Hello, everyone! This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing in! Alrighty then, new project kicking off here and now. This is the year where I unexpectedly found myself becoming a huge, huge fan of Uchu Sentai Kyuranger, and I've had this idea buzzing in my head for a while after getting through the whole thing a couple times. I hope it'll be fun for anyone who's interested. Now, let's roll!

Description: As the Kyurangers throw a party to celebrate their victory over Space Ninja Demost, Tsurugi Ohtori realizes something truly terrible… something that shakes him to his very core. With the aid of Commander Stinger, he will work to resolve the matter for the sake of his friends. Bear witness! A new legend is about to begin!

NOTE:

-All of the characters and concepts featured in this fic belong to their respective owners.

I Want to Protect Their Dreams

Space Federation HQ. Planet Earth.

"…My word. Are you serious?"

Tsurugi Ohtori, officially the first, second and third president of the universe, had trouble believing his ears.

"Yes, Mr. President." One of his aides presented him with some paperwork. "For the past four years, a single Moaider has been sighted on Earth, at different locations and different times. The reports have been infrequent, but it's happened enough times that we were able to get a record for all of them."

Tsurugi briefly went through everything that had been handed to him, before he was presented with one more sheet of paper.

"Now there's a new report about a single sighting at Planet 3B. Despite that change, the report was the same as the others; it landed around an otherwise unremarkable location, and then it left before anyone could see who was inside or what they were doing."

Planet 3B. The name wasn't especially familiar to him, but even so, he couldn't afford to brush it off.

"Do we have any idea of where it's going next? Have we confirmed what it's looking for?"

His other aide, Roy, shook his head. "Not at the moment, Mr. President."

Tsurugi leaned back against his seat with a heavy sigh.

"In other words, we'll need to investigate further before we can do anything about it."

Both of his aides nodded in response.

"Yes, sir." Roy took a step forward. "We should let the public know about this. It could make future sightings easier to report."

Tsurugi took a moment to straighten the related documents up. "I agree, but it must be handled carefully. We don't want to risk mass panic."

The two seemed to agree, nodding silently once again.

"Galactic President?"

And then they were surprised when they heard a voice from behind them.

Once they turned around, they were greeted by the sight of Stinger, the Rebellion's current commander and a frequent presence in the president's office.

"Welcome back, Stinger." Tsurugi stood up from his seat before offering him a friendly hand. "What's your report?"

As his aides stepped away to make room, Stinger completed the handshake.

"Just like we suspected, the invitation turned out to be a trick." Surprisingly, he almost seemed disappointed as he explained things. "Many others were lured in with the same promise, but we were all just being used to unleash a being powerful enough to destroy the entire universe."

Tsurugi couldn't help but look away from him. "My word…"

"It was tough, but I was lucky enough to have the help of a… unique group of teammates. We were able to stop the threat before it could leave Planet Nemesis' atmosphere."

The president then looked at him again. "And what of the perpetrator?"

"She was… properly dealt with. I have it in good faith that the Special Police Dekaranger has the situation under control."

"I see." Although he wasn't expecting that last part, Tsurugi did his best to not let it bother him. "Very well then. Thank you for the report."

Stinger, for his part, kept his composure.

"Of course." He then took one step forward. "Is there anything else?"

With a nod, Tsurugi sat back down.

"Yes, there is one more thing I'd like to discuss with you." He then turned to his aides. "Leave us. I need to debrief the commander privately on a matter of utmost importance."

The two simply did as they were asked without another word.

"What's going on, Tsurugi?" Stinger asked, feeling more comfortable now that they could drop the formalities.

Similarly, Tsurugi breathed a sigh of relief. "How has Kotaro been lately? Has he come back from his last assignment?"

"Not yet. He's still working with the Supreme Commander at Rebellion HQ." Stinger absentmindedly stared at the roof. "It's been an assistant job for the most part, but he treats even the most basic missions seriously."

Because of that, he missed the surprised expression on Tsurugi's face.

"My word… he really may surpass me one day. He's well on his way to becoming a true legend." The president soon collected himself. "What about Raptor? How has she been?"

This in turn got Stinger to focus on him again. "She's fine. A little distracted, but other than that, she's doing alright."

