Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Don’t fret about it, Souji,” King said, cheerfully, clapping his hand on Souji’s shoulder. “Be sure to have fun.”

Souji took a deep breath, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palms.

“It’s not about having fun. The Deboss Legion keeps attacking and if I’m away for two weeks— I told my father I can’t, but he insisted—”

“Come on, Boy,” Ian appeared on his other side, hand on Souji’s other shoulder, and a smirk on his face. “We can hold the fort without you for a short time.”

“Not to mention, if things really go sideways Zakutor will run and pick you up,” Amy also mentioned, tapping her feet on the ground. “We’ll be fine, Souji. Try to relax.”

“I can’t relax!” Souji complained. “I’m not going there to relax. I’m going there to study. Which would be interesting. I have been wanting this opportunity for a while - but why now?”

“No better time than the present,” Ucchy piped up as well, smiling so brightly, giving him a thumbs-up.

“Besides I’m sure their house has to be delightful,” Nossan walked closer, a glint in his eyes, and Souji could just sense what was coming. “I’m sure their gardens are beautiful. Samurai are masters of bush ido, after all.”

Souji closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, while King laughed, letting Souji go, to clap Nossan on the shoulders.

“Look at the bright side, Boy,” Ian muttered into Souji’s ears, and the hair stood up the back of his neck. “You will be free from Nossan’s puns for two weeks.”

“Let me know immediately if something is wrong,” Souji insisted.

“Do not worry, Souji,” Torin also spoke up, albeit Souji did have an idea Torin was worrying the most. “We will have ways to pick you up, if you are needed.”

Souji really hated this, but what else was he supposed to do?

Why now?

What could the head of the Shiba clan teach him now?

The Nineteenth Head of the Shiba Clan was… Souji didn’t know what he expected.

He was still a young man, albeit clearly older than Souji or his friends (Ucchy notwithstanding, but his aging clearly stopped while he was possessed, so that was a different scenario altogether).

He knew the rules.

Lower your head, and bow down, and he could feel his inquisitive eyes studying him.

“Jii will show you your room. Get accustomed to your environment,” The head of the Shiba Clan said finally, and Souji could hear him get up from his spot. “Get comfortable.”

The man called Jii, actually called Kusakabe Hikoma showed Souji into one of the rooms.

“He doesn’t want me to be here, does he?” Souji sighed.

“The Lord doesn’t show his thoughts easily. But truth to be told since his retainers moved out - this place is a bit too empty. I think he will be happy to have someone to train with again, even if just for a few weeks.”

Well.

At least sparring with someone? That was something.

The Lord’s name was Shiba Takeru. And he was predictably a good swordsman, when the two of them sparred in the garden, Takeru’s hair tied up, and his eyes fixed on Souji, an unreadable expression.

“You are holding back.”

“...my lord?”

Takeru tapped his own bamboo sword against his shoulder.

“I can tell. You are overthinking what you are doing. Show me what you can actually do. Do not waste my time. You are only here for two weeks, after all.”

Souji still… hesitated.

Your way of fighting is your own, His father had told Souji before he left. The Head of the Shiba clan might not find it fitting for his house.

“Lord—”

“Or you think I wouldn’t be able to handle it?”

“That’s not what I–”

“So show me.”

So Souji did. Souji turned his bamboo sword around in his hand and struck forward, and Shiba Takeru moved away just as quickly, his own bamboo sword blocking his strike.

And there was the shadow of a smile briefly on Takeru’s face before he tilted his head forward.

“That’s more like it.”

Shiba Takeru was experienced, sharp and strong, and he seemed lonely. He was surrounded by all the kuroko and Hikoma, but he seemed like he was not supposed to be this alone.

And the third day he was there, Souji’s suspicions were confirmed.

He woke up to swords clashing together, and when he looked out to the garden, he saw Takeru sparring with someone.

It was another young man, a mischievous grin on his face, and he was attacking Takeru in a bold way. Very skilled, very wild.

Still in the end, it was Takeru’s sword that hit his sparring partner’s head.

