy nodded. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"You made all this possible with your tech, your designs." Amy told her.
Shizuka blushed. "I mean…when you put it like that…"
Amy and Ziga smiled, hugging her.
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Shizuka's face turned redder.
"You should know by now we're huggers." Amy told her.
"How many years have we known each other?" Ziga smirked.
Shizuka groaned but accepted the hug. "You two started this organization in the first place. So really, it wouldn't have been possible without all three of us. That fair?"
Amy and Ziga thought before nodding. "Fair."
"Good. Now, if I promise to go to sleep after this last project, will you leave me alone?"
"...promise." Amy told her.
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. There. Happy?" Shizuka deadpanned.
"Extremely."
"Good. Now scram!"
Ziga and Amy chuckled as they exited.
..
The two women then stood in the hallway awkwardly, avoiding each other's gaze.
"So…" Ziga began.
"So…" Amy repeated, the two of them blushing profusely.
"..."
"..."
"I-I…Amy, I-"
"I'm sorry for-"
"I should've-"
…
Both turned away from each other to think.
"...wh-why don't we talk in the morning?" Ziga suggested.
Amy nodded. "I-I think I'd like that."
"G-good…good night, then, Amy…"
"Good night, Ziga…"
The two of them took longer than they needed to separate, holding each other's gaze as long as they could before they went to their own rooms.
Later that night, Azu sat in her bed, taking out her HIDEN Risephone, dialing up a number before bringing it up to her ear.
Almost instantly, she heard the angelic, warm voice of her savior and Zea's metatron come through.
"Good evening Azu, why are you calling so late?"
"O-oh, s-sorry…" Azu spoke. "A-am I catching you at a bad time?"
"Not at all, I was simply curious."
"..." Azu looked out the window of her room, seeing a night sky, although whether it was real or not, and if it was, which location it was showing at, she didn't know. "...I…I needed to…talk, I guess…I…" Her cheeks turned pink as she continued speaking. "I…wanted to hear your voice. I wanted to and..it's…it's all a bit much and...y-you're the only one I can think of that I feel comfortable talking to right now…"
"Azu… Azu, Azu! Calm down, remember your breathing exercises."
Azu paused, taking a moment to 'breathe'. In, out, slowly. In, out. Izu breathes in and out slowly with her before continuing.
"Is this what you want to do? Miss Amy said you can quit if you don't wish to do this?"
Azu took a moment to collect herself before answering. "I…I do wanna do this. I do. I just…" She rubbed her forehead. "It's…a bit overwhelming, is all…I…it doesn't feel real, I guess. I…I only remember darkness, sadness, hate, hate, so much….so much hate…for everything and everyone except…" Her hand shook as the image of that black, red eyed figure flashed through her mind. "Then…then you saved me and….months later I get the chance at redemption I'd been wanting but didn't des-...didn't think I deserved. We….we fought a monster today. Giant robots and everything. Everyone was so…nice, so friendly, even the damn monster, it's…I…I nearly had an anxiety attack -can we even get those like humans?- and…." She took a moment to repeat her breathing exercise.
In, out. In, out.
"...I…I just…" She blushed. "...There…were admittedly times where I just…wanted to run into your arms, as…cheesy and childish as that sounds." She admitted, cheeks turning a bright pink. Izu chuckled in response
"I'll always be here, and it's okay to get nervous, but I know you can do this."
"...Thank you…" Azu said after a moment.
"You're welcome, see you soon baby sis, and if you ever need to talk, you can always call me, okay?"
Azu felt a…pang of something at what Izu called her.
That…feeling, she didn't like.
Did she…not like getting called that?
Shaking her head, she nodded. "R-right…" She smiled. "Thank you…for everything."
"Good night, Azu." Izu hung up shortly after.
Azu set her Risephone on its charger on her nightstand. She hugged her knees, reflecting on everything.
….'baby sis,' huh?
She thought, a look of…disappointment on her face, before she turned pink and shook her head.
Wh-why am I bothered by that, i-it's not like…it's not like we ever were anything…ugh…why is having actual emotions so hard!?
…
Still…I…I did it….
She smiled a little.
I…I beat a monster…we beat a monster…I….we won…I made it through…I actually….did some good…
She looked up from her knees, her smile growing.
…I think….I think this was the right path for me after all…
She looked to the Risephone, Aruto and Izu's faces flashing through her mind.
…I'll continue making you proud…
She got a determined look in her eye.
I'll be a hero…the best one I can be.
In a tan and brown colored room, a bar with multiple seats lined up in front of it, a coffee machine or two, several stacks of cups, and doors to other rooms, sat a man, the television playing as he awaited his cup.
Another man slid said cup over to him when it was finished, the sitting man catching it without looking.
"...Dark and brown, without a hint of light in it…such is the soul of the wicked…" The black haired sitting man, wearing a black visor over his eyes with red glowing lines, crimson business shirt, coffee brown business vest, black tie, black suit pants, socks, and dress shoes, uttered before he drank from his cup.
The man who served him, wearing a navy button shirt, a black apron with a coffee logo on it, black pants, socks and shoes, poured a cup for himself, drinking from it.
"-Footage says the group is called the Gijutsu Sentai Ryumushinger," The news lady on the tv said, that bit of info sparking the interest of the man in crimson, who looked over as the tv played footage of the newest Sentai.
"Oi, aniki." He called to the man in navy, nodding his head towards the tv.
The man in navy looked at the footage of the Sentai, smirking.
The man in crimson had a smirk of his own. "It's almost time for us to climb out of the depths of hell ourselves."
END