"Distracted?" Tsurugi quickly asked. "In other words, she's preoccupied with something?"

"Yes."

Much to Stinger's surprise, his friend then leaned back against his chair with a brief chuckle.

"Well, that's very lucky, because… I have an idea about why that is." He followed it up by crossing his arms. "It's precisely what I was hoping we could discuss."

"Really?"

"That's right." Tsurugi spun his chair around so he could look outside his window. "Do you remember the last time we all got together?"

Stinger nodded. "I do. It was after we helped Space Sheriffs Gavan and Shaider arrest Space Ninja Demost."

"In other words, our celebratory party at Spada's restaurant."

The commander suddenly brought his attention to the entrance, as if expecting someone to step in and join them.

"I remember that."

Not too long ago…

Stinger could still remember the looks on his teammates' faces. Going by how much fun they were having, he'd almost swear they had forgotten what had just happened to them, but even so, he was glad that everything was back to normal.

Despite the slight change of plans, everyone accepted Spada's offer to throw a party at one of his restaurants. This time, the only delay was waiting for Garu to return from a quick trip so he could bring his wife over and introduce her to everyone. Their child made most of the others go weak at the knees right away; unsurprisingly, aside from his parents, he seemed to like Lucky the most.

Eventually, after bringing them plenty to eat, Spada managed to get everyone's attention by clinking on a glass.

"I just wanted to say that it's great to have you all here again." He turned his gaze over to Supreme Commander Shou Ronpo, and the others followed suit. "Especially the Supreme Commander, since he had to miss out on most of what we just went through. Grazie!"

He gave out a brief chuckle in response. "When you get a-round to it, I guess you could say… I was lucky. Am I right, everybody?"

Most of them were amused by this, although Raptor groaned as she let her head drop down.

"Hey, hey, hey! Everyone, let's have ourselves a toast!" Balance interjected. "I dunno about you guys, but I'm, like, so pumped right now!"

Naga nodded at his partner. "I'm pumped too."

"I'll go first!" Lucky loudly announced before raising his glass. "To Hammie being back with us and being proven innocent."

Garu patted his best friend on the shoulder a couple times. "You said it, grr!"

Hammie had herself a tiny laugh at that.

"Thanks, Lucky." She raised her own glass. "To my master being alive and well." Then she gave Balance and Naga a look. "I owe you big time, guys."

Balance immediately gave her the finger guns. "Don't mention it!"

"To being here together for something other than fighting the bad guys." Kotaro was next.

Stinger was very close to the boy and had kept on working with him for years, and he knew how much he loved fighting the good fight; coming from him, a comment like that couldn't be anything other than completely genuine.

"Right!" And Raptor clearly thought the same thing.

Naga surprised everyone by going next. "To never having to fight among ourselves again."

That comment made everyone feel uncomfortable for a moment. They knew he didn't mean to do that, but the memory was still fresh in their minds.

"…Ever." Stinger didn't let the silence last very long.

That seemed to work, as Spada decided to follow suit.

"And to Gavan and Shaider, who sadly couldn't join us."

Champ suddenly laughed out loud before raising a water bottle. "We wouldn't have made it without them. Those two are true defenders of justice!"

"Indeed." Tsurugi nodded before doing the same with his glass. "May they continue to protect the peace back in their own universe."

Finally, everyone clinked their glasses together.

"Cheers!"

After that, everyone took a seat before happily digging into their food.

Once they were done, Stinger took the chance to ask Champ about his wrestling career. After listening to his partner proudly boasting about his unbroken win streak for a while, the conversation finally ended with a nod, and he took a moment to see what everyone else was talking about.

As Tsurugi heartily helped himself to some more of Spada's seafood curry, Kotaro had asked if the Supreme Commander would like to have an assistant for a while, since his back problems had clearly caught up to him recently and he hadn't had any solo assignments for some time. Stinger couldn't help but find it funny when he saw just how shocked his superior was.

But that was nothing compared to the sight of Naga holding Garu's son in his arms. He had managed to amuse him by simply flashing that… uniquely awkward smile that only Naga could give, while Garu and his wife were entertained by the way Balance was cooing at the little guy. It really was something you don't see every day, and he wasn't crazy enough to step in and ruin it.