“Ow! Ahhhh, Takeru. Still can’t beat you, right?”

“You have been slacking,” Takeru was scolding him, but there was a smile on his face, Souji was sure. And there was a shine in his eyes. “You can’t beat me if you keep slacking.”

“Maybe I’ll move back in then to keep you on your toes, Lord.”

He said it so teasingly, and Takeru didn’t seem offended by the blatant disrespect at all, just rolled his eyes.

“Your room is taken now.”

“Huh? Huh?! What do you mean, taken?! Who moved in, huh?!”

“Someone also green.”

It was such an odd thing to say and his sparring partner also titled his head to the side a little, deep in thought.

“You are awake, Souji.”

Souji jumped, when Takeru suddenly addressed him. He didn’t even notice it, he was too distracted by wondering about what was the deal with the new visitor.

“Huh? You are the new guest huh?”

“Only for two weeks,” Souji said quickly.

“His family had been in contact with the Shiba clan for generations. His father had been in talks with us to make sure he gets some training. He was very insistent that it’s important, right now.”

“...father did?”

There was a bitter taste in Souji’s mouth - after all of this, after Souji told his father that he cannot afford to abandon his team, why would he go behind his back to send him here?

…why?

“I see, I see. And what is your name, long-time family friend of the Shiba clan?”

“...Souji. Rippukan Souji, uh… Lord?”

And the other guy laughed, throwing his head back.

“I am no Lord, that’s just him,” He said, gesturing with his head towards Lord Takeru, who once again, didn’t even bat an eyelash to his informal behaviour. “I’m Tani Chiaki. I’m one of his retainers.”

“Chiaki, are you going to stay for dinner?” Hikoma poked his head out, and Chiaki’s grin grew on his face.

“Absolutely. Been missing the kuroko’s cooking a bit.”

“You should come along more often, then.”

“Hear, hear.”

Chiaki did stay the day, and Lord Takeru made Souji spar with him as well. While Takeru was disciplined and sharp and precise, and full of fire still, Chiaki was wild and unpredictable.

Well, Souji could pay it back in kind.

And when Chiaki left at the end of the day, Souji overheard Hikoma and Takeru talking.

“You know he’ll run around telling everyone you have a guest.”

“I know.”

Retainers.

Multiple.

And now there were none of them there.

Shiba Takeru was a leader, and he smiled at Tani Chiaki, while Tani Chiaki followed him, but he left.

Where were the other retainers, then?

He got the answer two more days later, when a young lady appeared, a bounce in her steps, while Souji was sweeping the yard in front of the house.

“Hello. You are… Souji, right?”

“...right.”

“I’m Hanaori Kotoha,” She said cheerfully, extending a hand. “Is Takeru inside?”

“I… yes.”

And with that, she walked inside, like she arrived home, and indeed the kuroko also waved at her.

And by the time Souji walked inside, Kotoha was sitting on a pillow of the main room, looking up at Takeru, the two of them in deep conversation, and Takeru’s eyes softened.

“...another one of his retainers?” Souji asked in a low voice from Hikoma next to him, who nodded.

“He always had kind of a soft spot for her, I think. Both of them used to feel like they didn't belong, even when they always did. Do you know that feeling?”

Souji took a deep sigh, and didn’t answer.

The Shiba house was the place Souji didn’t belong to, but probably not for the reasons Hikoma thought.

It was because he belonged elsewhere.

Retainers. Plural. Chiaki and Kotoha being two of them. Probably more.

…definitely more.

Cleaning the house, he found a photo, with Takeru in the center, and five young people surrounding him.

Checking the photo again, he could recognize Chiaki and Kotoha now, but there were still three others, and they were not here.

…then again, Souji wasn’t where he should have been either.

And he thought back to Chiaki and Kotoha, and Takeru was actually smiling while looking at them.

…Souji wasn’t the most perceptive when it came to love, as others were happy pointing it out.

But there were some things he just couldn’t ignore.

But really… in his defense…

How could you not fall for King? Just a little bit?

He was certain all of them were at least a little bit in love with King. 