He couldn't make out a lot of what Lucky and Hammie were talking about; the two were actually very quiet and subdued, which was out of the ordinary for both of them. However, he could've sworn he heard something about Planet Kaien and Hammie's graduation from college; after what they had been through, he wouldn't be shocked if Lucky was offering to help her reach her goal a little faster.

"Spada?"

"Yes, Raptor?"

And finally, he noticed how Raptor had approached Spada and was trying to strike up a conversation. Compared to how everyone else was relaxed and having fun, she seemed very uncomfortable as she stood before him, which only stuck out more when compared to how calm he was.

"I… I just wanted to tell you that I… um…" She turned away for a moment, but eventually managed to look him in the eye again. "…I'm sorry I had to fight you."

Spada shook his head before placing his hands on her shoulders.

"It's alright. We were both doing what we thought was the right thing." He topped it off with a smile. "I don't blame you at all, but if it makes you feel better, I'm sorry about it too."

Raptor lowered her head as she twiddled her thumbs. "Are we… good? Is everything alright between us?"

"Of course it is!" The comment made her look back up, and she noticed just how relaxed he still was. "Are you still hungry? I can whip up something special for you, just to show you that we're fine."

That seemed to do the job, as she agreed to Spada's offer and he immediately took off to do as he said he would. Even with her lack of facial expressions, Stinger could tell she felt like a huge weight had been taken off her shoulders.

Back in the present…

Tsurugi suddenly grabbed Stinger's attention by turning back around.

"We need to talk about that last part."

The commander was visibly confused. "…Raptor and Spada?"

"Yes. I was paying attention too, and that was when I realized something." Tsurugi stopped himself for a second, almost like he was deliberately trying to increase the tension. "…Something truly terrible."

Stinger was intrigued. "What is it?"

"When I was ready to die, Lucky chose to tell us about his dream for the future instead of dwelling on it, and then the rest of you did the same. In other words… you all motivated me to keep going."

This left Stinger speechless for a change.

"I told you all that I'd think about one for myself. You weren't on the ship when I did, but when I watched your legendary performance from that same day, I decided that I would do anything to protect your dreams." Tsurugi took a deep breath before continuing. "After what you said to me, after you proved me wrong against all odds… I could settle for nothing less for my team… my friends."

Stinger's expression softened almost completely. "Tsurugi…"

"And as the president, it's been my honor and privilege to see so much of it coming to fruition."

A picture turned up on Tsurugi's holographic display. It showed him together with Stinger and the rest of the Kyurangers; he recalled someone taking a picture of them as a group, likely for some kind of news report.

He was instantly drawn to the center. Stinger was sporting his usual stoic expression, while Champ had one hand on his shoulder and punched the air with the other one; he could almost hear the robot's laugh inside his mind. He himself was standing calmly between Stinger and the Supreme Commander, who was gleefully flashing the peace sign, and standing on the group's right side was Spada, who was tipping his hat at the one who took the picture.

"Some of us have already achieved exactly what they wanted."

His eyes then darted over to the right side. He could feel himself cracking a smile as he saw Balance and Naga standing next to Spada and doing their trademark BN Thieves pose for the camera, while right in front of them, Kotaro's face was beaming as he proudly showed off his Seiza Blaster for the shot.

"Some are still on their way there."

Finally, he turned his attention to the opposite side. Garu was kneeling next to his wife, who was sitting comfortably with a smile on her face and their child in her arms, and on his other side, Lucky rested an arm on his shoulder as he proudly gave the photographer a thumbs-up, while Hammie had apparently settled for simply imitating said gestures, since Lucky kneeling down meant she could reach his shoulder.

"And some have found new dreams they weren't expecting." After that, he let out a sigh. "But there's… one thing that bothers me."

Stinger was looking at the photo as well, and he seemed to understand what Tsurugi was getting at.

"…You're talking about Raptor."

The two then looked at her, as if in sync with each other.

Raptor was standing right behind Lucky's group, and she had brought a hand up to the side of her head by the time the picture was taken, looking like she was trying to adjust her glasses… even though said "glasses" were actually just her eyes and built directly into her frame. Over time, they had both come to recognize it as a curious quirk of hers.

Despite the pose making look like a consummate professional, they still remembered how flustered she was as she admitted something to her teammates once.

"I want to… um… well… I want to have a wonderful romance!"

Tsurugi slowly nodded a couple times.

"It's been over four years since that day. In all that time, she has fully devoted herself to her work as your assistant and pilot." He then switched off the display before looking directly at Stinger. "In other words… she's the only one who hasn't had a chance to work towards making her dream a reality." He slowly got up from his chair, as if trying to make a point. "More than anything in this universe, I want… no, I need to help her, and it would really make a difference if—"

"I'm in."

Stinger's sudden declaration visibly caught Tsurugi off-guard.

"My word… you didn't even let me finish."

Despite his amusement at that comment, Stinger merely shook his head.

"You don't need to. I know what you were going to say, Tsurugi." Then he eyed his coat for a moment before turning to him again. "I'm the commander now, and Raptor works directly with me. It's a position where I can help you with this. I want to help, and I will. Nothing more to say."

"I… see." Tsurugi wasn't sure if he should be confused or impressed, but either way, he quickly composed himself. "In that case, thank you, Stinger."

"Of course."

"Now, let's discuss how we can proceed." With that, Tsurugi sat back down. "I'm sure you know what the missing piece in this puzzle is."

Stinger nodded at him. "…Spada."

He had been slow to truly become a part of the team, but in time, even he picked up on what seemed to be something of an open secret among most of the group. There was a weird sort of silent understanding about it; everyone knew about it, but they wouldn't mention it, and because they didn't want to ruin it, they'd just wait for it to sort itself out and quietly hope for the best.

Namely… they knew that Raptor had a huge crush on Spada.

"That's right." Tsurugi returned the gesture. "You told me before that Raptor has been… distracted?"

That got a small sigh out of Stinger.

"Yes. She has been for the past few years, but lately it's been happening more than I'd like."

Some time ago…

"Raptor? Kotaro?"

Stinger was having some trouble figuring out the scene that was laid out before him.

Over at the Battle Orion Ship's kitchen, Raptor was smoking—that is to say, there was literally smoke coming from her—while Kotaro was holding a fire extinguisher, and the stove looked like it was on despite being unplugged.

He had heard them either screaming or panicking and rushed there to make sure everything was okay, but somehow, he was not ready for what he was looking at.

"…What just happened?"

Kotaro put the extinguisher down. "Raptor was on fire."

The matter-of-fact way he said that only confused Stinger even more, and he turned to Raptor for an explanation.

"Um, actually…" She raised her hand, seemingly on impulse. "…the kitchen was on fire, and I was… in the middle of it."

She could see it in Stinger's eyes that her comment hadn't helped his confusion at all.

"I'm sorry. It's just that…" Her gaze fell to the floor as she sighed. "…I really miss Spada's cooking."

Both Stinger and Kotaro frowned slightly. "We do too."

"And we worked together a couple times, so I thought that maybe I could make something for us like he used to." She turned to look at the stove. "But then I remembered what those times were like, and I wondered what it must've been like for him as he worked here by himself every time we were hungry, and…"

That's where it finally made sense to him. Stinger knew that Raptor had a habit of daydreaming at the strangest of times, and it sounded like it had caught up with her again.

"And I was just passing by, so I did what I could to help." Kotaro picked up from there. "Sorry about the mess, big bro."

As Raptor did her best to clean herself up, Stinger shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. The important thing is that everything's back to normal now."

As if in answer, an alarm went off all around the ship. The three immediately hurried over to the bridge, only to be greeted by an announcement on the room's holographic display.

"Breaking news! Miss Hammie, known for fighting as Kyuranger Chameleon Green, is suspected of stealing the Neo Kyutama that were under development by the Rebellion."

All of them watched the rest of the report in utter shock, but before they even had a chance to process it, Stinger received a call on his Seiza Blaster.

"Stinger? We need to talk."

Back in the present…

"My word!" Tsurugi exclaimed in surprise.