How could you not? King was like the sun, a strong gravitational pull that just held all of them together. His relentless faith and optimism, and sheer energy.  

It was normal to be a bit in love with King, right?

Shiba Takeru was nothing like King - he was quiet and aloof, and to-the-point, but when Souji had seen him around Chiaki and Kotoha, it was like—

He still had the gravitational pull. And they brightened him up as well.

How could they leave him alone, then?

…would he also leave King alone?

…it was stupid. They were different. They were Kyoryugers.

It was different.

“We’ll start training later today.”

“Huh?”

“I’m going to go out to get sushi. Do you want to come?”

It was such a bizarre thing to hear from Shiba Takeru’s mouth, that before he even noticed what he was doing, he followed him out of the house.

It was a street cart, and the sushi chef beamed at them, waving energetically.

“Take! Hey! Long time no see!”

He called Shiba Takeru ‘Take’, of all things.

And Shiba Takeru smiled back at him.

“Where did you leave Daigoyo?”

“Ryuunosuke borrowed him.”

“...for a performance?”

“That’s what I thought too, but he said there is no way he fits kabuki. I think he would. He said Daigoyo is going to be there as motivation, whatever that means.”

The way they were fooling around made Souji think of Nossan - if he was here, looking at them, he’d probably make a pun like A samurai who is a sushi chef? It’s almost a sashimi-rai, and Souji found himself cringing.

Great. Nossan wasn’t even here and he still made Souji cringe.

“Are you also one of Lord Takeru’s retainers?” Souji asked instead, and the man who was called Genta was nodding rapidly.

“Yup! Insisted to be one, and Take couldn’t say no for long. We are childhood friends, after all. But the others often pop up at my cart as well. You should come around more, Take.”

And Shiba Takeru nodded.

“You were also gone for a while, Genta. Can’t visit you in France.”

“Well! I am back now!”

And Shiba Takeru looked happy that Genta was.

It was so wrong, being cut off from the others. He knew if he called them, he could talk with them, but what if he was interrupting them during a fight? It felt like he was flying blind, not knowing what the others did.

Would they even ask for help from him? Sometimes all of them needed help (well, King was King. But even he needed help at times), and the others would all jump to help. But maybe they didn’t want to trouble him, which was. So stupid. He would have ran to help, and he said so.

That was what a team was like, right?

Ian called him one evening.

“How is your training, Boy?”

His voice was tired - Souji could hear the forced levity, the teasing edge, but there was a tiredness in his voice that sent Souji immediately on alert.

“Are you okay? Did you have a fight?”

“You know how Deboss is, they can’t stay quietly still. Do not worry about it. Just focus on your training alright?”

He sounded so tired.

They managed, but—

“Should have called me.”

“Of course you are always needed, Boy,” Ian laughed, and Souji felt his face heat up, but at least Ian didn’t see it. “But we can survive a fight or two. Just don’t extend your stay, alright?”

When Shiraishi Mako showed up, she was wearing pink like Amy often did, and a soft smile on her lips, just like on Amy’s, but that’s where the similarities ended. Amy’s line of thinking was always directly to the point, and so similar to Daigo’s in ways nobody else’s was, even if neither of them noticed it, but when Mako looked at him, Souji could see a glint in her eyes, that was hard to place. And she also walked over to Takeru, smiling.

“New housemates, Takeru? Is the house that empty without us?”

“Temporary new housemate,” Takeru corrected her before Souji himself could have, as he held Mako’s gaze, a shine in his eyes.

“Hmmm, I see. By the way Ryuunosuke also heard. Sent us tickets to his new performance. Are you coming?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

Souji himself wasn’t really a fan of kabuki, as it turned out, that was what Ryuunosuke was doing. But one day, Hikoma pulled him aside, pushing a ticket into his hand.

“My family invited me to another event. Lord Takeru insisted I go, and when I argued, Ryuunosuke also called me and scolded me, the nerve on him sometimes— well. Would be a waste of a ticket otherwise.”

Now, he really couldn’t say no, right?