Stinger simply continued, unfazed by that reaction. "She didn't say it, but I could tell… it's Spada that she missed, not just his cooking." He turned his gaze away, as if trying to picture things in his mind. "I hoped she'd be a little more open at the party, but after everything that happened, I guess she was still feeling awkward."

Tsurugi briefly lowered his head in shame. "Yes… I suppose we all did."

"Some more than others." Despite his own displeasure, Stinger turned to look at Tsurugi again while crossing his arms. "Even so, I'm tired of waiting, and I'd like it better if Kotaro could eat with us instead of having to look out for any more potential fires."

Raising his head back up, Tsurugi nodded once again. "Indeed. The time has come for us to take action."

"Right." Stinger's eye was caught by what seemed like an advertisement. "What about Spada? Is there any intel you can provide? I know you keep making trips to the restaurant he works from."

"Of course! Who could possibly resist such legendary cooking?"

This time, it was Tsurugi who briefly caught Stinger off-guard, though he didn't dwell on it.

"To answer your question, though, I believe luck may be on our side. When the Supreme Commander first assigned Raptor and Spada to me, I was slow to accept them as anything more than just an assistant and a chef, but even then, I took notice of what they said and did from the very start. In other words, while I didn't care for it at the time, I got an idea of who I was working with."

Stinger's curiosity was instantly piqued. "And…?"

A few years ago…

Tsurugi remembered everything that had happened after the other Kyurangers had awakened him like it was just yesterday.

When they first met, he thought very little of them. As far as he was concerned, they were just a footnote in his legend. They awakened him from his centuries-long sleep, but with that done, there was nothing more for them to do now that he was back in action. Most of them objected to this notion, but their commander seemed surprisingly open to the idea of meeting him halfway, even going so far as to assign two of them to him as something of an entourage. That was fine with him; he could do with a beautiful assistant and a chef following him wherever he went.

It wasn't long before he realized that not a single person recognized his name or knew his story; even Kotaro Sakuma, a fellow Earthling who also happened to be a Kyuranger, was utterly stumped when he claimed any history book would tell the tale behind his legendary exploits. Eventually, he found out that this was because of Manavil, one of the many Jark Matter "governors" that had been assigned to rule over the Earth, who had the odd power to literally overwrite history.

"Excuse me!"

His first encounter with the fiend did not go as he hoped; not only did he confirm that Manavil was the one who erased his name from history almost completely, but he also seemingly confirmed that his fellow Kyurangers were indeed not suited for battle, much to his chagrin, and the enemy escaped unscathed after showing that he could use his power as an unexpected advantage in battle.

"I… I can fight! I've been fighting this whole time."

This was only compounded by his new assistant insisting that he was wrong about her. That wasn't what caught his attention at the time, however; it was the fact that something inside her wasn't working properly. He could vaguely make something out once they were alone, but it was only upon closer inspection that he confirmed her inner workings were clicking and whirring in a way that they were not supposed to.

"Raptoooor!"

And then his concentration was broken by the high-pitched shrieking of his new chef, who was running towards them as if they had been set on fire.

"What are you doing?!"

After what Tsurugi assumed was a callout directed at him, Spada immediately focused on her first, but she was too shocked to say anything coherent.

"Raptor, are you okay? Did he do anything?" And then he quickly turned around, giving Tsurugi a look that confused him; he couldn't tell if it was accusatory or panicky. "What were you trying to do?!"

It wasn't long before he revealed to the two that he figured out Raptor was based on a non-combat android model that he had designed long ago, and with that knowledge in mind, he knew exactly how to sort out her inner workings. As he did, Spada later tried to defend his earlier outburst by claiming that he was Raptor's guardian, that he was worried about her in a paternal sense.

Tsurugi knew better. Even if the assertion hadn't been completely unprompted and somewhat shaky, the truth became especially apparent when Spada took offense at his claim that Raptor wasn't meant to fight; his tone of voice and body language were clearly those of someone who had made the same claim in the past and regretted it immensely.

It didn't even take a genius like him to figure out that Spada cared about her more than he wanted to admit.

Even so, he had to admit he was impressed by how quick the two were to fight back against Manavil and his followers when he decided to attack them again. If nothing else, it was clear their claims that they would show him how well they could fight were entirely genuine, and by the end of the day, he was willing to admit to himself that they had proven him wrong.

Over time, Tsurugi grew to sincerely respect the two.

Against all odds, Raptor had shown him time and time again that she could indeed hold her own on the battlefield and proved to be quite fearless in her pursuit of their enemies. On top of that, her job as an assistant and pilot afforded her some crucial skills when it came to planning and organizing, and her serious personality balanced out the commander's more eccentric methods and mannerisms quite well. Despite her short temper, she'd often prove to be very sweet and nice, so long as nothing managed to infuriate her.

Spada, for his part, made a compelling argument for why someone as dexterous as a chef could really make for a good fighter if they so desired, which went quite well with his ability to keep a cool head under pressure most of the time. On more than one occasion, he had proven to be something of a parental figure for his younger teammates and did a good job of curbing their more immature antics; clearly, the claim he had made previously was not entirely unfounded. However, even that paled in comparison to his cooking skills, which were truly the stuff of legend.

And they clearly adored working with each other.

Tsurugi had seen it multiple times; one that always stayed fresh in his memory was when Raptor assisted Spada in preparing what he called "his special curry" for him. His appreciation for such an extraordinary flavor was only dwarfed by the sheer glee they displayed as soon as he let them know he liked it.

However, none of them stood out to him quite as much as their final fight against Don Armage and his forces. For a short time afterwards, the incident had been something of a source of shame for him, having been able to do nothing but watch from afar, as if through the shattered glass of a broken telescope, while the others fought against a seemingly endless onslaught of enemies, but he eventually made peace with the fact that things happened as they were supposed to and he was lucky to be alive.

Despite not being able to make out most of what was happening due to the circumstances, Tsurugi could still see the Orion Battler and Kajiki Voyager fighting off hordes of Moraimarz Robos. They fought valiantly for what felt like an eternity, but eventually, one of the robots managed to hold the Orion Battler in place while another prepared to fire on it… and he could practically feel his heart stop when the Kajiki Voyager flew at what almost seemed like light speed and took the blast instead.

The two robots didn't last long after that, but he couldn't care less after having to endure the sight of Spada being blasted right out of his damaged mech… and the same could be said for Raptor, as he could spot a pink blur coming out of the Orion Battler's cockpit and flying down to the ground faster than he had ever seen her do in any of her prior battles.

In the end, after the battle was won, Tsurugi was relieved to find that this had not ended the way his previous battle with Don Armage had, and his teammates… no, his friends… had managed to triumph against the seemingly immortal creature and lived to tell the tale. He was sure that more battles were left to be fought, but for the most part, the goal that he had fought to achieve had finally become a reality.

It'd take some more work to ensure that any remnants were taken care of, but now that Jark Matter had lost its shogun, the universe finally had a chance at peace, and with the help of those who wanted to stay with the Rebellion and work alongside him, Tsurugi was ready to do his part in upholding the new status quo by once again acting as the president of the Space Federation.

Most of the other Kyurangers had gone on to do what they had said they wanted to do, but he was fortunate enough to still have good people in his corner. The commander had gotten that promotion he was hoping for, and with him now overseeing the Rebellion as a whole, Stinger had been chosen to take his place. Raptor had elected to stay as his assistant and the pilot of their ship, and Kotaro was eager to continue working with him; Tsurugi was especially impressed with the boy's commitment to his role as a Kyuranger and pleased to be able to work with him further.

"Guys! We're here!"

While it wasn't exactly the same as what had happened with the others, he was also quite glad to learn that Spada had not only managed to open a restaurant one year after their final victory, but he had chosen to do so on Earth, and it had even managed to earn a 9-star certification the following year.

He and the other Kyurangers had all been invited to take part in the celebration; every single one of them accepted without a second thought. Tsurugi was ecstatic to have a chance to sample some more of Spada's legendary cooking, and he was shocked to discover that two years of work had done nothing to dull his skills; if anything, he had somehow improved.

"Sorry we're late."

He also relished the chance to catch up with the rest of his friends. Most of them had arrived early, and despite being apart for two years, they hadn't changed all that much. Stinger and his crew ran into a bit of a delay, but they were just as happy to be there, the new commander sporting a relaxed grin on his face even as he and Kotaro apologized for their delay.