It was only polite.

Kabuki really wasn’t Souji’s thing, even though he did appreciate it as an art form - but the performances were so long.

Shiba Takeru and his retainers were all there, and Souji felt… alone.

He felt so… alone.

He wished the others were there - he thought of King’s laughter, Amy’s beaming smile, Nossan’s stupid puns, Ian’s smirks and Ucchy’s soft smile and—

…oh.

Oh no.

Souji barely even remembered how the performance ended, but he found himself following Shiba Takeru and his retainers back - and Ikenami Ryuunosuke, one of the performers also ran over, greeting Takeru, his lord with a loud voice and a deep bow, and he followed them along, and Souji just—

He was vaguely aware they were bickering about sleeping arrangements.

Sharing is caring, right?

They were all seemed to be understanding each other, seemingly oblivious to the crisis Souji was going through, following them.

He also couldn’t sleep. He was just lying there, on his back, staring at the ceiling, and—

And he heard them talk from a few rooms over.

“So. He is part of the Kyoryugers, isn’t he?”

It was Mako’s soft voice, and Souji sat up, scuttling closer to the wall on his hands and knees, to hear it better.

They knew?

“Yes,” Takeru replied. “He has been antsy, away from them.”

“Noticing it because you know what it’s like huh?” Genta was the one who laughed, and they were all kind of laughing.

…they were also a Sentai.

That explained so much about the way they all knew each other, how they clicked, and he sat to the side, barely paying attention to what else were they talking about.

They were a Sentai.

But they weren’t together.

Shiba Takeru was alone and—

…

Is this what going to happen with them?

Once they win—

…

Of course that’s what will happen to them.

Once the fight will over, Daigo and maybe Ian as well will go on new adventures. Maybe Amy as well, who knew what was gonna be in her future? Nossan had his family to care for, and Ucchy will definitely go out as well, looking for new experiences, getting to know this new century.

They will… leave each other.

Once the house quieted down, he tiptoed out to the garden, wooden sword in hand.

That was the best way Souji knew how to distract himself, to clear his own mind. To let his body move him forward, to continue fighting.

His sword hit another one, and when he looked up, Shiba Takeru was there.

“...you are a Super Sentai.”

“Indeed,” Takeru said, stepping away. “The Samurai Sentai authorized by Providence.”

“...but you are alone.”

“We did what our ancestors set out to do. Of course our enemies might return, so we have to keep the traditions open, but our main fight is over. Just like what happened to many Sentai teams before us, and after us, and will happen to those following you as well.”

“...so they left. Is that what always happens?”

“Is that what bothers you?” Shiba Takeru rested his sword on his shoulder. “We are still Super Sentai. We are always connected. This is always their home.”

“Home—” Souji trailed off.

Did they have anything like this? the Kyoryuger Base— but it wasn’t a home, it was a connection point, nothing like a home to go back to.

Takeru was quiet, and Souji looked back at him.

“I don’t think we have a place like this.”

“Home doesn’t have to be a place you live at. The Shiba house feels less like home when they aren’t here as well.”

Before Souji could have replied, a loud, rumbling noise interrupting them.

No. Not a noise. A voice.

A voice he knew.

“--! Zakutor!”

Zakutor definitely was making a fuss, hurrying through the quiet town and Souji perked up.

“...the others are fighting…?”

He looked back at Shiba Takeru, and there was a small smile in the corner of his lips.

“Go, Kyoryu Green. Your team needs you. Let’s consider your training finished for now.”

Souji took a deep bow.

“Thank you My Lord. Once our mission is over, I’ll come back to continue training.”

And with that, he turned around to run inside.

He needed to grab his gear, after all.

Truth of the matter was, Souji was stupidly, irrevocably in love with the others. People repeatedly told him he was bad at these kind of things, but that’s what this had to be, right? Shiba Takeru and his retainers, his Sentai team , the way they moved together, looking at them just made Souji’s heart ache, and if Ian finds out about this, he’ll be unbearable.

But that was for later.

Now, he had a fight to get to.