It quickly faded away, however, when he noticed Raptor looking as if she wanted to say something but couldn't muster up the nerve to do so.

"Raptor…"

He sounded more disappointed than anything else, but before anyone could comment on it, Stinger quickly shoved her right in Spada's general direction. The others were quite surprised at the display, and even more so when Raptor ended up headbutting Spada on the gut as a result.

"Oh, sorry!"

She quickly scrambled to try and help him straighten back up, but then she suddenly pulled back, almost as if she feared he might get ripped in half if she touched him any longer.

"I… um…" It took a moment, but she finally managed to force herself to look him in the eye. "…C-Congratulations, Spada."

The chef's face instantly lit up. It was like he wasn't even feeling the hit anymore.

"Thanks, Raptor." As he finally managed to stand up straight again, she reacted awkwardly once more, but this time, he didn't let it go on for too long. "Alright, everyone. Eat up as much as you want, okay?"

Raptor nodded, and even though her face was always frozen on a single expression by design, everyone could tell that she was about as ecstatic as he was.

"Right!" And then she came a little closer to him again. "I-I'm sorry."

Spada wasn't the least bit concerned. "It's fine. How are you?"

"My head hurts a little."

Tsurugi could feel himself smiling at the whole display. Spada brought his hand up to Raptor's head for a moment, seemingly trying to make sure she was fine, before she was handed the restaurant's official certification and immediately reacted with glee, which in turn got a similar reaction out of Spada. It was truly a sight to behold, and he was grateful that he could be there for it.

Back in the present…

"Stinger, I can say with absolute confidence that Raptor's feelings are not one-sided." Tsurugi's tone was about as overly dramatic as it was when he first spoke of his achievements. "It may take some work to make sure he can act on it, but trust me… Spada's affection for our fellow Kyuranger is about as legendary as his cooking skills."

Stinger finally let his arms drop down. "That's good. It should make this easier. What do we do?"

"I'm glad you asked." Much like he had done, Tsurugi then turned to look to the advertisement he had on one of his walls. "As you said, I've made a habit out of visiting Spada's local restaurant for a good meal. I'm sure we can start a conversation."

"I can do the same with Raptor when I return to the ship. I was hoping to do so anyway after the kitchen incident, but I never had the chance." Stinger's comment earned him a nod from the president. "And after that?"

Tsurugi's face darkened slightly, much to his surprise.

"In light of recent news, I have some paperwork that I'll need to sort through. If there are any assignments that we can afford to prioritize, I'll try to find one that benefits from either the skills of a master chef or just one more Kyuranger. As soon as anything turns up, I'll let you and your crew know."

Despite his surprise, Stinger kept his composure as best as he could. "Understood. Anything else?"

"That should be all for now." Once again, Tsurugi stood up tall before offering him a hand. "Thank you again for all your help, Stinger."

Stinger wasted no time in returning the gesture. "Always a pleasure, Tsurugi." After taking his hand back, he raised his left arm so his Seiza Blaster was in full view. "Stay in touch."

"You do the same, Commander." Tsurugi nodded one last time.

In turn, Stinger saluted him. "OKyu."

With that, the commander took his leave.

As Tsurugi once again sat back down, Stinger closed the door behind him. While he took a moment to look at his blaster in silence, the president turned his display back on.

Despite no longer being in the same room, they both had the same thought, and for whatever reason, they saw fit to say it out loud to no one in particular.

"…Let's test our luck."

Before we end this, I have to get something out of the way. Big shout-out to Shios, who got me and some friends into Super Sentai as more than just a casual curiosity related to Power Rangers; my pal Alastar the hawk, who specifically suggested we watch Kyuranger out of curiosity over the mecha footage used for Cosmic Fury; my friend ChimericOni for their ever-present support and enthusiasm; and stickers_on_a_laptop over on Archive of Our Own, whose work really gave me the drive to get this project started.

If you made it all the way down here, I hope you enjoyed yourselves. Stay tuned for the next chapter; I will do my best to try and make sure the rest is finished as soon as possible, and hopefully it won't take me half a lifetime's work to get it done.

This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing off.